Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing

Helen’s cousins came to visit the loft midday—all the way from Brussels, Belgium! They walked all the way here from Jackson Heights, Queens (which is a pretty long way) and are off to sightsee a bit more for the rest of the day. Helen kept telling them that if they wanted to walk for 2 hours and explore NY they could choose better than to stroll the car repair shops and shopping centers dotting Northern Boulevard!!! We’re still cleaning up the racks for “Amelia” and writing up the principal wardrobe for their final scenes shooting in South Africa. One of our former favorite repair-estresses, Marietta, will come in next week to help restore/alter the men’s suits back to their original sizes. I would consider Marietta one of the costume gods. Let me explain—she’s always a sight to see, with her brightly colored (and often themed) outfit ensembles, her rolling luggage case that houses all of her essential sewing supplies (I have never seen so much detail in a thread collection), and her exTREME knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for crafts and anything costume-related. It’s as if she fell from the sky. She is in a word, awesome. We’re also cleaning and re-organizing a bit—Helen brought in a new Kenmore sewing machine (that works wonderfully), a vintage 1940’s coffee table w. yellow/pimento green paint, and a male torso frame w. black velvet arms, so come and check out our new colorful additions. Coolness has rested over New York for the past couple of days with some heavy rain but milder sun with a sense of relief (which means a lot as we near August—the hottest month of the summer - yipes). It gives us and the clothes a reprieve for the oncoming weekend.