DAME SHOP ONLINE

Dame is Online. Check out the shop here. You can also navigate via that cool little button on the right column.



We are offering a 20% discount to the first 10 online sales, if you mention this blog!



Check back often it will be continuously updated over the next few weeks. With a bulky update scheduled for Monday. Expect loads of dresses, accessories and DAME for him!

Fall Style Preview

The fall trends are starting to hit the market, and it's always curious to see which ones stick and which ones just kind of slide by the way side. The earliest ones are always the season gophers.

I'm loving the 40s vibe to fall this year and that includes 2008 reinventing the 80s does 40s, b/c that is totally happening. I'm seeing sculptural dresses, in dark florals and color block, with curvy proportions and wide high waistbands. Loving the dramatic pockets. This is a silhouette that surprisingly enough works on many figures. A personal love of mine making a comeback is tailored femininity, menswear inspired looks, think Katherine Hepburn, or maybe think Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn.

Florals and prints are carrying right over into fall in muted brights and earth tones. The long dress is still a statement piece. Just look at this photo block on style.com, gorgeous!

Statement pieces are big this year and are getting away from bags and shoes (god forbid!) think blouses, necklaces and coats.

And hello, plaid is coming back with a screaming vengeance. And while, I've always been a huge fan of plaid. I can't help but feel a little weird about this. I was still in college by the time Nirvana was passe.

I've got a fall closet already full of these looks and more, and a website on the way.

How could you not 'fall for DAME' (oh I couldn't resist)

PS. check out Nordstrom's annual fall preview sale. Great deals on up and coming looks for fall and winter. Seriously good deals.

I always say don't knock the Poly

It's a simple and inexpensive way to look completely glamorous. In it's day polyester represented a technological revolution in textiles. It was machine safe and never wrinkles! It drapes and hangs on the body beautifully and clings in all the right places and if you've ever tried on a cotton or a wool bathing suit well you know it's comfortable. It also comes in a prismatic technicolor range that was difficult to achieve in cotton and cost prohibitive to most of the world at the time in silk. I have a few poly dresses of my own that are totally fun to wear. And with Maxi's all the rage, these can look as current as ever. I see long dresses on pretty girls all over and I know the trend isn't even in full force yet.

In fact Versace showed a dress like this in British Vogue within the last couple of months. Seriously. If I can find the image I will come back and post it. Although I'm sure it was silk, but for 35 bucks, you get the idea.

Blue Silk Perfection

There isn't much else to say about this dress. It is 1950s perfected; 100% silk, New York dress makers label, gorgeous deep color. It appears to have never been worn. There are protectors sewn into the arms of this dress that are still perfectly pressed and clean. About a size 4. 26" waist. This dress could easily be worn Spring-Fall. Available for sale, drop a line if interested.

Very Audrey

Never a dull day- SOWA recap

So the day started out with the tent in a crumpled up heap of broken bars. I have to say thanks to Mags for making a valiant effort at helping to get that monstrosity up which just wasn’t going to happen. If you're in the market for an outdoor tent, consider yourself warned. EZ-UP tents, when they work, work great, but when they arrive damaged and break, the company does very little to help you, regardless of what their warranty “claims” it’s all smoke and mirrors. Anyway, on to the day.

Amy of Artifaktori, saved the day by letting DAME share her tent; together we had the Vintage emporium of our dreams. For the most part the day was hot and sunny. We sold some of our favorites including the ‘girl scout T’, the Margaret Smith bird bag and the super adorable 50s brown check dress with the little pocket flaps all cut from one pattern peice, (witness my geeky love of construction detail) The green poly maxi and red quilted jumper got lots of attention and looked gorgeous on the girls who tried them on.

At about 3:15 it started POURING and it came in fast. We pushed everything inside the tent and there really was no room to even stand in there. But as we were all huddled and stuffed under the tent, in between the racks, in the pouring rain, people were still shopping! Now that’s dedication.

So we loaded in the rain, having no idea when it would stop. It stopped by about 4, and I was soaked through and through, better me than the clothes.

Super big thanks to everyone who came out and visited.

Feel free to send me a note if you saw something you were sad pass up, we take phone orders and also show by appointment. Also if you are looking for anything in particular or certain kinds of things in general, let me know, I have great sources and as a designer myself, am skilled at understanding fit and style in particular.

Somewhere there is a Vacation Waiting

Even if it isn't mine. I'd love to dress you for your's.

DAME at SOWA 7/20/08.

For Directions Click here

Summer is Too Short

I absolutely cannot believe that the next DAME date is around the corner. When we wrapped up 6/29 I thought, phew, finally some time to sit back and get some sewing done for the next show which is 7/20. I haven't even been blogging since then and it feels to me like SOWA might as well have been yesterday. I have no idea, at all, where the time is going. There is some kind of summer time vortex going on in my head.

Just to give you a little idea about how my head works... It kind of goes like this: I see the dates 6/29 and 7/20, since both dates are in the 20s I round and think OK I have a month, which in reality is three weeks. Since the market is on the weekends that reduces my spare weekends to the two in the middle, and since I'm preparing this week, it really has only been 2 and half weeks compared to the month, I was exaggerating for myself in my head. But still I wonder why I haven't done a months worth of sewing in the two weekends I've actually had available. I suppose it's one way to live 9 lives. No wonder I need so much sleep. Are you tired yet?

If I can manage a long weekend. I have two refashioned bathing suits on the cutting table. I'll be using a gorgeous bolt of thick white linen I scored at one of my favorite fabric shops to make a sweet tie front halter to add to a pair of too-cute-for-words high waisted floral bathing shorts (did I mention they are quilted). AND second on the table is a high waisted pair of linen hot pants to add to a vintage Jantzen white cotton/lace button up halter with a matching lace coverlet.

Next on the table are two bathing cover ups styles, handmade by dany. I've got some really soft, great feeling white and blue stretch velveteen which I think will make super comfy and glam beach wear.... maybe reversible. There is a slight nautical theme going on with these which would bring me to the red and white striped denim summer weight windbreaker with the exaggerated zipper and star detailing, then onto the silk maxi dresses fashioned from the eons of sheer floral silks I found, admittedly these might(will) have to wait until August.

If I'm super ambitious I'll post some pics of the progress. I put this out there in the hopes of keeping myself motivated and working until Sunday. See you then!

Another great showing June 29th

Thanks to everyone who came out and shopped DAME this past Sunday. It was a gorgeous day. Some great things went, including a perfect strappy teal and white early 50s sundress, a red and white buffalo check refashioned dress and a couple of great bathing suits that I DO NOT have pictures of b/c my camera was sans battery.

There were also some funny tidbits overheard, in the booth this Sunday.

-They are so John Waters over here

-No honey that doesn't say damn, it's says DAME

My favs at the market this Sunday were Amy Casher's Jewelry, a crazy x-rated dress next door (who were you, we so wanted to sneak dresses over for you to try on), and I would be remiss not to mention Dave's sandwiches, and lavender lemonade.

See you in July!

Pass the sunscreen.