i spy: snow (duh), neon signs, a cozy fire, and architects in costume

January.  Snow, ice, fireplaces, neon lights, and the best costumes for a ball ever!  Take a look and see if you agree.  (For more of this, follow me on Tumblr or Pinterest.)

clockwise, from upper left:

*a beautiful stone fireplace in a found photo / sctatepdx Flickr

*leaf from an 1896 Dutch Art Nouveau calender by Theodor Willem Nieuwenhuis / Wolfsonian FIU Library blog

*Karlavägen street in central Stockholm in snow, January 1922, photo by Berit Wallenberg / Swedish National Heritage Board on Flickr

*Ice Glare by Charles Burchfield, 1933 / Whitney Museum of American Art

*Après-ski photo by Robert Capa of a woman at an ice bar in Zürs, Austria.  (© Robert Capa and International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos) / Vanity Fair

clockwise, from upper left:

*The Abandoned City, pastel and crayon drawing by Fernand Khnopff, 1904 / Wikipedia

*Painted glass window fragment, England, 15th century / V&A

*a 1970 nighttime shot of Kärntner Straße in Vienna (© KommR Helmut Prem private archive) / Vintage Vienna

*screenshot I took of a GIF showing architect William Van Alen dressed in costume as his Chrysler Building for the 1931 Beaux-Arts Ball in NYC. / Smithsonian Archives of American Art

*a photo of the beautiful Richmond Stamp sign in downtown Grand Rapids, by Conspectus / Conspectus

xo

K

indiana, 1939

My grandparents, Edna and Dan, were married in 1938.  In 1939 they traveled from St. Louis to Indiana to visit Edna's family there.  I love the photos from this trip--I'm guessing Edna took most of them--as they have such a dreamy, summery feeling.

Also, these gals wore some really cute dresses!

I really love this photo.

Edna on horseback.

Another photo I particularly love--Dan and one of Edna's relatives.

These folks appear to be standing in front of some kind of mobile grocery store.  Nifty!

Dan on the right, rocking the boater.

That's Edna's mother, my great-grandmother Mary Francis, on the far left.  I love this photo for the dresses, naturally, but also for the luncheonette menu behind them!

xo

K

some things never change

I was looking at some old photos and realized that perhaps--like so many things--our sense of style is set at an early age.  For example, I still think I look best with bangs.

(See what I mean about the bangs?)  I still love plaid.

I can't say I wear a lot of animal prints these days, but I do love my leopard coat.  And still rock serious bedhead sometimes.

A yellow dress with floral applique?  Yeah, I'd still wear that.

The nautical look?  Absolutely!

A plaid poncho?  Sure.  And I appear to have inherited a penchant for nerd glasses from my parents.

A scratch and sniff pizza t-shirt?  Nah, probably won't do that again.

xo

K

washington d.c. school trip, 1962

This was a real gem of a find in my family photos: my mom's 1962 high school class trip to Washington D.C. It is showcase of early 60s goodness: fluffy hair (I sense lots of sleeping in rollers!), cat's eye glasses, wonderful coats, and cute print blouses.

I'm pretty sure I squealed when I spotted my mom in this photo.  She's the one in the sassy leopard print blouse!  If only she were standing right next to the nun--that would be amazing.  I'm loving her righthand neighbor's dark coat (and wish I could get a better view of the print on her blouse), and her lefthand neighbor's cable knit cardigan.  Also: girl in lower righthand corner, white blouse, dark cardigan?  I can relate to your expression.

These gals know how to sit in the grass in skirts and not look indecent.  One guess who my favorite is in this photo!  Yes, it's Miss Plaid Coat and Specs in the center.  Footwear appears to be mainly pointy-toe flats--sensible and chic--though I think I might spy a pair of Keds.  I'm also loving the contrasting fabric on the collar and lining of the jacket on the far right, and that bracelet (charm?) on the wrist of the young lady to the left of Miss Plaid.

These jackets!  I'm not sure if I love the giant collars or the no collar with a little bow more.

Loving the contrast of houndstooth coat and polka dot blouse.  Want that coat.  And happy to see a typical-of-the-era shirtwaist dress with Peter Pan collar and roll up sleeves in nature, as it were, as I've sold so many of these.

Oh my.  There is some hair in this photo.  


But I really do love the mosaic print blouse, as well as the floral print cardigan on the gal on the right.  And in the front row--stripes, plaid, and a ruffly-collared blouse with cardigan!  

And not to sound like a grumpy oldster (which I suppose I am), but even with their nearly-bouffant 'dos, these women knock the style socks off the muffin-topped skinny jeans and Ed Hardy t-shirt-wearing teens of today.  Am I being too harsh?  I know not all teens dress this way (I didn't dress the way most other teens of my era did, either.)  Please feel free to chastise me in the comments.

xo

K

they did

My grandmother Edna and grandfather Dan on their wedding day in 1938.  I love Edna's dramatic lace gown, and my PawPaw's awesome Gatsby-esque white pants.

I am not really a "wedding person."  I was never a girl who dreamed of a fairytale wedding, and weddings often seem to me like a whole lot of money and time (and stress) that could be better spent on other things. However, I have been to a couple really lovely, fun, celebratory weddings.  And I do love these wedding photos from my family collection.  If all these folk hadn't tied the knot, I likely wouldn't be here!

Classic Gibson Girl.  My great grandparents (Edna's parents) Mary and William Wahmhoff on their 1896 wedding day.

I don't know whose wedding this 1920s gathering is (that's my grandfather and his amazing hair on the far left).  I adore these tea length gowns with their wispy layers of tulle, the big romantic bouquets, and the hats on the bridesmaids.

Circa 1930s.  My grandmother Edna is second from the left.  This is the wedding of Edna's brother Harry to Madge (center of photo).  Again, loving the men in white pants.  I have the sense from this photo that this wedding was a really great party.  The groom especially looks like he's having a swell time!

My great uncle Charlie and great aunt Bernice on their wedding day in 1950.  I love how genuinely happy they both look.  Tante looks beautiful, and Uncle Charlie's smile says it all.

My parents' 1967 wedding.  They were married at the Basilica of Saint Louis (a.k.a. the Old Cathedral) beneath the Gateway Arch.

My mom's parents were dead by this time, and she had very little money to spend on a wedding.  My paternal grandparents paid for the reception, and my mother made her own veil and the headpieces for her bridesmaids.  Despite the lack of money, my mother looks beautiful and the bridal party has a simple elegance.  Love the daisy bouquets!

Here they are, flanked by my dad's parents Dan and Edna, 29 years after their own wedding, and my mom's aunt Bernice and uncle Charlie, 17 years after theirs.  Mom's little cousin Peggy is the flower girl.  I have many thoughts when I look at this photo.  Like, I need to start wearing gloves.  And also, I would like have Peggy's, Edna's, and my dad's eyeglass frames.  But mostly, how cute my my mom looks here! 

xo

K