Tuesday's Links are Full of Grace

Okay, so it's Wednesday, but shhhhh. 

As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to post it on a "Tuesday" post. The new Orla Kiely- the spring/summer 2013 collection - is unbelievable. The clothes are fantastic  but the short film featuring the collection is what really got me. Part Virgin Suicides and part Lolita, with a generous dash of wistful 1950's Californian resort vibe and polished Carnaby Street style. Wholly perfect. 

Watch the entire, dreamy video, entitled Darlin', here. Here are a couple film stills of the gorgeous, Brigette Bardot-esque Hannah Holman being impeccably languid.  

And here are my favourites from the newest collection.

You can see all the looks here. 

Also, dear friends - do you need a smile today? Watch this and I'll guarantee you one.

Monday's Links are Fair of Face

Good Monday! 

I wanted to do a 'pun' post, and have the topic of today be about fairs, instead of links that are fair of face. Specifically, I wanted to do a History of the Flea Market post, because of the amazing time I had as a vendor for the third time at the Junction Flea yesterday (pictures of the big day below!). But, in conducting some (minor preliminary) research, I discovered that the roots of the Flea aren't as clear as one would expect. For one thing, the name 'Flea Market' has several possible origins. One theory dates from 1850s France during Napoleon III's reign, when the street vendors had to 'flee' their regular posts because of changes that were made to city streets to allow the military to move without any embarrassing, slapstick-type hindrances (I'm imagining banana peels and fine linen becoming comedic, g-rated versions of land mines and barracks). The name for their new digs then became the 'flee' market.

The most popular theory is that the term Flea Market is named after a Parisian bazaar held in the 1860s called the Marche aux Puces, which literally translates into "Market with Fleas". It was dubbed with this unfortunate moniker due to the rumours of bug-invested wares that one could find there. 
BUT, another theory (and my favourite since it includes elements of New York AND the Netherlands)  is that the name originated from an 18th century market held in New York City, long before the Parisian Marche aux Puces. The market was held close to the East River in Manhattan, which was once a Dutch colonial settlement. The market was called Vlie by the Dutch, which translates into (not surprisingly due to its location) Swamp. Since the Dutch 'v' is pronounced in English as an 'f', the market became known as a word that was somewhere between Fly and Flea. Later, this would become solidified as Flea due to the market's reputation as both a bazaar full of blood-sucking vendors out to suck you dry of your last penny (I'm not doing that, I swear) and because of the questionable quality of some of the upholstery sold at the markets and their suspicious hole-lined, crawly demeanour (again, I promise). Markets such as the Marche aux Puces would continue the expression "Flea Market", following the Dutch, and give us the notion that we have of them today. 

The booth, this time complete with my new adverts. A couple people wanted to buy the actual signs.
I wasn't sure what to make of that, except to compliment my photographer, models, and logo designer :) 

A study of tapestries in contrast: One Aubusson-style one from the 1950s or 1960s, and one from the 1970s or 1980s. Also, I love that yellow dress and probably should have kept it but I really look awful in yellow.

                

             This pony-hair clutch never sold,
                 which I'm pretty  surprised about. 

   Although, that clutch WAS hiding
under this tee the entire time. 

This coat never sold either, which was equally as surprising. But, it was 24 degrees out,
so perhaps the October Flea will find it a buyer. 

So many shooooooes...

And boooooots...

Handmade moccasins- an excellent stocking stuffer

 I love this set of 'leaning' mugs - also still unsold! 

Links to Ponder While I Wander

Hello, Dear Readers!

Forgive me for writing another 'wandering' post, which generally means I may be MIA for the next little while. I'm still trying to figure all this blog stuff out, especially in terms of timing. I do work a regular 9-5 job during the week, plus I run Call Her Alaska Vintage on the side, and I also edit/write descriptions for podcasts for an ESL website (called Culips, if you are learning English or know someone who is, you should check them out). So sometimes I get a little overwhelmed. There is another Junction Flea coming up next Sunday (the 9th), so I'll be a busy bee preparing for that this week. So, I will set some sort of a schedule for this blogging thing. I am thinking that once a week, a different day each week (so that I can continue with the Monday's Child theme) may be a better idea, so that I can really put some thought and effort into each post. That Coney Island post took quite a bit of time, but was a fulfilling post, so I think the posts will be more rich, thought-out, and substantial this way. Sound good? This one will sort of be a hodge-podge, and then I'll start going on a schedule after the Junction Flea is over.  

Nygårds Anna

All of the latest Nygårds Anna collection should be in my closet right now. *blink blink*. Dammit. The clothing is beautiful in an organic, Orwellian mining-town way that also pushes the boundaries of modernism. The textures, fabrics, and flow are all natural -  but the cuts, patterns, and fit of the pieces are very avant-garde. It's hard to marry tradition and progression and end up looking so organic and unprocessed, but this collection does it beautifully. 

AND the photos from the latest look-book, shot by photographer Carl Bengtsson, should be on my wall, as well. I mean, seriously. Are you kidding me with this gorgeousness??? 

Flight of the Conchords

The Flight of the Conchords have a new song. And not only is it hilarious, it's for a good cause. And I get goosebumps every time I listen to it. There is an option to donate as well, if you wish. 

The xx

Ok, I will leave you with some music. The xx is coming out with a new album on September 10th/11th, but they have released a single called Angels. Enjoy, and I will be back soon!

TUESDAY'S LINKS ARE FULL OF GRACE

Hello, Dear Readers!
It's been quite the busy past few days, especially for Call Her Alaska Vintage. Here's a sneak peek at what I've been up to...

I'm so excited. And so very grateful for my wonderful models, makeup artist, and of course, my photographer. More to come....

The Lost Generation

I've always been partial to 'The Lost Generation' when it comes to literature. Writers of post WWI were disillusioned with the exuberance and happiness of the materialistic, salacious, and bawdy jazz age that immediately followed a devastating war - a war which shattered the belief that good, virtuous character would be rewarded. Good men, strong men, either came home from the war shattered, broken, and hollow shells of their former selves, or they didn't come home at all. The roaring 1920s which rose out of the ashes seemed to them a dangerous façade, an illusion of contentment and happiness that was sure to implode into a million tiny fragments whose reach would know no end. A small group of writers in Paris, mainly Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway, reacted to this pretence of jubilation and fortitude by eschewing the florid, affected writing style of Victorian literature and writing searing satire or dispassionate, detached, stripped-down prose based on action instead of emotions. This literary movement was also happening west of Paris. In America, writers like TS Eliot and William Faulkner were writing poetry and novels like The Waste Land and The Sound and the Fury. The titles say it all.

I recently watched Woody Allen's movie Midnight in Paris, and fell in love. Nowhere had I actually seen the characters of the Lost Generation portrayed with such vividness and accuracy. Granted, sometimes their characteristics may have been a little affected for emphasis on their perspectives and dispositions, and sometimes the less than savoury aspects of their lives were downplayed (especially the intensely tumultuous relationship between F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald), but for the most part it gave me goosebumps to see what I imagined them to be coming to life onscreen. If you haven't seen it, you should. If only for the aesthetic of the 1920s jazz age in Paris (eeeep, swoon). And there are more than just literary legends evoked. Cole Porter, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Josephine Baker also make appearances.

Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald c. 1921; The couple portrayed in Midnight in Paris. Wonderful likeness, no?



If I could travel to any place, during any time, 1920s Paris would be it. Le sigh....

That's all for today, Dear Readers!!

LINKS TO PONDER WHILE I WANDER

Hello Dear Readers,
It's going to be a busy next few days for me, so I'm going to leave you all with a few tidbits to tide you over until Tuesday (at the latest). First, Dace and Dear Creatures have new collections out that are so lovely. Something very fanciful and spirited, yet erudite and academic about them, no? I can picture young professors wearing each and every piece in their beautiful collections.

Dace

 Dace's Fall 2012 Collection. See more here.


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Dear Creatures

Dear Creatures Autumn 2012 Collection. See more here. 

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Ace & Jig

The newest Ace & Jig collection reminds me of the baja hooodies we used to wear in the '90s (and yes, of course that link IS a picture of Dylan McKay wearing one. Who else?). And I want all of it.

See more of the collection here.

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Rifle Paper Co. 

Also, Rifle Paper Co. has a new 2013 calendar out, and it's stunning. I wants.

    

    

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Cats!!

Lastly, for your weekly procrastination link, I bring you cats. What's that, you say? There are cats on the internets??? Yes, yes there are! 

So, cats are A-holes; we all know that. We love them for it, but let's be honest here. Watch with sound, cuz the second video is a winner. 

Ok, have a good weekend, Dear Readers, and see you Tuesday! Next week will feature a two-parter on Coney Island. Stay tuned!!

MONDAY'S LINKS ARE FAIR OF FACE

Happy Monday everyone. Or Blue Monday, if Monday's aren't good for you, or if you just love New Order.
I'll admit that I think I bit off more than I can chew with this daily blogging business. Not because I don't love it or want to do it, but just because I need to collect material before posting, and I don't want to post links that I don't love just for the sake of posting links. So, I may start posting every other day, switching the day on, day off schedule so that it will go Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, then Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Reasonable? I think so.
I went to a good friend's wedding shower this weekend and fell in love with her cute, bright red, scalloped retro dress. She told me she got it at an online store called Shabby Apple. Now, forgive me if this store is as well known as other retro-style online stores such as ModCloth, but I'd really never heard of Shabby Apple before yesterday. I spent the rest of the weekend drooling over their lovely retro clothes, jewelry and accessories. And their prices are very reasonable, so you can get a dress from every era you love.  Here's a taste of some of their wares.

   

Ok, see you Wednesday, Dear Readers!