What shall I wear? Come day or evening, casual or special occasion, the answer is always the little black dress. It’s the one garment that will take you to an informal affair or a gala at night. As the Duchess of Windsor once put it, “When a little black dress is right, there is nothing else to wear in its place.”

At the upcoming Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show the iconic Little Black Dress will be center stage in a special lobby exhibit that features some of the “best” LBD’s to ever have been designed. Show exhibitors will also be selling dozens upon dozens of tempting versions that will bring a touch of class to your wardrobe in 2010.  And, while there are many stylish LBDs on the market today, there’s nothing quite like the vintage edition to lend glamour to your life. This popular wardrobe staple has risen in popularity for many reasons. One being that it is truly the most versatile garment ever created.

The Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show is a shopping extravaganza where you have the opportunity to shop dozens of top notch vintage dealers all in one place. Designers, stylists, and other fashionable folk religiously flock to this event each season to find the best vintage clothing and accessories from around the world. Here you will find the missing pieces of your wardrobe. You might even find a LBD for you!

Show hours are :  Friday, February 5th, 1-8pm; Saturday, February 6th, 11-6pm.  Admission is $20.  The Metropolitan Pavilion is located at 125 W. 18th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan. For more information visit www.manhattanvintage.com.

This past year here at the Vintage Shopping Guide we have accomplished a lot. We improved our vintage store directory, we moved our blog over to WordPress, and we launched our mobile site! This has been a really exciting year. But we have so much more we want to do!

We are asking that you, our readers, help us to make VSG the absolute best it can possibly be. We have some pretty hefty goals in mind for the new year. To do this, we have created a 2010 survey. Please take a moment to fill it out. By doing this we will better know what is important to you and how to priorities our goals. To participate in the survey just follow the link below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PB6KHGG

What a great time of year! New Years to me means starting a new. Starting fresh with new possibilities. This past year has been a big one for VSG. We have improved our store listing guide adding pictures and new stores, and we launched our VSG mobile site, and started building our global directory. We hope that 2010 brings us even bigger achievements. Look for a new and improved global store listing directory, new interviews, and new more guest bloggers.

VSG wishes all our readers a save and happy holiday!

Have you ever wondered who invented the sequin? Well, no one really knows for sure. Gold sequins were found in King Tut’s Tomb. In the antechamber of the tomb there was even a shirt shimmering with sequins intended for him to be well dressed in the afterlife.

These original Egyptian sequins were made of ornate gold rolled thin and cut out and hung. Egyptians glazed the gold to stop scratches and chips.

Later, Leonardo da Vinci designed a machine to attach sequins to fabric, but it was never actually created.

Mr. Algy Lieberman pioneered sequin production in the United States. His former factory in New York turned out six million sequins a day. He also pioneered the use of plastics in sequins, and invented the washable sequin.

The first form of plastic was gelatin. But there were complications. Gelatin melted if it got too hot. Forget dry cleaning or ironing! Moisture was no better. If someone got caught in a rainstorm, it would melt. Washing machines liquefied sequins. Algy set out to find a solution.

Then a new plastic was tried. Eastman Kodak was producing acetate for their film stock. It was a clear plastic plated on one side with real silver. Kodak customized acetate for Algy’s manufacturing company. They coated the silver with a clear ink of the desired color. The effect was brilliant.  The light would penetrate through the color, hit the silver, and reflect back.

Plastic sequins were more stable than gelatin sequins. Still, they could melt in sun. And tarnish in rain. “We had to get around that eventually,” Algy says. “It took many, many years. We experimented with different methods. What we came up with was a sandwich.” He invented a new sequin with a piece of very thin, clear Mylar around it. (Mylar was an invention by Dupont Corporation around WWII) The coloring is actually inside, protected by the Mylar. This makes the sequin machine washable! Mr. Lieberman retired and sold his business in 1999.

Today the sequins are made out of vinyl plastic. It’s easier to work with and not brittle. The plating adheres to it better because it’s a softer surface. Unfortunately, it will curl up as it gets older because vinyl has a memory.

This time of year I like to give thanks to my friends, family, and the joy in life. We hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday spending time with those you care about. May this New Year brings you all more love, more laughter, and more prosperity.

Happy holidays from VSG!

There are lots of reasons to give vintage gifts this holiday season. After all, it is the ultimate eco-friendly gift! No landfill packaging. No new use of resources or labor. Not to mention, the quality and craftsmanship tend to be far more superior back before things were mass produced outside of this country. But, the most important reason is, vintage offers something you just can’t find anywhere else: uniqueness. You can find things that really show you thought about the recipient and made the gift a more personalized thought, rather than picking up the chain stores’ hot new item in the check out aisle on a Black Friday mad rush in the mall! So, go out there and support local small businesses and go green!

Not sure what to get people? We are here to help! VSG has put together some great gift giving ideas for everyone in your family.

1) Mom – Estate jewelry (because she deserves it!)
2) Dad – decanter or vintage barware (so he can feel like 007)
3) Fashionista Sister – designer handbag
4) Techy Bro – Laptop case made from vintage fabrics; or cuff links made from vintage keyboard keys
5) Aunt Chef Sally – vintage apron and recipe books
6) Conspiracy Theory Uncle Rob – original pulp fiction mystery novels and spectacles
7) Little cousin Suzy – vintage hair clips and combs
8) Little cousin Timmy – vintage money clip; because he will grow up to fix this economic mess we’re in!
9) Blue Rinser Grandma – beautiful scarf to cover her hair when she comes out of the salon.
10)  “Good Ol’ Day” Grandpa – His favorite black & white movies put onto DVD, or his favorite records put onto CD.
11)  Balding buddy Frank – classic Fedora hat to give him confidence!
12)  Gossipy girlfriend – vintage rotary phone.
13)  Chain smoking co-worker – vintage ash tray or Zippo.
14)  Holiday party hostess – vintage coffee cup or saucer filled with sweets.
15)  Humbug Boss: vintage office pen set, clock, or paper weight.

Here are some tips that will help save you some time and cash this holiday season:

1) Everyone is feeling the pinch of their wallet this season, so think small items, like hand bags, jewelry, sunglasses, etc.
2) No one looks forward to getting up super early and getting trampled on at the mall. But they also don’t like going all over the city to different stores. Consider antique centers in your area. They offer many different dealers in one place.
3) Let us not forget the convenience of shopping in your skibbies! Many vintage dealers have gone online. Not sure how to surf? Go to the Vintage Shopping Guide’s store listing page and search under ”Web Only.”
4) Bid for it! There are lots of great stuff (and great deals!) on online auction sites, and you just might be the lucky bidder.
5) If the person on your list is a vintage lover just like you consider giving a gift certificate at their favorite vintage shop. Almost all of them offer them now days.