PolyVultures

Vintage dealers invariably have the best style. Theirs is the art of mixing old and new, but they always come off as equal parts quirky and classic. Just look at how well Marjorie over at The Urban Collection (which just posted a buttload of new items...hurry!) puts together all of her pieces: magic! And recently I discovered Vava over at Metal-Thread Vintage, an eBay tradepost that creates spreadworthy outfits using Polyvore to advertise her finds. I loved reading the story behind the store's name, which alludes to the owner's love of metallic textiles common to early 20th century clothes. Adding any of her one-of-a-kind pieces to your wardrobe would be like injecting that little hint of sparkle that metal threads lend,  and I highly recommend patronizing this site often.

The enthusiasm and output of the entire online vintage community is inspiring. Usually, I hate seeing a "SOLD" tag on a piece I'm dying to have. Who wants a reminder that something beautiful is out of reach? But when I see such a marker on the clothes that Marjorie and Vava sell, I think, "Good for you!" and am only a little bit jealous of the vigilant vintage fans who got there first. 

Craving Maps

Maps are cool. And I love the internet. These two creations combine the two in interesting ways. I would put either on my wall.
Country Codes of the World (Byte Level Research)
Online Communities Map

How to: Layer Rings

I adore delicate gold jewelry. Lately, however, I’ve been getting tired of just my tiny bracelet and three rings, so now I will show you how I’ve decided to experiment a bit with my jewels.

I’ve been craving a pinkie ring for a while now so I got an old signet ring sized for my pinkie. Next, I tapped into the best resource that any girl has for unique jewelry—her mother. I stole these two more rings from mom, one topaz and one emerald (her birthstone).

The key to stacking a bunch of rings is to have a common theme and for each piece to offer some variation. Mine is delicate gold. The problem with my original three rings was that they were too delicate and almost disappeared, so the heft of the signet on the pinkie balances that out. The colors of the topaz and emerald add some more variation. Another thing to think about is how to spread the rings out between your fingers. Lastly, don’t forget your other hand. My only ring on the left hand is strong enough to stand alone -- not too much, not to little.

Before:

After:

Sporty Spice- What's your default style

Everyone has that one go-to outfit that makes them feel fabulous. Mine is a black D&G bustier dress. I find any excuse to wear it, I’ve even worn in to interviews (confidence is key, right?).

This post is about pretty much the opposite situation—what is your default outfit?

Personally, I default to sporty. This is not just because I like the way my tush looks in spandex. I love skater style, throwback Nikes, even earthy yoga looks. This may have come through in my earlier post about loving heathered gray sweatshirt material.

Whether you default to sporty, preppy, hippie, feminine, boyish, whatever- take a look at your default style and be sure to do that with as much enthusiasm and care as when you put on your go-to outfit, this is an easy way to always look your best.

This is why my sweatshirt from Won Hundred is the perfect default item. It is still comfy, but the bright color and pea-coat style snaps elevate the look. See it here on Michelle. Also, check out their spring lookbook- its fantastic.

A.P.C. = W.T.F.

Check this out. I don't understand how this page even exists; it is so useless to me.

I was like: APC on SALE?????????? Nope. SOLDOUT. Nothing on sale. Nothing FOR sale.

Seemingly good ideas

Being home for break always activates my crafting impulse, I've learned to knit 3 times, started a jewelry line, tried to make my own clothes, even gotten into etching.
This break promises to be no different- today I'm off to buy some new yarn, hopefully in a bright blue color or maybe blue iris if I'm lucky.
The problem is that a new scarf is pretty risk-free and I'm up for a challenge- a challenge inspired by Herve Leger no less. So, in addition to my new yarn, I'm off to buy some ace bandages, some fabric dye, and some yards of elastic.

Will I be able to create this?

In a word: No
Will it be wearable, probably not, but it should be fun.

Post X-mas Sales

Adventures in heathered grey from Creatures of Comfort
all F/W 07 is on sale, go check it outBoth are in my basket, but there are tons of other great finds

And yet I always return

Darn you Urban Outfitters for always knowing what I want to wear right now. And darn you for always looking 400% better online than you ever will in the store.

Levi Super Hi Rise Skinny

I need a new pair of jeans and I'm craving high-waisted skinnies. You can't go wrong with Levi's and they're organic cotton, even better.


These cozy cardigans feel right now that I'm ready to accept that the weather's getting colder. Wear them open, closed belted, buttoned, play up or play down their grandfather feel, it any way it will look good.










Lastly, I've been craving the dip-dye, tie-dye effect that was all over the spring runway. These pieces will work this winter and will will look just as fresh come Spring.

How many licks?

Sorry, wrong candy, but this great ring from Stephanie Jendis does remind me of another favorite treat from my youth. A ring pop has never looked so sophisticated and you can rest assured that it won't deteriorate into that sticky mess that always ruined part of the fun.
You can find it online at Sienna Gallery along with some other fun designs.

This is how I shop

even though i live in what is probably the best shopping cities ever, most of my browsing at least is done online. thankfully those genius web designers out there have made this easier for me.
my first encounter with shopping list technology was on the lovely shopbop which we all know is the place to go for those of us who can't afford net-a-porter (although we know we can't really afford shopbop either).
when you log into your account, you can create a wishlist, so when you do your daily (ok, hourly) checkup on what's new and you spy your new Development Belted Cowl Neck Blouse, you simply pick your size and color and instead of putting it in your shopping cart, you add to wishlist which really is almost as gratifying.
One nice feature is that you can search for other people's wishlists, which is perfect for surprise gifts or just to take a look at what your friends are craving. Check out mine.
The problem with shopbop's technology is that when they sell out of an item, they take it off your wishlist without letting you know and I hate the thought of missing out on something that I once really wanted.
This is why I have switched to Google Notebook for all of my online shopping needs. Once you install the software, you can create and organize notebooks in the same way that Gmail and GoogleReader work. To tag something for yourself, you just right-click the text or image and Google adds it to your list. I use them for my online shopping, restaurants that I want to try out, exhibit reviews that I want to see, and for school. The notebooks can also be public, which I used as a Christmas list last year.
And although I am late to the game, I have become recently obsessed with ebay mainly because of their watch feature. I started out mostly focused on things for my room, vintage bird cages and an Eames Era Herman Miller Chair to be specific. Ebay then sends you emails reminding you to bid on the items you have been watching when they are running out of time.
The best thing about these lists is that they reduce that special kind of buyers remorse that you get when you decide not to buy it because it will always be on your list and you can see what you wanted last winter which is a good marker of how your personal tastes have changed and what makes up your signature style.