Table Talk: Manic-quin

While searching for a mannequin for my new store, Velvet Morning Vintage Shoppe, I found this antique mannequin listed in an ad online. She was perched in the front window of an eclectic thrift/consignment vintage and antique shop located in the downtown Oklahoma City area called, The Basement. I used to see her in the window when I drove past the store, looking out at the traffic at the intersection in her distressed condition, a blood-paint-splattered wedding gown with a plastic butcher knife in hand as if striking-helpless to escape.. not only at Halloween, but all year long. It just happened to be on Halloween when I saw the ad and went to buy her this year, in 2015. As I left the store, the radio played a song by Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, "Edge of Seventeen," so I called her the "white winged dove." She was just on the edge, that's for sure, and she seemed happy to leave that sad existence - a fun place to shop, but not to remain in her condition for such a beautiful vintage fashion icon.

Strangely, the day before, our school had a suspicious package threat on campus at UCO. It turned out to be nothing, thankfully. After I purchased the mannequin, I had a tutoring appointment to meet with an ELL student at the UCO library and I was almost running late. It was a grey and drizzley morning, with some fog rolling in, like being near the ocean in San Francisco, which only added to the edgy Halloween atmosphere. I barely had time to stop and bring her into the house before going to the school library. I was afraid if I parked at the library on campus, she would easily attract unwanted attention in my car and be mistaken for some kind of a bad hoax.

Here's a picture of my rescued mannequin in her previous store window:

... another picture from the online ad of my rescued mannequin:

This is my rescued mannequin after I brought her home, but still in the condition that I found her, yes the paint was that bad in the front and also on her dress:

In the next picture, I at least changed her clothes. The paint clean-up will take longer and will have to be more of a restoration, because if I try to remove the paint it will damage her further. She is also missing her left hand and half of her right hand was broken off, which had the plastic knife taped to it, and the glass base that holds the rod to stand alone was missing; but she already looks much happier. She just needs a little support and TLC. Soon after I took this picture (below), I put a turtleneck on her to cover her scars and will continue to improve her the best I can. Her new bracelet has a quote, "best friends forever."

I decided not to put her in my store until she is fully recovered, and I found a second antique mannequin that was already complete. All she needed was a wig, which I had found by chance and it looks great on her. Kendra and I, a friend who has a space in my store, call her Phaedra, after the Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood song, "Some Velvet Morning." It's also a combination of the names "the" for Theresa and "dra" for Kendra, The-dra only with a p: Phae-dra which is also where I got the name for my store "Velvet Morning Vintage Shoppe." I have been moving into the store during December and it's almost ready for the opening event.

I will be selling men's and women's vintage clothing, esp. 60's and 70's but also some 40's-50's, Edwardian and theatrical themed items, retro concert t-shirts, platform shoes to Birkenstocks, hippie styles, disco, and other fun retro stuff like lava lamps, mid-century items, vintage posters, God's eye yarn art and other art gallery style items to name a few. I also have a small stage and runway, "for all the world is a stage," William Shakespeare.

(photo) Paseo district, Oklahoma City artifact from the 1960's