I have been collecting vintage for as far back as I can remember. True, in the early days, it hadn’t cemented as a true passion just yet. Hours spent in the costume closet of my high school theatre made me feel a kinship to the garments I would find there. As if they too were the misfits, where a layer of dust and circumstance had rendered them forgotten pieces of fashion past.
What a crazy few months this has been! We started off the new semester (with a new course to prep and new students to corral) and I was immediately whipped into a frenzy of classes and research and trying to continue to set up the lab. And now that October is nearly upon us, my mind starts to instantly travel to styling spooky looks for Halloween. Hey, what’s the point of having a lab full of brains if you can’t get in a zombie mood now and then?
One of the very best things about our recent move back to the States is being able to escape for a long weekend with family members. Although the distance between San Diego and NC or NC and Boston may seem long to some, when you compare it to the 36+ hour journey it used to be, a half a day of travel seems like luxury. So, this summer my sister and I took advantage of our proximity and met for a blissful sister spa weekend.
I have to admit, I’ve never been one for a basque waist. I’ve seen many a dress in rear view, only to turn them around and see that telltale triangular dip at the waist. It always reminded me of 80’s wedding dresses, which inevitably had me shuddering and quickly returning her to the racks. But, little did I know there’s a bit of magic hidden in a basque waist dress that fits you perfectly.
Although I try to block it from my memory, I had a few years in Catholic school as a kid. And though it was certainly the best option at the time, flashbacks of those plaid school uniforms still haunt me. The stiff pleated skirt. The starchy white blouses. And despite the fact that we all had to wear identical uniforms, somehow I still always managed to do it wrong (at least according to the girls in my class.) Let’s just say, it took me a very long time to dissociate plaid from those years of bullying. But, I’m officially Taking…
We are finally feeling the last strains of summer give way to autumn. I can almost see the humidity leaving the air here in NC and hear a tussle of leaves as a cool breeze starts to bring in the first strains of fall. I’m always a bit sad when summer starts to end, yet can’t wait to start busting out some cozy layers.
There are a lot of questions I feel are highly inappropriate, yet are asked almost daily of most women. I’m sure we all face them – ranging from what our salary is to what dress size we wear to when we’re getting married to when our womb is going to start busting out children. Statements that are made to clearly tell us the things we should have. Should want. Pointing us towards what is normal, with the implication being what is most certainly not normal. And although many of us have found ways to pivot when those questions arise, there…
Last week marked the official start to the semester. Back to working in hyperdrive, racing around as fast as my heels can carry me, trying to keep up with teaching and forever at the mercy of the undergrads. I’ve also introduced 3 new students into the lab this semester. I have a feeling that the biggest lesson they’ll learn from me in the next four months is: It’s really really really hard to set up a lab!
I am not a gal who can resist a novelty print. Especially one you can’t quite see what it is until you get up close. It’s imbued with a sort of magic – as if it has a hidden secret you can only whisper in close proximity. I’ve seen this amazing clover dress with those magical, sporadic ladybugs a few times now in my vintage adventures. And yet, it was never quite right. She was either way too small or I was way too slow. And because I’m a believer in vintage karma, I knew I just had to wait…
None of us ever want to admit we have a type. No matter how much our friends say we’re predictable, we want to believe that we’re all open minded and never shallow enough as to gravitate towards a formulaic list of characteristics. And yet, when you look back at your track record, chances are there is an inevitable pattern…