Vintage Reveries is Getting a Fresh Look!
We’re pivoting from a shop catalog to a dedicated vintage archive, blog, and showcase.
5-Star Vintage, No Matter Where You Click.
I am currently behind-the-scenes converting this site from a shop to a fast-loading digital archive and blog (which it started out as in 2011)!
Feel free to explore the latest blog posts, genealogy research guides, and history articles below while we finish updating our layouts!
Vintage Fashion History & Articles
1940s Handmade Navy Blue Floral Brocade Midi Dress | Decorative Mother of Pearl Buttons | Vintage WWII Era Snap-Front Dress with Original Belt
Step into a beautifully preserved piece of 1940s history with this extraordinary handmade navy brocade dress. Featuring a cleverly concealed full-snap front closure, dramatic power shoulders, and delicate metallic silver piping, this dress is a masterclass in mid-century home dressmaking.
Whether you are a dedicated collector of WWII-era garments or someone who simply appreciates the weight and texture of true vintage jacquard, this dress offers a flattering, belted silhouette with a story woven into every single seam.
Measurements (Doubled):
Bust: 40″
Waist (Belted): 34″ (can go up to 38″ unbelted)
Hips: 42″
Length: 42″
Fits like a modern Large.
CheeseCake – An American Phenomenon
This was the most amazing 1950s magazine to photograph! Is this Marilyn Monroe on the cover? I wish I could have bought this vintage pinup magazine for myself! It’s dated 1953.
1920s Shoe Advertisements: Women’s shoes, children’s shoes, and mens shoes.
7 shoe advertisement scans from 1924. Business to business marketing for shoe manufacturers in St. Louis, and old advertisements for shoes!
Vintage 1940s Clayton New York Rayon Print Dress | 40s Cold Rayon Midi Day Dress | Mid-Century Swirl Print Short Sleeve Gown Large
Straight from the vintage storage vault, this authentic 1940s “it’s a Clayton New York” day dress is a mid-century masterpiece waiting for a little TLC. Featuring a mesmerizing, swirling abstract print in rich teals, chocolate browns, and cool aquamarines, it boasts a classic 40s silhouette with intricately pleated shoulders and a side metal zipper.
She has been in deep storage for over fifteen years and is being sold exactly as found—complete with a warehouse slumber scent and a quirky, home-altered hem. For the vintage lover willing to give her a gentle soak and a few minutes with a seam ripper, this is a rare, generously sized piece of 1940s fashion history.
Measurements:
Bust: 42″
Waist: 34″
Hips: 46″ (Flows freely from the waist)
Length: 41″ (Currently, with the home-altered hem. Can likely be lengthened!)
How to Measure for a Victorian Pattern – and The back pages of the 1892 Delineator Fashion Magazine
Whew! Finally done scanning this lengthy Victorian fashion magazine! I broke the spine while scanning it, but atleast now it's all digitally preserved. These last few pages of this magazine include alot of advertisements and illustrations. Specifically: The...
1920s Dresses, Millinery, Coat, and Textile Ads
Discover the thriving world of 1920s fashion through authentic advertisements from the 1924 St. Louis Fashion Pageant. These vintage ads showcase dress manufacturers, millinery companies, luxury fur dealers, and textile suppliers that operated along Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis during the height of the Jazz Age. Learn about the businesses, products, and economic forces that shaped American fashion during one of the most iconic decades in style history.
Cover and ads from The Modern Priscilla, July 1913
Here are some advertisements for Cream of Wheat, and Mennen’s Toilet Powder baby powder from 1913, as well as the table of contents and cover of The Modern Priscilla July 1913 issue. The Modern Priscilla was a housekeeping and fashion magazine.
Vintage 1950s Ann Murray Black Tailored Midi Dress | Mid-Century Slub Silk LBD | Dark Academia Minimalist Day Dress Size Large
Every vintage lover needs a perfect Little Black Dress in their arsenal, and this mid-century Ann Murray piece is a total classic. Crafted from a gorgeous, heavyweight fabric with a raw-silk-like “slub” texture, this tailored day dress features a notched lapel, a 3-button front, and an attached snap-back belt. Fully lined and impeccably made, it is the ultimate sophisticated staple for your retro wardrobe.
Measures:
Bust: 42″
Waist: 36″ (Measured with the back belt snapped. You might have a tiny bit of extra wiggle room, but 36″ allows for comfort and undergarments!)
Hips: 42″
Length: 43″
Modern Size Estimate: Large (L)
Baby shower card scans from the early 1960s
I love how these little baby shower cards from the early 1960s have color illustrations inside as well as on the front! Such cute attention to detail! Cutely drawn and printed elephants, cherubs, and butterfly. It looks like from these guests, the expectant new mother...
Vintage 1940s Black Rayon Faille Day Dress | Hand Stitched Mid-Century Double Breasted Midi | Film Noir Retro Dress Size L / XL
Finding a true piece of 1930s or 1940s fashion is a thrill. Finding one that actually fits a modern mid-size or plus-size frame? That is the ultimate vintage holy grail. This phenomenal, hand-stitched black rayon faille day dress features a classic film-noir silhouette, a double-breasted decorative button front, contrasting white piping, and a 36.5-inch waist! She bears the beautiful battle scars of a life well-lived and is ready for her next cinematic chapter.
Measurements:
Bust: 40″ (Features pleating that allows for a little extra wiggle room)
Waist: 36.5″
Hips: 46.5″
Length: 43″
Modern Size Estimate: Large to Extra Large (L / XL)
The 1924 Sales Manual: Selling Cars by Face ShapeThe 1924 Sales Manual That Matched Cars to Face Shapes: A Bizarre Chapter in Automotive HistoryThe 1924 Sales Manual: Selling Cars by Face Shape
In 1924, Durant Motors trained its salesmen to do something extraordinary: sell cars based on facial features. Round face? You needed comfort and padded seats. Pear-shaped face with a pointed chin? You craved beauty and luxury (but might not make your payments). This wasn’t one salesman’s quirk—it was official corporate policy, codified in a training manual by character reading expert Edna Purdy Walsh. Step into the strange world where jawlines determined which automobile you’d drive home, and discover how pseudoscience shaped the cutthroat competition of the Roaring Twenties auto industry.
Vintage 1960s Psychedelic Geometric Mesh Shift Dress | Retro Mod Swim Cover-Up | Green & Purple Sheer Tunic
Step right into a Palm Springs pool party circa 1969. This trippy, semi-sheer mesh shift dress features a bold, Op-Art diamond checkerboard pattern in vivid lime green, violet, and magenta. Incredibly lightweight and effortlessly cool, it’s the ultimate summer layering piece—perfect for throwing over a neon bikini or styling with a slip for a music festival.