Today we're visiting the recurrence of the maxi dress better known now as the "patio dress." They're what's in style this summer for lounging about and evening wear as well. Back in the 1970s these were known as maxi dresses and we wore them to our proms and many other occasions. Gunne Sax were one name that comes to mind immediately when thinking about maxi dresses. However, the maxi dress wasn't just celebrated by Gunne Sax but also by designers like Donald Brooks. Many other more anonymous labels made some beautiful maxis as well. The maxi dress is a favorite of mine and brings back fond memories. So without further ado Born Too Late Vintage presents part of their collection of maxi dresses.



Vintage 1970s Designer Donald Brooks Maxi Patio Dress





Vintage 1970s Emilio Borghese Diamond Maxi Patio Dress B 34





Vintage 1970s Green Paisley Print Maxi Patio Dress B 36





Vintage 1960s Harvey Berin Pink Daisy Chain Patio Gown B 33





Vintage 1970s Floral Green Max Patio Dress w Flutter Sleeve



Whether it's 1970s maxi patio dresses or another era you have in mind Born Too Late Vintage has what you're looking for!! Don't see it listed? Contact us as we add new items weekly!

I found a treasure recently in my travels along the vintage highway. I've always been interested in the history of the British Boutique Movement, although I haven't always understood the attraction to all of the greats like Ossie Clark and the moss crepe fabric textiles that Celia Birtwell designed, the fashions by Biba and of course Mary Quant. What I did understand was the stylings of Lee Bender of Bus Stop. As much as I don't buy vintage items just for their labels it's always nice to find a "holy grail" item once in a while.

A vintage friend, Margaret (Artizania) gave me a heads up on a Bus Stop suit that was for sale and I grabbed it as fast as I could. The workmanship on the suit is superb and a bit different from the normal stylings of Lee Bender but it still says "superior fashion" to me. So without further ado here are the photos of my holy grail item, a Vintage 1970s Bus Stop Lee Bender Posh Plaid Suit!










Of course being a vintage clothing entrepreneur I buy vintage items all the time without regard to my personal size so this beauty is ready to find a new home with someone else who will cherish it and wear it in good health. So don't forget to check out this wonderful piece of wearable history along with many other items we have in store for you at Born Too Late Vintage, the style you were meant to wear!

This is the final week of our trip into the Greenwich Village Boutiques. I've had the good fortune to also find in my travels a wonderful cream color gown length hand crocheted dress from the boutique of Fred Leighton.

Although I don't know the personal story behind this gown I've been able to gather from my research on the internet and from a friend named Scott that the clothes that the shop carried in Mr. Leighton's shop in the village were not designed by or for him but were created anonymously in Mexico and imported by him for a US market interested in "ethnic" clothing.

Fred Leighton started out in Chicago back in the early 'twenties; his original interest was in Native American crafts and he ran Fred Leighton's Indian Trading Post on Michigan Avenue before moving to Manhattan in the midthirties. There, he opened Fred Leighton Imports, which specialized in Mexican goods (which continued to be the case through the early seventies) which would have been the time that this particular gown was sold. The McDougal Street store didn't open until the midsixties, and by 1972 the shop, while continuing to carry some Mexican imports, began to specialize in imports from many other countries.

Fred Leighton himself passed away in the mid 1970s (although the exact date is not available to me), the shop was purchased and within a few years began carrying only antique jewelry, which is what the store is known for today.

Along with much of the information above, my friend Scott also provided this information as well: "There was a 1965 mention from the New York Times which refers to the popularity of dresses much like the one I am featuring today: "New York women have been buying up the tucked cotton and lace Mexican wedding dresses--which sell in shops like Fred Leighton's and the Phoenix Pan American--and wearing them for their own special flair. Maria Tallchief, the ballerina, wrapped a sash around her white one for the opening of "Don Quixote" last May. A chic middle-aged woman at Lincoln Center wore hers loosely with a simple strand of diamonds, while a young girl tied black ribbons to her braided hair to match her black dress...."

While I have chosen to feature this crocheted gown in it's simplicity there are many ways to make it your own as the article above states better than I ever could. And now for the pictures of this lovely gown.










This gown is in excellent condition having stood the test of time beautifully and is exclusively offered at Born Too Late Vintage at Specialists Auction.

Today I'm writing about how memories play into the collecting and selling of vintage items. I'm the oldest of 11 grandchildren born to my Nonna and Nonno.


Here I am at age 4 in my cream brocade and squirrel collar dress that my grandmother bought for me. Even then I was dressed in what is now vintage and boy do I wish I still had this dress!



My Nonna and Nonno lived in Garrison, New York but once a month went into the city to collect the rent on the apartment building they owned in the Village. We'd go to the apartment building and my Nonna and I would go floor by floor collecting the rents and the tenants always had a toy or orange, lime and lemon slice candies for "the little princess." My Nonno would talk to the super finding out what was going on in the building while we were doing this. Once the rents were collected and the visiting was finished off we would go.

The routine was to go to John's Pizzeria on Bleecker Street in the village for lunch. My Nonno would give me quarters to put in the juke box and I always played "Peppino the Italian Mouse" by Lou Monte. My Nonno would blacken the top of the pizza with black pepper and to this day I still blacken mine the same way. There's nothing in the world like brick oven pizza. After lunch we would head home to Garrison and I always fell asleep in the car tuckered out from too many orange candy slices and blackened pizza.

Fast forward 33 years to present day Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania where I run my vintage clothing store "Born Too Late Vintage." I'm out and about in my usual fashion and I stumble across this new without tags wool suit from the Elaine Starkman boutique in Greenwich Village.



Memories bombard my mind so I buy the suit and take it home to start my researching. However, I find there is very little on the internet about Elaine Starkman other than Mary Travers from the group Peter, Paul & Mary worked for Elaine Starkman at her boutique in the village. Over the next year or two I search the internet on and off for more information holding the suit until I know more about Elaine. Over time I find auctions of leather sandals that Elaine Starkman made and jewelry that she made as well. Elaine Starkman also had one of the first art galleries in Soho.

A friend named Scott was able to provide me this information, "Elaine Starkman had a boutique in the Village (149 Bleecker) in the early sixties, and she moved up to Lexington (between 64th and 65th Streets) in 1966 or so because most of her client base lived in that vicinity.

Leather goods were a Starkman specialty; the shop made leather pants to order in several styles (the most popular being the diagonally-zipped "peon" pants, which took about two weeks for delivery); they ran around $65 in the early sixties. Other Starkman offerings included such chic sportswear as velour separates in purple, ruby red, deep blue and black and pull-overs with drawstring hems. Prices were all over the board: from about $7 for simple tops to $35 for summer dresses and going all the way up to $200 or so for suede and leather sportswear ensembles."

Once I had this information I was able to list the suit I found almost 2 years prior, satisfied that I knew enough about Elaine Starkman. To my surprise the granddaughter of a friend of Ms. Starkman's contacted me in the last several months to ask me what I knew about Elaine. So I corresponded with her a few times to tell her what I had found over the last two years. She was able to tell me that Elaine Starkman is still living and doing just fine. So my adventure into the world and fashions of Elaine Starkman have come full circle.

My next foray into Greenwich Village boutique fashion will be about Fred Leighton's shop and my fashion connection with him. Until then think green and buy vintage. Save the environment one vintage outfit at a time!

Born Too Late Vintage

Make sure to check out She's a Betty today as her interview with ME is there today! You'll find it at:

http://www.shesabetty.com/

We have hats, hats and more hats! Whatever style you need whether its a traditional pillbox, platter hat, velvet, satin, bombazine, straw, or wool we have it all. Here are just a couple to whet your appetite! And don't forget the fedoras!

Just for the gentlemen we have these fine fedoras just waiting to be worn. You'll look dashing and debonair no matter which one you choose.

We have this Vintage 1950s Mallory Chocolate Brown Fedora Hat 7 1/8




or this Vintage 1960s CHAMP Gray Long Oval Fedora Hat size 7 1/4



Maybe this Vintage 1960s Mens Creighton Sudan Color (Dark Brown) Oval Fedora Hat Size 7 1/4 suits you better



or perhaps the best fit for your style is this Vintage 1960s Dobbs Fifth Avenue Admiralty Saber Grey Oval Fedora Hat Size 7 1/4



Now just for the ladies we have these new additions just in!

First we have this Vintage 1960s Gibbe' Military Inspired Pillbox Hat in luscious velour



this Vintage 1960s Everitt Original Cord Pillbox Hat in wool



or this Vintage 1950s Satin & Velvet Pillbox Hat



Perhaps cocktail hats are your preference so for your pleasure we have this Vintage 1950s Sexy Tangerine Cocktail Hat



this Vintage 1950s Sexy Lilac Cocktail Hat



or this Vintage 1950s Sultry Pink Perfection Cocktail Hat



However, if your style is demure and shy we have this beautiful Vintage 1950s Sexy Pink Platter Hat



or this Vintage 1950s Sultry Crown Fitted Straw Hat



So whatever your style be it flashy, sexy, sultry, shy, debonair or dashing Born Too Late Vintage has your style!

So what are you waiting for?? Start shopping NOW!

Today I decided to talk about wartime fashions during World War II. During the late 1930s and early to mid 1940s the world was at war and making due and mending what you already had was one way of helping the war effort. Another way was to use manmade materials rather than leather or silk. Buying leather shoes meant using ration stamps so many women opted to buy shoes like these Vintage Late 1930s Conformal Black Babydoll Peep toe Shoes 10AAAA which are made of manmade materials rather than leather.


Dresses were made of linen, rayon blends, acetate and cotton as silk was used for parachutes. Just a few examples are this Vintage 1940s Sage Green Long Line Linen Dress

this plisse Vintage 1940s Blue Crinkled Rayon Dress

and this Vintage 1940s Blue Rose Swing Dress made of cotton in a plus size


Hats were renewed by adding things like bows and buttons to make what was old new again such as this Vintage 1940s Black Velour Bowler Hat with Decorative Buttons

And purses were available in stores and also custom made by hand crocheting with corde' rayon thread and adding lucite handles like this Vintage 1940s Corde' Woven Black Purse with Lucite Handles




Women during wartime made many contributions by enlisting in the service to man the hospitals as nurses (more than 59,000 American nurses served in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II and worked closer to the front lines than in any war previously).


enlisting in the air force and becoming Women Airforce Service Pilots, WASP, the first women in history trained to fly American military aircraft.


and of course working in the factories manufacturing munitions, airplanes and everything in between.


Women showed their strength and what they were capable of without losing their femininity and trying to be what they weren't.

Start shopping NOW!

for all your 1940s fashions and lots more!

Today I've been thinking about high school days and what fashions were out and about back in 1977, the year I graduate from Poway High School in Poway, California.

Now I moved to Poway my senior year and thank the lord there was band and the school paper because that's where my friends were. I was a senior and my sister was a freshman that year so we hung out with the same group of kids. Band and the school paper provided instant friends and lots of fun.

I remember peasant blouses and platforms galore. I remember gauchos, maxi dresses and mini dresses in patchwork fabrics and border prints. Knits were a big deal and now my own girls are wearing a lot of these styles. I have to admit to having a certain affection for platform shoes and, although I'm in my late 40s I've gone a bit wild with some new platforms lately.

At Born Too Late Vintage we try our best to offer something for everyone and we have lots to offer in the way of 70s fashions so here are a few items that should bring back memories.

How about those maxi dresses? Now they are back and being called "patio dresses" but a maxi dress they truly are.

Try this Vintage 1970s Peggy Barker Peasant Maxi Patio Dress B 32 on for size!



or this Vintage 1970s Green Paisley Print Maxi Patio Dress B 36



Maybe this Vintage 1970s Donald Brooks Dramatic Diva Gown B 32 would be a better choice for you



or even better yet this Vintage 1970s Pheasant Border Print Maxi Patio Dress B32



Also popular at the time were caftans such as this Vintage 1960s-1970s Pomare Floral Caftan Plus Size XXXL



or zodiac dresses like this Vintage 60s-70s Zodiac Print Dress by R&K



There was something for everyone and there was even a revival of 40s style dresses in the later 1970s such as this Vintage 1970s Green, Red White Flowered Rayon Dress B 34 NOS.



So no matter what your style was then it's still all available now and waiting for you at Born Too Late Vintage!

Born Too Late Vintage

Why are you still selling on Ebay???

Specialist Auctions is a viable alternative to Ebay and other sites offering much less!


No listing fees, no store fees, only 3% final valuation fee regardless of what your item sells for, free picture hosting and Google base upload of all snap it up (buy it now) items you list.

There is a Probulk lister if you have lots of listings to copy and move.

What keeps you from listing there?

Business is business and it makes no sense to pay Ebay fees when you can keep that chunk of money in your own pocket.

The owners of the site also sell there and they actually listen and make changes.

If this is too pushy for you please forgive me but I need answers. Thanks for your time and patience with me, a seller at Specialist Auctions who wants to make Specialist Auctions the premiere site for buying quality items without chinese repros clogging up the works and of course the premiere site for vintage sellers the world over.

So what are you waiting for??!!! Come join us at Specialist Auctions. You have nothing to lose but the Ebay fees!

Over and over I hear there are no large size vintage items out there. What's a bodacious buxom babe to do? Well you can shop at Born Too Late Vintage for a change of pace. We're loaded to the ceiling with plus size lingerie, dresses and of course we have hats and shoes as well as jewelry.

Why not try this plus size Vintage 1940s BLUE ROSE Swing Dress B50 W42 H56 NOS



with this 1950s Asymmetric Blue&White Pancake Beret Petal Hat


or maybe this Vintage 1950s Black Rayon Cocktail Dress Plus Size B44 NOS



with this Vintage 1950s Asymmetric Pancake Beret Winged Hat


or maybe you'd like this Vintage 1960s NOS Blue Roses & Cream Dress Plus Size 20 B 44



with this Vintage 1960s Gene Doris Navy Blue Straw Hat


We have lots of things for ladies and gents of all sizes and eras so come see us at Specialist Auctions where vintage is new again!