Petrune » 1920-1930

Romance, Exploits, Peril, and our New Window!

Petrune Vintage — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:15:27 +0000

Ithaca’s rich film history and status as a “Hollywood of the Northeast” has has left its mark on the town in a myriad of wonderful ways. There’s no doubt that the city’s population has a flair for the beautifully theatric, and productions of both stage and screen have emerged from every corner of Ithaca for as long as living memory. Our new window display pays homage to Irene Castle, Ithaca resident, starlet of the silver screen, and wife to Ithaca’s Robert Treman.

Castle in the 1917 film Patria, the image we used as inspiration for our window.

Castle moved to Ithaca to work as a silent film star, after a whirlwind career as a ballroom dancer with her former husband. Settling down in the newly-constructed Cayuga Heights in the 1920s, Castle quickly became a darling of the booming film scene in Ithaca. Hob-nobbing with Warner Oland and other stars on their lakefront properties, Castle’s bobbed haircut and short (knee length, ooo!) skirts made her a trendsetter of 20′s fashion in the Northeast and beyond.

Beautiful beaded bodice.

Dancing shoes!

Fabulous fans, skirts of scandalous lengths!

Our Irene Castle display is part of the Ithaca Motion Picture Project’s most recent exhibit Romance, Exploits & Peril, an 8 piece multimedia exhibit commemorating the period, almost 100 years ago, that the Wharton Brothers made Ithaca a bastion of the silver screen. The flagship installation is a 90 ft sculptural timeline of the period at the Tompkins County Public Library, and other exhibits scatter the city at Gimme, the State Theater, GIAC, Petrune, and more! For more details, check out their site at www.ithacamotionpictureproject.org

This Just In

Petrune Vintage — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 01:30:20 +0000

Petrune has acquired simply beautiful pieces from the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Here’s a quick peak at one of our favorites, a beaded silk blouse from the early 1930s.

The glass beading is in nearly perfect condition.

Incredible wristlet detail!

What a perfect gift for any vintage lover. Be sure to come into the Holiday Store to see the rest of our new treasures.

Just In!

Petrune Vintage — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:09:19 +0000

We got in so many amazing things today, including an assortment of great pipes, an interesting 1920′s handbag that opens in the front, and the be-all-end-all of hats: a chocolate brown 1920′s velvet cloche with jewel and feather detail, in nearly perfect condition, and will fit a modern head!

Bag, $38, Hat $75, pipes priced individually.

The curious sofa

Petrune Vintage — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:23:55 +0000

Our Halloween window is taking a page from “The Curious Sofa, a pornographic work by Ogdred Weary.” This slim little volume is actually the work of the great illustrator/writer, Edward Gory, and no one does creepy better than Gory. In the window we are showing a 1920′s pale green flapper gown, a turn of the century Tuxedo, a velvet sofa, and a diamond adorned arm reaching out from underneath. Happy Halloween everyone!

1930′s hooded gown

Petrune Vintage — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:04:21 +0000

A gown. With a hood. Anyone who puts this on is instantly transformed into an art nouveau Joan of Arc.