Custom Chanel Knock-Off (The Follow-Up)

Hey ESB,

As promised, here are some photos from my wedding in January, for which I had a 1999 Chanel dress re-made for me. 

Sadly, it didn't turn out nearly as sexy as the original photo (psh, that's what you get for paying $150 for a dress that's probably worth thousands), but we had a fabulous day regardless. 

I did not end up wearing the "hooker shoes" that I bought, not because you shamed me, but it just wasn't very practical in the end. I wore a $3 pair of shoes my sister found at a thrift store, instead. Ha! If you haven't noticed, I'm a miserable cheapskate. 

Anyway, thanks to you and your horde of readers for advice and what not. :)

*****

I believe this is a combo lesson in "You get what you pay for" + "Who gives a shit about the dress anyway?"

p.s. I ♥ the $3 shoes.

(Photos by Peter Kappen Photography)

But don't vintage clothes.... SMELL? (Sponsored by Monday's Child)

That's right, I have the coolest sponsors. On this bright and shiny Monday morning, I bring you a sponsored post from our lady Celia.

Hi folks! Assuming you're not completely over me after #BOOBSWEEK, I'm back to share my knowledge of vintage fashion, why you should consider wearing it if you don't, and why it's a fantastic option for your wedding. Now, before you go telling me that vintage clothes are just old rags that smell bad, let me school you a little. Thrifted clothes (which, I'll add, also have a special place in my heart) are what you're thinking of when you picture "old" and "smelly." But vintage, TRUE vintage, especially if it's been well preserved through the years, is quite the opposite of that. For those of you who aren't aware, I own an insanely rad collection of vintage clothes (if I do say so myself) that mostly comes from one woman's estate, and that happens to, believe it or not, NOT SMELL.

At this point, I've been wearing vintage for most of my life, and I'm not here to tell you that it's because I'm cooler or more vintage than you. I grew up going to private schools where I exclusively wore uniforms. "Free Dress" days are a pretty huge deal when you spend most days of your life wearing the same exact thing as the few hundred other kids you're constantly surrounded by. I discovered and became a fan of vintage because it was my way to stand out. If shopping at the mall meant looking like everyone else in non-uniform clothes, then I wanted absolutely nothing to do with places like The Gap and Contempo Casuals. I found individuality through wearing vintage, and it is why I still wear it today. When I saved every dime I had to buy myself a 1940s black satin gown for my prom, there was absolutely no fear of running into some other girl wearing the same exact dress. And on that note, don't think that vintage is so outside of the norm that it can only be outrageous or wacky. Although there are certainly many pieces that lean toward the more unique end of the spectrum, vintage can also be very simple and classic.

If you're new to the world of vintage, I understand that it can feel somewhat overwhelming. Simply put, if you get to understand the different eras and fit, vintage clothing starts to become a lot less intimidating. The first thing you should know right off the bat is that modern clothes are made to look good on hangers, whereas vintage clothes were made to look good on PEOPLE. Most vintage garments really don't come across so hot when they're just hanging in a shop or closet, so it's very important to give stuff a chance even if it looks stupid or unflattering. For the most part, it's impossible to tell how most vintage pieces are supposed to fit or lay until you literally put them on. I can't tell you how many times I've looked at a dress and thought there's no way I could ever sell it, and then been blown away once I slipped it onto a dress form. This would be an example of such a dress. When I pulled it out of storage, it looked like a tablecloth with sleeves, but was surprised to see that in reality, it had a lovely shape (it's not pinned anywhere on the form).

Also in regards to fit, a common complaint I've hear throughout the years is that vintage clothes run so much smaller, and generally speaking, this is true. HOWEVER, it is extremely important to remember that up until the 70s, women wore SERIOUS undergarments. And by SERIOUS, I mean that those ladies knew how to contain their wobbly parts and floppity milkers. Older pieces were made to be worn with these gut-cinching unmentionables, so always keep that in mind if you have it stuck in your head that vintage simply does not fit your body type. I'm not saying you have to invest in some Spanx, but you should at least consider it.

Alright, let's move onto the real reason I decided to write this post. Since this is a wedding blog, I'd like to share my brand spanking new BRIDAL selection with you guys. I think it's safe to say that most of you who read East Side Bride aren't exactly conventional brides planning conventional weddings. This is exactly why wearing vintage is such a brilliant choice for your wedding. You don't have to buy a traditional wedding gown to look like a bride. Shit, you don't even have to buy a traditional vintage wedding gown to look like a bride. As I've been digging through my collection in the past few months, I've come across a number of dresses that I would've LOVED to have been married in.

When it comes to wearing vintage for your wedding, the possibilities are endless. I think many brides fear the idea of looking dated in a vintage wedding gown, and I totally get it. Although that very classic look is stunning in its own way, it is definitely not a look that all brides can or may even want to pull off. But why not consider looking beyond typical wedding gowns? If you don't want to stray too far from the norm, there are a plethora of white/off-white/ivory vintage gowns and dresses out there that would work perfectly for a wedding. Also, make sure to keep in mind that all you need to modernize a vintage piece is to properly accessorize it. Personally, I find this to be one of the best examples of a bride WORKING a vintage dress, and managing to still look up-to-date.

If you're a more adventurous bride, color is always a great option. I find that brides who are willing to wear color tend to stick with pastels, but who says you can't go insanely bold and surprise all your guests? No one who matters, that's who.

Oh, and one last thing... make sure you don't forget about your awesome bridesmaids. After all the love and support they've provided, don't they deserve to look killer, too?

Thanks again for having me, guys. And don't forget, true vintage is timeless and gorgeous. Not smelly.

meet my summer wardrobe

I've been talking about buying white jeans for years. This cropped pair from the Gap (via Refinery29) might actually work for me.

"with the granny sandals" says Rob.

EXACTLY, Rob. Exactly.

With the (ahem) vintage Famolares I bought for $24 at Wasteland. No Urban Outfitters grannies for me.

p.s. I finally got a look at the Bass sandals (or a version of them) at the outlet mall the other day. UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGLY. No idea why I was obsessed.

I may have caught the holiday spirit.

Mock me if you must, but I think it happened somewhere between getting my hair cut on Fairfax and using an old credit (!) to buy two PERFECT presents at Buffalo Exchange on La Brea. Guess I ought to venture west more often.

Today I'll be cleaning house, roasting spiced pecans and attempting pomegranate champagne punch.* I'm more of a bourbon girl, as you know, but we've got a bottle of "California Champagne" languishing in the cupboard that was an anniversary gift from the Madonna Inn and I'm damned if I'm gonna let it go to waste.

(Image via fine little day)

*Unless anyone's got a better champagne punch recipe? I was planning to substitute organic vodka for the rum because a) organic = NO HANGOVER and b) what do I want with leftover rum?!

chic? yes. cheap? never.

Liz did it. She got married. And the girl is so f*cking adorable I can't even muster a lecture about the fake Louboutins.

Check out her wedding graduate post today on APW.

Photo credit: a bridesmaid.

can we start christmas shopping?

Y'know, now that that tedious halloween thing is out of the way?

all plaidout just sent me to The American List on A Continuous Lean. I guess I never thought about how few things are actually made in America. I'm sorry. I didn't.

The Steven Alan hunting jacket is. This would be my A-#1 gift on the list for H-town if only it made it under our $100 spending limit. (Not. even. close. bud.)

I also highly recommend Steven Alan's reverse seam shirts, for the man seeking a slightly dressy, slighty f-this look. Not to be worn with a tie. (One of my fave xmas presents scored for a bfriend past. I must admit I had to bargain hunt for that one too.)

This one (in organic cotton) is already on sale.

I am happy to report that a rad pair of Earnest Sewn jeans I bought at Crossroads a few weeks ago were also made in America. And (bonus!) they are 100% cotton, which means they don't make me want to tear my skin off.

Emily & Royal's Amelie-meets-Fiddler-on-the-Roof wedding

Finally! Noa's photos and all the sweet details from the long-anticipated (by me, anyway) feather love wedding.

Here's what Emily had to say:

Where to begin? Our wedding planning was a journey… and it was well worth all the time and effort! We wanted every detail of our wedding to reflect who we are and what we love. We chose Friday evening because we wanted our guests to be able to relax and have a good time with the weekend still ahead of them. The location was at Michael and Laura’s beautiful creek side property. The property was really the perfect palate for all the sweet details. We wanted the ceremony to be very intimate, and that’s how it turned out! I’ve always loved the wedding in “Fiddler on the Roof” and it inspired us to have our guests stand around us during the ceremony. My mom walked me down the flower petal path to our friend on the piano playing Yann Tiersen “Comptine D’un Autre Ete” (from the movie Amelie). We stood under a Chuppah draped with lace tablecloths that belonged to my great grandmother.





The Chuppah was made from wood found on the property the night before the wedding- not procrastinating at all… Our family spoke for the ceremony and my brother officiated the ceremony, so this made it all the more emotional and personal to us.


For the reception we rented picnic tables and Royal hung wire from the trees surrounding the area to hang the old fashioned lights over the tables. The lights looked like they were suspended in mid air, and the area had such a romantic feel about it. The feast turned out amazing! Royal and I have always had a soft spot for Mediterranean food because that was the meal of our first date, and the night we got engaged. Our friends Zach & Amy made the whole meal from scratch (they are now getting many suggestions to start a catering business)! The meal was family style so all the food was ready to go on the picnic tables when the guests sat down. We wanted the meal to have a communal feast feel, so everyone was able to sit and immediately serve themselves up some good food, without waiting in a line. Zach grilled the lamb on site the day of the wedding, and on the tables we had humus, tabouleh salad, and pita bread. My sister made the best sangria ever, and Royal and Michael brewed three kinds of beer on the property.





My mom and aunt made the three cakes, and we had my grandparents’ wedding cake topper. There is a French patisserie in Portland that Royal and I absolutely love, with our two favorite desserts, the Royale, and the Amelie (our French names!), so we had them make us large versions of the desserts. Somehow the two desserts imploded on the car ride over and could not be saved, so we had the small versions instead… I didn’t notice until we were cutting the cake that they looked unusually “mini,” but I was too happy to be bothered.


Almost all the decorations were hand made. It seemed like for days we were making tissue paper puffs… We made doily garlands, and ribbons with flowers hung from the trees. Royal’s mom sewed the runners on the tables. My friend Natalie is becoming quite the florist and helped me choose the flowers that she arranged in glasses, bowls, and jars that we had thrifted. The property felt magical and we really wanted our friends and family to explore all the areas, so my sister sketched and printed maps for all our guests that illustrated the different areas to walk to and hang out.



We hung paper lanterns down a tunnel of a path that led to the creek where we had a secluded spot for a couple to sit at a bistro table and chairs. Instead of doing a picture slideshow we hung photos of us from a wire line with clothespins. There was a vintage tent on a wood platform beside the creek with chairs for people to relax at. We had a bonfire area where kids could make s’mores that went late into the night.



I caught myself many times throughout the night standing and looking at the beautiful scene of our friends and family all having a good time together in such a magical place, and many times it would take my breath away. Overall the celebration turned out perfect. Royal and I both felt like it was our “coming out” as a couple. We are so happy with our wedding!


PS- many people wonder if Royal is Jewish, and although I always wanted to marry a Jewish boy, he is not- we just like their wedding traditions. (Editor's note: Jewish or not, please observe how well Royal wears his suit. Whether it is two-button or three-button, the bottom button of a suit jacket should always be left undone.)

p.p.s. There are a kajillion more photos on the feather love blog.

I have a new style crush

She had me with the vintage jumpsuit. (Obv.) And the meshmeshmesh.* And the platform lace-ups with vintage Adidas shorts? I die. But Lisa Mayock's words to live by from her Refinery29 interview are these:

Name something in your wardrobe you'll never throw away?
"Old T-shirts, sweatshirts, and leather pieces...they just keep getting better with time."


Photos by Kava Gorna

*I'm wearing the shit out of my $2.70 mesh tank.

Low-key Oregon Coast Wedding

How to introduce Amanda of Peony :: Love, hilarious wedding blogger, nose-picker, blower-of-sunshine-up-my-ass*? She's much more than that, I feel certain.

Anyhoo, here's what Amanda had to say about her May wedding:

When Nick and I first got engaged our instinct was to run for the hills and elope. We are fairly hermit-like and my association with weddings always included vast amounts of tulle and stress. It wasn't until after some firm prodding from family that we decided to do the whole wedding thing. We chose the little town of Manzanita, OR. It's on the beach about an hour and a half outside of our hometown Portland. If our wedding had a theme it would definitely be "low-key." We wanted to embrace the small town feel of the place and keep vendors to a minimum. We rented out the local community hall for the reception. My good friend got ordained online to perform our simple beach-side ceremony. No wedding party. A local restaurant owner (and friend of my parents) catered our hors d'oeuvres buffet (we gave her free reign over the menu and were pleased with what she came up with). Since everything was centrally located we chose to forgo transportation and just walk to the ceremony, reception, and back home to our beach house at the end of the night.




Editor's note: Aren't these expired-film polaroids Amanda's little sister took fucking fabulous? Esp with the short dress and that vintage car in the background....

Some wedding highlights: overflowing glasses of pink vodka lemonade. My sister-in-law doing my hair and makeup. All of Chelsea's DIY planning help. (There was a point about halfway through wedding planning when I had a meltdown over the beige paneling lining the walls of our reception venue. She brought me back down to reality and worked out the logistics of the decor for me. Amen for garland and white chairs!) My aunt and uncle made our cakes. Grandma sewed our custom napkins. I fell in love with two dresses so I got them both. I find solace in knowing no organs were sold in order to do so. It was totally worth it. My mother-in-law made my bouquet and Nick's boutonniere the morning of the wedding. One of our friends brought in some custom pink Voodoo Doughnuts from Portland to go with our cakes.


The night before the wedding a bunch of family met up at the reception location to do flowers. We used an array of milk glass vases that my mom and I had carefully thrifted over the past year. There were buckets of peonies scattered about and I said, "Go at it. Do whatever you want!" No two arrangements looked alike, and I loved it.


We spent hours and hours on a playlist and when the wedding day came we couldn't figure out how to hook up the sound system at the reception venue. My mom busted out her trusty ipod dock. In the end it didn't really matter since most of our guests drifted home after not too long. Instead, Nick and I headed back to the beach house with some family to get drunk off champagne and toast marshmallows over a bonfire.



(Photos by Joey Bloom, Kim and Amber)

*I'm glad you guys went with the tie in the end, Amanda. The paisley is so great with Nick's tat sleeve.

want vs. need

Spending time on the blogs makes me want things. And I can't help blogging about the things I want. (Or the things I want other people to want.) It's a vicious cycle.

Yesterday I left home two hours before my hair appointment just so I could go to Wasteland. I escaped without spending my own money, but not before I did a little personal shopping for Christina. Sh*t is getting out of hand.

"What's your point?" you ask me. Um.

I think I need to shop my closet again. Try everything on and ebay or Goodwill* anything not worthy of Charlotte Gainsbourg or Liela Moss. How's that for setting the bar high?**

I'll feel calmer when I love everything hanging in my closet, even if it's two pairs of jeans and five t-shirts. Then I can think about whether I really need anything. (Note to self: I have everything I need.)

H-town could not be more supportive of my creative (ie. currently unpaid) projects, but I'm beating myself up about spending money on clothes when we have to pay our car insurance.***

Know what I'm saying?

(Portrait of Charlotte Gainsbourg by Tina Tyrell)

*Can I use "Goodwill" as a verb? I'm gonna do it.

**Okay, I'm exaggerating. I promise I'll also utilize the plastic tubs under the bed, for things like wide-leg jeans that I hate now but might miss in two days.

***I think I feel more guilty coming home with the groceries from Trader Joe's and (oopsy) the skinny jeans I bought at Crossroads when H-town just smiles his ass off and says, "Hot!"

why yes

I did just buy an oversized meshy-y vintage men's tank for $2.70 at Clothes Contact. Which I plan to rock all summer with a black bra underneath.*

I am having some issues with jeans, however. As in, which jeans will I rock all summer? In recent photos, my boyfriend jeans, which I hoped were incredibly sexy in an f* this kind of way, look just plain baggy. Possibly in an unflattering kind of way. I think it's time for some new boyfriends. And I might need a new skinny pair too.**

*Um, I promise you won't see this much of my bra.

**I know I know. A year ago I was all about the wide leg. But now it is hideous to me. Effing fashion.

(Via Le Fashion)

Hi

I think I'm back. My body is back anyway, happily getting reacquainted with my little desk in the kitchen of the bungalow. It's possible I've left a few pieces of my brain strewn across the Bay Bridge. And in the parking lot of the Emeryville Denny's. (Which is a movie unto itself on a Saturday night, let me tell you.)

Anyhoo, I missed you guys. My plans for recovery/reemergence are as follows:

1. Bloggety blog blog blogging.

2. Blog stalking. (Yeah YOU.)

3. Doing laundry laundry and more laundry. This may not seem like an important part of the cure, but a) all our clothes are dirty and b) I find doing laundry strangely theraputic. I think I'm still high on having my own washing machine.

4. Drinking whiskey and watching the new True Blood.

5. Tweeting publicly again. I love YOU GUYS. I want you with me always so I can talk to you, say, when H-town gets wrapped up in a wildly boring cell conversation in the car, or I'm standing in the dressing room at Crossroads and I need style advice asap. It's only when the desperate self-promoters/assy wedding planners/porn spammers (it's a fine line) descend that I want to scratch my face off.

I have much suckier things I need to take care of, like replacing the rusted-out exhaust pipe on Blue, my beloved Volvo station wagon, and finally f*cking doing our taxes. But what's another day or two?


Images via Le Fashion. I just can't wear docs again (believe me, I wore the hell out of them from 1989-1994), but when I was costume shopping here the other week I was sorely tempted by a pair of combat boots. They are supremely good with this sheer dress.

Free Store (NYC edition)

There's a free store on the small canadian island where my dad lives. It's basically a thrift store where you don't pay for anything.

The place is only open on Saturdays and you have to show up early if you want to get the good stuff. (Actually, I've heard volunteering is the way to go if you really want first dibs.) Anyhoo, H-town is very keen on "shopping" at the free store whenever we visit my dad.

But I didn't realize the concept had such an illustrious history.

According to HI + LO, "in the 1960s, a group called the Diggers opened numerous Free Stores in SF's Haight-Ashbury and NYC's East 10th Street in which all items were free for the taking or giving."

Now two NYC artists have opened a new Free Store in the Financial District, where goods can be obtained through trade.

I hate to say it, but some good things are coming out of the recession.

F* H&M

I like their style. Don't get me wrong. But has anyone else noticed that the cotton blouses s l o w l y shrink over time?*

It took me a while to figure this out.

First I thought, "Do I really keep gaining weight?" Then I moved on to, "Why do I always buy the wrong size?" But finally it occurred to me, "If the clothes are that cheap, they're probably not made of the highest quality fabric."**

I think I'll stick to thrifting for a while. Or save my pennies to buy the Duskin pants. I have grown obsessed with the Duskin pants.

*And I don't put them in the dryer, people. I know how to take care of clothes.

**This is why I'm not planning to run out and shop the Alexander McQueen for Target collection. Even if it is inspired by Liela Moss. Cheap is not always a good thing.

(Photo of this blouse courtesy of my iPhone)

baby ambivalence

I'm on the fence about having a baby. Or, rather, I'm looking over the fence. Thinking smugly, "I'm so glad I don't want a baby."

But every so often I have a moment of doubt.*

Like when the rad eight-month-old Mr. S and I are dancing to a Tom Petty Pandora station and he makes a little humming noise to indicate that he appreciates a mean guitar riff. Or when Jamie admits to having a thrifted baby clothes collection tucked away in her shed (hello tiny Wrangler).**

And I get this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

But mostly I think about all the ways I love my life with H-town. And all the things we want to do as two.

Yikes, did I really just write a baby ambivalence post? Welcome to esb year #2.

*Mom, please do not get excited. If you ask me about this post, I will deny I ever wrote it. I'm serious.

**We had a whole corresp w/ Peonies about whether it was tempting fate and/or just plain creepy to buy baby clothes before you have a baby. But I have determined that Jamie is behaving sensibly. I mean, could you pass up a size 12mo vintage western shirt? For 99 cents? And her best friend gets the collection if she doesn't have a baby for whatever reason.

(Image of the shirt snapped for me by Jamie)