October Week 2 Update

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!

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!

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

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

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

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.