Calivintage for Swedish Hasbeens

Calivintage for Swedish Hasbeens, photos by Diane Vo

I'm sure these photos are going to spread around the blogosphere (I hate that term, but it is applicable here) like wildfire and I suppose I'm doing my part to help fan the flames.  I just couldn't resist since from the moment I first saw them I was completely taken with the styling, the photos and the overall feel of the foggy California coastline.  Seeing these photos makes me bit homesick for the days Tom and I would hop in the car and drive up the Pacific Coast Highway for a weekend getaway.  Oh, California... how I miss thee (sometimes). 

Etsy Update: Autumn Jackets

Sail Away Jacket /// Professor Corduroy Blazer 

Fawn Corduroy Blazer /// Blanket Stripe Jacket

Etsy Update: Ebony Dresses

Ebony & Ivory Dress /// Licorice Dress

Carnaby Dress /// Charcoal Horizon Dress

Etsy Update: Sweater Weather

Portland Sweater /// Reykjavik Wool Cardigan

Fireside Cardigan /// Parallel Lines Sweater

Etsy Update: Autumn Skirts

Noir Lace Skirt /// Carnival Stripe Skirt 

Sherlock Skirt /// Running Wild Skirt

Etsy Update: Black Leather Boots

Chelsea Leather Boots /// Veronica Leather Boots

Camilla Leather Boots /// Natasha Leather Boots

Amsterdam, Pt. 1

Somehow I got a bit off track with sharing our vacation photos with you.  Let's get back to it, shall we?  Here we are in our last stop along the way... Amsterdam!  Our arrival in Amsterdam was a bit later in the day than we expected after a train mishap. As in, we got on the wrong one.  Oopsy!  It really wasn't a big problem and we were able to get off at the next stop and catch the correct train, it just put us a bit behind schedule. 

Amsterdam was everything we expected it to be;  canals winding their way through the city, bikes and bikes as far as you could see, the smell of marijuana wafting out of coffee shops, house boats lining the canals and drunken tourists shouting from their party boats.  Honestly, if it wasn't for said drunken tourists, the city was quite lovely.  Our first day we walked the streets, sat at a sidewalk cafe to have a beer, visited the Bloemenmarkt where I met the world's friendliest cat, peered into the windows of house boats, had dinner with an old friend at an Ethiopian restaurant and wandered into an art gallery opening. 

Fall Wish List

Steven Alan Claudia Skirt / Madewell Silk Boy Shirt / Biltmore Felt Fedora / Samantha Pleet Wolverine Boots / Arrowstack Necklace

Madewell Perfect Chambray Shirt / Moto Skinny Leigh Jeans / Marais Chelsea Boots / Mara Hoffman Hunter Scarf / Topshop Sunglasses

Secret South Grace Dress / Madewell Suede Sidewalk Skimmer / Hepcat Shades / Woodland Feather Ring

Pendleton Oregon Tales Dress / Madewell Contrast Cardigan / Acne Pistol Boots / Tracecraft Bangle 

Etsy Update: Autumn Oxfords & Boots

Lots of shoes and boots in so many shades of brown:  from butterscotch to mahogany!  All in the SHOP.   

Ace & Jig Autumn 2012

Here's a checklist of everything I want this autumn:  comfortable, easy to wear and layer, natural fibers, lots of stripes.  Ace & Jig pretty much gets a perfect score.  I have one dress from last summer's collection in black and white stripes and it's always an easy choice when I can't decide what to wear.  I'd love to add an fall-hued piece to my closet, but what I really have my eye on is that navy long sleeve dress. 

Etsy Update: Autumn Dresses

Marrakesh Print Dress /// Black & Tan Dress

Autumn Skies Plaid Dress /// Houndstooth Lanz Dress

Etsy Update: Autumn Skirts

Maple Pleated Wool Skirt /// Herringbone Mini Skirt

Camel Corduroy Skirt /// Starry Night Knit Skirt 

Etsy Update: Autumn Sweaters

Autumn Harvest Flannel /// Mineral Dyed Angora Sweater

Folk Tales Sweater /// Tour de France Sweater

Being Tourists

photos by Tom b. 

- vintage sweater dress
- F21 parka
- vintage boots
- vintage fedora
- vintage purse
- Julie Nolan bracelet & vintage bracelet

This weekend we had a house guest hailing all the way from Ireland.  Brian met up with us when we were in London for dinner and a bit of bar hopping (or pub as the case may be).  I learned very quickly that I should not try to keep up with the Irishman when it came to downing ales.  Now he's traveling across the US and made a stop for the weekend in Lancaster.  We played tour guide and showed him all of the must-see sites around Amish country.  If you've been following my blog for long, I'm sure you've seen all of these places as Tom and I have explored them many times ourselves.

We started the morning by driving up to Adamstown to hit the outdoor flea market.  It was vintage clothing and accessories weekend, but since we'd all been up late the night before we didn't make it to the flea market early enough to catch all the vendors.  I did manage to snag myself a little bling in the form of a multi-strand brass bracelet that is actually small enough to stay on my wrist.  I also picked up a 50s cotton sundress that is need of some love and a zipper. 

Then we stopped at a couple of covered bridges as we made our way back towards Lancaster.  We walked across the bridges, dodging cars in order to snap a few touristy photos.  An Amish horse and buggy crossed one of the bridges while we were standing on it.  The horse got spooked by the bridge and stopped halfway across, refusing to budge.  The Amishman had to get out and lead the horse the rest of the way then hop back into the moving buggy when he made it to the end of the bridge.  It doesn't get more Lancaster Amish than that.

We made our way to the Hans Herr house, the oldest standing homestead in Lancaster, built in 1719.  Not impressively old if you're from Ireland, but pretty dang old if you're from the States.  We visited the livestock that lives there, feeding the pigs half rotten crab apples from the adjacent orchard and picking clover to treat the hens.  You can really see the seasons changing around here with the pumpkin patches full of big orange pumpkins and piles of feed corn in the barns.

Etsy Update: Autumn Favorites

I'm so excited to finally be stocking the Etsy shop with autumn worthy pieces.  It feels good to fill the stop with pieces that I secretly want to keep all for myself;  the perfect denim skirt, the quintessential striped mariner top, a cuddly cardigan to wrap up in, a cute mod mini dress and lots more! 

Orla Kiely Autumn 2012

There have been so many fall collections that have caught my eye over the last few weeks I haven't been able to keep up with all of them.  One of the best, of course, is the Orla Kiely collection.  Her collaborations with stylist Leith Clark and photographer Venetia Scott always capture a particularly 60s mood and these are no exception. 

The Opera House Collection, Pt. 2

Here are more shots from the time we spent wandering through the Sterling Opera House.  There were rows of wooden seats on the second level with some having star shaped perforation decorating the seats.  Our guide told us that the lucky audience members that got the "star" seats would win a prize during performances.  The top level had bench seating for the "cheap seats" but still had a great view of the stage.  Oh, and on the stage was a pile of painted backdrops that dated back to the 1930s that hadn't been unrolled since they were used in a production.  I would love to be there when those are finally unfurled!

In the shop: Coral Sky Floral Dress, Cocoa Dress & Jacket, Oil Tanned Leather Belt, Fair Isle Cardigan, Saffron Button Skirt

The Opera House Collection, Pt. 1

photos by Tom b. and me

A couple of weeks ago Tom and I drove to Connecticut to photograph an old opera house that has sat empty for nearly seventy years.  The Sterling Opera House is in line for restoration and our admission fees went towards helping those efforts.  We were allowed to roam freely through the building's four stories, backstage and auditorium.  Every nook held a little bit of history, from the battered posters that still clung in pieces to the dressing room walls to the 1930s era signatures that were uncovered on the stage walls.

Everyone from Harry Houdini to Bing Crosby had once performed on the stage.  There was a trap door in the middle of the stage and I could imagine Houdini disappearing through the floor to the delight of the audience.  I was mostly there as an assistant to Tom (who really didn't need any assistance at all) but I also took a few things to photograph before listing them in the shop.  Consider this the official launch of autumn in the Etsy shop! 

In the shop:  Houdini Knit Dress, Latisse Leather Purse, Orange Blossom Skirt, Amelia Knit Top, Sterling Woven Tote

Hirtzfelden

One of the highlights of our time in Germany was a day trip we made back into the Alsace region of France to visit a distant cousin of Tom's.  They had never met in person but had emailed several times and traded information on family ancestry.  She was an amazing tour guide, greeting us at the train station waving a small American flag, chauffeuring us all over the countryside and treating us to a home cooked meal.

One of the stops along the way was to the house in Hirtzfelden where their shared ancestor, a great-grandfather, had his home and blacksmith shop.  The house now sits abandoned and we were granted access to roam freely through it.  Inside held relics of the life lived there and the blacksmith shop that had once provided its occupants with their livelihood. 

Our home cooked meal was also a quite a treat.  It consisted of an onion tart, broccoli casserole and fresh garden salad with two bottles of local wine and four kinds of cheeses and bread.  Then... we had a custard topped with fresh wild strawberries picked from the yard.  Then... we had a caked baked with apples and raisins and topped with powdered sugar.  So delicious!