My 5 vintage pieces with the best stories...

Get to know me through my collection!

Welcome new subscribers!

I've been thinking about the best way to introduce myself to all of you amazing new subscribers, and I realized the most authentic way is to start where my online journey began—with my vintage collection.

I have always loved fashion, but the thing that has always drawn me to vintage specifically is the stories. I love the idea that we ALL wear clothing, despite our interest (or lack thereof) in it. I find garments to be such a peak into someone’s life and a universal experience, therefore I wanted to share a bit about what I find most interesting in Grandma's collection by picking a few stories that stand out to me.

The collection is somewhere in the 700-800 pieces, so it was incredibly difficult to just pick 5, but here are some of my absolute favorite stories:

1. Grandma Pat- 1975

   

   After giving birth to her first child, my dad, Grandma prescribed a date night by her pediatrician and wore this stunning maxi dress by the brand Young Edwardian. Not only is it an amazing representation of the 1970s and everything Grandma loves, but it’s such a fun and unique story to imagine pediatricians doing stuff like this today…

2. Great great great Aunt Stella- 1940s

   

   My great great great Aunt Stella comes up in my content a lot, not only because she was such a fashion icon, but also because she really cared about her clothing. One of my favorite pieces of hers is this 1940s black dress which she bought from Harold’s (a local Minneapolis shop.) She had a saleswoman who worked at Harold’s that loved her so much that she called Stella to let her know that a new dress was in stock and it was “made for” her. It cost 100$ at the time which is equivalent to nearly 2000$ today- Grandma says Stella was never rich, but she saved and loved to spend her money on special pieces like this!

3. Grandpa Greg- Late 1960s

   

   If you think I only wear women’s pieces, you’d be wrong. This pair of pants belonged to my grandpa who was in a band in the 1960s called “Wakefield Union.” He was a drummer and wore these velvet pants with a non-absorbent lining once to a show, but sweat SO much that his sweat physically pooled into his platform boots which he then had to pour out at the end of the show. He says he bought 2 pairs, but never made that same mistake again…

4. Great great Aunt Mary- 1950s

   

   Mary lived in Mabel Page’s all-women’s housing as a young adult and since the building didn't have air conditioning, when it got too hot in the summers, all the girls would take off their dresses and just wear their slips around the dorms. One day, they found a peeping tom looking in their window and Mary, along with some friends, physically chased him off the premises… still in their slips, of course.

5. Great Aunt Lawnie- 1960s

Believe it or not, this was a wedding dress! Worn by my great aunt when she had a courthouse wedding (this was a very casual event, NOT a shotgun wedding as my followers on Instagram seem to think) it was sewn by my great grandma, who was an incredible seamstress, and worn with a brown suede coat. The construction is still amazing 60 years later.

+ An honorable mention to this 1930s/40s dressing gown which has always been a fan favorite- it doesn’t have a great story other than it would not have been worn outside the house, but just to get ready for the day and came with a matching hanger, belt and pair of satin slippers!

And finally- huge shoutout to Andrew, my first founding subscriber! Thank you so much for your generous support! I look forward to finding ways to show my gratefulness.

If you have an amazing piece you want to share with me, please do that here! I look forward to researching and styling my follower’s pieces!

Otherwise, follow along with this journey by becoming a subscriber: