It's Sweater and Jacket Time!

It's been quite a while since we've last posted but that's because we've been loading up Mod Marys Vintage with oodles of sweaters and coats for both men and women. While there's nothing better than a 1950s Beaded sweater to some people we love all eras of vintage so we hunt all over to bring you a variety to choose from.

Vintage 1950s Cream Wool Pastel Bead Sweater Size L B42 W36

Vintage 1990 Burberry Double Breasted Black Gray Wool Tweed Overcoat XL Chest 48 W48 H50 Affordable Vintage

Vintage 1980s Jordache Black Gray Shaggy Fuzzy Faux Fur Jacket With Knit Sleeves Size 7/8 B40 W38 Affordable Vintage

Vintage 1970s Woolrich Gamekeeper Wool Jacket and Matching Wool Pants Jacket Size 42 Pants size 38 Affordable Vintage

Don't forget to keep checking back as we are adding items daily including a large variety of vintage patterns as well!

Vintage 1970s McCalls Pattern 5684 Misses and Mens Double and Single Poncho and Picnic Kit One Size Fits Most Uncut FF Factory Folds

Are you ready for some excitement?

It was perfect. The cut of the dress was demure enough to pass muster with her parents but the figure hugging style was daring enough to turn up the heat under her slow moving boyfriend. They'd been going steady for 3 years now and she was looking for a commitment sooner rather than later. After all, at age 21 life was passing her by and she was ready for some excitement.

She looked one last time in the mirror making sure her lacy slip, garters and nylons were unable to be detected and wondered whether he'd even notice how sexy she looked. With a sigh she put on her coat and picked up her purse. Shortly thereafter she heard a knock at the door and her father saying, "She should be down in just a minute. Diana, Bob is here."

Ever the gentleman, Bob opened the door for Diana and then they took off. They spoke of the everyday mundane things they always talked about. Diana wondered if Bob would ever realize how much she loved him. It seemed the ride to the movie theatre was taking forever tonight. When Bob passed the theatre without a backward glance Diana wondered what was going on. The movies and a quick bite to eat at the diner afterwards had been their Saturday night date for three years running.

Bob kept driving, wondering when Diana was going to ask where they were going. Half an hour later they crossed the Dingmans Ferry Bridge and headed down Route 209. Now Diana was really wondering what was up. It was dark with the Delaware River to the right side of the road and nothing but forest on the left side. Diana was starting to get scared. Bob was so quiet you could hear the beat of his and Diana's hearts.

After 30 minutes of travel on Route 209 they reached the little town of Milford. Diana started to ask Bob where they were going but he put his finger to his lips as if to say "just wait, be patient" and Diana complied. Bob stopped the car and he opened Diana's door and brought her to the front door of a home. Just prior to ringing the bell Bob said, "We've done the same thing every Saturday night for three years. I think it's time we took the next step in our relationship." All Diana could think was that Bob had lost his mind.

Bob rang the bell and a man answered the door. "Come right in!" the man exclaimed. "You're right on time." Sheepishly Bob then said to Diana, "It's time to take the final step Diana. I got my selective service notice last week and I have to report toFort Dix in a week. I'd rather leave a wife behind than a girlfriend. Are you ready for a little excitement?"

With that Bob got down on one knee and placed an engagement ring on Diana's hand and showed her the matching wedding rings he had so carefully picked out. Diana was floored. It was true that they had been seeing each other for a long time and she had wished for some excitement but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Bob was a romantic under that steady solid exterior.

Throwing chance to the wind Diana wed her Bob that night in a whirlwind justice of the peace service. The newlyweds spent the next several days and nights at Babbling Brook Cottages in Dingmans Ferry. After several days they headed back over the Dingmans Ferry bridge to face the music. Like the good kids they were they had called their parents to let them know they were okay but no more.

Just outside her parent's home Diana looked at her new husband and thought, "I wonder if Mom and Dad are ready for some excitement?"

Life goes on......

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.

Vintage Patterns Galore is now open for business!

We've been very busy working behind the scenes to set up our vintage pattern store


                                                 http://vintagepatternsgalore.com

We stock vintage Advance, Butterick, McCalls, Newspaper, New York Gold Seal, Simplicity and Vogue patterns for men, women and children. Our patterns range from the 1940s to the 1980s and beyond.

Over time we plan on adding a notions section for vintage buttons, zippers, and buckles of all kinds.  So make sure to check back often for all your vintage pattern and notion needs.

Well, we just could not stay out of the vintage business. We tried really hard but it must be in our blood so we are now open on Etsy as Mod Mary's Vintage. Here are just a few of the items we have available for you!

Bank of America for god's sake have a heart!

 Bank of America for god's sake have a heart!!!  Please read the following blog and then share it with all your friends, families  and acquaintances.  Maybe if we apply enough pressure they will do the right thing.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/3730265/boa-have-a-heart-

Born Too Late Vintage closed

On Sunday, February 10, 2013 Born Too Late Vintage, Born Too Late Vintage Patterns and Love Train Vintage closed.

While it's sad in a way, I've found that selling vintage clothing is no longer fun for me and has become a drain on the family finances.  So I decided to close up shop.

I'd just like to take a moment to say thank you to all my past customers, many of whom have become friends.

I'd also like to say thank you to a few people such as Dexterdoggie,  Chapeaunoir and Daniel from the eBay vintage board as well as the kind ladies and gentlemen from the Vintage Fashion Guild including but not limited to Jonathan Walford.  I learned to research vintage clothing and accessories while reading your helpful posts.  I also learned the value of doing one's own research rather than just expecting to be spoon fed answers.  Any research I did on my own is knowledge that I'll never lose because I had to work hard for it.

This also marks the end of this blog since it was intrinsically about playing dressup all day long with vintage.  I may yet start another blog about life in general and if so I'll post a link here.

So vintage community I thank you for the memories.  I also thank you for bringing me a special friendship with Chris Moore of Alley Cat Vintage.

Making it easier to shop! It's about time!

We took a hard look at Born Too Late Vintage Patterns and using our analytical prowess determined that it's too hard to shop in our store of over 400 vintage patterns.

We have now added categories that break our patterns down into sizes.  We're hoping this makes your shopping experience more pleasant and helps you find what you're looking for faster and easier.

We're adding patterns daily so make sure to check back often!

At Born Too Late Vintage Patterns we want to make your shopping experience a pleasure!

Life imitates art......

Trepidation filled her mind and nerves had her stomach jumping. She'd never really pushed her limits, but now was the time. She was detail oriented and everything she needed had been laid out the night before. Hat, gloves, purse, shoes, dress with matching coat and of course her unmentionables were all lined up and just waiting for her to get dressed. At her mother's behest she agreed to borrow her mother's choker length necklace of Mikimoto pearls to top off her outfit.

To some, the iridescent blue hopsack dress and matching coat was a bit too modern but she had fallen in love with the sleek professional look the outfit leant to her and once she saw the fabulous lining of the coat she was hooked. She was an artist and the colors in the lining spoke to her, but art would not pay the bills and so she pushed that to the side to enter the world of Washington, D.C. amid many other young women looking for a government job that would provide a steady income while they waited for life to present them with their one true love.

"Well no use dragging this on and on," she thought. She readied herself, checking herself in her bedroom mirror to make sure she had not missed anything. Her mother wished her well and she walked to the center of town where she boarded the bus heading to Washington. She had several interviews that day and all went as well as could be expected. While waiting in the various offices of the capital, she saw that what she thought was so fashion forward was anything but. Compared to the other girls waiting for their own interviews, she looked older than her years and small town chic. Her credentials were top notch, however, for the fast pace of Washington she was just too old fashioned for anyone to take notice. The repetition of the closing comment "we'll be in touch but if you receive an offer from someone else I'd advise taking it" left her feeling drained and frustrated.

She boarded the bus to come back home, discouraged and wondering where life would take her. Pondering her future and not liking the direction it was heading, she didn't hear him at first. He repeated himself saying, "Would you mind if I sat next to you? There are no other seats on the bus available." She looked up into the eyes of a rather gallant young man, with dark brown hair, deep brown eyes and a bluish 5 o'clock shadow. He rather looked like a hoodlum, but he was dressed in a gray sharkskin suit that fit him perfectly. What caught her eye was his colorful pocket square and rather rakish silk tie. She said, "Of course." He sat down and he noticed she was staring at his necktie. He looked back at her and said, "I know the tie stands out, but I just have to show a little bit of what's really me when I go on these interviews. I'm really a silk artist and I painted this tie and pocket square, but you have to pay the bills so on goes the suit for interviews." She smiled and shyly unbuttoned her coat and showed him the lining. "I'm an artist as well, but it doesn't pay the bills so I've just come back from Washington after a round of unsuccessful interviews today. I just had to have a bit of color, but of course I'm not as bold as you are."

They continued to chat and before they knew it they were back home. It seems that he had been two years ahead of her at the same high school but they'd just never run into each other. They found they had acquaintances in common, but somehow or another never met each other for one reason or another. He walked her home and then asked her out to dinner for the next night. She accepted and that as they say was that.

Time passed. They dated, became engaged and were married. To pay the bills they opened a paint and wallpaper store in their home town. He continued to paint his matching ties and pocket squares which he sold from their store. In the way that life happens, a socialite from Washington D.C. came into their store one day after having car trouble, to use their phone. She was stunned by the trompe-l'œil scene on the longest wall in the store. Finding out that the painting was done by the co-owner, she immediately hired her to paint her living room. Her talent became known to the smart set in D.C. and she was commissioned to paint many trompe-l'œil scenes over the years.

And so as they say, life happens while you make your grand plans.  Their business paid the bills and their art fed their souls.




Vintage 1960s Navy Blue Dress & Coat Ensemble B38 W34 H38


Why not make a little history of your own with an outfit from Born Too Late Vintage!

Playing dress-up has always been one of my favorite games. It hasn't changed in the least for me except now it's my business to play dress-up in a more mature way.

Have a little fun and go play dress-up at Born Too Late Vintage. See what outfits you
can put together. What better way to have a great time. For your pleasure here's an outfit to start you off with.


Vintage 1960s Dark Teal Plush Pillbox Hat by Roberta Bernayd



Vintage 1960s Amy Adams Blue Gray Paisley Fitted Dress B36 W30 H38



Vintage 1950s Textured Patent Leather Di Orsini Black Stilettos size 8



Vintage 1960s Black Patent Leather and Hopsack
Pocketbook


So come play dress-up at Born Too Late Vintage and let your creative juices flow.

I find that every so often it's a good thing to shake things up when it comes to your studio. Well this time around instead of hiding behind my old logo and avatar I've stepped forward and put my face out there for the world to see.

My studio on ArtFire is now completely re-designed including a new logo and avatar with my face on my studio. No more hiding behind my Aunt Louise's picture in her 1950s dress.




So make sure to come on over to Born Too Late Vintage and check out our new look and all the new items we've been listing each and every day.

Don't miss out on our 25% off all clothing and accessories. Just use coupon code:


25OFFCLOTHINGACCESSORIE

in celebration of our new look!

Father's Day is fast approaching so why not take a stroll down memory lane for a vintage gift from Born Too Late Vintage!

Vintage Fathers Day Collection

Curated By: BornTooLateVi...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

We have items available in every price range so make sure to stop by!

Were there curvy girls back in the day?

Yes there were curvy girls back in the d...

Curated By: BornTooLateVi...

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Step into the Sterling Cooper Advertising Agency and check out what the female staff is wearing. From Joan to Jane to to Joan we love their fashion!

The Mad Men Office Wear Collection

Curated By: BornTooLateVi...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Jewelry