Chronically Vintage: costume jewelry

July 20, 2009

Pink, black and white, a dynamite colour trio {Monday Muses, July 20th}

As you may have gathered from prior Monday Muses posts, colour – in all its many splendid iterations – is a perpetual source of inspiration for me. I couldn't fathom looking at the world and not being continually overjoyed by the never-ending array of hues that exist everywhere. They can mirror moods, create beauty, convey sentiments, act as the background or foreground of a room, change the look of an outfit in a heartbeat, and fill us with powerful memories.

Each season and every month brings with it both obvious colour pallets (rust, gold and burgundy in the fall, for example) and those which may have meaning more to our own personal histories than to the rest of the world.

My Muses this week are pink, black and white, three bold colours that each speak of summer in their own wonderful ways. Pink is playful and energetic, sweet and just a little sassy at times. Black embodies the all-consuming heat of summer and also plays homage to scorching hot tarmac, evening wear, and midnight skies. White (which was last week’s Muse) is chipper and yet tranquil, it can symbolize the seemingly endless search for relief from the heat or a way to capture this season’s airy, bright beauty.

As it so often does, Flickr offered up a treasure trove of vintage inspiration featuring these three marvelous hues, which I compiled into the mosaic below.

1. Vogue 1954, 2. Memories, 3. Vintage 1950's rockabilly dress sewing pattern, 4. IMG_4101.JPG EDIT, 5. Visiting my friend in Stockholm, 6. kitty in pink, 7. Vintage Pink & Black Dishes, 8. Pink Poodle Planter, 9. la vie en rose, 10. Glamour Girl Zipper Pouch , 11. oriental peach fan brooch, 12. 50s glamour girl, 13. new shoes! {Click on a link to see a larger version of a particular image and/or for photographer information.}

From there a sprint around etsy and other corners of the web revealed a score of wonderful, summer worthy items in pink, black and white (sometimes all together, in pairs or as single hues), which I hope will fill you with the upbeat, mid-July spirit I feel they posses.

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{With its simple, timeless design this all black cloche hat instantly calls to mind the 1920s, but would work with a variety of vintage (and modern) styles (many thanks to Loose Leaf Tigers’ blog where I first spotted this wonderful hat). $49.00 (US) from ModCloth.}

{Though the seller lists these pretty floral drop earrings as being from the 1980s, there is something unmistakably art deco about their design that would make the wonderful companions for 1920s and 30s styles. $4.00 (US) from etsy seller Mole Hill Treasures.}

{You’d want to get caught with your hand in the cookie jar when it’s as fantastically adorable as this vintage kitty cat one is! $58.00 (US) from etsy seller Junkyard Gypsy.}

{What better place to store your favourite old fashioned cookie recipes (or those for any other dish) than in this incredibly cool vintage rotary style recipe filing container. $30.00 US from etsy seller Sunset Vintage.}

{Large roses are splashed across this lovely, almost antique looking “kiss lock” purse, making it a wonderful way to bring the beauty of a summer garden into your wardrobe all year round. $37.99 (US) from Modcloth.}

{There is something so strikingly pretty about this fantastic pair of flower shaped rhinestone brooches! $16.00 (US) for both pins, from etsy seller She’s Fancy.}

{This beautiful hot pink, faux leather (pleather) rose belt would be so much fun paired with a huge range of dresses, skirts, cardigans or tops! $28.00 (US) from Igigi.}

{For another terrific way to adorn your waist with pink, black and white, why not slip on this whimsically adorable vintage apron that features a bevy of old fashioned ladies and gentlemen taking their beloved dogs for a stoll. $28.00 (US) from etsy seller I.W.O by Courtney Jane.}

{If you’re a fan or sweet black licorice, why not add some flare to your candy dish with these charmingly old fashioned looking Black Taffy sweets? $2.19 (US) for 10oz, from Troyer County Market.}

{Whether you serve up pink lemonade, white floating islands, or black jelly beans on this sweet flower bedecked vintage tray, it’s sure to be the star of your table. $17.99 from etsy seller Bella Blue 96.}

{Adorned with wonderful pink and black cross stitch this vintage table cloth is almost too pretty to use. $48.00 (US) from etsy seller Dishy Vintage.}

{Isn’t there something compellingly beautiful at this vintage black and pink glass bead necklace and earring set? I think it would be the perfect jewelry to wear to a cocktail or dinner party. $45.00 (US) from etsy seller The Eclectic Diva.}

{Wouldn’t this elegant black and pink lace vintage jewelry box look incredible on a dresser or vanity? $54.50 (US) from etsy seller 5 Gardenias.}

{Give the classic LBD a cheery shot of colour with this magnificently lovely vintage velvet and silk evening dress. $98.00 (US) from Etsy seller Voodoo Lounge.}

{The soft pink hue of these absolutely lovely 2.5 inch heels makes almost them surprisingly easy to pair with a wide array of different colours. $29.99 (US) from ModCloth.}

In searching for the items above, I discovered there is actually a really good sized number of vintage pieces that feature pink and black together (often with white thrown into the mix as well), which is great to know as I’m a big fan of these colours (one of my about thirty different dream kitchens would encompass these three colours paired with steel or chrome). Are you a fan of this trio of July inspired hues, too?

May 25, 2009

Monday Muses {May 25th}

Rarely does a week goes by when a particular colour (or combination of hues) isn’t on my mind, inspiring and enriching my life (and sometimes my wardrobe) in one or another. I’ve always been deeply wild for the rainbow, crazy about the colour wheel and positively giddy when staring at a wall of paint chips. As we’ve now passed the less-than-a-month-until-summer mark, I can’t help thinking about a wonderful – one might say luxurious – colour that has once again returned, via the marvel that is sunlight, to my world: gold!

From the pricey metal in bar form to bottle of nail polish in this rich hue, warm gold and golden sunlight are my Muses on this last Monday in May.

It almost goes without saying that gold can conjure up thoughts of the rich and famous, of opulence and grandeur, yet it can also sweetly simple and understated. Think of a plain gold wedding band, a pair of gold hoops adorning a child’s ears as her first earrings, the wrapper inside a chocolate bar.

The colour (as opposed to the metal) gold fades in and out of vogue continually. One has only to think of the “harvest gold” kitchens of the past or the way this shimmery shade ruled discos everywhere to be reminded of gold's trend-ability. Yet gold is also timeless. Worn tastefully it works as well today as it ever has – perhaps even more so given the wide range of gold toned fashions on the market these days.

Where once wearing the colour gold was reserved more for evenings out, fancy events or dancing alla Studio 54, over the past few years metallic colours have become considerably more mainstream. Gold bags, shoes, shirts, make-up and certainly accessories seem to have become a fixture in many clothing shops. Style experts like Stacey and Clinton from What Not To Wear have even said that it’s perfectly alright to mix metallic tones within the same outfit (thus lending gold even more versatility).

I can never pick a favourite metallic shade. One day I feel that silver looks the best against my pale skin, the next gold seems to bring out the green in my eyes more vibrantly, and yet the next I’ll love the way bronze highlights the red in my hair. For those days when I’m in a golden mood though, I definitely want to embrace this gorgeous colour in such a way as to seem timeless/vintage, as opposed to like I have disco fever or am trying imitate a Renaissance monarch.

Luckily gold spun its way into numerous looks from the 1940s, 50s and early 60s, all eras that I strive to dress like. As a fabric colour gold blends excellently with cream, ivory, brown, fawn, dark and sage greens, deep blues, royal purples, pumpkin, and many shades of red, amongst other hues. With these same colours and certainly others, gold can also make for a sophisticated and timelessly pretty accent throughout your home, such as in the mid-century dresser below.

{Practical and pleasing to the eye, this hand painted vintage dresser from etsy seller Decor8 Renov8 is available for $400US (which includes free shipping within the continental US), and would make a lovely and functional piece for a bedroom, guest room, craft room or anywhere else you need storage and a glimmer of gold.}

Whether in astoundingly high priced designs or the more affordable realm of costume pieces, gold is most definitely at home in the world of jewelry. I don’t own much real gold, but I do have a few gold toned and gold plated items such as earrings, which I certainly put on when I want a subtle twinkle near my face. As gold has been such a popular medium for centuries, most certainly including the twentieth, jewelry collectors can easily find pieces from any decade of the last century to suit their budget and tastes.

{Isn’t this gold toned, cat-eye glasses pin too cute for words? If this pin – which is available from Viva Vintage Clothing for $15 – was mine I’d be tempted to wear it with just about every button front cardigan I own, especially when heading to the library! :)}

Gold is certainly not reserved for jewelry alone though, it can take pride-of-place in a dress, glisten subtly via metallic threading in a skirt or be used as the stitching colour in a pair of jeans, for example. Gold goes well with most skin and hair tones and can easily be worn by people of any age. When I think of gold hued clothing from the past, I always think of graceful, well dressed women with their hair up serving guests at a dinner party or attending a fête someplace lavish and lovely.

{One look at this sublime, embroidered vintage dress and your eyes can’t help but light up. The pairing of gold and a gorgeous emerald meets turquoise hue is down-right enchanting. At $58US, this reasonably priced frock from etsy seller Beta Boutique will make for an absolutely gorgeous buy for one lucky gal.}

{Should you be looking for more of a subtle spark of gold, why not slip into a fantastic pair of dancing shoes such as these 1940s black velvet and gold heels that UK vintage seller Candy Says currently has a pair of for £60 (UK pounds).}

Like most members of the yellow family, gold is a cheerful, slightly energizing colour. Its natural luster and adaptability as a metal, and a hue, make it suited to the fashions of any era, the not the least of which is mid-twentieth century - as evident by this delightful selection of gold infused images from Flickr.

{Vintage Midas Touch}