Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Vintage Garage Chicago

May was quite an exciting month for me. Between Member's Night, the Windy Pretties meetup, and my mother's visit to Chicago, there wasn't a dull moment in sight, and I'm so pleased to share one of my favorite May adventures with you today: my day at Vintage Garage Chicago with some of the Windy Pretties!

vintage red gingham dress
While I'm obviously mad about vintage-inspired clothing, it's actually been ages since I did any vintage shopping. Once I moved to LA, I was discouraged by the high prices for True Vintage (i.e. the serious-business stuff from the 1950s-1960s), as well as the challenge of finding things from 60 years ago that go up to my size. I'd had high hopes to find some reasonable vintage once I'd moved to Chicago, but alas, all of the vintage shopping is concentrated in neighborhoods that are quite a ways from mine. (And I'm lazy).

But when I saw Vintage Garage on the itinerary for our Windy Pretties weekend, my head instantly filled with dreams of vintage day dresses and novelty prints. Vintage Garage (as I discovered) is a monthly event held in a parking structure that runs from May through November in Uptown, a neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago. Admission is $5, which gets you access to two levels of vendors with all manner of vintage goodies.

Venturing out to the North Side on a Sunday morning is a major decision, so I checked their website and saw that May's theme was midcentury modern. Yes, I thought, this is what I've been waiting for! I grabbed some cash and hopped on the L bright and early, excited to hunt for some one-of-a-kind finds!

I'm pleased to report that it was worth spending an hour on the L to get there. As soon as I'd paid my entry fee and walked in, my head started spinning -- there were so many booths with gorgeous dresses beckoning me over! The very first booth had some truly gorgeous clothing, and I ended up leaving with this lovely faux-fur cape. I'd been wanting one for ages, and this one was so unique and versatile!

vintage faux-fur cape vintage garage chicago
That high-low hemline!

Right next door to that was a booth offering a two-for-$25 deal on all of their clothing. The eras ranged from 1950s to some (rather tasteful) 1980s numbers, including a neon-floral romper that I deeply regret passing on. They also had a good selection of unisex plaid/flannel shirts, and (crucially!) a dressing room. If, like me, you forget to bring a tape measure, you'll be stuck guessing on whether something will fit unless the booth you're perusing happens to have one handy, so a dressing room comes in handy!

I left that booth with a breezy little button-up shirt and a red dress, because obviously there's always room for one more red dress in your closet!

Alas, the zipper separated as I tried to do it up for blog photos. It's amazing how much of a difference one week makes when you're pregnant!

My next purchase was a lovely red gingham dress. As if the mere fact that it's gingham wasn't enough to sell me on this dress, it's twirly and has twee lace trim all over, as well as a modest-ish bustline! I couldn't believe how well it fit, too, and it even has a metal zipper!

vintage red gingham sundress
A dress like this calls for milkmaid hair.
vintage garage chicago red gingham dress

Aside from all the clothing, there were a number of booths with reasonably priced Pyrex, other homewares, vintage jewelry, and even some beautiful midcentury modern furniture. Since we've got a full furnished apartment with a fairly small kitchen and storage space is already tight, though, I pass on anything that's purely decorative. I did have to stop myself from buying more than one vintage suitcase, though.

vintage garage chicago review

As this was a Trashy Diva meetup, there were plenty of fabulous ladies running around! I got a real kick out of being #squadgoals for the second day in a row. The best part of a TD meetup is knowing that it's ok to geek out over the print/style someone you've never met is wearing. I met someone in Blue Hawaii (!!!) who just started a 9-month position at my job, and ran into another pregnant Diva wearing one of my favorite prints, Tropical Sangria!

Annabel has totally inspired me to winterize my Berry Chantilly dress with my green Dita cardigan!

After a bit more browsing, I spotted my favorite find of the day: this plaid vintage suitcase! The tartan on this case reminds me of the Scotch tape packaging they used to sell at holiday time, so obviously it had to come home with me. I'm a sucker for anything with nostalgia value, after all! I somehow resisted buying the matching train case, and even though this is probably because my arms were starting to get tired, I'm still counting it as a victory!

vintage garage chicago plaid round suitcase hand luggage

On my last sweep through the Garage, I found one more dress: a breezy, summery rainbow dress with a stretchy bodice. Aside from the gorgeous candy colors, I thought this would make a nice summer dress for my Summer of Pregnancy Doom and beyond, as well as a good workwear option for hot summer days.


In total, I spent $120 on a suitcase, a cape, three dresses, and a button-up shirt, which isn't too shabby! I'm already looking forward to June's Vintage Garage, and trying to set a little bit of money aside to go hog wild. For all the vintage fans out there: where do you do your thrifting?

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35 comments:

  1. AWESOME scores!! You did so well!! I LOVE the red gingham (twinsies!). It's as if it were made for you! Dang!!! Such a fun post, I love finding cool events like these where you find some great stuff. I mean, that SUITCASE! HOLY MOSES!!

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    1. Thank you, Sara! There's just something extra fun about red gingham -- I'm still thinking about how perfect your Nashville Boogie gingham find is! And I can't wait to stroll through the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia (aka the most beautiful Terminal in NYC) with my vintage hand luggage. It won't be the oddest thing I've ever brought to the airport!

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  2. THE SUITCASE! I'm so glad you went for it <3

    (Also loving the cape.)

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    1. I just couldn't put it down, so obviously it had to come home with me! And since I bought that cape, we've had decent weather, because that's how Chicago is.

      I'm sad we didn't get a photo together at the Garage!

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  3. Yes to ALL of the above! I laughed because I thought of the scotch tape too! Winning <3 It's so hard to "thrift" in So Cal....even when I lived in Vegas, they all knew what they had. Le sigh. One day.....one day.

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    1. Ugh, thrifting in LA Ian impossible and I never tried in Vegas, but I can imagine it's similar. But you've scored some cute dresses over the years!

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    2. Is impossible*. Ian has nothing to do with this ;).

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  4. Awesome picks!! Everything vintage is so lovely!

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    1. Thank you so much! I've really caught the vintage bug again :).

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  5. All these dresses are so, so, so fun and just suit you perfectly! I think my fave is the prgnancy doom one :D CONGRATULATIONS!!! I adore vintage shopping, you got some great pieces! Hope to see them on in future posts! :)

    Mary Lane @NewYorkCliche
    http://newyorkcliche.com

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    1. It's been so long since I went vintage shopping, and now I'm 100% obsessed again! I'll have to ask you for your favorite spots in NY when I visit my family next.

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  6. Ah I love gingham! Especially in red the colour really suits you! Also love the suitcase?! Never seen anything like it!

    sophieannetaylor.com

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    1. Thank you <3! I'm such a fan of red gingham it isn't even funny. And that suitcase grabbed my eye and I just couldn't leave without it.

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  7. Hi great choices at a great price, enjoy your next shop, Chloe.

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    1. Thank you, Chloe! I've been browsing Etsy for vintage all weekend :).

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  8. I think you've articulated how I feel at a good market; it's the sort of "Wow" factor. (I aspire to be a Journalist, but it's always the same for me going into a newsroom.) I love the idea of this post x

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    1. Thank you, Lydia! It's been so long since I went to something like this, and it definitely didn't disappoint.

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  9. So glad you had fun! The outside you picked for the event itself is lovely, and you got some great bargains! Alice | Dainty Alice

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    1. Thank you, Alice! Obviously I had to buy a red gingham dress whilst wearing ANOTHER red gingham dress, haha.

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  10. I'm so jealous of your wardrobe it's beautiful 💖

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    1. Aww you're so kind! I've accumulated quite a few dresses over the years...

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  11. Wow looks like you had a wonderful time! I am LOVING that final rainbow dress. And I can't believe you got all that for 120 dollars :O well done, chick!

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    1. It really was a ton of fun! And the rainbow dress is SO comfy and easy to wear. I'm still sort of impressed at how good the prices were, myself!

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  12. Thrifting is always a hassle, literally an entire weekend it takes me to cover decent ground which is why I suppose the finds mean so much more. You came across some great pieces!

    xx
    Leah
    therightdirections.wordpress.com
    (@TheRightDB)

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    1. Yes, I think you're right -- when you find that diamond in the rough, it does mean more! And it's nice to know you aren't going to run into someone else wearing the same thing.

      Thank you!

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  13. What a lovely haul! You did so well! I love the gingham dress and it's "heidi" aspect! so pretty! xx corinne

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    1. Thank you, Corinne! I couldn't resist the milkmaid braids with that gingham number!

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  14. Sounds like you had an amazing time!! Love seeing your passion for vintage coming through in this post!

    Sarah | sazsinclair.blogspot.co.uk xx

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    1. <3 Thank you, Sarah! It really was a ton of fun and I'm already looking forward to next month's garage!

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  15. LOVE those chunky white shoes with the red gingham!!!! And the rainbow dress will be perfect for summer... Wishing you a cool, comfortable pregnancy!!!

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    1. Thank you so much! This is the only pair of heels I've ever owned that feel just as comfortable as flats, so I wear them a lot in the summer. And we caved and bought air conditioners this year, because I flat-out refused to tough it out through a summer of being pregnant! Hopefully they'll help...

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  16. Hi Emily! I'm so happy Vintage Garage Chicago published this on Facebook! I sold you your favorite piece- the luggage! Thanks so much for making my day! I'm so happy that you're happy with it! Thank for stopping by Shytowngirl Vintage and I hope to see you and your friends again at the garage!

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    1. Hi Lisa -- I'm so glad you saw this post! You had the loveliest pieces and it was an absolutely Herculean effort to resist the Pyrex. I can't wait to go back to New York and walk through the gorgeous Art Deco Marine Air Terminal with my new luggage!

      You will *definitely* be seeing more of me in the future :)!

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  17. Great choices! So glad you liked our offerings at Vintage Garage Chicago. My shop, Lottie Dottie Vintage, has been a staple there since VGC opened. Hope to see you next month!

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    1. I will definitely be there for the next Vintage Garage, and I'm especially looking forward to the rockabilly-themed one! So excited to see what you bring next time!

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