Day Trip to Philly

I took a day trip to Philadelphia over the weekend which turned out to be quite fun. We did your typical touristy things, visiting the original senate and house of representatives, the remnants of Ben Franklin's house and of course the Liberty Bell. However my favorite part of the city was walking down the oldest inhabited residential street in America. There was even a British flag waving from one of the buildings, which was quite amusing.

It would be so great to buy that one little place with the for rent sign- but I can't imagine having to deal with tourists ogling my house all year long. If I did live there, I would dress in period costumes and shout obscenities out the window, waving a British flag with a big stein of ale- which now that I think of it sounds vaguely like what I did while living in a 700 year old house when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. Don't ask.

Naturally, I had to check out the local vintage. I highly recommend you visit Sazz Vintage on North 3rd street if you go. Amanda, the owner is super nice and helpful and she has great items at really fair prices. I was amazed at the difference in price points between Manhattan vintage and Philly. Ok, not really surprised but still- it was a nice change!

415 East Bay

Our Beach House at 415 East Bay in Balboa Beach, California has so many layers of paint that the corners of the windows and door frames are round. To be exact, the house is 99 years old this year. My grandparents bought the house in 1960 for a song. At that time, lots of Hollywood celebrities like John Wayne, Shirley Temple, and even Frank Sinatra all had houses on Balboa Island, which is just a short swim or ferry ride away.

My grandfather put countless hours of labor into that house while he was alive; it seems that the whole place is held together by nails and putty and will collapse at any given moment. The porch is slanted, the floor is creaky and in some parts of the attic, you can actually see down into the house. When they purchased the house, it was full of 40's rattan, bark cloth covered furniture which was eventually thrown out. The house has been host to endless family summer parties, overnight stays and I even lived there as a kid.

Though it is tiny, weathered and rickety, I still think it's the most charming place on earth. Staying there makes me want to abandon New York, throw away all my nice shoes and just live barefoot on the sand, selling good like a gypsy somewhere so I have money for cocktails to sip on the porch. This is one of the places I like to visit in my mind when I am stressed or sad; these pictures might explain why.

Welcome to 415 East Bay!

Gutter Ball Blues

So as it turns out, I am actually a better bowler than the president of the United States! Now that doesn't say much, because Obama did only bowl a 37 recently, but it makes me feel better. Somehow in my deranged little brain I thought that wearing the right outfit would transform me into an amazing bowler, but alas it is not so. I consistently bowed between a 39 and a 42. Oops. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong! Perfect retro lanes? Check. Cute headscarf, cuffed jeans and cardigan? Check. Heinekin? Check. It didn't dawn on me until this morning what the actual problem was, because naturally it was not my lack of bowling skills. The very last picture does all the talking.

Cardigan: Benneton
Collared rayon top: thrifted
Gingham headscarf: Forever 21
Jeans: No name store
Bakelite Bangle: Vintage

As it turns out, it was the HIDEOUS bowling shoes afterall! They didn't match my outfit, and the colors kinda made me want to barf. Next time, I will have to bring a pair that matches my sweater!

Ellis Island

My mom finally came into town and we made the trek over to Ellis Island. My mother's Sicilian family passed through there when coming to America before settling in Brooklyn, so we thought it would be fun to go try and look up names in the registry. I'd been to Ellis Island once before, and was really impressed by the collection of artifacts that once belonged to people from all over the world that passed through.

Most of these items were donated either by the person themselves or by the family. Although a lot of the good linens and photos were away for conservations, I still managed to get some decent photos of some of the beautiful handmade things from the old country. Below are some of my favorites, and also an outfit I put together inspired by all the gorgeous things I saw.

Camisole: Forever 21
Skirt: Vintage
Bag: 1920's vintage
Boots: Boutique 59
Jewelry: Vintage

Some Rather Dapper Gents

Every now and then, someone from an old photo or a portrait will catch my eye and speak to me in a way I can't really describe. Sometimes I come across faces with so much character that an entire life story seems to pour out of paper and flood my brain with imagined memories. Here are some gentleman that have caught my fancy over the years:




I came across this handsome young fellow in the antique mall I used to work at. He was buried under many a boring, mundane visage but his intense stare and regal carriage separated him from all the other fading faces. I imagine he walked with quite a swagger, carried a weighty gold watch and had many lovers.





These guys look like trouble to me! These look like the kind of hooligans that I would have run around with, and the type my mom would have kept me away from.





This well built pin-up boy was probably the life of every party in LA and San Fransisco back in the late 70's! I bought this magazine thinking I would find naked sailors from the 40's (it's a guy-guy publication) but much to my dismay there were only yucky 1970's hairy guys. So I threw the inside of the magazine out and kept the front page.




Edgar Degas was quite possibly the vainest and most talented man of his day. His slightly raised eyebrow seems to challenge you to say any different. He has the look of a confident, self-absorbed intellect. I love this self portrait just as much if not better than any of his ballerinas. I have been looking for a hat like his for quite some time, and when I do find it I am going to do a self portrait after this image.





This nice gentleman caught my attention when I was fourteen in high school gym class. Out of all these guys, there is no doubt that his swagger and confidence would give any of them a run for their money. Luckily for me, he is real and happens to be mine. His name is David and I took this picture of him smoking a fine cigar in Jamaica a couple years back.