One of the things I love most about this vintage photo of a woman (obviously showing off her stockings in an erotic “French postcard” way) is the old boudoir doll on the vanity. You don’t see a lot of photos of boudoir dolls!

You see a vintage or antique photograph and you wish it were larger, more detailed… I want to see every photo, every scrap of ephemera, on the table in front of her!  As a collector, I’m allowed to be that nosy, right? Photo via Lynnstudios.

Many people collect postcards for what’s on the front… Maybe they collect real photo postcards, or vintage images of animals on postcards, or antique images of cities… Maybe they collect by artist or publisher. But some of us fall in love with what’s on the backs of the postcards. Some postcards were used as contest [...]

Since I love all things pertaining to women’s history, from kitschy to suffragette, I’ve become smitten with these eight female figures in a suffragette band: I’d never seen anything like them before, so here’s what the seller, dahntahntoys, has to say about them: 54 mm solidcast women’s Suffragette Band by Charles Hall, bought in 1970s [...]

At an estate sale I recently was lucky enough to get this little, unassuming, antique book… Plain brown boards, penciled notes and a math problem… A slim 6 and one-half inches 3 and one-half by inches.   It may not seem appealing to you — and that, likely, is how I managed to procure it. [...]

As a proud feminist, the suffrage movement is near and dear to my heart; as a girlie lover of glam, jewelry with stones, especially sparkly stones, appeals to me.  So naturally I am drawn to suffrage jewelry.  However, all that glitters in antique suffragette jewelry isn’t gold — or as bought and sold. There’s a [...]

Via Entertainment Weekly, news that TLC has picked-up episodes of Pawn Queens. Stating that the two episodes I reviewed, which aired back-to-back, was a “special,” TLC has committed to an eight-episode series order. I’m excited to see Pawn Queens return to the air (but remain appalled by the sexist comments that continue to poor in [...]

Another bit from that wartime issue of Modern Woman Magazine; this time War Production rules on clothing for children and women — including maternity fashions.

More things for collectors to learn from that 1940′s Hint Hunt booklet — this time the tips could explain some condition issues you find with vintage vanity collectibles.  These vintage beauty and cosmetic tips explain why you might just spot pinholes in powder boxes and find beads in perfume bottles. For me, such pin pricks [...]

Often when a new collector finds unworn lingerie in a box clearly not its original, they shy away from the purchase, concerned the lingerie is not authentic vintage. While there are unscrupulous sellers, finding panties in a slip box is not uncommon; on the contrary, it is quite common. Those who collect vintage lingerie — [...]

Where else can you find the best tips about caring for your vintage fashions and foundation garments then from vintage women’s publications? Then, as now, magazines shared tips for female readers interested in stretching their fashion dollars by not stretching their garments out of shape. Inside a 1941 issue of Modern Woman Magazine, tips on [...]

This is so ephemeral that I can barely stand it! It’s a paper matchbook… With matchheads of “Stay-Tru” Almay lipstick! I’m not sure why you’d want to sell beauty on the idea of putting a match to your lips, or how these survived (mostly intact; one ‘strike’ is missing), but I love it!

Let’s say you love vintage stockings, so at an estate sale you buy a bag full of them — only to get home and have no idea what sizes you have. Jaynie Van Roe of Here’s Looking Like You, Kid (who has an excellent post on what you kneed to know about vintage fully fashioned [...]

Many people think of aprons as charming relics from our past, or as evidence of enforced domesticity; but the truth is, aprons have a practical role in modern lives too. Grandma always said you should be proud of your work around the house; you should be proud to take care of your home and family, [...]