Bags & Bananas at The Market

I finally received my new camera, but the week of the bi-annual Top Shelf Flea Market III was not exactly the best time to get a new gadget to figure out, as I'm up to my ear lobes tagging items & treasures to bring to Boston on Sunday. I read through about half of the online manual (I thought someone said this is a very simple camera to use?!) and snapped a few photos from my studio of what I've been working on. The jewelry photos were snapped prior to reading anything and the quality is terrible, so my apologies ahead of time.

I'll be debuting a very small portion of a trunk full of vintage Banana Bob jewelry. The company went out of business in the late 1990s, but in it's day made some lovely art deco & victorian inspired pieces with vintage and antique facets and findings. Swarvovski crystals were used in many of the pieces, and most were hand crafted and hand painted, with many limited editions. The assortment I'm bringing to Boston Sunday are on the more casual side, but I am hoping to create a Vintage Jewelry floor in The Red Velvet Shoe and offering this gorgeous jewelry, as it has become highly collected & coveted. If you are looking for a specific Banana Bob piece, please email me and I will gladly check my inventory for you.

(Here is a sample of some of the more glamorous Banana Bob line that I found online...I'm quite certain I have this set, or something very similar.)

Here is a collage of some of the purses I just packed up to bring along....I love the Etienne Aigner in the top left, it has such an equine look to it, and I won't be sad if it doesn't sell because, as you know, a girl can never have too many purses...The top right is a lovely paisley Margaret Smith / Gardiner Maine purse and the label, I believe, dates it to one of her earliest pieces from the 1940s.

You'll find that (and much, much more!) Sunday at The Top Shelf Flea Market in Somerville/Boston, MA ~~ doors open at high noon. See you there!

For the Guys...

It's really, Joe, Zach and Bobby from Boston who supply the best men's stuff at this event, but, I try to bring a fun selection each time too! Today I finished pricing some lightweight fedoras, vintage ties, madras shorts, Hawaiian shirts, sport coats and a few other choice items for the guys. It will all be merchandised out front for you on this rack too so you need not wade through jewelry and handbags to find it! See you in a week...

I found two more!

Vintage swimsuits, that is! Above, a vintage 1970's animal print bikini from Swim Bali, below, an incredible 1960's Hawaiian two-piece in a 38 bust. Ooh la la! These preview at the Top Shelf Flea in three weeks!

From A Flea's Point of View

Christine of Carmen & Ginger.

Debbie (& friend) of Vintage Haven.

The absolute gentleman Zachary of Newton Street Suit Co.

Bobby From Boston Magpie

Swamp Rabbit Books Artifaktori

Propologie

The Red Velvet Shoe
(CoCo modeling my grandmother's c1949 Flobert gown....NOT For Sale :)

Giuseppe first in line for a shoe polish~~I wonder if he paid his brother?

followed by his adorable son...

Best photo of the day....an uncle shines his nephew's penny loafers.

Best Dressed Gentleman~~Mariano. Trust me.

Best Dressed Lady~~modeling a 1950s dress by "Coco"~~the lovely
and extremely talented Ida Floreak.

Thank you to all who attended The Top Shelf Flea II and for granting us another wonderful day. From the distinguished gentleman who arrived early with his LL Bean bag filled with (handsome) shoes in need of a shine, to the mother/daughter team out for a day of shopping together, to the pretty single gal looking for the perfect dress for that upcoming wedding, to the little man wearing his penny loafers eagerly anticipating his very first shoe~shine....the day was absolutely perfect, from a Flea's point of view...as well as from mine.

~Michelle

(P.S~~If you shopped at "The Shoe" and lost your parcel, it was most thoughtfully returned to me, so please contact me via email at theredvelvetshoe@yahoo.com and I will mail it to you right away.)

Men's Department - First Level

As usual, there are a number of sellers at the Top Shelf Flea with very nice vintage menswear.  You know, actual suits and proper shirts, jackets and shoes and such.  At Carmen and Ginger, we typically have a lot of "girlie" stuff but want you to know we've got some fun stuff for the guys too!  A great selection of Hawaiian shirts plus a nice vintage jacket or two, rockabilly Jantzen sweater and rockin' 1950's fringe jacket.  And we've always got some great skinny and zoot-suit style ties!  We'll put the men's goods right up front, in plain sight and with easy access, so that you do not even have to touch the "girlie" stuff - we promise!

It's Leathah Weathah

At least that's what they'll be saying up in Somerville next weekend at the Top Shelf Flea!  (Translation from the Boston Accent: "Leather Weather.")  If you love vintage leather jackets, Carmen and Ginger is going to have some beauties for you at the event!   Each has it's own special appeal, so come early, try on, and find exactly what you want before someone else does!  This is all fresh stock.  Doors open at 10:00 am...

The Curve of Her Shoulder

Two lovely 1960s Regina Glenara for Glenoit faux~fur wraps and a few other Jackie~O worthy vintage coats on their way to Boston on the 24th.

A H(a)unting We Will Go...

Photo courtesy of Costume Craze

Last year at about this time, I blogged about my vintage seller angst with regard to the upcoming Halloween holiday. You see, Halloween is the one time of year when suddenly EVERYONE is willing to shop vintage. While it can be a "swallow your vintage snobbery pride moment" (i.e.: when someone thinks that vintage dress you thought was so beautiful is so "FUNNY! and the PERFECT costume!" Huh?) the fact that Halloween brings ALL people, not just the vintage junkies to vintage is a wonderful thing! First of all from a sales point of view, a sale is a sale. Who cares if someone thinks a dress is beautiful or funny? You can't control what people do with your items once they purchase them in either case. The person who thinks something is beautiful may end up trashing it while the person who thinks it's funny may actually have it cleaned after the holiday and carefully pass it along to someone else for a completely different purpose.

Sexy leopard items are always popular for costume or for clubbing! And leopard is so "in" again this season, baby!

This is why I realized having the Top Shelf Flea II a week before Halloween is PERFECT timing! First of all it's a transitional season. People are looking for not only warmer clothes, coats, etc. but also great formal items to wear to the flurry of holiday events taking place in November and December. Second, people are looking for fun, unusual items to wear for Halloween! What a great mixture of shoppers! Plus, likely some hard core vintage addicts will find some fun costume ideas, and, some strictly "here for a costume" types will get sucked in to the beauty of some vintage treasures. Win win

Mad Men Costume or Fashion statement? Patriotic 60's suit or crazy politician lady costume? These work equally well as both!

Last year I sold a fantastic hot pink 1960's cropped suit, just like the two above and was somewhat aghast when the buyer sent me a photo after Halloween of herself wearing it covered in blood! "Relax" she assured me, "the suit was perfect for my costume but the blood was temporary. In fact, I am wearing the skirt as I type this!" Whew, thank you for that. See, both costume AND fashion, who knew

Shiny metallic disco era costumes or Studio 64 couture revisited?

Keep in mind that the vintage sellers at the Top Shelf Flea will each have a variety of items for you again at this event! Whether you are looking for a formal affair, every day wear, costumed event or gift for that someone-special in your life we've got it! And, plenty of places to try on the goods for size! Bring your friends, bring your camera phone and get second opinions if needed! We all love to talk vintage shop and are happy to help you find exactly what you need.

Skinny ties for guys: Mad Men costume, or, back in style for Fall 2010!

If there is anything you are looking for specifically that you wish for me to bring for you to try on, drop me a note. If there is something in my shop you wish to see in person let me know that as well. As you can see, I have racks and racks of goods so will be choosing carefully which goodies to bring. I am happy to bring along anything special you need - for an event or costume, no worries! - so let me know!

A View From "The Shoe"

Greetings Top Shelf Flea fans...just 16 days until we converge upon Davis Square with truckloads of vintage merchandise for you choose from.

I saw a bit of a Jackie~O theme today as I was putting boxes of goodies together to bring along. That's a 1961 edition of The Complete Story of America's Glamorous First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy by Deane and David Heller. The glasses? They're c1960s Foster Grants. The clutch is c1950s and comes with original change purse & cardholder. Ah, the cloche....a beauty, isn't she? 100% wool Glenover by Henry Pollack, Inc. A sweet & sexy little black slip is a vintage maidens wardrobe staple. The grey chinoiserie is an absolute dream, as is that sweet black beaded cardigan (with the original tag still on!).

I'm up to no good devising a contest to win a Gift Certificate to spend at The Top Shelf Flea~~stay tuned for details.

Michelle @ The Red Velvet Shoe ~~ Facebook Twitter Blog

Confessions of a Vintage Seller

I love anything old. Old photos, old books, old paper, old clothing, old coats, and, even for a while, older men (but - shh! - that's all changed since I married my young husband a few years ago!) I also confess I love to shop. Not at the mall, but, at places where most mall shoppers would never dare to go. Consignment shops, flea markets, yard sales, rummage sales and church sales are my favorite haunts. In fact, it was while shopping at a local consignment shop that I met my friend Michelle from The Red Velvet Shoe; a fellow old-stuff addicted vintage seller (rumor has it she has a thing for older guys too!).

For me, it runs in the family. Above, for example, is a photo of my dad, my aunt and my mom all diligently rummaging through items at a family-outing, um, I mean flea market last fall!

When I was laid-off from my full-time job in November of 2008, I turned to vintage selling to help pay the bills. I had sold off and on on eBay for years but had been away from it for a while. I opened an Etsy shop and was excited when I had a few "hearts" and my sales hit 10 in the first month! Now, my sales are 1780+ and climbing daily! I have over 2200 followers and a blog to support the shop as well. It has gone from a little idea to a BIG bear but I still enjoy it. Above you can get a glimpse into my storage area where I constantly try to keep things neat and organized.

Although on-line selling has its merits, and, I "talk" to people from all over the world on a weekly basis, I confess that nothing can replace the fun of selling to customers directly. This is why I LOVE to participate in the Top Shelf Flea! It is so much fun to enable customers to stop by and look at the items first-hand. They can try on jewelry, hats, dresses and anything else that strikes them! They can model for friends and family and make considered decisions about gifts for others. I get to meet them in person and help them to find exactly the vintage piece they are looking for. Everyone has fun and everyone leaves happy. What's better than that?


I will post some more detailed photos as we get closer-to the date of this year's show (October 24, pass it along!) but for now will leave you with this enticing photo of some vintage coats. Last May, of course, it was unseasonably warm and coats were certainly not on anyone's mind. This fall, however, I will have a plethora of real and faux-fur coats, capes, leather jackets, boucle beauties and many, many more! So save your pennies, bookmark this page, mark your calendars and tell your friends - the second Top Shelf Flea is coming!