Eureka, I've Got It!

Holy smokes, do you remember this post from almost exactly seven months ago, about how I was desperately searching for a perfect pair of menswear-styled flat oxfords? Well, today, ladies and gent, I FOUND THEM. I have them right here under my desk, and they are fabulous.

As is every great shoe acquisition, today's started innocuously--I had just pledged to not spend any money, having several large upcoming purchases in mind to save up for, and I was out helping my father shop for men's shirts. I was absolutely not going to buy myself anything. The last time this happened two years ago, I ended up with a pair of Chie Mihara pumps that I still wear at least twice a week and I certainly do not regret that shopping indiscretion. We ended up on 4th Street in Southwest Berkeley, always a nice time what with the lovely CB2 and the Pasta Shop, at local and sustainability-conscious boutique Convert.

Convert is a pretty, bare-bones shop with windows filled with utilitarian Moxsie-esque goodies like Toms Shoes and recycled fabric knapsacks. It reminded me of the small warehouse-style boutiques I saw in Japan that seem to be taking hold here, all white walls with a couple of minimalist racks and long, industrial tables in the middle of the room. (Maybe I just haven't been shopping in a while, we are in a recession, after all.) The men's clothes at Convert are far more practical than the women's, so my father was lucky in his shopping endeavors: three shirts, one sweater. Disappointed in their weird, batwing-y ladies' selection, I strolled over to the shoe section to see if Jeanne was right about those weird Tom's shoes (cushioned, but stinky!).

First, I spotted the adorable Dorothy pump with its tickly little leather+fur flower and charming barbershop-pole striped wooden heel. So cute! So furry! Then, OH GLORY:
Eureka! Hello, lovely Jazzy flat ladies' oxford! They are amazing. Handmade real leather soles by J.Shoes, made in the United Kingdom, charming pinked and layered vamp, waxed leather laces that actually stay tied (unlike my Jeffrey Campbell Steppin heels), obviously crafted exactly a la a man's sturdy oxford and I love it.

I feel like I need to bring up the hems of my wideleg trousers and invest in a pair of suspenders to go full-time mascu-femme, top it all off with a snappy fedora and voila! I already scuffed up the slippery leathery soles by walking around on the asphalt and they are going great so far. Perhaps for work, a pair of opaque black patterned tights, a slim skirt, and a high-necked Victorian blouse? Or for the weekend, black tights again with a mid-thigh skirt and summer tee. Back in black, as always!

How should I put my best foot forward with these new shoes, hmm? Keep it period with a heavy dose of tailoring, or go all-out hipster-y in skinny jeans? I can't wait to trot these babies out for the fall!

Resisting Retail Gravity: the Curse of the Black Blouse

I have a problem. I am perpetually tangled up in a push-pull of my effort to add more color to my wardrobe, yet whenever I make it to a store, I inevitably end up buying the same two items: black shirts, black skirts. Seriously, I must have a hundred version of the same outfit, black shirt, gray pants/skirt, black shoes. My co-workers must think I only own three items of clothing.

There is SOME color in my closet (also known as the pile of clothing I pull out of the dryer and haphazardly make into a work-friendly outfit)--I have a purple and black dress, a teal blouse, a couple of jackets, maybe a navy shirt or two that occasionally come out to play. Let me tell you, it is an exciting day in my world when I wear more than two colors at a time. Maybe I'll mix it up, a black shirt with gray pants and a polka-dot scarf in red and gray--SWEET HEAVENS ABOVE, the avant-garde fashion explorer I used to be has long been subsumed by my corporate conformist self.

As I see it, I am trapped by the cruel pull of retail gravity to always, always end up in an anonymous fitting room with an armful of black blouses. I do try to look for alternate colors on my admittedly infrequent shopping trips. I just am not a big patterns girl, I'll go for a lovely polka dot, Swiss dot, or a stripe provided it's a color on a black field.

One very lovely blouse in my closet is probably the best possible color combination for my wardrobe, a Finley button-up blouse with pleats at the waist, doubled cuffs and collar with black and maroon jacquard lining, all in a an alternating stripe pattern of black, navy, and maroon. PERFECT, right? I can wear it with gray, black, navy, or maroon. Why don't I wear it more often? I HAVE NO IDEA. It lives on a hanger in my closet and it always seems just a smidge too short, or the sleeves are too hot for the weather. That shirt just cannot win in the fashion battle that happens five days a week, at eight o'clock every morning.

Short of gutting my fading black wardrobe of its colorlessness and ransacking every store in a fifty-mile radius for shirts in every tacky color of the rainbow to prove a point to myself, what can I do to resist the siren call of the black shirt-gray skirt pattern? Maybe I don't LIKE anything other than that outfit. I'm not afraid of color, I have a specific sort of style and quality of fashion that I try to cultivate when I do shop, it's just frustrating to go into my closet and come up with the same thing, over and over again. Perhaps I can find a solution in the form of dresses this summer.

So, mystery as yet unresolved, do you have an old stand-by fashion favorite that has taken over your life? Last year, it was all opaque tights and black A-line skirts for us--the cycle continues!!

Inspired by: White Oak Drive-In Cleaners, San Carlos, California

For almost the last two years, I've been living back here on the West Coast in what you could essentially say is my hometown. Here on the Peninsula, life is certainly running at a different pace than it did in New York City, not to mention Tokyo. It's nice to come home, take a breath, and rest in the peace and quiet the suburbs afford you sometimes. Still, I crave the cold, hard multisensory stimulation of big cities and when driving into San Francisco's downtown when I have a death wish won't cut it, I head out of the house to find a local spot to explore. This past week I took an afternoon to walk around downtown San Carlos, California, whose Laurel Street main drag is quickly becoming the hot spot for restaurants and yuppie storefronts on the Peninsula.

It turns out Laurel Street, quiet and set back just one block away from the hustle of El Camino Real, the train tracks, and plopped halfway between highways 101 and 280, has been remarkably well-preserved from its obvious heyday in the 1940s and 1950s. As a huge fan of historic and midcentury architecture, it was a delicious treasure trove of well-loved and well-kept buildings just waiting for my adoration!

I had my camera with me and was immediately inspired by the lines and colors of San Carlos' historic buildings, for fashion, of course. The White Oak Drive-In Cleaners above at 1200 Belmont Avenue in San Carlos is a perfect example of midcentury architecture. Note the Googie-influenced curving street-facing wall that turns what would normally be a plain concrete box into a wonderfully Jetsons-esque structure.

San Carlos has preserved (or restored) the old streetlamps and painted them white, as you can see in the photo above--the Victorian profile of the white streetlamp contrasts with the voluptuous, heavy building and its fabulous original pink and white sign!
Check it out, as we get closer--

Yes, the dry cleaners is connected to a two-story apartment building, classic midcentury profile and to my mind, shows that someone did some excellent urban planning to provide both residential and commercial opportunities when the White Oak Drive-In was built. In my attempts to do research online, I found no citations for the address itself, so I can't tell if it was always a drive-in cleaners or a fabulous 1950s venue for James Dean wannabes and their full-skirted, Rayban Wayfarer-wearing girlfriends.


Seriously, how awesome is their sign? It's what makes me think they have been in business since at least 1960, and the building likely dates from the 1940s when this area experienced a huge wartime and post-war boom in building homes and businesses for young families. San Carlos is not your normal Wild West California town, with very few Victorian-era buildings left and a surprisingly substantial strip-mall style cluster of building constituting the downtown, providing a steady flow of plain but stylistically interesting storefronts for local businesses. Like all micentury design and architecture enthusiasts, signage is a particular favorite of mine, I can't get enough of it! Just goes to show, it's not just Hollywood and Route 66 where you can see great midcentury architecture, walk down to your city center and open your eyes for some great, historic, delicious design left over from the 1940s-1960s.

Obviously, I came home inspired by what I saw and just had to make a Polyvore to reflect the best design elements of this building:

Inspired by: White Oak Drive-In Cleaners, San Carlos, CA by periodicstyle featuring kate spade accessories

See the fabulous orange Wayfarers (a must), the 1950s saddle-shoe inspired flat sneakers for the girl who walks to work and traipses about town, the slightly more feminine accessories to soften the blow of a highly structured outfit. The building's strongly contrasting orange line on a field of forest green makes me think of unusual color combinations for greens and oranges, two colors I would normally never pair together. (Really, what color tights are you supposed to wear with a green dress or outfit? Black? Or is that too uniform-y?) I won't lie, when I saw the White Oak Drive-In Cleaners, I thought to myself, "This is Joanie Holloway AS A BUILDING!" Thus, the lady herself has to be featured in that fabulous green dress, could we love her any more?

So we'll bid farewell and say thank you to the White Oak Drive-In Cleaners for the fashion inspiration they've inspired, in the most unexpected of places. On behalf of all of America's underappreciated and forgotten downtowns, every city's architectural history has something to offer us, and remember you can always look to the past to inject a breath of fresh air into your fashionable life!

She Talks Like A Woman and Walks Like A Man

I am a woman on a mission, in search of the world's most perfect men's-tailoring inspired flats that are neither frumpy nor impossibly girlish. Just functional, fabulous, powerful shoes for your workaday businesslady. Inspired by the lovely selection of vintage and reproduction saddle shoes at Muffy's and Re-Mix Vintage Shoes, I've been poking around looking at my options...we're talking all wingtips, spectators, creepers--generally, leather lace-up flat shoes with men's detailing! I want to look like a Savile Row lady, what else could you want?

-Every time I peruse the shoe section at Nordstrom Rack, I stop and try on the variety of Jeffrey Campbell flats. Jeanne, Kati and I all own various versions of the Steppin heels, I nearly wore mine through after six months working in New York! I find the laces on those to be quite slippery and the heels have worn down to the point that it's a little unsafe to wear them on cobblestones for balance's sake, but I still love them to pieces. Mademoiselle Robot interviewed the very Jeffrey Campbell, making us love her and the brand even more.

-Speaking of Jeffrey Campbell shoes at Nordstrom Rack, I came across a single pair of his Driggs lattice-woven, lace-up flats in a size too small this past summer and I have been DYING TO OWN THEM in a size 9 ever since. Of course everyone else had the same idea and now they have disappeared completely, even from the internet. Come on!! How great would those look under some lovely slacks for work? Some wool socks to keep your feet warm and you're good to go in the winter, cropped pants and a gingham check blouse for spring/summer, it's the look of effortless cool that I aspire to achieve someday. Even my favorite shoe-store-blog, Williamsburg's Shoe Market covered these as part of their menswear detailing for ladies' shoes bonanza.

-Free People, bastion of faux-hippie high-waisted shorts and shredded babydoll dresses surprised me with this lovely pair of buttery leather lace-up wingtip shoes. Give me a pair of these, some navy tights, a corduroy skirt and a warm sweater and I'm a happy girl. The leather laces look just as slippery as my Jeffrey Campbells, but a little double-knot never hurt anything.

-San Francisco's local fabulous shoe purveyor Shoe Biz has the F-Troupe contrast oxfords in black and grey canvas, I love the clean, simple lines. Very Fred Segal, I feel like I could find these in some amazing Japanese men's style magazine with funky scarves and knit caps. An alternative is the Gaga-tastic Kenndy [sic] loafer by Sam Edelman. Those would make any woman look HARD. AS. NAILS. and badass as hell.

-If you've ever been to your area outlet mall, you've seen the Bass stores. At first glance, they appear to cater solely to the hunting-hiking-rough'n'tumble crowd, but if you are savvy they are a great source of hardy work shoes for women as well as men. ShoeBiz surprised me with the Bass Burlington oxfords, clunky but superbly functional!

-The other day, I tried on the Steve Madden Tuxedo in black and white with high hopes, doesn't it look like EXACTLY what I would want? Unfortunately, like every other Steve Madden shoe, these are crazy wide and both the sole and outer leather so thin you'd quickly wear through the entire shoe.

Well, my search continues for the perfect menswear-for-women's-shoes. With a perfectly pressed pantsuit for work, or opaque tights and a mid-thigh-length skirt, you'd be the smartest dressed woman in the room, no high heels necessary! What aspect of menswear do you wish you could bring over to the misses' department? We've taken over three-piece suits, fedoras, neckties (just a little), the boyfriend jean and tee-shirts since women started wearing slacks almost a century ago. Perhaps a pocket square is next for me...if only my suit jackets had front pockets!


Images from FreePeople.com and ShoeBizSF.com

WorkWear Daily: Life Is A Cabaret

Man, remember when I was a huge slacker and posted Polyvores of my work wardrobe almost every day? Now I actually have a job that gives me things to do, so I can't blog all day every day anymore! What a shock. There are still the odd days when I get dressed for work, look at myself in the mirror and think, "Damn girl, this outfit is KICK-ASS and deserves documentation in the form of a digital mock-up made from none of these actual wardrobe pieces." Luckily, we have Polyvore to do this for us, so check this awesome outfit out:

Cabaret Businessgirl by periodicstyle featuring Stop Staring

Obviously, the outfit I actually wore today is on the left--purple Gap cardigan, black scarf passed from my mother's closet to mine, black wool pencil skirt from J. Crew (on sale, heck yeah), slate grey tights, plain black pumps, and the piece de resistance, my new Rayya peacock hair clip from Charlotte Kruse. I sashayed out of the house feeling like a cabaret super rockstar bombshell, and arrived at work to cries of, "KAREN, WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR HEAD?"

Apparently the world is not ready for fabulous feathered fascinators and hairclips outside of indie gift markets. So, I considered what I would wear if I were actually a cabaret superstar a la Jane Avril or our not-so-secret imaginary best friend Dita von Teese. You can see the results--wiggle dresses, backseam stockings, embellished shoes for impromptu dance breaks a la A Band Aparte:

Is it weird to try to incorporate more theatricality and romance into your professional wardrobe? Could I do more without going completely overboard, all-out Anthrologie, liquid liner and feathered lashes every day, crazy super-vintage? Jeanne and I have been discussing how boring/bored we are with the current state of our wardrobes and how to inject some excitement. I think sticking to the basics we already have with a little investment or rediscovery of our more outlandish accessories could be a good kick in the pants, but sometimes a girl just needs a great big style overhaul.

I love the backseam tights, the lace, the drama, the tiny top hats, the sexy hip-swinging stride that my imaginary "cabaret style" above explores, but is it TOO costume-y? My default for professional outfits is turning towards the dress+tights+trench phase that marks me as a mid-twenty-something looking to expand her social life outside of checking her Blackberry for urgent work demands. I want to expand and explore my wardrobe for its theatricality and romance potential, not boredom and default fashion! I was so proud of my admittedly meager styling skills today and now look what's happened--I want to explode my closet with the sexy a la Miss Dita, who doesn't?

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Accessories and Bling

Jeanne:

Looking for some pretty shiny things to tuck into a little bag for your friends (or for yourself)? I know I have some jewelry coming my way, in that I picked out a piece or two I liked and that it will eventually find its way to me as a present. (That's how I got my full-sized L'Artisan perfume last year, too.) Still, can't say I don't love surprises!

- Ever have one of those days where you just want to say F@#! ? Wendy B. hears you with her legendary Wendy Brandes for Francis swear rings. (She also makes the convincing argument on her own blog, of course.) Or if you're a little bit more demure in your demeanor, there's the genteel but still sassy bowtie ring, also a Wendy Brandes for Francis piece. Still, you could buy your sailor-mouthed friend (you know you have one, and it is probably me) the cussin' rings. Just saying.

- Lately I've been going crazy for very small stud earrings; I have this paranoid fear of ripping my earlobes out by wearing heavy earrings. (I know, crazy, right? BUT IT HAPPENS.) Anyway, I've been wearing my pair of Dogeared Jewelry teeny tinies for... I want to say a few weeks now. I have the little Fearless skulls, to inspire myself to be, well, fearless. Roar. I also love the tiny anchors for Strength, too (plus they are tiny anchors, which is adorable and naughty-nautical).

- I also love the tiny alpha studs from Catbird NYC to itty bitty font-nerdy pieces. I want them so badly, I can't even tell you. They're just too rad. I don't even know what letters I want, I just know that I want them. (Updated with the correct link!)

- These lobelia bud earrings from Anthropologie remind me of the big rhinestone clip-on earrings I used to have in my dress-up jewelry box -- the screw-on kind. Ouch! But still, I love that aesthetic.

- I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that yellowgoat.etsy.com has gorgeous jewelry pieces, including a dapper gentleman shirt bangle (hey, wear it with the bow tie ring!) and the amazing taking off earrings. The bad news is that, as she's based in Hong Kong, she can no longer guarantee that items ordered to ship to the US can make it to you by Christmas. But that's okay -- presents are awesome at any time, right?

Karen:

A few years ago, I was in Japan with my grandmother and her youngest sister, my great-aunt Akemi. We were on an otherwise lame and embarrassing bus tour (embarrassing in that I was the youngest and only non-Japanese person on the bus), when we stopped for an afternoon at a local mountain plum festival. The path wound up the mountain, with stands manned by the community selling locally grown tea, snacks, and crafts. Besides the vats of umeboshi and dried salted plums, a stand with hand-dyed silk and felted wool scarves caught my eye. I bought one of those shorter pull-through scarves with the hole in it and I still wear it today, I still love it and get compliments on it. Since then, I always get and give scarves as gifts, handmade or otherwise! You know you know someone who either needs to wear more scarves in the winter (men!) or always knows how to accessorize beautifully with one (you and your lady-friends!). Like these:

-The value-added Nuno felted scarf from Moscow-based Etsy seller JaneBoFelt comes with rose brooch in grey. I love how you can wear these shorter scarves in various ways and mix up your winter jackets or coats with a faux-collar effect.

-According to my preliminary research on Etsy, these short felted/brooched scarves are popular overseas right now. I love how handcrafted and super high-fashion the Morning Clouds scarf is! So elegant!

-For a smaller gift for the fashion-forward person in your life, Pixie Market has this fabulously pricy oversized leather prize-winner ribbon brooch. I love the racks of "I'M A WINNER" shiny ribbons at the party store, plus they are hilarious/great on blazers in lieu of your regular brooch. Your favorite mustache aficionado might like this mustache prize ribbon, which is flipping awesome. Personalized prize ribbons are fairly easy to make--I made some last year for my mother, she loved it--with some ribbon, buttons, and fabric scraps!

-I recently treated myself to a new work tote/laptop satchel to save myself from having to carry my work laptop bag plus my purse. Now, I have only one bag to lug back and forth to the office every day. Everyone can use a great leather bag, because everyone always has to carry around just too much crap every day. We have a secret love for the professorial/schoolgirl aesthetic, so this black peccary grain leather messenger is appealing right now.

images from wendybrandes.com and yellowgoat.etsy.com

Holiday Gift Guide 2009: Supporting Crafters and Other Good Deeds

Jeanne:

I've mentioned before that I'm a knitter, and this year my mom asked me if I wanted any knitty things. Well, no, not really, I have a lot (probably too much, considering how little I knit now), but I got to thinking -- if you're thinking about buying gifts for a crafter, what do you get them? While my expertise is in knitting and most of my suggestions are gifts for knitters and fiber-y types, you can apply the basic ideas below to any DIY type.

- My first gift choice? Books! There are always great how-to books for any skill, be it knitting, scrapbooking, crocheting... the sky's the limit. Some of the knitting books that I'd recommend for any level are Scarf Style, which has a great variety of scarves, and the all-mighty Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques. That book will save your knitter a ton of heartache and teach a lot of important skills. (I actually asked for it, and got it, a few years ago, and it's still teaching me new things.) If I had to pick one knitting book that I'd want this year, though, it would definitely be Knockdown Knits, the roller derby knitting book. I totally could use a Jammer beanie while I'm ducking and dodging through commuters this winter...

- Knitters love yarn and needles and other goodies, yes. But if you're completely in the dark about what your knitter prefers (double-points? circulars? worsted? sockweight? cobweb? merino? tencel? bamboo? turbo?), you really can't go wrong with a yarn store gift certificate. kpixie.com is one great online yarn store, with a lot of cute knitting kits, as well as a variety of gift certificate options available. That said, I highly encourage you to check out your local yarn stores -- they may already know your knitter's likes and needs! Plus, there's no replacement for getting to feel the yarn in person... If you need some help finding a shop near you, Knitmap.com is a directory of yarn stores, and even has an iPhone app for the knitter in need of yarn or needles far away from the LYS (Local Yarn Store).

- Even if you're not sure what yarn or needles to buy, you can be assured that your knitter needs something to put said yarn and needles in, especially for carrying around to KIP (Knit in Public).

A quick search on Etsy for "knitting needle roll" brings up lots and lots of options, and I found some cute ones! This black and white double-pointed needle organizer from knitonebeadtwo.etsy.com keeps those tricky needles in place -- I can't tell you how many multiple sets I've bought because one of the five has gone a-wandering. lenabrowndesigns.etsy.com has many options for needle rolls, including this 30 pocket (whoa) needle holder -- it also doubles as a paint (or make-up!!) brush roll for any painters or make-up artists on your list. And if you want a coordinating set, the knitting needle traveler and DPN Manager from thesilverpumpkin.etsy.com come in a sweet matching bird print.

And to carry around the yarn and needles... well, anything can be a knitting tote, technically, but there are bags designed with knitters in mind! I love the Scoot Scoot tote from roseknits.etsy.com -- you think I could fit my make-up in there? Maybe not all of it, but at least my travel stuff...
If you want to keep a big project in one place, the large knit project bag from yarnplaycafe.etsy.com will keep it tidy and adorable. For truly serious knitting, the knitting bag with yarn dispenser from debdonnellydesigns.etsy.com keeps yarn contained and organized -- many a knitter has dealt with a major yarn barf at least once.

Plus, when you buy off of Etsy, you're supporting an independent artist and handmade work, which will always make your crafter happy, too. It's amazing what you can find; I only scratched the surface for knitting goods!

- If you honestly and truly are really stuck, and your knitter has everything ever made for knitting ever and really doesn't need anything else ever and is begging you to "please don't give me any more yarn, I don't need any more", give your knitter a share or a whole Knitting Basket from Heifer International. This gift provides four wool-producing animals -- two sheep and two llama -- to be raised for their wool to be turned into not just yarn and knitted/woven goods, but income and hope.

- Finally, if you've got a crafter on your list, odds are that YOU'LL be getting something handmade back. And if you do, the best gift you can give your crafter is to appreciate it fully and truly. For real.

Karen:

I am an aspiring crafter, as in, I always start project or have great ideas and never complete them. It's a common problem. My favorite part of the Japanese bookstore outside of the fashion magazines is always the new craft books section, where they always have THE CUTEST IDEAS EVER. I've always liked getting books as presents, they are always useful and not so invasive as more personal gifts like jewelry or clothing.

- Amazon can provide your lucky giftee with a whole package of Japanese-style craft books, all part of the Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts! series. There is Amigurumi, Woolly Embroidery (too cute!), Lacy Crochet, and Lacy Crochet that are so cute I could just eat them up. I saw a Japanese book of Scandinavian felt crafts at Fancy Tiger Craft in Denver earlier this year, Etsy seller FeltCafe has a copy for sale if you are as completely enraptured by that combination of greatness as I am!

- Although I may not be pumping out the craft projects myself, I do always recommend those looking for philanthropic causes to donate to check out our locally founded Kiva.org, where you can find small business owners in developing countries who need microloans. Many of these entrepreneurs are women working on collectives, on clothing, crafts, and cottage industries. The great thing about funding microloans through Kiva is that you get a 100% return on your money at the end of the loan cycle. I recommended Kiva to my father, who in turn took the proposal to his company for a company-wide microfinance program through the website, and now he maintains a whole portfolio of charitable loans he's cycled through for over a year, with 100% returns!

- Another resource that benefits crafty entrepreneurs is Global Girlfriend, an online shop with profiles of the craftswomen. Each item benefits the specific collective or group of women, be they victims of domestic violence, sex trafficking. Talk about value added! Who wants a random thing from the mall when you can say your tote bag (I like the funky recycled plastic market totes!) is helping women living in poverty in India?

images from amazon.com and roseknits.etsy.com

This post features Amazon affiliate links.

Antiques Extravaganza

Lately, I've had a lot of success shopping for vintage. Either I have a good eye for this stuff or I am just focusing my shopping adventures on retro/vintage style, because in the last month, I have managed to find about five times as much great vintage clothing/accessories as I ever have before in my adult life. Having a mother who collects vintage aprons and hats (1920s-1960s, she does not discriminate) certainly helps, and a long-standing fascination with interior design, architecture, fashion history, and obviously, independent fashion businesses does not hurt! Great antique stores seem to find me and want to show me their hidden gems.

Since I've traveled back and forth amongst the East Coast, California, and Tokyo, Japan frequently over the last few years, I've got a pretty solid list of great antique/vintage clothing stores I always love to hit up. It's really like a treasure hunt, first finding the shop, then digging through its wares to find what really calls to you. In my mind, when I visit all of these fabulous stores, I make up a eidetic encyclopedia of the types/eras of design I particularly appreciate--a cheap way to educate yourself on design possibilities for fashion and home.

So, to share with all of you lovely readers, I've created an easy Google map featuring my most favorite places in the world.

View Favorite Antique Stores, Periodic Elements of Style in a larger map It may stretch across thousands of miles, but each place is close to my heart!

-Halltree Antiques, Salinas, CA:
When I used to drive from Silicon Valley to get back to school in Monterey almost every weekend, I HAD to stop at Halltree to check out their vendors' furniture, vintage jewelry, and great collection of weird little knick-knacks. If you're into it, they have loads of vintage embroidered linens and tablecloths. I've personally found awesome 1940s-1950s sewing patterns for a pittance, including a 1950s young lady's 4-H dress pattern that I promptly made for my college graduation. Downtown Salinas itself is dying, sadly, but has great historical significance for you fans of Steinbeck, including the National Steinbeck Museum.

-The Garment District, Cambridge, MA
A local favorite, hidden just beyond the edge of MIT's campus and a brisk walk away from the Kendall T-stop on the red line. The basement is their dollar-per-pound extravaganza, freshman year of college I found a huge black velvet vintage overcoat there that I still wear today. According to my sources (aka my cousin who was in Boston recently), the dollar price is now more like $1.25. Upstairs at the Garment District is a veritable cornucopia of 1970s vintage, used denim, and cheap/schlocky clubwear that college girls go crazy for. It's really more of a go-to place for frat party and Halloween costumes, but the odd gem can be found with a sharp eye.

-The Globe Antiques & Cafe, Mishuku, Tokyo, Japan
When I lived in Tokyo, for the first six months I rented a room in an apartment outside of Shibuya, one stop away on the subway and a twenty-minute bus ride from that glorious hub of humanity. Walking around the rather boring but quiet residential neighborhood of Ikejiri-Oohashi, I discovered the fabulous Globe Antiques and Cafe. It quickly became my go-to spot for reading on the weekend (despite being bilingual and spending all my time reading in Japanese for my schoolwork, I desperately missed reading English books) and perusing their stock of antique farm tables, lighting fixtures, and prints. They are inspired by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, of course, and managed to create a veritable English countryside oasis in one of the world's most hectic cities. If you visit the cafe, get one of their homemade mango and white chocolate muffins for me. All of the furniture in the cafe is rotating inventory in the shop, so it's all on sale.

-Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
If you ever wonder where all of the U.S.'s great vintage clothing has gone, this is where it ends up. Shimokitazawa is a twenty-minute train ride west from Shinjuku and Shibuya, and the absolute mecca for Tokyo's hipster scene. There are underground bars with live music from Japan's up and coming rock bands, jazz and wine bars, indie art galleries, and the best vintage clothing stores you'll ever experience...if you are a size 00-6, max. Tons of polyester, crazy colorblocked 1980s sweaters, and acid-wash jeans to be found here. I spent many evenings pounding the pavement here as a young, spry 19-year-old and shopped my little heart out in the accessories shops. When I went back last year, more foreigners had discovered my little corner of heaven in Tokyo but there was still a very hush-hush, don't-let-the-tourists-in vibe about the place.

-Junkees Antiques & Clothing Exchange, Reno, NV
A more recent discovery from my roadtrip to Reno from California (Grandma loves playing those slot machines!), Junkees is turning into a real Reno institution since business at the casinos is way down. Its owner Jessica just published the inaugural issue of Reno Style Magazine, which does a great job of styling outfits with affordable options and vintage/thrifted items. Junkees itself is half antiques mall, half used clothing store, and they only accept good quality, non-stinky clothes! Can you imagine a fashionable thrift store with clothes that don't smell of BO and death? I found a great 1940s black dress, a funky vintage sexy-secretary blouse with a very Pop Art flower pattern, and a nearly new 1950s beaded wool cardigan that is going to get a lot of use this winter.

-Vintage Playclothes, Studio City, CA
We've linked to the glorious fashion paradise that is Vintage Playclothes before, and as you may know, it is the go-to store for Hollywood TV and movie wardrobe departments, including the costume designers of Mad Men and The Closer. They even had a party for the Mad Men third season premiere, could you die? Being a modern-sized woman, I've always had trouble finding the lovely vintage clothes my daintier friends could, but Vintage Playclothes has up to size 16 for women. Everything is well curated and very organized. I saw a black and white oversize houndstooth coat from Playclothes in the second to last episode of Mad Men!

-Addison Antiques, Palo Alto, CA
A bit pricier than your average warehouse-sized antiques mall, Addison Antiques caters to the quirky tastes of suburbia. A lot of their vendors' stalls don't change much, while others are continuously turning over and bringing in new, fascinating little items. I've seen a Napoleonic Maltese military hat with medals and huge feathers, Civil War compasses, and bought a sequined bow pin with pearl accent and a freaky little broken babydoll head with a hole in it.

-Reincarnation Vintage Clothing, Pacific Grove, CA
There was a time in my life when sleepy little Victorian fishing town Pacific Grove, California, was the most exciting place to visit. Reincarnation is just a half a block away from Lighthouse Avenue in what is Pacific Grove's historic, residential downtown district, hidden in a row of small restaurants. The owner is a chain-smoking lady who will hand you armfuls of things to try on and accessories to match. Reincarnation has a great selection of truly unique vintage bags and dresses in particular, I still wear two cotton day dresses that are tres Peggy from Mad Men (are we sensing a theme here?), and picked up a crazy straw bag with an owl made entirely of sequins on it. FABULOUS.

-Fabulous Fanny's, New York City, NY
Which brings us across the country to the East Village's notoriously funky vintage glasses destination, Fabulous Fanny's. It's basically the world's greatest closet of amazing vintage glasses from the 1920s through the 1980s, if you want fly sunglasses like all the hip kids are wearing or pearl-inlaid cats-eye frames. It's wall to wall, floor to ceiling glasses, HEAVENLY. Miss C. and I visited one afternoon and while crowded, it's definitely worth it. I must have tried on every pair of frames in the store, and I walked out with a pair of robin's-egg blue cat's-eyes with gold and pearl inlay, and sides that look like birds' wings. They'll even direct you to their preferred optometrist to get your new glasses set with prescription lenses within the same day.

-Housing Works Thrift Shop, New York City, NY
These local non-profit thrift shops are all over the city and are known for celebrities and socialites donating their gently used high fashion goods to benefit low-income housing in NYC. The Upper East Side location on E. 77th Street is particularly fetching, the interior design of the store is pretty much like an Anthropologie, with window displays to match. They always have the greatest furniture and vintage luggage, plus your standard fancy business clothes on the racks!

-Lee Alex Decor, Denver, CO
One of my recent discoveries in Denver on my trip there this past August, Lee Alex Decor is a quiet little treasure trove of midcentury interior design greatness. Immediately upon walking into this shop in an up and coming Williamsburg-esque Baker neighborhood, you face a wall full of every kind of bar and martini-related item your little heart could desire. (Friend of the blog Miss C. was over the moon since they had highball glasses with both medieval knights and card suits on them.) They have a steady Flickr stream (link above) and Twitter feed with all new merchandise and nifty furniture finds you can check out if you don't make it to Denver very often!

-Janakos & Company, Burlingame, CA
A perennial favorite of my boss', Janakos is more of a museum-type store for those of us of more modest means. Excellently curated, with items on display ranging from Art Deco vases to full rows of antique movie theatre seats (oh, be still my heart!!) and Bauhaus-inspired bent wood furniture from midcentury European designers. On weekends, they hold estate and junk sales in an old storefront next door with some interesting, if overpriced, pieces--check out the pins and antique necklace pieces if you stop by. I've picked up cuckoo costume jewelry for a song there. It's dusty, but if you dig with an eye for DIY remakes and design value, you'll find something you love.

-Antiques Unlimited, San Carlos, CA
This is one of those neighborhood places that's been around forever, yet I only just stopped by last week after an afternoon of outdoor skate practice with Jeanne in Belmont. Don't be deterred by the freaky mannequins modeling the vintage clothes in the crazy front window, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I walked straight into the giant African mask section myself. Antiques Unlimited has a condition that all sellers must only have items that are pre-1950s, so my search for tiki items for Miss C. was futile--I did find a couple of fabulous vendors chock full of luxurious furs, vintage skirt-suits, and HATS GALORE. Etsy's Booty Vintage (a.k.a. Anna Newman) had some cards there, although I didn't see any patterns. I found an incredible navy and cream polka-dot skirt suit from the 1950s in perfect condition, it fits like a glove if anything, double-breasted lapel with self-covered buttons...you'd better believe I took one look at the beauty and said, COME TO MOMMA!

Speaking of suits, I love incorporating vintage pieces into my daily wardrobe for work in particular--it breaks up the monotony of black pants, solid top, heels that is so easy to fall into. I came close to pairing the navy and cream polka-dot suit jacket with a pair of wide leg navy/grey herringbone slacks for work the other day, but one look in the mirror had me hearing Tim Gunn say it was "too much look." I say unless you are going full-on retro/vintage in your hair, makeup, eyewear, shoes, whole hog femme fatale, keep your vintage pieces as the highlight to your wardrobe basics.

Jeanne's advice is to shop for accessories, as the old solid real leather handbags, hats, bracelets, and rings, which always a great deal for the quality and style. For years, I watched other girls buying armfuls at Haight Ashbury thrift shops in smoking jealousy, and it's taken me this long to find the few styles, fashion trends, and shops that will suit my taste and fit/size. I know for a fact that you just can't find the quality in beading on a pure wool, made in the U.S.A. cardigan at Macy's like the one I found at Junkee's in Reno. It's a hunt to find the best and brightest of previous generations, but if we don't preserve and celebrate vintage fashion, who will?

(I promise to do a couple of outfit shots with my various vintage scores soon! Keep your eyes peeled, darlings.) Where do you go for a truly unique, fabulous vintage treasure? What do you keep an eye out for at random estate sales in your neighborhood? I am a sucker for ornate Victorian keys and straw/Bakelite handled bags...oh, sweetness! There is a big Art Deco show coming up at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, December 5-6th, maybe we'll see you all there!

Deodorant Soap That Doesn't Stink

This is embarrassing, but I am 90% sure that many of you share this problem. I'll be damned if I can't find a deodorant or antibacterial bar soap in the drugstore that doesn't already smell like rank body odor. (Clogged pores from sweating+bacteria=B.O.)

Regular drugstore bar soaps billed as deodorant/disinfectant just don't smell CLEAN to me, they all have that distinctive smell that says, "YES I TOOK A SHOWER THIS MORNING, WHY DO YOU ASK?" After trying out all different kinds of bar soaps for the last few years, many samples thanks to various family members' and my own stays in nice hotels with tiny bars of fancy-schmancy soaps, I still haven't found a bar soap that will both get rid of body odor, keep me feeling clean, and doesn't completely melt after two minutes sitting on my shower rack.

My body odor is not the problem here. Obviously, I smell like roses and baby-soft skin all of the time, because I am A LADY. I do, however, work out hard and play hard, often coming home from a plain ol' workday pretty smelly from stress-sweat. I think you get the picture. Add to that some of those random clothing items that seem to hold on to stink for dear life despite washings with extra-strength detergent, it's a miracle I am ever sweet-smelling at all.

The drugstore alternatives have been exhausted after a decade long search (remember puberty? THE STENCH OF IT!). They get rid of odor, but leave you smelling like a Manly Man who does Manly Man Things and Smells of Great Manliness all day long. I've heard good things about castile soap, but you have to take great pains to dilute it lest you burn your delicate skin with the soap's intensity. Dainty "spa"-ish soaps, the kind you also see at the drugstore and little gift shops, with the lavender buds in them--also all Lush soaps--absolutely disintegrate when exposed to water. You just can't leave those sitting in the shower, or in a soapdish, it's A MESS. I've tried the DHC for Men little round soap, which works great. It is, however, completely translucent and DISAPPEARS in the bathroom. Ridiculous. Your beauty/bath bar soaps with the skin-softening and claims of moisturizing smell lovely and feel great but I think they leave residue on your skin and have zero deodorizing power.

So, we turn once again to our friends at Etsy, where there is a preponderance of artisan soapmakers, for a solution. I started out looking for soaps with natural antibacterial properties, like the ever-present peppermint, tea tree oil, anything that was not a harsh chemical. I don't want to leave my skin all scaly and dry because of my overzealous washing. Smelling nice is a good criteria as well--despite those lavender fancy soaps, I still want to smell lovely and clean, like old-fashioned soap.

-Etsy seller LuckyLather has a sandalwood bergamot shea butter bar soap that purports to heal stretch marks (you know you have them, I sure do). I love the smell of real sandalwood, like antique Japanese carved fans in lacquer boxes, but I'm not sure if it's MY scent. Sandalwood oil is a natural antiseptic, according to LuckyLather! We are big, big fans of bergamot around here, so that is mighty tempting.

-Lobos from Alabama has an intriguing deodorant soap with sea salt and rosemary, which makes me think of yummy Christmas roasts. I am also taken in by the dachshund backdrop in those photos! To my great embarrassment, about 60% of my search results for "deodorant soap" on Etsy came up with DOG SHAMPOOS. Obviously dogs get dirty and smelly, but I AM A HUMAN PERSON.

-CrowleyManor's "Into the Woods" bar soap smells like the forest after a rain, much like the wild white sage and pine-needle tea Jeanne and I split a bag of from the San Francisco Ferry Building farmer's market last year. (It tasted like Christmas and falling snow, only hot--the holidays are on my mind today!)

-The Visions of Violet soaps by SonataSoap look like huge chunks of taffy or vanilla mousse--I'd be hard pressed not to try a bite in my half-waking state during morning showers! Yum. I love the fragrance of violets, it reminds me of young ladies with their bobbed hair and perfume atomizers getting ready to go out for a night of dancing with their young gentlemen callers in the 1920s. Little did you know, I am also an old fuddy-duddy lady stuck in the body of a twentysomething internet addict.

-Did I not just mention the lavender-bud-filled soaps? Here's another one, lavender tangerine dream handmade by Etsy seller DrBubbles! According to expert DrBubbles, this soap is so effective it will remove icky kitchen smells (garlic and ginger, anyone?) from your hands. That should take care of any gym odors, for sure!

-Another soap in danger of sleep-chewing in the shower is this chocolate cinnamon number, oh MOMMA. Have you seen those cupcake soaps that look so real you just want to take a bite out of them? This is the grown-up version, so you can smell like Mexican hot chocolate all day long, YUM.

-For a more unisex scent, Etsy seller mamabird has a bar that smells of oak leaves and acorns, perfect for fall. I think this would be a great alternative to the drugstore's strong-smelling manly man deodorant soaps, leaving behind just a faint trail of fall scents that isn't overpowering.


What do you think? Have you had any success with artisan soaps outside of the drugstore? Are there any drugstore-available (i.e. mass-market) soaps you think do the job?


Sweetheart soap ad from Found in Mom's Basement.

Help Me Help My Hair!

It's my turn to ask you lovely readers your fabulous fashion-y opinions on my life--now, it's all about hair. I have a haircut scheduled for this Saturday at two o'clock at a new salon nearby with a stylist I've never seen before. It's a nice salon, Aveda-related, very swanky. I am pretty blase about cutting my hair, usually, I've gone pixie-short for many years and generally keep it at a chin-length bob or shorter. I do not cry over haircuts (there's no crying in beauty, ladies). I hate having longer hair on the back of my neck, and the longest it's ever been was in about the eighth grade, when my otherwise well-meaning friends convinced me to let it grow long like theirs and I ended up wearing my hair in two braids on my shoulders for the next year.

So, I need your help. I haven't had a haircut since August and it's time to jump into the dizzying waters of fashionable, ladylike haircuttery feet-first again. Despite my previous forays into Japanese straightening perms and many head-burns on the straightening iron, I am just not feeling the straight style lately. I have fairly curly hair that's only gotten curlier as I've gotten older (and more used to caring for it), so this time, I want a cute, retro-licious bob that will really work with my curls. Thus, I have made you all a gallery to peruse and tell me what you think!

First, my actual hair, on a recent evening when it was somewhat tame:




As you can see, I am no friend of the "just blow-dry it straight!" cabal that all hairstylists seem to be members of. I just can't do it, it does not work on my hair, it doesn't stay nice and straight and smooth.

My hair preferences: as mentioned above, the length in the back is really getting to me, and I have a lot of bottom layers that need to be taken up about two inches. I have a low hairline at the nape of my neck, so even though I love to have a cut that is cropped close at the neck, I hate to have to shave the back of my neck--it makes me feel like Neanderthal Woman of the Cave People. In the winter, it is nice to have a full head of hair to keep you warm, but I am very active and want something easy to care for, easy to keep away from my sweaty face when I go roller skating, running, or do pilates.

I love a 1930s bob, but when I try to pull that off I look like the daughter from Gosford Park:
When my various styling endeavors do work, I have big, lovely sausage curls and you know I love that Gothic lolita look to pieces. I have a larger forehead and a squared-off hairline in front, so bangs look fab and work really well on me. With my new black and white glasses (Face a Face!), I could go either super-dramatic and severe, or soft and classic, which can run to the frumpy side on me. I tried getting a straight-across, heavy fringe (love having bangs, but it is a huge hassle with curly hair) with curly rest-of-hair and it just looked funny, not romantic and gamine and chic at all.

Here are my ideas:
1. Keep the growing-out side-swept bang, which is at a length where the locks will curl nicely off to the side with a little help from a bobby pin, and get the bob shaped in a 1940s-ish style, to be slicked down and smoothed out to look fab, a la Mlle. von Teese--
How does she get her hair that deliciously black and that shiny? It's like staring at the dark of the moon, my goodness. Note: I am also thinking about going a shade darker than my natural medium brown color for a little change of pace.

2. Trim the bangs so they are wispy and side-swept, like the lovely Rachael McAdams below. Keep the curls controlled (ha!) so they are big and fancy:
I do like this look, and could probably achieve it with some work on a good day. She is the cutest, after all.

3. Go short, for a shape halfway between a pixie and a bob. This is something I've asked a stylist to do for me before, but I think it confuses them to no end. Ideally, it would look like this sans grey chunk in the bangs:


4. Go pixie-short, a la Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. Jeanne did this a while ago and she works it like a pro, having very delicate features and excellent bone structure. As you can see above, I have a strong jawline and a pentagonal face. The last time I rocked the pixie hardcore was in high school and a little in college. It would be easy to manage, a bit severe but I feel like I could really be ready for a big, drastic change.

5. Just get a trim to clean up my layers and try another salon, if I don't like this new one, for a relaxer/straight perm treatment redux. This way, I could go back to the stick-straight Louise Brooks bob with bangs that I rocked for the first eleven years of my life. I know it's a good look for me and I find myself inevitably attracted to it. The problem--after going through the five-hour Japanese straightening perm in New York and it only lasting three months, I am hesitant to put my hair through another protein-damaging chemical-burning texture-altering process. I do love that style, though, I feel like an effortless fashionista without all of the hot flat-irons and the sad attempts at blow-drying my hair straight with a round brush.

What's a girl to do? I am in need of a major style change, something professionally acceptable but cute, fun, and flattering! Help!


Photos by Karen, others from www.latest-hair-styles.com.

A Satchel for S.

Sometimes, our friends like to ask us for our fashion advice. They are too cute. Our reaction is always to the tune of, "Oh, what? I don't know...look at how I'm dressed, I look like a total mess today, I couldn't possibly--HERE ARE SEVENTEEN THOUSAND LINKS FOR WHAT YOU WANT. Go and shop, dear friend!" So obviously, secretly we love getting asked for our expert opinions, it's fabulous and you get to play stylist for an hour. Other than that, we're all business.

So, when our dear friend and reader Ms. S. (of the Big Apple) e-mailed to ask a favor, I was only too happy to oblige. S. says:

I'm looking for a leather satchel-type bag, probably around 13"x13". Minimal hardware, zipper or clasp top, clean lines, kind of vintage looking (or will look awesome once the leather is broken in.) Should be able to be worn like a messenger bag or handbag. Would like not to spend a month's worth of rent money on purchase.

Where do I find such awesomeness?

I understand the need for a functional, mininalist bag that CLOSES (i.e., not a regular canvas tote) to protect your wallet, sunglasses, house keys, and various baked goods safe from curious hands in the city. I was bad and basically went all around Tokyo for a year using only canvas bags until I realized it was time to graduate to a real, big-girl handbag, it was not pretty. I've never been pickpocketed that I know of, but my very safety-minded mother pressed the necessity of bags with zippers and hardware for closure since I was old enough to remember to take my purse with me outside. So, minimal hardware and zipper or clasp top should be easy, right?

Next: the satchel-type. What bag designers seem to be calling "satchels" are far too tiny for a working woman's use--they're like clutches with longer straps. I mean, seriously, high fashion designers? No one really carries clutches, FYI. Satchels to me are akin to doctor's bags, roomy enough to carry all of your essentials (sunglasses, wallet, keys, lip balm, compact, iPod, headphones, business cards, random matchbooks and band-aids in case of emergency, a book to read, and some pens) but not so bulky that it dwarfs you. Let's take a looser interpretation of the practical satchel and expand the search to include large handbags and briefcases, shall we? Just out of my own adventurous spirit. I've been keeping an eye out for a lady's briefcase that is both professional and AWESOME, not unlike this leather bow briefcase we saw at Baby, the Stars Shine Bright in San Francisco.

The vintage or vintage-looking leather requirement can cost a pretty penny. Like "distressed" denim, "vintage" leather is a big moneymaker for fashion houses--everyone wants to look like they've just had that awesome leather jacket lying around forever, since before James Dean made it cool, all nonchalant and a little edgy. Quality bags in vintage leather sell like hotcakes at the Goodwills and resale shops, so you know the hunt is on. I've been carrying around the sturdy nylon Bea handbag by MZ Wallace, which I nabbed for a song at Loehmann's last year, but the appeal of leather is perennial. (Sidenote: try to avoid buying leather sourced from Brazil, although it can often be difficult to tell where the individual components/materials of a bag are from, ranching for beef and leather in Brazil has widely contributed to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Heads up.)

S.'s price point is a realistic one--we can't all shell out a year's worth of grad school/college tuition for a handbag (looking at you, Posh!) every six months. Is it so much to ask for a great, functional fashion bag made of real materials at around $200? I don't think so. Let's see what we found for Ms. S.:

Most of these are running into the $200 range, which I think is a little steep, but they are all fabulous leather bags!

-Etsy seller RenaissanceArt out of sunny Santa Fe, New Mexico has your classic schoolgirl satchel. It reminds me of the fun, boxy red "randsel" backpack I carried as a little kid at Japanese kindergarten. (A quite interesting, brief history of the randsel bag pour toi!)

-For a more ladylike, yet rough'n'tough handbag that can carry a day's worth of books and all your junk, I love all of Rennes le Chateau's bags. I always have a problem with wearing out the straps of tote bags because I fill them up just a smidge too full and carry them for a little too long--they just snap right off of the bag, the bastards. Those leather "Annie" tote bags might just be the ticket...what do you think? I for one am sick and tired of having to repair my bag straps all of the time!

-Canadian seller EKAA has a great line of leather clutches and most importantly, the Graceful shoulder bag. Love the funky brocade lining! Fun lining is always a plus when your bag is all business from the outside and a party on the inside.

-Those with tastes running to the industrial and minimalist will enjoy this lovely chestnut-brown zip bag. It's almost steampunk in style, but being super long and flat, may end up in some awkward vertical stacking of books and personal accoutrements.

-Chii Designs from the United Kingdom has sweet-ass hand-stitched bags, their satchel is pretty sweet, but might be a little rough around the edges until it's all broken in to satisfy S.'s desire for the vintage leather look. It is, however, classic and simple in a rich, delicious color, can't beat that!

-Edinburgh's SodaKitsch also loves the classic, super-classy brown leather hangbag--how sumptuous is this? If you could buy it at Bendel's, you know it's what Blair Waldorf would carry to school.


Cheaper options, with more faux-leather:
-For a funkier, professorial-chic look, Rejoice Bags out of Riverside, California has this faux leather and tweed oversize bag that could double as a tote. It reminds me of a girl I knew in college who wore tweed suit jackets with elbow patches and a baseball cap every single day, rain or shine--only this is the touchable, nubbly feminine version of her look. Rejoice also has a laptop bag that's sold out but looks perfect for a back-to-school bag.

-I am a big, big fan of the "dapperly Dietrich" satchel on ModCloth, it looks like a functional, funky doctor's bag that you could keep a metric ton of goodies and secrets in. (It also happens to be featured in a Polyvore set I have waiting in the wings for a post on vintage nurse styling, so keep your eyes peeled for that, dear readers.)

Once upon a time, there was a Hideo Wakamatsu store here in Silicon Valley, but they suddenly disappeared from the mall one day--likely due to a very obvious lack of business. I was sad, their window displays were always inspiring and made me want to become a professional jetsetter. His bags are amazing (and crazy expensive), but they absolutely scream, I AM A PROFESSIONAL WOMAN ON THE GO! Jeanne just got a purse by him that is hella sweet, she may be able to give you a bit more insight on--that said, I'll bet you could find a good deal on one on eBay.

Our favorite discount department stores like Marshall's, Loehmann's, Nordstrom Rack, Filene's Basement, TJ Maxx, et cetera, are all kind of hit or miss in the bag department, but you may have luck if you prefer the tactile experience. Try the men's departments, they often have minimalist bags in good leather that doesn't look all schmaltzy like ladies' bags. I checked out Fossil's bag line online and their men's section of messenger bags is pretty fabulous. Ladies could definitely rock the plaid messenger bag look without a hitch during the fall and winter.

So, there you have it, the full list of leather satchel options I provided to Ms. S. Only time will tell which bag she chooses, if she braves the cold, dark shopping world of New York City to find an alternative, or relies on our internet shopping expertise to provide. As for me, I'm on a personal shopping moratorium until October 30th. All of my money is going to groceries and incidentals, I promise!


Photos from HideoWakamatsu.com, Etsy user SodaKitsch, and ModCloth.com

Los Angeles Noir

I have always been fascinated by police, private investigators, and the dark underworlds of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Maybe I just love the 1940s, the World War II angst of the troubled, hard-drinking male detectives who maybe had survivor's guilt, or carried scars of previous battles. I love their plucky female sidekicks, usually the girl-journalists, whose tight little sweaters and sharp wits usually win over the dogged detective...unless he's already head over heels for the requisite femme fatale. See? I even have a copy of Dashiell Hammett's The Continental Op sitting on my bureau right now, waiting for me to finish, um, this other book about crime.

I'd like to think that if I could travel back in time, I would go back to 1940s Los Angeles--the Black Dahlia murder, the Hollywood glamour, the slim suits, the birdcage veils--and I came close, a few months ago. My friend Courtney and I took a roadtrip down from San Francisco (after an epic trip to the ill-fated Tonga Room, and a little roller derby) all the way to LA via Highway 1. We made a point of mapping out all of the LA landmarks we wanted to hit, and the majority of our list was historical: we ate at Musso and Frank Grill (disappointing), Bob's Big Boy (awesome), we took a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, drove up to the Ennis House, drank cocktails and had tacos in Los Feliz, drove around Silver Lake with jaws dropped, and generally soaked in the fabulous architecture. As badly as I wanted to Dita von Teese it up and dress like a 1940s vixen, it was all shlumpy jeans and t-shirts for us for that magical week. So, to inspire you but mostly myself, I've created a little slideshow of film noir goodies:

The hardboiled film noir detective world of Los Angeles, circa 1925-1950, is the subject of an upcoming coffee table photography book by Catherine Corman. Daylight Noir: Raymond Chandler's Imagined City documents the very real Los Angeles that Raymond Chandler based his noir fiction on, and creates an iconic vision of the mystery and beauty of Chandler's time in LA.
Raymond Chandler may have imagined his hardboiled city around these architectural landmarks, but the noir-ish effects of Los Angeles are still intoxicating. I left thinking that sure, I could live there, but the city of broken dreams is a fairly apt description, don't you think? All those people coming to look for fame and fortune in Hollywood, only to end up as Pilates instructors and waiters...in Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler's time, they were the fallen women and low-life gangsters of Hollywood.

Los Angeles will, I hope, preserve what's left of its glorious, dark, dirty, fabulous noir history. There's just an air in the city that fills me loathing yet draws me back again--obviously, I have no Hollywood dreams, my tastes run more along the lines of driving up Laurel Canyon ogling the amazing houses. (I may have driven around the neighborhood in Studio City where Lee Pace apparently lives, with no luck on that front...we went and had onion rings instead of befriending that adorable man and living happily ever after.) Los Angeles is blinding in its rapid turnover of lost souls, the pervasive wannabe culture with the rare glimpses of the real, everything is fleeting and tenuous at best. I expected to feel nervous and fat in Hollywood, but I found myself to be much more grounded and self-confident than the people I met there. It's easy to imagine the girls who flocked to LA in the 1940s, looking for love and fame on the silver screen. I wish I could capture that spark of history's hopes and dreams in a bottle and wear it as a perfume--it would smell of sunlight, honeysuckle, the sea, and shadows. It's the scent of a city full of people convinced they are on their way to something better.

modern noir by periodicstyle featuring Revamp Vintage

I just couldn't help myself but to make a little Polyvore palette to inspire myself--I love all of those pulp novel covers. In terms of 20th century fashion history, you could make a case that American fashion was never so politically driven as in the 1940s. Women gave up their silks for nylon and rayon to support the war effort, cut down the shape of their dresses and separates to ration fabric and notions (thus was born the huge-skirted 1950s New Look as recovery), and went to work looking as smart as their husbands, brothers, and fathers. It was a era of advancement for women, strength, and struggle. We still have a lot to learn from America's past, in fact and fiction, it's worth the dignity of preservation and value.

For now, I want to go back to LA and put together my own (driving) tour of Ms. Corman's Raymond Chandler sites--check out her website above for Daylight Noir, where she's paired black and white photographs with snippets of classic Chandler.

The Tiffany's Alternative

When Jeanne and I returned from our respective vacations, we got right on Gchat Monday morning to spill about the various adventures we had by land and by lake. I came back from Denver thinking Colorado was much too casual for me with slight altitude sickness, and Jeanne came back sunburned from a week on the beach in Tahoe. One gem of a story was when Jeanne was handed a set of beautiful silver bracelets to hold while a family friend went wakeboarding. The bracelets, of course, were lovely, and made by Tiffany & Co.:

Elsa Peretti for Tiffany Bracelets by periodicstyle on Polyvore.com

They're delicate and ladylike, we love the aquamarine and it's certainly not a fuddy-duddy old tennis bracelet. Of course, our first instinct is to run straight off to Etsy for alternatives!

Sueanne Shirzay's Olivia Pearl and Aquamarine Bracelet is a steal at $42, and has so much more personality than the Tiffany version. Talk about a perfect seaside bracelet, I love the tapered coin pearls.

Going gold, JulieBsJewels has gold wire-wrapped Swarovski aquamarine crystal cuff bracelet that is just too delicate and lovely. It reminds me of the ancient Roman jewelry you see in museums--simple and elegant.

Jewelsbykat makes the substantial Raindrop bracelet for those of us who look silly wearing teensy thin bracelets (me). For a more hardcore yet understated look, you can wear the double chain with pearls on the top of your wrist so the larger faceted rounds just peek out when you move or walk.

SamanthaJeanDesigns has a similar cross between the chunky jewels and understated silver chain bracelet in her Morgan bracelet. I love how raw-yet-polished the aquamarine globes look.

While none of these are perfect matches for the Elsa Peretti piece, I always prefer to support small independent artists and jewelrymakers when I do make big-ticket purchases. Often, the prices are better, the quality is handmade from the heart, and it's not the same ol' silver bracelet every other girl has! Although we sure wouldn't mind some Don Draper-ish gentleman coming home with a Tiffany box for us someday...we might even settle for the eminently huggable Harry Crane.

What do you do when you get that "I HAVE TO HAVE IT" feeling? Do you set your heart on that one thing, or do you go for the acceptable alternative?

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright!

As we've mentioned before, we could not be more excited about Baby, the Stars Shine Bright's imminent U.S. flagship store opening in San Francisco. In fact, since they are recruiting salesgirls right now, I am tempted to apply myself...as if my current full-time job doesn't keep me busy enough already? Jeanne and I adore the BTSSB website, poring over it on a regular basis almost as much as we delve into the lovely pages of Etsy.

Why do we have such a deep and unabiding love for the Gothic Lolita/Sweet Lolita subculture? I (Karen) find it fascinating as a subculture reinterpreting Japanese femininity and the idea of privilege, luxury, Western fashion, fashion history, and the stark contrast--or blurred line--between girlhood and womanhood. Of course, loads of bows, eyelet, strawberries, miniature top hats, Victorian bustles, petticoats, a misinterpreted Nabokov reference, and rocking-horse shoes don't hurt. We love it because it is an amalgamation of beauty and girlhood as seen through the eyes of modern Japan. The return to a Victorian aesthetic reminds me of my brief fame via Erin's post on her blog, A Dress A Day, about Meiji-era Japanese fashion. (I felt so famous! Can you believe that was two years ago?) I came THIS close to writing my undergraduate thesis in Japanese literature and film on the Lolita subculture, mostly based on the works of Novala Takemoto and the film Shimotsuma Monogatari, or Kamikaze Girls.

There has, in the meantime, been a lot of work on Japanese literature and anthropology on Japanese girlhood and femininity--see the academic work of Eve Zimmerman, Anne Allison, and Jennifer Robertson for reference. Via the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology and the Society for Linguistic Anthropology comes this short, nine-minute film from sociolinguist Isaac Gagne. This is your basic visual overview of the Gothic and Sweet Lolita subculture:

(I find the part at 6:25 on hair color particularly interesting, considering the number of Lolita girls I have seen with hair color and style similar to mine: brown, big straight bangs, curls everywhere.)

So, to share our love of the subculture with you and celebrate the imminent grand opening of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright San Francisco, Jeanne and I dove into our favorite fashion medium: Polyvore. Below, we have a sugar-sweet spread of more practical applications of Elegant, Gothic, and Sweet Lolita style.

Jeanne: The focal point here is the pink BTSSB platform Mary Janes with the criss-cross straps. My challenge was to incorporate a thorough girly, princess style of shoe with items from my regular ol' workaday wardrobe.

bssb - pink shoes - by msjeanneb on Polyvore.com
I kept the blouses tight in the bodice and the skirts slimmer, but in keeping with the Gothic Lolita general shape and look. At its most basic, this screams, "CHECK OUT MY TOTALLY SWEET SHOES!"

Karen: Since officially becoming a corporate drone this past year, I've gone in spurts and starts trying to incorporate a more Sweet/Gothic Lolita vibe in my office clothing. Thus, I present two sets:

EGL for the Office by periodicstyle featuring Vivienne Westwood

Let's go clockwise from the top right. Besides Baby, the Stars Shine Bright, Victorian Maiden is another of my favorite EGL brands--I spent many a hot summer afternoon exploring Laforet Harajuku's basement level, admiring and learning about all of the new brands coming out. This dress I would wear to work in a heartbeat, although people would ask me if I was headed to my pretty-pretty-princess birthday party...isn't that the goal, though?
Next, the ruffle blouse+full skirt combo is a more bohemian take on the darker Sweet Lolita look. A small flower pattern, a few modern/streamlined touches make this country-boho-Lolita acceptable for daily consumption.
Top right, much more conservative with the surprise in the bow necklace and classic Lolita pinked-edge patent-leather bow platform Mary Janes. I love the side-ruffle skirt, it's a bit of Spanish/flamenco flair!
Bottom right is closest to what I wear to work, in all seriousness. I wish I owned that skirt. It's a touch of ruffle, a little pinstripe, just one or two bows, in muted neutrals--only you have to know that secretly, in your heart, you are a crazy hardcore Elegant Gothic Lolita.
Our last EGL for the office look is a throwback to the original Nabokovian Lolita as interpreted through both films: Kubrick AND Lyne. You may recall the classic 1962 film poster with Sue Lyon wearing the big, heart-shaped sunglasses, or Dominique Swain's gamin mischievousness in the 1997 version. This is made for running around in flats, kicking your shoes off and playing with the folds of your skirt in the duller moments of the workday. If I could dress like this on weekends and look effortless, I absolutely would!

The second set,

EGL at work, part II by periodicstyle featuring Steve Madden shoes

Shows more versatility and an open interpretation of the EGL influences. You know we love the bow headbands a la Blair Waldorf, and we HAVE to give our girl Lynleigh at Sweet Rococo a big, juicy shout-out for her fabulous work on Sweet Lolita outfits and accessories. For my birthday last month, I went a little crazy buying fascinators and decorated hairclips to "cuten up" this new haircut, thus the whole top assortment of feathers, roses, bows, and flowers. LOVE IT ALL. These are understated enough to wear all day, or add upon leaving work for the wild nights out you all probably have without us.
On the left, I returned to a more classical Victorian menswear look, the patent spectators, the stovepipe leg slacks, the wide lace collar--a touch of whimsy and delicate nostalgia for the post-machine age.
The middle outfit is what I imagine Anthropologie would do to Gothic Lolita if it were to appropriate my favorite fashion craze completely. Add some impossibly high heels, crazy chunky jewelry, and oversized pattern, that's the Anthro-lita.
On the right is our last look, a structured Mod Lolita who may have lost her innocence and purity, but you'd better believe she is all business.

What do you think? Can you successfully incorporate a subculture or ethnic style into a largely homogenized "office" wardrobe without people thinking you're a complete loon? We'll see you in San Francisco Japantown for regular doses of EGL style and our favorite Japanese pop culture trends! Be on the lookout for more Japanese runway styles here soon.