Today we will be peeking through the May 1996 issue which is graced with one of my absolute favorite fashion editorial ever titled "When Romance Was In Fashion" (a title I borrowed for a recent newsletter tagline if you recognize it from our mailing list). 

This editorial featured the private collection of antique clothing and treasures of Lesley Balazs who amassed an extensive collection of antique clothing and costumes that she would put on display once a year to benefit the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. 

The photos were shot on film by Toshi Otsuki whose photographs for vintage Victoria are amongst my favorites and I turn to them for inspiration time and time again for my own shop. 

Other articles in the May 1996 Victoria issue include an ode to peonies, crafting your own potpourri, sunporch living, and of course an homage to mothers.  

Interested in collecting vintage Victoria magazines? I sourced most of mine through eBay, Etsy, and scouring local antique shops. I was also quite fortunate once that a friend who worked at an antique shop gave me a box full of Victoria magazines doubling my collection in one go!

The first issue of Victoria I believe was a Spring/Summer issue that came out in 1987. These early editions have been quite hard for me to track down and come by, but I'm not really in a rush to complete my collection. 

I love flipping through them month after month, year after year, absorbing all the beauty and inspiration. Some of it makes me laugh because it's just a little "too extra" but I still appreciate the sentiment so much because who doesn't want to aspire to be a little too extra once in awhile?

The December 1988 issue of Victoria features one of my most favorite editorials ever, "Portraiture In The Style of Sargent" photographed by Starr Ockenga and the photos are so exquisite and beautiful as if it's an actual photo of the models in John Singer Sargent's studio illuminated with their own inner lights.

...and here is a photo of yours truly in a very Victoria inspired ensemble from when I shot these earlier this week. 

In the meantime I have been returning to searching and finding inspiration for the retail shop when we do reopen to full capacity again and with a slightly different model and concept. It all remains to be seen and at the moment the best thing I can do is just focus on the present and take it day by day, week by week. 

I was recently perusing through my collection of vintage Victoria magazines and came across one of the most beautiful shops I have ever seen grace the pages of this magazine. I remember coming across these photos of Bell'occhio in San Francisco in the September 1990 issue when I was in my dreaming phase last summer for the retail shop. It was these photos that convinced me I needed a Victorian tiered garden stand! 

I was very happy to discover that this shop STILL exists, in the same location in San Francisco and with one of the same original owners! Bell'occhio, which means "an eye for the beautiful" and I am so very excited to be able to visit this beautiful treasure trove on my next trip to the city by the bay.

Credits: All images were photographed from the September 1990 issue of Victoria magazine. Original photos were shot my Michael Skott. 

If you would like to see additional photos of this beautiful shop, this 2015 blog post on SF Girl By Bay is really lovely and you can see the shop, while very different in a lot of ways, is still the same as the photos from the 90s full of whimsy and wonder. 

This is probably one of my favorite June covers, though the issue itself isn't my most favorite, but there is plenty inside to admire. A few things are a little "too frou frou" for my more simple country sensibilities, so I've just snapped my favorite bits. This particular June issue has many features relating to weddings, so if you would like some vintage inspiration for your upcoming nuptials, I do recommend seeking out this issue!

If you are interested in collecting issues of vintage Victoria (I only collect the issues that Nancy Lindemeyer was the editor in chief) you can check Etsy, Ebay, or your local antique shops! 

As always, these are just my favorite parts of the issue, there are several stories and features not shown here (a story on hooked rugs, floral shoe illustrations, objects with a butterfly motif...). The features I am showing are those near and dear to my heart like the photos of "Wild Child", a dreamlike floral and gift shop in Rhode Island. Sadly I never quite know if any of these businesses are still in business that are featured in these 20 year old issues... but I like to dream they are and they still look exactly as they are depicted in the pages of Victoria.

The ensemble above is one of my all time favorites ever featured in Victoria. I would 100% wear this now and I dare to dream of finding pieces like these to grace the mypiggywiggy shop!

Curious about collecting your own back issues? I found some of them on eBay and Etsy but mostly I found them at different antique malls and I was lucky enough once to have a friend give me a box of issues many of which I was still missing!

Perhaps you're new around these parts, so let me introduce you to one of my loves. Vintage Victoria magazine! I first found out about this magazine maybe 6 years ago when I cam across a Tumblr post actually making fun of the magazine. 

As I read through the spoofs I thought "Wait, WHAT is this magazine? How do I get this?!"

It turns out Victoria Magazine is still going, you can still subscribe to it and have it sent to you in the mail.

However, my heart faithfully belongs to the vintage issues when the original editor Nancy Lindemeyer was at the helm. The 1980s and the 1990s issues. Over the years I have started collecting all of the back issues and right now my collection is 80% complete, maybe 85%, I have a spreadsheet of the issues I'm missing. So every once in awhile, when I get the chance, I will start sharing monthly issues with you and highlighting my favorite parts from my collection of vintage Victoria magazines.

When I first came across these photos for the story "On The First Day of Spring" my heart just swooned. I love the floral dress that the model is wearing, I adore her hair and the way she resembles Jane Birkin a bit...a very soft romantic Jane Birkin. You can channel this outfit with our Parlez-Vous Fleurs vintage inspired ditsy floral dress! Even the peachy pink flowers are a similar tone!

Photographs by Toshi Otsuki.

 I hope you enjoyed these glimpses into vintage Victoria magazine! The issue has so much more in it, but I just wanted to share my favorite bits! 

Curious about collecting your own back issues? I found some of them on eBay and Etsy but mostly I found them at different antique malls. A friend of mine gave me an entire box of about 30 issues. I have several doubles and triples now so perhaps I'll part with my copies... but probably not, lol.