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

Pop-Up Shop

I've been having so much fun playing "shop girl" this week with Rebecca (of Picture Day)! It is a lot of work to set up a shop in two days, and always sad to take it down. But I think a week is going to be just the right amount of time. . . you know, so we won't take it for granted. Yesterday we got bored and played "dress up". This is a dangerous game, because I try things on and then think 'maybe I shouldn't sell that'.

 

I'm so into hats right now, and this fuchsia velvet floppy hat is one of my favorites

 

 All the pretty day dresses. . .

 Well, back to the store. . . happy shopping!

XO, 

Jess

Oh Lord, the last week has been such a whirlwind! On Wednesday we had the Vintage Madison Fall Fashion Show. All afternoon I was running around like a mad woman trying to finish up outfits and dress the models. Luckily, our friends Emily and Holly from Anaala Salon were there to do all the hair & make-up. Plus, Emily made some absolutely fabulous feather hair pieces! Surgeons in Heat, a fantastic local band, played for about an hour after the show. . . it was great to let loose and dance after such a crazy day. All in all, I think the night was a total success. It's so strange when you plan something for weeks, putting all your heart and soul into it, then it's over in 5 minutes! Ah well, at least there are great pictures to remember it by. . .

check out all the photos on our facebook page!

So, I took the entire day on Thursday and Friday to relax and unwind (and get over a little cold), but then on Saturday we were back at it- setting up our Fall Pop-Up Shop.  We had the grand opening party on Sunday, and are staying open all week! This is the longest pop-up shop we've done so far, and I'm pretty excited to have the entire week to hang out and play shop girl. I'll post some pics of the shop tomorrow.

XO,

Jess

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

Post Pop Up Shop Photo Shoot!

So, a couple days before we closed up the Pop Up Shop, this guy named Jerry wandered in. . . He's a photographer with a serious passion for vintage, and an expert in pin-up style photography. He was very impressed with our collection of clothing and offered to do a photo shoot in the shop. So on closing night, as soon as the last few customers left the shop, Jerry set up a backdrop and lights and went to town! It turned into a fantastic last-night party, with all of us Vintage Madison ladies (and Pete of the Good Style Shop!) playing "dress up" and getting our turn in front of the camera. Here are some of the best shots!

photos courtesy of Pop Pics!

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

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