Well, we're back in the good ol' US of A! Been home almost two weeks now and I think the jet lag has finally worn off. . . although, I've been sick for almost a week now, so maybe my body hasn't totally adjusted. Unfortunately, I don't really have time to take it easy, though. I'm crazy busy getting ready for the "holiday season"- I'll be doing two Vintage Madison one-day sales before Christmas and a sale/party at my house. Which means I need to stock up!
Earlier this week we spent a few days in South Dakota for a belated Thanksgiving with Josh's family. As usual, we ate a lot, drank a lot, went shopping at my favorite small-town thrift store, and then we took pictures. This time Josh's brother and his girlfriend came with, so I had someone to "model" for me, and Josh's little sister got in on the fun too!

Every time we're there, I become more and more fascinated by the landscape of this strange, remote place. . . It's so incredibly different than where I grew up in the suburban South. The light in South Dakota is the most amazing of anywhere I've been- around dusk it's impossible for me to not be outside taking photos!

XO,

Jess

Ireland

Today we're leaving Ireland on a very nice passenger ferry that could pass for a B-grade cruise ship. We spent the better part of a week exploring the Emerald Isle. It was lovely. The weather was up and down (from clear, blue, sunny days to the typical rain and gloom), but we had a great time. The people here are so kind and genuine and we were very lucky to have friends that put us up for a few nights.
We entered the country through Belfast (by boat from Scotland), and we spent the first night there. I really did not know what to expect from Northern Ireland-- 15 years ago I never would have thought to visit that part of the world. But it's a fascinating place. We stayed in a lovely part of town near Queen's University and Josh found a pub that had an open night so we headed there and ended up staying the whole night. We met lots of friendly folks (kind of crazy folks too, but lots of fun).

 sailing into Belfast harbor

 nice weather in Belfast

After Belfast we took a (very scenic) bus ride to Dublin. I immediately got a good vibe from the city, but unfortunately we did not have a lot of time to explore that day. Josh played at a pub in a very cool part of town, but it was sort of a bust- basically an open mic type gig that allowed him to play only 5 or 6 songs as part of a 6-person line up. And then, he was supposed to play another Dublin gig but found out (rather last minute) that it was canceled. Oh well, we still love this town.

The next part of the trip was my favorite- we rented a car and drove into the center of the country to County Tipperary. There we spent 2 nights with our friends the MaGraths- relatives of our Irish friend Tim, who lives in Madison. Kay and Donie treated us like family, and their gorgeous house in the country overlooking Lough Derg was a very welcome change from the dingy hostels and couches we'd been sleeping on. We spent both nights that we were there at this wonderful pub called Larkins- just down the hill from where we were staying. Friday night Josh had a proper gig (which was kind of sparsely attended, but loads of fun) and Saturday night we went back for Brendan O'Connor's 50th birthday. It was quite the event- the entire town was there to celebrate. They set up for a band, which Josh ended up leading (he went up to play one song but they wouldn't let him leave).  

beautiful scenery in County Tipperary

 

After Tipperary, we had a few days off so we drove sort of aimlessly south. We ended up spending a night in Killarney (which was touristy, but nice) a night in Cobh (pronounced "Cove")- an adorable seaside town right outside of Cork, and a night in the small town of Kilcullen (about 45 mins from Dublin). Finally, we made it back to Dublin for one more night. This time we got to spend several hours walking around- stopped in a pub in the Temple Bar area for the requisite "trad music" session. And now we're back on a ship heading towards Liverpool for a (very promising) gig tonight!

 Cobh, Ireland

By the way- if you'd like to hear another perspective on the trip (plus info on his shows and videos) check out Josh's blog!

XO,

Jess

London

After a week of hectic travel back and forth across England (Josh's tour schedule isn't as practical as it could be), we finally had a couple days off to hang out in London. We met up with an old friend of mine who I studied abroad with in Italy 9 years ago (I can't believe it's been that long!!), and she and her husband were very gracious hosts.

 We spent a good amount of time yesterday walking around the Brick Lane neighborhood. It's a very hip part of town that used to be the industrial corridor, but now all the old factories have been converted into trendy coffee shops, bars, Indian restaurants and load of vintage shops! There were so many, I did not get to go into all of them. . . but Josh was a very good sport, letting me drag him into a good number of shops.
My main objective was to check out Blitz- London's first "vintage department store". I had read about it several weeks ago, so was excited to see it for myself. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. It was big, but not huge-- about the size of most Urban Outfitters. And they had some nice things, but (like all of the vintage stores in London) it was very pricey and carried mostly 70's, 80's and 90's casual-wear (polyester day dresses galore!). I guess I'm a bit spoiled by vintage shops in the States. . .

Well, now we're heading north-- we'll be in Scotland tonight!

Cheers,

Jess

So we've been in England for a few days now, and unfortunately I haven't had as much time to blog as I thought I would. . .we've been traveling so much! We spent our first night in London, then drove up to Chester for Josh's first show, then the next day down to Dorset for his second show. In effect, we've already driven across more than half of the country! Yesterday, we were on our way back to London from the South and stopped (very briefly) in the city of Winchester. What a fortuitous stop it was because they happened to be having a vintage fair! The open-air arts/crafts/vintage market led up to this gorgeous old building that housed several dozen more vintage vendors. I was in heaven! Unfortunately, though, we could not stay long because Josh had to be in London for a radio spot. So it was bitter sweet. But I did get to chat with one of the vendors a bit who said that most of their clothing is imported (in bulk) from the States. She was very jealous of all our thrift stores and flea markets. . . funny.
My Vintage Madison friends and I have often talked about hosting a vintage fair in Madison so I found this very inspiring!

I will post more photos soon. . . but now we have to get back in the car and drive North to Sheffield!

XO,

Jess

British Invasion

This Tuesday we're finally embarking on our much-anticipated five week European tour across the pond! Wednesday morning we land in London and are spending the first week hopping around England, before moving on to Scotland, Ireland and (fingers crossed) Paris and Amsterdam. I started packing today, and couldn't help but think of all the "classic" British styles that I wanted to emulate. So here's a little tutorial (a refresher course, I'm sure) on some of the more popular fashion trends that have emerged from Merry Ol' England.

MOD-1960's
Design characteristics: bright colors, geometric patterns, short a-line shift dresses, knee-high boots, bold eye make-up
Fashion icon: Twiggy

 Sunglasses and Shoes for sale on Etsy

Punk- beginning in the 1970's London music scene

design characteristics: denim, leather, band tees, "bedhead", lace-up boots, studs
Fashion Icons: Sid & Nancy, the Clash, the Ramones, Vivienne Westwood

Leather jacket for sale on Etsy


Prep-School
design characteristics: plaid, tweed, blazers, ties, tailored suits, oxfords, trench coats
Fashion Icons: Kate Moss, Burberry models

red plaid skirt for sale on Etsy

Ok, now I have some serious packing to do!

XO,

Jess