Merci bien, la Flore et la Faune, merci bien.
He’s British I think. Judging by all the plaid and tweed. Or he could be Irish.
Either way, with the hunter rain boots and the men’s plaid shirt, my inner old man would be well dressed for the foggy countryside.
I sewed on the elbow patches myself. How shocked are you that I’m actually doing my own DIYing?
And then there’s my hat. Which is from an old man hat shop. In Dublin. Obviously.
Remember Jenny, the lovely Anthology reader who went to Istanbul? Well she’s back. And she, like those who visited that beautiful city before her, looted the Grand Bazaar.
“It’s really an overwhelming labyrinth of shops,” she says. “I got two beautiful necklaces of turquoise and amber (similar to the one that you recently blogged about). I loved how Istanbul was such an eclectic and diverse mix of the old and the new.”
Man, I miss that city. How gorgeous would her two pendants look worn together on two chains of different lengths?
Thanks, Jenny, for sending in the shots.
I can’t help but look forward to the holiday parties. The lights, the dresses, the out-of-town friends. And of course, Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas” on repeat.
Admit it: you love that song as much as I do, don’t you?
Image by Beth Retro via The Paris Apartment.
It would be a dream come true.
Spent the weekend at Semiahmoo Resort in Washington and it reminded me how wonderful it is to be inside and hear the waves crash on the shore. Leroy loved it too. But only because he didn’t actually have to go in the water.
My penchant for vintage clothing has been called everything from crazy (good) to crazy (crazy). Herewith, my top ten tips for making vintage shopping crazy (good).
10. Be happy. If you’re not, it’s probably not the best time to wade through the rough in search of a vintage diamond.
9. Be elitist. Thrift stores in the ritzier parts of town get donations from the ritzier parts of town (which means you’re more likely to find an Yves Saint Laurent scarf or, for that matter, an Yves Saint Larent belt).
8. Seek perfection. If it’s not in pristine, like-it-was-only-worn-once condition, put it back on the rack.
7. Short on time? Head for the accessories — you don’t have to hit the change room to figure out if a belt, scarf or handbag is perfect for you.
6. Think outside the thrift store. You can’t even imagine the gems I’ve found at antique fairs, church thrift sales and private school fairs (like Saint George’s and York House, to name a few).
5. Shop where the collectors shop — in Vancouver I like Deluxe Junk in Gastown, F as in Frank on Main Street and Burcu’s Angels on 16th.
4. Take your new skirt/dress/jacket/whatever to a tailor to get it shortened/fitted/reconstructed (in Vancouver, I’d recommend Oakridge Tailors) but don’t forget that can add anywhere from $20 to $120 to the price of the piece.
3. Take your new skirt/dress/jacket/whatever to the dry cleaner. But again, that can add big bucks ($50 for a leather skirt, $150 for a leather jacket).
2. Bring a friend. I would have never found this red leather skirt if my girlfriend Laura hadn’t spotted it.
1. If you’re not into hunting for vintage treasure, head straight to online supershop Shrimpton Couture. They’ve done the work for you.
Many of you are vintage connoisseurs — have anything you’d add to my list? Leave a comment. Want to delve into another Anthology guide? Read up on Istanbul.
Requires lots of chopping, but little of anything else.
Each of my friends makes it slightly differently, some add feta, others add much more cous cous. I do it like this:
3 bunches finely chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mint
1 cup prepped cous cous
1 chopped firm tomato
½ chopped cucumber
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/3 finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup extra Virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Prep the parsley and mint and set aside. In a large bowl, mix cous cous, tomatoes, onion, peppers and cucumber with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix in the parsley and mint and pour in the olive oil.
Et voila. I found the photo here.
The space, the photo, the exhibit. But I especially love the lady in red (and light blue). Her sandals, her shorts, her vest. I would wear them every day.
Photo by Andrew Kendall via Kris/Atomic.
Unlike the time I hemmed a dress so short I had no choice but to turn it into a shirt, this time “short over long” refers to my sleeves.
Which are short over long. Aha!
I’m all over vintage jackets like this one. Especially since big shoulders mean big fun (thank you, Eighties!).
And then there’s my jeans, which can be short or long depending on how I cuff them. Speaking of, how do you keep your cuffs from un-cuffing? Double-sided tape? Iron? Staples? Please share!