New Year's Eve in NYC: A Brief History of Bringing in the New Year!

Hello Paper Dolls!

With the creation of standard time, time balls were invented so that sailors could adjust their chronometers, or timepieces, while at sea. With a telescope, they would scope the harbor and watch for a time ball to drop at a specific time, usually noon or 1 p.m. The first time ball was installed in 1829 in Portsmouth, England. The U.S. Naval Observatory followed suit and began dropping a time ball in 1845 in Washington’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood. Soon many port towns and cities adopted the practice.

The New York Times building in midtown Manhattan was completed in 1904. Photo by A. Loeffler, Tompkinsville, N.Y./Library of Congress

It was one of these time balls that became the inspiration for Walter Palmer, The New York Times’ chief electrician, who re-imagined the maritime timekeeping ritual as a unique finale to the city’s end-of-the-year party.

In 1904, New York City’s New Year’s Eve celebrations moved up to the New York Times building at 46th St and Broadway. Crowds had previously gathered at Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan, near Wall Street, to hear the bells ring at midnight. In lieu of chimes, The New York Times company produced a midnight fireworks spectacle to lure more New Yorkers north. That proved effective but also disastrous when hot ashes, the remnants of the fireworks, rained down onto the streets.

When the New York Police Department banned fireworks, New York Times publisher and owner Adolph Ochs approached Palmer to find a new light display. He sought to combine the time ball tradition with electricity for an unforgettable welcome to 1908.

Upon Palmer’s design, Ochs commissioned the Artkraft Strauss sign company to create a 700-pound ball made of iron and wood with 100 25-watt light bulbs attached to its surface. At midnight, the ball descended down the repurposed mainmast of the battleship USS New Mexico, with a system of pulleys.

What distinguishes the current ball from earlier predecessors is the multitude of lights and crystals. At 11,875 pounds and 12 feet in diameter, the Big Ball has 2,688 Waterford Crystals that refracts the light of 32,256 Philips LEDs.

Come down to Paper Doll Vintage to and get dressed up to bring in the New Year in style!

Source:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/having-a-ball-the-history-behind-american-new-years-eve-celebrations/

Denim Through The Ages!

Hello Paper Dolls!

We put some awesome vintage denim pieces we put into the windows and wanted to give you some history about America's favorite fashion item: jeans. 


In 1853 Bavarian immigrant and entrepreneur Levi Strauss cashes in on the Gold Rush by moving from San Francisco to found a wholesale dry goods business, Levi Strauss & Co. He didn’t mine for gold—directly. The Gold Rush was at its peak. Men were going west in search of fortune and would spend months camping out in often inhospitable climates; pants made out of traditional fabric would be destroyed within a matter of weeks. Latvian émigré and tailor Jacob Davis and his fabric supplier, Strauss, patent and manufacture the “XX” pants, later dubbed the 501. The U.S. government grants the pair U.S. Patent No. 139,121 for rivet-reinforced pants under the heading, “IMPROVEMENT IN FASTENING POCKET-OPENINGS.”


Henry David Lee was another kind of merchant. He started out in Ohio selling kerosene and moved west to Salina, Kansas, with a small bundle of venture capital. The H. D. Lee Mercantile Company sold fancy canned goods and offered

a line of Eastern work clothes. In the 1920's, about the time Lee was introducing the first zipper fly, Levi Strauss was deleting the crotch rivet. 

In 1930, Vogue magazine ran an advertisement depicting two society women in tight fitting jeans, a look that they called “Western chic.” By the mid-1930's, department stores were stocking Levis jeans and western boots in the women’s section. In the 1940's U.S. soldiers and sailors serving overseas act as inadvertent ambassadors for jeans, introducing them as casual wear around the globe.

James Dean popularized blue jeans in the movie Rebel Without a Cause in 1955. He wore a T-shirt, a leather jacket, and jeans, a uniform men began copying immediately. Since people didn’t have access to the internet or even television in many cases, movies and the actors in them held sway over the public imagination even more than they do now. Moreover, Rebel Without a Cause was a film where the clothing stood out. While it was originally supposed to be a black and white picture, the studio decided to make the film in color; Dean’s Lee 101 Riders were dip-dyed to make the blue especially eye-catching.

In the 1960's, blue jeans were rare among adults and had not as yet been accepted in conventional places such as schools, restaurants, theaters, and offices.  There have been a number of notable jeans styles since the 1960's such as bell-bottom jeans, baggy jeans, distressed looking jeans, skin-tight jeans, and low-rise and peek-a-boo jeans, to name a few.


In 1970, Calvin Klein promoted his designer jeans as refined sportswear. In the 1980's, designers such as Gloria Vanderbilt, Ralph Lauren, and Jean-Paul Gaultier marketed their brands. Guess Inc., Jordache, and others would also cash in on the designer jeans boom. Some designer jeans could be quite fanciful. For instance, in the late 1990's, the Milanese house of Gucci presented feather-trim and feather embroidered jeans.

Come down to Paper Doll Vintage and check out our amazing vintage denim collection and denim inspired windows! 

Sources:
http://www.fashionintime.org
http://goodhoodstore.com
Motherearthnews.com
Fortune.com
Racked.com

A History of the Yard Sale!

Hello Paper Dolls!

In honor of our Vintage Yard Sale and fill a bag for $25 event here is a little history of the yard sale!

As early as the 16th century people have been unloading their wares. In the 1500's ships were sailing all over the globe to deliver goods. The word, “romage” was a nautical term that described how cargo was packed into the hold of the ship. Later it referred to the search for cargo and the odds and ends packed into the ship. “Rummage” sales developed as captains sold excess and unclaimed cargo at the ports they were docked in.

By the 1890's the rummage sale was held in a communal location like a church and used to make money. People would donate their hand-me-downs or warehouses would sweep out unclaimed goods in clearance sales, according to Oxford in 1858. 

The concept spread as more and more people would use it as way to sell excess items. After World War II people moved to the suburbs and into homes with yards and so was born the "yard sale". Before then, having too many belongs wasn’t a common problem because of the wars and the “want not, waste not” mentality of the Great Depression. After World War II, people across North America found themselves with a greater amount of money to buy more and more of the new consumer goods and gadgets that were flooding the market throughout the 1950's and into the 1960's. In the 1970's garage sales became very popular as the idea of homes became the center of socializing within the community.

Nowadays you can just take a leisurely drive through your neighborhood on a sunny weekend and find treasures in other people's yards. 

Don't forget to come down to Paper Doll Vintage and fill a bag for $25 with our yard sale items!

Sources:

http://blog.krrb.com/the-history-of-garage-sales/

https://www.garagesalecow.com/learn-more-about-garage-sales.aspx

We're never over overalls: A brief history of overalls.

Hello Paper Dolls!

We recently got some great overalls in at the shop including the coveted Landlubber bell bottom version. Here's a little history on the overall:

 Overalls evolved from thigh-high gaiters known as "spatterdashes" or "kneecaps"; side-buttoning canvas or leather gaiters that covered almost all of the shoe in addition to most of the leg, that came into use about 1650. With the availability of cheap cotton in the 1800's, cotton canvas, duck, and denim replaced the linen canvas used in the overalls of the 1700's. Many, many local tailors and bulk manufacturers produced overalls and jumpers for working men all across America. The next development in the history of overalls would be the invention of "Levis" by adding copper rivets to the stress points of cotton duck overalls.

Over time, their baggy silhouette served as an emblem worn by railroaders and Depression-era farmers — as recalled in Grant Wood’s American Gothic. Later, they became emblematic of 1960s’ hippies, college students of the ‘70s, and even hip-hop and other recording artists, who wore them with one shoulder unfastened.

Landlubber was a jeans and denim label, started in 1964 by the Hoffman Corporation of Boston. During the early 1970s, they were THE cool jeans to wear, both their bellbottom jeans and cute jean dresses and skirts. The label was briefly relaunched in the early 1990s. Landlubbers, which were originally distributed to Army-Navy retail stores in unisex sizes, have been redesigned. They are no longer as low-rise and as hip-hugging. They are also not as wide at the bottom or the knee; none of that ''elephant bell'' look that represented the last evolution of the bell bottom in the late 1970's. Some styles even have pleated fronts.

Since the 1960s, different colors and patterns of bib overalls have been increasingly worn by young people of both sexes, often with one of the straps worn loose or unfastened along the side and under the arm. The bib overalls fashion trend among American youth culture peaked in the latter half of the 1970s, and again for females in the late 1990s.

Come down to the shop and grab a pair for yourself!

Charm Bracelets - We've always loved them (and I mean always)

Hello Paper Dolls,

Recently we've gotten some really neat charm bracelets in the shop and thought we'd make a blog post about the history of the once again popular accessory.

The wearing of charms may have begun as a form of amulet to ward off evil spirits or bad luck.

During the pre-historic period, jewelry charms would be made from shells, animal-bones and clay. Later charms were made out of gems, rocks, and wood.

For instance, there is evidence from Africa that shells were used for adornments around 75,000 years ago. In Germany intricately carved mammoth tusk charms have been found from around 30,000 years ago. In ancient Egypt charms were used for identification and as symbols of faith and luck. Charms also served to identify an individual to the gods in the afterlife.

During the Roman Empire, Christians would use tiny fish charms hidden in their clothing to identify themselves to other Christians. Jewish scholars of the same period would write tiny passages of Jewish law and put them in amulets round their necks to keep the law close to their heart at all times. Medieval knights wore charms for protection in battle. Charms also were worn in the Dark Ages to denote family origin and religious and political convictions.

Charm bracelets have been the subject of several waves of trends. The first charm bracelets were worn by Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Hittites and began appearing from 600 – 400 BC.

For example, Queen Victoria wore charm bracelets that started a fashion among the European noble classes. She was instrumental to the popularity of charm bracelets, as she “loved to wear and give charm bracelets. When her beloved Prince Albert died, she even made “mourning” charms popular; lockets of hair from the deceased, miniature portraits of the deceased, charm bracelets carved in jet.”

In 1889, Tiffany and Co. introduced their first charm bracelet — a link bracelet with a single heart dangling from it, a bracelet which is an iconic symbol for Tiffany today.

Despite the Great Depression, during the 1920's and 1930's platinum and diamonds were introduced to charm bracelet manufacturing.

Soldiers returning home after World War II brought home trinkets made by craftsmen local to the area where they were fighting to give to loved ones. American teenagers in the 1950's and early 1960's collected charms to record the events in their lives. Screen icons like Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Crawford helped to fuel the interest and popularity of charm bracelets.

Although interest and production waned through the latter part of the 20th century, there was a resurgence of popularity after 2000 and collectors eagerly sought out vintage charms.

As the year 2001 opened, the fashion industry once again discovered the lure of the charm bracelet, flooding the market with new charm styles in all price ranges. Fashion giants like Louis Vuitton have brought the glamour back to charm bracelets, declaring them the must-have accessory for any occasion. And if the past is any indication, charm bracelets will be in style for quite sometime.

So come down to Paper Doll Vintage Boutique and check out our charm bracelets!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charm_bracelet#History

http://www.mymotherscharms.com/history.htm

Flower Power at Paper Doll Vintage!

Hello Paper Dolls!

In honor of our new floral themed window displays we decided to do a post on the history of the floral print. Throughout history flowers held deep meaning and symbolism which people wanted to incorporate into their clothing.

Floral prints first made their appearance in 12th century East Central Asia with a square panel embroidered with silk thread showing flowers, birds and animals.

In China, flowers were woven into stunning, brightly colored brocades or created in detailed embroideries. Symbolic imagery featured heavily in Chinese textiles, the aesthetic being bold and bright.

In Japan, the chrysanthemum featured heavily in textile motifs, particularly in kimono fabrics. It’s naturally long, slender petals radiated similarly to the sun’s rays, and so the flower became synonymous with the sun, as well as a symbol of the royal family.

India is also home to a rich history of not only textiles, but also ornate and dazzling floral designs. With this in mind, it is unsurprising that European traders were eager to bring these rich and beautiful pieces back with them.

During industrial revolution, when machine printed chintz could be produced en mass and in the early 20th century, off the rack floral print dresses became hugely popular.

At the start of the Victorian era, the art of floral designs on fabrics had become a sign of elegance and distinction. As the Aesthetic, Arts & Crafts, Anglo-Japanese and Art-Nouveau movements took their place in modern design, floral patterns followed. From detailed woven tapestries to finely hand-painted wall papers, floral motifs had claimed a purpose in all forms of design.

By the 1400’s and 1500’s, floral's began to spread globally as European traders started purchasing the extremely ornate and detailed fabrics. These textiles would fetch very high prices, and subsequently, were considered a status symbol in Europe.

Come down to the shop and see our new floral windows as well as retro reproduction and vintage fashions in a floral print for both men and women! Or find some great floral dresses in our Etsy store!

Sources:

http://startupfashion.com/fashion-archives-floral-fabrics

https://islandwindowcoverings.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/flower-power-a-brief-history-of-inspiring-fabrics

Summer is coming! The history of swimwear: Turn of the century until today...

Hello Paper Dolls!


Swimsuit season is around the corner so we thought we'd post a short history of the bathing suit. Paper Doll Vintage carries several retro reproduction syles and authentic vintage suits at the shop so come down and try some  on after you read this fashion history!


It was not until the mid 1800's that swimming at the seaside was considered to be a form of relaxation and enjoyment. Victorian costumes were the ultimate in cover up, at least while they were dry. Once wet, the woolen fabric clung to the body removing the need for a vivid imagination. The weight of the sodden wool also turned swimming into a bit of a challenge.

Mixed bathing became acceptable at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Edwardian ladies even took to walking openly along the beach while in their costumes.

In 1921 Jantzen Knitting Mills launched the first one-piece ‘elastic’ suit that immediately gained popularity with the Bathing Beauty Pageant that was held in Atlantic City.

For the next 15 years, wool knit swimming suits were worn by both men and women.

Knitted wool swimsuits were eased into history in the mid 1930's when California swimsuit maker Mabs of Hollywood began to fashion swimwear from Lastex, a woven satin finish elastic and silk material first used for girdle manufacture.

In 1946, designer Louis Reard was obliged to hire Micheline Bernardini (an exotic dancer at the Casino de Paris) to model his latest creation – the ‘Bikini’ – because his regular models flatly refused to wear it.

The introduction of Reard’s bikini (named after Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific where atomic bomb testing had taken place) caused quite a stir in the United States.

Popular in the 1950's were one-piece costumes constructed like that of a foundation undergarment in a variety of styles, although these gradually gave way to the two-piece body baring styles.

By 1956 the bikini was finally accepted and became popular
 largely due to Bridget Bardot who was frequently photographed strolling the French Riviera wearing hers!

American and UK teens went wild in the 1960's, scampering 
everywhere to find the ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ made famous by Brian Hyland who rose to the top of the music charts with a song of the same name!

Gernreich continued with his body baring designs by introducing his thong bathing suit in 1974. This was followed by Rio and St. Tropez, introducing the ‘Tanga’ suit, or Brazilian Thong, which required not only the dental flossing of ones buttocks but a derriere without a trace of cellulite and nerves of steel!

Another innovation in swimwear in the 1970's was the tan-through swimsuit but as the issue of skin protection from the sun emerged, their popularity was a short-lived novelty.

Enter the age of the V-kini. Those leg lines don’t lie, people. The heightened leg line is an easy way to identify just about any 1980's bathing suit. This feature was added to both bikinis and one pieces in all their variations. 

Bikinis are becoming all that more customization with strings on both tops and bottoms while one pieces are becoming more unique. Plunge one pieces were super sexy.

Meanwhile in America, Baywatch was making a huge impact on swimsuits. The high leg lines and V-kinis remained for the beginning part of the decade. Athletic influences also began to take hold thanks to famous athletes/models like Gabrielle Reese. I personally think Sporty Spice had a lot to do with it too.

Oh! And speaking of athletic influences – does anybody remember the tankini? Those were introduced in the late 1990's. They were essentially a two piece suit comprised of bikini bottoms and a water friendly tank top. I loved wearing the tankini as a kid because I thought it made me look like a surfer.

Sources:

http://hellogiggles.com/have-times-changed-for-the-better-a-look-back-at-womens-swimwear/

http://vintagefashionguild.org/fashion-history/swim-wear-history/

Currently we carry three Hell Bunny Styles in sizes XS-XL plus authentic vintage suits!

The History of Nautical Fashion!

Hello Paper Dolls!

Our next art show will be nautically themed and so we wanted to do a little homage to the history of nautical fashion.

In 1846 Queen Victoria started the trend by dressing her son in a sailor suit for a portrait being pained of him. By 1871 the trend had made it to women's fashion and stuck around until today. Worn initially as "yachting costumes" the trend caught on quick.




At the turn of the century swimming was becoming a more popularized act of leisure. Designers turned to the nautical to gain inspiration for the modest swim garments.  In 1915 the Sears catalog called the sailor dress "stylish."






The Middy Blouse that gained great popularity in the 1920's was influenced by the nautical styling of the previous decade. Patriotism during the first World War also pushed fashion towards a more patriotic styling and used red white and blue fabrics. 


By the 1930's the fashion favorite sailor pant made it's way onto the scene. A high waist with buttons emulated the pants of the Navy. This look was popularized by many actresses of the time. 

When WWII was stirring up patriotism once again the papers said to, "Give a fashionable salute to the Navy in a sailor dress." At this time the nautical themed moved from just clothing to accessories and shoes. 

The 1950's is where nautical fashion really got it's signature look and has been a part of fashion ever since! Moving with the return of the middy and through the mod movement it is a classic look for summer and continues to be to this day. 

Lanvin, Chloe and Marc Jacobs all have nautical trends for Spring / Summer 2015!


Paper Doll Vintage has many nautical inspired retro style dresses in stock as well as accessories.  Keep an eye out for swimsuits coming in for summer in the near future and follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates!


We look forward to seeing you at the shop!

- Paper Doll Vintage