Quarter Life

January 13, 2012

Getting to know you

I stopped by Nana today to put out a few new things, and found Daisy in an unusual place: without Internet. That meant no music! No Twitter! No relevant research on the web! It happens, as I so well know. But what’s a girl to do without her lifeline to the fashion world? She gets to know the merch right in front of her. Really well. Really, really well.

“Sometimes you just have to try vintage on to get an idea of how it looks,” Daisy mused through the racks of my little corner. Truer words were never spoken.

This sweater is a smidge too big for Daisy, but that doesn't mean it's not still fun!

"Big is in, right?" Daisy asked. "Big or shoulderpads," I said. "You have to choose one. Never both."

Cute new vintage earrings from costume jewelry brand 1928

These earrings are huge. I love them.

Nana is having an amazing sale right now, so hop on over and check it out. There are quite a few vintage items marked down, too!

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January 6, 2012

Vintage purse pick-me-up

Vintage handbags and luggage are among my favorite things to find and sell. I love sturdy, structured bags in a whole rainbow of colors. I recently acquired two bags that needed just a bit of love. I thought I’d share the fixer-upper process!

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Filed under Luggage, Vintage

January 5, 2012

Learn to knit at the Hill Center

Crafty types, here’s a class for you to get in on. Have a new year’s resolution to learn how to knit? Let Shelly teach you!

When: Tuesdays at 6:30 from Jan. 10 to Feb. 14
Location: The Hill Center—921 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20003
Cost: $125

Class Description:
In this six-week introductory course students will learn basic knitting stitches which they will incorporate into their own knitting projects. Students will have the opportunity to choose their own project and get one-on-one instruction on how to complete their own handmade item. Materials will be provided for instruction at the first class, after which students will be asked to bring their own materials.

A graduate of the Fashion Design program at Parsons School of Design, Shelly has worked in the fashion industry for over 4 years, including at Nautica and ethically produced artisan accessories line, A Peace Treaty. Most recently she was an Outerwear, Denim and Pant designer for Tommy Hilfiger in New York City before leaving to accept a position working in interior design for a premier real estate developer that builds luxury apartment buildings in the DC area. As an avid sewer she has had several pieces of her re-fashioned vintage pieces sold at Junction in DC and featured in Worn magazine. She has started her own DC based fashion blog, Going Vogue and is working on starting her own fashion line. She currently offers beginning courses and open studios for sewing and knitting.

Shelly hopes to offer more classes on sewing and fashion design in the future. Quarter Life gives this event a thumbs up!

Don’t forget to register!

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Filed under Events

January 2, 2012

2012 kicks off with fashion events (of course!)

Two upcoming events hit my inbox today, to kick off the new year with lots of fashionable fun. Mark your calendars!

Studio85 will be hosting a Drop by and DIY event on January 8, where $20 will get you all the supplies you need to make a fun embellished collar. Spruce up some of those outfits in the back of your closet with a new collar!

The Trash Cat Clothing Exchange will be at the Pleasant Plains Workshop through most of February with an ongoing swap, a fashion show, and more to-be-announced goodies. Stop by each weekend for swapping and trading, but definitely mark your calendars for the February 25 closing swap-o-rama.

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December 19, 2011

Ring in 2012 in style

New stuff alert! I’ve added new dresses, bags, and accessories to my stash at Nana. I think the red and gold number above would be great for a dressy dinner! The teal strapless dress on the left is actually a skirt that can easily double as a dress. Just add a belt and frolick away!

One of the very cool things I found in Florida was a blanket from an airline. A really awesome, comfy-cozy blanket. When’s the last time you found one of those on our discount carriers? (It’s gone already, probably already warming up a fun new shopper I had fun with last weekend!)

Daisy, frolicking with a new suitcase that’s out. Daisy moves pretty quick; my camera-phone moves pretty slow.

New tags! What do you think?

Happy holidays, y’all!

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Filed under Accessories, Luggage, Vintage

December 14, 2011

Take the pledge to shop indie

It’s the holidays. You’re in gift-buying, festive party-planning, dining-out-with-friends mode. So what better time of year to jump aboard the Scoutmob “shop indie”" bandwagon? Make a decision to support independent shops and restaurants, using the Scoutmob app as a compass to discover the best small businesses at a great price near you.

Join us on our mission to support creative entrepreneurs–those fellow citizens who make our cities great. As a reward for good behavior, all pledgers will be entered to win one of three $200 Etsy shopping sprees, the world’s handmade marketplace, and fellow supporter of the little guy.

So here’s your chance to make your dollars count on the local level.

You may know I have a habit of browsing Etsy at all hours of the night, and many of my favorite DC-area crafty-types are peddlin’ away and making their creative dreams a reality. What’s more fun than a gift with a story? Nothin’.

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December 14, 2011

On Tour: Florida Keys

Here’s how my life has gone lately:

I came back from Thanksgiving, ran around to get Caitlin’s package in the mail to her after winning Sammy Davis Vintage‘s Gratefulness Giveaway, wrote a quick 20-page paper for ye olde graduate school, and then whoosh—on a plane to Florida for five sunny days cruising up and down the Florida Keys in a convertible. (Thanks, MC.)

Lo and behold, there on the side of the road on the day after our arrival was a Salvation Army that needed a little bit of love. From me. And my wallet.

MC found a jacket from Woody’s, which means that some fashionable Washingtonian made a swift escape many winters ago.

I really loved this coffeemaker travel kit, but it was sort of bulky. And it was missing some parts (never ideal).

MC was like “come look at this desk!” and I said “oh my gosh, kidney desk, I NEED it!” and then I realized I had no way to get it home. $40 price tag. Amazing.

I ended up coming home with these beauties. A standard carry-on case in traditional sky blue, and a monogrammed canvas suitcase from Nieman Marcus. Stuffed full of clothes’n'stuff. Sorry, TSA. I know I made it complicated.

And then I came home and this happened. End of vacation.

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Filed under Accessories, on Tour, Uncategorized, Vintage

November 29, 2011

When shops collide: Treasury and Meeps

Congratulations to the ladies of Treasury and Meeps! Big announcement this evening: The minds behind Treasury are taking over AdMo staple Meeps.

It’s a cause for celebration, made clear by the announcement e-mail and this snappy event poster. The fill-a-bag sale sounds so amazing that I might have to swing by and risk being late to class next Tuesday evening.

Only one question remains: will Treasury’s 14th Street location remain, or will the curated wares be rolled into the racks at Meeps? We’ll have to wait and see if there’s another announcement!

EDIT 11:24: Thanks to a speedy Twitter response, @shoptreasury confirmed that Treasury will remain on 14th street distinct from Meeps. The empire simply grows.

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Filed under Adams Morgan, Vintage

November 28, 2011

A summery dress finds a home

I put a pretty yellow dress out at Nana right after Labor Day, only because I only acquired it on the cusp of the summer shopping season. I kept wondering who would take the sundress home, after at least a dozen willing volunteers tried it on, pondered, but found the late-60s dress (maybe home-made?) to just not quite fit.

I sort of felt like Prince Charming with the glass slipper.

Then walks in my friend Kat, in the DMV on a temporary assignment for grad school from sunny Miami. Kat’s more tan than I’ll ever be, and before I knew it, the pretty yellow dress had found a home. A lovely complexion, a lovely climate to live in…it was almost too good to be true.

To get that perfect fit, we added a belt for a little cinch magic. The one shown above was just a test, so I’ll be waiting to see what Kat pairs with the dress out in the wild.

Doesn’t she look grand! (With/without shiny mocs?)

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Filed under Dresses, Vintage

November 22, 2011