Enough to make a grown FLer cry. Tell us your worst finds or ruined clothing stories

[Gene]

My worst experience was in a store that came to be known as Land 'o Moths in Crawfordsville, IN. The store was clearly the life's work and passion of the owner. She has racks and racks of menswear from the 30s and 40s. And literally thousands of ties. Absolutely amazing collection of stuff. But almost everything in the whole store is completely eaten away by moths. When you move a box, or a suitcase (typically full of ties), the cloud of moths is scary to behold.

I went through every tie in the place - must be 10,000 of them, and only came away with 20 good ones. They were a buck a piece. She is very cheap, but her stuff is wrecked. she told me she has a whole warehouse full of other stuff. I can't imagine the damage and the fauna living in there.

bk

You should PM me the name of the place, I'm only a couple hours away and it may make for a good trip sometime.

[dakotanorth]

My worst experience was in a store that came to be known as Land 'o Moths in Crawfordsville, IN. The store was clearly the life's work and passion of the owner. She has racks and racks of menswear from the 30s and 40s. And literally thousands of ties. Absolutely amazing collection of stuff. But almost everything in the whole store is completely eaten away by moths. When you move a box, or a suitcase (typically full of ties), the cloud of moths is scary to behold.

I went through every tie in the place - must be 10,000 of them, and only came away with 20 good ones. They were a buck a piece. She is very cheap, but her stuff is wrecked. she told me she has a whole warehouse full of other stuff. I can't imagine the damage and the fauna living in there.

bk

Crawfordsville you say?
Is that La Rose Antique Mall by chance? Someone told me I should visit the place- I wasn't able to the last time I went home.

[Baron Kurtz]

Yes, I just checked street view and La Rose is the one. 124 W. Main St. There might be some salvageable stuff in there, you should check it out Gene. When you go upstairs, be sure to check the closed door at the front left of the shop. the floor on the other side is a bit rickety but there was a wonderful suit behind it!

bk

[Two Types]

Moths or no moths, think 'patterns' ......

[music321]

well, this is more like a ruined accessory. A friend of my father's attended an officers function in a Navy uniform. He used his sword for the first cut in a cake, and then resheathed it. When next he tried to remove the sword (one year later) from the scabbard, he found that the cake had caused corrosion which made it impossible to draw the sword.

[reetpleat]

Had a similar situation with an old hoarder myself...received a call one day from a friend who was clearing out her great-uncle's house. The guy was a doctor from a very old money family, and there were lots of examples of trashed gems: stained and eaten gab shirts, wool fedoras nipped and stained, suits that had been in a damp basement for years, but the icing on the sad cake was a belt-back Palm Beach suit with holes the size of golf balls.

I was able to get some ties and some other trinkets, but the bulk of the closet was trash. Kicking myself now for not grabbing the stuff for patterns (didn'te ven occur to me)

Heck, you could have put a little ketchup around the holes and sold the suit as having belonged to a gangster who was shot in it. Do you guys remember the white suit on ebay that a guy was posting over and over again for too much money, with holes he hinted were gun shot wounds?

[reetpleat]

I just stumbled across this story: eleven vintage dresses cut up and made into one dress to be worn to the Oscars. What a waste!

http://theredvelvetshoe.typepad.com/...-massacre.html

Well, Americans are getting much bigger around the waist these days, so it may have been necessary.

[Shangas]

Well, Americans are getting much bigger around the waist these days, so it may have been necessary.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

well, this is more like a ruined accessory. A friend of my father's attended an officers function in a Navy uniform. He used his sword for the first cut in a cake, and then resheathed it. When next he tried to remove the sword (one year later) from the scabbard, he found that the cake had caused corrosion which made it impossible to draw the sword.

I know it's a sort of military tradition at weddings to cut the cake with a sword, but surely he had the presence of mind to CLEAN the sword before he put it back!?

Apparently not...

[Mr Vim]

Once while vintage hunting in Seattle I stumbled across a beautiful overcoat... charcoal gray with a blue windowpane pattern. It was bold look, union tag put it around 1939, and a perfect fit. I was so excited that I nearly grabbed the coat and rush it to the counter but I decided to really give it a once over and glad I did, I lifted the sleeve and the entire left arm starting at the arm pit was moth eaten, just holes barely held together by thread... I wanted to cry.

[reetpleat]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!



I know it's a sort of military tradition at weddings to cut the cake with a sword, but surely he had the presence of mind to CLEAN the sword before he put it back!?

Apparently not...

Indeed, a gentleman should always be in the habit of wiping off his blade when done using it, if to remove evidence, if nothing else.