Stayin hot in the cold

This year, I promised myself that I would not resort to wearing my big ugly black parka out the door unless it's snowing, I'm sick, or going to the post office. It is really easy in winter to turn into a complete slob when all you can think about is staying warm. It's also easy to get fat when you wear tights and oversize coats for months on end... I just can't go there this year.

It IS possible to be cute and warm as it turns out; vintage fur really helps out if you wear it. The trick is not to wear a bulky piece and to keep a slim line on bottom; skinny jeans or a mini an tights are a good balance. You can even belt it to create a waistline!

This is what I wore out tonight and I I actually felt cute with all my layers on:

Chelsea Market Pop-Up

In case anyone has been wondering why the shop has been a bit quiet the last week, I have been set up in Chelsea Market at a pop-up holiday fair with Artists and Fleas! I have been so busy there I have had literally no time to update the shop. If you are in NYC for the holidays, I am set up until December 24th. Hope to see you there!

Outfit post- back to 99'

I confess, I still own a skirt from my sophomore year of high school. Mind you, it's a liiiiiittle bit snug but it does still zip up! Twelve years have passed and my style has evolved, but once in a while I still feel the impulse to go full-on rockabilly, victory rolls, red lipstick et all.

Oh, and once in a while, I still feel the impulse to play my guitar. I can't remember any Stray Cat solos, but it still makes me happy to play some chords and sing. I remember thinking my life was impossibly hard at that age; now I'd give anything for that lack of responsibility (and gray hairs, too!)

jacket: vintage
skirt: bought in high school
boots: vintage
rings: antique

Holiday Beauties!

Check out this slideshow of all the beautiful holiday items entering the shop- all available by tomorrow!

Ipad Vintage Fashion Drawings

Whenever my husband lets me, I use the doodle program on his ipad and somehow dresses are always the subject. I'm starting to get the hang of the program; this one came out pretty great.. check it out!

Black Friday Sale!

Psst! Now through midnight, the entire shop is 20% off! I've even added a bunch of brand new items. Thanks for visiting!

Holiday Party / Vintage & Jewels Trunk Show

Hello!

If you are in the NYC area, I wanted to pass along an invite to our holiday party and trunk show! Amy from Wildfell Hall, Camille of Cam Ci Cam Ca and I are throwing a get-together in Amy's husband John's tattoo shop in Greenpoint. Both guys and gals are welcome; there will be booze, racks of vintage at "friend" prices, and beautiful handmade jewelry that will make a great gift. No obligation to buy, just stop in and say hello! Hope to see you there.

xoxo

New jewels!

I have been a very greedy seagull lately, hoarding troves of jewels in my nest. I'll be adding some of the ones that I'm actually willing to share with you later on today. Keep an eye out for tons of sparkle, and some incredible holiday dresses entering the shop all week long.

A day off!

Between working weekends at Artists & Fleas and working my buns off for the shop, I almost never get to take a day off; but this weekend I took (gasp) two days off! Today we had brunch Stone Street and rode the Staten Island Ferry at sunset; all my seagull friends popped in to say hello! Enough work for now, off to do some shopping!

Fall in full swing

I've been spending the day with a dear friend from California and could not help taking photos of all the beautiful leaves in my neighborhood. It's hard to believe that bitter cold is just around the corner when NYC is this enchanting. For those of you with no seasons, enjoy these pics!

The Disappearing 40's

I'm putting some killer, rare pieces into the shop tonight and a good portion of this week's focal pieces are some 1940's stunners. These pieces are getting harder and harder to find, as rayon is a delicate fabric prone to fading, stains, and becoming brittle.

Sometimes I panic when I think about how 40's pieces are disappearing so rapidly; even ten years ago they could still be dug up at estate sales and the occasional thrift shop. When I do find 40's pieces, more often than not they need repairs, soaking, or rebeading. It's always such a risk working on these fabrics as you just never know how they will respond; I would say that I lose about 1 in 5 pieces trying to bring them back to life.

Soaking them will either yield beautiful results and leave you with a bright, stain-free beauty or shrunken, dye-bled, shredding mess. Spot treatment sometimes works, but usually it just makes a big fat hole in the fabric or leaves unsightly water rings. I hold my breath every time I take a 40's rayon piece out of a soaking bath, because you just never know how it's going to look.

I guess it's my fear of their extinction that's been driving me to obsessively seek out 1940's pieces lately. They are most often a labor of love to restore, but I actually enjoy doing it because this era simply has the best prints, the most interesting cuts, and the most flattering drape. All of these pieces will be in the shop by this weekend, contact me via Twitter @greedy_seagull for more info in advance.

xoxo

Passionately Neutral

Though my seagull eye naturally gravitates towards sparkle and prints, I always appreciate a good neutral. I never feel as guilty when I spend good money on a piece that I know I will wear over and over again; especially when it's vintage and I know it's nice quality. All of these lovely vintage pieces are now available in the shop, just in time for party season!

the BELLA ROMA collection, Part I

Naturally, I would not go all the way across the world without bringing back some lovely vintage to share. And by some, I mean two suitcases full!

I'm delighted to introduce the Bella Roma collection, a limited amount of spectacular vintage all discovered in Rome, Italy. I'm going to release it in batches, all in all there will be about 30 incredibly well made pieces. Look for it all here in its own section in the shop, starting later tonight.

Ciao!