Joshua Tree

Hi stranger! Where've you been? Or more accurately, where have I been?  Well, the short answer is "livin' life!"  Honestly, this winter was such a cold, long tortuous one when the weather finally broke and the sun came out to melt the snow, I kinda went a little crazy with being outdoors as much as possible.  That meant not a lot of computer time which is a good thing sometimes, you know?  

Alright, now that we're all caught up, there's one more place I've been... California!  My home away from home.  We spent a long week staying with friends and got away for the weekend to Joshua Tree.  I always love it there and this time was no exception.  We stayed in the most rockin' cabin ever.  The decor was straight out of the early 70s (in the best way possible) complete with a turntable and vinyl collection.  We checked our cellphones at the door and spent the weekend with great friends in a time warp in the desert.

Osei-Duro Spring Summer 2014

I think Osei-Duro has become the collection that I most look forward to seeing every season.  I have yet to be disappointed.  Each collection is made up of comfortable, wearable pieces in unique prints.  If you aren't familiar with this company, you can read about them here.  It's definitely clothing that you can feel good about purchasing and wearing, as it has a very ethical back story.  I have my eye (no pun intended) on the Orbis Panel Skirt in Eyes and the Torium Short Dress in Black Matchstick. 

Etsy Update: Essentials

This past week I added a collection of what I consider closet essential to the Etsy shop: pretty spring florals, perfectly broken-in denim, silk blouses and cotton tops.  All available now...

Peter Jensen AW 2014

Spring poked her head out of the ground for a couple of days last week, but now we're back to wearing coats and scarves around here. It's a bit like self induced torture to look at pretty spring things right now. So instead, I've been admiring the Autumn Winter 2014 collection from Peter Jensen. The collection was inspired by and styled after a variety of Faye Dunaway movie characters. I spy The Thomas Crown Affair, perhaps a little Chinatown and my favorite, of course, Faye's version of Bonnie Parker. 

 

SJV on Instagram

If you've noticed my absence on the blog the past couple of weeks, I just needed a breather. I'll get back to it next week. In the meantime, I've also been posting on Instagram if you'd like to follow along. You can find me here...

Sessun S/S 2014

It seems that everyone, everywhere (well - maybe not in the Southern hemisphere) is stuck between dealing with the drudgery that is this relentless winter and wishing for warm spring days.  I know I am.  And that's pretty much where this blog is too.  One day I'm posting about a winter collection, the next I'm posting photos from a spring collection.  Such is the case today when I can't stop staring at these images from the Sessun spring collection.  I'm think I'm looking at the lush green backdrops and patches of sunshine just as much as I am the clothes. 

Dusen Dusen A/W 2014

Everything is so dreary around here right now (more snow on the horizon today) it's nice to see the cheerful prints in the Autumn/Winter 2014 Dusen Dusen collection.  I have a couple of pieces from past collections and they are definitely favorites in my closet that I reach for again and again.  I could see adding a couple of these pieces to my closet as well. The black and white print perhaps, or the sleeveless midi dress. 

SJV on Instagram

Seems like I've been posting more on Instagram than the blog lately. It's just so easy! You can follow me here...

Forest Swords

The perfect walking-through-the-snow music.  It's been on my iPod nonstop for the past week.

Egretta Garzetta

I don't usually post about unmentionables on the blog, but these are too pretty to pass up.  Egretta Garzetta is a handmade line of lingerie from Riga, Latvia.  The name "Egretta Garzetta" is the Latin name for a bird that in Latvian is called the Silk Heron.  Each piece is designed and sewn by shop owner Līga Radziņ.  Lucky for us, her work is accessible around the world via her Etsy shop.  

Etsy Update: Snow Day Sweaters

We're snowed in today so I'm working on updating the Etsy shop.  First up are these two cozy sweaters that would be perfect for keeping warm on a day like this.  Find them here and here...

Whit Fall Winter 2014

I am definitely a sucker for a crescent moon print so the Whit Fall Winter 2014 collection caught my eye.  The New York City based line has been hit and miss for me over the seasons.  Sometimes I want every single piece, other times I could take it or leave it.  This collection is leaning towards wanting every single piece. 

Samantha Pleet Presents Visions

directed by Maximilla Lukacs and Sarah Sophie Flicker
starring Louisa Gummer, India Menuez, Hannah Metz, and Tara Violet
narrated by Tennessee Thomas
director of photography Graham Willoughby

Samantha Pleet is presenting a short film featuring her Autumn Winter 2014 collection that is inspired by the personal recollections of Joan of Arc.  Even though we're still a season away from seeing these clothes in stores, the scenes featured in her tale are perfect for all of cold, snowy weather we're experiencing right now.  I really love that print that looks like comets flying through the night sky. 

Etsy: A Little of This, A Little of That

I've just updated the Etsy shop with a nice mixture of vintage pieces: dresses, sweaters, skirts and blouses.

All found here...

Follow Me on Instagram

Did you know you can now follow me on Instagram? It's mostly cats and vintage. Isn't that what Instagram is for?

Find me here...

The Children Of Esfahan

Photos via The Daily Heller

Tom knows me so well, as soon as this email from The Daily Heller landed in his inbox he immediately forwarded it to me.  This collection of photos is from The Children of Esfahan, a collection of photographs featuring images of Polish refugee children who found haven in Iran as Germans and Russians laid waste to their homeland during WWII.  The photos, shot by Abolqasem Jala, were described as Diane Arbus-esque although I would argue that the studio shots are more Mike Disfarmer than Arbus.  Either way, I was riveted as I studied each photograph and would love to get my hands on the book so I could study every shot. 

Gunta Stölzl

Ever since we visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater home last year, I've been focused on searching out interesting testiles to fill our home. Seeing all the textile's in Lauren's Apartment Therapy tour last week reignited my search.  Along the way I discovered the work of Gunta Stölzl.  Gunta was the only woman among the masters at the Bauhaus, one of the 20th century's most important schools of art, design and architecture.  She was a textile artist who played a fundamental part of the school's weaving workshop.  Now her work can be seen in museums such as the Albert and Victoria Museum and MOMA in New York City.  Obviously her original pieces are far out of my reach, but I love the colors and patterns in her work and for my own decorating purposes, will keep my eye out for similar designs that are inspired by her work. 

Etsy: Skirts, Pt. 2

See, I told you! So many lovely skirt in all colors and sizes are waiting for new homes. Find them here...

Etsy: Skirts, Pt. 1

So many pretty skirts are in the shop right now. I just added a few more! You can find them here...

A Golden Home

I'm currently addicted to pinning photos of pretty interiors on my Pinterest page.  I came across a set of images and kept pinning, pinning, pinning as each one was better than the last.  As I made my way through them, I had the feeling that the images were somehow familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.  It wasn't until I made my way to the last one that I finally figured it out.  This lovely space belongs to the equally lovely Lauren N., a fellow vintage Etsy seller of the incomparable Dear Golden Vintage.  The photos are from a tour of Lauren's home that can be found on Apartment Therapy.  I love the mix of mid-century furniture, colorful textiles and greenery. 

Madewell Spring Preview

On this day, one of the coldest of the year so far, the wind chill is eight degrees below zero.  What a good day to sit inside and dream about a new spring wardrobe.  This is the spring preview from Madewell.  The collection is the first for new Madewell designer Somsack Sikhounmuong.  The idea behind the collection is unpacking your suitcase after a trip around the world.  What sorts of prints and fabrics and accessories would you come home with after days spent in Japan, Morocco or Mexico?  Think of the special pieces you pick up along your travels that would mix in with your favorite jeans and tees.  I really like the idea behind the collection and I think that translates into liking the actual collection.  I could definitely see myself in some of these pieces.
 

Etsy: Dresses for Now & Later

I've just loaded up the Etsy shop with a new collection of dresses.  Some of them are perfect for the snowy cold weather we're having now and some of them are perfect for the warm sunny days of spring to come.  All here...

Lady Moriarty in Paris

If there's one person who is giving me a case of closet envy these days it is Lady Moriarty in Paris.  She has that Parisian-quirkiness-meets-tomboy thing going on that seems like it would be easy, but is somehow anything but.