Friday, January 8, 2016

Some things that are just the cat's meow...

We have been knee-deep in research of a piece we found back in the fall, and we're sinking deeper and deeper every day -- it's almost like we have fallen down the proverbial rabbit's hole with this thing!  We promise we'll spill the beans on that soon, when we feel like we have a better grasp on it.  BUT -- what we can tell you right now is that it has plunged us further into our love of 1920s fashion.  The dresses and various accoutrements are just dreamy.  So in honor of our newest madness, we're sharing a few items from our favorites list of 1920s loveliness!

A 1920s cloche by Gage Brothers, in our Etsy shop, here.
1920s diamond ring from Fergusons Fine Jewelry on Etsy.  Here.
Silk velvet cape from Dear Golden on Etsy, here.
1920s silk floral dress from Raleigh Vintage, here.

An amazing wax blossom headpiece from Vintage Gown, here.

Carved jade, diamond, and black enamel earrings.  Found at JewelsduJour.com.

From FuzzyLizzie.com

French silk evening dress from the Met Costume Institute's collection.  Here.

Circa 1925 heels.  More about them, here.


Thursday, January 7, 2016

Vera Vault -- Geometry

I'm slowly, but surely, working through photographing the Vera collection.  It's hard with our Etsy business to make time for personal photography -- I always feel like I need to prioritize the pieces for the shop.  But documenting my passion for Vera Neumann's designs is important, and it's a New Year's resolution for me to work on them more often.  I am constantly amazed that I don't have more duplicate scarves in the collection.  With as many as I find/have, I have less than 10 duplicate designs, and even those are usually different colorways (which I love to find!).

Vera had such a vast array of designs, and we Blackbird girls have a few categories we break them into as our own personal shorthand -- floral, grid or plaid, stripes, figural, abstract, solid, cultural, and geometric.  From there, we break it down by material -- chiffon, silk, acetate, polyester, or wool.  And then by shape -- cowl, square, neck scarf, tie, long, or knitted scarf. 

Although it's my collection, the other Blackbird girl knows just as much as I do about them.  It's just another reason why we're BFFs -- we care about each other's junk!  Well, and it comes in handy when we're buying Christmas and birthday presents!


This installment of the Vera Vault is all about the last style category we have -- geometrics.  Vera loved a bold geometric pattern, and so do I.  It's a great way to make an impact with shape and color.  Although the designs may sometimes look simple, it helps to remember that usually the simplest design is the hardest!


Enjoy the variety of these patterns, and if I actually stick to my resolution (fingers crossed!), you'll have more Veras to look at this year!