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!

 

Vera Vault -- Praise for Paisley

I have been sorting through the Vera collection, and trying to get all of them photographed, but it's been a sloooooww process.  At least I have an official count now -- it was 377, but then my birthday happened.  Hallelujah!  My co-Blackbird had a stash of sixteen scarves that she had been saving for the big day.  Add that (and the 4 others I have found in the past few weeks), and the count for right now is 397.

You read that right.  I just need 3 more to hit the 400 mark.

Wait, why am I sitting here typing this when I could be out there finding 3 more Veras???

OK, well while I try to calm myself, enjoy this installment of the Vera Vault.  I decided to highlight a selection of paisley designs.  I'm constantly amazed at how many different designs she produced, and even though they're all different, they all somehow still have her personal design aesthetic all over them.

 

 

On the Radar -- Have a Heart

Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, today's post is a roundup of hearts.  The other Blackbird's birthday is on the 14th, so hearts are a classic little motif that always draw us in.  I also blame growing up in the 80s -- who didn't have a Care Bear back then?  Or a knit outfit with matching stirrup pants with a heart design?  Well, maybe that last one's just us, but I bet you did have stirrup pants! (And you love hearts.  Admit it.)

So here's a list of love-ly fashions that are as stylish as they are sweet.  It's a full-on mix of high cost and low cost, new and vintage.  XOXO

Je T'aime sweater from C Wonder, here.

Moschino Cheap & Chic dress, here.

Jeremy Scott JS Heart Sunglasses, here.

Vintage shoes from Tigerlily Frocks on Etsy, here.

Vintage bangle from Pop That Cassette on Etsy, here.

Hearts skater dress, here.

Silver heart link bracelet from our shop on Etsy, here.

White Heart cutout dress from ustrendy, here.

90s Betsey Johnson shirt from Clothes Party on Etsy, here.

Vintage Straw Courreges handbag from ShopSecretStyleEtsy, here.

Stella McCartney heart print dress, here.

On the Radar -- Botanica Mania

Traditional botanical illustrations are a classic.  And we can appreciate a classic.  However...what we really love is when classic becomes modern, especially by presenting the classics in a new or unexpected way.  The Blackbird girls love fun design, and the best new take on classic botanicals is to make it fun, whether by color, context, or through surprise.

The first example we fell in love with is some of the newer pieces from our favorite potter, Leanne Pizio.  We talked about her sgraffito pottery in this Junk Love post.  We don't own a piece like this -- yet -- but don't worry, we will. We love the color, and we also dig the playfulness of the hand carving -- it's not traditional, by any means.  It feels modern.

The we started seeing vintage botanical pull down charts in Country Living and Martha Stewart.  We love pull down charts, but we're more fans of the map and medical variety.  Educational tools as art is always modern, and we had never really though of charts with flora --

from The Impatient Gardener, here.

From Bonnie and Bell on Etsy, here.

They are dynamic, but pull down charts are expensive.  You can get the same feel with a vintage or reproduction print.  This example has great colors, and it's under $10!  Plus, I also liked how this print was displayed on a vintage clipboard -- it's quirky, and you could easily change it out with the seasons or with your mood.  Imagine a whole line of them along your wall:

From BonnBonn on Etsy, here.

This is more traditional, but I think the large scale and bright colors of this one makes it fresh:

From here.

And what about using color photocopies of prints as wallpaper?  This is stunning!

 

And if you want to wear your botanical print, check out these vintage goodies:

From Crush Vintage on Etsy, here.

From wildfellhallvintage on Etsy, here.

Or carry a 1970s botanical needlepoint handbag, available from our shop, here!