site: lab workflow

I've mentioned the Grand Rapids arts group SiTE: LAB many times on this blog before.  They are, bar none, one of the best things to happen in this town in the last several years.  Last weekend they held a letterpress-focused event/exhibit called Workflow at the old Grand Rapids Public Museum, and it was, of course, amazing.  I took these photos with my fancy new phone--most of them while holding a large handbag and a cup of beer, too, so they didn't all turn out so well.  But they give you a flavor of the event.

On a related note, I am now on Instagram.  You can follow me there (my profile is here, smallearthvintage).  I'm trying to find interesting people to follow there, and if anyone can give me tips on how to do that, please leave a comment.  I've found that doing searches for tags sometimes works, but more often just turns up pages of pouty-faced "selfies" (ugh, I hate that term).

And finally: if you have sensitivity to salty language, proceed with caution, because some of the following images feature it.

There were also cool items from the museum's archives, including this display of various styles of furniture hardware.

And this McKinley chair--so named because one was owned by President McKinley--which was designed by David Wolcott Kendall for Grand Rapids' Phoenix Furniture Company in 1894.

xo

K

Paris, 1963

I recently ran across these photos of young people in Paris in 1963, taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life magazine.  The photos never ran in the magazine, but I was really taken with them.  These aren't pretty, romantic photographs.  You can almost feel the grit of the Parisian streets under your feet and smell the cigarette smoke of the cafes when you look at them.

And yet--or maybe because of that--I want to be there.

All photos by Alfred Eisenstaedt for Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images.  These and more Eisenstaedt photos taken in Paris in 1963 can be seen here.

xo

K

shop preview

A spring mix of flowers, leaves, ferns, and fruit coming to the shop this week--with a great Egyptian themed dress tossed in for you novelty print lovers!

1950s black taffeta leafy eyelet cocktail dress.

1970s denim jacket with plaid flannel lining the hood and cuffs.

1950s Egyptian Revival novelty print dress.

1960s cropped floral print blouse, A Capri Original.

1950s floral eyelet/cutouts dress with rhinestone decorations.

1970s fern print wrap skirt, by The Bagshaws of St. Lucia W.I.

1940s navy blue embroidered zigzag dress with big buttons, by Louisa Alcott.

1950s ditsy fruit and floral print blouse, by Sorority Deb.

1960s blue and green watercolor abstract dress, by Shelton Stroller.

1960s mosaic folklore print blouse with big Peter Pan collar, by Bill Atkinson Glen of Michigan.

1950s floral taffeta and chiffon party dress with rosette and velvet ribbon at the back.

1950s gray and blue plaid pleated full skirt.

xo

K

i spy: stormy seas, neo mods, a stag in the moonlight, and Tilda

It's April, but where I live, things still look and feel quite wintry.  Which might explain the dark, stormy, moody nature of my first collection of images below.  (Of course, I like dark and stormy year-round, so perhaps not...)  I love that feathery-looking sepia brown Balenciaga outfit--especially against the gray background.  But I also love the soft pastels in that photo of Tilda Swinton in the second collage.  That Tilda sure keeps busy, doesn't she?  I enjoyed seeing her alongside Bowie in his "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" video (though I like the moody first single, "Where Are We Now?" more).

I really need that bar/record station set-up you see in the second collage.  And how cute and stylish is that pair in the lower right corner?  I will always love the sharp styling of mod scooter culture.

1 / Balenciaga ensemble in October 1950 issue of L'Officiel / via

2 / Stag, oil painting by Eugen Krüger (1832-1876) / via

3 / illustration from a 1918 issue of Jugend magazine / via

4 / Elise and Monique, hats by Schiaparelli, Café Flore, Paris, 1948, photo by Richard Avedon / via

5 / Storm in the Skerries. "The Flying Dutchman," painting by August Strindberg, 1892 / via

1 / love this image of Tilda Swinton from the video for David Bowie's "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)," directed by Floria Sigismondi / via

2 / 1922 textile print by Leon Bakst / via

3 / Kashtanka by Anton Chekov, illustrated by William Stobbs / via

4 / I need this. / via

5 / Neo mods fashion shoot for Vanity Fair Italia, #47, photo by Sergi Pons / via

xo

K

National Geographic Found

* girl wearing a novelty braided Texas straw hat, October 1939 / photo by Luis Marden
* London motorcycle club members, June 1966 / photo by James P. Blair
* ballet dancers practice The Nutcracker in San Diego, July 1969 / photo by James L. Amos

As a child, one of my favorite things to do was dig through my parents' collection of old National Geographic magazines.  There were tons of them--I think they may have inherited some from their own parents--and I could spend hours poring over them.  They were one of my first windows on the world outside my own mid-American suburban life.

Those magazines are one of the things that my parents have shed--no doubt at some garage sale along the way--that I wish I'd made them keep so I could have them now.  But the good news is that I can still get my daily fix of National Geographic!  In honor of their 125th anniversary, they have started a Tumblr blog, called Found, and it is full of gorgeous photos, many of which have never before been published.  I shared a taste of Found here, but do go check it out for yourself to see much, much more! 

* coal miner in Omar, West Virginia, 1938 / photo by B. Anthony Stewart
* dog on a seesaw with children in Scotland, March 1919 / photo by William Reid
* Alexander Graham Bell and Mabel (in a tetrahedal kite) kissing, October 1903 / photograph courtesy Library of Congress
* portrait of a Sudanese women, 1920 / photo by Kodak Ltd.

xo

K

shop preview

It's that time of year when floral prints are everywhere.  You can't avoid them.  But why would you want to?  From tiny ditsy posies to overblown wallpaper-esque blossoms to mid century abstract flowers--I do believe there's a floral print for everybody!  Just about every other item in this shop preview is a floral print, but for those who care not for flowers, there are other prints:  paisley, polka dots, mod geometry, and gingham.

All items coming to the shop this week.

1950s forest paisley wiggle dress.

1950s art nouveau floral print polished cotton blouse, by Gabey.

1950s red polka dot dress with black bow.

1960s silk poppy print blouse, Town & Country Blouses by Ohrbach's.

1960s gingham dress and coat set, by Vicky Vaughn.

1950s flowers in a gilded cage full circle skirt.

1950s sepia floral chiffon and taffeta print party dress with satin belt.

1950s blue rose print blouse.

1960s mod geometry print trapeze dress.

1960s butter yellow blouse with Peter Pan collar, by Kay Karen.

1940s sheer floral print dress with rhinestone buttons.

1960s daisy print swimsuit / romper, Carol & Mary by Kahala.

xo

K

black brogues, leather bags, pretty scarves

Need a pair of 1940s black brogues?  I seem to have cornered the market on them!  I've also got some 1920s mary janes, springy sandals and canvas wedges, bohemian leather bags, and bright scarves coming your way.  All these item coming to the shop shortly.

1940s black brogue oxfords.

1970s green canvas wedges, by Wimzees.

1920s double strap mary jane heels, by Martha Washington.

1960s midnight blue buckle loafers.

1940s black brogue oxford heels.

1980s wedge huarache sandals.

1940s black brogue oxfords.

1970s leather purse with painted flowers.

Tooled leather purse from Honduras.

1970s small leather purse with painted flowers.

1960s Vera Neumann yellow floral print sheer chiffon scarf.

1960s abstract print black and white silk scarf.

1970s striped scarf with a retro 1930s resort wear print.

1950s equestrian print scarf, made in Italy by Arturo Galli.

xo

K