The tender axe of springtime

Tee: H&M
Skirt: Vintage, 1950s, from Chick-A-Boom! Vintage
Shoes: Naturalizer
Necklace: From East Brother Light Station

The weather has gotten to the point where tights aren’t necessary anymore. It’s kind of nice. I always get really into the whole sunny weather thing right at the beginning of spring, then by the time May rolls around, I’m ready for the rain again. I’m bringing out all the cottons in my closet right now. This circle skirt has made quite a few appearances in public ever since I got it for my birthday. It’s from the 1950s and I am completely in love with it. That pattern! That cut! That buckle! Looks like I found myself a new spring staple.

Music: Rome – Odessa

Argoflex

I’m really excited about this little TLR camera in  my hand.  It’s an Argoflex of some sort, most likely from the 1940s, and it belonged to my grandparents.  I haven’t been able to find this particular model of Argoflex anywhere online, and the guy at the local camera shop said he’d never seen an Argoflex of this size before, so I’m not certain what specific model it is or when exactly it was made.  I was afraid I’d find out it only took 620 film (which was discontinued in 1995), but it turns out 120 will fit in it just fine, which means I can still easily buy film for it!  I’m not certain if it has any light leaks or other problems like that, but I’ll load in a roll this week and see what happens.

I love shooting with vintage cameras.  I’ve always been better at film photography than I have at digital, and even though I don’t like developing my own film (it’s kind of tedious), I love going into the darkroom and making my own prints.  TLR photography is especially fun because it makes you take photos in a completely different way than you would with an SLR.  The viewfinder is at waist level, which is perfect for candid shots, because it’s harder for your subject(s) to tell if you’re taking a photo or not.  It’s a very discreet, unobtrusive form of photography.

I’m going to have a fun time taking photos on this little guy.  I have quite a few vintage cameras (mostly 35mm) but this one is extra special because it belonged to my grandparents and it has tons of character.  I also feel like this camera must be used while I’m wearing mid century clothing.  The dress pictured is a late 1950s/early 1960s R&K Originals that is a tad big in the bust, but it has a beautiful print and a darling tie in the front.

Amber von Nagel

Summer Solstice

Today is the Summer Solstice.  Happy Summer, all!

It’s a little difficult to wear vintage in the summer.  Sweat can harm older fabrics, so if you’re not taking your vintage to the dry cleaner frequently during the summer, you could be threatening your nice vintage pieces with permanent sweat stains or potential weakening of the fabric.  During the warmer seasons, I like to stick to wearing cottons that can be easily hand-washed.  This yellow late 1940s/early 1950s blouse is perfect for that.  It breathes well, and if it ends up enduring a great deal of summertime sweat, I can just pop it in a tub of water and Woolite.  Not as easy to do with silks or rayons!

I also think it looks great with shorter hemlines.  It gives off a very youthful 1940s look.

See you Friday

Amber von Nagel

Cotton Faille Sundress

To wear vintage is to understand history and to recognize ancestry.  It’s a way of engaging the past in a very personal way.

My grandmother always liked my vintage clothing.  This 1950s cotton faille dress (one of my favorites in my entire closet) reminds me of her.  ”In the 50s, we all wanted to look like we had 22″ waists,” she said.

I love wearing dresses that remind me of my grandmother.

See you Wednesday,

Amber von Nagel

Etsy shop update!

I just updated my Etsy shop with some pieces that are perfect for summer!  Cotton skirts, crop tops, and dresses from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.  Plus a beautiful late Victorian pendant!

1960s cotton and lace crop top
1950s/1960s high waist embroidered skirt (SOLD!)

Early 1970s bell-sleeved patchwork print hippie dress

1950s/1960s daffodil yellow skirt

Late 19th Century pendant

It’s been a while since I’ve updated the shop, so it feels good to get all this great summer stuff in there.  I’m especially fond of that crop top and black cotton skirt!

See you Wednesday

Amber von Nagel

Cotton

One thing I really like about this time of year is that I get to start wearing cotton again.  I could potentially wear a cotton dress in winter, but if I wear it with tights, the skirt will cling to my legs and ride up really high, looking really weird and kind of inappropriate.

The hot weather we’ve been having in the Bay Area has made me shift from my winter to summer wardrobe very quickly.  I’m kind of sad that I can’t wear my winter velvets and wools anymore, but now I can move all of my cottons and linens to the front of my closet again, which is great.  And my straw hats, too!

This cotton sundress is one of the first dresses I ever willingly bought.  I’ve mentioned here before that I hated dresses for most of my life, but ended up loving them around the age of 17 for reasons even I don’t know.  I’m pretty happy with how this dress has held up aesthetically through my entire style evolution.  I’d definitely consider it a spring and summer staple.  It drapes perfectly and it looks great with almost anything, including the little late 40s/early 50s boater I’m wearing with it in the photo.

Do you have any cotton pieces or sundresses you’re excited to start wearing during these warm weather months?

See you Wednesday

Amber von Nagel

It’s miniskirt weather again!

Normally I’d post a Music and Vintage Friday post today, but I’ve failed to prepare one of those.  Believe it or not, they take a lot of planning, and I was not prepared well enough this week.  I’ll have one for you next week, but for now, I am getting kind of excited about the weather warming up, which is weird for me, because I prefer the rain.

Even though I’m a dreary weather kind of person, I do love the very beginnings of spring, before all the hillsides dry up.  When the weather just starts to get warm, that’s when I wear my brightest clothing.  Here I busted out my yellow 1940s blouse (with super festive lace) and the shortest skirt I own.  Finish it off with the deadstock 1950s shoes I wore to my wedding, and this is the kind of look I love to put together in the warmer months, pantyhose and all.

It’s easy to make a skirt that short look totally scandalous, but its a-line and buttons make it look a little more modest than the average skirt of that length.  When paired with the modest vintage top, the skirt takes on the look of a pair of short shorts from the 1940s.  It reminds me a little bit of an outfit I saw when I was watching The Big Sleep for the first time.

It’s always around April and May that I have to remember how to wear miniskirts without tights.  I’m currently easing myself in by wearing pantyhose.

See you Monday!

Amber von Nagel

Sunny day

Over this past week, people have asked Arthur and me if being married feels any different from not being married.  It doesn’t.  We’ve been together for close to six years and living together for close to five, so we are very much a part of each other.  After our little weekend honeymoon, I went back to work with “JUST MARRIED” still painted on my car’s rear window.  I would come home from work to find Arthur wrapped up in a big blanket, playing Xenoblade.  We are extremely snuggly.  Nothing has changed.

Yesterday it was warm and sunny, so I took a drive down to San Francisco to go to the Golden Collective‘s monthly vintage sale.  The sale is put together by vintage fashion bloggers Annalise and Jennifer of Hummingbird Girls, Ashley of Fancy Fine, Islabell of A Fine Day For Sailing, and Rachel of Mousevox.  All the ladies there were really sweet.  It’s great to meet people who love vintage as much as I do!

It was a wonderful sale, with lots of beautiful vintage pieces (at excellent prices).  I set a strict spending limit for myself, and was able to keep to it while still leaving with this beautiful, never-before-worn/probably-worn-only-once 1950s dress from the Hummingbird Girls’ collection.  The print is divine, the pleats are perfect, the little bow tie and capelet are adorable, and it still has its matching belt (a huge plus when vintage hunting)!  I was really lucky to come across a piece like this at such a mind-blowingly reasonable price.  I’m really glad to know of such a great vintage resource in San Francisco.

When I came home from the sale, I showed Arthur the dress and he liked how it looked on me.  He played Xenoblade, I put together this blog post, and we snuggled under a big blanket and ate veggie burgers.  Our life together is pretty perfect.

See you Wednesday!

Amber von Nagel

Our Wedding

Here they are.  The insanely beautiful photos from our wedding day, taken by our wonderful friend Morgan Bellinger.  I highly recommend him for weddings, or for any other time you need a photographer.  He’s incredibly good.

The commissioner who married us was really great.  She gave us a choice of where the ceremony could take place, so we chose the mayor’s balcony on the second floor.  The ceremony was beautiful and cozy.  It was the happiest moment of my life.

Afterward, Morgan took us up the elevator (the really cool old kinds where you have to open and close the doors yourself) to the fourth floor, which had spectacular lighting, and took lots of photos of us there, as well as in other rooms of San Francisco city hall.

These photos truly capture the immense love Arthur and I have for each other, and the great joy we felt on the happiest day of our lives.  I love my husband so much!

Since a lot of you wanted to know what we were wearing, I’ll tell you. I’m wearing a 1950s cheongsam with rhinestone buttons and silver lurex thread, 1950s Kramer earrings, 1950s deadstock pumps, and real gardenias in my hair. Arthur is wearing a late 1950s/early 1960s suit, a 1940s tie, a 1970s shirt, modern shoes, and a rose on his lapel. The majority of our wedding attire was purchased at Chick-A-Boom! Vintage from my darling friend and ex-employer Marissa.

There will be more wedding photos to come, but I had to post these right now.  I couldn’t wait any longer!

See you Monday!

Amber von Nagel

Detachable Collar

I love a good style challenge, especially when it involves a piece often viewed as obsolete or outdated. When I found this late 1910′s/early 1920′s lace collar during one of my vintage hunts, I thought it was too cute to pass up.  It reminded me a little of my great-grandmother Drennie’s lace collars, of which I am the guardian/occasional wearer.

I consider the crown jewel of Drennie’s collection to be this Irish lace collar.  I have a whole box full of her lace, but every piece is so dear to me that I am very protective of them, and therefore don’t get around to wearing them too much.  The collar pictured is not Drennie’s, but it was made around the same time period as some of her lace.

Detachable collars are difficult to style.  You need a neckline that works and a complimentary aesthetic.  It took me a while to come up with this way of styling it.  I kept trying to get really experimental, seeing if there was a way to incorporate this old piece into very modern outfits.  It turns out I had to call upon another era to help this antique treasure fit: the 1950′s!  I thought this little 50′s dress worked well with the collar.  Of course I had to add the little cardigan too.

This is what I love about vintage collecting.  I can put together an outfit that spans decades, or even an entire century!

Dress: Vintage, 1950′s, from Chick-A-Boom! Vintage
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Collar: Vintage, late 1910′s/early 1920′s, from Summer Cottage Antiques
Hosiery: L’Eggs
Shoes: ModCloth

See you Friday,
Amber R. Nelson