Vintage Shop Update!

I feel like that last shirt warrants a naming contest. "Genesis 19.67" would be my first entry.

Vintage Living in Porn Valley

Here are the promised interior shots of our San Fernando Valley apartment. Apologies for the egregious 6-month delay, but it took me THAT long to get the apartment "blogger clean." We're actually packing up and moving to a sweet little 1920s-era apartment in Hollywood later this month, so join me in pouring some out for this little mid-century pad. RIP, Kling St.

Egregiously Overdue Shop Update

We touched down in El-A back in August, and now that we're reasonably settled in (i.e., have discovered where to get spicy thai noodles and stiff Highball cocktails), we figured it was time to start refreshing ye olde nostalgia shoppe. Look out for some soopa secret snaps of the new casa in the coming weeks, too; it's not a gloriously drafty Victorian like we had in Oakland, but it fits all of our books (and, really, what more does one need from a home?).

Meanwhile, at J Crew...

Your move, Forever 21.

Don't Put A Bird On It, Please

Just found these soy 'duck' and 'chicken' abominations hidden behind some Trader Joe's black beans in our pantry. The Boy has some 'splainin to do. In the meantime, we're going to go flush our eyes with some industrial grade acid.

The Vintage Kitchen

Have you ever found yourself watching HGTV's House Hunters and rolling your eyes at the boners that everyone seems to get over granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and kitchen islands? Yeah, us too.

Gamming It Up

So wrong that it's totally right.

A Compendium of Kendi Looks We ♥

In the spirit of professional collaboration (and piracy), we offer you a compendium of Kendi looks that we plan to unabashedly poach and make our own. BEHOLD (and thanks, K!):

Now Available at the Goodwill: The Goodwill

(image via Reddit)

That's right! More crap to dig through at your local thrift thanks to some clever hipster with a Polaroid 2 camera and a few courses in French Film Theory under his belt. Until this turns into a chintzy mise en abyme of Suzy Perette dresses, we remain unimpressed.

Zooey Deschanel Hotness Mathematically Explained

(via Wolf Gnards)

Let's Play "Wet Seal or Stripper Supply Co.?"!

We haven't been to a Wet Seal since 1990 (the last year, incidentally, that our mother insisted on accompanying us to the mall for our back-to-school wardrobe), so imagine our surprise when we visited WS's virtual storefront upon reading about the infamous spelling gaffe and discovered that the proto-H&M of our youth is now virtually indistinguishable from every major stripper supply boutique on the web. No biggie, really, 'cept that Wet Seal has a 'Homecoming' section that suggests its core demographic is more familiar with babysitters clubs than their gentleman's variant. To prove our point, we've juxtaposed a Wet Seal item with a common (and generally more expensive) stripper costume. See if you can tell the difference! (answers below)

Sponsor Spotlight: Vint Condition & Vintage Shaun

Here are some vintage goodies that we would not kick out of our bedroom closet (if you know what we mean...and we think you do...). Visit lovely sponsors Vint Condition and Vintage Shaun for more vintage bliss and deserved retail therapy that won't break the proverbial bank.

Unsafe At Any Speed

So this is precisely what it looks like: A car with a record player mounted under the dash. They were popular options in the 1950s when clear channel radio stations were still limited and when commuting from your nascent suburban community into the city for work was still new and exciting. The Philips version pictured above-bottom seems to work a bit like a CD player in that it sucks the disc in, but most of the devices required drivers to actually drop the needle on the record. Since we can hardly be trusted to keep control of our cocktail while flipping the record (much less positioning the needle), this seems like a particularly bad idea.

File this alongside the SPCA-unapproved dog riding sack in the "History of Bad Ideas: The Eisenhower Years"

Sassy Sister Vintage Necklace Giveaway! (CLOSED)

This week's giveaway comes to us courtesy of Kim of Sassy Sister Vintage, an online vintage boutique bursting with pretty dresses, purses, shoes and quality home decor. Recently, Sassy Sister started offering one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry crafted from repurposed vintage materials. To celebrate the addition of these new pieces, the boutique is generously offering one lucky winner a dreamy pendant necklace featuring a cobalt blue vintage glass marble orb on a 16" antiqued copper chain. For your chance to win, simply visit Sassy Sister Vintage and leave a comment below indicating your favorite item from the shop before Sunday, Feb. 6 at 11:30 p.m. PST. The randomly selected winner will be announced on Monday, Feb. 7 and contacted privately with additional details. Good luck, and thanks for entering!

For up to 3 additional entries & opportunities to win:

• 'Like' Sassy Sister Vintage on Facebook & leave one additional comment

• Follow the Sassy Sister Vintage blog & leave one additional comment

• Tweet about the giveaway & leave one additional comment

Huzzah Vintage Shop Update!

For Lisa

We hope the sound of a snoring, dreaming Sassy Mae makes your day a little easier. xo, G + K (and Sassy Mae)

Proto Cindy Sherman

Those of you from the City of Big Shoulders are likely already very familiar with Outsider Artist Lee Godie's unique oeuvre, but we just recently came across it, and had to share. While the resonances with Cindy Sherman are quite pronounced, Godie's technique was worlds away from that of Sherman. Lacking both a camera and a home, the itinerant artist relied throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s on a photo booth at a Chicago Greyhound bus station to make her absurdist self-portraits, and frequently worked upon their surface with ink pens to apply color and other flourishes. And unlike Sherman, whose youth and privilege can be read on the conventionally attractive body that she distorts for many of her portraits, Godie's especially sun-damaged skin bespeaks a certain mystery that no amount of postmodern play or dime-store makeup can negate.

What wonderful stories one can tell with some pocket change.

Feeling Spotty

(Editor's Note: We're taking the day off to go frolic at the DMV. In our absence, please enjoy a fun guest post from our friends at Bess Georgette!)

Describing someone as 'spotty' isn't always considered complimentary, especially given that 'spotty' can refer to a person with an inconsistent personality or skin problem. However, the world of spots isn't all bad! After all, who can resist the lure of a lovely polka dot dress or the sense of satisfaction found in completing a 'spot the difference' challenge? We're happy to say that Bess Georgette can help you with both!

Our 'spotty' challenge features an image from an August 1, 1955 issue of Vogue. Pictured are Gwen Verdon and Ray Walston, who starred together in the movie Damn Yankees. Are you able to spot the five differences between the original image on the left and the slightly altered image on the right? While we won't be providing any prizes to those who succeed, we can offer 15% off every item in our store now thru February 11. Simply enter coupon code 'SPOTTY' at checkout. (You'll even find some pretty polka dot pieces waiting to tempt you.)

So what are you waiting for? You only have 'til February 11 to do your bit and help give spots a good name!