I love the styles of yesteryear's bathing suits. I recall with great memories a bathing suit my Mom gave to me that had been hers. It was a corset style suit with a little bit of skirt over the built in panties and made my tiny waist look even smaller and my small bust line look a bit larger. I wore that suit in the hot Phoenix sun for two summers until it fell apart. Had I known then what I know today I'd still have that suit in my collection and I would have worn something more practical for every day. Ah the mistakes of youth.

Bathing suits have been around since the Greeks. Actually the bikini is very similar to early Greek bathing suits. How we got from those minimalist suits from Ancient Greece to the cover it all up wool suits of the 1890s I'll never know.

As time passed, suits got a bit briefer like in the 1920s and 1930s. The bathing suits were a bit briefer for men than woman (surprise surprise) such as the ones seen here which are available from Born Too Late Vintage on Ruby Lane:


Vintage 1930s Welgrume Duckies Swim Trunks W30 H32


Vintage 1930s Wool Worsted Wool Mans Full Bathing Suit Swim Suit Chest 36 W36 H36


Once the 1940s hit swimsuits really started to cling to womens curves such as those in the pictures of Betty Grable in her pin-up bathing suit or Esther Williams in her swimming movies all dolled up and looking great.

Bathings suits give a woman or for that matter a man a way to show what they're made of. Suits of the 1940s and 1950s had modesty panels across the hip area in lots of women's swimsuits.
Two piece suits were available and of course American Sportswear designer, Claire McCardell, designed some spectacular swimwear.


Vintage 60s Red, White & Blue Modest Bathing Suit Swim Suit B34 W32 H38 B cup Size 14T



Sale Vintage 1960s Roxanne Spider Mum Bathing Suit Swim Suit D cup B38 W32 H36

However, none were near as brief as the bikinis of the late 1960s to the present. And of course there was the famous monokini designed by Rudi Gernreich in 1964 that let almost all of it hang out. Bathing suits after the 1960s still included the ever popular tank suit for those serious swimmers and for those more interested in being seen or tanning, all types of bikinis such as string bikinis, etc. were available as well.

Now that I'm the parent of two young girls bathing suit decisions are looming ahead for this summer. At this point, however, my girls are young enough that they're not very interested in letting as much show as possible but that day will come soon enough. For now, my husband and I have another summer to be able to dodge that bullet!

So Sunday I turn 50. How the heck did that happen? Well I guess it happened just like it happens for everyone else. Once you get out of school life accelerates and before you know it chunks of time have blown by.


I've had my share of ups and downs like everyone. I got married at 20 and was widowed at 21. I married again at 25 and am blessed to still be married to a man that shares my values, cherishes me, is a great father to our daughters and makes me laugh.

















I've been blessed with two daughters who have showed me how there is actually hope for the future. They've also showed me that parenting is hard work, but so very worth every effort you put into it (and yes, they have their Daddy's sense of humor!) .















I have a sister and two brothers and we actually get along (most of the time!) and I'm very fortunate to have a grandmother still living as well as well as a plethora of uncles, aunts and cousins.


Sadly my parents have been gone, Dad almost 8 years and mom almost 6. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of them and thank them for giving me a loving home to live in. They set such a great example for me and I only hope I can live up to their standards. I try to every day. Some days are better than others on that front.




















So here's to another however many years I'm meant to be here. As Sinatra sings, the best is yet to come and I am so looking forward to it!

Whether you're re-enacting, attending a special occasion or just living your everyday life, nothing sets off an outfit like great accessories. So here are just a few of the great accessories waiting for you at Specialist Auctions Vintage















1. Rupert and Toby ANTIQUE LATE VICTORIAN VELVET RIBBON & FEATHER BONNET

2. Wyoming Vintage Vintage 1950s 50s Off White Lucious Leather Short Gloves 6.5

3. Collectablesnet Victorian Antique Czech Crocheted Reticule Purse Beaded Bag Draw String Closure


4. The Merchants of Vintage Vintage 60s Large MOD Vinyl Woven LOG Handbag Purse by Dobbie Bags


5. Born Too Late Vintage Vintage 1960s Sexy Mr. John Black & White Lampshade Hat

6. Vintage Vineyard Vintage AUTHENTIC Herme`s Scarf Ludovicus Magus Teal Blue


So come check out Specialist Auctions Vintage

Spring is in the air and what better way to greet it than to make some new stylish vintage clothing! So Born Too Late Vintage Patterns is blowing out all their patterns at $5 or less.

Just haggle all patterns priced higher than $5 and they are yours! We specialize in plus size vintage patterns but we also have other sizes and modern patterns as well. Here are just a few of the patterns waiting for your pleasure:


Vintage 1950s Marian Martin Pattern 9142 VLV Jumper & Blouse size 20 B38



Vintage 1968 Simplicity Pattern 7722 Dress Size 12 B34 W25 1/2 H36



Vintage 1940s Newspaper Pattern 2632 Dress size 18 B36

We have lots more to offer so make sure to check out Born Too Late Vintage Patterns!

Ever see something and swear you've seen it before but you can't put your finger on where? And so it was when I saw this creation by Alexander McQueen in his Ready To Wear Line for Fall 2009:

Somehow I never imagined that Alexander was inspired by Bugs Bunny cartoons......

Gossamer

It's amazing how a word means one thing to one generation and is bastardized in the next. Last night our 11-year-old daughter told my husband and I that she saw a cool monokini on the Walmart website.

Talk about overreacting and freaking out. Both DH and I were adamant about DD not even thinking about wearing a monokini. Shades of Rudy Gernreich's original monokini filled our thoughts (yes we are old as dirt!). We were both kids when the original monokini hit the runway.

The only problem is that DD's monokini is this:

Now granted we're still not letting our 11-year-old wear something like this, but there's a lot more covered in the Walmart version than good old Rudy's. After showing DD what the original monokini looked like she had a better feel for why DH and I both freaked out at what she said.

We all had a good laugh and it just goes to show that you need to make sure you're speaking the same language before going off the deep end. While DD won't be sporting the new version of the monokini, I'm sure we'll find something a bit more appropriate for our DD to wear to the pool this summer. Her Dad thinks something like this would be perfect:

I'm sure DD and I will find something in between that will make her happy and Dad as well.

Every so often I think about my childhood and some of the simple pleasures I experienced. Saturday mornings were always great, watching cartoon classics like Bugs Bunny and Gossamer.










I also loved educational tv. I admit to watching Sesame Street (my very favorite is Cookie Monster)












and another favorite was The Electric Company (Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno were part of that cast of players).














However, my most favorite of all was Schoolhouse rock. There were several different brief clips that taught me things I needed to know such as Conjunction Junction and how to hook up words and clauses and of course there's the Fireworks clip (I best remember the pursuit of happiness which shows a gentleman chasing a giggling lady).


My very most favorite though, is the clip of How a Bill Becomes a Law. My sister gifted my daughters with a video of all of the Schoolhouse Rock clips and many Saturdays we sit and have brunch and enjoy these clips. Who says education isn't fun??

Spring is a time of renewal and change. And the same can be said of Born Too Late Vintage. We're opening an additional location at Ruby Lane and starting out with a sale!

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

Well it's been a while since my last blog. I thought I had made the hard decision to close my vintage clothing business down, but wait! A cry went up from the next generation of Born Too Late Vintage owners. You see, I forgot about the fact that my daughters love vintage! They love the fabrics, the styles and the fact that they can mix and match vintage with their clothing from today. So I had to re-think closing up and decided to stay open. Like it or not, Born Too Late Vintage is part of my legacy to my daughters and so we must go on.

While I'm still selling the things I love the best (1960s and back), I'll be bringing you more of the 70s and 80s things that my girls love best. You might even see this model here, there and everywhere in my stores as well.




















So make sure to check out what's new at Born Too Late Vintage because the next generation is taking control!

It is with great sadness that I share with you that Robert McCardell, of Frederick, Maryland has passed away.

Mr. McCardell was very generous with his time back in August of 2007. He allowed me to interview him about his sister, the world renowned Claire McCardell, break out star of American Fashion.

Mr. McCardell was an absolute delight. I wrote a letter to Mr. McCardell seeking an interview with him about his sister, Claire. He was listed in the phone book of his home town. I presumed with smugness that Mr. McCardell would not have a computer so I chose to contact him via snail mail. Imagine my delight when Mr. McCardell emailed me and agreed to allow me to interview him about his sister, Claire.

Mr. McCardell gave of himself and his memories for our interview. I connected on a personal level with Mr. McCardell as he grew up and lived his entire life in the town that my mother grew up in. I visit his town twice a year to see my grandmother, aunt and uncles.

I just want to say to Mr. McCardell's family how sorry I am for their loss. Mr. McCardell could very easily have brushed aside my request. Instead he helped me learn more about his sister, Claire, and for that I will be forever grateful.

As a tribute I am running our interview for one last time.

Today we are featuring the designer credited as the inventor of ready-to-wear for women, Claire McCardell. My interest was piqued when I discovered through various information on the internet that Ms. McCardell was a native of Frederick, Maryland, the town where my mother grew up and where my grandmother, uncle and aunt still reside.

For a visual appreciation of Ms. McCardell's designs we recommend that our readers check out

The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

as well as the

Fashion Institute of Technology


There is a variety of information available on the internet about Ms. McCardell, some of which conflicts with other information available. In searching for clarification of this information I wrote to Claire McCardell's brother, Mr. Robert McCardell, age 94, who resides in Frederick, Maryland in the family home. Mr. McCardell graciously agreed to answer a few questions to help clarify things for us.

Marge: "How young was your sister, Claire, when she showed an interest in clothing design?"

Mr. McCardell: "Claire was interested in clothes from the time she was a little girl. Several times each year our mother had a seamstress spend a week at our house making clothing for the family. Claire spent a great deal of time sitting by the Singer Sewing machine watching "Miss Annie" make the pieces."

Marge: "What in particular do you believe led your sister, Claire, to choose a career in fashion design?"

Mr. McCardell: "The only reason I can think of is that she always loved clothes and fabric."

Marge: Claire attended Hood College in Frederick, Maryland and then the Parsons School of Design. What led to her decision to transfer to Parsons
rather than staying at Hood College?"

Mr. McCardell: "Claire wanted to go to New York at age 16 when she graduated from high school but our parents thought she was too young to go to the big city so she decided to go to Hood. She made terrible grades at Hood and finally after her sophomore year our mother and father decided to let her go to New York where she matriculated at the Parsons School of Design."

Marge: "Were there any designers that you know of that apprenticed with Claire that later went out on their own?"

Mr. McCardell: "There were several friends of Claire at Parsons who went out on their own but they did not seem to make the impression on the fashion world that Claire did. Robert Turk was the head designer at Townley and Claire was his assistant. He tragically died in a diving accident while swimming on vacation and the owner of Townley decided to give Claire a chance at head designer. This was her big break but she had the ability to make it pay off. Her clothes were labeled "Townley Frocks" until she won awards and her name came to be known in the fashion world, at which time her clothes were labeled "Claire McCardell". In the 2007 August issue of Vogue there is an article about Hollywood Hostess Connie Wald who, according to the article, was one of Claire's models."

Marge: Claire had a love of sports. What role did sports play for her?

Mr. McCardell: "Claire needed diversion from her grueling labor in fashions which she loved but on weekends and on vacations she would go skiing in foreign countries and spend time at her summer home on Fisher Island, NY and her farm in New Jersey. She was not athletically inclined."

Marge: "Are you surprised that all these years later your sister's clothes are coveted very much by vintage clothing aficionados?"

Mr. McCardell: "No, I am not surprised that her clothes are coveted very much by vintage clothes aficionados because she seemed to know what women wanted and she was noted for always being ahead of the current fashion. There is no telling how much farther she would have gone in the "rag trade" as they called the fashion world if she had not died at age 52 at the height of her career."

Mr. McCardell also commented: "Did you know there is a memorial to her in the sidewalk on Seventh Avenue in New York's fashion district? In Frederick on the east wall of the former Francis Scott Key Hotel, there is in process a memorial to internationally known Fredericktonions such as Francis Scott Key, Roger Brooke Taney, Patrick Dulaney, and Claire. It should be completed in the next month."

One important bit of information that Mr. McCardell imparted is this: "Several years ago (author's note: 1996) an outfit in New York produced some clothes with Claire McCardell's label. As soon as we found out about it they stopped production.. Hence, the trade mark on the use of her name. If you should purchase any of her originals make sure they are authentic and not poor "copies". "

Our research (thank you Elaine Schuster!) indicated that, if such a line was produced, it was in the spring and summer of 1996, after which the company went out of business. The family did challenge the label and the case was closed after the company went out of business.

We would like to thank Mr. Robert McCardell for taking the time to help us learn more about his sister, Claire McCardell.

A great way to verify whether you are buying a true Claire McCardell item is to check the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource.


The reference has many labels from many designers available for comparison and to assist in the dating process and to help assist in authenticating items as well.

Time's a wasting! Valentine's Day is only 13 days away! There's only one place to get that vintage gift for your sweetie! That's Specialist Auctions!

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

Still looking for that Vintage Valentine's gift? Then take a look at another selection from Specialist Auctions!

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

Looking for that Vintage Valentine's gift? Then make sure to check out the great selection at Specialist Auctions Vintage!

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

"Oh the weather outside is frightful" but our coats are so delightful at Born Too Late Vintage! Come check out our annual coat sale!

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

Need a pick me up on a cold winter's day? Then check out the fabulous hats at Born Too Late Vintage! Nothing over $20! What a deal!

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

It's been said as the First Lady goes so does the nation go in the name of fashion. Michelle Obama has it all. She has a statuesque figure complimented by her beautiful skin, classic hairstyle and poise. What a pleasure it will be to dress her. Of course if I had my druthers she'd be wearing mostly vintage.

Of course a First Lady has no end of occasions to dress for and the fashion world will be keeping a close eye on what First Lady Michelle Obama decides to wear. I had a great time choosing some wonderful vintage fashions and vintage jewelry from Specialist Auctions Vintage that are guaranteed to make the most of our First Lady's fabulous figure!

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

Vintage Purse picks from Specialist Auctions Vintage!




1. Vintage 1950s Cordovan Genuine Lizard Purse Handbag from Born Too Late Vintage

2. Vintage Tri Color Suede Handbag Purse Huge from DVG Vintage

3. Vintage 1960s Adrian Gold Cordoban Purse from Born Too Late Vintage

4. Vintage 50s 60s White Petite Bead Handbag Purse with Pink Embroidered Rosesfrom Wyoming Vintage

5. Vintage 60s Large MOD Vinyl Woven LOG Handbag Purse by Dobbie Bagsfrom The Merchants of Vintage

6. Antique Vintage 1900s Beaded Rose Floral Purse with Suede lining from Born Too Late Vintage

7. Vintage 30s Hand Beaded PAGODA Eve Purse Bag from The Merchants of Vintage

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

It's 2009 and time to put on your boogie shoes available at Specialist Auctions Vintage!



1. CHANEL Vintage 80s Crimson PYTHON Shoes Pumps 38½M
from Rising Phoenix

2. VINTAGE 50s PEASANT EMBROIDERED SHOES LEATHER VELVET from Poprocks And Soda Pop Vintage

3. Vintage 80s leather and suede shoes size 3 from Tinydancer01

4. 1980s VINTAGE 80s HOLIDAY RED SATIN BEADED PARTY HEEL SHOES 6
from Wyoming Vintage

5. VINTAGE 80s BLUE SATIN SHOES WITH RHINESTONE BOWS SIZE 12
from Mad Fashionista's Plus Size Boutique

6. Vintage 70s Silver Braided PLATFORMS Shoes NOS 7.5 B ITALY - PRICE REDUCED! from The Merchants of Vintage

7. ADRIANA FERRARI Vintage 80s White SNAKE ACCENT Peep Toe Stilleto Shoes Pumps 8M from Rising Phoenix

8. 1930s Vintage 30s Black Mesh War Era Chunky Heel Day Shoes 7.5 from Wyoming Vintage

9. VINTAGE 1970'S ITALIAN ALLIGATOR /CROCODILE COURT SHOES
from Rupert and Toby

10. Vintage 1940s 1950s Wing Step Black Leather & Mesh Swing Shoes Size 8 B from Born Too Late Vintage

11. Vintage 1960s Inspirations Rust Suede Pump Shoes from Born Too Late Vintage


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

We're moving out our stock and passing on the savings to you! Here's only a small sample of what we have in store for you.

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