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

Craft Project: Exposed Zipper Mini-Skirt

I know the exposed zipper look has been hot for a while- I still love it. And luckily, adding an exposed zipper is actually a bit easier than adding a hidden one. Yesterday I found this gorgeous piece of fabric at a thrift store-- I thought it was very on-trend, reminiscent of so many "Aztec prints" we've seen on runways this season. So I decided to make a very simple, 30 minute skirt with it. Here's the tutorial:

 

Voila!

shoes, belt, hat and bag: thrifted
t-shirt: Alternative Apparel

XO,

Jess

New Dresses on Etsy!!

Impromptu Photo Shoot

After our glamorous trip to Fargo, we spent a couple days relaxing at Josh's parents' farm in South Dakota. .  .there's not much to do there except take photos-- and boy is it beautiful! Unfortunately, I didn't think to bring along a stash of vintage, so this isn't a lookbook but a collection of fashion photos. Enjoy!

The Post-Prom Post

Well, the first annual Vintage Madison Vintage Prom was on Saturday night and it was great. After several stressful weeks of shopping, decorating, advertising, and worrying that no one would show up-- I finally got to chill out and enjoy the fruits of my labor. We had a great turn out and it seemed like everyone had a fantastic time. Many strangers came up to me and said "You guys have to do this again next year!!". . . I think we will.
One of the best parts was the photo booth created by Voltaic Visual photography. Here are a few of the shots. . . you can see all of them here.

Me and my ladies

the "Prom Committee"

Me and Josh

Our Prom King and Queen (winners of the "best dressed" contest)

Another awesome feature was the "Cha Cha Chapel"-- a hair & make-up salon on wheels! Our friend Alice of Cha Cha Hair Salon offered pre-prom coifs for $20 and make-up makeovers for $15. Unfortunately, I was too busy to get done up, but the ladies who did looked amazing!

So now that Prom is over, we're discussing our next event. . . which probably won't be until the Fall. For now I'm excited to get back to "normal"- my website and etsy store have been so neglected!

XO,

Jess

Pre-Prom Pop Up Shop!

What a crazy week it has been! In anticipation of Vintage Prom,  we 3 ladies of Vintage Madison are hosting our second Pop Up shop. We set everything up in one day, last Thursday, and that night we had our "sneak peek" party. So much fun! Since then, it's been great having a whole week to play "shop girl". I love talking to all the couples who come in looking for coordinated vintage Prom outfits.

We have to take everything down tomorrow, which will be kind of sad. . .But I am very, very excited for Prom- it's only 10 days away! And I have 2 fabulous dresses to chose from (I would post pics but they're both at the dry cleaners).
Well, back to the shop. . .

XO,

Jess

Thrifty Thursday

Wow, I have done a lot of thrifting this week. I've hit up just about every thrift store in the greater Madison area. Also, this past weekend some girlfriends and I went up north to a small town named Minocqua, and we spent at least an hour in this adorable little thrift shop. . . I found a few little trinkets there, like this ashtray and tea tin.

Today I "stopped by" Goodwill, and ended up scouring the entire store. Found some great things, though. 

 I must have (subconsciously) had Valentine's Day on the mind because I was drawn to clothes in lovely shades of red and pink. . .

I altered this flowered skirt-- originally it was much longer. Now I'm considering keeping it because it makes me long for Spring. But it will be a few months before I can walk bare-legged through the streets of Wisconsin!

All of these goodies will be for sale on the website shortly!

XO,

Jess

Weekly Wishlist: Spring Dreamin'

Well, there's another huge blizzard passing through the Midwest today. And I have to walk to work in a few minutes. Guess I have the Winter blahs. . . and there's still at least 2 more months of snow and cold ahead!
Needless to say, I'm already daydreaming of sunny Spring days, open-toed shoes, short dresses (without leggings!) and no more need for scarves, hats, gloves and snow boots. Here are a few items I found that made me smile.

MY LADY OF THE FUCHSIAS dress by SwaneeGrace

Vintage Bantam Green Floral Overnight Bag by Plaid Pony

Secret Garden Art Cocktail Ring by Schmooks

Vintage Copper Strappy Sandals by JessJamesJake

Oh well. . . for now I'm going to revisit my post "10 Things to Look Forward to this Winter" that I wrote in November, to remind myself that Winter has its perks.

XO,

Jess

Outfit Post: Restaurant Week

So last night Josh and I went out to a very nice dinner at a fancy seafood restaurant. We're kind of poor right now, but figured that we should take advantage of it being Madison Restaurant Week. This is a wonderful twice yearly event where numerous local restaurants offer a 3 course dinner for $25. . .and when you're dining at a place that usually charges $25-$40 per entree, this is a great deal!
Also, going out to eat is always a great reason to get dressed up. It is difficult, though, to look chic when it's 5 degrees outside. I solved this problem in part by wearing my wool-lined black leggings instead of tights. Here's the outfit:

Vintage gold dress that I recently altered to fit me (it was about 2 sizes too big) and added the black ribbon waisband and black bowtie.
1950's black cardigan with beading and pearls decorating the front and hem that I purchased in Atlanta over Christmas.
Brand new (to me) boots that I found at a thrift store this weekend. . .  They're brown suede with snakeskin embellishment and gold-capped toes!

XO,

Jess

Thrifty Thursday!

Yesterday I took a trip about 20 miles out of town to the mythical Columbus Antique Mall (and Christopher Columbus Museum). I say it's mythical because I've been hearing about it for a long time, but for some reason have never made it out. My friends told me it was so big that we would need to spend the whole day there. I was skeptical, but it turns out that they were right. It just went on and on- booth after booth of antique kitchenware, knick-knacks, vintage clothing, jewelry, collectibles-- it was crazy!

Luckily (I think), it was not super cheap so I didn't come home with a trunk full of stuff. But I did find a few great items, like this pink and white wiggle dress (which I didn't try on in the store but it fits perfectly!), and this amazing upholstered handbag that I've decided to sell.

Happy thrifting!

XO,

Jess

Thrifty Thursday!

Today I went back to my new favorite thrift store, where I had so much luck a few weeks ago. Seems they haven't brought in much new stuff since last time I was there. . . but I still found some treasures. This time I took Josh with me, and to my surprise he didn't get bored after 15 minutes (he just doesn't have the stamina for thrifting that I do). He was actually a great resource, because he combed the menswear section more thoroughly than I would have, and that's where we found the most goodies.


Here are some of our finds-- a reversible plaid vest and a bright orange tie with an abstract pattern of people playing tug-o-war, several 1960s/70s plaid suits (one 3 piece!), and a killer black blazer with the most amazing lining. . .

Oh yeah, and also this amazing leather jacket. . . I know, I know, I have been buying too many leather jackets lately. I'm not sure what it is about them, I just love a nice soft broken-in leather.

The only piece of ladywear that I found is this lovely pair of leather flats:

Unfortunately, they're too big for me (size 9.5), but I'll put them up in the shop tomorrow.

Josh also did a good job searching through the housewares section (while I was fruitlessly digging through aisles of sweaters, skirts and dresses).  He found a roasting pan and a killer stir-fry pan for the apartment, and also this funky ice bucket:

It's got a silver pirate's ship on it. pretty awesome. But we already have a vintage ice bucket, so I think I'll sell it.
Finally, I found some fabric and other materials for an upcoming craft project. . .I'll tell you more about it once I get started!

XO,

Jess

The Exploitation of Vintage

Ok, can I rant for a minute?  I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but Urban Outfitters is now selling vintage on their site.  It's not surprising, given the success of indie sites like ModCloth that sell both new and vintage clothing. Also, I assume U.O. has had success with their "Urban Renewal" clothing line, which involves designers "re-inventing" vintage/second-hand pieces. I usually like their Urban Renewal items-- I certainly am inspired by some of the designs I see-- however I personally never buy these pieces because I think they're a tad overpriced, and I know I can make them myself. Well, the straight-up vintage items they are selling now are beyond overpriced. Take this wool dress from Pendleton. Sure, it's cute. . .but $238 cute?! Pendleton is a brand that I come across all the time. It's not designer.

Now, why would anyone pay so much for this dress when they can go to any number of sites, like Etsy, and find a very similar dress at a fraction of the price? I did a quick browse on Etsy for Pendleton wool dresses, and I came across all of these lovely finds (and none of them over $60!):

photo credits: fine and dandy vintage, vintage perspective, love fox vintage, heart city, tharpstout

I know that vintage has become mainstream and hip, but I think we need to remember that part of the appeal--part of the reason I buy vintage at least-- is the affordability and the desire to promote small businesses over large corporate chains.  I hope teenagers today can tell the difference.

Ok, that is all. Thanks for letting me vent. . ,I'm going thrifting now!

XO,

Jess

Crafternoon

Yesterday and today I've had a surge of creative energy. . .I spent all afternoon yesterday in my studio, sewing and crafting. Part of the reason for this recent need to create is that a friend of mine is hosting an impromptu Crafting Social Sunday and After-Holiday Handmade Sale this weekend, and she asked me to bring some hand-made goodies to sell. This was just the kick-in-the-pants that I needed to get going on some projects that I've had on the back burner for a while anyways.  . . I've been collecting "inspiration" photos of items I'd like to reproduce with my own aesthetic/twist. I'll share pics of some of my finished projects when they are in fact fini, but for now--INSPIRATION!

 photo credits: Anthropologie, Vintage Dutch Girl, Salvage Life, Crooked Sister

where do you look for inspiration?

XO,

Jess

Weekly Wishlist: New Year's Eve

Well, it's New Year's Eve-- the biggest party night of the year. Unfortunately for me, I have to work. Yes, it's also the most lucrative night of the year for waitresses, so I'm going to suck it up and forgo the party dress for an apron in hopes of making some much-needed mad cash. Ah well, c'est la vie. To cheer myself up, I did some "window shopping" on Etsy today, and here's my wishlist entitled "What I Would Wear" this NYE, featuring lovely shades of pink and silver!

1. Vintage 1940's Everlasting Light Party Dress, by Dear Golden Vintage

2. Afternoon Delight Floral Headband, by Crafts2Cherish

3.  Vintage Fluorescent Orange Pink Coat, by Animal Head Vintage

4. 1920's Pink and Silver Beaded Belgium Clutch, by Frocks n Frills Vintage


Happy New Year's! See you in 2011!

XO,

Jess

Thrifty Thursday! on the road in Atlanta

Happy Holidays! I hope Santa was good to you all. I just returned from a week long trip to my homeland, Atlanta. It was great to spend so much time with the family, as well as old friends. We didn't do much besides eat, drink, watch the snow fall (yes, we actually had a White Christmas in Georgia!), and of course, shop. Josh was such a good sport-- on Tuesday he let me drag him all over town to various thrift stores, antique malls and vintage boutiques. Mostly, I re-discovered places that I had been to before- Little 5 Points is a favorite neighborhood for shopping vintage.

These pics are from a vintage shop that I've been to several times- the Clothing Warehouse. I was really bummed when they recently closed their "clothing by the pound" outlet store on the south side of Atlanta, but their flagship store in Little 5 is always worth a visit. It's a tad pricey (like most stores in Little 5) and very popular with the young hipster crowd, but I love browsing their  selection of dresses from the 70's and 80's, and especially their huge wall-o-boots!
Btw-- in case you can't tell from my "Hipstamatic" photos-- I got an IPhone for Christmas! It's a huge step up from the archaic flip-phone that I formerly used. . . I'm so excited!

My absolute favorite vintage store in Atlanta has always been Stefan's, also in Little 5 Points. This place has been there for as long as I can remember. It's very swanky and, of course, pricey-- but everything in the shop is in pristine condition, and most of the items are at least 40 years old. They have a great selection of 1950's party dresses, furs, men's suits and rhinestone jewelry. I splurged on a lovely black cashmere cardigan from the 50's with pearls and beads lining the front and hem.

So, when I googled "great vintage shops, Atlanta" this place came up several times-- Kudzu Antiques in Decatur. I couldn't believe that I'd never been! The place is huge-- we must have wondered around for at least an hour and a half, and I'm pretty sure we didn't see everything. In classic antique mall-style, they have it set up in booths, which vendors can rent and do whatever they like with. The refreshing place about Kudzu is that all of the booths are great-- they have very high standards for what kinds of items people can sell- no junk. Everything is authentic vintage and in great condition. Again, that makes for pretty high prices-- I found some great vintage dresses in one booth but they were all over $100! Still, if I were looking for a special occasion outfit or a nice gift, this is a great place to go.
Well, we're home now, and I'm pretty excited to get back to work on the website. However, I'm not excited about tomorrow- I'm working at the restaurant for their NYE extravaganza which goes until about 6 am. Better rest up!
Happy New Year's!

XO,

Jess