Martell Road Top

Before I got my job at ModCloth, I spent six months interning at Kerry Taylor Auctions, an English auction house for antique and vintage textiles and clothes. My days were filled with Dior ball gowns and 18th-century riding habits when one of the bi-annual fine sales was approaching, and fun vintage day dresses and delicate Edwardian capelets when a 'normal' sale was in store. It was during, I believe, their November 2008 general vintage sale, that a huge rail of 1940's-1950's sweaters came in. None of them were particularly valuable - they were sold as a set with a low estimate - but I found them to be particularly adorable. The minute I set eyes upon this Jack by BB Daokta short-sleeve cardigan, I immediately thought of the days I spent at the auction house, lost among a sea of vintage clothing. The top's intricate, lacy, leaf-esque pointelle knit and daintily feminine fit were a dead ringer for the sweaters I'd encountered just over a year before. It might very well have popped straight out of the late 40's. Meanwhile, its cool grey hue seemed to be the very shade of former radio factory where the auction house is housed, and the dual red stripes lining the ribbed sleeves, hem, neckline, and button-front added a retro contrast of color. Although I neglected to purchase that vast lot of vintage sweaters (what would I do with 60+ such sweaters?), this cute cardi will make up for the missed opportunity. I'll slip it on with a vintage A-line dress, cozy over-the-knee socks, and burnished leather flats for a vintage look so lovely that it could stop an auctioneer's hammer in mid-swing! -Hannah, Fashion Writer