Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged holiday cards, holiday style, twelve days of Christmas, Vintage Christmas, vintage style on December 31, 2018| 2 Comments »
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me … a smart vintage ensemble.
This is my favorite Christmas card. A good friend of mine gave it to me in 2012. (Thanks, Suzette!) I have kept it and happily displayed it every year since. I of course like the vintage outfit, the colors, the snow, and the tree sticking out just a bit. It charms me!
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged Christmas in London, Christmas season, holiday cards, holiday fashion, Piccadilly Square, Simon Par, twelve days of Christmas on December 30, 2018| Leave a Comment »
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me … a snowy Piccadilly Square.
When I get the chance to travel to the UK, I usually go in October. By then the shops are already gearing up for the holidays and I take advantage by picking up holiday cards. I bought this one at St. James Church in Piccadilly, London. Fridays at noon the church has free concerts and sells holiday cards for charities. The illustration is by Simon Par and the charity who benefited was MIND for better mental health. I like the colors in this scene and the scarves and umbrellas, not to mention the iconic London buses.
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged 1960s fashions, holiday cards, holiday style, twelve days of Christmas on December 29, 2018| Leave a Comment »
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me … a cute dog in a sweater.
Such a great dress with the Santa cuffs and collar. The red gloves and whimsical Christmas tree umbrella are a nice touch. This was another one of my holiday cards sent out a few years ago.
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged holiday cards, twelve days of Christmas, Vintage Christmas, vintage fashion on December 28, 2018| Leave a Comment »
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me … a trip back in time?
I wish! This is a one-of-a-kind card I’ve had for a few years and like so much it took awhile to let it go. But this year I finally sent it off.
What are these well dressed ladies up to? Holiday shopping of course and perhaps lunch on a snowy day back in the 1940s when dressing up to go downtown was a must.
In any case, don’t they look smart?
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged fashionable Christmas, the third day of Christmas, twelve days of Christmas, Twelve days of fashionable holiday cards on December 27, 2018| Leave a Comment »
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me … a pair of skates.
I love this card! It’s one I sent out several years ago and received one year, too. I like the stylish coat, the nontraditional colors with a touch of gold, the fact that she’s skating and of course the dog who looks eager to start his holiday. I imagine it’s early evening on Christmas Eve and she’s on the way home to decorate her tree and drink hot chocolate.
The illustration is by Mary Claire Smith.
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged Art Deco Christmas, Boxing Day, Christmas cards, twelve days of Christmas, Twelve days of fashionable holiday cards on December 26, 2018| Leave a Comment »
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me … Boxing Day!
Today is Boxing Day in the UK. Going back at least to the Victorian era, Boxing Day was the servants day off (since they had to take care of wealthy families on Christmas) and a day when they received from their employers bonuses and perhaps other gifts placed in a box. It was also when houses might box up clothing to give to local charities.
Today in the UK it’s a national holiday – no work for many and major after Christmas sales in the shops.
It’s one of my favorite days of the season. One on which I plan nothing in particular but staying home and enjoying quiet time – reading, baking, perhaps working on a craft project. It’s down time after the hectic run-up to Christmas.
Happy Boxing Day!
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged Art Deco Christmas, Christmas cards, fashionable Christmas, twelve days of Christmas on December 25, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Christmas Eve, Clement Clarke Moore, fashionable quotes, Santa Claus, St. Nick on December 24, 2018| Leave a Comment »
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
Excerpt from ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore.
Happy Christmas to all and to all a good-night.
Posted in Events, Fashion, Uncategorized, Vintage, tagged fashionable quotes, grunge, Marc Jacobs, Perry Ellis spring 1993 on December 17, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Marc Jacobs Redux Grunge Collection. The entire look, without the jewelry, can be had for $1990.
There are all these conversations in my head about, What is fashion anymore? Who is fashion for? Where’s it going? With the internet, it all becomes so overwhelming.
Marc Jacobs, American fashion designer.
Jacobs has remade 26 looks from his infamous Perry Ellis spring 1993 collection. The one labeled “grunge.” The one that was a disaster as far as fashion editors were concerned and the head honchos at Perry Ellis, who promptly fired Jacobs.
Pushing back against the current fashion system, which he says isn’t working, Jacobs wants to “mix things up” and try something different. So here we go again with grunge.
But since we’ve been here before, is grunge different enough?
Posted in Fashion, Uncategorized, tagged designer fabrics, fashionable quotes, holiday shopping, Queen of Raw, Stephanie Benedetto, sustainable fashions, unused fabrics on December 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Maybe it means you buy one less T-shirt each year. Or maybe it means you buy one of higher quality because it lasts longer. Or you only buy vintage, recycled clothes from secondhand shops. All of the above works, and that’s the beauty of it.
Stephanie Benedetto – co-founder and CEO of Queen of Raw.
This quote was taken from a Q&A with Mosaic magazine, November/December 2018.
Did you know that there are piles and piles of fabrics sitting in warehouses going unused? Brand designers sometimes overestimate how much fabric they need or a mill overproduces a particular fabric and voila – we have fabric overload. On occasion these fabrics find their way to fabric shops but sadly, more often the fabric is burned or buried, according to the Queen of Raw website.
Queen of Raw offers unused textiles for sale that would otherwise be destroyed, giving them a second chance and us a greener way to go in fashion.
What a great idea for holiday shopping! Check it out here.
OverDressed for Life 