shop preview: 1950s silk, 1920s cotton, plaid dresses, and a damsel in distress

Coming to the shop this week:  floral print silk, 1920s cotton, plaid in coffee and jewel tones, and a damsel in distress!  Items begin arriving in the shop today.

1950s three piece striped cotton sateen blouse, skirt, and shorts set by Bobbie Brooks.

1950s pale pink embroidered camisole/lingerie top, Honeydreamer styled by A&M Goodman.

1920s-1930s floral print cotton day dress with laced bodice.

1950s striped cotton blouse by Lady Sutton.

1960s embroidered pink and green maxi dress with bow by Miss Rita.

1960s golden floral print sleeveless blouse.

1960s striped seersucker romper/dress by Adele Fashions.

1960s mod cream and brown plaid dress with belt.

1950s jewel tone plaid dress.

1960s green mandala print blouse.

1950s green floral print silk dress.

1970s Damsel in Distress novelty print top.

xo

K

shop preview: a Mad Men dress, a tulip blouse, satin basketball shorts, and a floral jumpsuit

This week's shop update has something for nearly everyone:  a floral jumpsuit, a dress seen on Mad Men, satin basketball shorts, a tulip print blouse, and much more.  That fabulous first dress is already in the shop; the rest begin to arrive today.

1950s De Stijl dress by Bobbie Brooks (in the shop!).

1960s Travertine abstract print cotton dress (a.k.a. Helen Bishop of Mad Men's dress).

1950s red and gray plaid cotton sleeveless blouse by Regal.

1960s bright psychedelic floral print cotton shift dress.

1950s red satin basketball shorts by Rawlings.

1960s floral print polished cotton jumpsuit by Mr. "B" of California.

1950s sky blue embroidered shirtwaist dress, Glenbury by Huntington.

1970s handwoven Guatemalan dress.

1950s tulip print blouse by Smart Lady.

1960s batik style print cotton dress.

1960s daisy accented chambray pedal pushers.

xo

K

i spy: laughing ladies, Lanvin polka dots, more delicious Hamm, and summer lushness from Klimt

In this edition of I Spy: laughing ladies in the 1930s, superb Helsinki street style, more Hamm, and a bar that never changes.

See more inspiration on my Tumblr and Pinterest.

* In tribute to what would have been Orson Welles' 100th birthday this year, one of my all-time favorite films, The Third Man, has been restored.  This is a German poster for the movie by Heinrich Stengel.  You can see many more beautiful examples of posters for this film at the following link. | MUBI Notebook blog

* Photo of Woody Guthrie performing at McSorley's Ale House in NYC in 1943. (Photo by Eric Schaal-The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images.)  What I love about this is McSorley's looks almost exactly like this to this day--down to the sawdust on the floor.  And Woody's outfit is terrific. | LIFE magazine on Tumblr

* A wonderful photo, dated 1939, of two ladies laughing, apparently at something in Esquire magazine.  I wish I knew what it was! | roni greenwood on Flickr

* If, like me, you're missing Mad Men and Jon Hamm's handsome (and sometimes ridiculous) face, you have options.  You can re-watch Mad Men, and/or you can enjoy him along with Daniel Radcliffe as a 1930s Russian morphine addict in the funny and dark A Young Doctor's Notebook and Other Stories, based on the stories by Mikhail Bulgakov.  Both series of the show are now available on Netflix.  (You can also see Hamm in A Wet Hot American Summer First Day of Camp on Netflix now.)  And that's your Hamm News for the day. | my screenshot; more on my Tumblr

* Ilka Chase modeling a fantastic polka dot dress by Lanvin in May 1925, photo by Edward Steichen. | Corbis

* Gustav Klimt's The Park, 1910 or earlier. | Wikimedia Commons

* Great street style, Victoria in Helsinki!  Love those pants and the pop of color from her scarf.  I'm so glad that Hel-Looks appears to be back in Helsinki and posting street style. | Hel-Looks

* A circa 1920s vasculum.  Isn't it beautiful?  These were used by botanists to safely collect and store plants without crushing them when in the field. | Live Auctioneers

* A door handle in the Bremen City Hall, designed by Franz von Stuck.  This makes me really bummed that I never got to visit the Museum Villa Stuck when we were in Munich.  Next trip! | Culture Design blog

xo

K

what I'd buy at the Mad Men auction

Did you know that in about 5 more hours, an auction of thousands of Mad Men props begins?  I'm still not over the show being over, but I did spend a pleasant hour or so at Screen Bid looking at the items on offer.  I didn't see any women's clothing (just shoes and jewelry), but many of the men's suits are available.  I fantasized for a moment about bidding on a suit for Andy, but he's between Pete and Don in size.  He's closest in size to Roger, actually, but style-wise. . . he's a 1960s Pete or Don.  (They have Don's dirty white t-shirt and Levi's from the last episode's Bonneville Speedway scenes, too.  Rawr.)

I don't have the money to actually win a bid, but that didn't stop me from going through and picking out the items I would bid on if I did.  You can place bids on your own favorites (or just peruse the available items) over at the Screen Bid site.

clockwise, from upper left:

* This is an item I would actually use: Don's bar tools set.

* Don's journal from season 4.  I would love to see what was written in it!  I enjoyed seeing Don be so thoughtful and introspective at this point in the series; it was one of the rare times I felt real hope for him.

* This green thing is Don's pencil sharpener.  I never knew what it was until the auction enlightened me; it looks like a game show buzzer and I always thought of it as Don's panic button.

* SCDP mug.

* Who knew Meredith was a secret interior design superhero?  I loved Meredith, as annoying as she could be, and I loved the scene where she shows Don her ideas for his new apartment.

* Another item I'd get a lot of actual use from:  Don's record collection.  Some of the gems in here:  The Supremes at the Copa, Nat King Cole's "I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore," Elvis Sings How Great Thou Art, "Whipped Cream and Other Delights" by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass,  "Some Blue-Eyed Soul" by The Righteous Bros., "Sketches of Spain" by Miles Davis,  "Johnny Hodges, Billy Strayhorn and his Orchestra," "Ambassador at Jazz" by Max Kaminsky.

clockwise, from upper left:

* The note Don included with the flowers he sent Joan after their Jaguar test drive/cocktail date.  Another of my favorite series scenes, with Joan and Don musing about why they never hooked up.

* A typed set of directions to Pete's house for dinner and drinks, which he handed to Don.  This item is 100% pure Essence of Pete.

* Two cans of Old Style beer, which Don and Peggy shared while watching the moon landing in their hotel before the Burger Chef pitch.  A favorite scene between my two favorite characters.

* Sally's family tree, a prop in the scene in which Sally first learns about the existence of Anna, thanks to Betty (not one of Betty's finer parenting moments.  Not that there were many of those).

* The menu and bill from Quo Vadis restaurant, from the scene where Joan offers Peggy a partnership in her production company.  I admit, I had a real thrill of excitement thinking of these two powerhouses partnering up.

Bonus item:

* Pauline Francis' book and Seconal bottles!  That scene--where Pauline dopes up little Sally to calm her after Sally is terrified by the news coverage of the Richard Speck mass murder case--is both horrifying and hilarious.  Screen Bid takes pains to inform us that the Seconal bottles will arrive empty.

xo

K

shop accessories preview: tooled leather bags, denim wedges, 1900s boots

The shop will soon be getting a selection of new accessories, including a couple of tooled leather bags, some fun 1970s wedge sandals, a pair of early 20th century boots, and silk bow ties.  All items begin arriving in the shop today.

Tooled leather bag with cactus and hawk.

1950s black velvet purse by Mayer New York.

Tooled leather shoulder/cross body bag.

1970s flower embroidered denim blue and jute wedge peeptoe sandals.

1900s-1910s brown leather lace up boots by Roberts, Johnson & Rand.

1950s striped silk self tie bow tie.

1950s printed clay brown silk self tie bow tie.

1950s black plastic sunglasses with green lenses.

xo

K

shop preview: 1930s dresses, 1940s trousers, ladybugs, and April in Paris

1930s dresses, an April in Paris print, 1940s trousers, and lots of cute cotton blouses in this week's shop update!  All items begin arriving in the shop today.

1930s floral print voile gown with lace trim and flower buttons.

1960s gerbera daisy print cotton cropped tie front blouse.

1970s embroidered pink Mexican traditional dress.

1960s orange polished cotton scalloped hem top, an Original Playmaker by Mannie Fineman.

1950s blue rose print seersucker sundress, A Margy-Jane Creation.

1970s ladybugs and clover print skort by Randi Roberts.

1960s navy blue polka dot romper by Joan Curtis.

1960s mod green scooter dress with striped accents.

1930s blue and white floral print day dress.

1950s yellow and green floral print blouse.

1950s April in Paris print dress by Susan Ross.

1940s black faille wide leg trousers.

xo

K

shop preview: the Gold Rush, the Dutch countryside, and vintage denim

This week's shop update includes some great novelty prints--the Gold Rush, a royal palace, the Dutch countryside--plus an elegant 1940s tulle gown and jacket set, 1940s-50s denim, and much more!

The first two items are already in the shop, and the rest begin arriving today.

1950s buttercup yellow shantung dress with rhinestone pins.

1950s Dutch Pastoral print cotton blouse by Smart Lady.

1950s Gold Rush novelty print shirtwaist dress by Heritage.

1950s men's red and blue print swim trunks.

1940s black tulle and satin stripe dress and cropped jacket.

1950s Royal Palace novelty print cotton blouse by Shirtmaker.

1960s bright floral print shift dress by Famous Fashions of Miami.

1940s or 1950s gym suit.

1950s pale gold floral brocade dress.

1960s Stained Glass Shards print cotton blouse.

1960s tiki print sundress by Charm of Hollywood.

1940s-1950s women's Montgomery Ward 101 denim jeans.

xo

K