DOA.

the wireless remote i bought for my nikon d80 was DOA – “dead on arrival“.

it was confirmed after i went out and bought a new battery for it just to make sure. good news? b & h will be sending me another one, free of charge. bad news? my “recent purchase post” will have to wait…

sulk.

*photo from an unknown source.

dark winter days.

what is it about winter?

maybe it’s just me, but ever since the weather turned truly “wintry“, i’ve found myself wearing and buying a lot of black and other darkish accessories.

i recently bought a sterling skull ring and vintage celtic sterling armor ring. according to the seller of the latter, she’d bought it herself in scotland 10 years ago – while the mysterious past that accompanies most vintage items accounts for much of their charm, to know the history of one is just as charming. i also happened upon a pair of cut-out black suede lace-up wedges by deena & ozzy.

sterling skull ring & vintage celtic sterling armor ring.

deena & ozzy black suede wedge.

a few days ago, mandy and i were at the houston galleria, where we found ourselves ogling a girl’s accessories in neiman marcus – mandy had her eye on the girl’s black yves saint laurent “y” tote, and i was entranced by (and very jealous of) her asymetrically cut, distressed leather jacket. it reminded me immediately of rick owens‘ leather jacket from this f/w 2009 season. it retails for around $3,300.00 USD; the one pictured below [which is not mine] is currently for sale on ebay for $1,999.00 USD.

rick owens f/w 2009 leather jacket.

*center photo property of g.cheng & imunlisted.wordpress.com; all other photos property of their respective sellers.

galliano noir, deux.

i have been a bit behind in posting my recent purchases… so here goes.

1. john galliano black wool jacket w/ silk lining + full-length skirt:

– newest purchase, literally. i just bought this today, and it is also one of the newer (read: non-vintage) pieces in my closet.  the high-waist, black wool + silk skirt is as gorgeous as the jacket; it is extremely and insanely long, and floats away from the body as you move. it has detailed, body-conscious darting in the back, as well as a 14-button closure. no zippers.

john galliano jacket - unbuttoned.

john galliano jacket - buttoned.

suit ribbon + beading detail.

2. vintage adrienne vittadini black silk + sequin dress:

adrienne vittadini dress - front.

adrienne vittadini dress - back.

3. vintage black lace cocktail dress:

– the lace skirt of this dress has a beautiful scalloped edge that extends a little over the lining. the seam along the right side of the skirt was torn about 6 inches, but i easily stitched it back together.

vintage black lace dress.

4. vintage yves saint laurent moss green leather jacket:

– this is such an unusual color for a leather jacket, and is unbelievably soft.

yves saint laurent jacket.

5. vintage cream knee-length mink coat:

– you can’t tell from the photo, but this coat is in need of some restoration. there is a long split in the pelt on one sleeve, and there are two or three additional  very small separations between pelts here and there. the condition of the fur itself, however, is excellent – super soft, with no stains, bald patches, or signs of wear along the pockets, collar, sleeves, or hem. (these are all things you should check for or ask about before purchasing a vintage fur!) i called sakowitz to get a quote on how much a repairs would cost, and after presenting my find at the register, was given a rewarding discount. hopefully this coat will be getting some much deserved TLC soon!

vintage mink coat.

6. afghan handmade silver-over-bronze lapis necklace:

– i was told that the owner of the shop i bought this from purchased this in person on a trip to afghanistan several years ago.

afghan silver & bronze lapis necklace.

7. vintage yves saint laurent gold tone belt buckle:

– whoops! almost forgot this one… (below par photo taken with my blackberry).

yves saint laurent belt buckle.

silver lining.

quite literally.

a bit of time was set aside today to be spent with mandy & jimmy. after a quick lunch with jimmy at empire cafe, mandy met up with us, and we window shopped along westheimer & kirby. happily, we all came away with something – mandy nabbed a lovely pair of cream and white vintage nine west loafers, jimmy found two vintage ties, a silk christian dior, the other an yves saint laurent. me? i got my hands on an amazing silver reindeer suede and silk-lined skirt suit set by donna karan. which reminds me… i haven’t done a “recent purchase post” in some time. a few days ago, i finally managed to find a suitable leopard print to add to my closet – a vintage silk maggie london wrap dress. additional recent purchases: (L-R) sterling & garnet scatter cocktail ring, vintage sterling plaque bracelet printed with the word “risk”, 10k white gold and natural diamond aquarius pendant necklace, and 10k yellow gold and natural emerald and ruby strawberry pendant, an early christmas gift from my parents.

lunch + testing out my blackberry camera.

donna karan.

maggie london.

bit o' shine.

past v.s. present.

ladies, pity our poor feet.

i’ve been looking for a pair of nude pumps, a pair of snakeskin/python pumps, a pair with Lucite (clear) heels, and a pair of sky-high platforms. i found all four in the form of two new pairs of shoes… short recent purchase post: yesterday, i thrifted a never worn pair of nude snakeskin pumps by vintage bigwig j.renee. today, i fulfilled my longing for a pair of ridiculous platforms by getting my hands on a deeply discounted pair of monolithic tri-metallic, Lucite heeled steve madden platforms. i used to turn my nose up at this label, but this pair have leather uppers, leather lining, and leather soles… i was impressed and surprised. after getting home, i realized how funny they looked side-by-side in my closet. i decided to further the juxtaposition by posing them in a photographic “face-off”.

to give everyone an idea of the difference: the j.renee’s are a measly 1.5″ (but i wouldn’t be surprised if they were considered scandalously high back in the day…), and the steve maddens are a mind-boggling, teetering 5.75″, with a 1″ platform. egads! well, what’s a 5’2″ girl to do?

vintage j.renee's v.s. current steve maddens.

fur fights “brr’s”…

…though it doesn’t really get too many chances here in Texas!

hallelujah! el fin of my summer classes! i will be rushing to finish up some DIY’s i’ve been dying to get to – and get two of them to the boys who commissioned them. (david & jimmy, thanks for being so patient!) hopefully i don’t screw up and i can post them on here for your viewing pleasure. speaking of viewing pleasure, here’s a quick recent purchase post: about a week ago, i snagged a great vintage genuine fur stole from the 1940-50’s! it’s a gorgeous mahogany, with dark brown stripes. it’s very glossy, but i’m afraid the original owner boxed it up – which my readers know from my “i.love.vintage.” post is a fur care no-no. alas – i’ll have to send it to a fur cleaner to have it cleaned and hopefully have some of the “fluffiness” restored. it’s due to the flatness that i can’t tell for sure if it’s mink or muskrat fur… diagnosis to be made later. other recent purchases included a pair of vintage skinny black suede pants, and a dead stock (new but discontinued) sterling star cut-out ring, with a diamond chip in the center. i’ll definitely be thrifting up a storm on my little road trip through college station & austin – apparently everyone i was hoping to see in college station and san antonio are headed to austin this weekend as well, so i’ve changed plans and will be in austin for most of the weekend.

p.s., readers: surprise! i know you stop by and visit, because wordpress has a “stats” page. it tells me how many people have stopped by to take a look-see, and what pages/posts were read. i love that you come here, but it seems you all need encouragement to drop a line! just in case you thought you needed a wordpress account to post a comment – you don’t. i’d love to hear from any of you, and get opinions on fashion posts, or even questions about the topics i’ve written about. as long as everyone is agreeable or disagrees politely, come one, come all.

vintage fur stole - front. the collar extends down the front to serve as pockets!

vintage fur stole - back

the doctors are in.

though they would probably recommend leather polish rub over an apple-a-day.

recent purchase post: two pairs of doc martens. on the left, a black leather pair with oxford detailing, and the oh-so-popular mid-calf boot. my closet is already a veritable shoe store, but 86.894% are heels. it’s nice to have flat sole options. oh, the possibilities.

two peas in pod.

details.

eeny, meeny, miny, moe; indecision sways me to and fro.

alas…the horror.

as i’ve been quick to mention in the past, i’m lucky to be in the possession of many vintage treasures. however, secretly (or, rather publicly, after this post), i am longing to own a vintage lambskin chanel chain flap bag, or pebbled shopper tote. who doesn’t, really? i’ve tirelessly trawled the internet, resale shops, and thrift stores, but simply don’t have the coin to make one my own. price? at minimum, i’d have to be able and willing to cough up at least $500.00, and i should also consider myself lucky to get that price! (sure, i’ve found cheaper, but they aren’t in good condition, or large enough to justify the price.) i’ve also been rewarded by my efforts by being cheated out of my money twice, for a total loss of $235.00. my wallet is still wincing. bastards. in any case, it’s come to my attention that i could easily afford the object of my desire if i…dare i say it…sold some of my rescued treasures. should i do it? most of my lovelies are packed safely away, so i haven’t really had the time or desired to go to the trouble of digging them out to share with you. however, to give my readers a taste of what i have, i did lift out one my favorites, a vintage red leather salvatore ferragamo cross-body bag with gold hardware; it has the distinctive yet subtle ferragamo bow detail. recent purchase post: i also just scored a huge vintage cream leather and snakeskin satchel by italian leather goods company palazzio – near new condition; absolutely gorgeous.

ugh – the more i describe my darlings, the more i can’t imagine parting with them! i pride myself on making calculated, educated purchases – all my bags and clothes (shoes only depreciate, sorry!) will either hold or increase their value over time, as long as i keep them in excellent condition. i am interested in knowing what anyone else’s opinion is – should i sell some things to own a chanel? or are my obscure (and not-so-obscure) bags unique enough on their own to be a better investment in the long run? (just imagine, some people think buying vintage is easy!)

my little ferragamo.

newest snakskin palazzio - i have three bags from this great company.

sweet, sweet victory.

eep!

i’ve been a bit busy this july 4th weekend (congratulations, america), but did manage to snap up these. damn right – recent purchase post: i’m happy to announce i’ve added early 90’s prada to my collection! another recent addition was a small, vintage green leather cross-body purse by neiman marcus, brand new with tags intact – retailing at $240.00, back in the day. of course, that was quite a few dollars off from my receipt…chortle, chortle. i’ve begun to notice that exemplary thrift finds tend to affect my grammar, making it more…affected, shall we say? puns always intended. happy hunting!

newly acquired prada pumps.

well shod, sirs!

oh my god.

salvatore ferragamo + yohji yamamoto in a shoe collaboration? in true rachel zoe form, “i die”. (apparently, she’s trademarked her phrases, and is currently suing a guy for infringement… so as ridiculous as it seems, i’m dotting my “i’s” and crossing my “t’s”.)

take a gander at THESE. *collective gasp* that’s right. these two-tone brogues from the ferragamo/yamamoto women’s shoe collection are damn fine. rawr. recent purchase post: i recently had the good fortune of coming upon a pair of vintage spectators, but they are not…well, they are not these!

ferragamo for yamamoto two tone brogue - $620.00

my vintage find.