fancy dress

I commented on Twitter last night that I think this latest shop preview might be too fancy for me.  But now that I look it over, it's really not--especially with the holidays (and holiday parties) coming up.  And there's a lot of "meat" (i.e. everyday wear) in this preview, too.

The first and last dresses kill me, by the way.

Look for these in the shop soon!

1950s party dress with asymmetric hem bubble skirt.

1970s tribal pattern sweater.

1960s Azteca print dress.

1950s navy blue squiggle embroidered evening jacket.

1940s wine red Arthur Weiss dress with gathered button-back peplum and belt.

1950s red plaid wool skirt, Chestnut Hill by St. Mary's.

1960s olive green wool and brown houndstooth dress, by Majestic.

1940s embroidered and beaded shawl neck wool sweater.

1940s pewter gray silk suit with mushroom and flower print, and velvet and rhinestone collar.

1950s mink stole or capelet, by Capitol Fur Co.

1970s gingham taffeta maxi/halter dress with satin collar, Young Edwardian by Arpeja.

Men's Pendleton red wool plaid robe.

1950s cornflower blue party dress embroidered with silver thread, and with a rhinestone decoration at the neckline, by Henry-Lee.

xo

K

a little bit more of The Hour

Here are a few more screencaps from The Hour.  (See my previous post about it here.)  I just love Ben Whishaw's (Freddie) puppy dog eyes.

Bel, managing to eat toast and still look alluring, in a plaid pencil skirt.

 Lovely dress on poor little rich Marnie.

The DVD with episodes 4-6 has a great extra on it, an interview with the costume designer for the show.  Here she is with a couple of Sissy's skirts.  Aren't they fantastic?  Sissy must be the most fun character to dress--she wears so much color and print.

Cute little print cardis--so Sissy!

Inspiration boards for the characters.  Lix's is the best:  Dietrich and Hepburn!

xo

K

street style

I love street style blogs, and I think I get the most fashion inspiration from these "real girls" on the street.  Here are some of my favorites from September and October.  You might notice a lot of these come from London.  I admit to being an Anglophile, but also--I really do have an affinity for the way the ladies of Great Britain dress.  They seem to like vintage, aren't always overly polished, and embrace a bit of eccentricity.

Louise of Pandora, via The Clothes Horse.

London street style, via Style/Clicker.

London street style, via The Style Scout.

Either London or New York fashion week, via Stylesight.

Milan fashion week street style, via Facehunter.

Helsinki street style, via Hel-Looks.

Paris fashion week, via British Vogue.

London fashion week street style, via Style/Clicker.

xo

K

who wore it better?

Me, or... me?  Yeah, I'm posting an outfit post and it's nearly exactly the same as the last outfit post I did here, which was at the beginning of October.  Whoops.  So who wore it better?  November me, above?

Or October me, below?

My vote goes to November Me.  She has a relatively fresh new haircut, and doesn't have a bulky jacket on.  No surprise that in both photos I'm carrying my very favorite purse, a velvet tapestry bag from an antique mall last summer.  Oh, and apparently I like t-strap shoes and patterned tights.

I honestly didn't realize until I had already uploaded the photos that I wore this dress in my last outfit post.  It's relatively new, a 1950s dress that came from an estate buy this summer.  You can't really see it in the photos, but it's a sheer-ish voile, with pintucks on the bodice.  So yes--a closet way too full of vintage dresses, and I wear the same thing again and again.

Also, what you can't see very well on November Me is my new necklace from ThatOldBlueHouse2 on Etsy, so I took another picture of it.  Lisa uses vintage lace, fabrics, buttons, and marbles to make her jewelry.  I'd been wanting one of her lace necklaces for ages, but I fell in love with the trim she used for this one and had to have it!  It's gorgeous and so well made.  [And I've now edited this post to show the necklace correct side forward!]

I promise--the next outfit post will have me in something new.  Well, new-to-me.

xo

K

october inspirations

I love October.  It means cool weather beginning, whisky cocktails, cozy fashion--and spookiness!  Here's a little look back at what caught my eye last month.

1. The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, 1930.  I need a copy--what a great illustration on the cover.  (via The Vintage Traveler and Vintage Seekers)

2. Noah Taylor in Submarine (2010).  I loved Noah Taylor when I saw him in the coming-of-age film The Year My Voice Broke, and though I've seen him in other movies since, I was particularly excited to see him in Richard Ayoade's adaptation of Joe Dunthorne's novel.  I loved the book (it's set in Wales in 1986--around the same time I "came of age") and definitely recommend reading it and seeing the film.

3. Gorgeous lacy London street style.  I'm into lace and crochet lately and want to incorporate more of it in my wardrobe. (Street Style Aesthetic)

4. Buster Keaton and a cute little pig. (Oh My Tweedy Steed)

5. Sampler by Bonifasa Flores, circa 1860. (Benton County Museum)

6. Mix and match tweed, from a 1938 Life magazine article about Harris tweed.  I've been obsessed with Harris tweed all month, an obsession I don't see going anywhere soon.

1. Still from Salem's Lot (1979), directed by Tobe Hooper.  I remember when this was first broadcast.  I was 10, and I somehow doubt I was allowed to watch it, but I remember one of my friends had, and told us all about it at a slumber party--maybe we even watched some of it then.  I eventually did see the whole miniseries, and it is scary, as is the Stephen King novel.

2. Row of Trees by Jan Mankes, 1915.

3. The Darker Drink by C. Yarnall Abbott, 1908.  (via Photo Seed)

4. Ryan Matthew Cohn

5. Illustration by Hugh Thomson from 1910 edition of Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. (via archive.org)

6. Hilarious (and so true) redesign of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair by Char Gwizdala, via my favorite new (to me) Tumblr, Better Book Titles.

7. Still from Dracula, 1931.

If you enjoy these, you can see more of my inspirations on a daily basis at my Tumbler, alwaysthesea.

xo

K

the wicker man

I didn't get to watch it on Halloween as I'd planned, but I've finally been able to see The Wicker Man.  I'd been wanting to see this cult classic horror fillm for ages.  It's about the inhabitants of a Scottish island who practice a form of paganism that includes ritual sacrifice.  Though called a "horror" film, I didn't find it particularly scary.  It's more creepy than anything else.  The islanders, while not exactly good guys, are bawdy and quite funny.  And there is some amazing imagery in the film.

Heh, heh.

Lots of great animal masks in the film.

Hand candle!

 The badger is carrying a boy made out of bread that was baked in a casket.  Yep.

I could do a whole separate post about Lord Summerisle's (Christopher Lee) hair.

xo

K

floral, plaid, houndstooth, chevron, swiss dot

Hm, looks like I was thirsting for the full range and variety of prints and patterns when I did this photo shoot!  There is a lot of great stuff here, but I think my favorite is the saffron sweater about midway down.  It has a little arts and crafts-y print on it that makes me think of Frank Lloyd Wright.  

Enjoy this preview of what will be hitting the shop shortly!

1950s voile autumn mums print dress.

Deadstock 1950s plaid wool coat with velvet collar and original tag, by Gastwirth.

1960s orange houndstooth wool knit suit, by Kimberly.

1970s chevron stripe sweater.

1940s navy blue swiss dot dress.

1960s wool plaid skirt.

1970s buttercup yellow pintuck and lace bodice dress.

1970s Woolrich Woman checked shirt, made in the USA.

1950s jacquard knit wiggle dress, by Mr. Henry.

1950s saffron arts and crafts motif sweater.

1960s mod wool dress, by Adele Martin.

1950s wool tweed pencil skirt.

1940s black crepe wiggle fit dress with satin collar neckline.

1970s bohemian folklore print sweater.

1960s ribbed henley sweater dress, by Jolie.

Glen plaid wool blazer, by Majestic.

1920s beaded chocolate velvet dress.

xo

K