Be Kind, Thrift and Rewind

Several months ago I found this lovely T-Shirt dress (yes that is also the brand name) at St. Luke’s Thrift Shop in the West Village. They are located at 487 Hudson Street. It was on sale for half price and I really liked that it had a mid-1920’s look to it. The drop waist is an attractive twenties feature and I like the twist in the neckline. I was excited that I found myself another Anthropologie-type dress since I really like their website but can rarely afford to buy clothing from them new. Plus the whole idea of something further down the chain of production is great as far as I am concerned. This dress was the second t-shirt dress I found at St. Luke’s Thrift Shop last year. They generally have really good quality donations coming in on a regular basis, so I find the shop to be a great place to find a new outfit. Their shop is very small, which means they have a lot of sales to keep things moving quickly. The T-shirt dresses I bought were under $15 each! When items aren’t on sale expect them to be expensive for a thrift shop since it is the West Village. The quality of their clothing is really worth it though. If you want a real deal just wait for the sales, which is what I generally do!

I changed necklaces a few times for these shots. With a shift dress this simple it is all in the accessories to liven the look up. I didn’t have a super-long, heavier pearl necklace so in one photo I wore two pearl necklaces slightly different from one another, yet close enough in color. I look best in pale pink pearls as opposed to white. They match my skin tone best. I really like grey pearls though! I think they are super- elegant. The lariat necklace that is burgundy is one I made myself many years ago. It is supposed to portray my personality, in the colors and shapes that feel at home in my vision of myself. Of course I was somewhat limited in portraying all that by the shapes, in order to get the necklace to tie. However that was the basic concept behind the design. Lariat necklaces were big in the 1920’s. They were often very long, light and thin so they had the velocity to swing around when the ladies were doing the Charleston. If I had wanted to wear black accessories I could have worn the black Austrian crystal lariat necklace included in the photos for this post. The pearl necklace with white and blue beads I also made for myself years ago. I liked those bluish pearls that are around the center piece, which is an opal-colored teardrop.

The scarf I wore with the sweater is an old April Cornell scarf from when I worked at one of their shops years ago. My honey-brown sweater is from Uniqlo. The shiny beige shoes were from Target. I saved them since I really couldn’t wear them due to my bunion and hammertoe. Now finally I can wear them as long as I don’t walk too far. They don’t have the best support for my foot issues but they’d be fine to wear on occasion. I like that they have that 1920’s look with the little heel.

The flat shoes with four straps were a screaming deal I found at St. Luke’s Thrift Shop a couple of years ago for $25! They are John Fleuvog shoes and usually are very expensive. When I bought them they were practically new. They also have a 1920’s look with the four straps. I first saw shoes like these in the movie The Hours, in a scene where Virginia Woolf was at the train station. I wanted them that instant! It took a while but I finally found them! It took some patience to get them since the manager at the shop had separated the shoes because they were not part of a half-price sale. I kept calling and following up until finally the manager was available and took the other shoe out of hiding! Anyway John Fluevog shoes are wild, funny, zany and super-unique!! I am a big admirer of his shoe and boot designs.

Oh, I have a quick update on my right foot. Now I can run for ten minutes!! I couldn’t do that before my surgery! Those of you following the blog know I had surgery last September. I feel like Forest Gump when he kept shouting “I am running!”

Well I hope you enjoyed this post. I am sure some of you readers are also out looking for vintage or thrifted items and shopping further down the chain of mass production. If you haven’t started thrifting it might be a good goal to learn and discover how much fun it is. It is not only a great way to save some money on clothes but also a way to help out our planet at the same time. Every time you buy something vintage or thrifted it helps cut down on the energy involved in mass manufacturing. Plus I have also discovered that with thrifting it is not that difficult to find items that are made in the United States if you really look for them. This T-shirt dress was made in Los Angeles. If you would like to know more about the whole topic of the effect of mass production on our environment you could read my post about the book, Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. Elizabeth Cline writes about her journeys traveling the world and learning about how much it costs our planet to be constantly buying mass-manufactured clothing. If you choose to read the book it really makes you think before you shop.

Well happy thrifting!

photos for blog 031

thrifted T-Shirt Dress 1920's look

Thrifted John Fluevog's

Flickr Photos:Christine592 collection

A Glimpse into Denver Architecture

January 22, 2016

01/222016

During my recent trip to Denver I enjoyed the variety of architecture to be seen there. When I lived in Boulder, CO, years ago I often missed the brownstones and architecture in New York. Now of course I miss the lovely variety of architecture there is to be found in Colorado. There is a large amount of the Spanish Colonial Revival style in Denver. I don’t know all the various styles but I did find an e-book hat you can download if you are interested in finding out more. If you know the styles please feel free to comment.

During the 1920’s and 1930’s Spanish Colonial Revival was quite popular in the Denver area. One of the various elements is the elaborately carved decoration that often surrounds the windows. Another is that the stucco or chosen exterior is painted a light shade of color. There are also often heavy tiles on the roofs. I found these apartment buildings to be absolutely stunning.

Another type of architecture common in the area is Foursquare, which was popular in the “first three decades of the twentieth century.” (1). I remember that there are a huge amount of homes in this style in Boulder.

I am not sure what the style of the church is in this post. It may be Romanesque Revival. Some of this work dates back to 1838-1886. There was a well-known architect in the area by the name of Henry Hobson Richardson. I am not sure if he designed this church.

I wish I’d had been able to take pictures but there was only so much time. I am sure if I were to go back into my older photos I would find some pictures of homes in Boulder that I took through the years. Perhaps I will post some of those another time.

The capitol building is in the Classic Revival style with its dome and large columns. Between the area of the Colorado Mint and the Capitol are the beautiful archways that I photographed.

I hope you enjoyed this brief exploration into architecture in Denver. I certainly enjoyed seeing the structures and learning a bit more about Denver.

Spanish Colonial Revival

Possible Romanesque Revival

Classic Revival

Foursquare

(1)Filed Guide to Colorado’s Historic Architecture and Engineering, pg.10.

Dottie Angel Dress I Made For My Daughter

January 14, 2016

01/142016

My daughter asked me to make her a Dottie Angel dress so I decided that was my task for a Christmas present. Meanwhile I had not made a dress from a pattern in about thirty years. Simplicity pattern 1080, known as the Dottie Angel Dress, has twenty-eight steps in order to make dress A, which is the one my daughter wanted. I literally worked on about two steps at a time or the whole thing would have seemed very overwhelming. I had never worked with bias tape before but with patience it all started to make sense. My mother, who has far more sewing experience than I do, was surprised I was working with bias tape – she thought it over-complicates things. I do think it helps keep things neat and tidy once you get used to it.

My stitching is not perfect and there were a few times I took out a seam and redid it to attempt to get it in better shape. I need more practice! Anyway in the long run the dress came out lovely. Emily likes muted colors and I thought the orange sherbet colored bias tape perked up the brown floral background. The pink pockets were made from Liberty of London fabric, which has small bits of that orange sherbet color in the background. I am a complete sucker for any fabrics with brown background and florals as the print. Emily wears a lot of brown as well.

When I first came across Tif Fussel’s website I of course wanted her dresses, which she refers to as “frocks,” as apparently many women do. Her dresses are vintage-inspired and feminine and have that soft, relaxed, country look to them. They tend to remind me of German dirndls when they are made with florals or small prints, and the strap that ties at the back accentuates the waist. As a child I wore dirndls for several years when we lived in Germany. When I used to work at April Cornell as a sales lady many women spoke about the modern workplace’s clothing being so androgynous. These women were coming in looking for floral dresses that captured a softer, feminine look. Tif has mentioned in her blog that she thinks she “was a farmer’s wife in another life.” She also refers to her style as “granny chic.” Well she has definitely done her part to make granny chic popular.

I plan on making a Dottie Angel dress or two for myself as well. Emily bought me some fabric for a Christmas present that I plan on using for one dress. She took me over to Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver with my gift certificate and I picked out a soft grey print fabric with little navy and red bicycles. I might even make a couple that have solid fabric on top and a floral or patterned print on the bottom since some offices are very conservative about prints. I will wait and see where I am working to figure that out. One of the things that is so nice about making your own clothing is that you can choose the fabrics and how you want to arrange things. I also think this dress would be beautiful if upcycled from a vintage sheet set.

Emily wanted to illustrate how she winterized her dress quickly for a snowy, winter Colorado day. It was Christmas Day in Denver. With her sweater, scarf, hat and army jacket she looks cozy, comfy and pretty in her Dottie Angel dress. I like the mix of army jacket with floral. It transforms the outfit to a grunge look from the late 1980’s to early 1990’s. Emily has long been a fan of granny type boots. Plus she is a crazy for hats, which seems to run in my family. Whenever I am in Colorado I always love how once winter hits it is so common to see people wearing their hats indoors as well as outside. There is something so peaceful about being wrapped up in a hat and a warm sweater.

I hope you enjoyed this post about the Dottie Angel dress. I certainly enjoyed making it and hope to make a few more. The design is a classic and therefore is a wonderful addition to any lady’s wardrobe.

Dottie Angel Dress granny chic

Photo by Emily Owens

Dottie Angel Dress

Dottie Angel Dress Frock simplicity pattern 1080

Tif Fussell Dottie Angel Dress

dottie angel pattern 1080

My Daughter’s Apartment Is So Vintage Punk

January 9, 2016

01/092016

My daughter Emily’s apartment is so vintage punk. It is cozy, comfy and slightly crooked due to the floors being slanted. It looks so quintessentially her. She has a mannequin she refers to as “Lisa” who stands naked at the rear of her vintage bathtub. A cut-out of a red fox sits between the wall and the tub. Not many people I know have such an interesting bathroom. I mean Lisa and her red fox are quite striking. The walls in the bathroom have more vintage punk art on them. Emily has an assortment of collages she has made and her paint palette also hangs up with its dried paints displayed.

Emily’s assortments of cameras are sitting on top of a vintage old metal rack organizer. A “Ladies” sign is perched on top of a black case. Her little teddy bear “Teddy” sits to the side of the rack with his friend “Wolf”, both from her childhood.

My daughter told me with a look of sneaky delightful joy that she enjoys screwing screws into the wall. She is the daughter of a carpenter so that explains that. On these screws she has perched several drawers which hold a variety of items she likes to display, such as her Mary candle and a can of Heinz beans. Where we lived when Emily was a baby was a large Hispanic neighborhood and those candles were very popular, as were any items displaying pictures of Mary. Off to one corner she has a small altar area with several Mary items displayed. Another drawer holds an old typewriter. Emily is a big fan of typewriters. She values the occasion to sit and type a poem sometimes.

It snowed on Christmas Day, adding to the charm of the apartment, with its large windows creating a view of the snow flickering slowly down to the ground. Emily has a small collection of cactuses she is growing and a tiny fern in her kitchen; they are all growing out of old Café Bustelo cans.

She also has a drawer that she collaged in the inside sitting on the floor near her dining table. This also says “Coffee” since coffee is a big part of Emily’s life. She has been a barista most of the last eleven years.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit in Denver and Boulder, Colorado. I also got a big kick out of she’s Emily’s first apartment that she has had on her own. The building is old and was damaged in a fire. Her landlord bought it for way below the going rate, fixed up the part that was destroyed and is making a nice profit on the place. She is lucky that she lives so close to her work place and a bus ride away from school.

Well I hope you all are enjoying the beginning of the New Year! I am hopeful this year will bring some steady, long-term employment for me and other good things.

Lisa punk decor- steampunk vintage punk