It was a Saturday night. My uncle and his girlfriend had come to our apartment to babysit me and my siblings. My Dad was dressed in his regulation IBM corporate wear (white shirt and black suit, remember it's the 1960s).

I was sitting in the living room playing with my sister. Then my mom appeared. I'll never forget the way she looked. She wore a white spiderweb crocheted shawl but what was under it was even more stunning! There she stood in a fitted brocade gown that hugged every curve. It was made from American Beauty rose fuchsia brocade and had a beautiful rose pattern woven in the fabric. It was like looking at a movie star. My parents kissed us all goodbye and headed out for the hospital auxiliary ball. I tucked that memory away, not forgotten, but put away to savor at a later date.

Mom and Dad in the 1960s


Years later after my folks passed away I was thinking about the impact they'd had on my life and the memory of that gown came back to me again. It's always been such a vivid memory for me. I finally put 2 and 2 together and realized just why I have always fallen for brocades of any color, weight and shimmer. I suppose you could say that the night of the hospital auxiliary ball was a decisive factor in what appeals to me in vintage clothing now. Other items may bring more financially but my heart will always yearn towards brocades.

Although my family moved away from Cold Spring, New York in 1969, I still have fond memories of Cold Spring. In fact I still have family members that live in the area and I visit Cold Spring, Garrison and Nelsonville several times a year.

Always on our visits we drive down Main Street past the stores of my childhood such as Palen's drugstore where my father would send my sister and I for ice cream cones (back in the day when it was safe enough to let your kids walk there alone). Palen's had a soda fountain counter where you could get a Breyer's ice cream cone in a dozen different flavors. The drugstore is now a collectibles shop.

My daughters especially like the Bijou Galleries shop on Main Street which has $5 grab bags for sale. You never know what's going to be in those grab bags and my girls love them. When I was a kid it was the Bijou movie Theatre and I first saw Mary Poppins there with my family.


Bijou Galleries Ltd.

We also go down by the Cold Spring railroad station and I point out the "subway" which is actually a pedestrian underpass that runs under the tracks of the railroad. I have memories of being midway through that underpass when I heard the train coming. I ran as fast as I could to get up to the other side of the underpass and out the door, leaving behind my younger sister to experience being in the middle of the tunnel when a Penn Central train rumbled overhead.

Then it's down and around the overpass bridge to the other side of the railroad tracks, around the corner at Market Street past the 3 story apartment building we lived in on Market Street. We lived on the third floor. My Aunt Louise (my dad's sister) and her family lived on the second floor of that same apartment building and my Uncle Charlie (my dad's brother) and his family lived catty corner from us in a two family apartment.

Uncle Carl and Aunt Angie (Aunt Angie was really my grandfather's cousin!) lived across the street from Uncle Charlie. Once we make that circuit we head towards the band stand which is right down near the Hudson River.

My memories include going down to the shores of the Hudson River and collecting "devil heads" which are actually water chestnuts (trapa natans) even though my mom always told me to stay away from the river.


Devil Heads

One of my most favorite memories though was the year I turned 9. I marched in the Memorial Day parade with my girl scout troop. I woke up very, very early and excited beyond anything that had happened in my young life up to that moment. I was going to march in the Memorial Day Parade!!

I could barely sit still to eat breakfast. I got ready way before it was time to leave. We marched from lower Main Street in Cold Spring all the way up Main Street and ended at the Cold Spring Cemetery.

Now for anyone who knows Main Street in Cold Spring it's pretty much straight up hill at about a 45 degree angle.


Cold Spring Main Street

May at that time of year in the Hudson Valley can be pretty hot and humid. But I was determined to march that entire parade route. We waved as we passed by our family members, cousins and friends that day. We carried a wreath to the grave of the founder of our girl scout troop to honor her. At that time I was too young to fully understand what Memorial Day was all about.


Cold Spring Cemetery

After the parade my family and I drove down to my grandparent's home on Nelson Lane in Garrison. My grandparents had a small pool set up for all of the grandkids and sometimes Uncle Dom (my grandmother's brother) would come running out from the house in his flowered bathing suit and jump in the pool with us.


My mom and I in the pool

We'd have my mom's famous (at least in our family!) potato salad, other salads, burgers, hot dogs, and sometimes chicken cooked on a state of the art charcoal briquette grill. There would always be Rheingold beer and cold orange and grape sodas and Coca Cola. We'd run around my grandparent's yard the rest of the day and then barbecue some more around dinner time. The ride home to our apartment in Cold Spring was always a quiet one as my sister, brothers and I would fall asleep in the station wagon exhausted from our day in the sun.


My siblings and some of my cousins

We moved away from Cold Spring when I was 10 years old but I'll always remember Cold Spring, New York, a wonderful place to be a kid in the mid 1960s.

The day we left Cold Spring

What do you do if you're a plus size gal and know what you want in a dress, suit or maxi dress but just can't find it?

You buy a pattern, pick out some fabulous fabric and notions and make what you want.

Now you say finding plus size vintage patterns is frustrating and time consuming. Well it doesn't have to be.

Born Too Late Vintage Patterns specializes in plus size patterns. Currently our stock includes plus size patterns from the 1940s all the way up to the 1990s. All our patterns are counted and complete including the instructions.

We also stock vintage patterns for children, men and additional womens sizes so when you get the urge to be creative come check out the variety of vintage patterns at Born Too Late Vintage Patterns!

If you're looking for a bargain come check out Born Too Late Vintage!

Pick out your item(s) and make me an offer. You just never know what I'll do!

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

I've never been one to jump down the throat of a seller when an item has not arrived in a timely fashion. Sometimes real life interferes such as the sudden death of a loved one, a traffic accident, a snow storm, etc. Normally a couple days after I haven't received my item I'll send a politely worded email to see what's happening.

I received such an email from a wonderful customer of mine in Canada. Three weeks after I shipped out her item international priority mail (not in a flat rate box) she had still not received her item. Now this disturbed me greatly as I had upgraded the shipping on my dime to international priority mail to the tune of $19. I assured her I would investigate and get back to her that day. I first tracked the package on the post office website. It only showed that I had printed a shipping label on 2/19/10.

So I drove down to my local post office and spoke one of my favorite postal clerks. He tried to track my package but got the same information that I already had.

Stumped, I went home, got back on the post office website and emailed asking for an update on my package. Two days later I received an update that my package was in customs in New York. The following day the package had been shipped on its way to Canada. Two days after that the package was in my customer's town and the following day I was advised via email that the package had been delivered.

So tell me this. Why is it that from February 19, 2010, the date I printed the postage and mailed the package to March 13, 2010 when the package was scanned in customs there were no internal scans on this package. Normally when I send a package international priority mail the package goes to the Lehigh Valley, PA post office facility and then it goes to either the New York international facility or the Secaucus, NJ facility and is scanned in the day it arrives there.

I took my information back to the post office again to one of my favorite clerks who informed me that it looked like customs had had my package for 3 weeks. I felt that was not a satisfactory answer so I filed a claim for a refund of my $19.

I waited patiently for the postal supervisor to make a decision. A week went by and still no decision. So I went to the front counter at the post office and asked when they were going to make a decision. My favorite clerk told me to give the supervisor another day or two as she had been very busy. So I waited. Two days passed and I decided I had waited long enough. I didn't go to the post office this time as I was not very happy and did not want a face to face confrontation. So I called and spoke to the supervisor. I was told that my request for a refund was denied and that the package had sat in customs for 3 weeks. I was told that the post office had no control over what customs does or how long they hold a package.

Still not satisfied, I filed for a refund on the post office website. Three weeks went by (the site says someone will email you back within 2 business days).

Well I decided to call today to find out what the post office had decided to do. Their decision was no decision. Since the local post office denied the claim the people who respond to claims on the website did nothing including not responding within the appropriate time.

So there you have it folks. Another example of a formerly great service deciding not to be accountable. As there are no internal scans on file for my package I have to presume that my package sat in a postal warehouse for 3 weeks before the post office deigned to look for said package when I sent in my email request for them to look for it.

Thank goodness my customer was a peach and gave me glowing feedback even though it took a month for her item to arrive.

My suggestion for anyone sending out packages is to request an update on the status of your packages via the USPS website. That seems to have finally gotten my package going in the right direction. I can only guess where that package would be had I not done that.

However, that said, the post office sure does know how to make a great commercial!





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Spring has sprung and it's time to brighten up your wardrobe. What's that? Short on cash but have loads of fabric laying around? Then get over to Born Too Late Vintage Patterns and grab some great vintage patterns.

While we have all different sizes of patterns, we specialize in plus size patterns. So come see what's new in vintage patterns at Born Too Late Vintage Patterns!

Marked down from $125 to $95 for this Vintage 1950s VLV Good Girl Sun Dress & Matching Sweater B36 W28 H42

If you're going to Viva Las Vegas you have to have this Vintage 1950s VLV Good Girl Matching Sun Dress and Sweater!

The dress is a sun dress made of cotton fabric. The skirt portion of the dress has a 12 inche metal zipper. The dress has a floral pattern and the colorway includes light blue, pink, gray, white and green.

The sweater is made of pink orlon and the collar and cuffs are made of the same fabric as the dress. The dress and sweater are both unlined. The dress is displayed with a semi-full CRINOLINE WHICH IS NOT INCLUDED.

The dress can be worn with or without a crinoline depending on what you prefer.

There's a great pair of blue stilettos that would look perfect with this outfit in my store as well!

The condition of the dress and matching sweater is excellent. There is some paint loss on the belt buckle and belt holes, however, this does not detract fromt he dress and sweater set at all. Please see the VFG condition hart for comparison.

Measurements are:

Dress:

Bust: 36 inches

Waist: 28 inches

Hips: 42+ inches

Shoulder side to side: 14 inches

Length shoulder to waist: 18 inches

Length waist to hem: 31 inches

Length shoulder to hem: 49 inches

Sweater:

Bust: 38 inches

Waist: 30 inches

Shoulder side to side: 16 inhes

Length shoulder to waist: 20 inches

Sleeves shoulder to hem: 12 inches


If this outfit doesn't float your boat there are plenty of others that will! So what are you waiting for? Let's go shopping!

We're blowing out all our coats at Born Too Late Vintage!

Prices for mens and womens coats range from $10 to $50 and include dress coats, leather coats, lightweight jackets and suede coats.

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

Oh how the mighty have fallen. How have I come to this? Hanging on a rack in the local second hand store with a graduation gown, a ballerina tutu, an old baseball uniform and a pair of lederhosen!



Back in the day I was a star, a designer gown, sparkling on the rack just waiting for the discerning lady with very, very deep pockets.

I remember that day so well. The ambiance of The Green Room at Saks Fifth Avenue. The dignified ladies perusing the designer ware, looking for that perfect gown for that very special event. I proudly carried the label of Mollie Parnis. I saw her from across the room. She was tall and model slender. She wasn't a sweet young thing but as close to it as you can get to it at the age of 30. Her figure was to die for and toned within an inch of her life, although she was the mother of two very active children. She glanced my way and made a beeline towards me.

Seconds later she was in the dressing room oohing and ahhing over the cut of me and the sparkle of my green and silver lame' fabric. Her husband had just made partner in the law firm, a long vied for position he had slaved for and they had reason to celebrate. The firm was having their Christmas party at the Rainbow Room and she wanted to put her best foot forward. With a designer gown from Mollie Parnis, designer of the first ladies, you just could not go wrong.

Luckily for her I needed no alterations and I was carefully packed in tissue paper and off I went to her Scarsdale home. I was given the place of honor in her already crowded closet, with all her fashion finds from Loehmann's. But this time she'd not picked up a discounted designer item. She had purchased me in The Green Room at Saks!

Although she splurged and bought me there, her common sense still ruled her and she paired me with a pair of silver stilettos that were her favorites and well broken in. A silver clutch purse already in her closet was added and to finish her look off, she added a pair of art deco teardrop green glass earrings she had found in a quaint little shop in Greenwich Village. She was ready for The Rainbow Room and just could not wait.

Flash forward 49 years later. Here I am hanging on this rack in a second hand store. Save me! Doesn't anyone hear me!! I don't belong here! I'm a star!

Suddenly I began having this old but familiar feeling. Someone is looking at me from afar. An overweight rather frumpy looking woman was making her way towards me. Goodness she's not going to fit into me. What is she thinking?? She's picking me up and the look in her eyes is the same as my original owner. She strokes my fabric and she has gentle hands. She flips me inside out and finds my label. I see her smile light up her entire face. Why she's not frumpy! She's just hiding her light under a bushel. Grinning widely and very self satisfied we make our way to the checkout line. The cashier shoves me inside a used plastic Wal-Mart bag (the peasant!) and off we go. I don't remember the rest of the trip to her home as I fell asleep from the suffocating plastic smell of the bag.

I awoke abruptly as I felt myself being slipped over a mannequin. Then hot lights were turned on me and she started taking photographs. She moved the mannequin this way and snapped away taking pictures of my construction, fabric and my label. I knew then that I was being handled by a pro. This frumpy overweight woman with the twinkle in her eyes was a vintage clothing entrepreneur. She was just the person to find me a new home where I would be cherished. At last I would be happy again, not relegated to the second hand rack!

We're blowing out all our mens coats and womens coats at Born Too Late Vintage .

So what are you waiting for? Pick up a bargain on us!

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.!

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


Vintage 1950s VLV Creamy Ecru Brocade Dress B38 W32 H48

We also have Free shipping in the U.S.!

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


Vintage 1970s Count Romi Trench Coat w Notched Fur Collar B42 W42 H46 Plus Size

We also have Free shipping in the U.S.!

Deal of the Day from Born Too Late Vintage for our ladies who love Christmas Sweaters!


Vintage 1970s Red Christmas Novelty Sweater B50 W50 H50


We also have Free shipping in the U.S.!