Vintage Inspired: Shoes

At the Vintage Expo last weekend, one of the vendors, Rubaiyat, was selling some pretty great locally handmade shoes. I have big feet, which means vintage shoes in good shape aren't always easy to come by for the clunkers I walk around on. The great thing about Rubaiyat is, they say "if you can dream it, we can make it." They've been making handcrafted shoes for 40 odd years now, so they know what they are doing.

I only grabbed a few shots before they asked me to stop taking photos (when i'm just giving them free press. hmph), but hopefully you can get a sense of the fun chunky styles and bold leathers that they use:


Another good resource for reproduction vintage shoes is always ReMix Vintage.

Designer - Alexa Chung

I know, I know. Alexa Chung is, like, totally on everybody's "style inspiration" board and keeps getting called an "it" girl on all the blogs and gets photos posted in every issue of Teen Vogue, which means I REALLY want to dislike whatever it she is doing and write it all off as trendy overhype.



BUT. I must admit, she does have this really effortless casual style (see above), so it is hard to not get excited when the description of her new collaboration with Madewell (coming this Fall, and available at ShopBop) reads like this:

"Expect high-waisted pants and jeans, velvet dresses with Peter Pan collars, and a coat based on a vintage children’s one she found that originally came from Harrods. There will be nothing that nods to the eighties or nineties, because she’s not into either decade. 'I want to bring back forties tea dresses, sixties mod dresses. . . . I want to bring cute back.'" (from Vogue)

I guess I should be glad that if I ever ask myself "WWACW?", it will be easy to head to Madewell and find out.

(via sallyjane)

Dear Creatures: Spring 2010

Okay. You guys are going to think we have stock in Dear Creatures the way I keep blogging about them, but the Spring Lookbook is just too great to not share. I almost forget to look too hard at the clothing because the styling is so pretty.





But then I remember to look at the clothing, and want to buy one of everything! Suspenders, high-waists, peter pan collars, sailor necklines and rompers ... all my favorite vintage details done up all clean and modern!

Vintage Rip-off - Anthropologie's Reed Shirtdress

It is no secret that lots of clothing these days is vintage inspired, but I was browsing the latest Anthro catalog, only to be quite taken with this little plaid "Reed Shirtdress" (by Moulinette Soeurs) that I swear was stolen straight from the 50's. I even own a vintage version of this dress in similar cut and pattern and hue.



So, anyway. As if you needed any reinforcement ... Anthro says shirtwaist dresses are big for spring! I just say find yourself a cute vintage original (and hem it up if you need it shorter than 50s knee-length fashion).

Vintage Inspiration - Fur

The wonky weather here in SF made us cancel this week's photoshoot (curses!), which means we will have to wait until after we get back from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival to make a long-awaited shop update.

In the meantime, I've been looking around at warm jackets to keep the chilly Utah snow at bay next week. The Sundance film fest always brings lots of people dressed in FUR ... often in really amazingly obnoxious ways, like huge Yeti boots and coats that look more like oversized polar bear costumes than anything.

I think there are a lot of ways to wear fur this season that look a little classier ... I always like a good vintage fur collar on coats, and there are lots of good synthetic furs that are being produced these days so that more little animals don't have to die in the name of fashion.

A few ways to wear fur without looking like a caveman:

Vintage fur collar/shawl (shawl with belt = so cute)

calivintage | this time tomorrow

Vintage fur trimmed coats (apparently pants are optional ; )

thriftwares | sally jane vintage

Short fur jackets

lookbook | uggshopstyle

DIY: Print Your Own Labels

There are lots of fun, free label templates floating around the internet, though this morning I stumbled onto some vintage inspired ones that motivated me to actually blog about a few of them.

The labels can be used as gift tags, mailing labels, notecards, seating cards, jar labels, etc.

To use:
Just download the labels and then print them onto full sheets of self-adhesive paper. Use a straightedge and a utility knife to cut out the rectangular labels; cut out the round labels with a pair of scissors or a round punch if you have one. Just click on the following links to download.

Vintage-Inspired Labels from Suzee Que:




Simple Scribbled Labels from A Print A Day:


Graphic Blue and Grey Birds and Graph paper from Creature Comforts:

Scalloped Bird and Colorful Garland Labels from Wolfie and the Sneak:


Lovely Bright "to/from" Labels from love. obsess. inspire.:


Most are available in PDF format (you will need Adobe Reader). All images free for your personal use only.