Collecting

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.

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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.

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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.

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Birthday Wishes

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

A Shop Update: Hats

1960s British herringbone wool hat available now at Vint Condition
 

1960s cream and gold turban. **Sold**

1940s black faux fur hat with ribbon trim available now at Vint Condition

1940s pink pancake hat with black velvet trim available now at Vint Condition

1940s brown wool hat **sold**

1950s feather and satin hat available now at Vint Condition

Late 1800s collapsible opera (top) hat from France. Coming soon!



Hats, the ultimate accessory. I'm leaving a phase in my life where I never considered hats to embracing them. They complete an outfit in such an unexpected and fun way.  Unfortunately, my head is erm...rather large. That added with my thick hair makes it a bit harder to find the right hat for me. Obviously our V.C. model doesn't have this problem.

Down the rabbit hole...

Just a month left until Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and you know I'm dying to see it. But until then I've been thinking of translating some Alice style. I would make an etsy treasury, but I'm too impatient to wait! So here you are, dear blog friends:

196os blue sailor dress available at Small Earth Vintage for $66.

1980s teal blue blouse available at Remains of the Day for $15.

1960s Gino Charles silk dress and coat available at Dear Golden for $325.

Vintage watch fob necklace available at Very Court Cottage for $39.95.

Mid-century watch pendant available at Atticgoods for $100.

1970s white rabbit fur coat (that's right, I went there!) available at Mad Girl Vintage for $108.

1980s Evan-Picone heels available at Old Baltimore Vintage for $38.

A Find From Every Era Friday...err Saturday: Accessories

I think there should be more accessories in my life and in yours too. I think the most successful outfits pay attention to the details. Often it's hard to keep or gather together the right accessories, you know the staple kind of accessories, but the ones I feature below are what makes the outfit. They're really the stars of the show.


1910s

This embroidered panel has attached snaps that make it perfect for attaching as a belt. Unlike most belts I wouldn't want to put any strain on it. I think it would be best paired with a dress that already has a waist seam and this could rest over the top. There's so many beautiful colors in this embroidery that could be used to go off from. I personally love the lighter blue in the bark of the trees. This silk belt is available for $35 at Woodland Farms Antiques.

1920s
I love the sage green of this silk velvet hat. What I love more is that there's concentric hearts sewn into it. It's very subtle but so endearing. This hat is perfect for a cardigan and camisole top day. The kind of day you head out and drink hot chocolate someplace cozy. In fact this would go perfectly with my new gray cardigan....hmmm...okay I'm stopping myself now, but that doesn't mean you have to. This cozy hat is at Contentment Farms for $225 and is made by Liberty & Co London.

1930s
I've recently discovered that I need to go belt shopping. I think I may be lying to myself because I have plenty of belts. I daydream about a closet with room for belt hooks or hangers. Ahhhh. In any case I had to share this bakelite belt with you. I imagine it with something on the opposite side of the color wheel like a blue or green dress or over a tunic with some heathered brown pants. This is up for sale by loveforcritters (they say the money goes to a humane society) on ebay with a start of $99.99 and a reserve.

1940s


Look how shiny this is? I wonder if you could see your reflection in it. This really shows you the amazing construction of vintage items. It has mother of pearl on both sides and inside it has the full range of primping items including a tortoiseshell comb. Even better it has a lipstick holder. Sometimes when I'm out I think I need to reapply my lipstick. Somehow my mother manages to stash lipstick in her purse with no problem. Whenever I do it, the cap comes off and suddenly everything is covered in Cranberry Crush. I must not be the alone in this right? Anyway I'd be tempted to wear this purse with an all white outfit. This purse would glow with a bit of color, but still work for a monochromatic look. This cutie is $135 from Antiques & Collectibles by Laura at Ruby Lane.

1950s

My friend Meghan over at Transletics asked me if she could wear a hat to my wedding. A hat? Northern New Yorkers don't do hats unless it's a tuque, that's Canadian for what you all call a beanie. Is that what it's called? Oh and we also do baseball hats. Meghan though is Southern and I've seen her hat shopping. Given that, I know she'd appreciate this one. It's so elegant and would look perfect at a wedding or a horse racing event or going to the store. I think we need more hats in our lives. This one is by Sea Glass Vintage on etsy for $26.

1960s

Scarves are so versatile. I've worn them wrapped around my hair, as a headband, as a belt, and worn jauntily around my neck. They're something unexpected. This one has such a great pattern to it and look at those amazing colors. Imagine using this piece as inspiration for your outfit colors. Most of these colors you wouldn't expect to place together, but they clearly work. This is perfect for fall...it is still fall correct? Back in NY there's already been reports of a first snow. Brrrr. This little scarf is only $16 at Glad Rags & Curios at Ruby Lane.

1970s

Why buy new large sunglasses that look like they're from the 1970s when you could just buy a pair from the 1970s? This pair is made by Christian Dior. I picture lounging on a beach chair in my bikini taking a nap (with plenty of sunscreen on). Or alternately they could protect me from the glare of sunlight off snow. Just sayin'. This pair can be found at Recy on etsy for $36.

1980s

A tiger print perfect sized handbag? Oh I die a little! I know I expressed my love for leopard print in general and on shoes in specific, but really I love all animal print, you know if it wasn't ever actually on an animal. This beauty is faux fur and if you look closely it has amazing clasps. I'd put this with a cute dress, probably something in a solid color so that the purse pops out the most. Seriously this purse needs to get our there in the world and it can at just $45 at The Vintage Merchant on Ruby Lane. Squeee!!!