Buying and Selling Vintage.

I have started buying and selling vintage clothes and accessories. What else is a vintage gal to do while she is unemployed and searching for work but to model vintage and to buy and sell it too.


Currently I sell it at my house and it is through exclusive invatation and by appointment only - so far I have sold several items each time I have had people over. Which keeps me busy hunting for more, it's great because I like hunting for it and I enjoy getting it in fixing it up making a few calls and snap! Turn around time has been great. All in all it sells pretty well and that is also because I keep my prices very reasonable.


Then last Saturady I had my vintage at an open house, one of my photographers (Frank Desantis) has a studio at the Towne Storage Building and every year all of the artists have an open house prior to holiday time. There were 20 different artisans selling their wares there this year. I was invited to attend and I asked if I could bring my vintage to sell (because I like to think outside the box) and my photographer said that would be great because he was promoting and taking orders for his new vintage theme pin-up calendar. I am in this calendar as Miss April and Miss July so we were able to cross promote each other. I was so happy because I sold a whole bunch more vintage and met a new photographer to work with plus made some new friends along the way.


I will be showing and selling my vintage again at a burlesque show coming up in the first week of December so stay posted I will let you all know where and when my different venues will be plus I will still be showing on a regular basis at my house.

Interview with Matt Deckard of Matt Deckard Apparel.

Matt Deckard


Matt's client: Dave Vanian
of the punk band The Damned.


For this month I chose to interview Matt Deckard of Matt Deckard Apparel. I decided on Matt because of his keen sense of style and his wonderful sartorial knowledge. I really enjoyed doing this interview; he is both witty and charming. From the very moment I had him on the phone I felt like I was talking to a good friend that I have known forever.


Now for a little back ground on the Matt Deckard Apparel Company: Located in Orange County California and traveling across the US. The suits are bespoke and made by appointment only and require meeting with one of the tailors before ordering. Shirts are available bespoke or made to order in sizes. Go to the website at: http://mattdeckard.com to see the styles available to be custom made just for you from hundreds of high quality fabrics from around the world to choose from.


Now it's interview time:


BROOKSIE: Thank you so much Matt for participating in this interview, I really appreciate it. When did you first develop your sense of personal style?



MATT: It was during my high school years when I was about 15 years old, I really admired golden era movies and how the men in them dressed. I was inspired by the fit of the clothes back in the day of those movie stars, such as Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart.



BROOKSIE: How long have you been into things of the vintage nature?



MATT: I really started to get into vintage during the swing movement of the late 90's, even though I did not swing dance at the time, I loved the clothes and enjoyed spending time with others of a like mind. Soon after that I got into swing dancing because for me it was a natural progression. In this day and age I have noticed that the sense of occasion is lost and there is now a complete lack of dressing up in society.



BROOKSIE: Why specifically ( besides having a love for clothes) did you start your company Matt Deckard Apparel?



MATT: Due to a frustration with clothes fitting right, nothing off the rack fit well at all, so I decided to go with custom made suits and even they did not look, feel, or fit right. The tailors all seemed to have one shape fit all attitudes. Even though suits are still being made nobody was really doing suits in the styles of the bygone eras that had pretty much became a lost art. So, I found some tailors that were willing to work with me and to be trained to resurrect they suits of yesterday for the modern man of today. My suits are designed around each individual's anatomy, with comfort and a sense of balance being high priorities. Each suit really is personalized, accentuating the positive and minimizing the flaws. Integrity of craftsmanship and quality of materials are also very important to me and my company.



BROOKSIE: In one sentence describe your clothing line?



MATT: Suits for the man of action.



BROOKSIE: I know we have a few things in common and one of those things is a love of the 20's and 30's, why are you drawn to this particular time period?



MATT: The romance of those eras is a big part of it along with the clothing from that time - they seem to go hand in hand.



BROOKSIE: What advice would you give gentlemen on how to look sharp and well dressed?



MATT: Quality is always luxury but luxury is not always quality. For example go to one of your big name high dollar department stores. Take a real close look at a big name designer suit. Because of the name we equate it to luxury, yes this is true but take a closer look at the suit, what kind of fabric is it made out of is it thick or thin? Take a look at the construction of the suit and last but not least look at the fit, be honest how does it really fit? Does all of this luxury really equal quality? Then ask yourself what are you paying for, just a name or true quality?



BROOKSIE: When did you start Matt Deckard Apparel?



MATT: Late in 2007.



BROOKSIE: Here is one last question for you - what is your all time favorite thing to do?



MATT: Swing dancing of course.



This concludes this month's interview, thanks again Matt it was a pleasure interviewing you. Here is Matt's website again: http://mattdeckard.com.

Live Art Event!

I am going to be a model in a Live Art Event - here are all of the details:


Live Art, Draw, photograph, or paint our amaizing subjects!

Saturday November 7th 2009 1-4 pm at Floyd's Coffee (including beer and wine) all ages at:
110 NW Couch Portland Oregon 97209 (1st and Couch Skidmore Max stop).

With model preformers 11/07:
Mistress Lee (continuous contemporary costumed short pose)
Brooksie (3 hour pose with one of Mandy Apple's Mini Top Hats)
Host Frankie Tease

Anyone who reads this post who is in the Portland area is invited to attend.

Dia de los Muertos Celebration

So yesterday I did end up going to the dia de los muertos celebration and I will have to say that it was so incredibly awesome! They let me build a little altar in honor of my dad who passed away about a month ago (incase you missed the post that I made regarding that). It was very much a family oriented thing, there were so many children there, everyone from little babies all the way on up to teen agers. I went on my own which was alright, I met so many really neat people there. The staff members of the Someday Lounge (where the event took place) were so friendly and attentive. I also helped out with decorating the main altars on stage. I dressed up in a kind of a Spanish dancer kind of an outfit, I wore my hairpulled back into a chignon with a beautiful Spanish comb and a red rose. I marched/danced in the parade which was led by a Samba band, so it was hard to not dance. Then back at Someday they showed vintage dia de los muertos cartoons for the kids and had hot chocolate. I got my face painted like a skeleton. One of the ladies that works at Someday took some pictures of me and she said she would e-mail them to me. As soon as I get them I will download them onto my blog so all can see. If anybody is interested to learn more about dia de los muertos check out this link to this blog: The Mysterious Life of a Metropolitan Housewife, she gives a great explanation of the tradition: http://living-vintage.blogspot.com/2009/11/all-souls-day.html