The Thrift Store Gods are Smiling

I have had really good luck in the thrift stores lately, mostly for myself. This is good, but also bad because I have a pile of laundry about ten feet high piled in my hall that I can't hang in my closet because there is no room. I am trying to be good, but who can say no to a 1920's-15 dollar-465 dollar-neiman marcus-reproduction-tags-still-on AMAZING dress in your size. Not me, that's for sure. My how I love lunch breaks in New York City; seems like that's when all the good stuff turn up. Please excuse my cavegirl hair and lack of lipstick, it's been a long day!

I layered a hot pink and lace 1950's slip underneath and its perfect! I can't wait to wear it out to my buddy's birthday party on Saturday at D.O.C. Yay!

Dress: Thrifted
Shoes: Modern Vintage
Pink Slip: 50's vintage

Urban Archaeologist

I've had a new side project underway for some time now and it has finally come to fruition; my new Etsy shop, Urban Archaeologist! I've always loved making jewelry but it just doesn't fit in The Greedy Seagull. Most of the pieces are combination of reworked vintage pieces and modern materials, as well as curious materials such as beetle elytra, snake vertebrae and animal teeth. I also plan on listing small antiques and cool vintage items, basically all the fun little things I can't pass up but that don't fit into my other store. Check it out, here are a few of the things just in:

Schwenksville, Pennsylvania Part 1

I have many pictures to post from my adventures at the Philly Folk Festival over the weekend, but am still really busy running around having fun with my best friend so I will just show you the pretty vintage dress and hat that I wore. The dress is just so light and comfortable; perfect for a morning of antiquing, pictures of that to follow.

Dress: Vintage 50's via Beacon's Closet
Hat: Forever 21
Bangles: Vintage

The First Full Color Photographs

A litle while back, I stumbled on a remakable article on the photography of Prokudin-Gorsky, who took some of the first full-color photographs and just had to share. You can find the full article here. In 1909, backed by funding from Tsar Nicholas II, he set out to capture the zeitgeist of Russia in vibrant, full color.

His pictures paint a rich, vivid account of a rapidly changing country during the great war. It was also on a society on the cusp of modernization which came with the revolution of 1917; his starkly contrasting subject matters of military, nature and agrarian living when juxtaposed create a rather proleptic dialogue for things about to come. Political dialogoue aside, they are a decadent treat for the eyes. The article is very interesting, follow the link above if you want to read the whole thing.

P.S.- How bad do you want the Emir's blue silk jacket?

The Emir of Bukhara, 1910

The Kalganov family

Three Russian peasant girls, 1909

Russian peasant women and girls gathering tea

Ostrecheny, 1909

Unknown Man, 1905-1915

Team of Sheksna Steamer, 1909

Mugan family, Grafovka Village

Saturday's Glory

Saturday turned out to be a great day. My friend and I got up super early and made the two hour trek out to Hempstead, New York to go an estate sale that promised vintage clothes. I didn't know what to expect because it was a new company running the sale, and there were two pictures of small closets filled with clothes on the listing. We waited in the blistering sun and suffered burns and nearly hear stroke while in line, but wow was it worth it!

Turns out, there were about ten closets STUFFED with clothing from the 40's- 60's, plus bags, shoes, purses and hats galore! So naturally, my seagull eyes and talons were poised to snatch everything away before anyone could get to it and I did. When I hear there was "really old stuff" in the basement, I ran down the stairs to the cabinet where they were and barricaded myself into the corner with old boxes and suitcases so nobody else could get to the closet. I pulled everything out and put it in a big basket and told an envious dealer "sorry, this is my pile; please don't touch it"!! Then, I let her go through the leftovers when I was done. Of course, I shared with my lovely friend that came first.

I came away with some awesome stuff for the shop. Afterwards, I was half starved and coughing from the dust from a rotting black cape my friend shook a bit too vigorously... so I put on a cute outfit and went to go eat Jamaican food in Crown Heights with my man. The place is called The Islands, and it is better than a lot of the food you can get in Jamaica! I ate a giant plate of curried chicken with rice and peas, vegetables, a pineapple soda and plantains for dessert. We were going to go to the Highline park, but were too stuffed so we went home and watched Madmen instead. Really, could it get any better than that?



Lace cut-out top: Vintage
Black Rayon skirt: Thrifted
Gladiators: Dolce Vita
Necklace: Forever 21