Vintage Designer: Lanz Originals

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Perhaps I'm a little biased (I do share my last name with the vintage dress brand...perhaps I'm a descendant of vintage royalty?!), but Lanz Originals are some of my favorite vintage pieces to find. They aren't known for being particularly showy, but the cuts are always quite classic and the prints adorable. Plus, their tags are darn cute! I just found a couple of lovely Lanz dresses (pictured below) which inspired me to do a little digging into the background of the brand.

Lanz originated in Austria during the early '20s and made a name for themselves by blending traditional Austrian folkwear with the current trends of the time. Why the folkwear base? Lanz originally produced clothing for Austrians at the Salzburg Music Festival and soon tourists began buying the designs to take home, according to the Vintage Fashion Guild. It wasn’t until after WWII that Lanz started designing clothes for American women that were still inspired by traditional Austrian culture.

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Here's where it gets a little tricky...By the late '70s, two Lanz labels existed in America–Lanz Originals and Lanz of Salzburg, which was focused on making women’s sleepwear. This is likely why many people associate the Lanz name with nightgowns, I know my mom had one. Today, Lanz Originals still focuses on traditional Austrian clothing and dirndls while Lanz of Salzburg continues to produce women’s sleepwear in the U.S.

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A Mobile Shop Update: The End Is Near

It’s been awhile since I’ve updated you guys on the progress of my mobile shop venture and I’ve got tons of details to fill you in on since April.  

First things first…the clothes! One of the most fun (and indulgent) parts of launching this new facet of my business has been getting to stock up on lots and lots of vintage to fill the trailer with. Above are some peeks at what I have in store for you Brooklynites but believe me when I say that there is much more where that came from. My bedroom is literally exploding with vintage clothes and I can’t wait to share it will all of you!

My trailer-towing machine!

Aaand here she is getting towed away after a highway breakdown!

Also…I bought a car! The trailer isn’t going to tow itself, so naturally I needed a vehicle to pull it with. I decided on a Ford Escape since they’re affordable and powerful enough for towing. I’ve had a couple of major breakdowns (and just as many anxiety attacks) since buying my wheels but all in all, my vintage sourcing has been much more effective now that I don’t have to rely on friends and Zipcar for transportation. Learning how to drive with a 10-foot monstrosity attached to my car has also been, in a word, interesting but I keep telling myself that trailer towing will be a good skill to have if this whole vintage thing doesn’t work out...right?

The trailer primed and ready!

Me getting my construction on and sanding the trailer.

And we can’t forget about…the trailer construction! Since buying the trailer, I’ve gutted the inside and replaced a lot of missing wood paneling with the very generous help of my friend Zach who has a carpentry business and has donated his time and power tools to the cause. The inside is almost ready for finishing touches like a new paint job, hanging racks, checkered flooring and the deadstock 1950s floral wallpaper that I just ordered! I’ve also primed the outside (as you can see in the above photo) and it’s all ready for its teal paint job as soon as I can get a few clear days in Brooklyn...are you listening Mother Nature? 

And you can’t leave without hearing about…my new website! I finally have a domain name to call my own and pretty soon lapoubellevintage.com will be up and running. My super talented friend Hannah Rawe did some amazing drawings for the site (that is actually being coded as we speak). Above is a sneak peek at what the home page will look like.

All in all, these past few months have been a combination of amazingly exciting/incredibly stressful/creatively stimulating/physically exhausting. Getting this thing up and running has been a TON of work with lots of unexpected twists and turns and also one of the most satisfying experiences of my career thus far being able to actually create something that I’ve been conceptualizing for so long.

Thanks for reading and sorry for the very wordy post! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more daily updates and stay tuned for the launch date (and backyard party!) of the mobile shop!

1940s Shoe Porn

 

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Everyone loves a good ‘40s frock but what I’m really keen on are shoes from the decade. The footwear styles look modern enough to be sold at any shoe boutique today but the bright colors and whimsical details make them amazing vintage pieces. In honor of this pair of ‘40s leather pumps that are in the shop now, I’ve rounded up some 1940s shoe porn for you. A lot of the photos I found on Pinterest, follow my pins here!  

 1940s shoes now in the shop!

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Joan Crawford's shoe closet. Source.

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Vintage Designer: Gunne Sax

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Anyone who knows me knows I love a good easy, breezy bohemian dress and Gunne Sax always fits that bill. The brand, a highly collectible vintage line, is known for its super cool peasant dresses, usually featuring lace and ruffles. Its name actually developed out of the “gunny sack,” a burlap trim used on their first dresses. Many of the styles sport a renaissance and medieval look, typically full length cuts with floral patterns. Jessica McClintock invested in the brand in 1969 while it was still a small San Franciscan line. She now remains the head of the business, and has since joined it with her company: Jessica McClintock Inc. In the 1980s Gunne Sax, originally a junior’s line, took on a more prom dress style, with tight bodices and full skirts. In 1989 The New York Times reported that it was the lead seller at Macy’s for prom dresses. Though the brand is still churning out gowns, the earlier pieces from the '60s and '70s are my favorites. Here are some lovely styles from around the web and check out the Gunne Sax frock I have currently in the shop!

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A Summer Shop Update

1970s Dress / Floppy Hat / Reversible Halter 

 There's something about summer that makes me want to wear dresses that are a little brighter, prints that are a little crazier, and silhouettes that are a little more bohemian. The weather in Brooklyn has officially reached 90 degrees so here are some summer essentials to keep you looking easy and breezy!

 

1960s Silk Dress / Polka Dot Dress

 

1960s Dress / Macrame Bag / Needlepoint Necklace

 

1960s Bell Bottoms / Floral Maxi Dress

Making Progress: An Update on Our Mobile Boutique

If you've been tracking my Kickstarter progress, you'll know that about two weeks ago, I reached my goal and my project to launch a mobile vintage boutique in Brooklyn was funded! It's been a crazy couple of weeks since then and, quite frankly, I'm still in a bit of shock that I'm really launching this thing! I wanted to keep you all updated with my progress on getting the trailer on the road so that my Kickstarter backers can get a good idea of how their money is being spent and hopefully it will be fun to follow along, too.

First things first: The very first day after the Kickstarter was funded, I officially certified my business with Kings County. This is actually a pretty easy process that just involves filling out some paperwork, getting it notarized and bringing it down to City Hall. After that, you're able to open up a business bank account, apply for permits and take care of all the little nitty gritty small biz details.

Kickstarter rewards: I'm working hard on getting all of my amazing backers the loot that is coming to them. I ordered some awesome vintage trailer thank you cards from The Brush and Mallett on Etsy and now I just need to write out 80 cards, phew!

The trailer: The most exciting announcement is that I found the camper trailer that La Poubelle Vintage mobile will be housed in (above). She is a 10-foot 1968 Shasta Airflyte and quite possibly the cutest little thing ever. I drove up to Maine to check her out this weekend and it ended up being a perfect fit for me. She needs a new paint job and plenty of interior work and I can't wait to start working on the construction! This was actually the first trailer that I looked at so I'm feeling lucky that I didn't have to drive all around the East Coast checking them out as these models can be hard to find in such good condition.

That's it for now but you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter where I post lots of mini updates on the goings on around here.

Spring Neutrals

My last big shop update was full of super bright spring pieces and this week, it's all about the neutrals. Check out these shades of white, brown, nude and cream in the shop now!