This Week: Visuals [all vintage everything]

This Week: Visuals

More after the jump

Homegrown Inspiration

Royal Oak, MI 1939

Family kitchen. Birmingham, MI 1942

Sugar Beet worker. Saginaw, MI 1941

National Guard @ Chevrolet Plant. Flint, MI 1937

Strikers resting. Flint, MI 1937

I'm a small town girl, into the big city life. And this is where I came from. Generations later, and not much has changed but the clothes.

Musing: Dorothea Lange Pt. 2

Musing: Dorothea Lange Pt. 1

Notes on Personal Style

Let me briefly state the potentially obvious: I'm a huge nerd. If the blog writing and the musing of business articles from random industry journals isn't a dead giveaway, maybe hanging out on college campuses while I work on The Co-Op is.  Yes, I do that too because I like the academic energy.

So what makes this nerdy girl so bold as to think her outfits are worth photographing? Well, funny you ask.  The truth of the matter is, I'm not some high fashion girl or somebody who even goes shopping nearly at all.  So what gives? 

The thing is, I take this whole personal style thing pretty seriously. When I get dressed to step out, I don't do anything for shock value nor price tag insinuations. I simply decorate myself with what feels right that day and create a little visual interest; essentially costuming the story of me. Sometimes the costume sucks and I look ridiculous. Funny enough, I'm ok with it.

Want to know why? Because after a while, I started loving the fact that I dressed for me. And after that... people started looking at my costumes and would comment that only I could pull something like that off. Pull it off? Does that mean my fuzzy socks with spiked heels are now socially acceptable? What about those neon orange combat boots I like pairing with sun dresses? Oh, and the cut off shorts I made from my dad's old jeans?

My point is this: personal style begins and ends with confidence and nestled somewhere within that is being self-aware. Know what you like, build that into your life, and don't settle. Personal style therefore becomes lifestyle.

Well, whadaya know.

Country Lifestyling

I'm all about city life.  The lights, the noise, the people; for better or worse, I'm a city girl.  But I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm a closeted small town girl who has learned to keep up with city life.

I'm talking about living next to farms and eating the vegetables we grow kind of lifestyle.  Yep, we do that.

It's the kind of place where I wear cutoff shorts and walk around barefoot so I can feel the grass against my feet.  There's nothing quite like it.

City life gives me the outlet and the opportunity to do great things, country life gives me the energy to power it all. This dual life taught me to mix things up a little, and let the chaos work itself out. 

And I carry that idea into wardrobe- a little country with cutoff shorts (courtesy of my dad, but I don't think he knows that... so don't tell him I cut up his old jeans) and hand beaded jewelry, and little city sleek in Richard's Cropped shirt from The Co-Op and silver bangles.

I like to think that while I'm hopping around between city and country life lately, I'm getting the best of both worlds.

Back to the Future: Governor's Island

via

Every year in New York on Governor's Island, there exists a great spectacle and time known as the Jazz Age Lawn Party.

via

The great part about it is that it's just beautiful, nostalgic fun that brings out the romance of a time past.

via

Some people get really into dressing for the day.

via

Which makes the whole day seem even more electrifying.

I can't think of a better combination than summertime, live music, great style, and friends.

via

Playing Dress-up

I made the trek back to my small hometown in Michigan (cue music by Journey).  Of course, being the small and somewhat awkwardly located place that it is, there's not easy way to get there. 

Not easy at all. Especially when you get stranded, but I digress.

Getting back to my childhood home is one of those really simple pleasures that I just can't replicate in my city apartment. On of the best parts of being back at home is playing around in my parents closet a la 2nd grade. 

 As people get older, their closets typically become more refined.  In the case of my parents, they have some really beautiful things- but I'm interested in the older  pieces that are almost costume-like today.

When I find something that I really love-- for its beauty, comedy, details, or nostalgia-- inventing ways to use it is like a sport.  What are some of your best closet finds?

Just had to...

Ok ok. I know I'm supposed to be on a blogger break right now, but I simply HAD to share this photo set I saw here. It's from Paris circa 1962. The colors, the comfort, the emotion, the style.

The photo set text reads:

Images from Paris cafés and nightlife in 1962, the same week Yves St. Laurent's runway show vaulted Dior to new heights.

Many scenes around Les Halles (which no longer exists as it did then).

I melt.

Furry Finds

First and foremost: Hi, I'm Rachel. I used to blog regularly. Now, I slack.

Now that that's out of the way... Hello! Let's chat.

Most mornings I ride the bus along Lake Shore Dr. to get downtown. As the weather is cooling down, more and more of the little old ladies who live on the lake are breaking out their shearling hats. One lady today was sporting an excellent fur hat that made her look both luxe and entirely old-school chic.

via Refinery 29

This got me thinking about the art of hats, and the fact that beautifully designed hats are such a rarity these days.

And the people who wear them well... nearly extinct.

by Garance Dore

My Sun Ray Yellow

Instead of a tutorial today, I wanted to share a project I mentioned about a week or two ago for my living room. I've been drooling over some really impressive furniture rehabs that others create and share for the rest of us out here in Bloglandia. So here's my humble before & after.

Before

What you miss in this meager pictorial is the plastic tarps covering my entire living room. It was so very attractive.

After

Thrifted cabinet. Behr paint in "Sun Ray". Knobs from Anthro.