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

Tourist in My Town

So, this past week we have had a lot of family visiting us. First, Josh's Mom, Dad & little sister came to Madison for the first time ever (he has lived here for 8 years)! And then, coincidentally, the same week, my parents made their yearly trip up north. So after being together nearly 4 years, our parents finally met each other! It went very well- I'll spare you the details, but let's just say I have breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The great thing about having people come visit (especially if they've never been here before) is that we get to be tourists in our own town. Josh and I never go to the zoo or the gardens or inside the Capitol (well, unless we're protesting political injustice), but when out-of-towners are here we get an opportunity to take a break from our day-to-day life and enjoy the beautiful city we call home!

 

Henry Vilas Zoo (it's free!) 

the view from the top of our Capitol dome

 Olbrich Gardens (also free!)

Bowling at a Clean Water Fundraiser

taking the boat out on Lake Monona

XO,

Jess

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!

Well, I just got back from a much-needed 4 day vacation. . . where did I go? Hawaii? no. New York? uh-uh. even better- Fargo, North Dakota! Now, it wasn't my first time in Fargo-- far from it. My honey, Josh, grew up there and began his music career there. This was sort of a homecoming for him-- his new album is finally out (so exciting!!) so he was back to play a show. We only spent 2 days in Fargo, then headed south to Josh's parents' farm.

Every time we go to Fargo it seems to be more and more mature than the last time. Now it seems to have fully blossomed into a pretty cool little city. The main drag, Broadway, has numerous funky shops, restaurants, an old theater and a historic hotel. Our first night in town, we had dinner at the Hotel Donaldson-- a lovely renovated hotel with a beautiful bar and rooftop lounge (complete with hot tub!). Then we went across the street to the Ecce Gallery & Yoga Studio to see an intimate show with our friends from Storyhill.  The gallery was in one of many historic buildings on Broadway that have been well-preserved.
The next day, we did some shopping-- of course! There were so many thrift stores in the area, we didn't have time to hit them all. However, I did have good luck at the ones we went to. . .My favorite find was this pair of orange suede wedges.

Also, I discovered a vintage store right off the main drag that I'd never seen before. Revolver is a very nice little shop with very reasonable prices-- I highly recommend stopping in if you're ever in Fargo.

Later that day, we had a late lunch at the Plains Art Museum- another beautifully renovated old factory building. They have a little cafe inside with the absolute best turkey sandwich I've ever had.
Finally, Josh had his show-- at another art space/ yoga studio/ music venue. It was great to see him in his "element" with all of his old friends and fans!

 

Just goes to show that there are so many places to see in this world, and in this country. And sometimes just passing through a town or city isn't enough- you need to really get to know a place before you can judge it. 

Happy Travels!

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

It's Prom Season!

So, in case I haven't mentioned it yet-- I'm planning a big event for this Spring. It's a vintage-themed prom. It will be the third event that I've planned with the other Vintage Madison ladies, at the same venue as the Fall Fashion Show that we held back in September. I'm so excited because I think people will really get into the whole theme-- asking a date "to prom", finding the right vintage dress, going out to dinner beforehand, dancing the night away. . .
Last week we started working on our advertising campaign by having a Prom-themed photo shoot. Our talented friend Alice Ezrow did the hair and make-up, inspired by outfits from three decades: the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. I put together this lookbook and included some "real" vintage prom pics that I found online. Enjoy!

Open publication - Free publishing - More vintage

Holiday Lookbook!

So, in preparation for the Vintage Madison Holiday Pop-up Shop, Claire and I decided to have a photoshoot. It was tons of fun! We staged a sort of Holiday party at our friend Alice's house. . . complete with cocktails and very yummy cupcakes. My sweetheart, Josh, was nice enough to "model" for a few shots (doesn't he look handsome in the 3 piece suite--so Don Draper!)

We also had two sweet girls, Erica and Victoria, model for us. I think they had a lot of fun playing dress-up!

I did all the photography myself, and was pretty nervous about it because I had just gotten a new camera (a Nikon D5000 digital SLR-- it's pretty sweet).  So I had to quickly browse the manual and familiarize myself. I think the photos turned out not-half-bad, actually.
Check out the entire lookbook here.