Vintage Holiday Gifts Part III...Costume Jewelry!

The jewelry cases at AMT are bursting with great pieces for the season, perfect for adding a little razzle dazzle to your holiday outfits, or as a thoughtfull one-of-a-kind gift! Take a look...

Tons of pendabt necklaces & holiday pins

A sea of rhinestones & goldtones!

Rings, brooches, cameos ,charm bracelets & other trinkets

We'll be adding new pieces daily all the way into the new year, so stop by and see what treasures await you ;)

Holiday Gift Ideas Part II...Vintage Barware & More!

The great vintage gift ideas keep coming... here's some cool vintage barware and other neat items we've found this week...check 'em out here and in the store, and stay tuned for more!

1960' Chrome punch bowl with glasses

Vintage West German Crystal & Copper Pitcher

Vintage 'West Bend Aluminum' Hot & Cold Server

Vintage Duck Coasters

1960's Glass Wear sets

1960's 'Secret' Drinks Chest With Decanters & Shot Glasses

Bakelite Poker Set

Vintage Cash Register Penny Bank

Vintage Holiday Gifts at Another Man's Treasure..

Of course we believe in making the holidays a vintage occassion at AMT! We've been collecting some great Christmas & holiday gifts all year, and we'll be loading up the store continuously over the next few weeks. Stay tuned as we preview some of our great vintage gifts on the blog, here's our first vintage gift selection all available in-store this week...

Vintage 'Shiny Brite' Christmas Ornaments

Vintage 'Royalites' Christmas Lights

Circa 1967 Groovy 'Colorforms' Twiggy Dress-Up Kit

Vintage 'Hermes', 'Chanel', 'Ferragamo', 'Liberty' & 'Chritian Dior' hand-rolled silk scarves

Vintage 'Burberrys' plaid hat, cap & Shetland wool scarf

On The Hunt...

We are always 'on the hunt' (if you'll excuse the pun) as vintage store owners, and vintage hunting & riding apparel is one of the things we are constantly on the look out for. Be it leather riding boots, waxed hunting jackets, buffalo plaid hunting shirts & coats, or tailored riding vests & jackets - our customers just can't get enough of it! And much as we don't condone the hunting of defenseless animals in any way whatsoever, we can't deny the style and quality of these

garments!

Riding & hunting themes have played a huge role in fashion over the years, and are regularly re-visited by fashion designers as a sources of inspiration, Ralph Lauren & Gucci (see our last post) being two brands that immediately spring to mind, and wearing an authentic vintage garment can add a touch of quality and individuality to ones fashion statement.

Equestrian style is regularly seen on the runways

Recently there has been a resurgence of interest in American heritage brands like 'Pendleton', 'Filson' & 'Woolrich', and hip collaborations with the likes of 'Opening Ceremony' & 'Converse' have helped to bring these brands into focus once again. No doubt the popularity of vintage shopping has opened a new generations eyes up to a quality & craftsmanship that their grandparents and great grandparents took for granted, a quality that has inspired a new demand for 'Made in the U.S.A.' clothing.

'Pendleton' for 'Opening Ceremony' 2009

Nothing in our humble (and somewhat biased) opinion can beat the feel and spirit of authentic vintage clothes though....check out these great vintage riding & hunting items currently in our possesion...

Vintage 'Harry Hall of Regent Street London' red riding jacket

Personalised buttons & windowpane check wool lining...it's all about the details!

'Made in Scotland' check wool vest

Vintage riding breeches

Vintage black wool riding jacket & breeches with yellow vest

Hunting/riding is a common theme for prints and motifs on the vintage clothing and accessories we find. Check out these great hand-painted 1940's silk ties above...

...and this fantastic 1930's era luggage piece depicting a lady hunting with her dog (amazing outfit!)

Vintage 'Woolrich' red & black 2-piece hunting suit

Vintage 'Monterey Club Sportswear' fleece lined red & black wool hunting coat

Vintage Gucci at Another Man's Treasure!

Regardless of trends and fads, a vintage Gucci handbag is always fashionable. One of the most prestigious and recognizable brands in the world, the enduring appeal of Gucci as a symbol of quality and luxury would probably come as no surprise to it's founder Guccio Gucci...

Vintage Gucci speedy bag with signature double 'G' logo and red/green stripe webbing

Like most of the European luxury brands, the gucci story starts with the most humble of beginnings. Born in Florence in 1881, Guccio Gucci was forced out of his home by his bankrupt and embittered father. He travelled to London and found work as a dishwasher at the Savoy Hotel. Working his way up at the Savoy, a hotel that was quickly becoming a notable gathering place for the upper classes, he absorbed the refined aesthetic of English nobility, and learned that the key to attracting wealthy customers was the perception of quality and exclusiveness. It was here that he
developed a fascination for the quality personalized leather luggage used by the guests, made by craftsmen from all over Europe.

A young Guccio Gucci (right) with his parents, early 1900's

After saving enough money, Gucci returned to his native Florence, and began to work for a firm specializing in handcrafted leather products. Able and amitious, he started his own leather company in the early 1920's primarily making saddlery and leather goods crafted by local artisans which he sold to the wealthy tourists that flocked to Florence.

Tuscan artisans hard at work for Gucci

Gucci's business and reputation grew over the coming years, and he opened his first retail location in Rome in 1938, attracting a sophisticated clientelle drawn to his equestrian inspired collection of exclusive leather bags, luggage, shoes & belts. The horsebit and stirrup motifs were created in this time, and endure as symbols of the Gucci fashion house to this day.


Under the fascist dictatorship of Mussolini, with tough sanctions imposed on Italy, it became increasingly difficult for Gucci to purchase all the leather needed for his products. Ever the innovator, he turned this apparent misfortune to his advantage, and began creating handbags and luggage of both canvas and leather that would become instantly popular, and forever Gucci. It was also during this time that the 'Bamboo Bag', a handbag with a bamboo handle was introduced, another iconic Gucci product still in production today.

1960's white Gucci leather purse with Bamboo and double 'G' clasp

In the early 1950's he developed the trademark green & red striped webbing, yet another equestrian inspired design, derived from the saddle girth. It remains to this day, and is one of the most familiar identifiers of the brand. Gucci began to grow into a globally recognized symbol of modern luxury, with stores in Rome, Milan and New York. When Guccio Gucci died in 1953, the company was passed onto his 4 sons, who continued to grow the brand whilst retaining the legendary craftmanship associated with the brand.

Cherished by the most iconic figures of the time, including Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Liz Taylor, the company grew from strength to strength. Jackie Kennedy famously carried the Gucci shoulder bag, which today is known simply as the 'Jackie O'. It was during the 1960's that the interlocking double 'G' logo was introduced. The house of Gucci was considered the pinnacle of chic and remained so throughout the 1960's and 1970's

Jackie O leaving the Gucci store....

...sporting the shoulder bag she made her own.

1960's red leather shoulder bag with double 'G' logo

1970's equestrian print dress in signature colors with green Gucci belt

Vintage green suede Gucci belt with equestrian buckle

After a slump in fortunes in the late 1980's and early 1990's, the company was triumphantly re-launched with American designer Tom Ford at the helm as creative director. Today, Gucci is the biggest selling Italian brand in the world with over 270 stores worldwide!

" The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory"

Aldo Gucci (Guccio's son)

Vintage Halloween Costumes...

We just LOVE vintage costumes, surprise surprise! We've been picking up a lot of them on our travels recently, including a great set of 1920's/30's children's ones, which unfortunately sold before we had a chance to blog them, too bad. Sometimes though, we just can't part with things right away.... Here are a few creepy costumes we've hung on to that make for a timely Halloween themed post...

1950's 'F.A.O. Schwarz' pumpkin outfit with creepy pumpkin head mask!

1950's scarecrow costume with equally spooky mask!

We've been carrying this vintage street clown/performers outfit around for a few years now, the mask is particularly freaky. We found it at an antique market in this suitcase...


...along with all these cool vintage juggling pins, batons, hoops & balls, yo-yo's (with replacement string), grease face paints & brushes.

Vintage 'Stein's Make Up' grease paints, with equally vintage un-PC names!

1920's/30's 'Whoopie' circus costume with cool graphic!