Still looking for bargains for your vintage wardrobe?? Then head on over to Specialist Auctions VBOE sale now! All VBOE vintage items site wide are $19.99 or less. Here are some great deals from some of our newest vintage clothing sellers!

The Merchants of Vintage


VBOE Vintage 60s Velvet TAPESTRY Bucket Hat 22




VBOE Vintage 60s White Seamless Stockings NOS 8-1/2 by Exquisite - 3 Pairs

Roos Vintage Treasures



VBOE Vintage 40's 50's Black Acetate Side Zip Full Slip 36 M



RED HOT! Vintage LIPSTICK RED 50's Nylon Chiffon Gown L 42

Sugar Magnolias


VBOE Shannon Marie Hawaiian Red & White Tropical Cotton Dress S



VBOE Vintage Hawaii Blue White Floral Cotton Short SleeveMuuMuu MuMu size 12

Glamour Puss Vintage


Romantic Vintage 60s 70s Yellow Rose Nightgown L/XL



Romantic Vintage 60s Grecian Goddess Crystal Pleat Nightgown L



These are just some of the great fashions awaiting you at Specialist Auctions.


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

Tomorrow, February 19, 2008 through February 25th frustrated eBay sellers will hold their boycott of selling and buying on eBay.

If you are looking for a haven that will let you grow your business and put some of your eggs in another basket I suggest Specialist Auctions. Diversification is important in business and with the changes in selling climate it's more important than ever.

Specialist Auctions has real people to answer your questions and our sections are moderated. Simply put, our moderators police their sections to make sure that our sellers are living up to the standards we have set. This makes for a level playing field for buyers and sellers alike.

Our feedback is mutual. Both buyer and seller have the option of rating a transaction positive, neutral or negative. We encourage an open dialogue between buyers and sellers.

Currently Specialist Auctions is running their VBOE (Vintage Buy Out Extravaganza) sale February 14 through February 21. It's a great opportunity to sell your vintage(pre-1988) items in all categories that are priced $19.99 or less.

If you're boycotting eBay why not load up a store (list your items in your store/and auction style as well for double visibility) and join in. Make your boycott time count and get your business set up! There are no store fees and no listings fees at Specialist Auctions. You pay 3% FVF and that's it. We upload your set price items to Google base automatically on Mondays. Need help getting your items uploaded to Specialist Auctions? Check out our free listing import service.

If you're looking for a viable option to other sites please come and check us out.

I wrote this last Valentines Day and still feel it is relevant now so please forgive the repeat. Just add a pink rose each for my girls and a red rose for me brought to us along with the candy from the most wonderful man in our life.


Happy Valentines Day to you all. This date brings back wonderful memories of my parents. I don't know when the tradition started but my Dad would come home from work each Valentine's Day with small heart shaped boxes of candy for my sister and I. My Mom would get a 1 pound box of chocolates in a gorgeous heart shaped box as well. Growing up it never occurred to me that something so every day and ordinary would melt my heart years later. It's not that I didn't appreciate the gift or the thought but when you're young you just don't understand what's happening behind the scenes in the adult world. You're insulated in your own little world of going to school, playing with your friends and tolerating your siblings.

Flash forward to years later. My father has passed away almost two years prior. My mom is dying and we are talking as one does when you know time is short. I brought up the annual Valentines Day candy gift. My Mom divulged how hard it was for my Dad and her to afford to get those boxes of candy. Mom was a full time homemaker at the time and Dad was going to night school to get his degree in Chemistry. Money was really tight, so tight in fact that Mom said Dad might have $2 left out of his paycheck each week to put gas in our station wagon to get back and forth to work. So I asked Mom how they managed to pay for that candy. She said that Dad would brown bag his lunch for a month and she would cut down the grocery bills as much as she could so he could get the candy for us.

Of course this was a revelation for me. The four of us (myself, my sister and my two brothers) always had what we needed, plenty to eat, nice clothes to wear and a really great place to live. We were surrounded by friends and tons of family. It never occurred to me how hard it must have been raising 4 kids on one salary and of course my Dad going to night school for his degree. Pretty daunting if you ask me.
But my parents met the challenges head on and no matter what fate threw in their way they marched forward together facing those challenges. Those challenges did not get easier as time went on. Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1998 and Mom was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in 1999. Dad passed away in August of 2001 and Mom in July of 2003.

Very early this morning my husband arrived home from his job. He works the evening shift. This allows me to be home with our daughters and run my home based business. My business is new and doesn't bring a lot in right now but I love what I'm doing and that I'm here for our girls. Sometimes after paying the bills my husband has $20 left for the week to buy gas to get back and forth to work. He brown bags his lunch most of the time. As he walked in the door at 2:30 a.m. this morning I saw he carried a plastic bag. I asked him what was in it and he pulled out two small red candy heart boxes of chocolates for our girls. There was also a 1 pound box of beautifully boxed chocolates for me. I knew he had no money to buy the candy and asked him how he did it. He said he saved his lunch money for a week because he wanted to give his sweethearts something nice on Valentines Day.

So we've come full circle now. Whereas once I was the little girl receiving the small heart shaped box of chocolates, I have now become the mother receiving the 1 pound box of chocolates. I'm hoping and praying that my girls meet men who will continue the tradition that has now spanned two generations in my family. Men who give without thought of what they are giving up. Men who love them to pieces and will cherish them. For that is the greatest gift of all.

Specialist Auctions VBOE Sale (Vintage Buy Out Extravaganza) starts February 14 and ends February 21. This sale is site wide so not only will you have the opportunity to purchase vintage clothing, hats, shoes, patterns, etc. but you will also be able to select books, toys, textiles and jewelry.

Specialist Auctions offers a haven for those who want to grow their business and put some of their eggs in another basket. Diversification is important in business and with the changes in selling climate it's more important than ever.

Specialist Auctions has real people to answer your questions and our sections are moderated. Simply put, our moderators police their sections to make sure that our sellers are living up to the standards we have set. This makes for a level playing field for buyers and sellers alike.

Our feedback is mutual. Both buyer and seller have the option of rating a transaction positive, neutral or negative. We encourage an open dialogue between buyers and sellers.

So if you are looking for a viable option to other sites please come and check us out.

The VBOE Sale at Specialist Auctions is catching on! Don't forget to get your VBOE items listed on Specialist Auctions now! The sale is February 14 through February 21. All items $19.99 or less. Start your listing title with the letters: VBOE

Remember to grab a VBOE sale logo here or on Specialist Auctions in the clothing and sewing valuation section!


Check out this article by Noah Fleisher of the Antique Trader Blog about Specialist Auctions and our VBOE sale!:

Antique Trader Blog

This is an open letter to vintage clothing sellers and vintage buying customers everywhere. Regardless of whether you sell or buy at Specialist Auctions, Main Street Mall Online, Babylon Mall, Etsy, Wagglepop or have your own website most of us have either sold or bought vintage on Ebay.

Unfortunately pricing changes and the inability to leave valuable feedback has many of us trying to decide how to proceed.

Four times a year the Vintage clothing sellers of Ebay have a VBO sale. Items are priced $19.99 and under. It allows the sellers and customers to both benefit. This year due to the changes in pricing on Ebay the sellers will make less than they ever have from VBO.

At Specialist Auctions we are hosting a VBOE sale. This stands for Vintage Buy Out sale. This is for the sellers who can't afford to do business like this anymore. It provides everyone an alternative place to list their items with no listing fees, no store fees and a final valuation fee of only 3%.

By listing your VBOE items on Specialist Auctions in the next week and a half the items will upload to Google base (fixed price listings are uploaded every Monday) prior to the date of the sale (February 14 through the 21st). By using the keyword search VBOE our customers will be able to find what we have to offer.

The free listings and free stores are not a promotion. It is always that way at Specialist Auctions. You only pay your FVF of 3% when your sale is completed. You can invoice people via Google checkout, cash, check, money order and a whole host of other payment sites. You can also accept payment through Paypal if you wish.

So if you'd like to make some money without it costing you a fortune this sale is a great alternative. Below are listed logos which can be used by anyone participating in the sale. Make sure you put VBOE as the first four characters in your listing title (you have 80 spaces to work with).

Feel free to list Non VBOE items as well. Customers like to combine shipping when they are able to.





















So come on over to Specialist Auctions and sign up!

Valentines Day is coming up and what better way to treat yourself or the woman you love than with a gorgeous vintage dress, jewelry or underpinnings from Specialist Auctions Vintage. We have a wide variety of dresses, underpinnings and jewelry to fulfill your wardrobe fantasies.

Check out these fabulous dresses from
Bodaciously Yours Vintage


VINTAGE 40s PINK COTTON STRIPED LACE TRIM DRESS M


VINTAGE PURPLE & RED BOBBLE-TRIM WOOL KNIT DRESS XL B42


We also have this fabulous slip and necklace from eHappy Vintage



Vintage 50's Pin Up Van Raalte Red & Black Embroidered Suavette Nylon Slip S



Vintage West Western Germany Amber Glass Confetti Lucite Necklace Bead Choker


Or check out these scrumptious dresses from Vintage Vineyard


Vintage 60s R&K Originals Blue & Green Daisy Dress B34


VTG 80s Ivory Silk Gold Sequins Glass Beads Dress


Now we don't want to forget the gentlemen on this day so check out the fabulous fashions at
a'Venir Fashions



Authentic 60's 2pc Suit bespoke Pete Campbell madmen approx. size 44 tall


Fleet Street Custom vintage Suit brown 70s bespoke

and what's a beautiful suit without a classic fedora to top it all off from
Born Too Late Vintage


Vintage 1950s Dobbs Twenty Fedora Hat Size 7 1/4



Vintage 1950s Lee Fifth Avenue Fedora Hat Sz 7 3/8



So whatever tickles your fancy come check out the fabulous vintage clothing and accessories at
Specialist Auctions Vintage

What really makes an outfit come to life? Is it the outfit itself or is it what we adorn ourselves with to contrast or match an outfit that does the trick?


While some clothing items need no adornment (think Ossie Clark crepe moss maxis), some things are just made for accessories (consider the Jackie Kennedy style New Look suit). What would that suit be without a gorgeous pillbox hat to go with it or a great pair of stilletoes with a matching Kelly bag?


Whatever look you're aiming for we have it for you at Specialist Auctions Vintage. Our sellers have a wide variety of items just waiting for you. What do you have that would go with....


Mojogeno Vintage and Collectibles






What's a classic outfit without a smashing pair of shoes and a great looking purse from Wyoming Vintage in hot looking red?

Still, if these items are not your style we have still more accessories like these

hats from Wyo Gems Vintage

Or this great collection of hats from Bodaciously Yours Vintage

Maybe purses are your passion and if so then DVG Vintage is the place to fulfill

your handbag fantasies with these lovelies!

These are just a few of the sellers at Specialist Auctions Vintage

so make sure and take a virtual shopping trip with us very soon. You'll

be glad you did!

So have you found your dream outfit yet? No! Well come on over and take a look at what the wonderful sellers at Specialist Auctions have for you! They cover the 1920s all the way through to the 1980s! If you want it they've got it. Looking for something you don't see listed? Then sign up as a member of the site (free) and tell us what you're looking for!

Now here's just a smattering of what we've got to get your mouth watering!


Red Box Vintage


ROSE PRINT Vintage 50's RED Roses HALTER Party Dress



ORGANZA ROSES *Vintage 50's ILLUSION Bubble Party Dress


Alley Cats Vintage



Vintage 1950s Blue Butterfly Rockabilly Shirtwaist Dress by L'Aiglon B 40


Vintage 40s Navy Blue Rayon Swing Dress B 40


Nelda's Vintage


Halvor McGarth Vintage 1950s Dress



Vintage 1950s Black Net Dress



Fuzzylizzie Vintage


Vintage Early 1950s Strappy Sandals



Vintage 1950s Black & White Print Gathered Circle Skirt


So check out Specialist Auctions for the best in vintage wear! You'll be glad you did!

While I was away on vacation a reader named John left a comment for me which stated:

Hello Viviene,

While your blog's theme is not really up my ally, it is clearly well done. I came across it while doing a Google search for information on cravats.I have some cravat questions, if you have time for them. What style shirts and jackets are acceptable for wearing a cravat? I would like to start wearing them for casual/semi-formal security related work overseas. Any recommendations on solid colors vs. patterns, and ways of tying them? If it matters, I tend to wear brown/gold sunglasses, and wearing a vest is not an option. Thanks Viviene.

Well John I appreciate the compliment. Since I don't wear cravats I decided to ask the gentlemen of Specialist Auctions who have worn or wear cravats to answer your questions. This is what they had to say:

From Sutrinalta Thom, simply - "one of the finest painters that`s still alive...":

I was given a couple many moons ago by a dear old lady by the name of Joyce C. who lived near Brighton. The pair I was given had patterns that were akin to tri colour silk ties, two lines of colour on one colour, and I was told by J.C. that I should only wear these with white shirts. They were not meant to be tied but pinned with a cravat pin. The pair I had were beautiful, 1920`s, for some reason I seem to remember them being styled by Mappin & Webb. I hope this helps.

From Braccles7:

Unfortunately I only had the two cravats which were owned by my grandfather and they have both sold on here. I remember he used to wear them (in the 1950's) with Harris tweed type jackets but can't remember anything about the shirts he chose.

From Bob:

LESSON ONE - HOW TO TIE A CRAVAT - FORMAL LOOK
1. Drape around your neck and take short end in your left hand (if you’re right handed).

2. Cross long end over short end.

3. Bring long end underneath short end.

4. … and wrap over again.

5. Bring the long end up through the loop you’ve created.

6. ... and if you want a self tie cravat, just bring the long end down, tighten the knot and secure with a cravat pin or pearl headed corsage pin if you have one or adjust the cravat for the 'look' you are trying to achieve.

LESSON TWO- HOW TO TIE A CRAVAT - INFORMAL LOOK
Day cravats are suitable for wearing beneath a shirt, and make a fashionable alternative to wearing a tie. They are very easy to tie, just a simple end over end knot is needed, and then simply shape the cravat to suit.

LESSON THREE - CHOOSING AND WEARING A CRAVAT
Now, this really is down to the wearer and their personality. Cravats can be worn with plain, striped or check shirts, my own preference is for a fairly subtle pattern with a bolder stripe or check and and a bolder cravat with a plainer shirt - simple ehh!.

In general terms a day or informal cravat is worn inside the shirt and outside for formal wear. Formal cravats are nearly always either plain or extremely subtle patterns.
At the end of the day it is how comfortable the wearer is and confident in their choice.
There really are no rules other than to be confident and happy with your choice!

By the way, if you find it difficult to tie a tie well - for example, a Windsor knot, you may well get very frustrated with a cravat which is of course, shorter and wider than a tie and more difficult to get just right. If this is you, then there are an increasing number of ready tied cravats available which you might like to consider!

Regards,
Bob

I hope this helps you out John. If you have further questions don't hesitate to get in touch. Thanks very much to the gentlemen of Specialist Auctions for their assistance on the art of the cravat!

Born Too Late Vintage now has the best selection of plus size Viva Las Vegas dress patterns that you've ever seen as well as the best in plus size vintage patterns period.


Vintage 1950s Newspaper Pattern 4722 Sun Dress
size 20 Plus Size VLV Uncut



Vintage 1954 Simplicity Pattern 4709 Dress & Bolero
size 22 1/2 Plus Size



Vintage 1950s Simplicity Pattern 3443 Dress sz 20 1/2



Vintage 1956 Advance Pattern 7984 Size 18 1/2 Dress



But wait! If you're not a plus size we also have vintage Viva Las Vegas patterns for all figure sizes!


Vintage 1955 Simplicity Pattern 1160 Dress 14



Vintage 1950s Simplicity Pattern 1762 Suit sz 13



Vintage 1960s Butterick Pattern 2237 Dress size 14 VLV



Vintage 1954 Simplicity Pattern 4713 Dress size 14 VLV


This is only a very small sample of what we have available so come check out our vintage patterns and clothing!