Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Wardrobe Basics: Leather

For me, one of the wardrobe basics is leather. Leather is timeless. An investment in solid leather accessories is a no-brainer. They will never go out of style, and can be incorporated into so many looks! Check out how I use two vintage tan-leather accessories to accent a modern outfit below.

Silk Tunic, Ann Taylor Petites
Belt, Vintage - similar here
Pants, Delias Morgan Skinnys Mayfield Wash
Shoes, Vintage deadstock - similar here



Maybe it's all in my head, but I feel like there's 2 reasons that people don't wear or won't wear vintage.


1) They think it's used and icky, or
2) They don't know how to mix it into their wardrobe and still get the look they're going for.

And yet, people buy "distressed" and "worn" jeans, leather, shirts, etc. If your problem is #1 - don't stress! Most vintage stuff hasn't been worn in over 40 years and can easily be washed. But if you still don't want to wear used, there's plenty of "deadstock" out there - which means vintage that has never been worn, but comes from a store closing or is the vintage version of buying those hot new shoes you saw in the shop window and forgetting about them in the back of your closet. A lot of deadstock items come with original shop tags. Just search "deadstock" on Etsy or any vintage site to find the never worn vintage.

If your problem is #2, it's all about stepping outside of the cookie cutter world of what's sold in the mall, and moving into making your own looks! Find your favorite fashion bloggers that mix in vintage, and check out what they're doing. Honestly, a lot of vintage doesn't look dated or "out there" - Half the time if I'm wearing vintage, no one can even tell. It's all about style! Follow my Dress Up, Not Down and Vintage Threads boards on Pinterest for daily inspiration. Most importantly, find some vintage you can relate to and experiment!

Mix together your modern clothing with some vintage additions. There's no book of rules that says you have to wear purely vintage.

Monday, February 25, 2013

SHOP UPDATE + I'm Featured!

foxburrow vintage raffia bag
Raffia Bag
foxburrow vintage bold sheer dress
Bold Sheer Dress
foxburrow vintage wool green dress
Wool Green Dress
floral buttonup foxburrow vintage
Floral Button-up
teal maxi skirt crinkle foxburrow vintage
Teal Crinkle Maxi Skirt
foxburrow vintage decorative tin
Decorative Tin
foxburrow vintage leather belt
Leather Belt
Foxburrow vintage cookbook set
Cookbook Set





I've been a busy gal - adding new goodies to the shop every day! Here are some recent additions that have me in the mood for spring. The flowing crinkle maxi skirt makes me long for a warm, breezy day, and the bold floral button up is colorful and fun! No matter how hard I try, though, I can't wish the winter away. Every time I open my door I feel like this:


I'm just waiting for the week where I get my first 50 degree day. I know I will wear something irrationally lightweight and be cold all day, but I'm ready for it!

In the mean time, I'm trying not to let winter get me down. And a huge help with that this week was being featured as the Vintage Team's Shop of the Week on Etsy! On Etsy, sellers team up in groups that match their interests, and I'm a member of a number of wonderful vintage teams. We work together to identify mysterious objects, promote and assist each other and the camaraderie is great! Teams give us a place to dream our biggest dreams and not be shot down. As Shop of the Week, I got an entire treasury dedicated to my shop! The curator chose my vintage housewares to spotlight. Click through to the treasury and say hello!
Shop of the Week Treasury

Thursday, February 21, 2013

SHOP UPDATE: Spring Fling

foxburrow vintage spring sun dress
Structured Spring Sun Dress

foxburrow vintage navy and yellow
Navy and Yellow Polkadot Dress
foxburrow vintage 1970s cheongsam floral
1970s Cheongsam Floral Dress

foxburrow vintage batwing gray dress
1980s Batwing Grey Striped Dress


foxburrow vintage 80s polkadot buttonup
1980s Polka Dot Button Up

foxburrow vintage seashell cardigan
1980s Seashell Cardigan
Despite the insane amount of winter coming our way here in New England, I'm just ready for SPRING to come! Photographing these beauties makes me long for the days of 70 degrees and sunny skies. Longer days and shorter nights and more outdoor adventure sounds right up my alley.

When I am out shopping for the Foxburrow Vintage Spring/Summer collection I'm looking for silks and light weight polyesters and rayons. Floaty fabrics and delicate knits. Pastel colors and pretty details. Nautical themes and classic pieces. Chunky shoes and wicker basket bags. Leather belts and pretty scarves.

On the men's end of things, I haven't been able to do much hunting for the fellows... but it's on my to-do list!

Tomorrow I'm off to an exciting looking estate sale... a pile of 50s hats caught my eye and sealed the deal. We'll see what kind of gems I find!

Sunday, February 17, 2013

My First Etsy Treasury: GOLD on the CEILING


Treasuries on Etsy are a great way to express your taste and to find others who have similar taste to you. Nothing's better than finding a big block of items you love all in one spot and being able to hit the little heart button on ALL of them.

Better yet is knowing that in making a treasury you're helping out other sellers on the Etsy platform! Some day, they may remember that and include you in a treasury - and who knows, it could be a front page treasury.

I love finding a theme to inspire me to create a treasury - whether it's a song, a feeling, the weather, a mood, a particular item... Anything can be inspiring! Though this is my first treasury as Foxburrow Vintage, I've made many treasuries before as ThePurpleHedgehog. Stay tuned to the blog for a post on what makes a treasury great.

But for now....

SEE THE TREASURY...

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Bohemian Spring

 I haven't had hair this long since I was about 12 years old! Whenever I curl it a bit or let it dry naturally wavy, I get a real 1970s vibe. So the fact that I've been finding some fabulous 1970s pieces recently has been a total treat. I love putting on clothes from another era and coming out with a totally different vibe. This pretty dress is silky on top and sturdy on the bottom. Lovely for a brisk spring day when it's too cold for sleeveless, but too warm for sweaters.
70s purple dress
70s Purple Mosaic Dress
70s wood heels
1970s Wood Stacked Heels
The shoes are kind of perfect, too. I picked these up not knowing if Aldo was really that old of a company, but turns out they started out in 1972 in Canada. Being so close to Canada here in New Hampshire... I love to think of the story behind these. Either being bought on a trip to Canada by some 70s New Englander, or brought down by a Canadian who may have migrated... The European sizing on the shoe (38) as opposed to the US sizing tells me that they weren't bought here in America, and since the company originated in French-Canada, it's safe to assume they made their way down from our northern neighbor! Research is one of my favorite parts of selling vintage!

Sometimes, the odds are stacked up against you finding out where your item came from, what its value is, or what era it's from...but with enough persistence there's often something there for you. Try researching one of your own vintage pieces and see what kind of quirky information you can come up with!

Monday, February 11, 2013

SHOP UPDATE: Literary Finds

I'm a total bibliophile, no doubt about it. I love books and lots of them. I am particularly enchanted with vintage titles that have stunning covers. Decorative cloth covers are something I almost always spring for when I see them. I love the visual effect of these stunning books sitting alone on a table or shelf, or propped next to a matching vintage find. Enchanting. But of course, aside from the design of the book, I am also intrigued by the stories they hold. I love doing research on the books and the authors who wrote them, and am always delighted when I find an obscure book or author. 

Here are some of my interesting finds for this week, available in the shop.
The Trees by Conrad Richter Foxburrow Vintage
The Trees by Conrad Richter
Synopsis: The Trees is a moving novel of the beginning of the American trek to the west. Toward the close of the eighteenth century, the land west of the Alleghenies and north of the Ohio River was an unbroken sea of trees. Beneath them the forest trails were dark, silent, and lonely, brightened only by a few lost beams of sunlight. Here, in the first novel of Conrad Richter's Awakening Land trilogy, the Lucketts, a wild, woods-faring family, lived their roaming life, pushing ever westward as the frontier advanced and as new settlements threatened their isolation. This novel gives an excellent feel for America's lost woods culture, which was created when most of the eastern Midwest was a vast hardwood forest---virtually a jungle. The Trees conveys settler life, including conflicts with Native Americans, illness, hunting, family dynamics, and marriage.
M/F Anthony Burgess First Edition Foxburrow Vintage
M/F by Anthony Burgess (First Edition)
 Synopsis: Kicked out of college and harassed by his lawyer, Miles Faber abandons New York and embarks on a defiant pilgrimage across the Caribbean to find the shrine of Sib Legeru, an obscure poet and painter. But in the streets of Castita's capital, where a wild religious festival is in full swing, a series of bizarre encounters - including his own repulsive doppelganger (the son of a circus bird-woman) - and disturbing family revelations await Miles, who soon finds himself a willing victim of dynastic destiny. A darkly surreal comedy of dazzling linguistic inventiveness, MF is an outrageous tale of blood, lust and the machinations of fate.
Our Bessie Rosa Carey Foxburrow Vintage
Our Bessie by Rosa N. Carey
 Synopsis: Our Bessie by Rosa N. Carey was written in 1895, and revolves around the life of Bessie, the daughter of a poor country doctor. She meets and befriends another young woman named Edna, who counts herself a modern woman that thinks Bessie is sweet and naive. She makes it her goal to help Bessie become more wordly, but eventually leads herself into trouble. Through prayer and council from the well-raised Bessie, Edna's life is brought back around. A nostalgic stroll through a more pleasantly innocent time. A morality play.
Barbara Heathcote's Trial Rosa Carey Foxburrow Vintage
Barbara Heathcote's Trial by Rosa N. Carey

Synopsis: Barbara Heathcote's Trial by Rosa N. Carey was written in 1871, and was hailed in The Literary World Journal (1883) to be "a novel of a sort which does not appear too often in any one season, and which it would be a real loss to miss." No synopsis available.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Nemo: My First Blizzard

Nemo Storm NH
 Nemo struck last night and this morning with extreme force! Originally from Tennessee, this was my first snow storm that was officially classified as a Blizzard. The snow was too powdery to make into snowballs or build a snow fort...believe me, I tried both.

Nemo Blizzard Nashua
 The wind was very strong and the snow was so light that snow drifts formed. The wind blew the snow around in big puffs and plumes, and it settled heavier against the side of our cars. You can see there's no snow on the top of our 1940s ranch home - the wind swept it all away, seemingly into our driveway. With snow like this, it's hard to tell exactly how much snowfall actually fell, but estimates are saying about 21 to 24 inches.

Winter Snowstorm Nemo New Hampshire
This is me learning how to use the snow blower. When the wind blew the wrong way, that cloud was in my face. It was kind of fun, but very cold. I'm rocking a Mad Bomber hat in red/black plaid, a handmade scarf, a jacket from Delia*s with Thinsulate, and some pants I've had forever. Lots of undergarments, including an amazing Llama Sweater from JessJamesJake on Etsy.

Here are some goods from Foxburrow Vintage that would have been most excellent in this crazy storm:
DVF Plaid Shirt

Men's Plaid Shirt

70s Wool Scarf
Nordic Emerald Sweater

Thursday, February 7, 2013

SHOP UPDATE: Jewels and Bling

1970s Givenchy Bracelet
1970s Givenchy Bracelet
Monet Gold Owl Brooch
Monet Gold Owl Brooch

Squiggle Stud Earrings
Squiggle Stud Earrings

Pink Rhinestone Bling Ring
Pink Rhinestone Bling Ring

Tiny Cameo Earrings
Tiny Cameo Earrings


Safari Elephant Necklace
Safari Elephant Necklace
Jewelry can add the perfect touch to any outfit. With the right colors and themes, it can pull your outfit together and give the overall impression that you're looking for. Without it, an outfit can look lost and incomplete. Add any of these jewels to your arsenal. They were all hand picked by me, because in looking at thousands of jewelry pieces, these are the ones I fell in love with for one reason or another. Overly blingy, an animal I am fond of, tiny, funky, fresh.... What catches my eye is always changing. But hopefully you'll enjoy these lovely finds.

SHOP: Foxburrow Vintage on Etsy

Monday, February 4, 2013

SHOP UPDATE: The End of Winter

Emerald and Ivory Fair Isle Star Sweater / Pippi Sweater
Nordic Emerald Green Sweater


Vintage Cranberry Red Frye Leather Riding Boots / Karen Boots (size 7) Listing Stats
Frye Leather Boots

Vintage Pure Silk Eggplant Tunic Blouse / Soo Blouse Vintage Pure Silk Eggplant Tunic Blouse / Soo Blouse
Purple Silk Tunic
1970s Black and Silver Sparkle Glitter Blouse / Metallic Button Up Shirt / Gabby Blouse
Sparkle and Shine Shirt
Tan Font-Zip Embroidered Leather Booties / Ankle Boots / Carla Boots (7.5)
Embroidered Leather Booties
1970s Pink Flecked Tweed Short Jacket with Tapered Waist / Lina Blazer
Victorian Style Collarless Jacket

1980s Emerald Green and Gold Six Button Blazer / Shana Blazer
Emerald Green Blazer
 Vintage Diane Von Furstenberg Yellow and Black Plaid Button Up Unisex Shirt / Andi Shirt Listing Stats
Diane Von Furstenberg Plaid Shirt
1970s Mustard Yellow Basket Weave Knit Bell Bottom Sleeve Sweater / Marlie Sweater (S) Listing Stats
Basket Weave Yellow Sweater
1960s College Town Cranberry Red Corduroy Jacket by College Town / Suze Blazer Listing Stats
Cranberry Red Jacket

Click the photo to get into the shop and purchase.

This is the last of the Foxburrow Vintage 2012/2013 winter goodies. Stay tuned for some fabulous spring finds coming through to the shop soon!
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