Chicago | Archives Vintage

Archived: Life Lately

December 12, 2011 by archivesvintage · 13 Comments

I recently rearranged my office, which now has a sewing station! Mark got me sewing classes for my birthday, so I’ll finally put this baby to use!

Decorating for the holidays with vintage ornaments.

Atlas is getting in the spirit….

…when he’s not snoozing by the tree…

…or frolicking in the barely-there dusting of snow we had last week.

Late night viewing of Breakfast at Tiffany’s in bed.

Sometimes you feel like it, mid-work day.

Working the pop up this past weekend.

{wearing a 1950s wool suit / target tights / gold glitter heels}

Filed Under: archives vintage, atlas, birthday, chicago, doggy style, life, office, outdoors, photographs, vintage clothing, work

Chicago! Come Learn: Thrifting 101

October 14, 2011 by archivesvintage · 4 Comments

When someone asks what I do for a living, the first question asked is “Where do you get your stuff?”, followed by wondering how I find vintage amongst the sea of chaos in a thrift store. Well Chicagoans, I’m revealing (some of) my secrets!

I’m thrilled to partner up with Dabble to bring you Thrifting 101: Vintage Shopping on a Budget!

November 1st, we’ll meet and discuss key elements of identifying vintage, how to determine if a garment will fit you without having to try on an item of questionable cleanliness, and how to care for your finds. I’ll suit you with knowledge, then we’ll visit a thrift store and apply what you’ve learned!

More info / sign up here. Thanks so much to the folks at Dabble for having me!

Filed Under: archives vintage, chicago, thrifting, tips & tutorials, vintage, vintage clothing

Trunk Show!

October 4, 2011 by archivesvintage · 1 Comment

Archives will have a select showcase of beautiful vintage dresses, blouses and seasonal garments available for purchase October 11 – 18 at A Touch of Vintage! It’s an adorable shop in Logan Square with an emphasis on vintage furniture, housewares and jewelry. Stop in for some early holiday shopping, or treat yourself to a new cocktail dress for upcoming holiday parties!

Filed Under: archives vintage, chicago, sale, shopping, vintage, vintage clothing

Will Fight for Vintage

September 12, 2011 by archivesvintage · 14 Comments

During the current season transition, our temps in Chicago have been rising and falling daily – today things fell on the warmer side (BOO). My Monday was filled with errands and a trip across town for some thrifting, so I kept it simple by throwing on a basic cotton dress and piling on accessories with a hint of southwest to them.

The thrifts were absolutely crazy – I went to two stores and both had not a single cart available! As I was waiting in a long line to check out, an older woman approached and started speaking to me in Polish (Note: this happens to me a LOT. Something about my appearance screams eastern European, because Russian and Polish women will randomly start speaking to me in either respective language, and then can’t believe I don’t understand them). I politely told her I don’t speak Polish, which she was surprised to learn (Really! I’m Italian and German and I can’t even speak either of those!).

She then asks if she can use my cart when I’m finished checking out, to which I obviously say yes. She proceeds to start digging through my cart, like I’d just spent the last hour digging through a sea of fading Target garments and smelly old shoes plucking out the good vintage just for her! I hate to be a jerk to an older person, but seriously – what the fuck?! Who does that?! I snapped and said (half out of surprise and half out of anger), “EXCUSE ME…?!”, and pulled my cart away. She gave me the side eye like I had done something wrong, and told me she just wanted to “help me”.

Sorry lady, but if there is one and only thing in this world I don’t need help with – it’s thrifting.

Wearing: Dress – H&M, Scarf – MoVintage, Ring & zipper bracelet – c/o JewelMint, Glasses – Warby Parker, Bracelets: vintage/modern, Boots: Vintage

Why: Defending vintage

Filed Under: archives vintage, chicago, history, life, shopping, thrifting, vintage, vintage clothing

Renegade Chicago

September 11, 2011 by archivesvintage · 11 Comments

Saturday afternoon I met up with Merl and her sister for a stroll around the Renegade Craft Fair. It was unexpectedly hot, humid and extremely crowded. It had been a few years since I’d attended the twice a year fair, and am sad to say it was a total snoozefest. In the past, there were some great artisans with unique offerings; I remember wanting to shell out all of my earnings on the goods available!

This time around, there was so much repetition, simply put – it was seriously boring. The lack of variety in vendors was extremely disappointing. Lots of felt, crochet, letterpress greeting cards and screenprinted everything. If I never see another letterpress poster in my life, it will be WAY too soon.

However, there were a few booths with some very beautiful designs that really stood out:

Courtney Fischer Designs

Courtney makes some incredibly swoon-worthy patina jewelry. They were flying off the tables, and rightfully so!

Bettulia

I fell head over heels for this amazing shop. I grew up with a birch tree in my front yard and have a not so secret deep love for this tree. Merl snagged one of their bracelets and I was intensely jealous! When I finally have spending money one day, you can bet I’ll make one of these handcrafted beauties my own. (And likely a birch tree tattoo somewhere on my bod as well.)