It's Beyond My Control | vintage fashion blog

How to clean vintage clothes!

by Dominique de Merteuil Tuesday, January 7, 2020

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How to clean vintage clothes!

Caring for vintage clothing can be a rather daunting and nerve-wracking experience. In particular the cleaning part.

Not so long ago, I wrote an in-depth article about “How to store vintage clothing like a pro”, and I hope that it will help answer a lot of questions regarding the dos and don’ts of storing your precious vintage pieces the proper way. For the purpose of giving my readers the best advice on storing vintage that one possibly could give, I interviewed a textile conservator with over twenty-five years of experience in handling antique textiles in museums.

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Vintage Inspired Lingerie

How to shop for vintage lingerie. Expert advice!

by Dominique de Merteuil Monday, October 1, 2018

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How to shop for vintage lingerie. Expert advice!

How to shop for vintage lingerie and what to do to make vintage clothes fit properly are two of the most frequently asked questions I receive from my readers.
Well, the answer to the latter is quite simple. Always buy clothes in the right size, mind you that it’s better if a vintage dress is a tad too big than too small, and always wear proper foundation garments!What really does the trick for me, is a pair of high waist knickers, a longline bra and my beloved Orchard corset, which I put over a slip, be it vintage or contemporary one. You see, I love to mix vintage lingerie with contemporary brands inspired by the 1930s-1950s and since I truly believe that what underneath counts, I can never pass on yet another gorgeous piece of undergarment. What can I say except that it’s beyond my control!

The answer to the first question, how to shop for vintage lingerie, is best left to the expert and who better to give advice on that very topic, than the owner of the extraordinary Daggers and Dames vintage shop, specializing in antique and vintage lingerie!

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Vintage Fashion Looks

How to date vintage clothing

by Dominique de Merteuil Tuesday, July 3, 2018

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How to date vintage clothing

Establishing the year in which a particular vintage garment was made, can be a very tricky and daunting task, especially when there are no tags attached, as is the case with a lot of garments made in the 1930s-1950s which were often handmade or the tags did not survive the wear and tear of time. Some of my most valuable 1940s suits were clearly made to measure by a seamstress and judging by the fabrics used, as well as the incredible craft that went into making them, the clients were undoubtedly very well to do.
As much as the topic of the history of vintage clothes is a never-ending learning curve for me, there are certain ways by which I’m able to identify and date most but not all of my collected pieces. I’ve been asked many times by readers to write a post about that very topic and I hope my tips will be useful!

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Vintage Fashion Looks

How to take care of vintage clothes

by Dominique de Merteuil Friday, August 25, 2017

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How to take care of vintage clothes!

A few months ago I was devastated to discover that my favourite authentic Victorian funeral cape, bought in near mint condition several years earlier at a vintage fair in London (you can read about vintage fairs here), had seemingly overnight, developed brown spots all over. Doing some online sleuthing, I was able to ascertain that my mistake had been to store it using a recently purchased plastic garment cover. This was a crime! As it transpired that what I thought were spots, was actually a layer of silk that had deteriorated because of a reaction with the plastic.

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Vintage Fashion Looks

The Vintage Woman Magazine Issue 2: Identity

by Dominique de Merteuil Thursday, November 21, 2019

Not so long ago, I wrote about the launch of The Vintage Woman Magazine as well as the wonderful team behind the extraordinary publication.

The vintage woman magazine

Today I would like to announce that Issue 2: “Identity” is out, and you don’t want to miss it!

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Best Vintage Shops

Scarlet Rage Vintage shop

by Dominique de Merteuil Tuesday, November 5, 2019

If you are a true vintage aficionado in awe of exquisite clothes from the 1930s and 1940s, you are surely familiar with Jade Stavri-Radcliff’s shop, Scarlet Rage Vintage. She is an extraordinary lady known for her prodigious collection of clothes predating the 1960s and for finding more than one Holy-Grail of vintage fashion for her discerning clients.

Jade is also the founder and Editor in Chief of The Vintage Woman Magazine, of which I’m a big fan. She has a widely successful and very addictive YouTube channel where she entertains and educates-with great panache-about all-things-vintage.

I’m thrilled to present Scarlet Rage Vintage as my Vintage Shop of The Week!

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