CatherineSimmsVtg

Catherine Simms Vintage

Chicago, Illinois On Etsy since 2008

2,106 Sales | 5 out of 5 stars

Top shop for gifts.

Buyers bought gifts from this shop and gave them 5-star reviews!

CatherineSimmsVtg

Catherine Simms Vintage

Chicago, Illinois | 2,106 Sales

5 out of 5 stars

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Announcement    Welcome to Catherine Simms, a store dedicated to Vintage Special Occasion Clothing~ One of a kind fashion~ because everyone deserves to sparkle!

Thank you for your purchase during this difficult time...We so appreciate that you are supporting a small family owned business!

Announcement

Last updated on Oct 9, 2020

Welcome to Catherine Simms, a store dedicated to Vintage Special Occasion Clothing~ One of a kind fashion~ because everyone deserves to sparkle!

Thank you for your purchase during this difficult time...We so appreciate that you are supporting a small family owned business!

Items

Contact shop owner
2106 Sales
1411 Admirers
 

All Items

Cathi Basler

Contact shop owner

Cathi Basler

Reviews

Average item review
5 out of 5 stars
(1056)
See reviews that mention:
quality 30 shipping 178 customer service 107

About CatherineSimmsVtg

Sales 2,106
On Etsy since 2008
  • at the Gatsby party, my family minus the mates, and grandkids
  • my grandaughter who is just too cute for words!
  • my youngest daughter Hayley who is my partner in this new sequin endeavor
  • my middle daughter who helps me all the time with business and party planning
  • my eldest daughter who is my style guru!
Video summary: Gatsby Party!

The Story of Catherine Simms

In 1985, I began a Bridal and Special occasion store, named Catherine Simms in the Chicagoland area. This store, far exceeded my expectations and in time, we found ourselves selling literally thousands of prom and special occasion dresses. During the time I owned the store, we had hundreds of fashion shows and I was in sparkly, lacy heaven! It was a dream job, and I loved every minute of it. But after 7 years, came children, and more life (my husband took over his dad’s company) so I sold my store in the 1990s. Not long after, I began to work with young people. Using my fashion show skills I began to create large dance productions events for kids and teenagers. We took teens to many countries and danced around the world (literally) putting on productions and training young people that there is a big world out there. Of course I had to raise money for my dreams, and began to sell old photos in 2000s. For almost 20 years I have sold old photos mostly majoring on 1920s fashions and beautiful images and sold photos all over the world. Always with an eye on beauty and fashion, I loved it! After 2009, it was time to move on from teenagers, but the photos stayed with me, and I created a place on Etsy as well as eBay known for selling vintage photos.

In 2018 for our 40th anniversary, my hubby and I decided to have a big party. Great Gatsby was the theme and instead of dressing in the fringy flapper, I decided to do sequins, deco, and full on Gatsby. It was beyond fun, and I was suddenly hooked on a new passion (or an old one) 1980s/90s Vintage clothing and fashion. Remembering that that era was strong on the same styling as the Art Deco and flapper fashion, I couldn’t get enough and began to hunt all around for more of the sequin goodies, thrilled that I knew many of the designers, knew their fit, and once again found that all things can become new again!
Now that it is 2020, Great Gatsby parties are even becoming more and more something people are enjoying. So I have a division in the store, named Party like the 1920s! Fashions that will make you stand out and go back to an age of food, jazz, and fun!

1980s is also a fun fashion trend today, so you will see some classic 1980s styles, with some of my favorite designers that I remember buying the first time they came around.
Also, Remember that vintage fashion is just good common sense. The quality of items that were sold in 1980 were of much higher quality than those of today. The hand beading on some of the older pieces are absolutely amazing. But remember, they were also sized differently. So you shouldn't depend on the size on the tag, but instead know your own measurements. And buying vintage means that you will be doing your part to help our environment and repurpose these beautiful items.So here is to the fashions of yesterday brought back for you today!

I have been in customer service and retail for so many years, and I want you to have a good transaction! If there are any problems at all, please do not hesitate to let me know so that I can cheerfully work it out with you and that you will be happy! Which is frankly why I do this to begin with!!
Thanks for checking us out!
Cathi

Shop policies

Last updated on October 9, 2020
All sales are final.

Color may vary from monitor to monitor; please know this before purchasing. Also Vintage Sizes are known for being smaller than today's sizes...so MEASURE!! and
please ask any questions you might have, I am usually not to far away from my phone so i can answer you!

Accepted payment methods

Paypal Mastercard Visa American Express Discover Apple Pay Klarna Giftcard
Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
Returns and exchanges
I gladly accept cancellations
Request a cancellation within: 24 hours of purchase
I don't accept returns or exchanges
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Returns and exchange details
Returns are not accepted if something doesn't fit, so you need to know your measurements. If you have any questions, I will help you in anyway I can.

Note: we try hard to get things cleaned and repaired before it is shipped to you..if there is something that i could not repair it will be mentioned, but my goal is to make sure it is in Great condition for you!

These are vintage pieces..so I might miss something from time to time..and if so..WRITE ME..i will be happy to make things right for you! I want you to come back again and again!
Payment
Payment is due within 3 days of the purchase. If for any reason you are late, or do not want the item, then communication is all i ask for.

I will also work out layaway if you need to take time to pay something
Again, communication is key.
Shipping
I will always use delivery confirmation if paying by paypal when done in the United States.