Fashion Frocks

Hi Guys! I hope you all had great weekends, mine surely was not long enough!  Friday night I stayed in with a bowl of pumpkin chili, a few local beers, and a pile of dresses to hem for the shop.  Saturday I was going to head into Denver for a little shopping and a trip to our favorite book store/ coffee shop but we nixed that plan when it started to snow.  I ended up working on the shop most of the day, and then we trekked out in the snow to a local Salvadorian restaurant for empanadas and margaritas later that evening.  Sunday we headed to the movies to see Argo, which I thought was really good but pretty intense.

  

 

 Outfit Details:

Dress: 1960s Vintage (Just sold in shop)
Hat: Brixton via Karmaloop
Socks: Target
Shoes: Vintage

     Now that you know what I did every breathing second of the weekend, you don't have to be in suspense anymore. On to what I am wearing!  My mom found this dress in a second hand shop in Pennsylvania dutch country, and I was so excited to get it.  This was one of those pieces that was pretty hard for me to list in the shop, and of course it sold within the week! That's how I remain passionate about my shop though, I only sell what I truly love myself! When I list items in the shop, I like to do research on the label so I know what era it is most likely from and how to price it accordingly, and this was one of the coolest labels I have discovered to date!

      The label was Fashion Frocks, and some research led me to an awesome Flickr collection about the brand which made my vintage-lovin' heart swell with excitement! Apparently Fashion Frocks was a company started in the 1920s out of Cincinnati, Ohio that employed housewives to sell clothing door-to-door to friends and neighbors.  They would carry around sample sale cards with pictures of the dresses, along with different color swatches and customization options.  I am sure the ladies would also be wearing their own Fashion Frocks as well! The company was closed by the mid 70s, and I think that this amazing little red gingham number I am wearing is from the mid to late 60s. You should definitely check out the beautiful sample cards from the Flickr set if you are at all interested in vintage! 

     This kind of stuff is what makes me really love having a vintage shop and working with second hand clothing.  Not only is it a greener way to shop, but when you think about the stories and the history that go along with a certain piece of clothing, its just amazing!  A housewife from the 60s showed this dress sample card to one of her neighbors, who fell in love with it and made the purchase.  Perhaps that lady kept it the whole time, or passed it on to her daughter.  Fifty years later, my mom found it in a small shop in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and carried it with her on a plane to Colorado for me.  I then cleaned it, shortened the hem a few inches, wore it out myself one weekend, and then listed it in an online marketplace.  Within a week, it was bought by another young lady in San Francisco, and its journey will thus continue!

Do you guys ever imagine the stories behind pieces you find?

xo Hannah