I love Gina. She’s a Hukilau friend. But right now, I kinda h*** Gina. Because she was #22 at the ginormous Rochester estate sale dress sale — and I didn’t go — and she scored some amazing dresses. Paradise Hawaii sarong dress, made in Hawaii, sold at the Walt Disney World gift shop? I die.
Okay, but Gina deserves it — she got an early start — so she paid her dues and earned her treasures. She told me that everyone at the sale was very civilized, “There was just so much stuff!” I’m happy for her! Meanwhile, I stayed home, recovering from my trip to see the Vladimir Kagan exhibit just two days earlier. And, the weekend before, I scored my own estate sale coup o’ the decade — up at 5 a.m., at the sale by 5:45, #8 in line — and raced buy about 30 boxes of very vintage, very gorgeous Christmas ornaments. So I’m not doing too bad these days when it comes to my own treasure hunting:
Follow me on Instagram to see some of my adventures in real-time.
Oh, back to Gina and her haul. Here’s what the back of her car looked like packed with her purchases, along with some of a friend’s along for the hunt:
I saw the photo on Facebook, and asked if she would share some of her finds with us. She graciously did! Prepare your eyeballs:
The Hawaiian / tropical wear, because we are Tiki People:
Tip to viewing photos:
On a desktop computer, wait for the entire page to load, then click on the photo and it should enlarge on screen so’s you can get a better look at all the details.
Other vintage fashion:
Gina, my fashion idol:
Gina Santucci and Paul Roe were literally The First People I met heading to my first event at The Hukilau in 2014. Her Hukilau costumes are always highly anticipated. Paul’s, too. “The shopping takes place all year,” I remember Paul telling me. Well, Gina’s likely all set for The Hukilau 2017 now!
Won’t she look fabulous in the dresses she chose from the sale?
Link love: Gina and Paul recently relocated from Washington, D.C. to Syracuse, New York. In Syracuse, they purchased a dilapidated house that could have been owned by one of the Addams family. Paul has relocated this thriving tattoo business — now rechristened The James Street Parlour — into the ground floor. Oh, and in their spare time they are renovating the house top to bottom inside and out. These two are neverendinggobstopper FUN!
Finally, an update on the clothing sale:
50% is still available: Vintage clothing dealers invited!
I talked to the sale organizer, Tim, on Wednesday. He said that about 1,000 people attended the sale, and estimates that a bit more than 50% of the inventory sold. Now, he is taking one-on-one appointments — through the end of next week only — with vintage clothing dealers who want to come buy lots so that he can clear out the rest. If you are a dealer and are interested, give him a call at 585-647-9320.
- For more info on the sale see our original story: Breaking news: Details on the 4,000 vintage — including mostly new old stock — dresses, blouses, skirts, sweaters, jackets going up for sale in Rochester, New York
Mark says
The teal green one with the buttons down the front is SO Joan Holloway and the one directly below it is definitely Peggy Olson!
Robin, NV says
I had the exact same thought!
Nancy says
This just makes me miss Mad Men even more and I didn’t think that was possible. *buries head in hands and sobs*
Jay says
Such quality and craftsmanship – pleats, swags, buttons and trim; I bet they were mostly USA made.
Pam, I can’t believe your Christmas haul, lots a stuff for the money. Hope you share more about it at a later date.
pam kueber says
yes, i will!
Brooke says
Spectacular! I only wish I lived close by and could fit these. The fabric is just so amazing! Lucky Gina and everyone else who went to the sale!
On a side note – larger sized vintage dresses are harder to come by. Do you think the population as a whole was smaller back then , or did the stores not carry larger sizes and anything larger needed to be home made or do you think the larger sizes just didn’t survive? (by larger, I don’t necessarily mean over weight, just taller and larger built)
pam kueber says
I think that, on average, women were a few inches shorter. I can find dresses that fit — but the waist rarely hits right; I am too tall!
And yes: I think that many if not most women were making their own clothes, still. I sewed many of my own clothes well into the 1970s. Our moms and grandmothers had the skillz, baby! My grandmother taught me!
denise says
I’m too tall for many of them, too. The waist is often too high and the arm holes are too short.
Lynne says
Even in all of my vintage patterns, larger sizes are rare. I do think people were smaller and dare I say it…slimmer back then.
We also eat differently now. There wasn’t a McDonalds on every corner or nearly the amount of prepackaged food on the store shelves. Plus, early on there was no tv to sit and watch for hours. And if you were lucky enough to have a television set you were hopping up and down a dozen times adjusting it! Times have changed.
Kyle says
Could the difference be girdles? My mom was of the generation of women that never left the house without wearing a girdle and lipstick.
Nina462 says
and they wore girdles back then…otherwise known as foundation garments!
carolynapplebee says
they wear them now too….they’re called Spanx.
Jennifer says
Most households had 1 car, not 2; most kids rode bikes or walked to school; most people spent a lot more time simply moving. I saw this in Germany this summer; although people eat heartily in Germany, they also walk to and from the train station, and the kids walk to school (or the train station to get to school).
Retroski says
Beautiful dresses!
I have a few theories…
Loved vintage since I was a teenager and occasionally worn it…it used to drive me bonkers when I’d find something cute but it was a 24″ waist, I was an avg size/healthy weight but never have been that tiny!
1. Women/Men were naturally smaller.
My mom and her cousins were all petite and smaller-figured (size 2-6) than the daughters they had. Us, their daughters are slightly taller and larger than they are but still in that true Small/Med size range. We all ate healthy and kept fit so maybe it’s nutrition related. I once also saw a science museum exhibit that said if you were born in the early 1900s, you’d be 2 inches shorter than you are now.
On a sidenote, both of my grandmas were quite tiny when young but grew plump over the years because in their culture it was considered prosperous if a married women was plump!
2. Larger sizes existed, but were worn by older vs younger women. Or if you were a large size, you sewed your clothes
My maternal grandma was an excellent seamstress and sewed most of her clothes. But she was also able to find clothes ready-made (the 60s-70s) to fit her, and she was about a modern size 12-14 at the time.
Also, the vintage dresses I saw for 27″ plus waist sizes looked suited for women 30s and up.
3. We are kind of fatter. But they loved shapewear.
Yes, sugar and processed foods can make you fatter. But if you were plump back then it was far more common to wear a girdle which smoothed the lumps!
Granted, I heard even slim women wore them (a modesty thing?) but not everybody wore them in the 60s.
Maddie says
Pre pantyhose – 1970 ? – girdles were worn not just to slim you but to attach your stockings to. I don’t think everyone had sexy garder belts like we see in the movies.
vegebrarian says
Amazing dresses! I leaned in on the first one, before I scrolled to the caption…”are those skunks?!”
Lynne says
What a shame this kind of beautiful clothing can’t be purchased anymore. It makes me look at my vintage pattern collection a little differently. Maybe I ought to start stitching some of them up!
pam kueber says
I have been collecting patterns, too — Polynesian Patterns and Pauloa Patterns — and also appropriately patterned vintage chintz/polished cotton and lightweight barkcloth. The fabric is harder to come by than the patterns!
Nina462 says
i collect catalogues…and long for the days when clothing was really well made, such as these dresses. sigh.
I collect patterns too (but can’t sew well enough for this stuff).
Lynne says
Gina’s Walt Disney World dress was most likely purchased at the Polynesian Resort. Years ago they had very exclusive shops in the lower level. Those shops had such lovely things, and the Polynesian would have been the place for something actually Hawaiian made.
pam kueber says
Yes, that dress is a REAL TREASURE! There’s one like it listed on ebay right now for $425!
Robin, NV says
I would comment but I’m busy picking my jaw up off the floor. Yowza!
Karin says
Couldn’t you just die? These dresses are one reason why I continue to LOVE vintage SO MUCH. That skunk print is genius. Clothing had such whimsy then. Thanks, great post.
Carolyn says
Oh, the quilted skirt is just in time for autumn parties! I’m forwarding this to my grands to see the difference between fashion and style. And it supports the adage of “If you like it, and it fits, get one in every color!”
AAHH!! I’m lusting for the black/nave with 2 ribbons going down the front!
OK, this is nosy – what were the price tags originally (I saw $32) and converted to today’s prices?
pam kueber says
First day all the dresses were $30 at the sale.
Kristin says
If we assume it was purchased at the Polynesian, that opened in 1971. Adjusted for inflation the cost would be $190.30 now. Considering I just paid $50 for a sweatshirt at Disneyland recently, that’s a bargain!