I’ve come to realize that I probably wouldn’t fashionably survive in a place like New York City. Not that I am not fashionable, because I definitely rock my style to her fullest potential, but because I am fundamentally opposed to wearing all black clothing. And the New Yorkers are alllll about the all black ensemble. I’ve tried before…and I literally can’t do it. My fingers start twitching and I have to add a pop color somewhere to avoid my own madness.
Once every month or so, I’m turning the Spotlight On some of my favorite vintage treasure troves – both local and online – and give you a bit of insight into the shop owners and their curation process (see last month’s feature here). Today’s spotlight is on one of my very favorite etsy shops: Capsule Vintage. One question I am hands-down asked most often is: Where on EARTH do you find these dresses?? To find out the answer to this question, read on….
Because it was so popular last month, I’ve decided to continue sharing my current Lust List (you can see last month’s list here). Whether I’m standing in line to get my coffee, unwinding at the end of the day, or trying to coax my eyelids open in the morning, there are always beautiful things to peruse. I suppose that’s the wonderment (and the curse, according to my Visa card) that is the internet…
Over the last week here in Australia, I can feel the first chill start to set into the air in the evenings. The Bostonian in me instinctually feels like I should be out shopping for school supplies when I start to feel the crisp fingers of autumn start to unfurl. And yet, being that’s it’s April, my northern hemisphere brain still can’t resist pastel colors and floaty chiffon dresses. They’re like a magnet tugging on my vintage-loving heart. And therein lies the dichotomy…
You know that feeling of responsibility you have when determining whether or not to buy something? Weighing the pros and cons of cost vs. the gap in your wardrobe that needs filling. You see a gorgeous item and the mature thing to do is walk away because you really don’t need another dress/pair of shoes/handbag/fill-in-the-blank-with-appropriate-fashion-obsession? You are highly conscious of your budget and that keeps your visa card planted firmly in your wallet.
I think we all have our own personal rules for styling, whether they be conscious or unconscious. And when we reach for items from our closet in the morning, these rules are clanging around in our heads. For me, little voices say: Don’t pair navy shoes with a black skirt. Don’t wear socks with flip-flops (shudder). After you’re fully dressed, remove one accessory (oh Chanel). Try to incorporate color, pattern, texture and shine into every look. Embrace the pop color.
I was skipping across campus the other day, my head in the clouds, when a lovely woman stopped me to admire this 1950’s border print dress. She told me how much she loved the 1950’s style and would kill to wear a dress like that. When I asked if she knew of or would like advice on some great vintage shops in the city, she immediately said, “Oh no,” shaking her head with a self-depricating shrug, “I can’t pull that off.”
No, I’m not actually writing from Paris, sadly. But, this dress exudes Parisian chic so well, from its Pater Pan collar and jaunty bow, to the rows of amazing covered buttons that go down the back. Although I always say that I tend to veer towards color, particularly during the warm summer months we’re having in Australia, I’m finding more and more neutrals making their way into my closet. I’ve realized that a beautiful neutral is the perfect backdrop for pop color accessories, of which my wardrobe has aplenty (shocker, I know).
Despite common misconceptions, I find that science and art go hand in hand. Truthfully, the more scientists I meet, the more artists I seem to meet. In my lab alone, we have a concert pianist, a painter, an amazing violinist, and even a student who is doing her PhD in an artistic laboratory, which is dedicated to the research, learning, critique and hands-on engagement with the life sciences. My husband is a software engineer, but is also an amazing singer and songwriter….
Every month I’m consistently shocked by how quickly time went by. It feels like I was just ringing in the New Year in Sydney, and here we are almost to 1 April. Well, the joke’s on me! A lot of exciting things happened this month, not the least of which was launching the blog, figuring the ins and outs of HTML, and celebrating my birthday, vintage-style.