DC Vintage Fashion Week Goodwill Auction

Last Friday, DC Goodwill held a "Traveling Trunk Show" and vintage auction at Gossip on 23rd in Arlington, VA. This event was to tie up Vintage Fashion Week in DC, and was an excuse for me to start sending out feelers in the DC fashion community. I love people, but I'm not the most social of persons, so I didn't exactly come away with a bunch of new friends. It's a start though. Maybe next time, I'll actually talk to someone. 

So, I went to the auction, and they had some seriously cute dresses up for bid. DC's fashion bloggers Spicy Candy DC did the photo shoots, so I thought I'd show off their good work and better pictures of the pieces. I would say that I liked almost all of them, but here are some of my immediate favorites: 

Polka dots!

Simple cut, with a fun print

I really love the details on this 1930's dress. I was so sad that it didn't fit me well.

I love the fabric for this 1940s dress. The cut is really cute too, but wouldn't have fit me well.

This one ended up being my favorite.

An excellent example of a 1930s party dress. 

Lace insets on the flutter sleeves.

This dress's design is a little hard to see because of the color and fabric, but it reminded me of this pattern, only with flutter sleeves:

Courtesy Vintage Pattern Lending Library

This was my other favorite: A 1940's dress

"waterfall cascade detail"

The main dilemma that I found myself having at this event was that the dresses just didn't fit me. Most of the clothes didn't. I know that vintage fitting is not the same as it is now, what with the different shaping undergarments worn in different decades. But in order for me to spend the money on a quality vintage piece, as they often run in the $40s-50s in forums like etsy (or at auctions meant to raise money), I want the fit to be as close to right as possible. 

I can accept that I may have to settle for Jr sizes or a snug waist, but in order for me to do most of the auction pieces any justice, I really needed some curves. And maybe some heighth-these were some loooong skirts for a short girl.  I eventually found myself looking at the busts' cut on the dresses before I would decide if I could try it on or bid. Though some details are lovely, say like the cut of the flowery 1930s dress, if you can't fill in the top, it really just looks frumpy. Trust me on this.

One of the things I love about thrifting is the find of a dress just your size or a piece of clothing you can rip up and make into something that is just your size. The quality of the pieces on auction and their age really made me hesitant to bid, because I just can't see myself altering them. Do you alter vintage clothing older than the 70s or 80s?

I've never seen this ribbon trip before, and I'm not quite sure I understand it, but I'm interested in figuring it out.

There were other vintage clothes for sale as well, though again, the fit on some were just not quite right. So, I just took pictures of the details that I liked about them. Daydreaming of executing them in future sewing projects.

An Anne Sui romper. I liked the print and cut.

I'm not sure of it's age, but I love this top's collar

So, at the end of the evening, I ended up buying a super cute brown cloche hat that looks very much like this: 

Source: Hat Show

It fits, and I can wear it more often than an evening dress. The only part that bums me out is that the hat wasn't Goodwill fare, but rather from the boutique. I've been wearing it a bunch since Friday though.

So, tell me. When do you alter vintage and by how much before it feels like butchery?