Junk Love: And a Ship to Sail Her By

As we creep closer to the 4th of July, I find myself yearning for saltwater taffy and sand between my toes. As an adult, I would never go to the beach at this time of year--too many people for my taste. But fireworks at the beach defines the summers of my childhood. We didn't go to fancy hotels or quiet beaches. Nope, it was the lights and kitsch of Myrtle Beach, back when the Pavilion still existed. The Fourth of July was all about the rickety Log Flume and walking the Boardwalk with wet shorts to get dipped ice cream cones and spend all our money in the Gay Dolphin. And then it was rushing back to the cheap hotel to crowd onto our balcony just in time for the bursts of light in the sky. I tend to get nostalgic this time of year, and if you follow our blog, you'll notice a lot of nautical, red, blue, and beachy-type things. Like today, where we are focusing on sailing-influenced fashion. This graphic sailboat dress is a dream come true:

On Etsy

This Malia dress still has sailboats, although they are a little more abstract:

On Etsy

And nothing is better than a big, bold Vera:

On Etsy

One of my favorite things in our shop is this 1960s drop-waist skort dress:

In our shop

And I love the applique on this 70s wrap skirt!

On Etsy

If you're not into red, white, and blue nautical, you could always go for something a little more intellectual, like this 1950s skirt with maps, globes, compasses, ships, and sea monsters in the print. Love it!

On Etsy

Or this one with sailboats and nautical info for Nantucket Sound:

On Etsy

Nautical flags and anchors are a great way to pay homage to the sea without dressing like a sailor:

On Etsy

In our shop

Or perhaps your own little sailboat! On your finger, of course....

On Etsy

Junk Love: Aloha!

We LOVE vintage Hawaiian prints, and since we've lately picked up a couple of great pieces for the shop, I thought I would do a quick perusal of other people's Hawaiian dresses on Etsy and put together a sweet little blog post to highlight my favorites. But, I didn't factor in two things: 1. How much I love every single one that I see; and 2. How many there are on Etsy right now. My search for "vintage Hawaiian dress" produced 184 pages of tropical paradise. I only made it to page 20 before I had to make myself stop saving pictures. So, maybe we'll just call this little post Hawaii: Part 1....

1950s Shaheen wiggle dress, Here

Shaheen dragon caftan, Here

1950s Shaheen, Here

1960s Malia maxi dress, Here

Surfside barkcloth, Here

1970s Pake Muu, Here

1950s Kamehameha, Here

1960s Lauhala, Here

1950s Shaheen, Here

1970s Malama/Liberty House maxi dress, Here

1960s barkcloth Harriet's maxi dress, Here

1950s halter dress w/ bolero, Here

1950s wiggle dress, Here

1960s maxi dress, Here

1960s Paradise Hawaii, Here

1960s Kimono-style mini dress, Here

1940s Surfriders, Here

1960s Lauhala, In our shop

1960s halter keyhole, In our shop

1960s Malia, In our shop

1960s maxi dress, In our shop

Junk Love: Caped Crusader

Our shop

We recently acquired a huge haul of vintage clothing, and among the group was a fabulous 1970s cape, which I immediately had to try on (sadly, it didn't fit right, and gave me T. rex arms). It instantly brought back memories of my childhood, when I was given my mother's hand-me-down capes from the 1960s to wear to church. I loved them, especially a wool plaid one with metal buttons. Not only did it make me feel elegant, like a 1950s movie star, but you can do all sorts of things with your hands under the cape, like tear the church program into tiny bits of confetti, and nobody can see your shenanigans.



When I wore that colorblocked cape in the driveway, it suddenly made me want to add a cape to my legendary coat collection. The universe listened, and a few weeks ago, I came across a 1940s wool nurse's cape, navy with red lining and a monogram on the left arm, for an outstanding price. Here is a similar one for sale on Etsy:

Buy it here

And even though I got my own cape, I haven't been able to stop thinking about them. There is nothing like putting on a pair of bracelet length gloves, a vintage cape, and sunglasses, to make a girl feel like Hollywood from head to toe. So, here are some of the greats that Etsy has to offer right now. Who knows, maybe some of these will come to live with me, like this super groovy 1970s number:

Here

Or, if it's got to be plaid....

Here

Here

Here

Here

Or fluffy!

Here

Or just plain cool....

Here

Here

But here is my favorite. Sequins and cashmere, anyone? And, maybe a date with Rock Hudson?

Here