Vintage By Vicari + The Great Dress Up: Part Deux

Check out part two of the Vintage by Vicari and The Great Dress Up collaboration here. Hope you dig it as much as I do. Below are some shots from the shoot. Purchase the amazing pieces here.

New Price Reductions on Etsy Items!!

Wrap Me In Satin skirt

Originally $46  Now $34

Oh My Houndstooth dress

Originally $48  Now $38

Check Me Out jacket

Originally $32 Now $18

Creative Dressing: The Uniform Project

Just to show you a little goes a long way. Check out this video regarding one woman's challenge to wear the same dress for 365 days. Pretty cool. I'm definitely taking styling notes from them! You can even donate accessories for the challenge or help collaborate on an outfit. They are also raising money for underprivileged kids who can't afford school uniforms. Please check out their site here.

The Uniform Project Trailer from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.

You Should Know: Holly Miranda

Check out up and coming, singer-songwriter Holly Miranda. I've had the privlege of seeing her live a couple of times now, and I guarantee that her voice will blow you away. If you are in LA, come to Orgami Vinyl in Echo Park at 7P tonight for a special in-store performance. Here's a link to Origami's blog and Holly's Myspace.


holly miranda from Black Cab Sessions on Vimeo.

New Items on Etsy!!

There are new items in the Etsy store. It's just in time for the holiday season. Free shipping on all orders of $75 or more. Also free gift wrapping for gifts. Don't forget that 10% of all sales go to benefit the Women's Downtown Center in Los Angeles.

Vintage Jewelry Feature in Elle Magazine

Check out Elle Magazines feature on Vintage Jewelry. They offer insight and tips for those new to buying vintage jewelry. Also some useful information when looking at jewelry as an investment. Check it out here!

Panties, Lace, And Other Un-Mentionables

In celebration of Sonia Rykiel's line for H&M, which is heavily inspired by the lingerie of the 40s and 50s, I've posted some vintage inspiration as well as some modern interpretations like Alexander Wang or Dolce & Gabana, Christian Drior.

Check out the underwear/lingerie section of your local thrift stores. Slips, lace, bras...Don't be afraid of second hand lingerie!! These are special finds when found in good condition, since sometimes they are very delicate pieces. One of my favorite all time finds is a navy blue slip from the forties for $3.Besides the practical use of wearing slips under your clothes to prevent clothes stick, which happens especially in winter when you wear tights, lingerie can also be work as outwear. This trend has been popularized on Spring 2010 runways. For years, I have worn my vintage slips on as a dress. I usually pair with tights and a shirt or tank under. But if you are feeling especially adventurous, wear with just a coat, cardigan, fitted skirt or leggings. I've been letting my lace bras peek out from my loose tanks all summer long. Very dramatic effect tucked into fitted skirts, or paired with simple skinny jeans.

If you are totally opposed to second hand wear, there are many designers making vintage inspired underpants. Calvin Klein makes a classic lace demi bra inspried by the 50s and there are countless other designers.... If you want to go less corporate than H&M or Calvin Klein,check out designers on Etsy. Check out handade silk shorts from Etsy seller LadyJaneLingerie.

Sonia Rykiel pour H&M

I'm loving the vintage inspired lingerie that Sonia Rykiel created for H&M. Check out the runway show live from Paris online at HM.com Tuesday December 1st at 23:00 CET. Sonia is an innovative, self-taught French designer. If you haven't heard of her, check out her biography here. Check out more of her other work below..

Check Out ThredUP

I love finding innovative ways to keeps this fresh in my closet. For the past two years I've been throwing swap parties with my friends. But that has it's limitations. A new company tries to overcomes these limitations by drawing upon a bigger pool of participants. ThredUp is a new service that gives you access to the country's closets, by managing peer to peer clothes swapping. They also will find matches for you based on your preferences. Check out their website here. They are having a promo right now by offering a special "green Friday" trial. They give you three envelopes for $5 (as opposed to the normal fee of $25). Enter the promo code GREENFRIDAY at checkout. I haven't checked this out yet, but I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Party Dresses!!!

Tis the season to get your party on, and now is the time to decide what you are going to wear. My favorite excuse to buy a new party dress is the holiday party season. Sparkles, vibrant colors, and rich fabrics abound and entice. I predict a fair amount of black edge this season and plenty of sparkles. You can never go wrong with a classic cocktail dress. Check out my newest Etsy addition, "I'll Never Go Hungry Again-Party Dress
which hits a few marks, cocktail dress, jewely tones, rich velvet.


You'll be the Scarlet O'Hara of the ball. Pair with a kitten heel for a more classic 50's look. Or you could even go for a chunkier statement heel to make it modern.

Clothing Swap at LA's What Goes Around Comes Around

If you're in LA, this promises to be a cool event. I can't wait to see what everyone brings!! Check out the Space 15 Twenty's post here for more info.

The Sartorialist on vintage

One of my favorite bloggers The Sartorialist posted about Amacord in Williamsburg. I had the privledge of checking out this store last NY trip. They had great accesorries and a good selection of women's and men's clothing. When I was there the clerk was showing a customer, vintage Armani from when he designing for the Italian army. I also spied some killer black ankle boots. Although I wonder what my favorite blogger would have said about Malin Landaeus around the corner. Check out what he had to say here.

Tim Burton's Magical Fashion

Happy Halloween!! Check out this Tim Burton inspired spread from Harper's Bazaar. Amazing!!


Tim Burton's Magical Fashion

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New Items on Etsy!!

Preferred Customer #1

Check out one of my lovely customers, Kelley. She has a blog called, Kaleidoscopic Refrains, where she featured a bag purchased from Vintage by Vicari. Check out the post here, it's the doctor's bag in the above picture. Thanks Kelley!!

NYC Shopping Highlights

Shopping in NYC is amazing. So many shops too little time. Here are some pictures of my favorites. I was staying in Williamsburg this trip so I had the opportunity to check out what shopping Brooklyn has to offer. Most stores are concentrated on and around Bedford Ave. The Lower East Side is also the best spot for vintage in NYC. One of my go to stores is Daha Vintage at 175 Orchard Street Manhattan, NY 10002, which has an extensive shoe and purse collection. My best find this trip was a little store called Malin Landaeus 155 N. 6th street, which had a unique collection of vintage clothing and accessories. I loved the owner's point of view, as the store is stocked right now with beautifully tailored dresses, jackets, and slacks from the 40's to the early 90s. She had a fabulous selection of hats and shoes. The store carries original, new jewelry. Great find, reasonable prices for upscale, excellent condition, unique vintage pieces. Check out their website here, where there is some video of the store and it's stylish owner Malin.

New talent in NY

I was in NYC this past week and had the pleasure of catching a private performance of up and coming, singer-songwriter Marques Toliver. I was truly blown away by the beauty of his voice and overall presentation. Apparently he was discovered busking on the street in London by British sensation Adele. He has since signed a four album deal with Universal. Definitely an artist to watch for. Check out his myspace page for official content. Thank you to my friend and fellow artist Samuel Stewart for the invite to this private performance!

10.21.09-NY

In NYC this week. Hoping to get out to some flea markets. Who knew NY had so many every weekend. What's up LA??? Will keep you posted on my findings...xxx

Art in Motion

If I Had A Heart from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

When I Grow Up | Video

When I Grow Up | Video

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Vintage Fashion Expo hits LA this weekend

The Vintage Expo comes to LA this weekend at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Here's an excerpt from their website.

"Entering its third decade, the Vintage Fashion Expo once again comes to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (1855 Main St at Pico) this October 17th - 18th, 2009. Dealers from across the country will be presenting vintage clothing for men and women. Women"s hats, shoes, dresses, costume and estate jewlery. Vintage eyewear. Men's suits, shoes, shirts, watches, ties and more. Fantastic textiles for the home."

I've never been but have been dying to go the past couple of years. No worries if you can't make it this time, they're back in February. Check out their website for more info.

Man Shops Globe

Have you seen this show? I love it. The Sundance Channel show follows Anthropologie buyer Keith Johnson around the globe as he searches for unique pieces to fill the world's Anthropologie stores. Not only does he purchase already made items, he commisions new works from local artists. This week's episode was on Keith's trip to South Africa. Beautiful ceramics and furniture made by amazing artists. I especially loved the chandelier he had commissioned by artists who reuse trash to make decorative home items. What's better than travel and shopping? Especially when it is on someone else dollar. Dream job! Check it out on Wednesday nights at 10P on the Sundance Channel.

Inspiration

Responsibly Yours

I’ve been thinking a lot about freedom, and the responsibility that comes with freedom. Many have argued that these concepts cannot be separated. Eleanor Roosevelt, stated that “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.” Some of us, however, use our freedom as a means to act without responsibility, and without limits. We say what we want, we do what we want, we buy what we want. As Americans we pride ourselves on our country’s tenants of freedom and liberty. Yet do we really take pride in bearing the weight our freedom carries? Roosevelt warns that, “For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect.” We have the ability to do things that other people can only dream of. But I wonder how many of us treasure this freedom every time we choose to use it. Should you really buy that Suburban just because you can?

It’s easy to act without thinking of your action’s consequences. I would argue that humans by nature do this frequently out of mere habit. Driving instead of walking, talking instead of listening, spending instead of saving. It just takes a little more effort to consider, plan, and act responsibly. I know this is a hard concept for the apathetic, but what is freedom worth if we didn’t have to work a little harder to earn it?

What does this mean for our everyday lives? It means, think before exercise your freedom. Think before you act. Think before you speak. Think before you shop. Think before you eat. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. This is not to suggest that we should censor or limit freedom for those who abuse it. However as a society, let us consider the impact our actions and choices have on ourselves and others.

Responsibly Yours,

Angela