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).

Alternatives to Polaroid

Jordan over at Oh Happy Day posted about some fun alternatives to the old polaroid cameras now that it is harder to find film for them (snif).

She made me want to own both of these cameras:

Vintage Polaroid 600 SE
Apparently you can use Fuji instant film with it, and it takes really really stunning pictures. They have used Fuji FP 100 B with it.




(Photos by the ever talented Jonathan Canlas)



Fuji Instax Mini
Takes instant credit card sized photos and uses a special film.

Best Gift Ever: 5 Year Diary

The holidays are upon us, and everyone will be hunting down the perfect gift. Make it easy on yourself - give everyone a Five Year Diary.

What is this magic journal, you may ask? The cute little book lets you keep track of your life with just a few lines every day for five years. Each page of the journal is devoted to one day of the year and subdivided into five sections, so that as time goes by, past entries for that same date can be read as new ones are written. In other words, you can see what you did on November 20 every day for five years running! Plus, even someone with as short an attention span as me can fill out a few short lines a day.

Of course, I was pretty excited when I stumbled upon a vintage five-year diary from the 30s in the thrift store. Turns out, they were kind of a big deal in the 20s and 30. Yet again - those brilliant folks of the past prove they had all the good ideas first.

You can often find really great vintage ones on eBay (though it can sometimes be tough to find them new and not written in by someone else's grandma).

This little red gem is available to bid on right now:



OR, there are a few cute new versions you can buy in bulk:

One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book from Chronicle Books


5 Year Diary


And the best part is, whoever you give it to has to think about you every day for the next five years. (thanks to MLE for discovering these first)

Seeing Spots

I'm always a fan of DIY projects, which means of course I love the blog "PS, I made this." They always post some inspiration shots, and then a project that embodies those pics.

They posted a great tutorial the other day with an easy rip-off of some classic vintage hobnail. And, as they said, "Its the perfect way to re-purpose empty cans, bottles, containers without dropping a small fortune on pretty porcelain."




This will also give all that puffy paint that has been sitting in your craft drawer since the 80s a little purpose.

Elva!!

Clearly I'm on a vintage brooch kick of late. Just came across Elva Field's site. I la-la-LOVE what she does making new jewelry out of vintage. Beautiful!


via simplesong

Faux-tage

I'm with Bex-- real vintage is better, but some of the stuff the kids these days are making is just too darn pretty to pass off. And, if we keep this stuff long enough it will be vintage, eventually.

Case in point. These wall cards from Webster's. I love the idea of decorating a nursery with these-- perhaps as a border around the ceiling, lining the back of a door, or in a series of frames spelling out the child's name? The price is right, and they are so quaint!

Judging Books by their Covers

I know it is pretty hard to beat the loveliness of a dusty old hardcover book with beautifully embossed cover, but Penguin is starting to publish the classics in a new line of some of the prettiest hardcover books I've seen, rivaling those old vintage covers (designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith). I hear they sell out all over, but Amazon is releasing this set at the end of this month. Wuthering Heights! The Picture of Dorian Gray! Pride and Prejudice!

Doesn't it make you want every one of them lined up on your bookshelf?







(order them on Amazon here)

I dunno. On one hand, I'm glad that we are producing beautiful products (I mean, if you are going to own the classics, they might as well be really pretty, right?) but on the other, I feel like this is another case of ripping off the perfection of the past and making it easy to own these vintage inspired covers without all the hard work of searching for the real vintage books. I feel like many people would still argue that the old books are more unique and maybe preferable to these new ones. What do you think?

Oh, Orla!

We love Orla Kiely's take on mid century modern designs. Her new fall line of dresses are to. die. for. Things to crib (from our shop, or other vintage sources) include Peter Pan collars in contrasting colors, fitted waistlines, patterned tights with patterned dresses , glam hair (Elnet is now available in the US), and smudgy black eyeliner.