Vintage Gifts - Holiday Shopping

The holiday Season will be here before you know it, so if you haven't started your shopping you'd better get cracking. For the vintage lover on your list, there is a ton of deadstock vintage out there if you know what to look for. What could be a better ? A unique vintage gift that's never been used! But hurry, the best stuff always goes fast!

Search for these phrases:

new vintage,
new with tags,
nwt,
nwts,
new old stock,
or nos

Lattice 80s Victorian Steampunk Boots NOS and only $68.00 from margaretpearl



A great cream vinyl cinch belt only $8.50 from FlanneryCrane

New with tags Ballerina Nightgown A steal at $20 from LexisMonkey


A Chic Houndstooth check 60s suit $175.00 from CalendarGirlVintage

Awesome over sized 80s white sunglasses $34.00 from PlanetClaireVintage

Happy shopping, XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

Vintage Lilli Ann Jackets and Coats

Just listed this fabulous late 60s early 70s faux fur and suede jacket from Lilli Ann. Just love those big balloon sleeves!

A couple of my favorite Lilli Ann coats on Etsy right now:

Tailored elegance, 40s Lilli Ann Jacket from TimelessVixenVintage

Gorgeous 50s lipstick red with fox collar by TialeyVintage

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

Vintage Blow Out Sale

Great Bargains on fabulous vintage clothing and accessories in my new UNDER $20.00 section. These items won't last long. Also I am giving an additional 10% off anything in this section this weekend only (now until Sun Sept 27 midnight PST). All your have to do is write "weekend deals" in the message to Seller section when you check out.

Here is just a small sample of the great items in this section.... ALL UNDER $20 Bucks!

Blue metal mesh Whiting and Davis Clutch - new with tags!!



60s Cropped Red Velvet Jacket



80s New Wave batwing sweater in red, white and black.

Happy Shopping, XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

Victoria Vintage Fair

I'm busy getting ready for the first ever Victoria Vintage Fair which is being held next month on Oct 17th. It promises to be a fun event with lots of vintage clothing, jewelry, and accessories, so if you live in the area mark it on your calender. I've been putting aside some special pieces just for this event.
Like this fabulous Hermes scarf.

The Fair will be across from the Moss Street Market, another "must do" when in Victoria.
XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

And The Winner of the Vintage Heart Charm Bracelet Is...

The winner of this lovely vintage bracelet is #71 JennTRC! Congrats!!

Thanks to Love Charles Vintage for hosting this giveaway on her blog http://lovecharlesvintage.blogspot.com/

Happy Saturday! Now I'm off to my garden.

XOXO

Cruising the Carribean

My husband is one of those really manly men, 6'2", strong and fearless, so I was much amused when I discovered he gets incredible motion sickness. Even kiddie rides at the fair are enough to make him whimper like a baby! He's okay in a car or a plane, but get him on a boat and watch out. Last year we took the Clipper high speed catamaran back to Victoria from Seattle and it was a barfarama for over 2 hours. We've taken a lot of holidays, but obviously cruising is out of the question for him. I know the big cruise ships have tons of stabilizers and that one can take gravol or patches to reduce motion sickness, but there is no way I would ever convince him the risk was worth it.

So My Mom and Sister decided the three of us would take a cruise together and leave the husbands at home. We're doing the Princess Eastern Caribbean out of Ft Lauderdale, so we'll spend a few days in Disney World before we depart. I've travelled with both of them before, so we know how to have fun together. Now that it's booked I'm really looking forward to it, but it's still a long time away - mid January.

Emerald Princess

XOXO Empress Jade

Reglor Ballerina Lamps

I bought this pair of 1950s Reglor of California chalkware lamps last year at an auction.

A matched set of mid century chalkware lamps in the coveted ballerina design. Reglor specialized in chalkware figural lamps often depicting highly stylized themes and were much copied but never duplicated. The rare purple and lavender paint is original.

They are marked Reglor of Calif, and stamped 1953 on the bases.

My intention was always to sell them, but they are really quite large and heavy, so the shipping costs would be quite expensive so I've never got around to it. If anyone is seriously interested in them please send me a message.

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

In Search of the Perfect Hat

I'm on the lookout for a great vintage hat. Something I would actually wear, preferably 60s and suitable for Fall and Winter. Something with a bit of groove. I've kinda narrowed it down to either a bucket or fedora style because I want it versatile enough to wear with everything from jeans to a dress. The selection of vintage hats on Etsy is so outstanding it's hard not to get sidetracked. Just look at what I've found this morning.

Fabulous red and black tapestry bucket from BigYellowTaxiVintage

Tres Chic plaid YSL fedora with chain embellishment from VintageStew

Another great hat from VintageStew a leopard pillbox

Chic but fun white angora bucket style hat from SomeLikeitVintage

LOVE love love this Rainbow stripes hat from CloudNineVintage

This mod white vinyl cap has an asymmetrical brim and would look amazing with an A-line mini and go go boots. From VintageFanAttic


Vintage style, made to order 60s bubble shaped newsboy hat from Boring Sydney - totally Shagadelic. Royal blue satin

Have fun, wear vintage and wear a hat!

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

Photo Background Poll Results

Which photo background is better? Poll Results:

44% prefered the new apple green background


48% prefered the old pale blue background


7% didn't like either one

I did get asked how I take my photos. I do not use professional Savage backdrop paper. I've checked into it a few times and it's insanely expensive to get the width I need here in Victoria and the shipping costs make it impossible to order it in. So this is my make shift solution. I bought a huge piece of artists canvas and painted it with matte latex. It's stapled onto a 2 inch think wooden dowel that hangs from metal brackets on my wall and is rolled up when not in use. My system is very low tech: I rely on natural light from an open door on the side of the backdrop. You can see in this uncropped photo (including the messy shelves in my laundry room) that the light is streaming in on the model's left side (our right). This presents some challenges because of course the light position and intensity changes throughout the day.

The painted canvas does get dirty after a while, so has to be repainted occasionally. I guess I'm going to keep experimenting with background color until I get the right shade.

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

Twitter Problems

Damn! Tried to sign into Twitter this morning and found out my account is suspended. I have no idea why and I would have expected some kind of notice or reason why they were suspending my account. The only thing I've done differently is I just set up some twitter feeds for my Etsy store and blog, so maybe that's considered spam or something..... BUT lots of other sellers have feeds so why would mine be different??? It's not like I've added or renewed tons of items in the last day. I just don't get it!?? Now I'm waiting to hear back from Twitter support, so hopefully I can get this resolved soon.

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

Update: back up and running on Twitter, but still no response regarding WHY my acct was suspended. Weird!

Fun with Vintage Crinolines

Some vintage crinolines and petticoats are too fun to be worn UNDER your clothes. Pair them with a little tank or a t-shirt and wear them out as a skirt instead.

A romantic tangerine crinoline worn with a strapless basque and chunky beads. Xenavintage on Etsy

Pretty in sheer pink vintage mini crinoline worn with a beaded cami, short hot pink leggings and wine babydoll pumps

A flirty red crinoline with black sequin trim looks great with a simple black T. Shrinkle on Etsy

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

Vintage Heart Charm Bracelet Giveaway

The ‘Lucky in Love’ Vintage Charm Bracelet is a vintage silver plate bracelet, with heart shaped lock clasp and safety chain. Adorned with 13 vintage charms; puffy hearts, rhinestone hearts, lucky charms, and an old heart shaped lock. Some are sterling silver and others costume jewelry. Check below to see how to win this piece!

But, first a feature on Love Charles Vintage:

Tell us a bit about yourself- Name, location, your backstory, etc.
My name is Lily, I live out in the country on a tiny dirt road surrounded by fields. I am currently in college and working to pursue my passion for art.



What started your love for vintage?
I have always been thrifty and shopped at salvation army, garage sales, flea markets, etc. I slowly learned more and more about vintage pieces and collected the ones I liked. Vintage garments are just better constructed than the garments of today, and you know you’re wearing something unique. My collection sort of took off from there.

Do you have an absolute favorite piece?
Vintage boots, I can’t resist a pair. My very favorites are a pair of maroon 1970s riding boots that I can pair with anything.

Can you describe your process for selecting items for your store?
It’s very intuitive, I look at the fabric or the cut and decide instantly if I like it or not. Then I have to narrow down my pieces to the ones that will transcend well into current day styles, and ones that are in great shape and are well constructed.

What is your own personal style like?
I try to keep it simple, but eclectic. I stick to mostly solid colors, maybe a statement necklace, and lots of boots and pencil skirts. Mostly, I am always sporting a dress, it’s the perfect outfit.

Where do you gather your inspiration?
I’m inspired just going to flea markets or thrift stores, with the variety to choose from and all the different fabrics, it’s hard not to be inspired. I can gather a lot of inspiration from browsing vintage photos too, seeing the fashion of times and wanting to branch off from that.

Besides running an online store, what else takes up your time?
College, and creating. I’m always trying to find a new project to work on, or try a different medium. I do photography, and work with clay. As long as I’m always generating new ideas I’m happy.

What styles are you excited to see/sport this fall season?
As always with the colder weather approaching, I’m excited for knitwear. I’m hoping to see different ways to layer knits and varying subdued hues.





And now for the giveaway:

This contest is open Worldwide. I will ship the item to the winner free of charge. No purchase necessary.

Mandatory entry- Visit my Etsy store EmpressJade . Then leave a comment on Love Charles blog with a link to your favorite item, and tell us why it’s your favorite .

For extra entries, leave an additional comment on any of the following.

1 Entry - Heart EmpressJade on etsy and leave your user name.
1 Entry - Follow EmpressJadeVintage on blogspot and leave your user name.
1 Entry - Follow Lovecharlesvintage, and gain and extra entry.
1 Entry - Follow EmpressJadeVintage on Twitter
1 Entry - Become a friend over on myspace.
1 Entry - Fan Empress Jade's facebook.
1 Entry - Fan Love Charles facebook.
2 Entries - Blog, tweet, facebook this giveaway and leave a link.


Getting the word out gets you 2 entries, go ahead and leave two comments. Make sure to leave a valid e-mail address so that you can be contacted, (and feel free to spell it out).

The winner will be chosen by random.org on September 19th.

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

What do you think??

I got tired of trying to photograph pale lingerie against my pale blue canvas backdrop... it just kind of blended in. So I tested out a new apple green backdrop in today's vintage photo shoot. Let me know what you think. Is this a winner, or not? All photos taken with indirect natural light, so color intensity changes throughout the day. Other than cropping, these pictures are unedited.

Sexy 70s leopard halter dress


Royal blue draped 80s jumpsuit


Sheer floral gauze maxi dress with amazing sleeves


Little red cardigan sweater

Intense blue lacy full slip

Black velvet 80s cocktail dress with emerald sequins

Colorful mini Hawaiian dress with cute sleeves


All of these items are coming soon to our Etsy Store.

XOXO Empress Jade Vintage

For the Vintage Kitchen

I've been searching for the perfect set of vintage Melmac dinnerware in yellow... a clear sunny yellow, not butter cream or mustard and so far I haven't had any success. I did find a simply amazing selection of melamine dishes in practically every other color in the rainbow on Etsy. I love the curvy Mid Century designs and fun colors . Check it out these cool finds:

Pretty pink Boontonware gravy boat by AngiesIris


Sage dinner set from MothersVintage

A rare set of Spaulding Ware spice containers in blue by RetroChalet

Awesome Orange Brookpark salt & pepper shakers from The RetroLife

Apple green bowls from VintageGoodies

Bright pink cups from Marianneclare



XOXO Empress Jade Vintage