One (Wo)man's "Trash"...

is another woman's "vintage".

During my recent trip to Chicago, I also went home to Davenport, Iowa for a few days.

After seeing my family (and eating at Rudy's!) the highlight of the trip was visiting Trash Can Annie.

Trash Can Annie isn't a person - it's shop, located in downtown Davenport, that sells "Women's, Men's and Children's clothing and accessories from the 1870s through the 1970s".

As noted in last year's article in the Quad City Times (photos by my brother!), Trash Can Annie has become a valuable resource for vintage clothing used in movies (such as Titanic and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Broadway shows, and as inspiration for designers from some of today's most popular fashion houses.

I first went to Trash Can Annie in high school (a lot of girls went there for unique dresses to wear to school dances).

I moved away after high school - first to college, then to Kansas City, Chicago, and now, New York.

I never forgot about Trash Can Annie, but somehow trips home were busy with family, friends, Rudy's...

So, I never made it back.

Until now.

And I am SO glad I finally did!

As soon as I walked in, Laura, Trash Can Annie's very lovely and extremely talented owner, gave me the lay of the land - explaining how the store was arranged, how to read the tags, and how to handle the merchandise (carefully!).

Then, she measured me.

(I know!)

It was awesome, though - armed with my measurements, I could quickly look at the tags and know if there was any hope that something would fit.

Knowing your measurements is so important when shopping for vintage clothing.  Due to vanity sizing, today's 4 would be about a vintage 12.  But, much like today, vintage sizes vary, depending on the designer and when the item was made.  However, a 28-inch waist is a 28-inch waist, regardless of what size is on the label.

So, I made my way around the store, picking up anything and everything that caught my eye, and might fit (with Laura always a step behind to quickly take it out of my arms and into the dressing room).

A lot of vintage clothing is tiny.  Women (and men) were smaller back then, before the days of processed food and super-sizing.  And, women wore girdles (at least) to make their bodies conform to the styles at the time.  (Luckily, we now have Spanx!)

Still, with Laura's help, I managed to find quite a few items...

This dress is, by far, my favorite (maybe ever!).  When I first saw it, I loved it, but it was extremely (by my relatively cheap standards) expensive.  So, I left it.  But, Laura (so clever!) brought it to me anyway, and I decided to just try it on, hoping (in a way) that it wouldn't fit.

But it did fit (and I'm glad).

This dress is stunning.

No, really.

I was hanging it up when a neighbor knocked at the door, asking me for an opinion on something.  So, I still had it in my arms when I walked over, and when one of her friends saw it, he actually said "That dress is stunning."

"Stunning"!

(I love that word!)

When I tried this dress on, Laura said it looked like it was made for me.  (It totally does!)

This is a wrap dress, and Laura also suggested that I switch out the silver hook & eye closure on the edge of the front panel (that I never even noticed), for a black hook & eye closure that was inside the dress.

I was like "Oh yeah, good idea, I'll totally do that", knowing there was no way I was going to do that.

Laura must've know it too, because when I finally came out of the dressing room, there she was, sewing it on.

(Didn't I tell you she's awesome?)

This is the last dress...

The picture is awful, but the dress is really cute. I wore it to work one day with a black cardigan and got A LOT of compliments.

(One girl said she wants to go to Davenport now, just to go to this store!)

It reminds me of the dress Julia Roberts wore to the polo match in Pretty Woman...

Finally, I found a cute hard case purse by Dover. 

I love these - they're so ladylike.  This one is a good size (not too small) and the interior is perfect (which is rare!).

Before I left, Laura wrote down my measurements - giving a copy to me and keeping a copy for herself.  Now, whenever I'll be in town, she can pull a few items for me in advance.

Seriously?

Awesome, right?