Question: Can you tell me what's under THE MAD HATTER's Top Hat?

Answer: THE MAD HATTER offers Men's and Womens Vintage Clothing and Accessories, from head to toe--from the skin out--for every time of day or night, and most things you might find in a pocket or a purse or on a dresser or vanity table.

Question: I wasn't a size two when I was twelve, and my little toe is a size ten--what do I do now?

Answer: THE MAD HATTER does try to handle a wide range of sizes in both clothing and shoes. Part of the answer depends on your purpose. If you like the look, for example, of 50's party clothes, or want an appropriate outfit for swing dancing, we carry original and some repro Vintage patterns, as well as some buttons, fabrics & findings. Get yourself a good seamstress/tailor, or do it yourself if you can.

Consider a caftan or kimono. One of the loveliest outfits I ever worked on for a pregnant lady involved a wonderful kimono (over a long underskirt) gathered and pinned in a new way. Wearable after the baby was born, too.

Look for repros/replicas or styles that have a period look--such as early GunneSax dresses for Summer Victorian-style looks. Try the late 70's/early 80's Victorian-look blouses, with leg-of-mutton sleeves and high collars, that were all the rage with denim skirts for line dancing. With a floor-length skirt of appropriate fabric and a sash/belt at the waist, you'll be a Victorian lady.

We carry lots of contemporary Shoes. Lace-up 'Madonna' boots could complete a 'Victorian' outfit. Use Capezio or other manufacturers' 'Mary Jane' style strap, or T-strap character shoes for twenties/thirties; attach a pair of clip-on earrings to the straps, to add Jazz Age pizzazz!

A man's tuxedo can be a very attractive outfit for a woman, too. If you have major size issues, wear a classic contemporary garment with smashing Vintage Jewelry, Purse and other accessories. Tell us your measurements/requirements and we'll do what we can to help assemble your perfect outfit.

Question: Why were clothes smaller in the 'olden days'?

Answer: Actually, it isn't so much that the clothes were smaller--or that the people were smaller, even. Here's 'The Mad Hatter's Sociological Theory' on the subject of garment sizes:

A) People WERE somewhat smaller, due to poorer nourishment and less exercise.

B) Contemporary women have more upper body development due to exercise, etc. This will often mean you fit the waist of a 50's dress but your back and shoulders are too broad to allow you to zip the bodice all the way. (If you LOVE a dress, there can be ways to solve this fit problem--email me.)

C) Women saved the garments that were associated with major events in their lives: a quinceanera, sweet sixteen celebration, prom, debut, engagement party, wedding, anniversary or other gala event. These were the times when they perceived themselves to be their slimmest and prettiest; saving the garments was a way of preserving the memories--and sometimes passing them on.

D) In every decade through the 1950's, women wore corsets or other seriously constricting 'foundation garments'; these helped to keep the apparent body size smaller, too.

Question: How dare you sell Fur?!

Answer: Easy! We hate to waste resources. For the most part, the animals who contributed their skins to suit the vagaries of fashion have been dead for between forty and a hundred and forty years. If the skins have managed to survive in good condition this long, they should be worn and appreciated.

Furs are an integral part of the style of their eras, and don't deserve to be destroyed. If this bothers you, go wear your LEATHER shoes and eat your HAMBURGERS, and leave the fur-wearers alone.

Question: Why are so many Vintage garments black?

Answer: There are several reasons for the number of black garments in a Vintage wardrobe:

A) Especially during the Victorian and Edwardian eras--but also to an extent during the later vintage decades--people died due to poorer diet, less availability of quality health care, and prevalence of diseases; infant mortality was high; average lifetimes were shorter. Mourning was a matter of socially-defined stringency, with specified colors being worn depending on relationship and length of time since death. Most mourning wear was black. If your family was large, and you satisfied the strict times defined for mourning periods, even from childhood you could spend most of your life in black!

B) Black was considered soberly appropriate for those women who did work outside the home--whether as charwoman, midwife or 'typewriter'. With a limited budget, and no drycleaner around the corner in the earlier days, you could sponge off a black garment, change a bodice or 'waist' (blouse), cuffs & collars, a skirt dust ruffle, or an apron, and be considered respectably clean.

C) From the late 30's to modern times, the 'little black dress' was the foundation of a dress-up wardrobe, to accessorize as needed. In the late 40's and early 50's, dressy black blouses/bodices and full cocktail skirts would be mixed and matched into a really flexible wardrobe of dressy wear.

D) Men are roughly half the population...theoretically, therefore, half the supply of Vintage clothing. (Not really...they wore theirs out, 'cause the styles changed less perceptibly and less frequently...WE put ours away and bought something new.) Since most Men's Clothing from the mid-1800's through the 1950's appears to have been black, most available Vintage Men's Clothing is...guess what color?

Question: Why is your stuff so expensive?

Answer: Expense is a matter of perception. Our prices are not low, but they are competitive for the quality, condition and uniqueness we have to offer. Think of it as 'cost for use'--if you needed an outfit for a special event, how much would spend for new, shoddily made clothes that just anyone could have? $100...$200...$500...? Then wouldn't you spend the same amount for a piece of 'living history', knowing that no one else will be wearing it?

Vintage clothing is an investment. It is Art! In fact, when you're not wearing it, put it on a pretty hanger and hang it on a wall; set up a dress form or mannequin and change your 'exhibit' from time to time. As they used to say in the old ads: you'll be the envy of all your friends!

Question: Can I carry and use a Vintage purse or handbag?

Answer: Yes, but always put the contents - makeup and pens/pencils especially - in plastic sandwich bags, the stronger the better. This works for contemporary purses, as well as vintage ones, to keep marks and grime off the lining.