Since winter is well behind us now in Chicago, I’ve been adding lots of pretty pastels to the shop. Here are a few recent arrivals! Remember, I ship all over the world and I ship quickly!
Hello! The daffodils are starting to pop up in my yard, so spring is here!
Image from pinterest.
It’s time to fill your wardrobe with soft pinks, purples, and blues. I’ve stocked the shop with a fresh selection of springy pastels just for you!
Vintage 1960s pinafore / medium large
Vintage 1950s pink tulle prom dress / small
Vintage 1960s polka dot mod dress / medium
Vintage 1950s pink cotton day dress / medium large
Vintage 1960s child’s yellow and white seersucker overalls
Vintage 1960s girls’ blue plaid overalls
All images are linked! And as always, if you have any questions feel free to ask me!
<3
Christy
Hello!
It’s been awhile since I did a ‘recent arrival’ post. So no delay…let’s get to it! I’m still on a vintage baby clothing kick, so I listed a bunch of great baby and girls’ items this week. My favorite is the ’50s grey suspender skirt down below. I think it so perfectly fits into modern times. So cute. And I scored an awesome brown L’Aiglon day dress too. Such a great label.
I’ll be back next week with more fun things to show you! If you see anything you like, just click on the pictures and you’ll be taken directly to the listing…unless it’s sold out already. You never know how fast something might go! Grab it while you can!
Vintage 1950s L’Aiglon day dress
Vintage 1950s Bobbie Brooks wool pencil skirt
Vintage 1960s girls’ (or very petite womens’) drop waist dress
Vintage 1960s “The Villager” red wool a-line skirt
Vintage newborn baby layette gown
Vintage 1960s girls’ 5T mod navy and white dress
Vintage 1950s girls’ Betty Winkle hunting dog blouse / 6X
Vintage 1950s girls’ suspender skirt–SOLD OUT!
Vintage 1960s girls’ 6X mod overcoat
<3
Christy
It’s FRIDAY! How did we get here so fast? When I used to work in an office the days would crawl by, but now that I work from home they zip by! So here we are again for another weekly roundup of all the newly added vintage to Thrifty Vintage Kitten.
This week I added an eclectic assortment of styles to the shop. No real theme this week…just a bunch of pretty items for you! See something you like or want more info? Just click on the picture!
(Check out the 40s pink rayon dress below. It’s seriously the sweetest thing I’ve ever listed. If it’s possible to be in love with a dress, consider me a goner.)
1950s pink baby snowsuit and bonnet
1960s paisley cut-out dress
1960s MORNING DEW floral rayon dress
1960s GOLDEN FLOWERS rayon dress
1950s EVERGREENS SUPPER CLUB wool dress
1950s DAPPER DAY dress
1960s CALIFORNIA SUNSHINE silk dress
1930s DIZZY WITH A DAME knit dress
1940s FOREVER YOUNG rayon dress
1960s BARSTOOL WISDOM linen dress
Have a fabulous weekend, Thrifty Vintage Kittens! See you next week!
As always, if you have a question about any of the items you see or anything vintage-related, just drop me a note!
<3
Christy
Valentine’s Day is 2 weeks away! Do you have your Valentine’s dress yet? Whether you prefer the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s, here are some very suitable options from the shop!
1 here | 2 here | 3 here | 4 here
5 here | 6 here | 7 here | 8 here
9 here | 10 here | 11 here | 12 here
<3
Christy
Saturday morning I woke up way before the sun was up and headed out to an estate sale. The way estate sales work around here is if you want to be one of the first ones in the door (which I always do…that’s how you get the good stuff) you have to camp outside hours before the sale opens. It’s kinda boring and time consuming, but the competition is fierce here so that’s how it is. I like to kill time by crocheting.
Crocheting a baby blanket for my new niece!
When I first started going to estate sales, back before I really understood how they worked, I would mosey in on the last day and I still managed to find vintage. These days there’s enough dealers out there that the good stuff gets scooped up within minutes of the sale starting. Here’s proof. This was my pile after 35 minutes of the sale starting:
My pile ‘o vintage at checkout!
I was number 8 in line and there were two other dealers ahead of me! Between the three of us we cleaned out the closets. I’m pretty ruthless when it comes to getting inventory for my shop. I’m typically a very reserved, polite person, so I have to scrape deep to bring the pit bull out of me during these sales. It’s uncomfortable for me, but when getting that amazing 1950s cocktail dress is the difference between walking or RUNNING to that closet, it’s worth it. Many apologies to the man I jumped over (hurdling style) that was crouching looking at jewelry (eep).
In total I walked away with 35 items. Most of them are 1950s dresses, with a few 1960s dresses, and sprinkle of baby boy clothing in there as well.
Above is a small sampling of the women’s dresses I found. I washed them all up and now they are just waiting to be pressed and photographed. If the sun makes its appearance this week I hope to get some good shots.
You know how you feel after a really stressful event? Like, maybe a really important presentation you have to give or a particularly demanding test? That’s how I feel after these sales. I commit hours to them and so if they don’t go my way it feels like a huge fail. So because of that I’m a bundle of nerves for the whole thing. Then as I’m driving home, I’m like AHHH. I did it! And I only had to hurdle one person. 
Hope you all had a great weekend. Next week I have a bundle of new inventory coming to the shop so keep an eye out! Spring is in the air! (at least I’m pretending it is. Never mind the snow on the ground right now.)
<3
Christy
Sunbathing in Palm Springs, CA, 1956. Photographed by Loomis Dean (Source: Pinterest)
Spring break is coming…is it here yet? Now? Please? It’s currently 18 degrees here in Chicago so my mind is looking ahead to warmer days. Are we there yet?
Since Spring Break is on its way (not soon enough) I’ve been a busy little bunny listing summer rompers in the shop. While spring may be a ways away, it’s a good idea to get your shopping done a little early so you’re not panicked looking for cute stuff at the last minute. Get ‘em before they are gone! You might even spy a really rad little yellow swimsuit number down there. So cute and perfect for a Palm Springs getaway!
All the following items are available in the shop! Images are linked for easy shopping!
1970s TWIST OF LIME skort romper / medium large
1960s GIDGET sunsuit / medium large
1960s lemon yellow skirted swimsuit
1960s mod print cotton dress with shorts / large
1960s MAKE THE SCENE cotton canvas romper
1960s LUAU PARTY dress with shorts / medium large
Feeling in the mood to take a vacation now? If you’re going somewhere, tell me about in the comments section. I love hearing about people’s travels!
<3
Christy
The number one reason I love vintage fashion is because you get to literally wear history. But the downside to wearing history is that history is old and old is stinky. Clothes that are 60 years old (and that have been sitting in storage for nearly that long) no longer have that lovely ‘fresh out of the dryer’ smell. They are usually musty, dusty, and sometimes even toxic smelling. Ick.
But luckily all that can be remedied by washing them. However, the tricky thing about vintage clothing is not all of it can be tossed into your washing machine. Vintage fabrics can be delicate due to their age or the material is higher end and needs special care. And so those items need to be hand washed, but in the modern age we live in most of us have never had to hand wash anything! So how the heck do you go about hand washing?
Over the years I’ve picked up a few tricks and found what works best for me. Recently I acquired a number of beautiful 1960s party dresses, but they all had underarm staining (GAH! The worst). So down into my dark cellar-like basement I went armed with my trusty tools…
1. BIZ (it smells clean and works well)
2. Borax
3. A giant scrub brush
4. A soaking basin
The method I use is this:
1. Fill a laundry detergent cap 1/2 full with BIZ. Pour a drop (quarter size) of the laundry soap from the cap directly onto the stains. If the stains are bigger, use more detergent. Pour the remaining detergent from the cap into your soaking basin.
2. Rub the detergent into the stain (and if you’re like me and your fabric is tough enough, use a scrub brush and your muscles. Stains that are 50 years old need some coaxing). Add warm water to the basin, along with a 1/2 cup of Borax. Put your garment into the basin and allow it to soak for 30 minutes.
I wish I had somewhere as pretty as this to soak my garments! Image from Pinterest.
3. After the 30 minutes are up, rub the clothing against itself and then rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. Check to see if the stains are gone. If not, repeat the process. If you’re good to go, move on to step 4.
4. Pour 1/2 cap of laundry detergent into the basin and this time fill the basin with cold water. Soak your garment for 30 minutes. When the 30 minutes are up, gently wring the excess water from your garment, rinse in cool water, and hang up to air dry.
Image from Pinterest
The dresses I washed are now free of dead skin, dander, and years and YEARS of dirt! They smell pretty and all but one are free of underarm staining. (You win some, you lose some). Sometimes no matter how hard you try set-in stains are just that…set in…for good. I hope some of you find this info helpful! If so, let me know in the comments. Would love to hear from you!
<3
Christy
Happy Friday! Lots of great additions for the shop this week! Here are the freshest picks from Thrifty Vintage Kitten. See something you like? Just click on the picture to shop!
Vintage 1960s CANARY IN A COAL MINE silk linen dress / size small medium
Vintage 1960s ALONGSHORE silk linen dress / size small
Vintage 1960s HOT TODDY dress / medium
Vintage 1960s GIRL CRUSH linen dress / medium
Vintage 1950s chiffon IN THE GARDEN dress / XS
Vintage 1960s TRINITY KNOT dress / medium
Vintage 1960s mod BLUE AS BLAZES dress / medium large
Vintage 1960s READY, STEADY, GO! dress / medium
Vintage 1960s TWIST OF LIME skort romper / medium large
Vintage 1970s SUMMER OF LOVE maxi dress / XS
Vintage 1940s little girl’s turquoise cotton dress w/ daisy appliques
All the images are linked!
If any of the links take you to the shop storefront and not the item itself, it’s because the item has already sold! So grab ‘em before they’re gone!
<3
Christy
Well, hello there 2015! You sure came up fast!
To all my Thrifty Vintage Kittens out there…this year is going to be a great one for the business. Lots of fun ahead, so stay tuned. If you haven’t already noticed, I’ve included a sign up box for a newsletter (I’m starting a newsletter!). You’ll want to sign up for that because there is where you’ll be the first to hear about sales (special, readers-only sales!), shop announcements, and lots fun vintage eye candy always!
2014 was great for Thrifty Vintage Kitten and 2015 is going to be even better. My shop is not here to be average. It’s here to be awesome. I want to bring you all the very best, the very coolest, the very most wearable vintage out there. Thrifty Vintage Kitten is vintage fashion for the modern girl and I’ll show you how to incorporate stellar vintage pieces into your wardrobe so you don’t look like a cartoon character. 
To get things started, here’s a few of the shop’s latest offerings. Grab them before they’re gone!
Vintage 1960s TIDES OF TIME silk organza party dress / small
Vintage 1960s BICOASTAL silk linen dress / small
Vintage 1960s SO BERRY PRETTY silk linen dress / medium
Vintage 1960s RISE AND SHINE wool dress (with pockets!) / medium
Vintage 1960s ESSIE silk linen 2-piece suit / small
Vintage 1960s CITY BEAT belted wool dress / medium
Vintage 1950s GUEST EDITOR wool dress / medium
Thank you all for making 2014 so great. Cheers to the start of another! And don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter!
<3
Christy