Okay,
those tops from this morning? Well, well, well. They are from an awesome little eBay store called Neon Life Vintage. I love this shop for two simple reasons: 1.) They sell stuff that manages to feel on-trend, but still totally unique, and 2.) The bidding starts super, reasonably low (eg this
slinky little secretary dress and
a spring coat which is an amazing
marriage of '60s mod and nautical stripes--the starting bid for both is under $10). Put Neon Life on your favorites list now, own cute stuff later!
Though I'm usually the laziest person in the world, I've developed a new fixation with the iced lattes from Gorilla Coffee, which is about 20 blocks from my apartment. Last Sunday at 8AM, I begged my husband to walk to G.C. with me, but once we were there waiting in the enormous line, I totally ignored him. Finally he said, "If you don't stop staring at that woman's outfit, I'm going over there and tell her that you love her dress and you're going to write about her on your blog." "Nooo!" ANYWAY, the dress was amazing, with a fun, not-too-busy retro-Hawaiian print (similar to styles like
this,
this, or
this). She'd paired it with medium-thin red belt, soft-looking flat black leather sandals, messy-pretty hair parted in the middle, gold hoop earrings, and a happy little shade of
red lipstick. OK, sure, I checked her out for a really long time.
Now, I know that what I’m about to propose might sound as grody to some of you as the idea of eating toenails, but listen: Vintage bathing suits are cute! And germs can be washed away! I'll admit, there is a weird ick factor surrounding not-new swimwear that makes some folks feel mighty hesitant, and on top of that there's the fit issue, which is always challenging/nightmarish—even more so when an item can't be returned. However, I'm still going to argue that the merits of a
glam retro one-piece, an ‘80s-fabulous version
like this, or a
flirty shorts-kini that covers up a lumpy belly far outweigh the minor hygienic risks. Plus, they're cheap! Okay. Let the debate begin.
PS. You can also check out great online sources for new suits by
clicking here.
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I'm in the midst of a serious attempt at quitting smoking, which is hard and, even on day 6, is making me want to kick innocent things and gnaw on rubber tires pretty much 24-7. A There are many positive aspects to this decision, obviously, but the one I'm choosing to focus on is the fact that I'll now have around 40 extra dollars a week and if I make it, I plan on using it expressly to buy cute new stuff. So far today, contenders for this mad money include a saucy little Sonia Rykiel dress, super-fun Opening Ceremony sandals and this pretty, slightly in-your-face Chanel scarf to wear with my new jean jacket. 
By the way, if you're trying to kick cigarettes, Allen Carr's book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking seems (so far) to be a good way to go.A
The entire world cannot stop talking about Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle's potential makeover...I, for one, was kind of feeling her vintage-esque Wednesday outfit, a combo of a floral print dress, heels and leather jacket.
This is cool news: In an effort to be more earth-friendly, Barneys New York collected unused jeans and had them re-purposed by top designers like Stella McCartney, Derek Lam, and Rodarte. The new, one-of-kind pieces will be auctioned off on eBay beginning April 30th, bidding starts at 99 cents. (eBay fashion addict)
A post on Refinery 29 has sparked a full-blown obsession with finding pieces with vintage Peter Max prints, including this groovy scarf.
And, last, let's end the week on a light, happy note: Have you met Fifi Lapin? The bunny who likes designer clothes? Oh, you must, you must. This week she's wearing Top Shop and I am beyond enchanted.
I was perusing Emily's travel post from a few days ago (and spacing out over whether or not my thighs are too jiggly for a T-shirt dress), when I came across an astute comment by a reader named Zingyginger. Turns out, for myriad reasons, this reader loves to travel with Longchamp's large foldable tote, which is precisely the bag I've been wanting for about two years but kept forgetting the name. I suspected this is the ideal kind of item to search for on eBay. 
And, boy, was I right: There are more than 500 Longchamp bags on eBay today, including versions in red, tan, navy, and black, all at a fraction of the original cost.
Something filthy, terrifying and perhaps just downright wrong has been happening to me, style-wise, and I don't know how to make it stop: I want a denim vest, specifically an acid-wash denim vest and I want to wear it over cute floral-print dresses and with subtly-sparkly tops and pretend I am Poppy from the movie Happy-Go-Lucky (if you haven't seen this film, you should just leave work right now and rent it. It is that awesome.) Now, I've been wrestling with the vest monster for years (the vest usually wins), but this specific sartorial desire seems far more risky and regret-producing, to the point that it could make me look like a crazy old woman who rides around on a tricycle and eats soap. Of course—as with all things dangerous and borderline batty—I am finding it impossible to resist.
On Saturday morning I was listening to "This American Life" and I couldn't stop cracking up over this one sketch, which was all about a pair of tapered, high-waist, acid-wash jeans that one woman thought were super-sexy. Apparently she wore them on every date she ever had with her then-boyfriend now-husband, and one day, he made the mistake of gently suggesting the pants were hideous. Hurt feelings ensued, then hilarity. Just listen to it. It's really funny. Anyway, it made me start thinking about what women wear and who we dress for. My closest friends all say they get dressed for co-workers and other girls, and until I started working from home, I used to be that way too. But these days, I'm split half and half between dressing for myself and whatever weirdness that leads me to, and some nights, wearing clothes I think my husband will like. 
Does that sound creepy in a Sleeping with the Enemy kind of way? It's not that I've stopped putting on items I know he hates, but on occasion, I purposely wear things I think he'll appreciate. 
Who do you get dressed for?
Often when I write up a new (to me) eBay store, veterans of the site are all, "Meh. I've known about that joint for years." And it's true: The exceptional shops on eBay are popular for a reason, but then, once they get too popular, they become mad overpriced, which seems to defeat their initial purpose. Sigh. Today, however, I believe I stumbled upon a magical boutique on eBay: UK-based Princes Vintage is fantastic, with an abundant, beyond-desirable stock (new stuff is posted every day), and prices that are still pretty cheap. 
It all started when I was considering buying this shrunken jean jacket, then I saw a retro-sporty anorak (starting bid $1.97!), a sweet Brownies t-shirt to further my vintage tee fetish, this perfect saddle bag, and a chic/rugged travel tote, and now I am completely obsessed. 
Even though it's all coming from an ocean over, the shipping's not too bad—around $17 for most items. Okay. So have you seen Princes Vintage yet? If not, you should check it out.
