Vint Condition

The Ones that Got Away

2012-01-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

As a vintage clothing seller, my personal wardrobe is usually full of finds (drastically limited now that nothing fits). Sometimes there are pieces that I thrift or discover that I just can't stand to let go of. Like anyone, though, I also sometimes agonize over purchases for my personal closet. The delight of vintage clothing is that you're not going to find someone else wearing the same garment as you, but that's also, of course, one of the limitations with vintage. The message is, if you don't buy it when you see it, you will probably lose it to someone else.

Whenever I wait too long and lose something I really love, I am instantly filled with shopping sadness. Sometimes I keep these items in my favorites so I can go back and stare at them and think about what could have been. This has happened to me so frequently lately, that I couldn't help but feature some of these lovelies. Maybe one day I'll see them (or their twin?) around vintage land. Until then:

1960s dress by Judith Martin found at Custard Heart Vintage

Why I liked it: I loved that this dress had such fun sleeves and this nice, thick quilted skirt. Also, the wrap around ribbon finished it off perfectly. Major bonus, because of the height of the waistline and the fullness of the skirt, it looked like something I could wear in this weird middle stage of pregnancy I'm in as well as postpartum as well.

How I would wear it: I envisioned myself sporting this lovely frock to teach in with maroon tights and brown boots. If I was cold, I thought I could easily put on a long sleeved tissue tee underneath for some layering action.

Why I hesitated: Because my body is changing, I wanted to try on some things in my closet and compare those measurements to this dress. This, my friends, is always a smart idea, but if you keep dragging your feet on it like I did, someone will steal your dress. True story.

1960s wool and faux fur coat found at Hollie Point Vintage

Why I liked it: This coat is the perfect combination of factors. I confess I love some leopard print, but it can be overwhelming. This coat has the right amount and the cream really offsets it well. This coat is also my preferred winter coat length for blustery northern NY days.

How I would wear it: This would be a go to coat for me. I think it works as a staple and I'd probably have taken it everywhere.

Why I hesitated: Because of the cut, this really isn't pregnancy friendly. While I have quite a few coats in my wardrobe, I don't have one that will work for me until the cold weather clears out so I decided I should save my pennies and use them on something that can keep me warm now rather than later.

vintage kimono jacket found at Pretty Little World Vintage

Why I liked it: This red is such a gorgeous color and the tone on tone flowers really add to the overall look. I also liked the square neckline and, of course, the drape of the sleeves.

How I would wear it: I would have put this with skinny jeans or gray skinny pants followed up by some chunky heels. I probably would have gone with black shoes, but a contrasting color would have been amazing as well.

Why I hesitated: I'm not entirely sure! This really would have been pregnancy friendly. I think I had a long moment of if I could pull this outfit off and look fashionable in my rural, conservative area.

1960s crewel work dress by Anne Fogerty found at Raleigh Vintage

Why I liked it: This dress is impossible not to love. I mean look at that design! Plus I remembered seeing this dress's twin on Veronika of tick tock vintage and loving it then.

How I would wear it: I would have worn this to work with some coordinating heels and later paired it with a cardigan. I do like how Veronika layered it with a long sleeve tee and I would probably have tried that out as well.

Why I hesitated: This was a case of me being too cautious of spending any money. My mom loved it so much that she offered to buy it for me, but then that made me feel guilty. And then I almost bought it and then didn't and then almost bought it and then didn't. While I was arguing with myself, it sold.

What are your shopping regrets?

Color Inspiration: American Kestrel

2012-01-17T15:42:00.001-05:00

Nature doesn't make mistakes when it comes to color, which is why when I saw this gorgeous American Kestrel photograph floating around on pinterest yesterday I marveled not only on the beauty of this bird, but the interplay of colors in its feathers. From the deep russet browns to the silvery gray atop its head to that intense mustard yellow of its feet and beak, this bird is a color inspiration.

Because I have plenty of mustard yellow items that I want to figure out in my wardrobe, it seemed fitting that this bird would be the first in my series on using nature for color inspiration. There are plenty of websites that will create color palettes for you based on any picture you upload or link to and I encourage everyone to try it out when they're feeling stuck or just want to break down the colors in an image. I was given two color palettes, the second of which I'm using here as a source for finding vintage and modern pieces to place together in an outfit. I'm still getting a handle on what it is that I'm looking for, but I hope this is a solid first attempt.

Source: lori-rocks.tumblr.com via Kim on Pinterest

Using this color palette shown above, I then found elements that coordinated with those colors. This takes some getting used to, but it can be helpful when trying to think of what to pair with wardrobe elements you already have or when you are purchasing new items.

Outfit consists of:

1970s novelty print tunic found at Old Gold Vintage, $25

handknit mustard purse found at NzLBags, $95

brown ponte seamed leggings from Mossimo found at Target, $16

brown Banddit boots from Steve Madden found at shoemall, $170

And, if you want those American Kestrel colors in one garment, there's this wonderful dress 1960s found at Thrush, but it felt too much like cheating to use it since it was already so perfect:

Spotlight: Claire McCardell

2012-01-16T08:21:00.000-05:00

Source: metmuseum.org via Vint on Pinterest

cotton dress, 1942

The other day I was prowling around The Met's Costume Institute online collections and building a ridiculous dream wardrobe pinterest board I discovered over and over that I was drawn to designer Claire McCardell's work. While obviously fancy beaded evening gowns have their place, I'm much more interested in everyday fashions and cocktail attire which is what the shop focuses on. Claire McCardell's brilliantly structured pieces certainly fit with my personal aesthetic so I set out to learn more about her work.

Claire McCardell mainly worked under the Townley Frocks label, a ready-to-wear brand that began in 1931. After the Townley Frocks label closed in the late 1930s, McCardell briefly worked for Hattie Carnegie, but McCardell's designs did not find success with Carnegie's clients who were expecting something a bit more upscale. Eventually, McCardell went back under the Townley Frocks name. The line was picked up by Lord & Taylor as part of their American Look campaign and become one of their most successful lines.

Source: metmuseum.org via Vint on Pinterest

cotton playsuit, 1944

The American Look was distinctly different from most designer fashions of the time which either came directly out of France or from American designers who were influenced by French fashion. These fashions even can seem distinctly modern by today's standards. She also incorporated simple fabrics such as wool, ticking, and mens shirting into her designs because she wanted to create items that suited the American approach to life, active and casual. These casual elements and fabrics were not just limited to everyday wear, but also incorporated into evening clothes and bathing suits as well.

One of McCardell's signature designs was what is refered to as the "popover." The first outfit here is an example of a popover. The popover is designed for busy housewives and could be thrown on quickly and offer instant style. They came with a coordinating oven mitt. These dresses would have sold for just $6.95 and were widely popular.

Source: metmuseum.org via Vint on Pinterest

cotton dress, 1953-1957

McCardell passed away in 1958 at the age of 53 from colon cancer. Her influence, though, continues with designers such as Isaac Mizrahi and Anna Sui giving a nod to her in many of their collections.

Resources:

"Celebrating Claire McCardell," New York Times, 1998.

"Fashion Design History Collection: Claire McCardell," The New School.

"Label Resource Guide: Claire McCardell," Vintage Fashion Guild.

Collecting: Dear Diary

2012-01-13T08:24:00.002-05:00

I once had this idea that I was going to collect diaries and transcribe them. The transcriptions would then be hyper-linked in excess so that these historical documents became connected to the vibrant interconnected web we call the internet. The basic problem with this plan, is of course, time. It takes an excessive amount of time to accurately read and type out the contents of diaries. So instead, I'm featuring my vintage diary collection here. On occasion, I will feature a few weeks or a month of the diary entries from one of my collection. I will, of course, continue to collect more as I go.

Today's diary is a very special one. It belonged to my great-grandmother Emmerance Albina Forget(te). She was born in 1899. After her mother passed away in 1914, Albina took care of her ten siblings. She married William Cumm in 1917 and they lived with their daughter Thelma in Plattsburgh, NY a town nestled in the Champlain Valley region of upstate New York. Her diary dates from 1934. Albina was 35 years old that year.

**blank lines in the transcription indicate that the writing was indecipherable

Albina M. Cumm

6 Durand Street

Plattsburgh, NY

December 25^th, 1933

From Thelma

January 1

The first day of the year. We spent it quietly at home. A wet dreary day. Rained all day. Temp. 38 above. Thelma took care of Barbara & Junior in the evening while Frances went and saw “Love of a Sailor” with Joe Brown. Bea and Nelson here in the evening. Charlie got all moved yesterday on Margaret Street now. Bill will work at Rock’s tomorrow.

January 2

10 below zero this morning. What a morning. Washed today. Bill worked at Rock’s. Nelson came and got “Jipper” Charlie’s dog. Baker will take him down to the creek and shoot him. Had Ed Aubin come over this evening. Nothing much happened today.

January 3

Temperature stays about the same. A few flakes of snow flying around. Bill worked to Rock’s and I work at Missus Katherine’s & his in forenoon. The family were all in to dinner at Mrs. Barthow In evening. We may possibly get a radio this week. Pearl phone me she wished to sell hers. Will see her later.

January 4

Same temperature this morning stays so cold. Bill worked again at Rock’s. Went over to ___ in the evening. Listened to the radio. It was good. Heard several Hollywood stars. Ed came over before that. Nothing else to write about.

January 5

Nice out this morning. Thelma & I went to Aunt Vina’s. Have bought Pearl’s radio. Now to go over and get it. Ed Aubin over in evening played with the Adirondack Mountaineers over Plattsburgh lane today. Good. Joe Gonyo buried today. Ed Raymond very ill in Hospital ____ mass. pneumonia.

January 6

Warmer than warm today. All water and slush. Bill work at Rock’s today also yesterday. Got the radio from Pearl’s. Enjoyed it heaps the first evening. Stayed up to 1am. E.A. came over around 10. Nelson was the one to get and bring the radio. Couldn’t get it in our car.

January 7

Went to 8:30 mass at St. John’s. Warm and nice. Went to ___ in the afternoon. Charlie, Letta & the baby also Ed Aubin came with us. Radio good in the evening. Marion and Harold & Mrs. ____ came over awhile. Florence and Huard to Pa’s today. Also Albert & the kids. Thelma goes back to school tomorrow.

January 8

Monday nice and warm. Not much of anything new. Mrs. B___ planning on going to the hotel this week. Will now look for two months or more (maybe).

January 9

This day still warm and nice. Worked at Mrs. Barthow’s packing up. She will go to the Cumberland tomorrow until April 1^st. Nothing exciting happening.

January 10

Wednesday another warm nice day. Helped Mrs. B again this forenoon. Thelma, Mrs. Weatherwax, and I went to the movies saw Marie Dressler in “Her Sweetheart” very funny. Nelson started work with Bill today.

January 11

Thursday. Worked at Mrs. Mooney 2 ½ hours today. Ed came in a few minutes in evening. Warm and cloudy. No sun. Nelson and Bea came a little while last night while we were at the movies.

January 12

Same sort of weather as yesterday. Cloudy & warm. Worked 2 hours at Mrs. Mooney in afternoon. Mrs. Weatherwax and I went to the library and post office. Mrs. Hazeltine died sometime this morning funeral Sunday. Ed came over a couple of hours.

January 13

Saturday. Still mild nothing very exciting. Stayed home all day. Ed~~ward~~ came in evening. 9.15 we went over to Mr. Hazeltine remained til 11.15 funeral will be tomorrow. Looked real nice and natural. Loads of flowers. She loved them. Snowed hard when we came home. Trees all white and pretty.

January 14

Waded through the snow to the 830 mass at St. Johns. About 6 to 8 inches of snow fell throughout the nite. Went to the funeral. Cold windy 12 above at 4 oclock. Charles & Nelson were pallbearers. Also Nelson Gebo, Roland Loso, Mose Loso & Geo Cook. Bea, Lea, & Thelma took care of the home. Charlie & Lee home for supper. Ed and Mr. Weatherwax came in the evening. Radio good.

January 15

Monday and colder. Sunshine in afternoon. Mrs. Weatherwax and I went uptown. Stopped at Mrs. Barthow’s room at Cumberland Hotel 108. Put in three new tubes in radio. Can’t get a thing. Don’t know what ails the darn thing. Mr. Fisk looked it over. Washed my better grain dress and shortened one Mrs. Barthow gave me.

January 16

Nice and warm. 40 above or so. Sunny. Washed today. Bill still at Rock’s. Nelson there too. Cliff up to dinner. Mr. Fisk came back found a dead tube in the new ones took it back. Hope it plays tonite. She wants some music to liven things up a bit. Nelson came in and got radio going. Ed came in a few minutes.

January 17

Cold this morning. About zero. 4 below. Worked Mrs. Katherine 3 hours. Ironed most of afternoon. Mrs. Weatherwax and Ed came in evening. Radio good. Bill went down to Rocks and Freeman. Must see Mrs. Barthoy tomorrow.

January 18

14 below this morning. Will work at Mrs. Mooney this morning. Didn’t get much else done except ironing. Thelma and I went to the movies. Saw Maurice Chevalier in “The Way to Love.” Rather funny. Saw Mrs. Barthoy at noon. Gave me 3 for taking care of her plants.

January 19

Warm today but snowing. Marion came in today. Ed in here tonight. Nothing worth while writing about. Bill & Nelson went down to ___ today. Mrs. Weatherwax & Ed came in tonite also Marion and Harold. Had a game of cards.

January 20

Cold as Hades today 20 below once again. Got a letter from Henry. Says Pa’s been sick. Huard & Florence & Joyce came down. Bill worked at Rock’s in afternoon. Bea & Nelson, Charles & Leeta & baby. Mrs. Greeno and Marion, Ed, all in evening. Played radio until 1:30. Had so much fun played cards.

January 21

Went to 830 mass this morn Mrs. Weatherwax, Thelma, & I. Cold as the old horny. 20 below again. Waited for our wood until 530. Dad's 38th wedding anniversary today. Alone at home all day. Radio good in evening.

January 22

Cold again. Went 10 below last night. Henry came down today. Got a job in the mill also Albert and Edward one too. All here in evening to go to father's had to turn back. Roads were blocked. Bea & Nelson Charles & Leeta here also Ed. Albert staid up until 11 oclock, had guitar, harmonica. Mrs. Greeno was over too.

January 23

Rather nice out today. Hazel & Frank up in evening. Marion & Mrs. Greeno came in while they were here. Nothing new to write about.

January 24

Wrote Henry today. Sent Pa check for 15.00 went down to the bank and withdrew 50.00 from interest and placed in checking account. Pa had 450 interest. Thelma & I went to Leeta while Mrs. Weatherwax & Eddie came in evening. Also Marion for a minute. Ed quit his job today.

January 25

Went out again. Mrs. Weatherwax went to the doctor's today. Henry ___ came over in uniform with another friend. He enlisted in 26th infantry last week. Ed was over til 10 oclock. Nothing new to write about. A man named ___ was killed on the job Albert was working on. Bricks fell on his head.

January 26

Way below zero this morning. ___ ___ home. Henry here. Nothing else to write about. Mrs. Weatherwax & Ed came in during the day.

January 27

Nothing of importance. Ed in evening. Radio good. Nelson & Bea went to Chazy after fixing car. Bill paid us tire. Charlie came in for awhile in afternoon.

January 28

Raining. Went to 830 mass at St. Peter's. Thelma, Ed & I. Bill went to 9:15 mass. Had dinner with Hazel & Frank. Such a nice dinner. Stopped at Pa's on way back. Florence, Huard & Joyce there. Lee, Charlie, &; baby. Nelson & Bea. Baby sick. Florence & Huard were here for supper.

January 29

Monday 18 below zero. Ever see such weather? 46 degree difference in 12 hours. Marion in a few minutes. Nelson also. Bill went to work. Leeta came back with Thelma. Charlie here a few minutes.

January 30

Cold again. 20 below. Mrs. Weatherwax left for Ticonderoga on 1153 train. Hate to see her go. Will miss her. Ed in in the evening. Henry here too. Uncle Mose over in the afternoon to get Frank's address.

January 31

One month gone already. Winter can't go by too fast to suit me. Hope February will be ___ __. Cold again this morning. Worked at Miss Katherine's this forenoon, worked this afternoon. Henry here also Albert. Ed in evening. Seems funny not to see Mrs. Weatherwax across the way.

Week 17

2012-01-12T15:50:00.000-05:00

Outfit consists of:

Necklace: 1940s book locket found at Jean Jean Vintage

Sweater: acrylic sweater from Romeo & Juliet Couture found at TJ Maxx

Shirt: gray tee found at TJ Maxx

Jeans: dark wash skinny jeans from Domaine found at TJ Maxx

Boots: brown A2 by Aerosoles boots found at Kohls

Week 17 of this pregnancy and I'm frustrated. In my real life, my husband kindly calls me militant about my political views (but I emphasize I don't bring this into my classrooms) so it's no wonder that larger scale issues associated with pregnancy and parenting have more than set me on edge. I've been lumping these issues together into a category I call the politics of pregnacy, but they really touch on issues of social, political, and medical views of pregnancy and parenting.

What exactly has me angry? Well the issues are broad, but they really boil down to the core issue of how the female body in general, but specifically in relation to child having and raising, becomes public. In crafting the female body as a publicly accessible entity, women are constantly bombarded by social, political, and medical controls. Already during this pregnancy I've questioned fear-based medical practices associated with prenatal care, the invasion of personal space by strangers while pregnant, and the near constant litany of advice-forcing by every person you've ever known. The last one is yes, a bit tricky, but there's a marked difference between "Hey have you tried this? It worked for me and it may help!" and "You have to do this." or "You absolutely cannot do that."

There's been a few heated and lively discussions on my personal Facebook page about these issues and I've really wanted to have a forum in which to continue them and engage with a broader audience. I debated starting up a new blog specifically devoted to it, but I barely have time to keep up with one blog. I've also debated writing a series of essays, and I may still do this, but I'm hoping this sporadic series of posts will start as a proving ground for my ideas and concerns.

Least you be concerned that a vintage clothing blog will devolve into heated political debate, I doubt you need to worry. I intend for these posts to be infrequent, perhaps once or twice a month to start and if they prove successful I'll schedule a day for them. What does it actually mean in terms of content, well I'm hoping you'll help with some ideas. To begin with some topic ideas I've been thinking over, I've come up with:

1. Why has there been a shift in the American medical system wherein pregnancy information relies on fear (food lists, habits that will harm you and your fetus) rather than relaying health and wellness empowering practices? What can I do about this?

2. What is it about pregnancy that allows for strangers to feel the need to monitor and approve your individual behaviors? How do I get people to mind their own business?

3. How do I raise a child without gendered stereotypes or hetero-normative expectations of love and relationships?

So ladies (and gents if you're reading!) what about pregnancy and parenting have you struggled with?

The Red Shoes

2012-01-11T03:37:00.001-05:00

Source: guardian.co.uk via Vint on Pinterest

Last night I watched The Red Shoes (1948) as part of a poem I'm working on collecting imagery for. As I've mentioned before, I'm working on a series of poems about missing women in America, and Lola Celli, missing since 1946, is one of the women whose story I need to tell. There was a lot of mystery surrounding Lola's disappearance, but she was last seen wearing an aqua dress and red Cuban heels. Later, someone reported seeing a single red shoe in the middle of a nearby road. In the poem, I had originally planned on mixing imagery from The Wizard of Oz with Lola's story, but then I decided to connect it to other ominous connections with red shoes so that the poem can work more broadly.

I feel as though the only reason I know about The Red Shoes is because of commercials with Martin Scorsese in which he discusses the importance of saving our film history. It is unusual for me to have missed it until now given the fact that the film is considered one of Britain's greatest and it was a commercial success in America. In brief, The Red Shoes is a story within a story featuring a hopeful ballet dancer, Victoria, who is picked to perform the ballet The Red Shoes (based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale) while under the thumb of the controlling head of the ballet company, Lermontov. She falls in love with Julian, an aspiring musician who himself is quickly working his way up the ranks within the company eventually writing the score for the ballet The Red Shoes. This connection between Victoria and Julian spoils Lermontov's professional and personal plans for Victoria.

Source: guardian.co.uk via Vint on Pinterest

Martin Scorsese has a particular love for The Red Shoes calling it one of the greatest visual pieces shot in color film. It certainly does not disappoint on that record and the continued and pressing image of red ballet shoes connects the story of Victoria with that of her unnamed character in the ballet production. While the viewer is hopeful for a romance between Victoria and Julian to function despite Lermontov's opposition, the image of the red shoes is a message to the viewer that love can not prevail and that Victoria the dancer and Victoria's character in the ballet will both, quite pointedly, be danced to death.

While the imagery of the red shoes is what drew me to the film, and ultimately is what will be distilled into poetic form, it's also interesting to see The Red Shoes on a broader social and cinematographic level. Socially, the message imbedded within The Red Shoes is that women cannot have it all. While Victoria would love to have the presence of love and dance within her life, it is clear from the start that Lermontov, who has the power to influence the entirety of her career, does not think this is possible. This messaging is something that we continue to hear in regards to women who want to have family and career in their lives. This is something, we are told, that is just not possible. To be fair, Julian also experiences this pull and messaging, but he does not have to pay the price with his life in the same way that Victoria does.

Source: joelcrary.com via Vint on Pinterest

As a film about ballet, The Red Shoes fits into a larger genre and it's interesting to see how films borrow from one another, or are just plainly derivative in general. While Black Swan was hailed for its presentation and beauty, it clearly borrows heavily from its predecessor in terms of visual effect and atmosphere. I'm not sure if this makes Black Swan a more interesting film, or degrades its presence in the genre. If I had to choose between the two, I would most certainly pick The Red Shoes for its impressive score and more subtle movements.

And, before I go, I'll leave you with a Kate Bush video since this song and its containing album are inspired by the film.

Icons + Fashion

2012-01-09T09:03:00.001-05:00

I heard that Ebony magazine started a tumblr with magazine covers and ads and it's true. They only have a few pages thus far, but hopefully they'll be adding more soon. These were my favorites from the ones they have up. Icons + fashion = amazing!

Source: ebonymag.tumblr.com via Vint on Pinterest

Aretha Franklin, December 1971
This dress is stunning and let's just say it wouldn't look half as good on me as it does on the ever amazing Aretha.

Source: ebonymag.tumblr.com via Vint on Pinterest

Lena Horne, April 1962
I'm trying not to wish that I could tackle Lena Horne and steal her earrings, and check out that blue eyeshadow!

Source: ebonymag.tumblr.com via Vint on Pinterest

January 1970
I have no idea who this is, but I'm guessing since there isn't an accompanying front page blurb she's a model? If anyone knows, tell me!

Source: ebonymag.tumblr.com via Vint on Pinterest

Diana Ross, February 1970
Wow, just wow! And as a side note, I wish I was handy at eyeliner.

Collecting

2012-01-06T09:17:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed at Vint Condition I very rarely sell jewelry. While I tend to buy it for my own personal collection, I tend to stay away from it as a seller mostly because there are really fabulous and knowledgeable vintage and antique sellers who specialize in jewelry items. My collection is filled with pieces from my paternal great-grandmother and both grandmothers, lockets, modern beaded jewelry, and the amazing work of Lisa from tree & kimball.

In general, I don't collect much beyond vintage clothing, far too many shoes, and so many books that I'm pretty sure my house groans in protest whenever I add more, but lately I've been really interested in starting a collection of trench art rings. What are trench art rings, you ask? During times of war (and times waiting for war) soldiers made art and jewelry from whatever they had on hand. There's many examples of beautiful pieces created from cannonballs, shell casings, or even plaited pieces of straw.

source

Trench art rings in specific were often made from coins using the process you see here. Many of these rings also featured scratched on inscriptions detailing the year and place of the conflict or battle. The handiwork done on each of these rings means that they really are one of a kind pieces specific to the time and the individual creating them. They also invoke pieces of forgotten history as we often neglect to remember those who fought in various and lesser-known conflicts around the world or, in fact, even retain knowledge of those conflicts at all.

source

I've realized over time that even though military history was not my specialty in undergrad, I am interested in the physical remnants of those times. I can see this in the military jackets I own from my father and the military ring he bought me that I often wear. In yesterday's post you can see the army shirt I recently added to my collection and I'm certain that trench art rings are going to make their appearance on many gift lists in the future.

source

Announcement!

2012-01-05T13:24:00.000-05:00

I'm (finally) ready to announce some really big news. My husband and I are having a baby! Well, mostly I'm having a baby, but he's been pretty awesome in looking after us along the way.

Today I am officially 16 weeks, which places me very firmly in the second trimester and I have to say that things are finally looking up. My absence from the blog? Well, the first trimester was pretty rough. I won't say it was the worst, but it wasn't all that pleasant. It seems every pregnant and formerly pregnant woman regaled me with horror stories of their own experiences and in comparison I felt kind of wimpy, but I was perfectly fine with that. In the end, I simply tried to make sure I had enough energy to wrangle classes full of college students and stay on top of grading their assignments which meant it was necessary to reduce my efforts elsewhere.

But for now, baby, husband, and I are doing well. Little baby chickadee has an official due date of June 21st which happens to be my dad's birthday. In one of our last conversations, I asked him to please pick out some good kids for me, and I really believe he has.

October Week 2 Update

2011-10-16T23:51:00.003-04:00

I swear this blog won't be just shop updates! Right now I'm swamped in student papers, but I'll get back posting more interesting content soon!

1. 1960s herringbone woven Simon purse

2. 1950s mink wrap capelet

3. 1960s peter pan collar dress by Stacy Ames

4. 1950s beaded and cut work lace shell

5. 1980s/1990s Ipanema flats

One Item a Day!

2011-10-07T22:06:00.000-04:00

So in case my absence from the blog or the lack of new items in the shop hasn't clued you in, it seems this semester I'm having a balance issue with my work teaching and my work as a vintage shop owner. Much of September I did behind the scenes work organizing inventory and setting up the pop up shop, but that hasn't been a visible and tangible experience for most of my online customers. To change this, I challenged myself to list one item every weekday. It's a small but achievable goal, and one I feel like I can manage even when I'm staring down a stack of student essays.

This week has worked out well. I hope you enjoy the latest items to make their way into the shop this week and look forward to more coming next week.

1. 1960s acetate jersey shift dress by Sacony

2. 1970s polyester dress, handmade

3. 1960s knit graphic print dress, no label

4. 1950s wool plaid dress, handmade

5. late 1950s/early 1960s graphic print acrylic sweater by Bobbie Brooks

6. 1950s black wicker purse made in Hong Kong

7. 1980s brown leather jacket by Berman's

Next week, shades of brown including vintage furs, a branch print dress, and a golden purse.

A Vint Condition Sale!

2011-09-04T11:34:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the weekend, I'm having a 25% off sale in the store. Prices are already marked down, so you don't have to remember any special coupon codes to score a great deal. All you have to do is head over to the shop before 11:59pm EST on Monday night and pick out your favorite item.

We already have dresses traveling to China and Australia, so make sure you're not missing out on that find you've been keeping your eye on!

Bumblebee

2011-09-02T14:47:00.001-04:00

I remember hearing that nature doesn't make mistakes when it comes to color. I think, though the memory is hazy, it could have come from Genevieve Gorder of HGTV fame. So today, I stuck to yellow and black. It felt a bit like cheating since I was wearing the oft present neutral, black, but just work with me here!

On another note, it seems to be getting warmer instead of cooler. I need to remind myself to wear lighter (see Wednesday's post) more breathable (see today's post) fabrics. Because really, it's not appealing to teach while a sweaty mess.

Today is an extra light vintage day:

Outfit consists of:

Shirt: yellow blouse by Merona found at Target

Belt: 1980s black vintage belt stolen from a dress

Skirt: black ruffled skirt by Max Studio found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: black and white sandals by Merona found at Target

Back to School

2011-08-31T16:57:00.000-04:00

Monday was supposed to be the first day of school, but following the devastation of Irene, class was canceled. Sunday night we left home just before midnight as the river quickly began to rise. It came up about a foot in an hour. We were reasonably confident it wouldn't reach the house but we weren't certain we would be able to leave our driveway. We returned to the house in the morning to find that the river had risen up past the bridge. Needless to say, we realize how fortunate we are to have our home and each other.

But on campus, everything is back to normal. We're stepping quickly into the semester, so I thought I'd begin the school year by posting my first day outfit.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: chocolate brown sweater by a.n.a. found at J.C. Penny

Top: abstract print tank by Petticoat Alley found at TJ Maxx

Belt: brown belt found at TJ Maxx

Skirt: 1980s cobalt blue skirt found at Goodwill

Shoes: brown platform sandals by Nine West found at Marshall's

Take 2

2011-08-14T16:05:00.000-04:00

Before:

After:

So yesterday Alex of Vintage by Alex Keller weighed in on our new backdrop and confirmed my earlier suspicions: too shiny, too much pattern. Not one to let grass grow beneath my feet, I began my mission right after getting out of bed this morning.

I decided, finally, to get rid of my white wall. I was thinking a nice neutral tan would be great. Most sellers opt for gray because it's such a chill background color and I was thinking I could differentiate myself by choosing another nice neutral. Um wrong. You see here in our house we have a problem. We call it the gray paint problem, but if you catch me on the right day I'll say the problem is my husband. You see, he's nixed all colors in the warmer end of the spectrum. No reds, oranges, yellows. Which leaves us with all the cool colors, of which there is a range, but we both prefer the ones with a heavy amount of gray undertones. The living room: a green gray. The kitchen: a gray brown. The bedroom: a gray green. My husband's office: a gray blue. In fact, the only rooms that we've painted and painted a different color include our entryway which is a deep purple blue and my office which is a darker tan.

So this morning I set out to find our paints. My first thought was to use our kitchen color, but I couldn't find it. My second thought was to use my office color, but I couldn't find it. My third thought was to use one of the Benjamin Moore quarts that we had, surely there must be some other color in there! Nope. They were all shades of gray. I tested the paints that I did have and finally decided to go with the one in my husband's office Uncertain Gray by Sherwin Williams. On the south side of the house, this color reads much more blue gray, but on the north side of the house where my work space it reads more of a steady gray.

There you have it, my new background. It won't stay this way for ever. I'm rearranging some space in the house and I'll be giving up this space, but for the foreseeable future the Vint Condition photos will be on an Uncertain Gray background.

New Family Member

2011-08-13T16:30:00.000-04:00

Meet the latest member of the Vint Condition family, Eileen. Eileen was found today at an auction, and after a pretty fierce bidding war in which I spent more than I anticipated, Eileen came home with me. I think she actually would have gone for more, but she had a hideous rubbery head plopped on the top. We got quite a few strange looks as we carried her to the car.

Eileen is a J. R. Bauman dress form. I've wanted one of these for awhile, and not just because Bauman and Bauman/Wolf dress forms are all the rage amongst etsy sellers. I wanted to use a vintage dress form since it fits with the whole concept of selling vintage clothes. On a practical level. I also wanted to have a dress form that isn't white. While Peggy (our other dress form) is a breeze to work with, Victorian whites and light colored clothing doesn't show up well against her.

Speaking of things showing up, we're entertaining opinions about our new backdrop. I made a wallpaper backdrop out of, well, wallpaper and a window shade. It's not perfect and if I had to do it again I wouldn't pick wallpaper with quite so much shine. I'm on the fence about it thus far, but it does have the advantage of creating contrast. What do you think?

A Pop-Up Shop!

2011-08-12T13:01:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I queried my friends and acquaintances on Facebook. I wanted to know if I rented a booth in an antique store if they would be more likely to shop from me than buy online. They response was that they would. They wanted to see the clothes in person. While they're always welcome to stop by my home, I don't know if they always feel comfortable doing so alone. A few days after that, I received an email asking if I had ever considered doing a trunk show or party with a select group of people who could peruse the vintage goods. While I'm not ready to bring my selections out of the house, because that involves a lot of foresight in terms of display, I am ready to host my first ever pop up shop from my gorgeous front porch.

On September 24th and 25th, everyone is invited to shop Vint Condition in person. There will be a select collection of dresses, skirts, and accessories that I've been hoarding just for a moment like this. I'll also have light refreshments available. I would love for people to come and hang out rather than shop and rush off.

I wanted to do this specifically for the ladies of northern New York. We don't have a vintage clothing store in the area, and in fact I travel far and wide to round up the vintage I do have. If this is a success, we'll keep doing it. So if you're local, help out and spread the word. The event is here on facebook, so share the event with your friends, post it on your own wall, and come join me in September for what should be a lovely time!

Disappearing Act

2011-08-11T18:59:00.000-04:00

I didn't intend to fall off the earth, to stop blogging, or emailing, or talking for that matter. This summer, though, I'm taking some time to myself to be quiet. It's not that I haven't been busy, some days I wonder when the last time that I stayed home actually was, but when I am here I'm working on my writing and that takes the front seat in terms of time, energy, and head space.

Some of you know that I've been working on a collection of poems about missing women. There's only so much I can do at a time before I feel like my nerves are raw. When that happens, there's no room left for a bit to actually create a beautiful piece that honors them. At least that's my end goal, to create a poem that captures a moment or a piece of their essence.

When I can't go near the poems or my stack of printouts detailing their cases, I work on nonfiction. The outlook over there isn't much better since I've been writing about my dad and now a true crime piece. But still, I'm working, writing.

Now with the change of the seasons I'm shifting gears. I'm making plans for the shop, getting ready to head back to teach, and I'll be here again, maybe not as much and maybe slowly at first, but I'll be back. I've missed you all.

Take 2

2011-04-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Pattern is such a rarity in my closet. Obviously solid colors are easier to work with and pair up and this is why they overwhelm my closet. I'm slowly starting to embrace patterns and I've noticed I'm particularly drawn to abstract ones. I like the idea of seemingly random splotches of color that resemble a painter's palette.

Do you have any wardrobe hangups that you're working to overcome?

Outfit consists of:

Jacket: black cropped blazer by Allison Taylor found at Last Chance

Blouse: abstract print tank by Petticoat Alley found at TJ Maxx

belt: vintage black skinny belt borrowed from another dress

Skirt: vintage skirt found at Nautie Godiva

Shoes: black peep toes by apeppaza found at Last Chance

This skirt showed up earlier this semester here.

Spring Slump

2011-04-25T15:00:00.001-04:00

It's the time of the year when my winter pallor starts to catch up with me. I'm exhausted, ready for warm weather, yearning to open up all the windows. I'm ready to recoup and reset. This week, I'm going to make an appointment for a haircut, because let's face it, my hair has gone from fabulously tousled to heavily bedraggled. I also need a good night's sleep and to actually pick up some makeup at the store.

Even though I can't plant flowers yet, I can wear them. Nothing says spring like a bright floral blouse. I plan on mixing this a whole bunch of ways so expect to see it again.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: chocolate brown cardigan by Merona found at Target

Blouse: 1960s Mr. Dino shell found at Miss Wonderful 1950

Belt: skinny brown belt found at TJ Maxx

Pants: cream linen pants by classique entier found at Last Chance

Shoes: yellow suede platform sandals by Franco Sarto found at Last Chance

Not Vintage But Plenty Political

2011-04-23T00:55:00.001-04:00

I make no secret of the fact that I'm plenty pro-choice. We live in a climate where people comfortably proclaim their anti-choice/pro-life views, but to express that you're pro-choice is something to keep quiet. We allow ourselves to be silenced, and in the end we can only blame ourselves for this. The only place I ever keep my political views to myself is the classroom since I believe that students should develop their own critical thoughts and expressive selves without adjusting their views to suit my own.

So here I am, yesterday on Good Friday. I rolled out of bed and dressed for warmth, not fashion. On went my jeans, my cowl, my thrifted jacket. I added to it a sign provided by my local Planned Parenthood. You see, every year my small town health center gets 150-200 anti-choice protesters standing outside its doors. In turn, PP holds a visibility event. I'm here to support them because I want a world in which men and women can access preventative health care, sexual health education, birth control options, and yes, abortion if they choose to. Because that's what choice really means, the choice to seek services or not, the choice to make the right decisions for yourself whatever those may be.

We live in a world in which we try to boil everything down to its simplest points. Don't believe for a second that either side is just drawing a line in the sand over the issue of abortion. Because the truth is greater and messier than that.

I'll step down off my soapbox for now and we'll get back to our regularly scheduled vintage ASAP.

Worn Vintage

2011-04-20T16:37:00.000-04:00

Today I'm wearing a dress that's probably in its last stages of life, but I plan on keeping it and wearing it anyway. When I bought it, it was bound for the shop but the overhead lights in the store kept me from seeing some pretty major flaws. This dress is wash faded, heading more towards gray than black. The fading is a bit heavier on the sleeve where it looks like it got some sun fading. The white apostrophes or commas are painted on and are chipping here and there and there's a small hole on the back of the sleeve. All of these flaws made me hold back from listing it in the shop and on a whim I tried it on this morning.

It fit, so it's now mine and I love it so much it's going to stay with me.

Do you have vintage with flaws that you still love despite the issues? Or vintage that you love because of their issues?

Outfit consists of:

dress: 1950s black vintage dress found at Goodwill

tank: red lace trim tank found at TJ Maxx

belt: vintage black skinny belt borrowed from another dress

shoes: red ballet flats found at Last Chance

Weekend Snippets

2011-04-16T08:26:00.003-04:00

Admire

Andreea of Thrill of the Heel looks absolutely amazing in this outfit. I love this idea for work (although I'd have to wear a longer skirt) and I always advocate for black in any outfit.

I love all of the outfits this week, but I confess this is my favorite. It's the perfect blend of vintage and modern. I feel like I could easily wear this to work, but it has a bit more edge than my typical choices with the addition of that jacket. You can follow her here on chictopia.

Coury of Fancy Treehouse has miles of style. I love this classic vintage dress and that amazing basket purse. **sigh**

Do you think Lexi of The Second Shop would mind if I stole her dress? And her sweater? I hope not because I want to.

This dress is Jacqueline's first online vintage purchase! I love to see people trying it out. Jacqueline shortened this dress a bit and I think the length is so much more flattering.

I love the combination of mustard and blue in this outfit styled by Mitzi of Night Lights. Plus, Mitzi's coat is super lovely and has ruffles. I adore me some ruffles.

Read

Staring down death because of fashion? Lady Edith Russell, a lady of fashion and style, almost didn't escape the Titanic because of her choice in skirts. Read about it here and listen to Lady Russell speak here.

Brush up on your 1920s slang. I now know I need to avoid Corn Shredders and Dewdroppers.

Participate

Was your mom super stylish? I know my mom was. She got married in pink at the county court house. If you loved your mom's style, you can submit photos of her to My Mom the Style Icon. I'm pretty sure I can sense my mom scrambling to hide her photos as we speak.

Birthday Suit

2011-04-15T15:45:00.000-04:00

Well, not quite. Today is my birthday. There's a few presents sitting in front of me and I'm trying to resist opening them. Delayed gratification for sure. I'm suprised my husband left them downstairs with me without supervision since I'm the master of opening gifts, peeking, and wrapping them back up.

This is my first birthday without my dad. If he was here, he would be giving me a hug and making me a steak for dinner. Instead, earlier this week I used the gift card that I bought him for his last birthday to get myself a book. I pretended that it was like him buying it for me. If he was here, I would tell him that this book is the start of my research for a new set of poems I'll be working on. It's a long way off, this project, but this is the start.

Here is my outfit today. As my students said, it's a bit Lion King:

Outfit Consists of:

Sweater: black cardigan by Cable & Gauge found at TJ Maxx

Blouse: black drape front cardigan by soprano found at TJ Maxx

Belt: 1980s black belt borrowed from a vintage dress

Skirt: 1970s yellow lion print full skirt found on ebay

Shoes: black peep toe wedges found at TJ Maxx

And since I forgot to post on Wednesday, here's what I wore then:

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: coral cardigan by Gap found at Second Time Around

Belt: skinny brown belt found at TJ Maxx

Skirt: vintage skirt found at Cheap Jack's

Shoes: brown platform sandals by Nine West found at Marshall's

Thelma

2011-04-14T21:27:00.000-04:00

Today would have been my grandmother's 93rd birthday. When I was growing up, I loved that our birthdays were so close together because it seemed like the cosmos were confirming how close we were in life. For a lot of reasons, I spent a huge portion of my childhood tromping over to her house. She lived next door and I spent long summer hours sitting on the cool cement of her steps. We looked after each other as strange as that may seem given that I was just a kid.

My grandmother was a tough lady, not in terms of her personality, but in her ability to survive and make do with what came her way. She was born in 1918, the only daughter of Albina and William. Her father was a carpenter and her mother cleaned houses. They lived in a small house in town filled with visiting family. She never finished high school. The first time she married, I would like to believe it was out of love, but maybe I'm just saying that because I want that for her, I want to believe that she felt that bright and shining moment of early love. That marriage didn't work out and neither did the next one or the next one. By the time she finished with her third marriage, she was done with men and I can't say that I really blame her. Though obviously she was a common denominator in all of these relationships, I believe it was less her fault and more her inability to partner with men who were in a good place in their own lives.

As I said in my earlier wedding post, my grandmother worked and saved to secure her own property not long after her first husband (my grandfather) left. She worked hard, weathered a lot of storms by her own self-sufficiency and despite some missteps along the way, raised two of the greatest guys I know.

My grandmother didn't have a lot of advantages in terms of education or finances, but what she did have she managed to share with others. Many people who hadn't spoken to her in years came to us after she passed away to let us know that they survived and managed based on what she was able to give to them. I think she would have brushed off any compliments, she wasn't one to take them, but I'm proud that we shared this life together.

Thelma wasn't one to embrace fashion in any way. She made her own clothes which were constructed for practical purposes, she cut her own hair, and tended to dodge the eye of the camera. But here, is my lovely grandma in the few moments she was caught by the camera:

This is my grandmother and grandfather in 1937

My grandmother and my father in 1943

My grandmother wearing my grandfather's suit

Some Days are Better than Others

2011-04-11T15:37:00.000-04:00

This is not one of those days.

I could complain, because trust me I have plenty to say, but this is neither the place or the time for that. Instead, I'll focus on the positive:

1. my vintage to modern ratio for my outfit is leaning heavily toward vintage. I love the apricot color of this skirt!

2. I finally renewed my driver's license! It expires Friday, so that's one less thing to worry about.

3. It's 55 right now with an expected high of 73. This means the snow is melting and the river is rising which is fascinating to watch from our direction (hat is if it doesn't rise more)

4. I started spring cleaning the house starting with cleaning my carpets and couch. Surely I'm not the only one who finds it cathartic to see all the nasty stuff that used to live in your carpets being drained away.

5. I've got a new poetry project started in my head. It's going to live there for awhile until the first one comes to fruition, but for now it's germinating.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: chocolate brown cardigan by Spense found at Marshall's

Blouse: 1950s cream blouse by Morlove found on Ebay

Belt: 1950s brown belt rescued from a trashed dress found at auction

Skirt: 1980s apricot pencil skirt found at Birds Chasing Bugs

Shoes: brown platform sandals by Nine West found at Marshall's

Weekend Snippets

2011-04-09T08:53:00.008-04:00

Admire

I've linked to Polly of The Littlest Polly before, but how could I not. That girl has great style. I feel like I would wear an outfit like this, but she takes it to another level with her unexpected shoe choice.

Brit of Disarming Darling does some pattern mixing and DIY to come up with this one. It makes me want to snip away at some awkward 70s pants to make them into awesome shorts. I also love how the outfit pulls together tonally and that purse she has is too wonderful.

Ally of The Vintage Valley has achieved outfit perfection in this one. A graphic print dress paired with bright red, but then she adds the unexpected brown shoes and yellow hat. The whole thing is delightfully charming.

Over at Some Like it Haute there's the originator of this lovely outfit. I love the classic lady look on top and the heavier boots on the bottom. This is also some vintage dress DIY, so remember to think of possibilities when out thrifting!

Hey there cute outfit from Kitsune-kun! This is being tucked away in my head as an inspiration for work clothes. I feel like I'm obsessed with longer skirts right now and this one is extremely flattering. Also, plaid love!

Morgan of The Treasure Trove thrifted this great vintage skirt and I like seeing someone working a midi-length. What on some can be awkward looks perfect on her. I love the classic black and white with the pops of red.

Read

CNN's fashion focus takes a look at Nashville where there's a lot of vintage integration and thrifting finds.

Real Simple has a guide to creating a wardrobe-malfunction kit. Since I've been that girl walking around with a magically unbuttoning skirt, I think I should make one. What do you carry with you?

Check out a brief look at the use of white for wedding dresses. Queen Victoria not so much the originator she's painted as being.

This is actually more of a view, but check out the original photo sources for some pinup pictures at Buzzfeed. What I really love is how in the original photos the ridiculous facial expressions and awkward body positions become much more apparent.

Learn

A guest post over on Casey's blog Elegant Musings on how to make a fabric necklace. I have one of these that I bought years ago at H&M and just might have to whip out the ol' sewing machine and try my hand at this.

I'm kind of in love with old school tutorials and educational videos in general. In fact, I've found a whole channel through my Roku box and can watch them til my heart's content. Check out this one on making the most of your face shape.

The Flamenco Dancer

2011-04-08T17:34:00.001-04:00

That's what my students said I looked like when I walked into class. While for all sorts of reasons I can't get into what happened today, I can say that I needed some extra sass on my side. This blouse just came in the mail and I couldn't resist heading out in it almost immediately. I'm sure this gorgeous beauty will get quite a bit of wardrobe airtime in the future.

And with that, I will end this relatively short blog post and collapse into a puddle on my couch.

Outfit consists of:

Blouse: vintage mustard silk tiered blouse found at Pickled Vintage

Skirt: black pencil skirt by classiques entier found at Last Chance

Tights: black Hue tights found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: black peep toes by apepazza found at Last Chance

How to Land a Man in Just 16 Easy Steps "The Girls of Pleasure Island" Way

2011-04-07T04:08:00.004-04:00

*as a warning, you probably shouldn't read this if you actually want to watch the movie. I will also say I don't want to make light of war or the pain of waiting for a loved one to return, but rather add commentary about romantic conventions.

1. Live on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere, but in a strategically placed location so that it will make sense that a herd of Marines wants to use your pretty little island as a landing strip. Even though this island is already packed with men, they're only there to serve your family and as we know British ladies like yourself don't talk to servants. Use this to your advantage. Any of your awkward moments can easily be excused away by your sheltered upbringing.

2. Live in a nice house. Just because you can and because men will naturally flock to the only place on the island the looks like it has all the comforts of home. This will drastically reduce the amount of effort it takes to sort through all those men once said 1,500 soldiers conveniently fall into your lap.

3. Make the most of your windfall by being the right sister. Obviously the saucy and freakishly worldly older sister won't work. We all know that girls who like a good time never land the man. It also doesn't pay to be the youngest one (sorry for the bad screenshot, darling!). She's stuck wearing pigtails and awkwardly puffy dresses. And as we know, the youngest sister is always the most man crazy and obnoxious. She's only bound for superficial puppy love heartbreak.

But the middle sister? Yes. You're literally the glue that holds the family together. You're responsible, mature, capable, and the most virtuous. Let a man see you put on stockings? I don't think so. Let a man get fresh with you? Hell no! After all, you know he'll respect you more later which is the golden path to landing a man and a ring.

4. Select the man. Sure you could meet a few guys, have a few laughs over tea and crumpets, maybe even do some island fun like walking the beaches or swimming, but it's best just to pick the first one who has any sort of authority and talks to you. Bonus points if he likes to be shirtless. In 60 years when the ideal body type for men is completely changed, you may question this attraction, but don't think too hard about it now.

5. Let the shirtless man kiss you a bit on the beach. Remember hands must remain firmly placed above the waist at all times. Limit the kiss to less than 10 seconds.

6. Act horrified over said kiss. Tell him that it's your first, this will remind him that you're virtuous and pure and his manly lips are the only ones that have been on yours. Be sure also to question him about how free he is with his kisses. This line of questioning serves the following purposes: 1. reminds him of your virtue (again) 2. lets you know how many ladies he's been canoodling with before you 3. will wring a confession from him along the lines of how you are the best kiss he's ever had. Now don't you feel better?

7a. Bathe in the bubble bath that he gave you. It's important not to question why he's on a tropical island in the middle of a war carrying a bottle of bubbles in his knapsack, just luxuriate in sudsy heaven before the party that you're throwing him and all the other officers. All of this will ensure man feels special and makes him feel like he bestowed his bubbles upon the right lady.

7b. Make sure you luxuriate long enough that the perfume soaks into your pores and hope the fumes will disorientate your shirt-deficient hero long enough that he won't notice your wonky eye.

8. Expect that your party will be broken up by the sudden departure of the Marine unit. You know that the plot has to thicken somehow, but be sure that you have a look of surprise on your face when he rushes to your house to let you know. It's okay, but only as long as you've been following the plan. We know you haven't done much beyond that sneaky beach kiss, but if you threw in some longing looks and thoughtful nods you should be good. Make sure you get a promise that he'll come back to you. After all, you're not the one going anywhere, right?

9. Stand solemly on the dock as the men leave. Don't cry, but look sad. Your man will know that you're one tough lady but that you have a soft side as well.

10. Commence moping. Look through everything he ever gave you. Wait, what is that you say? You only have a drawing pad? Make sure you return to it again and again. Also insist to everyone you see that he's the type of man who will remember you exist once the war is over and return to your waiting arms. Glare at anyone who points out that you only knew him for five seconds.

11. Make sure you vary the scenery while moping. Mope by the dock.

13. Mope by a rusted out jeep in the middle of the jungle.

14. Mope by the ocean late into the evening.

15. Be prepared for your family to suddenly decide to leave the island after living there for twenty years or so while you're in the middle of moping. Protest! You need to wait for your man! How will he ever find you!

16. Spend your last day moping on the beach waiting for his return in mildly inappropriate clothing for sandy sitting. This is the moment of truth, after all. Will he arrive in time? Walk the beach alone, head cast down, locked in your own thoughts. This causes you to miss the arrival of an airplane and your manly man calling your name as he runs down the beach toward you. Finally hear him and run toward him. Wrap your arms around him.

He has returned! You are victorious!

Cue palm trees and end credits.

Weekend Snippets

2011-04-02T08:38:00.005-04:00

Admire:

The darling Sarah Louise (who runs Slubird and Branchbound) took a trip to Nashville and wore this lovely outfit. Perhaps because of the soft blue color of the Rodarte dress she reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, but the real inspiration point is the gorgeous collar she scored while down there.

Talk about glam perfection. I'm dying with jealousy over Nicole of Gary Pepper Vintage's pitch perfect outfit.

Zoe of Lion Heart Vintage is utterly adorable in this. Who wouldn't love to mix leopard and lacey crocheting so easily! And of course, I love her Fieldguided canvas bag.

Celita of Celita Daily Style channels some Edie Sedgwick in this stylish outfit that features a vintage hat and trench. I love the hit of leopard in there!

When I was 17, I was awkward and poorly dressed. I can't say the same for Chloe of Urban Tease who has buckets full of style. She's wearing an adorable subtely printed vintage shirt paired with a skirt she made herself. Kudos to Chloe!

This Chloe is also spectacular. I love the layering and the pairings of color and texture. Plus, eyelet shorts! Me want!

The Style Voyager looks wonderful in this striped vintage dress. Extra subtle addition to this perfection happens with her tights that also have banding! And I vow to get a hat like the ones she's wearing.

Vintage skirt with a cat print? You so know I'm in love and Annalise of Hummingbird Girls pairs it beautifully with a modern sweater and vintage hat.

Read:

This Victorian dress was made from 1,000 beetle wings and worn by Ellen Terry when she walked the boards in London's Lyceum Theatre as Lady Macbeth. It's beyond words stunning.

The Sartorialist posts pictures of this beautiful woman and decides that in addition to fashion, he finds it necessary to add commentary about her body. Anger ensues. But follow Angelica Ardasheva regularly here.

Learn:

Vanessa of The Velvet Bird takes matters into her own hands and makes the perfect pair of Audrey Hepburn inspired capris. She shows you how at the link so you can have a pair too!

Participate:

Mystery abounds over the contents of a vintage locket over at Duff's blog. Care to hazard a guess at the mystery lady?

Change of Plans

2011-04-01T16:07:00.000-04:00

I had a slightly different outfit planned for today. I had intended on more pattern mixing but my leopard print tights didn't exactly seem work appropriate and I wasn't feeling up to my lace ones, so plain black it was. Also, I wanted to wear my 1980s Flora Kung red silk skirt that used to be in the shop but crept into my closet the other day, but the weather seemed more sweater skirt than silk skirt. Then I couldn't find my solid black belt. I suspect it's under a pile of clothes, but when you're running late like I was, looking seemed too daunting and time consuming. So here it is, a close cousin of the outfit I had planned.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: drape front cardigan by Joie found at Last Chance

Top: tie dye print tank by a.n.a found at JC Penny

Belt: clear and black belt found at Last Chance

Skirt: red sweater skirt found at Goodwill

Tights: black tights found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: black peep toes by apeppaza found at Last Chance

The Genius of Vivienne Westwood

2011-03-31T08:56:00.005-04:00

I must confess an adoration of Vivienne Westwood's designs. I love her range and evolution of style in her clothing. As for Westwood herself, while I don't find myself agreeing with a lot of her statements, I do enjoy how brash and unabashedly herself she is. She's unapologetic and forthright. I imagine conversation with her would be a whirlwind.

For Westwood fans, or simply fans of fashion, the Museum at FIT is hosting an exhibition of her work. It's through their accompanying site to the exhibition that I found this interview with Westwood:

I love that she confesses to hating being a designer and that the love of her profession had to develop over time.

And then this awkward 1988 interview with the BBC:

The whole thing makes me cringe. It makes me wonder why they chose to invite her on the show when their intention was to ridicule her and her work. Westwood begins the show thinking she will seriously be able to preview her work not expecting that the goal was to poke fun at her reputation.

What are your thoughts on Vivienne Westwood?

Pattern Mixing: Attempt 1

2011-03-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

The fashion blogger world is abuzz with the new spring concepts: color blocking and pattern mixing. I'm a failure at both and quite honestly I lack a lot of pattern in my wardrobe. Color blocking I may be able to handle, but pattern mixing?

Today I stuck a toe out into the waters of pattern mixing, and it felt just fine. I know that color is more prominent in a lot of mixing that I see, but it's still so wintery here that I'm tucked into my wool skirts and cozy sweaters which lean heavily toward the neutral side.

Outfit consist of:

Sweater: black and white striped cardigan by Talbots found at Goodwill

Top: black tank top by Express found at TJ Maxx

Belt: black and clear belt found at Last Chance

Skirt: 1980s wool skirt by Christina found at Goodwill

Tights: black and white patterned tights found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: black Nine West shoes found at TJ Maxx

Schoolgirl Style

2011-03-27T02:07:00.002-04:00

This weekend I took in Sucker Punch at our local theater. I had hoped for a film that was visually interesting and yet capable of exploring the divide between fantasy world and reality all the while keeping up with a strong female character. I guess I had hoped for too much. I heartily recommend avoiding this film and if you want to read full reviews of it go here and here, but I warn you they contain plot spoilers.

The wardrobe choices of this film left it near impossible to consider this a movie of female empowerment, although I'm sure some critics would disagree. Babydoll, the main character, is committed to an insane asylum shortly after her mother's death. What follows is her escape to a dreamscape of a dance brothel and then from there an additional layer of escapism as her mind flees to various surreal battlefields.

In each of these dreamscapes that she constructs, Babydoll wears schoolgirl outfits. While school uniforms and schoolgirls themselves used to be pretty innocuous, our contemporary culture has sexualized this image. Google schoolgirl and you will most assuredly find scantily clad women and older teen youths. Perhaps it is first a failure of the film to properly develop the character enough that her wardrobe choices seem like a natural extension of her being, but whatever the cause, the viewer is left with yet another empty sexed up ingenue. It is not the actual image of the schoolgirl herself, but the lack of appropriate context that seems irksome to me, as though the outfit is less about presentation of self and more about subjecting her to the male moviegoer's gaze.

After viewing this, I decided to do a retrospective on the schoolgirl look over the past 90 years, how we progressed from classic conservative staple to over-saturated images of dance pop videos featuring the likes of Britney Spears.

1920s
Hemlines swiftly make their way upward from Edwardian ideals and we officially welcome in the first recognizable schoolgirl look. We often forget how dramatic a cultural shift we took from Edwardian ladies to the next decade's styles. Short pleated skirts paired with loose, often sailor inspired blouses, were the hallmarks of this style.

1930s
Shorter skirts become ingrained in school uniforms, further entrenching the schoolgirl style. The photo used above features young women in Australia indicating that the style was not a local or regional style.

1940s
We're all in love with seperates, so much so that they pinafore was a strong schoolgirl style contender. Skirts have a bit of pleating and plaid and schoolgirl start their connection here.

1950s
This is the era that brings us one of the strongest images of schoolgirl style that we have today: the Catholic schoolgirl. Outfits and uniforms worn to Catholic schools are by necessity conservative and easily replicated.

1960s
Schoolgirl style takes a big turn in the 1960s. Mary Quant takes credit for creating the miniskirt and it seems as though women and teens rejoice. Hemlines are drastically brought up especially when held to their 1950s predecessors. Tartan also takes off in the 1960s and we'll always make the connection between the style and the pattern.

1970s

As the subversive culture shifts more strongly from hippie to punk, the schoolgirl look picks up steam as a sexualized image. Debbie Harry of Blondie is a strong example of this look. The skirt lengths are shorter, and here paired with thigh highs and a hint of skin showing, the message is clear.

1980s

The sexual overtones of the 1970s are tempered in the 1980s by the overblown and oversized form. Here, from the movie Heathers, we see an example of the requisite plaid skirts paired with weighty blazers. While the blazers shift in and out of current interest depending on where we are on the love/hate pendulum when we consider the 1980s, the skirts are really still top form and classic.

1990s

The schoolgirl look becomes inescapable and the hyper-sexualization of the schoolgirl look is back in full form by the 1990s. The movie Clueless captured how omnipresent this style was with shortened hemlines and tighter fits. Britney Spears knocked it up a few notches with her controversial (at the time) take on the full schoolgirl uniform. With her midriff exposed and her pleated skirt sporting a dangerous hemline, critics couldn't decide if they should be critiquing the culturally complicated lyrics of her hit song or her decision to embrace a look that was heavily circulated in pornography.

Weekend Snippets

2011-03-26T08:06:00.007-04:00

Great Cedar Tree, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC 1897 - photo from the Musee McCord Museum Collection

Read:

This week marked the passing of Elizabeth Taylor. Glamorous, gorgeous, and endlessly fascinating, Elizabeth Taylor was the very definition of screen legend. Check out this 1949 Time article billing Taylor as the film industry's savior.

CNN, surprisingly, has started a series on fashion trends around the world. Rather than high fashion, they're focusing on street fashion. First up, Idaho and then San Francisco. The comments are really rather negative, but that seems to be the trend for most internet articles.

Participate:

If you wear vintage, try sharing your outfits with this great Flickr group of other rad ladies wearing vintage.

This weekend is another Maple Weekend in New York State. I missed my pancake breakfast last weekend, but I'm certain I will go this weekend. Go on, support some local maple farms!

Learn:

Jezebel gives some tips to buying vintage in their ongoing "How to Shop Online" series. It focuses solely on fit. I'll note that they forget to add that there should be a difference between your body measurements and the garment measurements or else it's just not going to work.

Admire:

Over at Haiku Ambulance, Zoe is rocking my favorite pair of socks (get thee to Target now before they're all gone, gone, gone) and manages a crochet collar perfectly. **sigh**

If I could drive to Kaitlyn of Buffalo Stance's house, tackle her, steal these boots and run off with glee, I would.

Polly of The Littelest Polly takes a gorgeous turn of the century wedding dress and makes it work as everyday wear.

While the snow is still falling here in NY, down in TN the weather seems positively spring like. Quincy of Q's Daydream makes me jealous for warm weather in her amazing spring ensemble that includes pants!

I'm not really into shorts personally, as in I never ever wear them, but I would make an exception for the pair that Mary is wearing on her blog Mary Van Notes. She does some ultra skillful color matching/combining as well.

Jenna of Smitten Ideology is just plain adorable. I recently stumbled across her blog and love the layering she does. Her outfits are lovely, but I'm linking to this one because she's wearing a hint of vintage.

Megan of Another Day to Dress Up is spot on in her boyfriend jeans and vintage blazer. I love this look so much that I've resolved to copy it soon. I particularly like how the bright colored blazer lining is exposed.

Tanya and Noa have a great blog where they use thrifted and vintage finds to replicate contemporary looks. Noa recently posted a piece about her $1.00 thrifted harem pants. I love how she paired opposing stripes for a great visual effect, and really, those harem pants are wonderful.

Monday Road Trip

2011-03-22T02:23:00.000-04:00

I can't remember the last time I went to a concert. Wait, yes I can. Four years ago, Death Cab. It's been an embarrassingly long time and since I've been feeling so edgy lately my husband looked at my long concert list I handed him and is trying to put a dent in it. He's not usually so quick on such things, but I middle of the night messaged him a list and by morning he was waking me up to tell me that we were going to go see Cold War Kids. I confess they aren't extremely high on my list of must listen to bands, but a portion of their songs are enjoyable.

Since I do live in the middle of nowhere, we had to drive to Vermont to see the concert. And since this is the frigid north, the roads looked like the photo below. Of course this also has something to do with VT's heinous road policy. I can assure you the NY side of things looked much better.

To get to VT, we have to travel by ferry. Travel time is often dependent on catching the ferry and we were out of luck since they were roping it off while we were at the ticket booth which meant a wait until the next one. Fortunately for the wait and the ride I amused myself by taking photos of us. My husband hates when I do this, but look, he's just so darn cute (and please ignore my snow-frizzed hair)!

And because there is a marked difference between my casual wear and my work wear, I've included a full outfit photo below. There's only a bit of vintage present mostly because I abandoned my other outfit choices after realizing the snow wasn't going to stop. What's significant about this outfit is two things really: 1) my tunic, but more on that shortly and 2) leggings, apparently this is the first outfit that was legging approved by my husband who keeps calling them tights and was weirded out by them when I tried them on several times before. He never usually mentions anything about my clothing choices, so I think he's trying to politely say too much of my butt was showing.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: drape front black cardigan by Joie found at Last Chance

Tunic: cotton green and black empire waist tunic by Magazine found at Marshall's

Belt: 1980s black belt borrowed from a thrifted dress

Leggings: gray leggings found at H&M

Socks: black and silver sparkle socks found at TJ Maxx

Boots: black suede buckle boots by dv found at TJ Maxx

So what's so interesting about that tunic? Meet my 2007 Marshall's purchase. Light and airy it seemed perfect for travel. As in China/Tibet 2007. Some evidence below:

The thing about packing a medium sized half-full suitcase (saving room for purchases) for a five week long trip is that eventually you'll have to wear the items in there over and over and over. This tunic (or maybe it was a dress then? it seems longer) saw much more wear than these pictures would suggest. By the time we both limped back into Phoenix, we managed a bit more wardrobe rotation together before it was relegated to the back of the closet because I was sick of seeing it.

Then the move of 2008 happened and the house buying of 2009. I'm still unearthing treasures I've forgotten about (please tell me this doesn't only happen to me) and discovered a space bag stuffed with clothes from grad school. And there was my tunic, super soft, slightly faded, and ready to be welcomed back into the fold.

Wishful Working

2011-03-20T21:24:00.001-04:00

It's the last evening before spring break officially ends and of course I'm playing catch up. Correction, I'm procrastinating while playing catch up. Papers to finish grading, articles to write, attendance records to update all under the haze of a ferocious headache. So to cheer myself up, I made a wish of an outfit. I'm on a shopping hiatus for now, so dreaming is all I have.

Silk cashmere sweater by Sonia available at mywardrobe.com
1930s art deco pin available at Jean Jean Vintage
1980s striped skirt available at Adore Vintage
blue tights by Diane von Fursetnberg available at Matches Fashion
burgundy Parkside Stroll Heel available at Mod Cloth
red briefcase available at River Island

The Modern Bettie Page

2011-03-19T02:51:00.001-04:00

Australian Showtime's Satisfaction is probably one of those shows that most people only admit to watching in whispered tones. Set in a high-class brothel, the show chronicles the lives of female and male sex workers. To say that it's steamy is an understatement and probably even more groundbreaking in that arena than say, Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

I could probably talk at length about sex work and systems and cultures in which women and their bodies become commodities, but this really isn't a forum for that. I will say that while Satisfaction is presented with a lot of glam and heat, it does manage to quietly skim over these issues. At times, I would prefer it was a bit more hard hitting, the clientele chosen more from reality than an idealized version of what sex workers face. For example fetish is explored, but the bodies on the screen are predictably fit and attractive. The bad not ever as bad as it could be.

Anyway, since this blog is about fashion, I'm talking about Satisfaction because I adore the fashion sensibilities of Nat. Natalie, owner of the brothel, is neat and organized. Her wardrobe reminiscent of Bettie Page. The connection is most obvious in her hairstyle during season 3: deep black hair with short blunt cut bangs. Like Bettie Page, Nat usually lets it curl in vague waves at the ends.

Nat pulls her wardrobe from a very vintage inspired concept, high waisted pencil skirts are complimented by lace or silk blouses. Always skirts. Always heels. Well, almost always anyway. The look is streamlined and close fitting, her waist emphasized either with the line of the skirt or crafty belting. She's also the master of suspenders. I usually think of them as being appropriate for older men, but Nat makes them understated sexy.

The wardrobe choices made for Nat are critical in terms of building character. Nat's buttoned up look is a visual reminder of how strictly she controls her life, controls herself. It's quietly sexual, but reserved. The heavy dark colors are a representation of reserve and unwillingness to engage with the world. At the same time, she doesn't (either in terms of wardrobe or personality) seem to fit into either the world of glam and hyper-color that surrounds the brothel, nor does she fit in in the outside world, one filled with light. This is Nat's ongoing struggle, feeling like an outcast and abnormal while keeping her piece of the world in control.

Snippets from around the Interwebs

2011-03-18T14:26:00.003-04:00

Every week I come across great articles, tutorials, and outfit posts. I decided that these links would be fun to share, as a what you missed this week on the interwebs. The headings may change, as may the content, but I hope this builds into a good listing of links and resources for living a vintage modern life.

Vint Condition Mentions:

Our model Kim was featured on Alex Keller's blog series on the girls of Etsy. Much applause to Danielle Brown's photography. Also, one commenter remarked that Kim looks like a young Carrie Fisher. Thoughts?

Our straw hat got a mention over at Yonder as a perfect picnic accessory!

Vintage Tutorials:

Solanah of Vixen Vintage clues us into how she gets that 1940s look for her hair.

I regularly chop off my hair before summer, but Starr of A Thought is in Blossom has a great video showing how to keep hair up in a scarf turban that I may consider for this summer.

Keiko Lynn guest posted on the blog A Beautiful Mess about her Project Restyle Dress. Do any of you craftly remake your finds?

Sustainable Living:

A lot of vintage buyers also support sustainable living since vintage clothes buying and thrifting is a great way to use the resources we already have. The NYTimes had a piece about a younger generation struggling to revive and start small farms in Oregon.

Also, if you live where I live, you should know that this Saturday the Cornell Cooperative Extension is hosting Food from the Farm where you get to meet local farmers and food producers. They had a meal component, but they've sold out. Additionally, the Parker Maple Farm is hosting a pancake breakfast (yum!) this Saturday and next. Maple themed events are taking place all over New York, so check here to see what's going on.

Did you come across any interesting pages lately?

* Carrie Fisher photo still from Star Wars Episode IV, copyright held by Lucas Film Ltd.

The Vintage Modern Remix

2011-03-17T00:46:00.003-04:00

I gave up watching "What Not to Wear" about the same time I graduated college. The first time. The show was too expected and I was tired of watching Stacy and Clinton coax women into high heels, Carmindy-ize their makeup, and streamline their look into rather carbon copy examples of what is mainstream and acceptable.

That's why I surprised myself by settling into an episode the other day, but what's a vintage lover and seller to do when they promise to update someone's vintage look? They hijacked Renee and her wardrobe, taking her from New Orleans to New York City to reimagine her wardrobe. As surprised as I was to be watching the show, I also surprised myself by agreeing with some of their suggestions, and since this is "What Not to Wear" I also disagreed loudly with some of their methods. Despite these moments, my overall impression was favorable. They encouraged Renee to take her love of vintage and mix it with modern pieces, something that I hope this blog (and by extension my shop) strives to express.

The great thing about this episode is it does serve as an appropriate vehicle for me to talk about mixing vintage with modern and offer my opinion.

Stacy and Clinton were wrong about:

1. Their decision to throw away polyester dresses. As the garbage can filled up (ack!) with clothes they took away from Renee, it was clear that a good portion of them were polyester dresses that hailed from the 1960s and 1970s. Our modern concept of polyester is tainted by what we see churned out by sweatshops for big box stores. The polyester feels cheap in quality and construction. But back when polyester first appeared it was the new wave of fabric and it was integrated into some pretty fabulous designs. Charlotte of Tuppence Ha'Penny has a great history of polyester fabrics on her blog.

2. The fact that vintage clothes must be in impeccable condition or else they look cheap. Stacy and Clinton can some of Renee's clothes because they have some level of damage. There are, of course, some level of damage that buyers should be cautious about especially when shopping online. This includes heavy underarm stains (a lot of the time this is not a stain but deeper damage to the fabric and dye) and weaknesses to the fabric like shattering. But I cannot tell you how many times I've seen fashion bloggers work around flaws, disguise them, or use them to their advantage....oh damaged Edwardian blouses how I adore you!

3. That mixing of vintage eras should not happen. Renee mixed eras, placing 1980s necklaces with 1940s dresses. This was nixed quickly by S and C as being rather too much to carry off in one outfit. I mix eras all the time and believe this is actually a fun way to create a wardrobe. What Renee's problem was is actually an issue of balance. To choose what to put in the same outfit, think about what piece you want someone to notice. A bold 1980s chunky necklace paired with a bright floral print can cause both to be confusing. Essentially each can be at odds with one another for visual dominance.

4. That a full vintage look is too much of a costume. When I think about wearing vintage I think about the range it offers and the ways in which clothing can be interpreted by different wearers. I lean toward the mix and match side, utilizing a few vintage pieces and mixing it with my modern finds. There are women who rock the full vintage look and do it in a way I can't. I think of Solanah of Vixen Vintage or Jill of Tea with the Vintage Baroness whose styles are perfection and suited to each of them.

Stacy and Clinton were right about:

1. Wearing clothing that represents you rather than trying to create an identity through clothes. Renee stated that she was trying to seem more quirky and intelligent by dressing the way she did, but she didn't necessarily feel that way. Indeed, Renee was soft-spoken and rather shy in the episode, a personality that seemed at odds with her look. Dressing to suit your personality will make you feel more comfortable and confident. This is why Solanah and Jill pull off their wardrobe with aplomb, but I wouldn't be able to make it work for me. You style should represent you, not overwhelm you.

2. Fitting your vintage clothing to your body. I know a lot of vintage purists will disagree, but I wholeheartedly recommend going to a seamstress to have your vintage garment fit to your body. As this Couture Allure post illuminates the difficulty of buying 1950s dresses, you can easily see why this is a sound option. During the fifties, for example, the industry standard was a 10" difference between bust and waist, which without a lot of foundation garments and/or the removal of some ribs our bodies simply don't fit into well. I usually recommend getting dresses taken in rather than let out because there can be some faint fading along the seams or even full garment that's not visible until you move the seam. I've had dresses taken in for a little as a few dollars, so have a seamstress in mind when shopping.

3. Vintage having a place in a contemporary wardrobe. I actually loved the mixing and matching they did to Renee's wardrobe. Vintage cardigans can easily be worn mixed with your favorite jeans. Full skirts placed with ballet flats and tank tops. Treat vintage pieces as wardrobe staples that you can return to over and over.

Art Explorer: Kees van Dongen

2011-03-10T08:26:00.001-05:00

Woman on a Sofa by Kees Van Dongen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

I confess that I stopped doing my art explorer posts (see here and here) because I haven't actually been to an art museum or purchased a major piece of art in quite awhile. On my last excursion to Montreal, the art museum was closed for some reason or another and I haven't taken another trip up since.

I'm starting to get edgy, what with all the snow and all, so I've been making a list of places I want to go and things I want to do. In looking around the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts website, I came across Kees van Dongen's work. I can't recall coming across his work in my museum adventures before by there's a gorgeous lush quality to his work but with an edge of darkness I can't resist.

Today's Art Explorer uses van Dongen's Fille-mere as inspiration. I don't always intend to copy an outfit from the subject in the piece of art, but I couldn't resist in this case.

Outfit consists of:

Shirt: 1980s white blouse found at Simple Vintage

Brooch: vintage rhinestone pin found at Moon Dog Cottage

Skirt: 1980s black peplum skirt found at my shop, Vint Condition

Purse: 1930s/1940s floral quilted purse found at Magicmuti

Shoes: burgundy Kona Blend heels from Indigo by Clarks found at Zappos

A Northern Spring

2011-03-09T17:05:00.002-05:00

Today's post includes a few more pictures than usual, because I wanted to show you all what a North Country spring looks like. Because that's what I hear, that spring is right around the corner. Right...around....the....ummm no. It snowed 22" on Sunday into Monday. That's on top of the snow we already had. Meanwhile I'm keeping an eye on our river. It doesn't usually flood and we sit up rather high, but in a few weeks this snow will melt and the ice on the river will start breaking up. We live near the old dam and the half destroyed wall slows the water and forces it through a few small openings. While it hasn't jammed before, it's best to be cautious about it.

This is my front walkway, and the front of my house. Neither the husband or I have enough energy to make this path any wider. If you look at my January outfit posts, this is also the walkway that I was standing on then. That's back when the snow was so low you could still see the tops of the plants I didn't pull up in the fall.

Today I tried a mix of layering and color combining that weren't immediately obvious choices for one another. I paired a casual long sleeve tee with a fancier tank top and even fancier jacket. Collabritively they work to create an outfit that can easily blend. I taught in this and ran to the grocery store, but I could easily take this to a meeting or on a date. Also tonally the pale seafoam green shirt and green skirt work together, neither too bright for the other, and weighted with the through line of browns.

Outfit consists of:

Jacket: 1950s white swing coat

Necklace: 1940s book locket necklace found at Jean Jean Vintage (cute book lockets from Jean Jean here and here)

Shirt: stone colored long-sleeved tee by Mossimo Supply found at Target

Tank: seafoam green ruffle tank found at Banana Republic Outlet

Belt: brown skinny belt found at TJ Maxx

Skirt: 1980s green skirt found at Cheap Jack's (similar here at Greatest Friend and here at Great Grandma Agnes)

Tights: brown windowpane striped tights found in Florence, Italy

Boots: brown boots by BP found at Last Chance

etsy fashion finds! take 2

2011-03-08T15:59:00.000-05:00

Vint Condition made the Etsy Fashion Finds email again! This time for a really gorgeous 1940s hat made in Germany. I'm so thankful that I had help with this one from my model Kim and her sister Danielle. To see the full list of the fashion finds for today, click here.

Birthday Wishes

2011-03-08T00:16:00.000-05:00

My family always claims that I'm hard to shop for. And I suppose I am. I don't tend to like all of everything just one particular piece. It drives everyone crazy in a, "But you have mid-century chairs so I bought you a mid-century stand and you hate it?" kind of way. You could call me picky, but I prefer to say my look for fashion and home is eclectic. I'm not particualry tied to any era and love to mix and match which is why you will frequently see 1940s mingling with 1970s or Victorian with contemporary in my outfit posts.

So here it is, the current guide to buying me a birthday gift:

1920s

1920s embroidered blouse at Adore Vintage
1920s dress at Adore Vintage
1920s cotton wrapper at Souvenir Souvenir

Vintage Jewelry

1940s locket (love it worn as a bracelet) from Jean Jean Vintage
Vintage lacework earrings (screw back since I don't have my ears pierced) from pinguim
1920s drop earrings from Noveau Motley
Vintage trench art ring from SS Alice and Gypsy Wagon

Modern Jewelry

Girl with antlers necklace by Markhed Design
Bird cuff bracelet by Unique Art Pendants
Lock and key necklace by Ginger Hollow
Teacup and ribbon bracelet by Stay Gold Mary

Dress in Blue Day

2011-03-04T18:05:00.002-05:00

Today the wind made our house creak and snap, not an easy feat for our sturdy Four-Square and I spent my day unsettled. I drove to work, taught class, helped students, and drove home mulling over what I would write in my blog post today. You may have noticed (maybe?) my blog absence these past two weeks. I could say I've been busy, but it's mostly that I fell down the mourning spiral. Sometime mourning feels a lot like you're walking along just fine and you trip on a hole. It's jolting and uncomfortable. You may look back to see what exactly happened, but just briefly over your shoulder before you continue on. But sometimes mourning feels like unexpectedly falling off a cliff. You're less able to see where you were when it happened and less likely to continue on without some recovery time.

Wednesday marks three months since my father's passing, oh hell, death. It's past the point that people really know what to do with me or really recall quickly that things have fallen apart. I've received and still do receive beautiful notes, messages, and care packages but I find myself unable to respond directly. These things matter the most to me and I think about writing back all the time, but don't. I'm sure those who care about me understand, or at least I hope they do.

But this post isn't supposed to be about my sadness. It's supposed to be about keeping a torch lit and keeping the darkness from your life. March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month and today is the day to dress in blue as part of an awareness campaign. People get uncomfortable when talking about colon cancer. Perhaps because then we have to talk about colons, colonoscopies, and **gasp** body functions like pooing. If you see in the news that a celebrity has passed away from a non-specific cancer, it's more than likely that person had colon cancer. The media doesn't want to say colon or rectum or any such uncomfortable word. Sometimes they name the secondary cancer, the place where wild colon cancer cells spread, but barely ever colon.

The crazy thing is that there's just so many people with colon cancer. Consider these facts from the American Cancer Society and the Colon Cancer Alliance:

1 in 19 men will have colon cancer

1 in 20 woman will

it is the 3rd most common cancer

it is the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths

101,700 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed this year

39,510 others with rectal cancer

an estimated 49,300 people will die this year from colon cancer

Colon cancer death rates have been dropping over the past 20 years. It's attributed to better screening, which means, yes, getting a colonoscopy. They're recommended if you're over 50, but the game changes when you have a family history of cancer, eat red meat regularly, or have an inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn's. Getting properly screened can reduce your risk. It's 80% preventable when detected early.

If I'm honest, my dad did not fit in anywhere close to that 80%. He had Crohn's disease, a vestige from his time in Vietnam and Agent Orange exposure. He had another primary cancer, prostate, with spread to the bladder. He knew he was in a high risk category and had colonoscopies at really regular intervals. As someone who worked in the health care industry, he was up to date on all of his medical care. Somehow things aligned so that his colon cancer was not caught until it was Stage IV with peritoneal and omentum spread, pretty much the worst of the worst for colon cancer. But the truth is that his illness was truly unusual and more people will be able to prevent colon cancer than not.

So here I am, a newly initiated member of a high risk category. You can guarantee I'll be screened.

Outfit consists of:

Necklace: moon and star glass necklace found in Venice, Italy

Shirt: blue drape front shirt by blu heaven found at TJ Maxx

Belt: brown belt found at TJ Maxx

Skirt: blue and tan skirt found at Goodwill

Tights: sweater tights found at TJ Maxx

Boots: brown DB boots found at Last Chance

etsy fashion finds!

2011-02-21T21:46:00.000-05:00

Vint Condition made the etsy fashion finds newsletter today! I'm very excited about this to be sure. Today's newsletter captured overall trends for 2011, one of which is tribal prints and we had just the dress for them. If you want to check out this lovely 1960s dress yourself, head on over to the shop!

Power Play

2011-02-18T14:57:00.002-05:00

There's usually time while instructing that a rowdy class could devolve from an energetic yet slightly obnoxious classroom into something more, well, woolly. I'm trying to avoid such a crisis in my class right now. It's time to refocus and recalibrate and head in the right direction. I wanted to be a bit more pulled together and professional for today and dreamed this one up in my head while I couldn't sleep last night. Now if only I had managed not to tuck my skirt into my tights things would have gone a bit better.

There's very minimal usage of vintage in this, but I would argue that as a whole the outfit has a vintage feel. I love hints of black and my home decor also has tons of black points spread throughout. I originally had thicker tights on, but wanted more of a semi-sheer look rather than a heavier one. I really wanted my black patterned tights but I couldn't find them this morning. Despite the skirt fiasco, I think things went rather well.

Outfit consists of:

Blazer: gray blazer by Express found at TJ Maxx

Pin: 1950s circle pin from my great-grandmother { similar here at moxie deluxe }

Top: white cotton tank found at Goodwill

Belt: black tie belt borrowed from a shirt

Skirt: coral Land's End skirt found at Goodwill

Tights: black tights found at TJ Maxx

Boots: black Nine West boots found at TJ Maxx

Day of Failures

2011-02-16T15:32:00.001-05:00

So in a day of failures (Prius injury, cranky students, and a poem that won't write itself), I did manage to get my outfit right. Since I got this skirt, it has been the recipient of many compliments. It's so easy to mix and match since the skirt carries so many lovely muted colors. Today I paired it with my cozy blue sweater and a pin that I've had tucked away for awhile. It was my great-grandmother Albina's and she had a fondness for costume jewelry. In the next few months I plan to start a project in which I transcribe her diaries and poems (my dad always said I got it from somewhere) and of course, wear more of her jewelry. You'll be able to read about her right here on the blog.

The last time I wore this skirt, I matched it with brown boots and blue tights, but today I opened one of my many shoes closets and took out these beauties. Tonally they work with the outfit, yet provide more impact than brown did.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: navy blue double breasted cardigan by It's Our Time found at TJ Maxx

Pin: 1970s silver-tone feather pin { the exact same one here at Chatham09 and gold-tone version here at Lydia's Vintage }

Top: stone colored ruffle trimmed tank by Spense found at TJ Maxx

Belt: Brown belt found at Last Chance

Skirt: 1970s textured knit skirt found at The Greedy Seagull { similar concept here at Cool Vintage Finds }

Tights: brown striped windowpane tights found in Florence, Italy

Boots: 1970s cranberry suede boots found at Vintage Shoe Love { similar here at Vera Vague }

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The Color Wheel

2011-02-16T09:00:00.006-05:00

I'm not one for neutrals in general, but I find my closet has been overwhelmed by shades of gray, black, and brown. Spring is almost here and it's time for a bit more color in our lives. Behold, the Vint Condition color wheel:

Yellow: 1960s yellow silk cocktail dress, extra small

Yellow-Green: 1950s Fashionbilt green plaid coat, large

Green: 1980s Easton Park cotton blend dress, large

Blue-Green: 1950s blue-green brocade dress, medium/large

Blue: 1980s Nipon Boutique designer dress, medium

Blue-Violet: 1980s Flora Kung designer dress, large

Violet: 1970s violet and gold brocade dress, medium

Red-Violet: 1950s feathered hat

Red: 1940s red and green woven skirt, medium

Red-Orange: 1940s R&K Original reptile print dress, small

Orange: 1960s orange and gold brocade skirt { sold }

Yellow-Orange: 1960s floral print carpet purse {coming soon}

15% off any of these items in the color wheel until Saturday at midnight. To get the refund, mention this blog post in your message to the seller. Refunds will be given through Paypal.

With Love

2011-02-14T16:03:00.004-05:00

Trapped at the writing conference, I briefly interacted with another writer who annoyed me. I usually love people from the start, but he was equal parts self-deprecatory and boastful at the same time. A toxic mix really. He was wearing a fatigue jacket, something he probably schlepped to the Army surplus store to pick up. He wore his military jacket the way most floppy haired hipsters do, with a sense of irony and as a way, presumably, to make a statement.

This particular gentleman was annoyed that he had spotted several other young writers milling around wearing similar attire. "This is my thing," he proclaimed, perhaps forgetting the long history of appropriating military jackets by other and earlier floppy haired hipsters. In speaking with my friend (also present at the time) whose husband served in Afghanistan, there was a sense of frustration that we both felt. This man, boy really, felt comfortable weraring his military jacket as a way to thumb his nose at those who serve, as a way to say he doesn't. I promised my fair friend that I would talk about this moment, and indeed wear a military jacket with respectful intentions. Because when I wear it, I think of all the men and women who have done so much more than I ever will, who have risked so much for all of us. When I wear it, I think of all the Vietnam soldiers who were spit on, yelled at, and denied a welcome home.

You see, my father served for 26 years. He joined the Army when he was 17. He was just a kid, though I'm sure at the time he felt he was ready. By the time he was 25, my dad was stationed in Vietnam. He was a medic, one of those brave souls who face death and try to keep everyone alive, everyone breathing. This jacket is not my father's. It is his friend's. They accidentally grabbed the wrong ones one evening and this jacket stayed with my father. I would like to think the Goodnow family has the Baker jacket tucked away somewhere.

Outfit consists of:

Jacket: 1960s Army jacket { similar here at Greatest Friend and earlier, warmer version here in my shop }

Sweater: red drape cardigan by absolutely found at Last Chance

Dress: patterned shift dress by biographie found at TJ Maxx

Belt: brown skinny belt found at TJ Maxx

Tights: gray windowpane tights found at TJ Maxx

Boots: brown boots by BP found at Last Chance

3 Poets in a Photo Booth

2011-02-12T18:21:00.002-05:00

I haven't said much about the conference I went to last week mostly because I'm rather discouraged with the conference in general. It only happens once a year, but the process of getting there during the winter and then the frustrations of navigating the conference hotel leave me exhausted. When I first started going, the conference was a bit smaller and though it's heartening to see a growing number of writers prowling around, the sheer size of the space, and well the sheer size of some of the egos is too much for me right now. Maybe next year I'll feel different, but for right now I'm pretty happy with my decision not to go.

Sadly, this is the only time of the year I get to see my distant friends. The conference affords us with the opportunity to see one another again and everything falls into place and feels right again. I miss them dearly and wish that we could dial back a few years. Above are two of my favorite people (my third favorite writer was upstairs at the bar and missed this occasion), people I would gladly cram into a photo booth with any day. Meet Meghan and Charlie, two poets who will light this world on fire.

Strange Parts

2011-02-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

The river finally iced over, and now a heavy blanket of snow covers it. Below the dam, the water is still running and sometimes in the morning we can see tracks leading down to the water, small prints tracing through the snow. In the spring I hope to see the family of muskrats again, burrowing in the muddy bank across the way. For now, though, we wait to catch a glimpse of the mysterious evening adventurer who clamors down the ice banks.

This winter is a thing unto itself and even without the pain of mourning, I feel unsettled and raw. Everything seems difficult and trying. I don't want this to become a blog of mourning, nor do I feel like the world needs to see my outfits every day, but chronicling it is serving a purpose. I get up, I get dressed and really that is all I'm asking of myself. Well that's not true, I'm asking a lot more of myself, but that's the minimum standard.

Like the winter, this blog is becoming it's own being. When I was little, I proclaimed to my parents that I was part vampire, part lollipop, part Aimee. A strange amalgamation of things to be certain, but that's sort of what this blog is as well. Parts of all those things. This space will probably continue to be a collection of infinite sadness, thoughts on writing, pretty clothes, store news, and occasional cat pictures and I think I'm alright with that.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: gray cardigan by frenchi found at Last Chance

Headband: gray knit headband found at Last Chance

Tank Top: Gap tank found at Gap Outlet

Ring: mid-century US Army ring a gift from my Dad

Belt: black silk blend belt borrowed from a shirt

Skirt: 1950s novelty print full skirt { coming to the shop soon }

Tights: gray sweater tights found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: black peep toes by apepazza found at Last Chance

Fields Beyond Fields

2011-02-07T15:53:00.001-05:00

The title of this post refers to a poem from Alison Stine's collection of poems, Ohio Violence. Her poetry is filled with violent images, images of road kill and drownings, of rape and murder. I chose some of her poems to discuss in my Literature and Composition class because the topics connect to the same rural underpinnings of our small town and I had hoped my students would be able to connect a bit more to poetry if they felt that the topics voiced are ones that they live.

Alison Stine has an interview on her website in which she talks about the understanding of violence, how being surrounded by violent imagery such as say, road kill, anesthetizes us to the horror of such deaths, and indeed to the lives we participate in. There was some lively discussion surrounding the poetry, but the idea of violence proved to be a sticking point for some. That violence, if accidental, somehow negates the act as being violent.

I could see my students struggling with the concept, the idea that our lives contain violence that goes beyond intentional acts forced from one individual to another, that a violent death is its own kind of violence. We carry multiple definitions of the word within us, and this word is malleable based on personal perspective.

Life here up north is incredibly and viscerally violent in ways we don't often discuss and I hope that even the more narrowly defined concepts of violence that some of my students hold has been cracked open a bit.

Outfit consists of:

Dress: striped cotton dress by maple found at Goodwill

Sweater: brown cardigan found at Target

Necklace: Aimee necklace found at Tree & Kimball

Belt: skinny brown belt found at TJ Maxx

Tights: brown tights found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: turquoise ballet flats found at Gap Outlet

Message from a Snow State

2011-02-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

I have to teach a night class tonight and though the snow is already coming down the college is still open. Despite this, I've been getting emails today from students telling me they can't make it tonight because of the weather. I get that, but it really angers me when I get emails that include lines like, "could you let me know if I missed anything important." What?

At the moment it's not looking so good for my travels tomorrow, and this is how I feel about that:

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: cardigan by Caslon found at Last Chance

Tank: brown ribbed tank by halogen found at Last Chance

Necklace: blue and green faux glass necklace gift from my mom

Ring: blue glass ring found in Venice, Italy

Skirt: 1960s vintage skirt (also gift from mom) found at Capricious Traveler { similar here at Capricious Traveler and here at Small Earth Vintage }

Tights: brown tights found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: brown Jessica Simpson ballet flats found at Last Chance

Sad Face

2011-01-31T17:23:00.001-05:00

The title of this post refers to my inner sadness while my outfit pictures are actually cold face, since we're rocking out a whole 5 degrees today. What gives me sad face is this:

A giant winter storm standing between me and the AWP Creative Writing conference in DC. I'm supposed to leave Wednesday evening and it kind of looks like that might not happen.

Meanwhile, back here in the cold, I dashed outside for a quick photo today. Notice the slightly blue hands and face. Also, I think I'm holding my breath in these shots. I'm not sure how all those other bloggers can stand to frolic in the snow and cold.

Also, this is my hair in its native state. When I straighten it, this is what it fights to get back to, a wavy, puffy, frizzy disaster. At times like this, I just need to remind myself that this is a trait that I get from my father. Whenever I have a new hairstylist, there is always exclamations over how thick my hair is and my response is that it's my father's fault. That and the curly eyebrows.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: gray cardigan found at Gap Outlet

Shirt: white cotton tank found at Goodwill

Necklace: 1940s book necklace found at Jean Jean Vintage { more great lockets here and here }

Belt: clear and black belt found at Last Chance

Skirt: vintage skirt by Massimo found at Call Me Chula { more vintage yellow plaid skirts here at The Bea Project and here at Cappywanna Vintage }

Tights: gray sweater tights found at JC Penny

Boots: black Nine West boots found at TJ Maxx

What I Wore: Day and Night

2011-01-30T17:42:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was an extremely busy day. The night before was a can't sleep night and I didn't actually close my eyes until 6am. I'm sick of hearing that I should go to sleep earlier, because trust me, I'm not trying to stay awake that long.

Under a heavy cloud of exhaustion, my husband and I went to my mom's friend's house to fix her DVD player problems, then we had lunch at Panera Bread and ran errands. We didn't get home until 4:30 and I frantically got ready for our night out. My darling friend Erika planned a surprise 30th birthday party for her husband Keith and it was also my friend Danielle's birthday. We ate dinner and then went to a local bar to listen to a cover band where I danced poorly, sang loudly, and sucked down some amaretto sours.

So yesterday included two completely different outfits, which was interesting to my husband since he claims, "Dudes just need one outfit a day."

Day look:

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: green cardigan found at Sears

Necklace: Aimee necklace found at Tree and Kimball

Tank top: stone tank by American Eagle found at TJ Maxx

Jeans: Beau jeans found at TJ Maxx

Shoes: gray ballet flats found at Gap Outlet

Two things about this outfit:

1) the lovely Lisa of Tree and Kimball designed this necklace and named it after me! Her new spring line is filled with gorgeous dip dyed lace creations that she named after fellow etsians. I can't begin to say how flattering that is and how sweet Lisa is.

2) this sweater may be recognizable to family and friends. That's because I bought it over 10 years ago to go to college. It's like the Energizer bunny of sweaters. There's no pilling, or fading, or wear of any sort (except one of the buttons escaped and I have yet to fix it). It's done this well and I must say I've never been careful with it. I mean it lived through 4 years of college washings!

Night look:

The second picture is what happens when your husband says, "Do something interesting!" Incidentally, this is also my signature dance move.

Outfit consists of:

Sweater: drape front black cardigan by Joie found at Last Chance

Sweater: 1980s zebra print sweater by S/J designs found at Purple Deer { more zebra print here at Greatest Friend and here at Volenska Vintage }

Belt: clear and black belt found at Last Chance

Pants: black jeggings by 7 for all mankind found at TJ Maxx

Boots: black Madden Girl boots found at TJ Maxx

Getting Dressed

2011-01-28T18:40:00.002-05:00

So for the last month my life has consisted mostly of sitting on the couch staring at the television. Under normal circumstances I'm busy, busy, busy. All summer I worked hard at setting up the shop and running errands, but now all I want to do is sit in my pajamas and eat chips and cookies and glug down gallons of soda. It's to be expected, really, but it's probably a good thing that the semester started today and I had to actually wear something other than what could be classified as pajamas. Okay, that's technically not true. Some of my fellow instructors do teach in sweats and velour, but that's frightening to me.

Today's class was a bit rockier than I'd hoped, but at least I managed to 1) to photocopy things on time and 2) find something to wear with that skirt!

Outfit consists of:

Top: Anne Klein found at TJ Maxx

Skirt: vintage skirt found at Nautie Godiva {similar here at Elora Vintage and here at Purple Deer}

Belt: brown belt found at TJ Maxx

Tights: blue tights found at Target

Boots: BP found at Last Chance (I swear I really do own other footwear)

Expect more outfit photos since I'll be working outside the "store" 4 days a week

House Heartbreak

2011-01-25T19:05:00.001-05:00

Darling Rebecca of the blog The Clothes Horse posted a link to the Flickr group Looking into the Past where users overlay contemporary photos with historic views of the same site so that the viewer is jolted by the juxtaposition of the two images. I had seen this group before, but hadn't looked at any of the newer photos. As each image crept by on the slideshow, I paid little attention until I came to this one:

And immediately recognized it. Ten years, hundreds of miles, thousands of houses passed by in my car and still I knew this house. It's in the little town of Potsdam, New York. Tucked away up in northern New York on the street heading out of town. I drove by it on my way home to see my parents.

This dear heartbreaking house has been torn down now. How I love houses, old houses filled with laughter and voices. Think of how many frat guys clattered around this place. The years it saw. Only to be torn down.

But on another level, it's reassuring now, how strong and easy memories can be to access. Dear house, I'm sorry for what happened to you, but I remember passing by you on those full sunlit days of college. The kind that are brisk with cold, my radio scratching away from my one working speaker, and the drive in front of me. Just an hour and a half more and I'm home to my dad chastising me for driving too quickly and carrying my laundry and bags into the house.

*photo by Russ Nelson

Outfit mayday!

2011-01-24T17:13:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I buy something amazing, and then I panic when it comes to working it into my wardrobe. Like this cute skirt I got from Nautie Godiva. The problem? My real inclination is to pair this with neutrals like a chocolate brown cardigan or a black one, but I'd much rather load up on more color. So, thoughts for a great outfit?

Dust Dreams

2011-01-19T03:55:00.001-05:00

Insomnia, or maybe just difficulty sleeping. Once I'm asleep, I'm out for a good 7-12 hours, but it feels impossible to get there every night. And this is how I discovered that MTV, after reruns of Teen Mom, actually does play music videos. And I heard this band.

I'm out of the music loop, I confess, so you may have heard about them years ago. I once was dedicated to finding new music, new bands. I was that girl, but along the way I stopped listening to a lot of music somewhere after the Poe and Luscious Jackson years and before the local "alternative" stations got stuck on Linkin Park (Wtf?). Now I'm the person who has multiple NPR stations programmed into the radio and a half collection of CDs floating around the car that always seem like the same CD. Brandon Flowers, you again?

But anyway I did like this Middle Class Rut song, but really all I want to do is watch this video and the scenery as it pulls by. Those wide landscapes, the muted tones. And here blue sky and dust. I need to go back to the southwest soon. Four years in Arizona and it's a deep part of my soul. To me, the southwest is like a wool sweater, an uncomfortable prickly itch. I belong among treed mountains and streams, hard crunching snow and cool lake breezes, but there's something equally magnetic and repelling about the southwest. It's strange, this yearning for a place that never manages to satisfy me.

Sophia Loren

2011-01-15T09:00:00.004-05:00

The other night, while half despondent with despair, I curled up on the couch (okay let's face it I barely ever leave the couch) and watched The Millionairess staring Sophia Loren. My adorable husband walked through and I pointed out how gorgeous Sophia Loren is. He stopped, stared at the screen and replied, "Eh, she's not my thing."

Not my thing? It's Sophia f'ing Loren! How? What? Huh? I submit for evidence these photos:

An Education

2011-01-14T18:54:00.002-05:00

I finally watched An Education. I know I'm late to the party and many of you have already seen it, but I must say I was entranced. There are obvious parallels to Humbert Humbert of Lolita fame with the seduction of young innocence, the seduction of those around her but I will say that An Education manages this in a bit of a different way than in Lolita. In An Education the viewer is aware of the seduction, the treading into dangerous territory for the young Jenny. We want to warn her away, tell her parents to be more cautious. In Lolita (the novel), Humbert Humbert is less easy to guard against. Even in grad school I heard my classmates refer to Dolores as a seductress, somehow culpable in these hyper-sexualized encounters. But the truth is, dear readers, you too have been seduced by Humbert Humbert in a way that Peter in An Education fails to do.

In regards to fashion, the transformation of Jenny is visible in her wardrobe, she ventures from her pitch perfect school girl garb to lady-like perfection, but even in this perfection we see her as playacting, trying to be the woman and adult she's not quite ready to be.

I also must add, that a few months ago I sold a similar gold dress, I wonder if the buyer knew how closely it resembled Jenny's outfit as she waits for Peter.

I know that the blogger world and the fashionistas have a strong adoration for Carey Mulligan and I agree, she's got style and immense acting ability, but I was geekily happy to see Rosamund Pike (who reminds me of actress Jewel Straite in looks) in this film. I've loved her since she starred in Wives and Daughters and Pride & Prejudice. I think I'd also be remiss in not pointing out her wardrobe as well.

New to the shop

2011-01-11T23:22:00.001-05:00

Beautifully Broken: True Blood Ep. 2 Season 3

2011-01-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

Sookie, classic American girl next door. Sure, she's got some mystery to her, but really she represents that concept with her sweet nature, love of family, romantic ideals. It's no wonder that in episode two of season three she's in a classic American shirt. The one she has on in this episode has a bit of a western flair to it with a small floral print and pockets, but the button down for women is iconic. Shirts like this are great under cardigans, blazers, or alone like this one. Wear it all year round like here in this summery look where it's paired with jean shorts.

Here's where you can find a similar one for yourself:

1. 1970s western plaid shirt available at Pretty Little World Vintage
2. 1970s embroidered floral blouse available at jessjamesjake
3. 1970s metallic stripe blouse available at The Bea Project
4. 1970s floral and berry print blouse available at Clever Nettle

Bad Blood: True Blood Ep. 1 Season 3

2011-01-09T17:17:00.000-05:00

One of the things my mom and I do is watch True Blood together (don't worry, I make her close her eyes during the sex scenes). I made my husband get us HBO over the summer so that my mom and I could cozy up and watch our show, but that didn't happen. My parents were over a lot this summer, but my dad wasn't feeling well even then. I think we were both hesitant to start watching television when it was obvious he was uncomfortable and tired.

My plan had been, at the time, to do outfit posts around the show. The Sookie posts on this blog are, after all, the most visited portion of the site. Today, my mom and I watched the first two episodes, drank coffee, and snuggled with the Siamese and though much of the world has already seen True Blood, we're still catching up. When I watch an episode, I'll post about it. It keeps me busy and blissfully thinking about something else for a little while.

This episode was light on fashion. Sookie wears a purple dress, which frankly I didn't find very inspiring. The most obvious stunner of this episode was Evan Rachel Wood's outfit. As Sophie-Anne her wardrobe is lush with strong vintage influences. It's about the only thing I appreciate about her character, or Wood's acting for that matter. In this episode she dons a lush silk harem pant ensemble topped with a fur. Easy and elegant, non?

Version 1: The Light Side

1. Vintage 1980s harem pants available at Starlet Vintage

2. Faux fur bolero Dorothy Perkins

3. Apiece Apart tank top available at La Garconne

4. Pixie T-bar heels available at ASOS

Version 2: The Dark Side

1. Vintage 1980s harem jumpsuit available at Midnight Flight
2. Faux fur bolero available at Far Fetch
3. Stein & Blye Enamel Cuff available at Nordstrom
4. Vintage 1980s heels available at Allen Company Inc.

Sick and Tired

2011-01-07T22:10:00.001-05:00

I'm sick, tired, and sad. And sick of being sad and tired of being sick. The thing about any of these, is that the world keeps moving. Mourning is deeply painful and a bit awe-inspiring in its intensity, but the cats still need to be fed and the laundry washed. The Hospice care nurse told my mom that I can contact her if I want. They check up with the families after everything to see how we're doing. I don't really want to talk to anyone about it right now, though.

I will say I haven't been sleeping well. Once I get asleep, I'm okay, but the path there is rough. My eyelids get heavy and I head up to bed only to find myself thinking and thinking and thinking. Most nights I drag myself down to the couch because I don't want to keep waking my husband up. The sleepless nights left me open to this annoying cold that everyone seems to have, a rasping dry cough. The only benefit is that I get to have an excuse to dose myself with NyQuil and have a few hours of sleep.

I didn't post anything yesterday because even though I made it into clothes, I just threw an oversized sweater dress over a long-sleeved t-shirt and camped out on the couch. Today, I had to go to the post office to send out some Vint Condition packages. I stared at my closet for awhile before throwing this on:

It's actually a great low effort outfit. The sweater tights are my fav winter addition to my wardrobe since I'm constantly nice and toasty and the dress feels like a nightgown. Unfortunately, poly/nylon and sweater tights combine to create the perfect storm of static cling ride up. I'm pretty certain this could be why the firefighter at the post office let me go ahead of him in line. The only things I did when I got back from the post office is take off my boots and belt and I was cozy all day. No one here cares if my dress rides up.

I took some photos for the shop, but then I gave up and drank some chamomile tea my amazing team members sent me and put on a pair of fuzzy pink slippers my friend, Sara, sent in the mail. I've been camped out on the couch since trying to get up enough energy to work on the store, but really I'll probably go back to reading Sarah Vowell's "The Partly Cloudy Patriot."

Outfit consists of:

Top: a.n.a found at J.C. Penny by my mommy (thank you, mom!)

Dress: 1970s jungle and cheetah print mini dress found at Thistle and Lace (similar here at IKAHN)

Belt: found at Last Chance

Tights: sweater tights found at TJ Maxx

Boots: BP found at Last Chance

Yawn

2011-01-05T16:49:00.001-05:00

What's exciting about today's outfit? Not really anything, except for the fact that I made myself get dressed and out of the house in the same day, which, let's face it, is an accomplishment lately. I actually planned on going out today thrifting but canceled because of the snow. I live in the middle of nowhere and my thrifting location is 1.5 hours away (really 1ish when I'm driving but if my mom is driving it's much much longer) and it just seemed too much of an annoyance anyway.

Instead, I ran some errands and had lunch with my mom. Which is really just as nice sometimes.

So here I am, in my yard with crazy hair. Inside my hair was all nice and cutely curly but once it hit the windy outside it got puffy big. You may also note that I'm standing all weird. That's not some random blogger affectation, but the fact that when I put on these boots I head out and remember that I need the left tap replaced. Every. Single. Time. And interestingly, I dressed to match the landscape.

Oh wait, you're wondering where my coat is? I'm tough about the cold, but not that tough.

This was meant for the store, but I couldn't let it go even though it is real fur and my husband is a vegetarian. I think it makes him sad inside. Whatever.

Outfit consists of:

Cardigan: Gap found at the Gap outlet

Shirt: ruffle front blouse found at The Bee's Knees Clothing (similar here at Thrush and here)

Tank: Gap found at the Gap outlet

Jeans: Beau found at TJ Maxx

Boots: BP found at Last Chance

Coat: 1950s mink and wool coat found at antique store (similar here at Suzy Berry and here at Dear Golden)

Bracelet: 1950s braided rope bracelet found at auction

Necklace (the last Christmas gift my dad helped pick out): 1940s book locket from Jean Jean Vintage (other great lockets at Jean Jean here and here)

Also, just to rub it in a bit. Here is a better view of my shooting location otherwise known as my yard:

A New Year

2011-01-04T16:47:00.002-05:00

What's this? Me? An outfit post? Crazy right? I rarely show my face online, yet here I am. It's my first attempt so you'll have to forgive the part where the photo is a bit blurry and you can see my new lighting equipment in the corner. Also the fact that I look really exhausted. It's a learning curve over here at Vint Condition.

This is part of my attempt to be more present and active in the blogging world and infuse a bit more of me in my posts.

This outfit is pulled together from a few of my favorite things, but I really must take a moment to talk about the beautiful and thoughtful Lisa who created the best thing here. Lisa runs her own Etsy shops, Tree and Kimball and Tree and Kimball Market. Both are amazing to say the least. When Lisa learned that my father had passed, she made me this very special necklace that I'm wearing. It's made of these adorable charms, but most importantly it has two lockets where I can put photos of my dad. Even though I haven't picked the photos yet, I basically haven't taken it off since it arrived. Lisa really is truly one of the best, and I don't say that lightly. Even before she sent this necklace, I appreciated her spark and kindness. I'm happy that the world of Etsy brought us together. Thank you always, Lisa.

Outfit consists of:

Cardigan: Cable and Gauge found at TJ Maxx

Tank top: Psst! found at Last Chance

Necklace: from Lisa, find more of her jewelry at Tree and Kimball

Belt: stolen from a thrifted 1980s dress

Skirt: 1980s faux bois skirt by Yves St. Laurent found at Prance and Swagger (similar here at Lola Vintage)

Tights: Christmas gift from my mommy (thank you mom!)

Shoes: Nine West found at TJ Maxx (similar here)

Facing North

2011-01-03T19:05:00.002-05:00

2011, the first year in my life without my father physically present. I rang in the New Year at home with my husband and a few close friends. They all were kindly forgiving of my exhaustion and lack of cheer. They are truly wonderful people.

Despite that, and despite the heavy weight I feel, the way it hurts to breathe sometimes, I don't want to dwell on the moment of my father's death. At least not right now. The night after we learned he wouldn't recover my mother and I stayed in his hospital room. He was on a lot of morphine, and his moments of consciousness were brief. Around 3 in the morning he woke and had a drink of ginger ale and then took my hand and my mother's hand in his own. He asked us to celebrate his life. And I will.

This year, I'm going to try to channel the essence of who my father was, and who he really still is. The first is with the creation of Facing North. He asked us to start a scholarship for low-income students in our local school district, which incidentally is where he went to school and where I did as well. He insisted that his name not be placed on it so I named it Facing North by using a family joke to devise the title. To us, it's humorous, but to the outside world, the name sounds inspirational. A way to keep pushing forward.

My father was left alone at the age of 15 when his mother moved away with her new husband. He lived on his own and she would stop back to check on him once a week. Left to his own devices, he did what most 15 year old boys would, he slacked off on his schoolwork and sporadically attended. school. By the age of 17, he dropped out and joined the Army. Later, he pushed himself. He got his GED and then his LPN license. He even took college classes.

Growing up, there was never a question that I would attend college. He always told me that an education was something that no one could take away from me once I had it, and this I also believe is true. My parents helped me emotionally and financially through both of my degrees and for that I can never thank them enough.

So here we are, trying to raise money for the scholarship fund. My father also said, every little bit counts, and we hope this scholarship will make the way easier for someone. So each year we'll provide $500 to a low-income student pursuing a 4 year degree in any field.

To give some perspective, in our county 14.4% of people live below the poverty level which is above the national average. Only 17.8% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher in a state where the percentage is 27.4%.

We hope to be a small part of making the world better. I know many of you don't know me personally, or didn't know my dad, or have no idea where Beekmantown Central School District is exactly (high up in the Champlain Valley of New York State), but I hope you can find the time and the ability to help a student pursue their dreams.

This blog will carry a donate button off to the side. All donations will go directly to the scholarship and any administrative costs will be carried by my family. I hope you can donate even a few dollars, because really, every little bit does help.

Thank you, dear friends.

Gary Baker: June 21, 1941 - December 2, 2010

2010-12-27T16:35:00.000-05:00

* On December 2nd, my father passed away from colon cancer. This was the eulogy I delivered on the day of his burial, but these words can never express the depth of my love for him.

We are here today because an amazing man with a generous spirit was taken from us far sooner than we were ready for. We knew, in our hearts, that the end was spiraling toward us much too quickly, but we thought there might still be time to say all that needed to be said, to spend more time in each other’s company these long winter evenings.

My father would say that he only lived his life the way anyone would, but I think I can safely say for all of us gathered here that he touched our lives in important and changing ways. There are moments and lessons we will carry with us, to hold in our hearts that will not soften our grief, but remind us that we were blessed to have him with us for a time.

What I have to say about my father is not limited by my words today. I can only hope to be half the person he was, and I hope my words are adequate, but I also know that if my father was here he would be lecturing us all to get in out of the cold. But I know that my father was far too humble and words must be said to express how deeply I’ll miss him.

My father taught me the beauty of words and stories. I remember sitting beside him on the couch, the both of us immersed in our respective books, and him leaning over to say, “You see, in books you can go anywhere.”

My father taught me the value and power of the earth. He learned from his mother and grandmother the secrets of gardening, the ways and times to plant crops. And we will remember him in his gardens, the way he shaped the ground, the way the ground answered back.

My father taught me the way men should be. How being a gentleman need not compromise a woman’s spirit. And how simple gestures could remind my mother and me that we had someone who was making sure we were safe, happy, and loved.

My father taught me what it is like to persevere. He recently told me he felt as though I changed the course of our family by getting my college degrees. I told him that he made the road easy for me. That the education he fought for was a greater move in my eyes.

My father taught me what it is to be a parent. I have never doubted that he loved me and that he would be there for me when I needed him. He believed in me long before I ever did, and though I’m sure at some point I found it embarrassing how often he talked about me, I cherish those thoughts now.

My father taught me how to laugh, from great deep laughs to calm chuckles. He loved jokes and stories, some of which weren’t always funny, but we’d laugh anyway. He and I greeted his cancer diagnosis with wit and humor, and though it didn’t stave off his cancer, it made the going easier.

My father taught me what love is. He loved me deeply, but it is the way he loved my mother that has taught me the deepest lessons, that has shaped the core of who I am. We often tell the story of how he met my mother. They were pen pals when he asked her to marry him before they even met. The story is romantic, a piece that we share that alludes to an era of handwritten missives and blind faith, but it is that, a small piece of their story. It is the story of the next forty-four years that are important, how he looked at her with love every day, how even in the worst of times they were there for each other, and how their love carried them through. And how a great love is one of kindness and friendship, solace and dedication.

In his passing, we learn these lessons, we learn what illness, what cancer, could not take away from him and what his passing will not take from us.

The Brits have all the luck...

2010-10-20T22:03:00.000-04:00

First off, completely love my husband, but holy what! I think 60% of my love for British television shows comes from the cute boys in all their programming.

Presenting my current mini crushes:

Burn Gorman

Mathew Horne

Adam Rayner

Vint Condition and the Matter of Choice

2010-09-29T21:09:00.001-04:00

Vint Condition is a pro-choice business because I am a pro-choice business owner. I support the right to access abortion services, sexual health education, reproductive health care, and birth control options. I believe access to these services is essential and transformative to the men, women, teens, and families who need them.

That is why as Vint Condition, I have donated a $50 gift certificate to my local Planned Parenthood's online auction. This auction raises critical funds for Planned Parenthood of the North Country New York so they can keep providing necessary services to my local community. PPNCNY never turns down patients based on their ability to pay or their insurance status and doesn't tell patients that they just can't take on any more clients at the moment.

In the current political climate, many businesses donate to organizations like my local Planned Parenthood quietly and anonymously. I've chosen to write about it here because I believe that it's important not to be intimidated by a small yet vocal group of individuals. I've seen patients walk past picket lines just to get to their health care appointments, and if they are brave enough to do that, then businesses should be brave enough to show their support.

So if you'd like to support an organization that does amazing work in keeping my local community healthy and informed, head on over to their online auction and bid not just on the Vint Condition gift certificate, but on the other amazing items they have to offer. Many are for upstate New York businesses, but there are quite a few other items. If you're a local, consider heading on over to their amazing gala with none other than Cecile Richards (president of Planned Parenthood) as their speaker.

Wedding Day: Part 1

2010-09-12T22:32:00.000-04:00

A year ago today I married a truly amazing man. We met when I was just 18. It was in late September and I had just began college when he showed up to visit some friends. He had graduated the year before. I was pouting, ridiculously so, that my friends had yet to arrive on their planned visit so he gave me a hug. It felt perfect. His hugs still feel perfect. My chin rests perfectly in the notch of his collarbone and he rests his against my shoulder. I'll never tire of hugging him.

This year in November we'll also celebrate ten years together. During that time we've each passionately pursued our own interests and in fact maintained a long distance relationship for 4.5 years. I lived in Italy while he lived in Pittsburgh. We both studied writing at separate times. And we've both traveled around the world separately. But in the end, we've always been there for one another.

We wanted our wedding to be as much about us as possible and we tried to keep it as simple and intimate as possible. We ditched a lot of ingrained wedding concepts like an evenly matched wedding party, diamond rings, not seeing the bride before the wedding, bouquet and garter tossing, and cake.

This is my husband (the one on the left):

He's pretty darn cute, that husband of mine. There's a lot I could say here about him and there's a lot of individual aspects that I love about him. But to say he knows me, he knows me sometimes better than I know myself alludes to how well connected we are. This is not to say we don't drive each other crazy sometimes and in fact we've had some intense arguments in the past where we've had to redefine what we are to each other, but we've made it through based mostly on his strength and steadfastness. And I will say that I believe I'm the lucky one.

This is my dress:

I do regret not buying a vintage dress. In fact, I'd assumed I'd be wearing a color as well. But then I walked into a bridal shop and saw this dress. It was love despite the fact it had a train. The reason I loved the dress is that close up there, the re-embroidered lace. Heaven.

This is my bouquet:

Flowers were one of the hardest parts of planning the wedding. The florist was trying to bully me into bouquets and table arrangements that had nothing to do with what I wanted. So, my beautiful bridesmaid Erika pulled this together for me. Simple and pretty. She's a wonder that girl.

These are our rings:

My husband is so Irish. He knew I didn't really want a diamond ring, so when he asked me to marry him he did so with a Claddagh ring that was handcrafted in Ireland (he ordered it too big in a moment of panic so I wore that ring guard with it). We got him a matching band for our wedding and then added in a very dainty ruby ring that was my grandmother's for the wedding.

This is our ring ceremony:

We met up at our house to spend some time together before the ceremony. We exchanged rings and made sure the hearts faced outward. At the wedding ceremony we turned them heart side in.

This is us at our house:

We live in a cute American Foursquare on a river. It was built in 1915 from a kit and owner by the town undertaker which means it served as a personal home and funeral home.

This is our reception site:

I wrote a bit about getting married on the family property here. What I didn't write about is how amazing my family was in getting everything ready. The fields were trimmed, the outbuildings painted. The barn got a fresh coat of red paint and my father put the initials of both of my grandmothers on the back of the barn so that I would, in some small way, have them there with me. They are the best of what people can be.

This is the wedding (and obligatory photos of us):

A Photographic Aside

2010-08-06T18:54:00.001-04:00

Sarah, the lovely proprietor of Mouse Trap Vintage (go on, go on, take a bit and check out her awesome stuff) recently asked if I had more family photos on this blog. You see, I had told her that I'm working on that project, you know the one where I have to scan over 1,000 negatives and make them into pretty photos once more? I confess, I haven't been good about working on them since we moved back to New York.

Then, last night, I was combing through my wonderful wedding pictures looking for some to hang in our bedroom and came across a photo of our table settings. Our wedding took place on the family property. Bought in the early 1940s, my grandmother worked diligently to pay it off by herself. I admire her tenacity and ability in an era where many women weren't able to undertake such a task. When we got married, I knew it was important to be married on those 90 acres and honored our history there in part through our table numbers. Each table was numebred with a photo of the property in the early days.

So here, unadulterated, are the same photos and numbers we used for our wedding:

You may be wondering why there's not more photos of my grandmother. She really hated her picture being taken and like most busy mothers is the one behind the camera in most of these.

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1960s Schoolgirl skirt

2010-08-04T12:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I posted an outfit that mixed prints and confessed that I rarely mix prints, I usually pair a print with a solid. Today I confess the same with color. When faced with a color I usually match it with a neutral or match the color somewhere else in my outfit. There's something about the whole thing that is reassuring and calming to me. I know, I know, strange. Obviously, that look works, but I also recognize that it's safe.

Today, I tried pairing today's sale item, a fun blue 1960s schoolgirl skirt by Summit of Boston with a bit more color. I confess, I did some matching (scope out a close up on that belt and bag and you'll see), but overall I tried to mix it up some. How do you deal with color?

Silk "Thyme After Thyme" blouse available at Mod Cloth, $64.99
Vintage leather and rope belt available at Oiseau Vintage , $18
1960s powder blue skirt by Summit of Boston available at my shop, Vint Condition Style, reg price $35
1970s/1980s woven straw purse available at Old Baltimore Vintage, $24
1970s woven leather kitten heels by Buccheri available at Bruklyn Belle Vintage, $26

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1960s Turquoise purse

2010-08-03T02:49:00.000-04:00

This is the first item I listed for sale in my shop when I opened it up 6 weeks ago (it seems like so much longer!). Today, it's on sale for 20% just 24 hours. I love the colors of this purse, the turquoise and gold with the dark blue change purse. Yum.

Below is a potential outfit. It's sort of classic, but and preppier than I normally dress myself, but also much more daring than I dress. I wish I fearlessly mixed pattern. How do you mix pattern in your wardrobe?

Striped linen "Tucker" jacket available on Net-a-Porter, $310
Vintage peter pan collared clover blouse available at Adelaide Homesewn, $42
1970s/1980s brown Naturalizer heels available at Tree and Kimball, $28
Skinny jeans available at American Eagle, $49.50
Vintage clip on earrings available at Riff Raff Review, $12.50
1960s faux reptile skin turquoise purse available at my store, Vint Condition Style, reg price $25

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1980s red silk skirt

2010-08-02T10:15:00.002-04:00

Today's sale item is a gorgeously intense red silk skirt from the 1980s designed by Flora Kung. A silk skirt is such a nice luxury item that makes the perfect workrobe staple. I myself took this skirt out to work a few months ago when I had a "day job." But a silk skirt as a playful weekend staple? You bet. Thinking of how to mix up items like this will be keeping my mind busy for a bit. How do you mix up your wardrobe?

Also, trust me when I say that I know the pairing of red, black, and gray is a bit expected. Personally, though, I love the combination of colors and will always be drawn to putting these together.

1980s red silk skirt by Flora Kung, on sale August 2nd at my store, Vint Condition Style, reg price $55
Love/Hate tee, available at Opening Ceremony, $115
Vintage lace up boots, available at Persephone Vintage, $59
Jersey boyfriend cardigan, available at Babooshka, $80
1930s/1940s costume jewelry ring, available at Jean Jean Vintage, $60
1950s black evening bag, available at Hinterland Vintage, $22

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1940s Green Linen Dress

2010-08-01T02:04:00.000-04:00

So, I wanted to do three things with these upcoming sale item posts. The first is primarily a self-serving function of being a vintage seller, which is to show off our current vintage sale items (read about it here). The second is that I've always really respected the fabulous vintage sellers of etsy. They are an amazing group of people who work hard at what they do, so if I'm showing off my things, I want to show off their's as well. The third, is that I want to show off ways to wear vintage. Readers of this blog will know that I've always been interested in ways to integrate vintage into your life. These outfit posts (which hopefully will be every day) will range from full on vintage to vintage lite outfit options.

Here it goes:

1940s light green belted dress, a Vint Condition sale item, on sale August 1st, reg. price $65
1950s tan vinyl straw hat by Frank Olive, available at Allen Company Inc, $52
Edwardian crocheted purse, available at Jess Amity, $126
1940s tobacco suede peep toes by Owens & Elmes, available at Karen Elmquist Vintage, $55.50

Vint Condition

The Ones that Got Away

Color Inspiration: American Kestrel

Spotlight: Claire McCardell

Collecting: Dear Diary

Week 17

The Red Shoes

Icons + Fashion

Collecting

Announcement!

October Week 2 Update

One Item a Day!

A Vint Condition Sale!

Bumblebee

Back to School

Take 2

New Family Member

A Pop-Up Shop!

Disappearing Act

Take 2

Spring Slump

Not Vintage But Plenty Political

Worn Vintage

Weekend Snippets

Birthday Suit

Thelma

Some Days are Better than Others

Weekend Snippets

The Flamenco Dancer

How to Land a Man in Just 16 Easy Steps "The Girls of Pleasure Island" Way

Weekend Snippets

Change of Plans

The Genius of Vivienne Westwood

Pattern Mixing: Attempt 1

Schoolgirl Style

Weekend Snippets

Monday Road Trip

Wishful Working

The Modern Bettie Page

Snippets from around the Interwebs

The Vintage Modern Remix

Art Explorer: Kees van Dongen

A Northern Spring

etsy fashion finds! take 2

Birthday Wishes

Dress in Blue Day

etsy fashion finds!

Power Play

Day of Failures

The Color Wheel

With Love

3 Poets in a Photo Booth

Strange Parts

Fields Beyond Fields

Message from a Snow State

Sad Face

What I Wore: Day and Night

Getting Dressed

House Heartbreak

Outfit mayday!

Dust Dreams

Sophia Loren

An Education

New to the shop

Beautifully Broken: True Blood Ep. 2 Season 3

Bad Blood: True Blood Ep. 1 Season 3

Sick and Tired

**Yawn**

A New Year

Facing North

Gary Baker: June 21, 1941 - December 2, 2010

The Brits have all the luck...

Vint Condition and the Matter of Choice

Wedding Day: Part 1

A Photographic Aside

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1960s Schoolgirl skirt

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1960s Turquoise purse

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1980s red silk skirt

Outfit Idea for that Sale Item: 1940s Green Linen Dress

Yawn