Can’t afford designer vintage? Rent it.

While one can dress right without designer threads, wearing them can give one a certain swagger. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have enough money to buy designer or enough status to get it for free. Well if you can’t buy it, now you can rent it.

Bag, Borrow, or Steal rents out designer jewelry and handbags ranging from $17 to $150 a week. They offer over 2,000 handbags from clutches to totes and Prada to Pucci. Their vintage collection includes some iconic 60’s handbags.

My pick: 1960s Hermes Vintage Crocodile Kelly Bag.

Great 40s vintage

Ever since I watched The English Patient, The Good German, and Black Book (Zwartboek) a few weeks ago I have been really into 40’s fashion. Everything seems to come with a hat or a veil, it’s a lot of fun.

Sydney’s Vintage Clothing online store has a great selection of 40s vintage as well as all the other decades. Plus, the prices are very reasonable.

With this site anyone can look like Carice van Houten. Well, everyone can try at least.

Save New Orleans

To all my loyal readers (if I have any) or for those just stopping by: I have not been posting for the last week and a half, because I was in New Orleans for Spring Break doing relief work. Yes, I know this post has nothing to do with vintage clothing or fashion at all. But it is something very important to me and I hope you will take time to consider it.

Click “View All Images.”

The French Quarters are open, the Saints are playing in the Superdome, and Bourbon Street is lively as ever, but New Orleans is still suffering. Thousands of houses are still marked by x’s that were spray painted on during search and rescue to identify the date first entered, the organization that entered, and any dead bodies found a few weeks after the levees broke.

The Lower 9th Ward, perhaps the most devastated area, is almost obsolete. All that remains are a few return residents in FEMA trailers, crumbled houses, and debris.

Luckily, people do want to come back and several volunteer organizations are working to get them back home. Volunteers make up 70% of the relief work in New Orleans and the people of this city are the most gracious and optimistic I have ever met.

What can you do?

As much as possible. Donate, spread the word, or go down for yourself! Here are some links to organizations working to relieve New Orleans. Every little bit counts, so just give your little.

Make it Right: Brad Pitt’s organization building 150 houses in the Lower 9th Ward.

Hands on New Orleans: Provides housing, food, work, and transportation for $20 a day.

ACORN: Get their red shirts!

Xavier: This is the school I volunteered with. I’m not sure how our team leader set it up, but I would just call. The school administration are really nice and hospitable.

Spring/Summer 08 Kate Moss line

Kate Moss’s Spring/Summer 08 line for Top Shop launches March 18. But you can get a sneak peak right now at Kate Moss Topshop.

She was inspired by travel (Ibiza-India), Aztec, and the 1940s. It looks like her designs really range in this collection, everything from boho to chic, not “boho-chic.” That phrase is so dumb. But I am really excited for some online shopping.

When will Topshop come to Jersey?

Designer: Tom Ford, Model: Tom Ford

Question.

Why does Tom Ford always model in his ads? Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad thing, just wondering if anyone knew.

Have you read the March edition of Vanity Fair?

Well you should. March 2008 Vanity Fair

It’s my favorite Vanity Fair since September 2006 when Kate Moss graced the cover with a white fur hat, high black leather boots, long white leather gloves, and nothing else. This is the “Hollywood Issue.” I’m guessing in light of the Oscars. They really focus on old Hollywood, particularly Hitchcock thrillers, with a 25 page spread of current celebrities remaking famous scenes from the 11 of the big guy’s movies.

They picked some of my favorite Hitckcock movies (Strangers on a Train, Vertigo, and The Birds) and used some of my favorite celebrities (Marion Cotillard, Javier Bardem, Robert Downey Jr., and Emile Hirsch) to portray scenes. Various photographers were involved. Writing about the spread does not do justice. Buy the magazine (it’s worth it) or visit their website. The photos are really beautiful.

One objection: Where was George Clooney, the cover child for that classic Hollywood persona and an Oscar nominee?

Photograph courtesy of Vanity Fair. To view more photographs from this issue visit their website.

Men’s speedos made from vintage t-shirts

Some one found my site under the Google search, “bathing suits made from vintage t-shirts.” It sounded really interesting so I had to Google it myself and I’m really glad I did.

Philip Heckman is the creative genius behind these snazzy little things. Logos on the suits range from Madonna to D.A.R.E. to my personal favorite, Cher! They only cost $45 and can be purchased on LowTee.

While the suits are primarily for men, I think I might buy a bottom and match it with a plain top from J. Crew. They have really great simple bathing suits that can be bought separately and I love this idea!

For more information, read Boston Globe’s article on the item, “Goes well with green.”

Photograph courtesy of LowTee.

My top 10 favorite “vintage” movies

I’ve been watching a lot lately. Movies are so important, because they document style and culture. Like vintage clothing, the good ones are timeless.

10. Grease (1978): Poodle skirts, Australians, T-Birds, and a skinny John Travolta. One of my favorite outfits of all time is Sandy after her makeover in black tights, an off the shoulder top, and red pumps. My mom bought the exact same shoes in the 70s. I stole them but they’re too high to walk in, which makes me appreciate Olivia Newton-John’s dancing so much more.

9. A Christmas Story (1983): I think anyone can recite the movie thanks to 24 hours of it on TBS every Christmas. No matter how many times I watch it I still laugh when Randy can’t put his arms down due to abundance of winter apparel.

8. Uncle Buck (1989): When John Candy (Buck) takes his golf clubs out of his trunk and starts nailing balls at Bug…hysterical.

7. My Fair Lady (1964): Audrey Hepburn manages to be chic even when she is a poor cockney English flower girl. Definitely the first time I fell for an English accent. What I would do to wear that enormous black and white hat draped with feathers and flowers.

6. Annie Hall (1977): Even though I hate Woody Allen, I love Diane Keaton in this movie. She (and Yves saint Laurent) made it cool for women to wear suits. For that reason, I will always love this movie.

Don’t just dress vintage, dance vintage.

For anyone who ever dreamed of traveling back to simpler times, been intrigued by the scenery or dress of Seurat’s painting, or just wants to trade the “bump and grind” of dance today for ballroom waltz with a Darcey-like lad or a graceful gal; Spring Festival in Cape May, NJ is the event for you.

The 12th annual 10-day festival starts Friday, April 25th. Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts hosts a variety of dinners, theatrical performances, tours, workshops, and dances. One of the festival’s most popular events is the Vintage Dance Weekend, which starts on Saturday, April 26th.

“The Vintage Dance Weekend has always been part of the festival,” said Communications Coordinator Margo Harvey. “It’s really a great opportunity for visitors to experience and learn a way and form of dancing like they danced in Cape May more than 125 years ago.”

 

Daylight savings?

I’m not sure if anyone was aware of this…I wasn’t when I woke up, but today is daylight savings day. Spring forward so you’re not late!