Secondhand Christmas Shopping
Many readers love vintage clothing, and their interest naturally encompasses other antique or patinated items such as flatware, cars or furniture. There is such a thrill in the hunt and one naturally thinks that loved ones feel the same way. While some items may be treasures to us, they may just seem “used” to others. Thrifttown recently published a check list that you should consider when determining if a secondhand item is the right decision.
Not everyone appreciates a vintage item. One man’s treasure is another man’s old junk. You can still slip in a vintage item with tip #6:
Get crafty or bake! Make a project out of secondhand items like this kitchen canister set or these felted yarn balls. When it comes to gifting home-baked cookies or candy, pretty plates, platters, and bowls, hands down, make better gift containers than paper plates.
I am not one for yarn balls or crafting, but sending baked goods on vintage china or a vintage serving piece would be a nice gift. Consider the recipients color scheme or preferences. A cake plate or serving dish doesn’t necessarily have to match what they have and could become an heirloom. The key is to choose a plate that has a nice design, interesting enough to stand on its own.
For more tips from Thrift Town, Read the Top 10 tips here. .
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Ten Shirts I Love About You
I may be a bit behind the viral curve, as this video was released several months ago, but I keep coming back to it. In August, actress Julia Stiles presented her new ecofriendly line on “Green Mind.” The cutting edge fashion features a newspaper suit, a pants/shirt combo and a shirt made out of ten. This is one of the most brilliant spoofs (or is it? lol ) I have seen in quite awhile. Part of it has to do with the way that Stiles, the host, and models “sell it.” They are dead serious here.
Ecofriendly fashion is very popular these days. Sometimes it works with recycling existing clothing, and sometimes the focus is on the materials. For myself, I am all for using cotton that has been grown without chemicals and finding new ways to use and process fabric. This may include industrial recycled elements in accessories and soles. What I hesitate about is recycled fashion. Instead of using clothing that can no longer exist in its current form because of damage, there are individuals who tear apart suits from the 40s, and for the ladies, ballgowns. Some of these items can be scarce, depending on the quality and maker, and it would make any vintage collector cry to see. What is your opinion? It seems that eco fashion is so revered that no one can make fun of it…until now.
You can purchase Julia’s Styles at http://juliastilesstyles.com/The_Outfits.html. It appears that they are sold out, but you are asked to donate to the Lunchbox Fund, a great organization that provides school lunches to impoverished children. It may be their only meal of the day. Consider skipping the Starbucks and donating your $3-7 to buy a great kid lunch.
entertainment, modern fashion | Comments (2)Opening Night for Banana Shpeel
Banana Shpeel, the new show from Cirque du Soleil is opening on Thursday in Chicago. There are a couple of tickets still available for opening night, according to ticket master, but not a large amount. Cirque tickets have historically been in the $50-75 range. However, if you are flexible on date, I did find $35.00 tickets, which would make it more affordable for a family to go.
It is a complete departure from Cirque du Soleil’s typical fare in that the show is 100% devoted to slapstick comedy. Previous shows have included interludes and interruptions of comic relief, but the over all, the theme has been perceived as moodier or more dramatic. The new show is a tribute to vaudeville and broad humor. The show follows Emmett, a hopeful actor being encouraged for ill or for gain by the irritable producer, Shmelky. Emmett falls in love with the beautiful Katie, and encounters all sorts of strange characters, such as the mysterious Banana Man.
Slapstick seems to be a universal mode of comedy, where people around the world can all understand. They seldom need to understand the social context. Returning to the basics could be the sign of times, when people are looking for something proven, familiar and comfortable, versus looking for entertainment that pushes the envelope or reminds folks of gloom and doom.
In the past, I flew to Chicago and took in as many shows as I could while I was there. I purchased tickets ahead of time for the newest show, or the one I was most interested in seeing. Then, I purchased tickets to local troupes while I was there. If the spectacle of past shows is any indication, this should be your anchor show.
One of Our Favorites from Sears
I sold this suit two years ago, but it is in our “short list” of favorites. It was (is) a metallic suit from the late 60s. Although it is from the tail end of the decade, it has major mod sensibilities with its Italian cut and slim collar placement that we would place just a couple years earlier.
Tailor tags can be very important in dating menswear, especially because the classic suit doesn’t change as rapidly as ladieswear and is sometimes harder to pinpoint in less than a 5 year period even if one is very knowledgeable. Of course, there are “of the season” cutting edge looks available for the fashion forward, but for the average man, a suit is an investment piece. They want to be stylish, but they don’t want to look dated the next year, especially if their employment or social outings do not require a suit for daily wear.
This particular suit came from Sears. The tag is not specifically a tailors tag of a custom suit, but the date the suit was altered for the original buyer. Unlike high fashion magazines that show what the designers introduced each year, the Sears catalog was a very good record of what the average person was actually wearing that year, just like the paint colors represented what was actually in the average homes of America. It may not be nearly as exciting as haute couture, but is invaluable for historians, reenactors, vintage lovers, and costumers alike.
In the fall of 1968, the year of this suit, though the Brits had moved onto more fluid lines, American Mod was still showing an influence on American fashion and was interpreted in a little more of a relaxed fashion.
At the tail end of the 60s, because of the new synthetics, shades that could never be achieved before were everywhere. I have seen quite a few menswear in the jewel tone blues, greens, and teals during this time period in many eye tricking fabrics and hues that begged the question “Is that blue or is that green? Greenish Blue?”. I have often needed a second or third opinion myself!
Having a specific date always makes me wonder if the date had been around a special occasion. I always imangined with the suit being tailored in proximity to Halloween, that perhaps someone bought it who went to an alternate event. They might have gone to a performance at a concert hall instead of a costume party that night. Or maybe it was just a coincidence, just another day.
Cell Phone Cases: The Fashion Swiss Army Knife?
(Here is a great chance to win a prize, ladies and gents. Read on for more details!)
Lately, my cell phone has been causing me a few wardrobe malfunctions. No! That’s not what I mean. It doesn’t have anything to do with the age inappropriate exposure of body parts. It has everything to do with utter fashion failure. I have been trying not to put it in my back pocket. I heard that it could cause my hips to be out of alignment when sitting on it, just like the big Back Pocket Wallet Fear of 1995, which I am pretty sure was started by chiropractors. Instead of shoving it in a back pocket, and insuring me a future with a cane, I have been alternately putting it my jacket pocket, coat pocket, or attache’.
This is all fine and good, until the phone actually rings. We had a cold snap last week, and I was so insulated that I didn’t hear it ring until the fourth ring. My phone actually croaked. I am trying out the “Froggy Night” ring town, so it is literally true. To free it, I pulled the zipper for my winter coat pocket off its track. Totally bustified. The fabric was not only caught, but the zipper separated.
Luckily, I was selected to test out some nifty products from foneGear. I am testing out one of the snazzy cell phone cases with a clip on it. I can clip it to my belt, waist of my pants, pockets, or put it on the strap of a bag if I really wanted to. I was impressed by a few of the features and confused by others. There is no flap to cover the top of the phone, and I was a little perplexed by that. The design is a bit different in that it holds it in quite snugly, so a closure is not needed. I flipped it up and down, and it still did not come out until I pulled it out. Bonus points there.
The other interesting feature is the texture. It is sort of a rubberized texture that harkens to mind a football. It may seem superfluous, but I found that the added texture made it easier to handle. If you choose to plunk your phone into the cavernous wasteland of your desk, attache’, or handbag, you will be able to fish it out quickly amid a sea of smooth and slick technology cases. I think I can use this for business cards and pens, too. It can be used for just about anything.
What I did find a little cumbersome, is that I managed to knock the whole thing off of my pocket when I pulled an over shirt down. The cell phone stayed secure, but the clip and all ended up on the ground. I suggest that you pull your sweater, sweater, or jacket over it, versus having the garment resting on top of it. Don’t worry, you will get to the cell phone quick enough without having all of your garments puckered around it so the world can see it. Whoever decided that cell phone cases should be worn like a police badge needs a review. Since everyone seems to have one now, you don’t need to advertise it.
The only true downside is that the Lions really stink. It is not foneGear’s fault. I chose a Detroit Lions phone case because I always am on the side of the underdog. Also, they are from my home town and I would probably get jumped by family members if I was going to use a clip that supported. Maybe if the Lions bought these cases for $12.99 instead of what they are using, they might save enough money to take some motivational classes.
I also found a University of Michigan model, and I snagged a U of M camera case. I was impressed with the sturdy construction of the case. It was not a flimsy, shapeless affair that I would expect. A semi rigid shape tends to protect a camera better. This would also be a great thing to clip to your belt and take into the movie theater. You could pack up your malt balls, M&Ms, or other confections into a plastic bag and no one would be the wiser as you crunch away. Am I suggesting illegal activity? I didn’t tell you to put the plastic bag inside the camera case, did I? Any conclusions you make are your own.
Right now, all of my attentive and charming readers can try one out for themselves. A fantastic foneGear prize package is being given away, and one of you will win one! They not only have great cell phone holsters and camera cases, but laptop sleeves, chargers, and more. You can be boring and just get solid colors, or you can show your team spirit with NASCAR, NFL, NBA, and Professional Bull Rider’s merchandise. You will win a prize back valued at $45.00, and you will be able to choose your favorite team. There is nothing barring you from choosing your least favorite team, but you probably don’t want to.
TO ENTER:
Follow @fonegear on Twitter and Tweet out a message containing your favorite NFL or NCAA team, the hashtag #foneGEAR and a link back to this post. The post url is http://vintagegent.com/2009/11/02/cell-phone-cases-the-fashion-swiss-army-knife/. That is pretty long, but you can use this short cut: http://tinyurl.com/vintagegent.
The contest ends 11:59 p.m. EST on November 24, 2009, according to the official rules . Entries will not count after this time. In other words, your Fairy Godmother would have turned you back into a pumpkin and your chance will go poof. Good luck!
contests! | Comment (1)
