This weekend we took off early in the morning and drove out to Palm Springs to go to another estate sale. You never really know what to expect at these things. Some look good on paper and turn out awful and vice versa. But I was hopeful and a drive to Palm Springs is always good anyway, so off we went. The lady that lived here was a clothing designer and bought the house from Errol Flynn in 1963. Turns out the house was very cool and her closets even cooler. There were more clothes here than in any other estate sale I've ever been too. The closets were bursting with 3 generations of clothing. Everything was Dior, Saks, I. Magnin, Bill Blass, Oleg Cassini, Balenciaga, Galanos. Not a Target label in sight. There were over 150 pair of designer shoes. Thank goodness she was one size smaller than me because otherwise I may have gone crazy. On top of all this there were her own designs. Adelaar was one of the largest sportswear companies in America during the 60's and 70's. There were literally hundreds of her blouses here. Brace yourself and let's take a gander...
This rack. That silver mink trimmed concoction is a dress not a coat. Weighed a ton. How about the British flag evening gown. So crazy, so good.
This is one of her Adelaar blouses, they were $5 each. I couldn't resist this RL looking fall blouse. Will be perfect with my herringbone jacket and a pair of jeans.
Excuse this poor photo but I had to try it on as soon as we got home. My birthday present. It took quite a bit of nail biting and back and forth to get the price down to $50 but I did it. It's a 1960's 100% silk maxi in perfect condition. Maybe never even worn, as the tag was still on it.
The belt!
Ok, so the rest of the house was very good too. You can't see the view through these windows but this is what it looks like...
Another home, another well-lived life. As I've said before, estate sales used to make me sad but now I look at them as a tribute to the person and inspiration for my own life. Use your best stuff! This home is def a tribute to one really well-lived life. Bravo.
Also, this little guy kept begging me to take him home, so I did. x
You look stunning in that dress! Thank you for taking us to that estate sale--what an experience!!!
ReplyDeleteThe pictures in the listing did the real thing NO justice! I thought the house looked kind of grimey based on the photos! Anything but! What a haul. I love the dress. So you have any idea how much that monumental mirror went for? I love it. It would be so perfect for a salon! I feel just the same about estate sales. I guess it comes down to thinking about the life of the piece.
ReplyDeleteI had my eye on that blue-gray velvet-y love seat; looks like French Country.
DeleteJanet, that dress is totally you! It looks lovely. WoW! to the view through the windows of the mountains and palm trees!! That alone was worth the price of admission. I wouldn't be able to resist so many beautiful treasures. I'd be filling up the spaces that I'm doing my best to empty! Thank you for sharing this estate sale with us. xx
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Janet!!! You look amazing in that lovely dress, and I love the little Asian man. Great finds!
ReplyDeletexx Deni
JANET that dress and belt are just divine!!
ReplyDeleteThe house is fab too.
Wish we could have gone together xxx
I LOVE THE DRESS! This is my favorite outfit on you ever. Did you feel like royalty or a celebrity when you put it on? It is perfect on you.
ReplyDeleteLove this house and her good taste! You look magnificent in that gown - it was waiting for you!
ReplyDeleteThat dress looks absolutely stunning on you!
ReplyDeleteSusan
I concur with the others about the gown! What an intriguing outing....
ReplyDeleteThat dress was made for you! :)
ReplyDeleteBest,
Tim
That table full of dishes nearly made me fall out of my chair! Wow...love the blouse you picked and the dress looks smashing on you. I bet the dry conditions of Palm Springs has helped keep all that vintage in pristine condition too,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love browsing estate sales for china and silver. Enjoy the week!
ReplyDeletedress is totally amazing and so perfect for you.
ReplyDeleteOh that looks like so much fun!
ReplyDeleteThe dress was made for you- wow! And I want a close up of the little statue please!
ReplyDeleteIm addicted to estate sales. Love the dress. I had to laugh though I thought you just recently got rid of most of your clothes except very few items!! I enjoy your blog , love your outfits!
ReplyDeletebeautiful dress and you look beautiful in it!
ReplyDeleteJanet, I have been to a lot of estate sales and you only stumble across one like this every so often. I went to one a few months ago and I called it the "motherlode" of estate sales. There was so much (good stuff) it was almost overwhelming. But what fun!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the dress on you...It shows off your amazing yoga arms! Glad you got it down to $50. Depending on who is running the sale sometimes they are not too flexible.
Linda
xo
I really appreciate your professional approach. These are pieces of very useful information that will be of great use for me in future.
ReplyDeleteYou look absolutely beautiful in that maxi! The print is wonderful and the shape shows off those sexy toned arms of yours a treat!
ReplyDeleteDespite the fur trim I'm more than a little in love with the opera coat. I wonder if the Union flag gown is a Viv Westwood?
I'd have been in my element. Thank goodness we don't have estate sales here, I'd be penniless! x
i didn't check to see who made it, it was quite overwhelming!
DeleteI agree re your thoughts on Estate Sales. I would also have a kind of sad feeling about going through a deceased person's home, belongings, etc. But on reflection, if you do come across a home that has items of beauty in it, it is a testament to that person & their life. " A tribute" as you said.
ReplyDeleteI often wonder about my own home. I am not a collector. Prefer simplicity above all else. I do appreciate beauty in all its forms, I just don't feel the need to collect and subsequently clutter my environment. Boring?
That dress is perfect on you! Nothing like the feel of silk on your skin, it is wonderful.
Linda C.
Estate sales remain a tough subject for me and I'll go back and forth, both ways on it. I always think to myself, 'didn't they have any relatives who wanted any of this?' But then I learned later that people said the same thing when they walked into my great-aunt's house, having no idea an entire network of family was in the background, shut out, due to a Trustee with no heart and no conscience. But that's my personal family matter; other estate sales are obviously not swirling around that sort of controversy and disappointment. (But it does remind me to give away what I can while I'm still alive if I can bear to part with it if I don't want the bones of my life spread out for strangers...ouch, that didn't sound very nice, did it; don't take it personally!...but, more importantly and especially if the objects have a great history and meaning, to get that to someone while I can still share the story.) As I've spoken before about it, I had to get okay with the fact that people came to the estate sale...maybe, yes, some looking to resell and make money; impersonal; but...mostly to find things to treasure and enjoy, so that the love of the stuff perpetuates and even if they didn't know the stories behind the items, the things took on a new life with someone else and their own/new stories, and so it goes...and that's okay, because it's great recycling if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteHow do you find out about these things? Just from your local newspaper? It would have been a treat, like a museum tour, even if you hadn't even bought anything!
The dress looks perfect on you. You've got the eye for what to buy. You do the lady who owned/made it proud. I bet it would make her smile and be happy because you will wear it well and feel good in it. .
vicki i actually spoke to her son who was there. he just wanted it all to get sold so he could get back to miami. you never really know what is going on behind the scenes. i find them through estatesales.net
Deletethey are like walking through a museum!
Wow, Janet! I want to live where you do and go to these estate sales too! We have nothing like them here in Oz - or at least not that I know of.
DeleteLove that it's the history of the person and that people like you are there appreciating and respecting all the beauties of her life. As her family wasn't interested she would probably have been pleased that other people loved these things.
We once found the story of a man's life in Monte Carlo, when staying a few doors away with a friend. His family had put baskets, boxes, trunks etc out on the footpath to be taken away. This being Monaco none of the neighbours had even dreamed of going through it. But as Aussies visiting an Aussie friend, we decided to have a look and discovered that the man had once been a French army doctor, born in Algeria. His clothes from childhood throughout his life were there, including army uniforms and handmade nightshirts. There was even an arctic fox man's full length coat made in Denmark with a by royal appointment label, the silk lining was a little worn but the fur was still in excellent condition. His doctor's shingle was out there too, his books, linen, china etc. It was incredibly sad that at the end of his life they'd all been dumped on the street. I found a lovely little old toy, a pull-along wooden horse on wheels for our grand-daughter and an old children's version in French of Don Quixote with quaint illustrations. My friend found a wonderful rustic tablecloth and her brother decided on the fur coat. Once we'd left this amazing display, most of us with very modest things, the builders on a site down the road all deserted their workplace and before long there wasn't much left of the huge pile. Much prefer the US system of estate sales. This was just so sad.
The dress is lovely and looks gorgeous on you! Such a wonderful find. Happy Christmas Janet to you all yours, Pammie xxx
wow, that's fascinating. i often think how i'd feel if people were walking through my house and buying up my life so to speak and i'm good with it. i want to take the time to put little labels behind the pictures and on the bottom of vases that tell its story. that way the object just continues its life in anothers hands. pammie you and vicki really should start blogs this coming new year! x
DeleteJanet, that's such a good idea to put little labels giving history on the back of pictures and bottom of vases etc! Will do the same. Suspect my comments are a bit long which is probably why you suggest I start a blog. I seem to have reached the age when stories from the past come back and I sometimes like to share them, if they seem relevant. Pammie x
DeleteOh how I wish that I could have gone with you! I imagine there must have been so many treasures just waiting to be found, and of course you found a couple of the best. The blouse and maxi dress are both so pretty, and the dress looks absolutely gorgeous on you! Hope your birthday is a very special and happy one! :)
ReplyDeleteSuper Score on the dress! It looks amazing on you. And I love the rich colors of the blouse. Can't wait to see what you pair it with.
ReplyDeleteShut the front door! This has got to be one of the best estate sales ever! I'm so grateful you shared pics Janet. So much fun to see and read about. You did the right thing getting that beautiful dress. Fits you like a glove. And you have no idea how much I love Errol Flynn. To walk in his old home---my oh my what a fun day!
ReplyDeleteOMG how exciting...Errol Flynn's old house! Wow what an amazing place and so many clothes to peruse. That maxi is divine on you...good choice!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY BIRTHDAY........adore your purchases!That fur cuffed piece would have been in my bag!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness what a fabulous sale! Well worth the drive!
ReplyDeleteThat dress is so you! Perfect for your New Year's Eve party too and Happy Birthday!
Gosh I had to look at these photos again to really believe all of these clothes were in one place...it is like a boutique.
What fun.
Just gandering about in Errol Flynn's old digs would be worth's a day's drive and that dress is so fab! Love you got it for 50 bones!
ReplyDeleteThat dress is to die for and looks fabulous on you! Did you get to try it on there? Really enjoyed this post, J! Thanks for sharing :-)
ReplyDeletethanks catherine, yes i did get to slip it on. :)
DeleteI am absolutely GOB-SMACKED! What fantastic bargains, what a view! The five dollar blouse - I want one! And your birthday dress, Janet, is so special. Well done you.
ReplyDeleteThe older I get, the more I believe that you get what you give/karma/what goes around comes around. You are a shining example of that, Janet-a beautiful soul with beautiful finds!
ReplyDeleteThe dress looks fantastic on you Janet! Wear it good health. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI put off reading this for fear of jealousy, yep, jealous. I need to move, this is unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteAnd that dress was made for you.
Okay, now I'm happy for you. Whew, worked through that.
Xo J
Hi Janet, what a fab estate sale!! All the clothes, heaven. Your dress u purchased looks great on u, it's very pretty. I'm so glad that little guy found a good home. Where will u put him? please share. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat little guy, have you named him? ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing, what a sale, and what closets! I would have been dizzy looking at all of it. You've picked the treasures out of it, you have such a fabulous eye Janet and that dress is divine on you, the belt! Thanks for sharing the photos with us.xo
Love love love the maxi and you look Fabulous in it! That Nancy Regan dress was a stunner. That fabric was amazing- you should have bought that one too:) Looks like a great estate sale.
ReplyDeleteI'm late to the party but your son's wedding was so fun and cool! Loved all the photos and congrats to the newlyweds!
Hope you are well my friend!
xxoj.
the nancy reagan gown was $600. :)))
DeleteEstate sales can be so exciting, not to mention addictive. Icing on the cake is finding that the clothes/shoes are in your size. Would love to have been there to dig around in this one. Definitely worth the drive. Your dress was a great pick ..... It looks wonderful on you.
ReplyDeleteI just spent a few years living in Atlanta. I can't begin to tell you how incredible the estate sales and antique auctions are there. It was heaven for me! The dress you bought is gorgeous. You will get joy from that for years to come.
ReplyDeleteI love love love the dress you got and the belt came with it? I'd love to try on that British flag dress myself :) I've only been to one estate sale and I remember feeling sad seeing the items for sale, but yes, they do tell a story about the person's life..well lived life. I like that. I might try another estate sale once the weather gets warmer around here...
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to have gone to this estate sale! What fun! Love the dress you bought. I would've bought the blue-and-white Chinese vase as well. Good shopping!
ReplyDeleteomg, ellie i can't believe you left me a comment! i think about you and pray for you every day. that blue and white vase is mine! xo
DeleteLOVE THAT!
Delete