VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

A Good Source for Replacement Beads

Recently, we found a treasure trove of my great aunt’s costume jewelry.  It was never really “lost.”  It has been sitting in a trunk in my parent’s garage for the past ten years unbeknownst to all of us.  When she and my great uncle moved out of the family home, they downsized to a small cottage, sending a trunk load of family memorabilia to my parent’s house for storage.  They have long passed on and the trunk remained undisturbed, until my parents made plans to move.

Some of the paste jewelry was destroyed by the humidity, but there were still semi-precious stone jewelry that is salvageable.  The only problem is that some of the toggles are missing and the thread is crispy. When I picked one up, a few beads were lost.

Since there are folks in the family who sell antiques or putter around with restoration, we thought it would be a good idea to look into Wholesale Beads & Gemstones. The beads and findings that I found at Beadofcambay.com fit the bill. The jewelry that was salvageable wasn’t rhinestone, but contained some irregularly shaped stones. I didn’t know the proper “lingo” to describe them in an internet search. The site had pictures of each shaped to help me stumble through.

I learned the difference between oval and olive shaped beads. More importantly, I found some hexagon faceted smokey quartz beads that fit the bill.   In truth, I wouldn’t have been able to describe them to ask for them by name so the photos helped. Next time if you are looking, whether you are looking for sterling silver, or semi-precious gem beads, the site is definitely worth a visit.  Discounts range up to 30%, so you can afford the process of trial and error.

My advice would be to document any repairs or replaced beads, just in case there are any questions in the future.  It also reminds you when things were done. My memory can be as crispy as the thread was, so that would be key.  The nice thing is that instead of being socked away in the drawer, family members get to wear it.

I have an idea.  Buy a necklace for your sweetheart, and then buy a number of similar beads at Beads Of Cambay.  Scatter them about the table and say, “See, I made it all by myself for you!”

Opinions Please: Ever a Reason to Throw It Out?

I just read that only 14% of clothing is recycled.  ”Recycled” is defined as the clothing being used for another purpose, such as creating another garment, “ragging” them to use them for stuffing for a pillow, or for other uses.  This also includes donating them to a cause that redistributes them in tact to wear again.   I found that hard to believe!  Perhaps I know a lot of people who believe in giving away instead of throwing away, but it got me thinking more and more.

When do you dispose of a piece of clothing?  And do people only recycle 14% because the rest is unusable or are they just not educated to do so?

It got me to thinking: When is a piece of clothing truly at the end of its life?

• When it is dangerous:  A clothing item may have been damaged in a fire.  There could be a chemical spill from an accident or a science class experiment gone awry and it cannot safely be washed, it is eaten away, or is dangerous to handle.  Then yes, please dispose of it properly.
• When it is unwearable.  No, I think many damaged items can go onto another life.  A dress with a ragged skirt, depending on the quality, may be able to live on as a top, or a replacement bodice for another dress.  A damaged tie may live on as a fabric piece in a project. Quilting, anyone?  Am I really pushing it here?
• Mold.  This kind of goes under the dangerous category.  Some people have tried to salvage things that have black mold on it.  It is dangerous.
• Too worn out.  I have seen athletic shoes so “well worn” that they could walk by themselves.  They become threadbare and not usable after so many years.  However, could they be used in a theatrical production where a local theater group needs a character to be disheveled, a college student who doesn’t shower, or homeless?  Do they need a pair of shoes to beat up even more for the character?  Ok, maybe it is a stretch here too.
• Bad Memories.  Some people throw out cufflinks, or a dress that reminds them of an ex or an ex owned or gave them even if they are perfectly new.  Don’t do it!  Donate it!

I think i need some therapy after that.  Maybe I am a packrat, but I seem to really argue about not throwing things away!   Does anyone out there have any suggestions about when it is okay to throw something out, and when, despite naysayers, something can be reused or recycled?  Comment with your opinions!

Fashionable Web Designer Lends a Helping Hand

I’ve received a lot of mail over the past few weeks, and the two most popular topics have been Cavaricci pants and web design.  Off combo, huh?  The ubiquitous pants are from the late 1980s, early 1990s era of fashion.  All of the sudden, everyone wants them but no one can find them.  Sorry, I don’t have any to give you you.   The website comments usually come via compliments on the design of this website.  I have designed my own sites in the past, but this is not one of them.  If you hunt around in the footer, you can find out the name of the talented lady who did put pen to paper, or should I say finger to key, on this one.

For those of you who are hoping for a web design for your business, and you just wanted a few pages and to be done with it, there is a real Professional Website Design that is currently offering a $99 package for a basic site. It includes up to five pages and all coding involved as well. If you go to the “work” page on ReflectStudios.com, you will see some examples. They have done work for some models, but scroll past and you will also see more corporate looking websites if that is more your style.

As you can tell, this is no cut rate work!  What is the occasion for the economy price?  For one, to celebrate the grand opening of the newly designed website, and secondly to lend a helping hand.  Times are tough for some businesses and individuals right now, and it is a way for Reflect Studios to give you a leg up.   Their work is best suited to fashion and web development related projects, but don’t hesitate to bounce other ideas off of them.   You will need to use a coupon code.  That is REFLECT09.

You Should Write a Book! Really.

Many of you have shared your hobbies and intersts with me. I am amazed and thrilled about the knowledge of many of my readers. The compliment, “You should write a book!” might be something you hear often.  The writing part may be intriguing to you, but then there is that whole mess of getting the darn thing published, much less read. One of the options has always been self-publishing, and then you make about fifty cents a book, if that.  Most times, you end up losing money and have a basement full of books that you cannot sell.

I just came across a press release about an architect that was rejected by publishing houses, and then turned around and had more success than he would have had with a large publisher:

Self Publishing Author Earns Over $100,000 in Just Six Months with Outskirts Press
May 12th, 2009. Denver, CO and Irvine, CA – Outskirts Press, the fastest-growing full-service self publishing and book marketing company, today announced that one of its authors has earned over $100,000 in author royalties in six short months.

Gang Chen, the self published author of Planting Design Illustrated and LEED AP Exam Guide, will receive a first-quarter royalty check in the amount of $77,611.88 for books sold between January-March 2009. This follows a previous royalty check of $33,679.56 that Chen recently received from Outskirts Press for books sold between October-December 2008.

“Earning $111,000 in six months is an amazing accomplishment for any author, self-published or otherwise,” Outskirts Press CEO Brent Sampson commented. “Of course, publishing with Outskirts Press certainly helps. We extend heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Chen, and also want to thank him for graciously granting us permission to publicize his success.”

Gang Chen, an expert in the field of architecture, with a master’s degree from USC and over 20 years of professional experience, was among the top-five performing Outskirts Press authors in the 4th quarter of 2008 and then went on to double his royalties for the first quarter of 2009. When notified of his earnings, Chen responded, “I’m in the process of publishing my next book in the LEED Exam Guide series through Outskirts Press, along with a book on architecture, so I hope to break this record soon.”

After contacting hundreds of traditional publishers for his first book Planting Design Illustrated, Chen finally landed a deal with one major publisher, only to discover that he was dissatisfied with the substantial revisions they were suggesting. He promptly cancelled the traditional publishing contract and decided to publish the book himself. He compared various publishing options and chose Outskirts Press. “Their services do not end after the book is published,” Chen stated. “They continue to provide excellent marketing advice, as well.”

Outskirts Press understands that marketing is a huge part of an author’s success and, unlike most self-publishing firms, offer promotional advice and marketing services extending for years after publication. States CEO Brent Sampson, “Successful authors have the potential to separate themselves from the pack by publishing with a full-service, custom publishing company that provides support before, during, and after publication.” For a partial view of the marketing services that are available for Outskirts Press authors, visit http://outskirtspress.com/marketing.php .

There has been a book that has rattled around in my head for some time. In fact, pen is to paper and I have most of it finished. This is motivating me to finish it and get it out there. Not sure if anyone will latch on to it, but this story gives me some hope that if I decided to release it, it won’t be a long and grueling process. In fact, what gives me writer’s block the most is the fear of rejection. As long as I edit it well and am willing to pay the fee, I won’t be. Many people wonder why one has to pay a fee. Well, even setting up a book costs money. Plus, if you were to be represented by a large publishing house, you would probably have to spend even more money just to get yourself in line for a meeting with them. Lunches, a new suit, and other materials all add up very quickly.

I tossed my email address in to receive more information, and I am reading the downloads now. Have you tried Outskirts Press or any other self-publishing service? If so, let me know what you think!

A Tip and a Tip

You Ladies and Gents are such great readers, if you were in the service business, this would be the tip I would leave you.

Now here is a tip that will actually save you some dough, bread, loot, moolah, Georges, or G, whichever term you prefer based on the era whence you came.  Which word fits which era?  Read on to find out!

Some of my readers are in the business of buying and selling vintage clothing and antiques, chiefly online.   When you transact online so much, you seldom require paper checks.  So many customers pay by autodraft, Paypal, Google payments, or just by trade these days that checks often collect dust.  However, when you open a business account, you kind of need to have some.   Having a dozen or so is a good idea, but the books you usually have to buy are expensive and often go unused before you have a change in heart as far as your retail location, or bank goes.

VistaPrint, whom I have sung the praises of before for labels and business cards, also offers checks. Surprisingly, they offer free checks, just like they do their business cards in small quantities. You can receive a quantity of 25 checks for just the cost of shipping. If you are not in a hurry and can go with standard shipping and processing, you can make out like a bandit for $3.99. Because you can create them online, you can proof your own name and address as it will appear on the check. The checks you can receive free come in a limited selection of six styles, but that is a fair trade off. If you like the quality and want to expand on the designs, they are available in a plethora of styles for a reasonable price.

Unlike other VistaPrint products, you cannot create checks with your own images form scratch. There is a good reason for this, as any check printer has to conform to guidelines to insure the check can be considered valid tender. A design that is too dark and obscures the routing numbers would be a no, as I imagine an obscene photo that would shock the socks off of your bank teller. If they did allow anything goes, there would have to be a very large staff making their judgement calls on your work, which would probably take forever.

If you are like me and only use a check once in a blue moon, this steal of a deal might be for you.

Money Slang Answers Key:
Dough is from the 1850s.
Loot was originally from the 1780s, but has resurfaced in the last 20 years.
Moolah originated in the 1940s.
G’s is modern, though in all fairness, it really indicates amounts counted in thousands.
I don’t know if “Georges” is in wide use, but since I don’t have many “Benjamins” lying around, I’ll go for it.

Label Me

I have been thinking about promoting this site in my “real life.”  Up until now, I have relied on traffic from friends, organic searches about specific clothing items or stories, and just sheer luck.   I have hesitated to print up business cards with my site and contact information on it, as I would prefer people to contact me through the site rather than just ring me for a long distance tete-a-tete.

Making just a business card with a website on it would not be poor etiquette.  However, cards with no other information on it but a url can sometimes be construed as impersonal junkmail. More so, I tend to forget the name of the person who gave it to me as often it would just be tossed in a bag rather than handed to me personally.

The last time I toddled over to Vista Print, it was the equivolant to being beaned with an apple on the noggin. What if I just made up a label style, and affixed it to the back of my regular business cards when I met someone I thought would enjoy vintage-ing it up? This way, I am not committing the faux pas of pressing palms with someone, only for them to quickly forget me or what I was talking about.

Of course, the tactile experience of a business card with a label on the back may give it a more slickery feeling.  Thus, the finger would naturally stop over it while fishing around in a wallet and pull it out.  ”A Ha!  I need to read more at VintageGent’s Menswear Daily,” they who rustle through wallets may say.   Or maybe not.

More Shopping Seals and Endorsements

Online shopping has changed rapidly in the last decade, and even in the past couple years. Website giants have come and gone, or have gotten more diluted. Despite gas prices finally dropping, people are still being very conscious about their shopping excursions and it is speculated that this holiday season many more purchases will be made online. When it comes to buying online, I typically buy things that I cannot find in my local market or for convenience.

The buySAFE Shopping Advisor is a free took that points out which merchants are bonded up to $25,000, and in addition, you are provided with identity theft insurance.   It may go a long way to reassuring people to come back into the online shopping fold, or converting people who have never bought online before.

What I wonder is what it is going to do to the “little guy.”  Small scale mom and pop merchants may come under the radar of a service like this.  In fact, upon reading the website it does not appear to be for companies that have monthly sales less than the five figure range.   So, for smaller scale antique dealers this may not be something to sign up for.  Not everything needs to be for everyone, but I wonder if it is more of an association versus implying merchants not a part of buySafe are not trustworthy.

On the other hand, if you are a buyer thinking of making a major purchase online, it may go a long way to creating additional confidence.  The jury is still out with me.

Captive Brands for Captive Audiences

I have recently learned a new marketing term: Captive Brand.

A captive brand is similar to the concept of a store brand.  While it is exclusively available at the particular store and perhaps its subsidiaries, it does not carry the imprint of the store, and it is produced by a third party.   Many times, the company will have its own website and marketing as well, at least to appear at arm’s length.  There are times when a captive brand appears amid not just national brands but a store imprint as well.

For example, Towncraft by JCPenney is a store brand. George is a captive brand sold at Wal*Mart and at ASDA, its British counterpart.   You can go to the George website and it talks about the company, but on its store locator, there are only the above mentioned.  The history section mentions:

George has taken the steps to becoming a global brand with ranges now being sold in six different countries – UK, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Japan and the US.

(Coincidentally, Wal*Mart has opened in all of those markets.)

Searching for Towncraft will yield you Towncraft at JCPenney.   As we know, Towncraft has been synonymous with the casual men’s department at Penneys for decades.   Conceivably, if a chain folded or left the area, the captive brand could be shopped around, but I have not really seen it happen.

I know there are many examples of a captive brand not only appearing in a store amid national brands.  For example, Towncraft would appear in the same department as Levi’s Dockers.  However, at the moment, I cannot think of too many captive brands that appear with a national and a store imprint.   The best example of seeing all three together is with beauty products.    For example, Garnier is a national brand, bioInfusion is a captive brand at Walgreen’s, and there is also a more generic Walgreen’s label brand shampoo that may be the same thing.

Why are they called “captive brands?”    Like a store brand, the captive brand requires the shopper to return to the store to purchase it.  The brand cannot be purchased at a competitor’s store.   Then, why not just leave it at the store brand?  The captive brand may seem “value added” to the consumer.  Some people have the impression that a store brand is “generic” or “second rate” to a more “prestigious” national brand.   That notion may sound a bit vapid, but just ask your average parent during “back to school shopping” days trying to get through the mall in one piece without their head exploding from hearing “I wouldn’t be caught dead in that.”

Making the Leap

A few of our friends were contemplating the idea of moving their hobby into a full time business.  In the past, it worked out very well to use Paypal.  One could easily liquidate a few vintage hats to buy the one you REALLY want.   What happens when you take your vintage fashion obsession to the next level?  When selling occasionally online just won’t do? Appearances at antique fairs and textile shows sometimes is the next step. When you make the leap, you can deal in just cash, but sometimes the ability to accept credit cards can really increase your sales. Afterall, you can’t guarantee a customer is going to write a good check.

I have been poking around the internet researching a few different services. There is one service called Online Check that offers a 1.59% transaction rate, and requires $25.00 minimum in transactions per month. It is the only one I have found so far that doesn’t have a hefty monthly fee. If you are considering making the same leap, I suggest you fully research all of your options. I am certainly doing so with mine!

Added Security: More Online Sales?

Many urban legands are attributed to “FOAFs”.  FOAF stands for “friend of a friend.”   The way a yarn keeps traveling around is because someone who you think you trust told you about it.  Few can specifically name the “friend of a friend” that they heard about, and the beat goes on.

My brother will never buy anything online.  He is not a man of advanced age, where you could understand that they weren’t accustomed to it.   Rather, he is under thirty and had computers in his classroom since second grade.    He is not an internet junkie like I am, but still, it surprises me. The reason why is the very FOAF who told him about someone else who had a bad thing happen to them when they bought something online.   He cannot name who this individual actually was, of course, or what transpired, but is adamant that it “must have been bad for it to have been mentioned.”  Of course, there was no recollection if the friend of a friend of a friend of a friend had a problem with a PERSON or an actual security problem.

Believe it or not, the hold is so strong on him, that I can’t even entice him with the idea that there may be a hand painted necktie with a picture of Boba Fett on it somewhere in cyberspace that he will never see in a store.    His reply typically takes on the tone of someone who has just been asked if he would do something morally dispicable and against every cell in his body.

Comodo has long been exploring the idea of a  Trusted Internet, where everyone will be equaly protected by malware and security issues.  Online merchants and users alike would be protected and verified by double authentication between sites and visitors   What’s more, is that they would work towards providing it free for all.    There is freeware everywhere, but their vision is to implement it internet-wide and a make it part of the infrastructure.

While this seems like an answer to a lot of problems, there is one little fact in the company’s press materials that make me scratch my head a little:

Within a Trusted Internet, Comodo empowers users to verify site content, verify site identity, and verify business practices of a site, all while staying safe using a holistic security system that incorporates malware detection, prevention, and removal services

I wonder how businesses practices would be verified.  If it is merely a check to insure that the site is not sending out evil robots to visitors, or giving visitors a virus, then I am all for it. If it is really saying the business practices of the business will be verified, I would want more information on that. I would wonder who would set the standard on what businesses practices should be, but more importantly, how are they assessed.   Rating a site on the way business is conducted is way too subjective when it is something so cut and dry.  I may be reading too much into this, which is entirely possible. Blame my past as a method actor for imagining subtext that isn’t there.

Maybe I will email this post to my brother and it will get him thinking.  Alternately, I will ask my 83 year old great-aunt who is on my joke list to set him straight.   He doesn’t need to turn into an internet junkie, but at least he should know that if he has to get something online, that he will be okay.

What do you think?  Will added internet-wide security entice you to do more business?  Or, do you think that the individual businesses that you deal with are trustworthy, and something like this is to protect people who don’t follow their gut instincts?

Brochures Can Lead You to a HandShake

Our grandfathers did business on a hand shake.  A man (or woman’s) word was enough to seal a deal.   At least, that is how they say it went.   Maybe that is how I would like to think it was.  At any rate, before you convince someone to shake your hand, you have to give them enough reason to even want to meet with you in the first place.    What some antique dealers, fashion designers, and vintage clothing enthusiasts neglect is that they people are inundated with so many possibilities that they need a reminder on why they came up and talked to you in the first place.

You might have had a booth at a trade show or an arts and antiques show, and they were attracted to come hither by your items, but so did a lot of other people.    Giving someone a brochure is a good way to remind people to call you or make a purchase later on.   Business cards get lost or don’t have enough information on them.  Sometimes having Brochures made up really fills the need. If you are wary about putting them out only for people to toss them, then hand them out personally to people that you have an interested conversation with.

Right now, VistaPrint has a coupon, where you can get 25 free brochures! It is enough for you to get your feet wet in your practice of using them, or makes a big order just that more thrifty. Remember to use coupon code FreeBrochures08. You can upload your own design, or there is an extremely reasonable creative fee for the talented folks at VistaPrint to design one for you.

Making the Leap

A few of my readers have mentioned that they are also small business owners or aspiring entrepreneurs. Some of you sell vintage clothing, or sell fashion items that you have made yourself. Some use their base of expertise for consulting purposes. It was easy when it was just you, but sometimes success comes with growing pains. What happens when something goes from being a hobby or something that is a one or two person show, into something that catches on and requires a few more hands on deck?

Journyx Timesheet is an Online Time and Expense software that currently is being offered with a 45 day free trial. It may still remain free after that period if you require up to 10 licenses. You can use it for any billing you might do, and to keep track of your workforce whether they be regular employees or pay per play indepedent contractors.     It may just be the thing you need to make that leap to the big time in a very productive way.  The price is just right for the small business, too!

A Vintage Voice on CNN

Laura Skidmore is the proprietress of the Vintage Fashion Library on the internet, where she sells vintage patterns as well as making reproductions that are geared towards professional and home sewer alike.   For some people, they choose to make clothing from vintage patterns in order to not damage their authentic vintage clothing, they proportions are better for them, or they may be even staging a play of a film shoot set back in time.

Recently. Laura left ebay to concentrate on her website, and was interviewed by CNN on the matter.  Due to recent changes at ebay in their feedback system and fees, it is very timely.

Read Laura’s thoughts here:

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0802/gallery.ex_ebay_sellers.fsb/2.html 

You can visit her at VintageFashionLibrary.com.  Get your shopping shoes on, and your wallet out and give her some business.   There are usually patterns there for all the demographics (ladies, men kids), so no excuse for anyone not to start twelve projects.  (And tell her I said hello!)