No, NOW it's autumn

Did you think it was autumn before...nawwww. It's autumn today! And I know this because today is the first day I have broken out my trusty black riding boots! When I pulled them from the back of a closet I also unearthed TWO additional pair of knee-high boots that I had totally forgotten about. I admit I have a little weakness for the knee-high boot, I am pretty sure a lot of gals do. Since I don't like to wear pants or jeans as much as I like to wear skirts and dresses, knee-high boots make it all possible in the winter.

The jacket I am wearing I got in the mail today! Order from Pickled Vintage and I love the darn thing. It's just a smidge too large so it might makes it was into the shop fairly soon, but that will be sad for me.

hat - vintage/thrifted
jacket - Etsy, Pickled Vintage
skirt - Banana Republic
boots - vintage/thrifted

An internet-free night

Last night I felt compelled to shut the computer down and have an internet-free night, not easy when your business is online! But after dinner I just wanted to do something very home-y and cozy. So we made a fire, made vegan cupcakes and laid on the couch reading and listening to Duke Ellington. I am thinking I need to make at least one night a week an internet-free night!

High Contrast

It's Tuesday and it seems so far from Monday to me, I can't figure out if the days feel like they are going fast or slow. I was up early today for a vintage appointment where I ended up liking none of the garments and passed on the whole deal and went straight to the thrift stores where I found MUCH better things, I hope to reveal them soon, until then, here's Tuesday's shop update!

When time stands still

I could attempt to impart in words my love for this dress, but alas, I cannot. My heart aches when I see it, so perfectly WWII, so lovely with it's creamy peach sorbet crepe and the ultra feminine ruched sweetheart neckline, the styling is timeless to me...maybe it is my affinity for 1930s dresses, peachy ones in particular, but I will be without a dry eye the day I mail this to it's new owner. May she be as smitten as I am...this dress is shipped with a huge amount of love.

I saw the film The Duchess this evening and while the movie was nothing amazing, the styling was, particularly the hats, some of them were large enough to require their own zip code (and of course I wanted them...talk about "practical"...) and it all reminded me of this great photoshoot by Steven Meisel from Vogue Italia, March 2008. I saw these posted on another blog with a pretty fantastic name (Les Yeux sans Visage) that if I am not mistaken is lifted from the Billy Idol song "Eyes Without a Face", but in French obviously.

At any rate, I have a secret affinity for all things Baroque, music and clothing included, and the film was a feast of the eyes with all the amazing hats and dresses. This photo set (that looks so completely painted and not like photographs at all) from Steven Meisel takes a modern twist, albeit for the macabre of that Baroque fashion styling.

Monday Shop Update

I'll be sad when it's spring for I just love posting items that are just right for autumn. It's a perfectly chilly, rainy fall day and I am loving it. A pot of soup simmers, kitties are curled up tighter than usual and the bed is left unmade as if to beckon...

Richard Avedon

Sure, there's been many blog posts about Richard Avedon, but I have to say I am posting this not only because I love Richard Avedon, but because the Detroit Institute of the Arts is hosting a Avedon exhibit that starts next month and it's, as you can guess, written in bright red on my calendar.

From the DIA's website:
This exhibition is a comprehensive study of Richard Avedon's (1923-2004) fashion photographs that includes a selection of over 200 images representing his stylistic evolution over a period of 50 years. Both iconic and lesser-known photographic prints, as well as never-before-seen material including contact sheets, magazine layouts, personal ephemera and archival material are included. All photographs are from the Avedon estate, and many are vintage prints.

Avedon began his career at the end of World War II in New York City. Influenced by photo reportage and the innovative eye of Harper's Bazaar art director Alexy Brodovitch, Avedon revolutionized editorial fashion work for magazines in the post-World War II era. At the young age of 23, his work was fresh and created to rejuvenate the Paris fashion market after the war.

As his career developed in the 1950s and 1960s, Avedon captured the independent lifestyle and spirit of the times in women's clothing of the period. In addition to his fashion work with celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Streisand, Avedon was one of the first high-profile photographers to work with African American and multi-racial models including Detroit-native Donyale Luna and the Eurasian model China Machado.

Feathered cap and grizzly bear

Last night I went to see Grizzly Bear. I knew the show would be good, but I didn't know that it'd be a show where I hardly moved, never once was bored and was thoroughly entertained every single second. They are such a brilliant band in a world of mediocre modern music. They single like choir boys, play music that is both soft and hard and know just when to take a turn so the music never once gets dull. I think I only moved to cross and uncross my legs once, otherwise I was transfixed. If you get a chance I recommend seeing them.

hat - plucked from my mother's closet
sweater - Anthropologie
jeans - Madewell
shoes - vintage (bury me in these!)

Simple Palette

A shop update vaguely inspired by Halloween...