i spy: wintry scenes, a cityscape dress, and a fancy canine

I don't mind the sepia and gray palette that is winter in Michigan; in fact, I rather like it...and it was sepia and gray images that caught my eye last month.  I particularly love that amazing 1920s cityscape print dress, and the idea of making Carte de Visite cards for a dog.  (See more on my Tumblr and Pinterest.)

(clockwise, from upper left)

*Paris street style. / Street Style Aesthetic

*a Carte de Visite portrait of a dog named Dellie, ca. 1860-80, which has me convinced I need to get CdV cards for Pickles. / Cowan's Auctions

*Ice skaters at Vienna's Heumarkt, ca. 1910. / news.at

*German postcard. / source

*December by Theodor Kittelsen / source

*model wearing an incredible cityscape print dress from Stehli Silks Americana print collection, 1925. / Metropolitan Museum of Art

xo

K

a tweedy and woolen new year

Hello, and happy new year!  It's the first shop preview of 2014.  There are a couple suits for those heading back to work (or just pretending to be a horsey type on an English estate), and lots of wool and tweedy things to keep warm in.  And for those in the southern hemisphere (or just dreaming of spring), there's a lovely blue plaid dress with bow-shaped buttons.  All on their way to the shop!

1960s chocolate brown Bill Blass for Maurice Rentner suit.

1960s cream wool bouclé military style coat.

1960s gray linen chevron stripe dress.

1980s Jantzen fair isle wool cardigan.

1950s blue plaid dress with little bow buttons, by Abby-Kent.

1940s tweedy wool swing coat, by Argyle.

1960s camel and gray plaid button front skirt, by Madison.

1970s women's raspberry and honey plaid wool fitted jacket with elbow patches.

1940s navy crepe dress with gold Lurex stripe collar, by Mynette.

1960s wallpaper floral turtleneck sweater, by Jantzen.

1970s gray wool tweed skirt suit, by John Meyer.

New Zealand wool sweater with fringed scarf, by Kowhai Knitwear.

xo

K

2013 in outfits

At the movies, and on my birthday.

I liked you, 2013.  Yes, there were some sadness, but the year as a whole was very good.

And there were outfits.  These aren't necessarily my "best" outfits of the year...they're just the ones I took photos of.  (I don't take a lot of outfit photos, and the ones I take now end up on my Instagram.)  Looking at these photos, I realize that I wore very few items that were brand new to me.  (A quick and probably not totally accurate count: one skirt, two dresses, two pairs of shoes, and one pair of jeans.  Some socks and tights.)  Some of the things I'm wearing here I've had for several years; at least three of the dresses I've had for over a decade!  This pleases me.  Now I just need to learn to not fill up my closet with so many vintage things I never wear.  Yes, I think it will be time for a closet cleaning soon. 

At the UICA; on Record Store Day.

On the West Side; in downtown Grand Rapids.

At Honey Creek Inn; in Vienna.

In Cadillac; in the bathroom of the Amway Grand Hotel.

xo

K

warm wishes for the new year + shipping announcement

Small Earth Vintage hopes that all who celebrate had a lovely Christmas holiday. Andy and I will be taking a little weeklong break starting this coming Saturday, so our last day to ship items this year will be tomorrow, Friday, 12/27. The shop will remain open while we're away, but shipping won't resume until Monday, 1/6. Warm wishes to all for the new year! (Image is cover art from the January 1938 Die Moderne Welt; source here:  http://bit.ly/1fJI439)

xo
K

Pendleton plaid, gabardine, and blue houndstooth

Plaid Pendleton shirts, 1950s gabardine, and a 1940s houndstooth Hollywood jacket...some excellent vintage menswear is on its way to the shop!

1960s blue and black plaid Pendleton shirt.

1970s brown and gold plaid Pendleton shirt/jacket.

1970s red plaid Pendleton shirt.

1960s lamb's wool blend zip-up cardigan, by Rob Scot.

1940s blue houndstooth belted Hollywood jacket.

1950s mauve gabardine shirt with white contrast collar, by Arrow.

1970s green stripe knit shirt, by Penney's Towcraft.

1920s or 1930s striped shirt, by Peninsular.

xo

K

shop preview: black velvet, yarn flowers, red tartan, and cats!

Here's what's coming to the shop over the next week--black velvet and printed faille, red plaid, Scottish wool, happy yarn flowers, vintage denim, and a fun kitty cat novelty print!

1950s black printed faille Bonbons dress--in the shop now!

1950s black velvet wiggle dress, by Jonathan Logan.

1960s wool and mohair yarn flower sweater with fringe, by Carol Brent.

1960s red tartan plaid shift dress, by Pendleton.

1960s Lee Lady Riders jeans.

Deadstock 1950s navy blue crepe dress with drapey bodice, by Wynette.

Heather brown Scottish Shetland wool cardigan, by The Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

1970s zig zag Shazam! dress.

1970s red plaid skirt.

1950s cornflower blue dress with fringed scarf collar, by Hope Reed.

1970s kitty cat novelty print blouse.

xo

K

Weihnachten / Christmas 1936

Christmas is almost here!  So it's the perfect time to travel through time and space to 1930s Vienna and Berlin via the December 1936 issue of Die Moderne Welt magazine.  I'm sharing some of the highlights from the issue here, but you can view the whole thing and other issues online at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.  (And apologies in advance for my amateur German translations.)

The lovely mosaic-style cover art (which looks very modern and current to me, for some reason), and a charming Christmas themed illustration inside.

New hairstyles for long hair, featuring Ginger Rogers!  And an ad for cigarettes and cigars made in Austria.  Great stocking stuffers?

The ski school begins, what do we bring?  I'd say we bring everything here, because it is all amazing.  I especially love that olive blouse and skirt on the left, and the brown coat with rounded collar.  The herringbone and striped skating outfits on the right are totally fun, and how great is the tweedy-plaid skating outfit on the right?  I love the culottes (Hosenrock in German or "pants skirt")!  I know I would have been wearing those Hosenröcke everywhere, not just to ice skate.  Actually, probably not at all to ice skate.  I do like to cross country ski though, and would totally wear that skiing outfit on the left, with its plaid scarf, gloves and socks.  

More outfits for winter sports, and some for elegant afternoons.  (I need to have more elegant afternoons.)

Evening dresses, blouses, and all kinds of little things.  I really love that outfit on the right:  the brown skirt with the terracotta side-tie vest.  And please send me all of the gloves, thank you.

Wool--the big fashion.  These sweaters--the top two especially--are amazing.  Can you see the crazy collar on the top one?

Christmas gift ideas--"Every year again--and always something new"--for her, him, and the kids.  My eyes were immediately drawn to the men's side, and those checked slippers with their Scottie dog case.  And that incredible travel bag at the top!  But then I took a closer look at the women's gifts.  #2 shows a coral bracelet (nice enough) and a flat clock in colored glass with leather tab that you can button into a buttonhole (nifty!).  #4 is a mirror with a set of lips inlaid to help you get the contours of your lipstick correct (weird, but fascinating).  And I think #5 is the best.  It shows a lighter that also a clock, and a leather belt decorated with a map print, and with a big leather buckle.  I would love to have that belt!  

xo

K