2025 Board

President: Jolene Bramer/Black Lotus Vintage

I have had a passion for vintage since childhood, although at the time I had no idea that the clothes were considered vintage or what vintage even meant. To me they were just unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that I adored, and stashed away like treasure! I started my vintage business journey on eBay in 1999. Wanting to be home with my children (I am a mother of three), I decided to go all in, starting with selling my personal vintage collection. From there, everything changed. Since then, I have sold on a multitude of platforms. I launched my own website and completely rebranded in May of 2022. I co-admin (alongside our VP Caryn) an all-vintage Facebook sales group, The Vintage Coterie, where newcomers to vintage (buying or selling) are encouraged to learn and ask questions. My main shop is on Etsy, my website is blacklotusvintage.com, and you can also find me on Facebook and Instagram. During my term on the board as MAL I have assisted the VFG with variety of tasks behind the scenes and made some wonderful, like-minded friends. I am truly honored to be serving as President in 2025.

Vice President: Caryn McGregor/furwise

Occupationally, I got my start working at a hot dog stand when I was 15 years old. I moved on to work at Walgreens, Bell South which is now known as AT&T, and I also worked for American Express. Then after, about 2 decades ago, I bought a Coach handbag and wanted to determine whether it was authentic. While doing so I learned that I could determine when Coach bags were made down to the month and year and where they were made. This fascinated me. Then, one day while searching I came across a fur coat. I purchased it thinking it was another fur type. Shortly after, I learned that the fur I purchased was not the fur I thought. This led me to determine what type of fur it really was.

I continued on studying and specializing in furs, as I kept studying, I fell in love with vintage fashion as a whole, I came to The Vintage Fashion Guild, and the rest is history. You can visit my shop on Etsy and see all the wonderful vintage I have to offer.

Treasurer: Victoria Lazarova/Vintagiality

For me, vintage fashion wasn’t a love at first sight but rather a slow and growing appreciation that became a passion. I first stumbled upon it when I found a stunning 1950s dress at an estate sale on Martha’s Vineyard in the early 2000s and felt an immense draw to it for its beauty, meticulous stitches, and in some way, the sense of presence of its previous owner.

It sparked a passion to research and learn about the designers, brands, and stores of bygone eras which gives me immense pleasure to this day. It sparked the creation of my shop, Vintagiality which has been on Etsy since 2010.

It also introduced me to the VFG, a wonderful community of passionate and knowledgeable people with unfaltering dedication who have been so kind to share their expertise.

This is my fourth year on the VFG board and my third one as Treasurer. I have been on the VFG Label Resource team, one of my most favorite duties, since shortly after I joined.

Secretary: Sarah Cooper/Shusteroo

I’ve been wearing vintage clothing since my teens and have always found thrifting far more exciting than traditional shopping, as you never know what you will discover. My love of vintage has always been rooted in a deep appreciation for individual style, rather than trends, and I’m inspired by a range of different eras, designs, and colours.

I’m from England, and have been selling on eBay for over 20 years. My love of collecting vintage fashion motivated me to launch Shusteroo on Etsy in 2020. I love sourcing, researching, and anything creative, such as photography and design, and I’m constantly learning about different designers, and the craftsmanship that makes vintage clothing so special.

In 2023, I joined the VFG, after using their wonderful Label Resource for many years, and I’ve enjoyed connecting, sharing knowledge and learning from the community. I’m part of the Fashion Parade team, where we select weekly themes and create content, and I also contribute to the Social Media team, by producing Fresh Vintage reels for Instagram and YouTube. This is my first year on the VFG board, and I’m honoured to serve as Secretary.

I’m excited to be launching my new website (coming soon!), and you can connect with me on Instagram and Facebook.

Member at Large: Terri Brown/VintageDevotion

I have always loved all things old; architecture, clothing, décor, people. When I was in college back in the 1970s, I worked at a dancewear shop, right next door to a used clothing shop called “Hand-Me-Downs”. It was run by two gorgeous ladies in their 20s
who were always well-dressed in vintage finery. When they had buying appointments, I cheerfully minded their store. My “payment” for this favor was the pick of their haul! And so began my love and obsession with vintage clothing. I still have much of my original collection (even those pieces in the photo above, taken 50 years ago). Some are still wearable, others lovingly worn to shreds but all are treasured belongings of my past, retained in my possession and memory of that time in my life.

As my heart allows, I slowly part with and pass along my offerings at Vintage Devotion on Etsy and eBay which I’ve maintained for 20 years. I feel so honored to be a member of the VFG for the past 20 years, an organization that promotes a greater understanding of the unique nature of vintage and the quality it represents especially compared to today’s fast and disposable fashion.

Member at Large: Jennifer Karpin/morning-glorious

I was born in the 1960s to parents who were 40. They had a Great Depression era ethic about thriftiness and sustainability, which was ingrained in me. Our home was filled with beautiful objects that my mother, an artist, collected at country auctions and jumble sales – weekly shopping excursions I remember fondly. She sewed and repaired our clothes and kept a closet of her own gorgeous 1940s dresses which I began to borrow when I was in high school. My father came from a family of tailors and furriers and he worked as a fashion model after WWII. My grandfather was VP of Marketing at Estee Lauder. So, I grew up surrounded by antiques, wearing vintage and enjoying cosmetic samples from the trunk of grandpa’s Cadillac.

After attending Art Institute of Boston for photography, and working stints in sales, publishing and hospitality, it seemed natural 24 years ago that I turn to selling vintage, naming my shop Morning Glorious. I work in a studio at my 1850s home in Vermont, where I also host guests in my Airbnb, and welcome visitors. I have had my Etsy shop, MorningGlorious, since 2008. You can find me on Instagram and Facebook where I’m usually talking about dopamine dressing. My shop’s byline, “the joyful wardrobe,” means I focus on colorful pieces, selected to lift your mood. I believe that what we choose to wear can greatly improve our emotional well-being. I love sharing that sense of playfulness and teaching people about the inherent value of vintage. I also never stop learning. I am honored to serve on the board of the VFG, which I first joined in 2006.

Member at Large: Sandra Mendoza/DebutanteClothing

My name is Sandra Mendoza, and I have been wearing, collecting and selling vintage for almost 30 years. I know, I was like 2!

Launched in August 2005, Debutante Clothing started as a vintage style blog and evolved to a full fledged vintage clothing shop with a brick and mortar boutique in Downtown Pomona and e-commerce site. If you want to get to know me, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

I opened Debutante Clothing as a brick and mortar store in 2015 and recently closed in 2024. An opportunity emerged and I opened Route Vintage Collective November 2024 in Claremont, CA . Featuring 12 independent vendors, Route offers vintage and second hand fashion and accessories.

My work includes published articles about vintage and fashion history, interviews with costume and fashion designers, styling, consulting, and serving as vintage fashion expert witness in a high profile fashion.

Member at Large: Jessica Parker/No Accounting For Taste

It’s difficult to overstate how important old things are to me, an interest that seemed to skip a generation in my family. I didn’t grow up with antiques or wearing vintage, and it wasn’t until I started working in graphic design that I developed a fascination with midcentury style in advertising, furniture, housewares, art and clothing.

I’m enchanted by the stories and the soul that these old objects hold, and I love to dig deep in archives to uncover and tell these stories. In my 30s I discovered that I could actually wear some of the clothes I saw in the vintage magazines I was collecting, it changed my life forever.

Wearing, collecting, researching and selling vintage has been a big part of my life for well over a decade, but it’s the research and storytelling that I find the most compelling, understanding and bringing to life the struggles and triumphs and everyday lives of folks who designed and made the things we love to wear. I’m currently a graphic designer living in Los Angeles and post my outfits and stories on Instagram.

Member at Large: Diana Peloza/Poshthreads

Hello fellow vintage enthusiasts! My lifelong passion for fashion ignited during my childhood in Upstate New York. Growing up with a frugal mom, she emphasized the value of quality fabrics and superior garment construction as we sifted through the thrift stores in my hometown. After graduating from college, I moved cross-country to manage a menswear showroom at the Downtown Los Angeles Apparel Mart. I quickly transitioned to fitting and showroom modeling, working primarily as a swimsuit and sportswear model. Spending over a decade immersed in the design rooms of Southern California gave me invaluable insights into the nuances of fashion construction and fits.

In 2003 I launched Poshthreads.com, an online vintage clothing shop. Soon after, I joined the Vintage Fashion Guild. Life has led me through diverse roles; from fine art gallery director to construction project manager. Recently, I’ve circled back to my first love, vintage fashion, and am enjoying the camaraderie and wealth of knowledge within the VFG.

Today, my husband and I travel the country on our Harley-Davidson, where I source items for my Poshmark, eBay and Depop shops. My fashion concentration is vintage lingerie, specifically Victoria’s Secret pieces, but I have a love for anything unique and beautiful.

Member at Large: Heather Ramey Heather Ramey/Noble Vintage Clothier

I started wearing vintage in my early teens, raiding my parent’s clothing from the 60s and 70s and pairing with army surplus and thrift store finds.

After graduating with a BA from the fashion design program at VCU in Richmond, VA, I moved to New York and worked as a designer until 2010 when I switched to freelance and started Noble Vintage Clothier.

I had been inspired by NYC’s vintage-themed parties and was looking for a more sustainable career and decided that selling vintage might be that path.

Over the years I’ve sold at in-person events in NYC and Brooklyn such as Manhattan Vintage, A Current Affair and the Jazz Age Lawn Party. I also have a website, and a women’s and men’s shop on Etsy.

During Covid I relocated to Virginia and have been setting up at the DC Flea, the Sturbridge Show and Manhattan Vintage.

I became a VFG member in late 2011, regularly utilizing its label resource and routinely contributing to the fashion parades and fresh vintage threads. 2025 is my fourth year on the VFG Board serving as a Member at Large, and I have been working towards reorganizing the Pinterest Boards.