Vintage Show This Weekend in LA

I'll be participating in the Vintage Clothing and Textile Show this Sunday in Burbank. The show starts at 9am and costs $6, with early admission starting at 8am for $20. The address is:

Pickwick Gardens
1001 Riverside Drive in Burbank

It is just a one day sale and dealers will have vintage from all eras, designer resale, yardage, jewelry and accessories. Usually there are better prices at this show than the Santa Monica show but many of the same dealers attend. Come and check it out!

The Quotable Rachel Zoe

While on a conference call to reporters this morning to promote her upcoming reality series, Rachel Zoe discussed what was for her the ultimate source of inspiration: vintage. She said,

"I think anything I do will always have vintage inspiration. I mean, that's what drives me. It's the music I love. It's the clothes I love. It's the accessories I love. It's the icons from that time period I love."

We hope the show shows off some of her guarded resources for vintage fashion- even if we can't afford to shop there.

Vintage Shopping: TOKYO

Today's International Herald Tribune includes a story on Tokyo's vintage shops and a brief history of vintage fashion in the city. The article argues that Tokyo is perhaps the most exciting city in the world for vintage fashion and covers the emergence of trends like reconstructed vintage. Read the full article here and see the accompanying slide show here.

New LA Store: Craig Evan Small

RackedLA reports on a new antique jewelry store opening soon on La Cienega. Craig Evan Small will bring Victorian, Deco, Modern, and other fine estate jewels and watches to the neighborhood overrun with high-end boutiques. Read the story at RackedLA or visit the Craig Evan Small website.

Karen Elson's Vintage Store In Nashville

Did you know that model Karen Elson is opening a vintage store in Nashville? Their website does not provide a date, but one post suggests that they are currently buying vintage stock for an immanent grand opening. You can keep track of their progress at their website, Venus and Mars Vintage.

Kate Moss Goes Vintage Shopping

This video will never get old for me.

In The News: Vintage Enamel Jewelry

For those of you who look at this blog from time to time, you'll notice that I'm a big fan of vintage costume jewelry, and especially chunky gold pieces with colored enamel details. Refinery29 has marked this as an emerging trend, although it seems to have been around for at least a year as far as I'm concerned. Along with the story they have pulled links from current eBay auctions to get their readers shopping on the cheap. Read the story and follow the links at Refinery29

Mixed Media Button Necklace

The multi-colored buttons on this necklace are joined by pieces of equally colorful leather, and crocheted together on three layered strands. It is a fun piece for late summer. One button is signed but I haven't found anything on this designer/artist. It probably is a one-off piece made for herself in 1987.

New York Magazine on Vintage Costume Jewelry

This month's issue of New York magazine includes a spread of contemporary costume jewelry by Alexis Bittar, Kenneth Jay Lane, and Banana Republic among others. Alongside this story they list sources for digging up vintage costume finds in New York and ways to determine the age and value of older pieces. View the article here.

New Jewelry Line: Tuleste Market

JC report profiles the new jewelry line Tuleste Market, which fuses vintage aesthetics with modern wearability. The line has a distinctly art deco look. Read more about Tuleste Market at JC Report, shop the line at Shopbop, or visit their website here.

Trifari Hand Clasp Clamper

I know, I know.... you want this. I've shown this to about 5 women in the past few days and all of them immediately put it on their wrist and didn't want to take it off. Notice that the sleeves have different patterns and even different cuffs. I've been imagining it enameled, with colorful sleeves and even painted nails.

New LA Store: Platt Jewelry at Antiquarius 2

Platt is not so much a new store as a newly reopened and reimagined store. Their collection of estate and antique jewels is breathtaking, and their new store is conveniently located next door to Second Time Around Watch Company. Racked LA has a profile of the store with some pictures, which you can see here.

New LA Store: TenOverSix

A new accessories boutique is opening on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles and is expected to carry vintage along with current designer offerings. Racked LA reports that the store will stock "Rachel Comey, Alexander Wang, Comme des Garcons, and Martine Sitbon." It will be interesting to see how the store is merchandised, and whether the vintage and current styles will co-mingle or face off from opposing corners of the shop. Read the full article at Racked LA.

Bold Pink Accessories, Part 2

A few months back I had another clutch made with the same exotic skin, and it was a hit. This patchwork frog skin bag can be worn as a clutch or on your shoulder.

Bold Pink Accessories, Part 1

This is a fabulous pair of Charles Jourdan fuschia satin heels. They have an oil slick pattern and are size 7.5

Japanese Vintage Focused Magazine Free and Easy

Fashion trend and style blog JC Report just posted a story on a Japanese magazine focused on the vintage market. Free and Easy publishes thematic editions that include original editorial spreads, interviews with vintage collectors, and obsessive archival of collectible vintage pieces. Read the story at JC Report.

New York Store Frock Profiled

Yesterday The Brooklyn Paper published a profile on New York vintage store Frock that included an interview with the store's buyer. Lexi Sacchi talks about her recent finds, her resources, the store's customer base, and the popularity of cocktail dresses and purses at their Brooklyn location. Read the entire article at The Brooklyn Paper.

Room 222 Vintage Sale This Sunday in LA

My friends at Room 222 are holding a sale this coming Sunday, August 2nd. If you don't know about the space, Room 222 is a small vintage showroom packed with great vintage and designer pieces. While it is normally open to stylists and designers, they open their doors to the public every few weeks. It is located in Los Angeles at 509 N. Fairfax, in Room 222 (upstairs) and they will be there from noon until 4pm.

Torso Vintages Trunk Show in LA

Last week I stumbled upon an incredible vintage store in San Francisco. Torso Vintages is just off of Union Square on Sutter Street and houses a fine collection of clothing and accessories. They will bring an edited collection of their pieces to Los Angeles next week for a Trunk Show held at Chateau Marmont. The sale will be held on August 5th and 6th with a preview on the evening of the 4th.

Enamel Pather Earrings

If these earrings weren't so dainty they might be too menacing. The panther heads are spotted with white enamel, and the eyes are glistening green rhinestones.

In The News: Vintage Beauty Looks on Tuleh's Runway

Style.com has a slideshow featuring beauty looks seen at Tuleh's Fall 08 runway presentation. The look is decidedly vintage, drawing inspiration from Charlotte Rampling and the 1970s in general. The look is "updated without loosing the reference. See the slideshow here.

Massive Clear Lucite Clamper Bracelet

You may remember that I posted this same bracelet in black Lucite a few months back. In the description I mentioned my friend having a clear version that I have envied for some time. She found hers in Paris, and I found mine in San Francisco this past week. This is a show stopping piece and I am hesitant to part with it, so it is priced accordingly.

Longchamp Leather Clad Pipe

I recently learned that luxury goods maker Longchamp got its start by detailing men's smoking pipes in leather. They offered these items from the 1940s-60's. While I can't date this particular pipe, the white leather makes me think of the swinging 60's. I found two of these, exactly the same.

Christian Dior Rhinestone Earrings

Incredible pair of Dior rhinestone and black enamel earrings. I can see these on a young girl with a short black haircut.

Oscar de la Renta Peacock Convertible Clutch

Wear this bag on your shoulder or tuck in the chain and carry it as a clutch. The stitching mimics the pattern on a peacock feather and the jewel clasp provides a nice contrast to the soft black lambskin.

Brass Fruit Mini Bag

This handmade brass bag resembles a fruit and will hold just your essentials. Strung to a long silk cord, it sits just above the hip when slung across the shoulder.

Large Disc Pendant

Lately I've been buying up as much vintage Donna Karan as I can get my hands on. I'm loving her 80's and early 90's looks and, because everyone might not be ready for them, I'm tucking them away in my closet of special things. This large disc pendant reminds me of the jewelry Donna commissioned from designer Robert Lee Morris for some of her shows. The disc is ceramic, and is strung onto a leather cord. Pair it with a beach tunic and you have a perfect late summer look.

Lucite Ring Earrings

These earrings exploit the contrast between the hand hammered and the factory produced, the perfectly round and the slightly askew, the modern and the old world.

In The News: Thrift Store Buisness Booming

Today's New York Daily News reports that, in part because of the economy, thrift store business is growing at a rate of 5% per year. While their angle is more of an economic and environmental one, it is still a good read. Find the article at New York Daily News.

In The News: Banana Republic's Vintage Holiday

Fashionista.com has a story on their visit to Banana Republic's showroom to preview their holiday 2008 collection, which relies heavily upon vintage silhouettes. From the photos it looks as if they also took inspiration from the vintage inspired runway shows of Dior and Prada. Read more at Fashionista.

In The News: Vintage Store Frock

New York magazine has a brief story on New York high end vintage shop Frock, which recently opened a sister store in Brooklyn. They report that Patricia Field pulls from the store for her work on Ugly Betty. I've been keeping an eye on the Frock website for a while, which unfortunately isn't updated very often. Check out New York for more.

Silver Shoes for Day and Night, Part 2

For night, these Stuart Weitzman for Mr. Seymour heels will have you shimmering on the dance floor. Made of mesh (it is about the grade of a window screen) trimmed in silver leather and punctuated with metallic silver dots, these heels reflect light like a disco ball. My favorite detail is, of course, the bow on the back. Size 6.5

Silver Shoes for Day and Night, Part 1

For Day, these Perry Ellis America flats fit in perfectly with the current gladiator sandal trend, without hitting you over the head with a costume look. Instead they are gladiator-inspired flats, in silver leather with bands of black silk running through the leather. Size 7.5

Bottega Veneta, Before And After

This week I found this incredible Bottega Veneta men's portfolio. It is from the early 90's embossed caviar leather collection in the brown option. These pieces are sturdy and only look better with age; I know because I have the tote which I use every day. I thought it would be fun to do a before and after post, since I'm bringing him in for cleaning this week. If all goes as planned I will have a photo to share in the next week or so showing him after his visit to the cleaner.

Two Givenchy Logo Necklaces, Part 2

Another Givenchy necklace, made up of rope textured G's in graduating sizes.

Two Givenchy Logo Necklaces, Part 1

As you can see I've had to double this necklace in order to photograph it because it hangs pretty low, just below the chest. The ring, which is made up of G's, supports a magnifying glass. This makes it ideal for jewelers or collectors who want to check details and marks.

New Book: Vintage LA

Author Jennifer Brandt Taylor wrote the book Vintage LA to uncover the hidden histories throughout the city. I haven't seen the book yet but understand she devotes at least one chapter to vintage fashion and shopping. Fred Segal hosted a book signing today and several blogs have reported on the book. Read an insightful interview with the author at La Vie En Rose.

Best Vintage Shops: London

For those of you living in or planning to visit London, Gridskipper lists 7 of the city's best vintage stores. Included on their list are Decades Dover Street, Rellik, and Topshop (who knew?). Read more at Gridskipper.

Vintage Sunglasses in Refinery29

The folks at Refinery29 are announcing the death of the Ray Ban Wayfarer, and suggest vintage Vuarnet and Maui Jim shades as a replacement. Visit Refinery 29 to read more.

Chunky Italian Beachcomber Necklace

I immediately thought of Marni when I saw this necklace, so it wasn't a big surprise when I saw "Made in Italy" engraved on the clasp. I like to call this a beachcomber necklace because it looks to be made up of bits from the sea. The pieces, which include matte colored shells and goldtone details, hang off of a chain bib that comes to a point. The knotted rope also lends this necklace it's nautical theme.

Valentino Belt

Two things make this simple belt special. The color, which straddles the line between navy and charcoal grey in a cool matte finish, looks clean and modern. And the buckle, with its slightly oriental shape and inlaid leather fill, gives this belt the little bit of character it needed.

Thierry Mugler To Present "Thierry Mugler Edition" Collection

Next week will see a presentation of the collection "Theirry Mugler Edition." Designed by a Mugler alum, the pieces are meant to answer the current demand for vintage pieces by the designer. Read more at Fashionologie.

Clear Lucite Bangle

Another flat Lucite bangle, this time in a clear finish. These are great for layering.

Crystalized Agate Pendant Necklace

It's difficult to capture the sparkle of this crystalized agate in a photograph, but as it moves in the light the pendant twinkles with fairy dust. When turned around the backside looks like a gold nugget and takes on another look.