Trailer Trad Attire: Wrecked Jeans, Brass Buttons and Other November Vintage Finds

Blown out. Yeah, these jeans that I picked are beat-to-hell, but then again, so am I. So, why not?

I found these nice brass buttons and had them put on my Hickey Freeman Cashmere blazer recently. The blazer fits perfectly. -Ship Shape! I know what you're going to comment so I'll save you the trouble. "Where'd you come from, a SCOTCH ad?"

With these jaunty wool socks, I'll out Elmer Fudd even the most Woolrichiest, Filsonist Brooklyn hipster!

At the same estate sale where I found the socks, I found this great, soft loden wool trilby hat.

I came across a few of these 1950s Swedish military wool sweaters recently and thought that they were cool enough to purchase.  They are as warm as the now legendary Swedish Navy wool knee socks!

Back-to-School Vintage Finds for Little Bean

What could be better than vintage Made-in-France white Vuarnets to make the right statement at high school this fall!
Although this little Navajo ring is pretty modest, it's just the kind of low key style that my daughter likes. I got a couple of these from a Raleigh estate (late Charleston) that was classic old school. Thread-bare 100 year old Oriental rugs used on the kitchen floor, the WWI Flying Ace family member photograph with the exquisite Tiffany Studios Floor lamp gathering dust in the dim corner of the 1930s cottage. -Nice.

Costume jewelry from the Early 20th Century, a Swiss ladies watch, 1870s British military blazer buttons and even WWI Naval Aviator's wings. -You never know what'll be in that estate sale bag of costume jewelry!

I grabbed this real, British-made 1980's Umbro rugby at a church rummage sale for a song. It fits me OK but Lil' Bean has appropriated it.

I grabbed this collectible bright red 1970s handbag for Lil' Bean. Although she likes it, she's not sure what to use it for. -How about as a stylish book bag?

Although I didn't buy it, this 1960s skippers cap from my daughter's 'brother camp' brought a smile to my face when I came across it at the flea market.

Get Down!

Who IS the Ivy Man? Victorian Estate Sale Vintage Finds

It's always funny what one can find in an old, forgotten house. Shirts that had gone unnoticed for decades reappear nearly as fresh as when they were sewn in long-gone Southern mills. For example, this attic held dozens of Early 60's cotton dress shirts that the gentleman of the house, no doubt, needed on those long, hot days before air conditioning. When I went through the dusty chest that held them, I was reminded of Don Draper pulling starched white dress shirts out of a drawer to freshen up after lunch. I should have grabbed more but I only kept the two that were unused in their original packaging. -Stuff gets pretty dirty after 40 years in an attic!

This wonderful shirt fits me beautifully. It's from Abercrombie & Fitch. But this one was made in England back in the 1950s or 1960s and sold from the OLD A&F when they only had three ancient locations in New York, Chicago and San Franscisco.

I also picked up this cotton 'regulation' shirt but unfortunately its sleeves are too short. The jeans are really quite special. They are vintage Wrangler 'Blue Bell' women's jeans from the 1940s I would guess. They brought back memories because there was a Blue Bell factory near my hometown in Virginia that closed years ago.

They are wonderfully worn but are in really sturdy condition, ready to be worn. Before these could make their way to Japan, my Daughter L'il Bean discovered them and tried them on. Well, they fit her absolutely perfecty. So, as a Dad, what could I do? I gladly handed them over.