merry merry.

merry merry to all and best wishes ringing in 2010! so many thanks to everyone who stopped by the shop or took a moment to read or comment here and helped make 2009 the best year ever.

the last day for shipping will be saturday, december 26th. 13bees is taking a bit of a break and is excited to see everyone again in the new year!

photo via the flickr stream of sugarpie_honeybunch.

silver bells.

I will look back fondly on 2009 as one of the most vintage-filled years I've had in a long time, to say the very least.

so, in honor of a year of vintage past and the below freezing and blustery temperatures outside, I'm pulling out for the first time this season what is probably my fondest purchase of the past twelve months: this early 60s silver mink. from the wide, belled sleeves and the horizontal detail at the bottom hem to the double wrapped portrait collar, it's pretty much the most perfect fur I've ever found.

mw and I are heading out in a bit to brave the cold and do all of those pre-christmas new york city kinds of traditions: waving briefly at the tree at rockefeller center while dodging tourists, quickly strolling by the windows at saks fifth avenue and finally, heading downtown to one of our favorite places in the city to warm up with our favorite winter cocktail.

etsy picks: 40s foliage heels.

often, I wonder how different life would've been had I just been blessed with narrow size 9s.

via pranceandswagger.

martin greenfield.

he's been cutting perfectly tailored suits for decades for the most stylish men out there (including the michael jackson tour never to be). mw's wedding suit came right from martin himself.

there's so much to be said for the old school way of doing things and just like a well made vintage dress, there's no comparison to buying off-the-rack.

photos of martin greenfield's studio all via the selby.

the new look.

the new look isn't permanent, but is instead the result of a brief collaboration. and by collaboration, I mean that my talented friend amy was kind enough to model and photograph a handful of 13bees pieces that have been patiently waiting in the wings for their moment.





make sure to check out amy's amazing etsy shop which is filled to the brim with chic, sophisticated vintage and more great photographs like these.

from top: just before dawn dress (coming soon), a little bit of heaven gown (coming soon), split second dress, marry me again dress.

the insound design store.

don't want to pay the postage for that new turntable? need a few of those amazing ReFRAME systems to gift to friends before you skip town for the holidays? or want to find one of rg's edition 03 crewnecks before they're gone for good? well, save on shipping, get it fast and come pick it up tonight.

and party while you're at it.

see you later....

the insound design store, from december 17-21nd, 2009. 303 grand street, williamsburg.

case study houses.

well, when this little beauty landed under the hannukah bush for mw, I can't say I wasn't excited. the large (large, large) version had been out for a few years and while the price tag certainly wasn't calling out my name, the sheer heft (er, "jumbo"ness) was also a deterrent.

anyway, just this summer taschen finally released it in a both a more palatable size and easier to swallow pricepoint and we're happy that we finally have a copy that fits comfortably in our bookshelf.

it's 440 pages of total amazingness. thanks, s + p.

our tree.

we are not a household that goes over the top in decorating for any specific holiday. the theory that drives us, I think, is the old notion of a place for everything and everything in its place and we still haven't figured out where the season defined decor quite fits into that. but I melted a little when I opened up a small box that appeared at our doorstep this afternoon.

thanks, mom.

wishful thinking.

somehow, I've come to believe that posting about the hundreds of things I'd buy if the money tree in our backyard would only bloom helps work it out of my system. wishful thinking, but still.

these rock crystal amulets from temple st clair would be somewhere at the top of the list.

absolute quiet.

I probably won't stop until one of these makes a front page, which means that I will probably be making treasuries for a very, very long time.

until then, another.

friday (holiday) update.

on a quiet and chilly friday afternoon, what better way to keep warm than with a cup of tea and some pretty vintage?

the fox wrap.

each winter, I find myself in a similar predicament: fixated on a certain type of vintage fur and adding a dozen of the same style to my closet...all so very slightly different and all equally as necessary to own*. this year, the fox wrap takes top billing. I'm pairing the ones I already have with holiday party dresses and wearing them off the shoulder, slightly askew. but these are also worth keeping a close eye on....

* update: I've just listed a recent acquisition here.

clockwise, from top left: sswoon, VintageHaven, greygardensvintage, deargoldenvintage.

warm winter.

I've always appreciated looking at other treasuries. I understood what they were....but not always exactly why. well, my question was answered yesterday afternoon: because it's actually really fun to copy and paste and drag photos of some of your favorite stuff out of hiding and marvel at how it does (or doesn't) fit together.

my first stab can be viewed here and with some luck and help from the gods of timing, there will be many more to follow.

henry rosenfeld.

henry rosenfeld: you were the dress maker who "brought fifth avenue to main street" and while you probably did more to streamline the manufacturing process than you did to advance high design, I still can't get enough of your pretty things.

from top: cinnamon linen halter dress from AdelaideHomesewn, green modernist print skirt, the bamboo blonde dress, winter carnival dress.

vintage inspiration: sequin sweaters.

accuse me of being a one trick pony: I'll take it. because despite the fact that this blog has a high majority of postings about clothes and shoes, I actually kind of hate to shop. so, I know what I like (vintage), how to find it (online) and where else I like to go for the things I can't buy used (j. crew, miu miu).

thus the limitations at hand. anyway, I stumbled upon this pretty little number this afternoon on etsy and knew that I'd seen it somewhere before...

the small stakes.

obviously, I'm partial, but aren't these new posters from the small stakes just amazing? we are running out of room on our walls.

etsy picks: 30s marshall field + co. jacket.

if anyone's (ahem, mw) still wondering what luxurious gift I want but don't need this holiday season, please find above an example of something that would be most thrillingly accepted.

vintage 1930s black silk velvet marshall field + co. jacket with fur detail via hemlock vintage.

blackout.

no doubt, I'm in a bit of denial that black continues to be the hands-down predominant shade in my wardrobe (I blame you, tom ford). no matter how many times I promise myself that I'm at my limit, that there's no room left, no possible amount of occasions that could justify the number, I stumble upon another black vintage dress that I must own.






so, in the name of truthfulness, I did some holiday shop organizing yesterday evening that reflects a bit more of how I tend to shop. I love creamy whites, taupes, tans and the occasional green, but I will forever be loyal to the vintage black dress. and if any of these were the right size, they'd be in my closet and not in the photos above.