As a scientist, I’m lucky enough to get to travel a lot for work – tissue collection, conferences, invited talks – they take me far and wide, often to places I may not have gone otherwise. And although these trips are often chock full of meetings and scientific shenanigans, a perk of the job is squaring away a bit of free time to explore my surroundings and get to know a new city. Yeah, you can read that as: Kara Hunts For Vintage.
Recently, I was invited to give a talk at the NC Aquarium at Roanoke Island – being fairly new to NC (a year and a half is still new, right??), I’d never ventured up to the Outer Banks. After road tripping for a good 4 hours with Hamilton blaring out of my speakers, I made it to my destination and settled in for the night. The next morning, with a few hours to kill, I ventured around the island, to stumble upon a tucked away vintage shop in the heart of Kill Devil Hills: Something Old, Something New. Despite the rather ominous name, Kill Devil Hills ended up harboring more than a few vintage angels, alive and well. And you know what they say about finders keepers….
I think we all have our tried and true shops – the ones who have the things we love, without fail. Whether your heart belongs to true vintage or repro, modern or with a twist from the past, there are shops we have made a well worn path to. But there’s nothing like walking into a new vintage store for the first time – breathing in that smell of old stories and new possibilities. My eyes could almost not take in everything in the shop at once when I stepped inside – everything from jewelry to vintage furs, men’s to ladies, 1940’s through 1980’s. I carried an armload into the dressing room and walked out with this amazing vintage handmade eyelet dress – with a bright teal underlay that winks at a hidden past.
Speaking of missing the past, I already miss yesterday! I don’t know about you, but as much as I love a good day off, a long weekend always gives me just enough time to melt into my couch and not want to get out again. It was so lovely to be able to stay up late Sunday night and lounge around on Monday, catching up on a few sewing projects that needed the hours I never managed to find in a normal weekend. I’m struggling to get my mind back in the game this week, despite my towering to-do list.
Here’s hoping I can find a bit of motivation as easily as I manage to find vintage….
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Something Old, Something New (similar modern or vintage here, here & here)
Necklace: gift (similar)
Handbag: Vintage (similar here & same bag here (though VERY pricey)
Shoes: Irregular Choice (similar here & here)
Lip Color: Dior Rouge 634
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