a week of finds.

(clockwise from left: kinfauns, secretlake, chickadeevintage)



(clockwise from top left: posiesforlulu, vintageitemsnmore, posiesforlulu, easystreetvintage)

some sweet-and-neutral vintage finds this week from my etsy favorites...

vintage inspiration: rhinestone drop earrings.

these black-and-clear trillion cut rhinestone earrings from jcrew (right) bear an uncanny resemblance to a pair of sparkly 1950s drops (left) in the 13bees shop.

ww.

my real birthday gift (apart from the drunken revelry) came rolled up in a tube with a bow and a sheepish grin. joanna blogged a few months ago at smitten about ashley g's new custom portraits. and of course, who better to immortalize than our own ww?

sunday morning.

a few of the things I saw early this morning.

waiting.

it's driving me nutty that my good camera is still being repaired, as I have so many wonderful things to add to the shop from a few great estate sales we hit last weekend in the 'burbs. there's a darling 40s novelty print blouse and skirt set, a 50s rhinestone embroidered cardigan, a handful of amazing 50s felt, grosgrain and feather headbands (um, I may be wearing one now) and some pieces from the 20s from my own closet that I think I may finally be ready to part with. (detail pic of the graduate dress).

how I'd wear it.

I am in love with the how I'd wear it series from the fabulous style blog, camp comfort. these adorable shoes (on sale, no less) come from a recent post. using multi-colors-as-neutrals seems fresh to me these days and I can just imagine these little flats paired with all kinds of summer vintage dresses.

derek erdman.

the chicago reader just posted this online tour of artist derek erdman's chicago home. the last pic is of our erdman original: a fantastic likeness of mw's childhood hero, former orioles first baseman, eddie clarence murray.

naughty but nice.

I'm loving this sweet little 50s circle skirt I've just listed!

favorite pieces.

I like to think of the vintage pieces in the shop as an extension of my own closet. a lot of people say it, but I really wouldn't sell anything that I wouldn't be proud to wear, carry or display. but also like a lot of collectors, I sometimes have a hard time parting with things I've grown attached to, especially in instances where I've had the dress custom fitted or have worn it on a special occasion. nonetheless, I thought it might be fun to post some of the things that hold a special place in my heart and in my closet. they aren't for sale (yet), but what's the point of having beautiful things if they can't be shared?

this 50s dress is a perfect example of why I can never get enough vintage suzy perette. it's inky black velvet with sweeping layers of black faille and a huge, floppy bow smack on the front. there's a stiff, built in crinoline underneath and a metal zipper up the back. I almost wore it to a wedding we attended in aberdeen, scotland this past april but it was so big and heavy I would've needed to bring another suitcase just for it alone!

a week of finds.

(left to right: locallibrary , smallearthvintage)



(left to right: designarchives, vintagerevolver)



(left to right: retrorenegadevintage, vintage50seyewear)

while my own camera remains mia, I'm looking forward to a week of other people's photos. I went into my etsy favorites this morning, something I add to and edit intermittently and then forget about entirely. when I do finally remember to revisit my lists, it's almost like finding these things all over for the first time. so here are a few finds I've filed away for a rainy day.

grey day.

it's been sort of a slow monday for us here. ww is feeling under the weather, my camera is in the shop being repaired and new york city feels like just about the dreariest place on earth these days. so to help lift our spirits, mw and I got a little breakfast at brooklyn diner this morning. oh, and also a chocolate milkshake.

etsy picks: if only.

I was a size six and a half or seven, I would make it my job to have the best vintage shoe collection out there. nothing could stop me. I would wear these to bed if only they fit. (pic via etsy seller metroretrovintage).

5-0-0!

in honor of 500 lovely ladies and gents marking 13bees vintage as a favorite etsy store (!!!), I am offering 15% off everything in the shop now through the weekend just for my dear readers. make sure to enter "500" in your message to seller upon checkout and I will refund your discount as soon as I ship your item(s) out.

ebay finds: herbert sondheim.

the last thing in the whole world I need is another black dress from the 40s, but I just can't seem to stay away from them. isn't this one to die for? (via ebay seller so-fancy-it-hurts)

the reveal.

it's pretty obvious by the new look all around that 13bees has gotten an adorable pantone 129 makeover. and now that most everything is finally in place, I want to formally and finally send a big thanks to the amazingly talented jason munn for his thoughtful and clever interpretation of my logo and to mw for all of his diligent help in fussing with my etsy banner and tweaking all the html on this page. they say it takes a village and in this case, it only took three of us (well, I tried to be helpful)...but I of course couldn't have done it without you both.

so at this point, I think I can say that 13bees vintage has officially launched even though our soft opening was really a few months ago. every new venture needs a party, so here's where I pop open the veuve and grab a truffled mini grilled cheese from the cute model/actor/waiter and toast to our official send off into the etsy vintage world.

cheers!

shop update tonight!

a sneak peek of what's to come later this evening at 13bees vintage! I hope you'll stop by...

ebay finds: more summer dresses

and a winter white boucle coat for good pre-fall shopping measures. all things I'm paying close attention to on ebay this week.

the perfect grey bootie.

when I first saw this photo on the sartorialist back in december, I went crazy trying to find the perfect pair of grey ankle booties like this chic girl had on (not that they are the only amazing part of this outfit...can we talk about that oversized croco clutch for a minute?!). I happened upon this pair of UO block heel ankle booties just this afternoon and besides being the perfect shade of grey, having the right shaped heel and toe, I'm also loving the slightly weathered, vintage looking brass buckle detail. these aren't exactly like the ones in the pic, but I think the slightly sloping uppers might be more flattering and easy to pair with summer dresses and will transition nicely when the weather requires tights again.

30s hair how-to.

even though I barely have the patience to blow dry my hair in the morning, this video is inspiring me to think a bit more about fancy pin curls next time we go out on the town.

community supported part two.

I threw all of my vegetables from this afternoon's CSA pickup onto the counter and marveled at how gorgeous they were all piled up together. this week's selection included something called garlic scapes (you can see them on the very top), which in all my years of vegetable eating are a total enigma. not even deborah madison mentions them! eeps!

(faux) world's largest rubber band ball.

this is brilliant! and if it were mine, I don't think I could part with it even for $7+k.

renegade.

we popped by the renegade craft fair in brooklyn this saturday and it's officially official: the mustache has replaced the owl, the bird and the squid as the twee icon du jour. I guess I have to admit that the mustache-on-a-stick was pretty darn cute.

the beach (...or the lake...or the mountains)

the beach has been on my mind lately, due largely to the fact that I have yet to be there this year and along with the first fireflies, it's always the thing that signifies the official beginning of summer. we're lucky in the northeast to have four distinct seasons and summer really does only last for a little while (though when it feels like 100 degrees and the new york city sidewalks are hazy, it definitely seems longer than that). coney island, the place synonymous with burlesque beach going, is a train ride away from mostly anywhere in the city. the mermaid parade, still happens every year and starts its route from the original boardwalk that still lines the edge of the sand. it's easy to feel like you've been transported 50 or 60 years into the past while you're there.

loving these found photos of summer revellers...

vintage moms.

some amazing photos I've recently uncovered of my mom and her best friend in high school. cameos also made by dads at the prom!

dressed up.

some of my favorite dresses are new in the shop today.

soundscreen.

tonight we're off to the glasslands to raise our cans of pbr to the inaugural collection of soundscreen design's t-shirts, hoodies and totes. it's the music stuff you've always wished existed, but couldn't find until now. you can't get it anywhere else (yet...).

etsy picks: dive in, old school style.

ok, I take back what I said about vintage swimsuits. this one is insane! find it here.

burlap knickers.

two words that usually don't go together, I should say. well, the 1940s proves again that it was one step ahead of the rest of us who thought we preferred to wear cotton. sugar and spice indeed. yikes! (pic via 1860-1960.com)