Category Archives: Shopping

Entries relating to places I enjoy shopping at

Portland Vintage Guide

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Over the time that I’ve had this blog, I’ve received multiple e-mails asking where one should go for vintage shopping while visiting the City of Roses.  And often I find myself having to actually take the time to create a list instead of just being able to pull one out of my pocket.  I’ve decided to change that routine…So here is the Atomic Redhead’s Guide to Portland!

Please note that I have not included every vintage shop or antique mall in Portland.  I have selected ones I enjoy shopping at.  However, I have also included a handful of other shops that I don’t often visit, but those seeking very high-end vintage garments or furniture may wish to visit. Additionally, I have listed some other Portland places you may want to visit, as well as places to grab a bite to eat or a drink.

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Simply Vintage

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Just a few weeks ago, Portland was blessed with a new vintage store, Simply Vintage Boutique.  The gal slinging out the vintage? Some of you may already know her! She’s Sarah of the Etsy shop Stutterin’ Mama!

Sarah’s shop is a vintage lover’s dream come true.  Lush and elegant vintage garments hang from plush satin hangers on buttery yellow walls and nearly every piece in her shop could be the prized dress in any retrophile’s closet.  Sarah has carefully hand selected each and every item in her shop.  There are many beautiful dresses as well as a wonderful range of separates.   Another thing that is wonderful about Sarah’s inventory? A lot of really wearable sizes.  People often complain about vintage being tiny, but at Simply Vintage, that’s not the case.  I found plenty of gorgeous items that were too large for me, which, while a bummer on my part, I knew some other gals were going to be thrilled because finding “plus size” vintage is always a little tougher.

Sarah also stocks menswear too! So there’s something for your man as well.  Simply Vintage is strictly for the hard-core vintage lover or even collector – Sarah has some stellar, very high-end items.  Lovers of the 1940s and 1950s will be in pure heaven here, because true vintage is all she stocks. Her inventory extends only into the 1960s, which is like a giant sigh of relief.  It does get tiresome to go to a “vintage” shop, only to have to sift through rack of 80s.

You can visit Simply Vintage at 3640 SE Belmont St. Mondays and Wednesdays through Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm.  “Like” her page on Facebook or learn more on Yelp.

Thrift Luck

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On Sunday I had friend and owner of Retro Rejuvenation, Lyndsie come visit me.  She’s an absolute doll and we had an incredibly fun time visiting vintage shops and thrift stores for two solid days.  Sometimes the downside to having so much fun is a failure to take pictures.  Even with reasonable cameras in our pockets, I got no pictures of us together.  How lame am I? But what I can show you is my insane haul…yeah, this is going to be one of those posts.  Monday, found ourselves on the prowl at thrift stores, and at nearly every shop we scored…it was the craziest thing! And as cliche as it may be getting, we couldn’t help blasting Macklemore’s “Thrift Shop” as we cruised down the road, because seriously, “This is fucking awesome.”

I picked up a few of the normal thrift finds…some slips, a couple of belts…but there were a few things that utterly floored me…

First was this Root Beer Bakelite bangle…

Lyndsie picked up one of those taped up vases filled with “junk” at Goodwill, and pointed out three bangles, whispered “I think these are Root Beer,” and showed me the price tag of $7.00. A risk worth taking.  Upon returning to the car, we ripped open the vase and poured out all of crappy metal bangles, plastic beads and broken watches to reach the bangles, which were of course at the bottom, yanked them out and rubbed them until hot, and low and behold, they provided us with that glorious whiff of formaldehyde.  While Lyndsie made the purchase, she offered one of the bangles to me as a gift, and I was oh so pleased.

We continued on our merry way and at another shop were scanning the dresses…sometimes you can just run your hand along the edge of clothing racks, feeling the fabric and stopping when something feels right…and my hand stopped on a plush royal blue dress of silk velvet.  I pulled it from the racks and inspected the garment…snap closures at the neck and side, a dainty faux sash…no…it couldn’t be…but it was…a 1920s dress! And it was $9.99.

And it fits!  Of course, the picture doesn’t do it justice, but that’s okay. I kind of what it to have a fabulous reveal later…probably for a viewing of The Great Gatsby.  It appears to have no holes or tears, and is just missing some kind of buckle for the sash, which is an easy fix, just have to find the right buckle. Update! To view this dress in action, visit my Great Gatbsy post!

My final score was this piece of furniture…

At $14.99 I couldn’t leave it at the store.  It’s a little rough (a cat used it as its scratching post) and could do with being re-upholstered, but for now I’m going to leave it as is.  The biggest problem right now is finding a home for it.  So for the next few days Patrick and I will be playing musical chairs…literally.

I also happened upon a vintage hat box which had at least five hats in it, for $2.00.  I didn’t dig through them, just purchased it.  But ultimately I didn’t care for the hats, and Lyndsie found herself in love, I gifted her the hats and box.  Lyndsie didn’t make out too shabby either, the highlight being an End of Day Bakelite bangle (that is in addition to the Root Beers!).

By the end of the day, we were exhausted, but on an extreme thrift store high.  It was just plain amazing.  I’m not sure if it was a fluke or if Lyndsie and I posses some sort of magical thrift powers when united.  I’d like to think it’s the latter.

Sponsor Sale!

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One thing I love about having seller friends in the vintage community is the easy access to a huge selection of beautiful items.  Anytime I’m over at someone’s  house who sells vintage it’s not only a lovely visit with a friend, but it’s also like visiting a super secret vintage shop.  Rhiannon is one of those people.  Her shop, Garb-Oh Vintage, often has some of the most fantastic items I’ve come across full of carefully hand-picked items, and I love that every so often I get to take a real-life peek into her Etsy shop.  And right now is an excellent time to buy from her too! Because much of her shop is currently on sale!  And plenty of that includes some wonderful spring and summer items!

Here are a few of my favorites…

1. Beat the heat and look stylish in this sheer cherry blossom print dress!
2. I can’t resist a dress with pockets! Especially when it’s pink and white! Nor should you! This 1950s dress is cute and practical!
3. I love how bright this diamond print dress is! And the color combo allows for you to pair it with so many different colors!
4. And for a night out on the town, this Toni Owen gold lurex is a show stopper!

Her sale runs through the end of the month! So if you like something, buy it now! For it could be gone tomorrow!  Also, remember to add Garb-Oh Vintage to your favorite shops to see what new items she adds! Which is pretty often since she’s always out buying!

A Note on Vintage Repro

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Thanks for all of your kind words in my last post.  I’m still sniffly, but I certainly feel like I’m on the up and up and was able to take just two snaps for this post.

Over the time I’ve had this blog I have gotten a lot of questions about plus-size vintage clothing.  So many people complain that vintage is all tiny.  And I’m here to say it’s not.  While plus size vintage may be harder to come by, it isn’t non-existent.  I don’t know about you, but I can flip through plenty of old photos and see some plus size gals – not everyone was tiny back then. However, since it is harder to come by, many retro loving plus size gals turn to vintage repro to fill their closets and I then get questions on which vintage repro/vintage inspired brand is the best.  But that’s a bit of a hard question to answer…until now.  So buckle up and get ready for discussion of vintage repro.

The truth of the matter is I rarely buy new (vintage repro or otherwise) and this is for a combination of reasons. There are a handful of items I do buy from vintage repro sites, because I can’t find very much of certain items in the vintage world, like pants for example. In all honesty I just don’t look at vintage repro sites often because I don’t want or need to.  I like the thrill of the hunt.  I like giving my money to a local shop.  I like having unique items.  I like the quality of real vintage.  And I like sewing my own clothes.  So this leaves me with very little experience in the vintage repro world…until now.  Recently I have been lucky enough to stumble onto some vintage repro second hand and can now give my personal opinion on it.

Stop Staring was one of the first large vintage repro companies to hit the market. Riding the Neo-Swing wave, Stop Staring was established in 1997 and offers up mostly dresses with a tiny selection of separates. All garments are designed by a female designer who wants to give women the chance to embrace their inner femme fatale by providing figure flattering and curve hugging garments.

Some Stop Staring dresses have stretch to their fabric, while others do not.  This dress has an insane amount of stretch to it.  Which I personally don’t care for since it often creates odd bunches (which you can see in the above image) that you’re constantly tugging it back down.  But I like their styles, the fact the garments have back zippers and I also love that their garments are made in the USA.

One brand that has really picked up popularity is Trashy Diva.  I was introduced to the brand by fellow blogger The Fiercest Lilliputian who has a few of their dresses and adores them.  I really loved many of their patterns and the cuts were amazing! Seriously, some of their dresses could be dead ringers for the real deal.  But most of their garments have side zippers (seriously, I could do a whole post on my side zipper problem).  So that and the price forced me to turn away from their items.  But recently I scored one of their dresses for less than half of what it cost new.

When I tried the dress on I was really pleasantly surprised by their side zipper.  Unlike most side zippers that stop an inch or so before the armpit, Trashy Diva zippers go all the through to the sleeve!  This makes the dress ten times easier to get on and off, and doesn’t strain the fabric like other side zipper garments.  (This strain often results in the zipper being pulled loose from the garment and/or causing the fabric to sheer.)

Some of Trashy Diva’s dresses have stretch, others do not, such as this one which is 100% rayon.  And some have linings, but some don’t.  For me, I personally don’t care for linings with the exception of a coat.  I much prefer to wear slips than deal with linings.

I do want to make note of one quality thing that I encountered.  Even though I did buy my Trashy Diva dress second hand, it still had its original tags and replacement button attached.  So I believe the dress was unworn.  However, I noticed that the fabric on the fabric covered buckle was already beginning to show wear.

Second hand or not, I really don’t feel like this should be happening yet and it’s disappointing.  But honestly I don’t care too much for the belt.  Partially because it’s not all that flattering due to the fact that even on the tightest setting the belt was still loose.  Also, the light fabric is applied to a black belt, which causes the whole belt to be a shade darker than the rest of the garment.  I may find myself pairing this dress with a different belt or no belt at all, it looks just dandy without.  With regards to manufacturing location, Trashy Diva garments are made in China.

I found both the Stop Staring and the Trashy Diva dresses to be immensely comfortable as well.  Especially the Trashy Diva one, which was lightweight and soft.  And the stretch in the Stop Staring made it easy to move in.

Furthermore, I find that vintage repro fills a nice, specific niche in my wardrobe – travel.  When traveling you run the risk of losing or ruining your garments. It’s just a sad fact. And I would much rather lose a new garment, that may be easily replaced, as opposed to a vintage, possible one-of-a-kind garment.

Other vintage inspired companies that I have highlighted are Freddies of Pinewood, eShakti (experiences viewable here and here) Collectif and more recently Bettie Page Clothing.

There are so many more vintage repro and vintage inspired companies out there. Here is a small list for you to check out.  I have noted where the garments are made for the companies that I was able to find that information.

Heyday – Made in the UK and New Zealand
Vivian of Holloway
Pin-up Girl Clothing
Boo Boo Kity Couture – Handmade in the UK
Jitterbuggin’ Clothing – Handmade in Portland, Oregon
Shabby Apple
Nicole Katherine
NudeeDudee – Made in Los Angeles, California
Bernie Dexter – Made in the USA

As always, any future vintage repro/vintage inspired garments that I purchase or collaborate with I’ll share my experiences with you.  But I do want to note, I am by no means a clothing quality expert.  I’ve never peeked into a designer garment to look at the stitching, and I don’t go into high-end shops and turn garments inside out.  But I can feel the difference between fabrics and tug at seams and give it my best, but sometimes the true quality of a garment isn’t shown until it’s worn and washed the couple of times, and that’s another reason I love real vintage – it’s been around the block a few times and holding on strong.

La Plaza Dos

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So I finally did a bit of vintage shopping here in Palm Springs, but I was rather let down…or maybe just my wallet and personal taste let me down.

I visited many shops, however most inventory of the antique shops were more…high-end, I guess you could say. Many had pieces of modern art mixed in with primitives, which often just isn’t my bag.  I love kitsch.  There were a handful of shops though that were a bit more up my alley.   Route 66 West carried the best selection of Bakelite I’ve ever seen. And Mr. Cox offered beautiful items in a carefully curated and plush shop.  But it was Deja Vu where my taste and pocket book were a little more at home and I walked away with this insanely perfect skirt…

Yeah, those are silhouettes of square dancers.  Pretty amazing, right?  I kind of had to hold in a squee of delight when I found it.  The skirt paired nicely with the blouse I wore in my last post…so I couldn’t resist wearing the outfit before we headed back to Portland.

We explored La Plaza a bit more and discovered a restaurant I was totally oblivious to last time I wandered around, FARM, which has taken four of the former bungalows and made one the kitchen, and the other three and the space in between all of them into dining areas.  However we didn’t eat there, and instead opted for Tyler’s since Patrick had missed out on my previous visits and wanted to try their delicious food.

Well, we head home tomorrow! But don’t worry, the Palm Springs posts don’t end here! I have yet to talk about the stellar hotel we’re at. So stay tuned! Heck, you might even get a post tomorrow during our four hour layover in San Fran!

The BBR: What Katie Did CC09 Bra

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Up to this point, the bullet bras I have reviewed have been more of the 1950s and 60s nature.  But now there is a bra for the 40s lover…  Today on The Bullet Bra Revue we have What Katie Did‘s CC09 1940s Satin Bra.

What Katie Did has slightly modified an original World War II era bra pattern to accommodate for modern cup sizes, as well as the comfort we modern gals have come to expect from our bras.

The CC09 has a soft curve, and is obviously less bullet-y, yet not as “globe” or “melon” like as modern bras.  This bra still creates the lift needed to meet the darts of vintage garments.

One thing that I noticed with this bra in contrast to the Mairtresse and Padded Bullet was the band fit.  The CC09 bra lacks the small bit of elastic between the cups that add a tiny bit of extra stretch to the bra.  A tiny bit that I felt I actually needed for a certain comfort level, so I put a bra hook & eye extender at the end of the bra, giving me the less than half inch I needed for a more comfortable fit.

The CC09 bra is $50.00, available only in “Peach”, made in India and of polyester with matching adjustable polyester straps (so no stretch) and elastic near the hook and eyes.

More Bullet Bra Revues
The Maitresse by What Katie Did
The Padded Bullet Bra by What Katie Did
The Fully Support Bra by Exquisite Form