It's official~~I have opened my "Designer/Couture Floor" in The Red Velvet Shoe! Here is a peek at "The Little Black Dress" I told you about a few posts ago. . .A Harvey Berin original c. 1950's designed by his favorite designer, Karen Stark. Like it? Then click here to find out more! This dress is truly stunning and I do believe Holly Golightly would definitely approve!!
Michelle
I have a big list of Maybe Someday's. . .but at the top of my list is: Own a Vintage Clothing Boutique. A Vintage Fashion Atelier, of sorts.Yes, I have this Virtual Boutique and it allows me to indulge in my passion for working with Vintage Clothing. However, if I were able, I would love to have an actual Boutique. In a beautiful old building with lots of character and hard wood floors with lots of antique chandeliers and mirrors. . .something like this:
I love the tall windows~~how fun it would be to do window displays!! I would invest in some beautiful antique dress forms. . .this storefront is home of The Wedding Club in the UK.
I also like this one:
I lost a bit of photo quality when I edited it but you can see the great architecture, and again tall windows! I found this from a site called The Ped Shed, I guess it was in a town they did a feature on.
This one is sweet, too. My husband and I actually walked past this when he was in Washington D.C. on a business trip. We stayed in Alexandria, VA and the entire town was cobblestone streets and old historic buildings~~I had a blast shopping while he was at the seminar!
It was the prettiest shade of pink and my favorite shade of blue. . .wow, I wonder if this was the inspiration for my website colors????
And the inside would look something like this:
boutique owned by Suzanne Prieur
And this is my absolute dream workspace/shop/boutique. . .of course it's in Paris!!!
And this would be the perfect cash register, wouldn't it?
And maybe someday it would become the most fashionable place to shop (of course with Valet Parking!) the place to see and be seen, a place to meet a girlfriend for an afternoon of shopping and then coffee and pastry in the tea room, a place where the sales clerks are immaculately turned out from head to toe and address you as Mrs. So and So, where they carefully wrap each beautiful item you choose in crisp, clean tissue paper, where the doorman holds the door for you and says "Have a Wonderful Day".
A girl has to dream. . .
We came back ashore to attend a great 25th Anniversary Party for some good friends, here are a few pictures from it. . .just try to ignore the barefoot beach bum kid who snuck over from next door!!
Now you see why we had to be here!! There is nothing like dinner at dusk by the water with candles, wine, great food and great friends. . .well worth the trip!!
Greetings from the Rhode Island Coast! We've been on our boat since Tuesday. . .the weather was wonderful up until yesterday~~it turned a bit damp and drizzily. . .but vacation is still a great dose of R & R no matter what the weather is!
Lots of lounging around the pool. . .
Lots of fresh~picked clams and cold, crisp wine to wash them down. . .
Hurry up, get the crackers, we have guests. . .
A precious moment. . .
Hope your summer vacation is wonderful!!
What does Hemingway have to do with a little black dress? I know that's what you're thinking! While that could be a loaded question I will simply tell you there are two matters I am very excited about having to do with my Post title~~so here we go. . .
(One of my favorite photos of this handsome gent)
The first is to tell you about a great event to be held in KEY WEST: THE ANNUAL HEMINGWAY DAYS CELEBRATION JULY 15~20,2008!
The event includes look~alike contests, readings and presentations, a three~day marlin~fishing tournament & a short story competition! Sloppy Joe's Bar is where the Look~Alike Contest takes place~~and also is a great place to find one self a refreshing libation! Check out the website for some great photos and more information~~what a great final destination for that road trip you've been wanting to take!! Or if you have some frequent flyer miles to use up~~here you go!!
As far as that Little Black Dress thing goes, I had the thrill of coming into the possession of an absolutely GORGEOUS Little Black Dress~~not just any LBD, though. This is a HARVEY BERIN by KAREN STARK original. The house of Berin opened in 1921 and his designer was Karen Stark. Stark looked to the latest Parisian styles as inspiration for her work. And my Vintage Dress is a perfect example of French Chic!! You can find out more about Mr. Berin and Ms. Stark at www.vintagefashionguild.org. .
This Vintage Collectible will be available soon in my boutique~~if you are already interested in more details feel free to contact me.
Michelle
June. The month for brides and graduates. . .and in this house we have a
. GRADUATE!!!
Our little girl graduated from Kindergarden last Friday!! I don't know what has happended to me but I have turned into the biggest mush bucket on the planet! Can anyone out there relate?? I have resorted to stashing mini packets of tissues everywhere & to purchasing water proof mascara~~aka tar for eyelash enhancement!
You keep smiling sweetie, only 12 more years to go!!
Sorry about the photo quality~~the lighting in the school gym left little to be desired!!
Daddy's so proud!!
Followed by a visit to JOHNNY ROCKETS to celebrate!!!
Thanks, Mom!!
Next, how about a bit of SHOE SHOPPING??!! And a visit to Brown University Book Store??!!
Now you'll have even more time to read!
CONGRATULATIONS PUMPKIN GIRL!! NOW GO PLAY!!
I'd like to start this post by saying that I was a bit apprehensive to host this give~away. . .it was sort of like throwing a party for people you don't know. . .Will they like it? Will they enjoy themselves? Will they be glad they came? Will they ever come back?
But then, it began, and if you have hosted a give~away, you know what I mean. . .you think your FAVORITES PAGE is full but then you hear from these amazing people with these amazing blogs, boutiques, studios, ideas forums and you realize how very small your world of favorites was!! "Meeting" so many new talented, interesting & just plain fun people has been your gift to me!
So now I am pleased to pass on a great gift to you. . .
(My daughter thought it would be fun to number animal crackers~~so here you all are!)
Oh the anticipation!!
THE HAPPY VINTAGE~GIVE~AWAY WINNER IS:
COMMENTER 10~~ALSO KNOW AS "BECKY"!!
(That would be the 10th comment from the bottom of the list!)
CONGRATULATIONS BECKY!!!!! Just email me your mailing address and we'll get this out to you ASAP!
I really want to thank every one of you who took the time to enter my drawing and I especially want to say how really thrilling it was to hear from you and especially if you shared your affection for Vintage Treasures! I have a lot of links to check out and some great new favorites to add to TALES FROM A VINTAGE WARDROBE. If you have time check out some of the commenter's blogs and websites~~you are in for some real treats!
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING~~NOW I HAVE TO GET TO WORK!!!!!
MICHELLE
JUST A QUICK POST TO THANK YOU ALL FOR ENTERING MY VINTAGE GIVE AWAY. . .I HAVE "MET" SOME AMAZING NEW BLOG FRIENDS, FOUND SOME AMAZING NEW STORES AND SITES AND HAVE HAD A BLAST HEARING FROM ALL OF YOU!!
I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN MY DRAWING AND BE SURE TO CHECK BACK IN TOMORROW AFTERNOON TO SEE WHO OUR HAPPY~VINTAGE~TREASURE~WINNER WILL BE!!
XX
MICHELLE
Swimsuit season has arrived and with it some very mixed emotions. . .right ladies? (And I suppose for some gents, too!) We love the idea of summer but that joy can at times be deflated a bit by the thought of, yes, you know. . .putting on a bathing suit!
For the past few years the bathing suit racks in most department stores could easily have been confused with Intimate Apparel/Lingerie. Those itsy, bitsy, teeny, tiny pieces of fabric they called bathing suits were just about big enough to cover my daughter's Barbie doll with. . .so it was very good news (not to mention a sorely needed return to more tasteful fashion) when I ran across this article in our Sunday Paper:
MAKING A SPLASH !!!!!
YES! RETRO & VINTAGE BATHING SUITS ARE IN, LADIES!
Which actually means we may not have to dread the beach or pool this summer after all!
And even if you do look fantabulous in the itsy, bitsy you may find it a bit more of a fashion challenge to find a great Vintage Suit (something like one of these in this great beach photo!) to wear with your platform sandals and straw hat.
Poolside/beach attire has become a fashion statement all it's own. . . so put a little thought into your summer staples and have fun finding the perfect Vintage/Retro bathing suit!
Here are two I just added to my boutique today~~so fun & very, very Retro!
And don't forget, it's the FINAL COUNTDOWN for my Vintage Bridal Give~Away! If you haven't entered just scroll down to the previous post and leave a comment~~the deadline is 11:59 pm EST on Sunday June 1. . .we'll announce the winner sometime on Monday so stay tuned to see if you are the WINNER!!!!
MICHELLE
This month is my one year anniversary in blogland and for my on~line Boutique The Red Velvet Shoe and I would like to send you all a great big THANK YOU by inviting you to participate in my first ( of hopefully many!)
VINTAGE BLOG GIVE~A~WAYS!!!
All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and you will be entered in a drawing for this sweet little collection of Vintage Treasures:
It sort of adopted a Spring Bridal theme along the way~~but even if you are not among the "soon to be betrothed" you may know of a Spring Bride or perhaps have a beautiful daughter or neice who has an appreciation for Vintage Goodies who may someday walk down that long aisle. . .or if you are a sentimental romantic like me who still looks at Wedding Magazines you could treat yourself!
All of this came from my "stock" at THE RED VELVET SHOE! Just another example of goodies I have waiting to find their way to new Vintage homes & wardrobes!
Here is the box of treasures our happy winner can expect in the mail:
A) A vintage powder blue jammy jacket with lace frills and ribbon ties. . .
B) The sweetest vintage "For The Bride" album~~the drawings seem to be from the 1960's. . .
C) A vintage 1967 McCall's pattern for bridal head pieces~~very mod & retro. . .
D) One darling floral chintz vintage apron with two pockets and lots of cabbage patch roses. . .
E) A lovely piece of decorative beaded trim. . .
F) A beautiful pair of white Vintage gloves. . .
G) A dainty silver necklace with matching earrings and crystal embellishments. . .
H) A pair of vintage glass travel toiletry holders. . .
I) A book of poetry for the Bride. . .BRIDAL BOUQUET~~Penhaligon's Scented Treasury of Verse and Prose. . .
J) A roll of beautiful Bridal Ribbon with images of the classic 1920's Flapper bride. . .
K) A blush pink vintage silk purse. . .
L) A pretty vintage paper theme sewing box for the new bride!
If you click on the photo above I think you can get a closer view~~and here are a few more close~up shots:
Thank you to whoever stops by~~be sure to leave a comment!
The only reserve on this is that I can only ship to the continental US due to high shipping costs, but if you do happen by here please say hello, I would love to hear from you!
THE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN ON SUNDAY, THE FIRST OF JUNE!! BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL!
MICHELLE
