Coat season is just about over so we're having a blow out sale at Born Too Late Vintage!

Mens dress coats, leather jackets and womens coats of every shape and size are now on sale!

So what are you waiting for? Let's go shopping!

Working steadily she had managed to clear 4 closets of their assorted junk. She had piles of report cards, band concert flyers and assorted birthday and anniversary cards her parents had saved over the years. The clothing had been dispatched to a large contractors garbage bag and was in the back of her car ready to be donated.

She just had one more closet to check out and then she could make her trip to the clothing bins and get rid of 50 years of stuff that neither she or her siblings wanted or needed. They all knew that this day would come and had dreaded it for their parents had been proverbial packrats, saving everything and anything, afraid to part with memories from the past. She just didn't understand the point in saving all this "stuff." Better to donate it and be done with it.

She decided to gear herself up with a cup of strong black coffee and sneak a cigarette. Memories of puffing away in front of her mother who was horrified by this first sign of rebellion spread through her brain. She'd been an obedient child and teenager, a wind-up child, who was wound up every morning and performed as expected.

Then she started college and picked up smoking, more for effect and to piss off her mother, trying to shake up the calm her mother always projected. When low on funds from her part time job she strategically placed an ad from the local paper advertising payment for blood donations and the next day found a 20 dollar bill in her wallet. She knew her mom had placed it there, not wanting her daughter to sell her blood for cash.

Coffee and smoke break over, she sighed and attacked that last closet. This had always been the forbidden closet, the one her mother kept under lock and key. She never understood what could have been so important that it had to be locked away, but knowing her mom for the mundane slightly overweight woman she was, it never crossed her mind to jimmy the lock and check things out.

She found the key for the closet in her mother's jewelry box, buried deep beneath her mother's costume jewelry. She inserted the key in the closet and opened the door. Inside she found garment bags filled with clothing that would have made Twiggy ooh and ahh with delight. Paisleys, brocades, silks, chiffons and crepes from the 1960s cut expertly to show off a beautiful young figure.

But of all the beautiful dresses contained in her mother's secret closet, she could not help but fall in love with the most stark of all. It was a 1960s Leon Haskin cream and black crepe cocktail dress. It was a simply cut cocktail dress, but oh the gorgeous shirred cream crepe at the bodice shoulder and lower dress was just delicious. Carefully she slipped the dress on for she had managed to keep her figure while her mother had not. The dress fit like a second skin and made the most of her curves. She wondered how her mother had found this fabulous dress and what occasion she had worn it for.

Unfortunately when she had asked her mother about her life before her marriage to her father, her mother had never offered more than a perfunctory "well now that's not important and what's important is the future."

So she never knew that her mother modeled for her living in Melbourne and had been the toast of the town for several years running. It was on a fashion shoot that her mother had met her father, a gofer for the fashion photographer handling the shoot. Their passion had ignited after just hours and in a matter of days they were wed. She left Melbourne for the simple life in Des Moines, Iowa where her husband went back to work at the family business making pork rinds after his photography career fizzled.

"Oh well", she thought, "Time to get down to business. I'll just keep this one dress since it would be a sin to waste it and donate the rest." And so the paisleys, brocades, chiffons and crepes went into the contractor garbage bag ready to be sent to the nearest thrift store.

We're blowing out all our coats at Love Train Vintage!

So what are you waiting for?



Let's go shopping!

Every so often we all need to make some changes in our life. We need to get shaken out of our complacency and do something a little different.

Selling vintage clothing and accessories is no different. When you see that the same old same old isn't working you have to make some changes.

For this reason we've closed Born Too Late Vintage on Ruby Lane. We still love our Ruby Lane customers but we need to make a change.

So if you're looking for great vintage clothing and accessories please check out our new location named Love Train Vintage on Etsy.

Same management but with a different attitude!

So when you have to get your groove on check out

In today's economy many of us are really having to look at our budget more closely than ever when deciding on holiday gifts for our friends and families. With that in mind, sellers on Ruby Lane like myself are looking at items to list for our customers that will give them a quality gift without breaking the bank.

That doesn't mean we won't continue to stock the best in collectibles, vintage clothing and accessories, etc. It just means that a lot of us will be looking for ways to help our customers keep their budgets balanced while being able to provide a thoughtful gift to people they care about.

This means in my shop for example, I'll be listing more items like neckties, scarves, cufflinks, necklaces, bracelets and earrings which are normally the companion items to my my larger inventory of vintage clothing, shoes, hats and purses. Perhaps a customer's budget won't stretch to purchasing a larger ticket item, but an accent jewelry piece, scarf or necktie is within their budget.

We can all look at this as an opportunity to help our business grow by reaching out to new customers while also building goodwill in a time when it will definitely will be appreciated. Free, combined or discounted shipping can also make a difference for some of our customers. This is something else that is much appreciated as well.

Here are just a few examples of items on Ruby Lane now that would certainly fit the bill and all $25 or under!

from Alley Cats Vintage


Sweet Vintage 1950s Black Velvet
Rhinestone Beret Style Cocktail Hat


from Born Too Late Vintage


Vintage Squire Gold Tone Metal and
Faux Mother of Pearl Cufflinks & Tie Bar


from A & J Esoterica


Vintage Stetson Sovereign Brown Plush
Felt Snap-Brim Fedora, 7 1/4


from Catseye Vintage Estate Collection


Vintage 40s 50s Atomic Rhinestone
Layered Starburst Silver Tone Brooch Pin


from Vintage Pretties Lingerie


Red ~ Sexy Satin Lace up
Babydoll Nightgown Chemise ~ 2X


from Aaralyn's Velvet Dragonfly


Vintage Square Black & Silver
Siam Dancer Earrings


So just remember for your holiday gift giving, it's the thought that counts!

Holiday parties are coming up and what better way to dress up than with something beautiful from Born Too Late Vintage?


Vintage 1940s Black Corde' Elaborate Shell Stitch Hat


Vintage 1980s A.J. Bari Black & Blue Glitter Dress B34 W32 H38


Vintage 1940s Florsheim Black Suede Cuban Heel Oxfords Shoes size 9 1/2 AAA


Vintage 1930s Cranberry Silk Satin and Velvet Robe B36 W28 H46


Vintage 1950s Black Velvet Jacket with Mink Collar B46 W46


So what are you waiting for? Let's go shopping!

Deal of the Day from Born Too Late Vintage for our lovely lady customers!


Vintage 1950s Navy Blue Straw Platter Hat with Clip Underside
We also have Free shipping in the U.S.!