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

Rip off the Runway! Jason Wu Fall 2015 Ready to Wear.

Hello Paper Dolls!

It's that time again... and in honor of New York Fashion Week ending we decided to put together a look inspired by Jason Wu's Fall 2015 Ready to Wear Collection with items we have here at the shop.   He used military greens in more masculine cuts paired with fur, belts and booties to create a sleek timeless look.  Elegant sportswear with simple silhouettes really make this show special because it's a great look for every age and body type.  

"When Jason Wu was first starting out, fashion watchers liked to compare him to an upstart Oscar de la Renta." - Style.com

Appropriately we paired a vintage Oscar de la Renta Silk Sheath Dress with Mother of Pearl Buttons (Size Large, $68.00) with BCBG Italian Black Booties from the 1990's (Size 7, $39.00).  To complete the inspired look we used a long stole (inquiries only please) and belted it with a gold Metal Scale Stretch belt from the 1970's (One Size, $14.00).

Fun Fact: Wu designed Michelle Obama's dresses for the Presidents first and second inaugurations.  

Check out the whole collection on Style.com: http://www.style.com/fashion-shows/fall-2015-ready-to-wear/jason-wu/collection

If you like anything else stop in or give us a call so we can help you Rip off the Runway!

Valentine's Day = Skulls and Roses? Yes... yes it does.

Hello Paper Dolls!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow and of course we are thrilled to see all the LOVE around.  I did a little research and found that you can go see the skull of St. Valentine in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome.

The story goes.... Saint Valentine was persecuted as a Christian and interrogated by Roman Emperor Claudius II in person. Claudius was impressed by Valentine and had a discussion with him, attempting to get him to convert to Roman paganism in order to save his life. Valentine refused and tried to convert Claudius to Christianity instead. Because of this, he was executed. Before his execution, he is reported to have performed a miracle by healing Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer Asterius. On the evening before Valentine was to be executed, he would have written the first "valentine" card himself, addressed to the daughter of his jailer Asterius, who was no longer blind, signing as "Your Valentine."

It took Chaucer to bring Valentine's Day into it's current romantic form.  

 For this was on seynt Volantynys day

Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.

["For this was on St. Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate."]

This poem was written to honor the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.A treaty providing for a marriage was signed on May 2, 1381. (When they were married eight months later, they were each only 15 years old).

Nowadays, no matter how commercial it gets Valentine's Day is a good time to remind the people you love you love them.  Love is all you need!

For all your last minute V-DAY gift needs stop down at Paper Doll Vintage and take advantage of our 20% Sale on Red, Pink and Heart items in the shop.  We gift wrap too - so come get something for your Valentine.  Skulls, flowers, birds, hearts  -  We've got it all!  Happy Love Day!!!

Shedding Some Light on Black Friday

Hello Paper Dolls!

Black Friday, we all know the horror stories.  However it can be a great time to go out shopping because the things you want become more affordable! Media reports from 1966 reveal that police officers in Philadelphia first referred to the day after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday” because of the increased traffic jams and large amounts of pedestrian traffic in the city’s shopping district. Here's a little background on the biggest shopping day...

It became an unwritten rule that Christmas advertising didn't start until after the parades. For decades, retailers adhered to the rule, waiting until the day after Thanksgiving to advertise holiday deals.

Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official national holiday during the Civil War, establishing it as the final Thursday in November – a designation that lasted for 70 years. But in 1939, for the second time in six years, the last Thursday in November fell on the 30th. Distraught over a shorter Christmas shopping season, retailers approached President Franklin D. Roosevelt and asked him to change the date.

Though retailers wanted a holiday shopping season that lasted longer than 24 days before Christmas, none wanted to break the tradition of waiting until after Thanksgiving to advertise their reduced holiday prices. FDR, trying to end the country’s depression by stimulating spending, agreed to the idea and changed the date of the holiday. On December 26, 1941, Congress passed a law setting the fourth Thursday in November as the official date of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Today, many people continue to regard the day after Thanksgiving as the official start of the holiday shopping season.  

Paper Doll Vintage will have it's own Black Friday Sale so if there is anything at the shop you've been eyeing, come down and get it!!!

See you at the Boutique,

Dawn Paperdoll 

SPORTSWEAR... That's right - it's high fashion.

Hello Paper Dolls!

Tom Ford and Beyonce may have started the Jersey trend in Spring of 2014 but it's trickled down in fashion to Spring 2015.  We are loving the sporty look by some of this years best designers.  Here are some of our favorites:

LACOSTE SPRING 2015

Christopher Shannon Spring 2015 Menswear

 Moncler Gamme Bleu 2015 Spring Womens  

VFILES Ready To Wear Spring 2015

Come down to the shop and check out our sporty items for sale!

Converting Vintage Clip On's to Post Earrings

During the Victorian era piercing was a big no-no.  So, clip-on earrings were invented in the
1920's and screw back earring were invented in the 1930's.  Both of these were viewed as being more sanitary and proper.  They ruled the earring world until the 1970's where ear piercing once again gained in popularity.  

What to do when you find a pair of beautiful vintage earrings that are clip on and you want them in your pierced ears?  We've go the answer!  It's a little bit of work but well worth it for that perfect pair of earrings.  

This is a great tutorial we found on Youtube!

Remove the Clip:

- No matter what you want to convert your old clip earring into, you'll need to start by removing the clip.

- Remove the clip from the earring, using pliers or snips.

- Smooth any rough edges left behind using a fine grit sand paper.

- Clean the back of the earring with a soft cloth, warm water, and mild soap.

- Dry the jewelry thoroughly.

For Pierced Earrings: If you want earrings for pierced ears, attach ear wires, posts, or hoops. You can use permanent jewelers' or crafting glue to attach the findings. For post earrings, attach the posts to the center of the earring back, and for dangle earrings, attach the finding above the center of gravity. Heavy earrings may be top-heavy if the findings are centered. Position the finding near the top edge if possible when working with heavier earrings.

Posts: http://www.amazon.com/Earring-Posts-Glue-Stainless-Steel/dp/B003VOE7VA

Jewelry Glue: http://www.amazon.com/E6000%C2%AE-Craft-Adhesive-2-oz/dp/B004BPHQWU/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1410042274&sr=1-1&keywords=jewelry+glue

Come down to the shop to find yourself a pair, Good Luck with your new fashion skill!!!

Trending this Spring / Summer 2014

Spring has sprung Paper Dolls!

We wanted to share a couple of fashions trending for Spring and Summer 2014 that we have in the shop:

Iridescent: Tory Burch and Cynthia Rowley are both boasting iridescent pieces in their lines.

Full Skirts: Christian Dior and Tracy Reese have full skirts in their line up for the warm weather.

Athleticism: John Galliano and Lacoste are getting sporty.  Check out this vintage Lacoste Dress!!

Mesh: Always fun for summer Marc by Marc Jacobs and Vera Wang are keeping their lines cool with mesh.

Come in and see all the great fashions we have to rival the runway this season.

Love,
Dawn Paper Doll