vtinage dreams

this vest is what my vintage dreams are made of.

it is one of my favorite pieces in my closet and i find that every time i wear it, i am almost giddy with material love. let me digress for a moment, when i lived in santa barbara and went to brooks, there was this amazing vintage store on state street that had the most incredible selection of goods that one ever could find. they rented out every single piece in the store for a fraction of its price, should one choose to purchase, and were ideal for 99% of our photo shoots. after brooks i got a job there briefly and though it seemed like the greatest place to work when i was a customer, the owner was crazy!!! i don't even remember her name but i do remember getting scolded for wearing a sweater that had a hole in it and being required to show up at least 20 minutes early for every shift so that i could study up on my vintage clothing knowledge. i think i was on the verge of tears working there more times than not. however, the upside was that i got to work in a vintage store that also more often than not tempted my small paycheck. this vest is one such piece that i could not leave without. it is a hand-stitched piece of art from what was czechoslovakia, that was brought over to america by the stitcher's granddaughter. the detailing is just gorgeous and i feel very fortunate to have its history as well as it in general.

 

 

great fun for layering over dressed, under jacket, etc. 

express leather jacket, grey jersey dress, billabong men's belt, indigo by clarks booties, kiss me coral revlon lipstick, bracelet/bangles vintage

the other side of the closet

posing in the stairwell, la la la...
this post is dedicated to stealing borrowing from e's closet on days when i hope to keep all layers far from hugging too tight. enter in the borrowed tee: a true vintage number as in it belonged to a grandma before it belonged to e. the front reads: garami...for governor (the lettering has faded out partway through) and it is just about as soft as something can get before it gets transferred into the baby blanket category.
the borrowed jacket: somewhere between a military/olive green, properly faded from washing and stained in all the right ways (what?). anyway, it is huge and very comfty and fun fact in the wee early days (almost 7 years ago) of our awkward-tall-18yrold-exciting-flirty love, i stole this from him and didn't take it off for at least a week...sigh...the heart wants what the heart wants.
the rest is a pair of levis that i have been wearing for nearly 6 years and now fit in the "boyfriend jeans" way, as well as my favorite black blazer, and heals found at a church yardsale plus some concoction of lipstick colors to keep some part of me slightly feminine. add glasses and go!

 

 

this isn't the stairwell. this is the door to my neighbors (private!!!) laundry room that i just discovered today. i am outraged btw (though not in this picture because i only smooshed my face up against the window to see what was behind the blinds after the photo).

giddy (up)

maybe it is in the blood. or maybe it is on the runways. or maybe i just like to say that i don't own very many red things and then go out and disprove myself. or, mind bender...maybe it is all three!!! alls i knows is, that i be liking any shirt with pearl buttons, cowboy motifs and that come from my favorite vintage haunt here in sc.

first: pearl buttons. what says "class" more than that? answer: nada. i mean, come on, they feel so much more fancy than just your average button and they snap! snap! with that really satisfying sound!
second: cowboy motifs: this one runs the gamut. from politically incorrect statements regarding native americans to stage coaches and ropin' -- all probable scenes are accounted for!
third: things red. apparently they are calling my name. now, admittedly, had this shirt been any other color, i would have still purchased said shirt, but it happens to boast that bright cherry tomato red that manages (quite easily) to stand in sharp contrast to the otherwise monotonous collection of plaid and black that hangs in my closet.

 

hookin' thumbs in belt loops is a must

 

i think my arms are raised in a "see??? isn't this an awesome shirt???" sorta way

 

pearl buttons!!!!

 

official introduction of my furry, orange pal. aint he cute?!? and so photogenic. i feel like he improves the image ten-fold.

 

alas, he is a large marge and i think this image of the two of us getting to know each other really demonstrates his true size. also, you get to see my shoes, which, as you know, i love. 

 

one more for good measure (and i like his back paws here).

vintage shirt, h&m boyfriend shorts, uo wedges, target glasses, two simple silver chains that i have been wearing for a month without removal (gifts from parents back when i was in junior high) and usual rings.

 

lovin'

who's exhausted? raise your hand. i'm raising mine. i thought that was supposed to be a "holiday" weekend...oh yes, i forgot, those are usually not in the realm of the relaxing unless it is a self-imposed "holiday" in which case, by all means, i hope you spent more time in bed/on couch/near any horizontal position possible with a limited amount of brain-wave activity happening. take that however you want.

but my new favorite adjective stems from a new quarter. which, although it goes insanely quick and i appreciate sitting through 10 weeks of class rather than 16, makes it hard to adjust every 3 months. especially when this one calls for a 5 am wake up call. who does this? oh, me. and to think...i have two best friends who willingly (read: real world obligations) do this daily. oy!

anyway, yes, tired. but fueled on by the ever approaching warm summer months. i am certifiably solar powered, termed by my dear b, and at least enjoy walking onto campus as the sun peaks over the horizon makes for a pretty incredible view: sun + mountains + ocean. so in lieu of those moments and the happy face of the sun, i can't wait to use the following:

 

bathing suit!!!!! yes!!! how can this not be on the horizon of exciting things to come??? bottoms by h&m for a mere $3 (uh-huh!!!) plus what i am terming my beetlejuice bandeau (all i want lately are things that scream the beetlejuice tux. you know how people always refer to dumb and dumber and the pastel tux duo in reference to any formal occasion? well, the beetlejuice tux is the one that does it for me. the only thing holding me back from purchasing something along said lines for k & p's upcoming nuptials is that 1) i am in it, 2) she said no sequins but i'm 99.9% sure that she also meant nothing along these lines (pun intended) either and 3) if i bought said tux, who knows if i would ever take it off and that would be bad because i'm prone to spilling.  

(wow...long caption)

 

a lacy, vintage top found at a thrift store that i am imagining with high-waisted things and fun sandals. easy, breezy, summer. done. 

 

 large stone pendant necklaces that are unique and stunning! this beauty was a very generous gift from a long-time family friend (whom we stayed with in az for spring training). she makes some incredible jewelry but also boasts a room full of vintage goodies that is left over from when she closed her store.

proof that hoarding isn't all bad - this necklace. originally purchased back in 2007 from uo on majorsupernexttonothing sale and which i proceeded to wear a handful of times. flash forward 5 years and not only does it fit my "living by the beach motif" but also brings about the whole two-chain-in-one thing i love so dearly.

 the best things are always free. as in free gift with purchase? eh...maybe, maybe not. and not that i am want for more little pouch/carrier/thingies but i did happen to toss out a lot before we moved and now every time i pack my bags (which i seem to have done a lot in the past 8 months) i can't find the right little doodad to put makeup, jewelry, whathaveyou in without dumping something else out. also, i really needed to restock my face lotion and sunscreen and clinique just happened to be dumping these + a collection of spring nude shades into customers' open hands. 

 

and finally, this is my new pal. i don't know his name nor do i have any clever made-up ones (yet). he has been showcasing a canny knack for finding me whilst i'm out posing for myself and making himself (loudly) known. so you will be seeing more of him in up-coming posts ;) fun stuff. 

left my heart

i love the city! i love what feel like sequestered little corners of it, tucked away on streets that suddenly open up to sidewalks crowded with little café tables, conversations everywhere and storefronts dedicated purely to carls. and i love that when you walk a block or two back from those streets you are surrounded by what i consider to be insanely gorgeous houses uniformly stacked next to one another. oh, and of course since it is also the home of the beloved giants <3

last weekend we drove the ridiculously short distance in to celebrate the birthday of a good friend with indian food and an irish pub...you know, the usual combo. but first e and i headed to the marina district to stop into a camera store: camera hunting for him and lens hunting for me (sadly, the one i want most runs upwards of $2000...half my quarterly tuition...) before we went over to the outer sunset for birthday merriment.

 

the tiles are always one of my favorites

as well as the detailed ironwork of the gates and fences 

 

vintage blazer & flannel with american apparel skirt, sweater tights and ae clog booties

 all the colors of the harbor

 

 

i love a good, bright door

spring is near...the topiaries told me as i walked by them

 

 ummmmm....have you ever seen such a wonderful sight?!?!?! carl(s)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what is apparently the "it" birthday gift...googly eye glasses

 

buzzing just like

there is so much comfort in the familiar and the known, making it hard to stray far. this obviously applies to more than just clothes. in fact, this should probably be most considered in the real world, the world that occupies our daily lives and the choices that we make. as i enter into another quarter closer to graduation and joining that "real world" i am constantly racing my mind through all that lies ahead. the choices that will be placed in front of me, the paths i will choose to take and those that i will bring along for the ride. school is definitely a familiar to me, as i have been engaged in it for a solid 21 years now. and while i have a little over a year left of my undergraduate, i still relish in that familiarity and for now, am trying to make the most of it.

on a lighter note, in the midst of the familiar i have found myself expanding in more outward ways. despite whatever people may say of clothes, they really do have an affect on one's own mood and mind as well as others. i find that the fail-safe grey scale spectrum never lets me down, but i have been drawn more and more to brighter and more vibrant pieces lately that make me smile.

 

 

blouse old navy, pants/necklace/sunglasses from uo, menswear watch, cuff(s) bday gift and h&m, shoes blowfish, usual rings

pre-season

the older i get, the more i grow to learn how to appreciate that which is around me. i think the first twinges of appreciation came with my first college experience, living so far from home and having the instant and warm feeling of nostalgia when i would travel home for visits. i think there is also an added level of life experience that makes you open your eyes up beyond what is immediately there and learn to take it all in, soak in the beauty of the familiar and the unknown and store it away in your memory, heart, mind, what have you.

 

 

pre-season at the sc beach boardwalk. wonderfully quiet on a weekday morning, just me and the half dozen workers getting ready for summer