liebemarlene vintage

Peppermint!

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:05:00 +0000

I know I've been kind of a downer lately, but things are finally looking up--I got medicine for my sickness (it's nothing serious and I'm not going to die, like I half-thought I would!) and was in a much better mood yesterday and actually felt motivated again. Then today I took all my Ebay packages to our super nice mail lady and she handed me a package from Australia in return, and it turned out to be the new issue of Peppermint Magazine!

I've been wanting to get my hands on an issue of Peppermint ever since I first saw the beautiful Bec Winnel-designed cover of their last issue, so when their editor Kelley asked me if I'd like to have a style feature in their new issue of course I said yes, and then a little while later when she asked if I'd like to be on the cover I said . . . yes, maybe?? It's just that their last cover was so pretty that I was afraid of jinxing it with my photo . . . But I think they did a great job of it, and the lovely lettering on the cover takes some of the attention away from my scraggly Christmas morning hair.

I scanned in the feature here if you'd like to read it . . . The rest of the magazine is extra lovely--it's always refreshing to read magazines that are written for real people who don't happen to have endless amounts of cash to spend on clothes (or who don't aspire to dress just like Alexander Wang-wearing hipster socialites, but that's another post that I probably shouldn't write). Peppermint is more pretty than edgy (I mean that in the best way possible!), and being an eco-focused magazine it dedicates plenty of space to vintage and d.i.y. clothing. Honestly, why does Australia have to have all the best magazines?

New this week . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:33:00 +0000

Lazy Wednesdays and Southern Porches

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:18:00 +0000

Photos by Drew! (the second photo is of his porch--isn't it the prettiest?)

This isn't a real outfit post--I'm still feeling kind of out of it and my photo face is looking even worse than usual, but I bought this dress to sell in the store and just had to wear it once. It kind of reminds me of those '20s ones I talked about yesterday . . . . loose and floral print, with subtle ruffles at the neckline. Good for lazy summer evenings like the one I had tonight . . . I was going stir-crazy in my apartment so I drove to Atlanta to visit Drew, and we cooked out and watched television (he watched the Tour de France while I went to another room to watch some nerdy history program on PBS) and ate cookies and made jokes, and I really am feeling a bit better now. But obviously still not quite up to writing a decent blog post!

Here's a terrific one, though: my sister just did a little online interview with one of our big blogger crushes, Alexandra of Gluda Finds Lulu. You can find it here!

Silent Sunday photos I've been hoarding . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:49:00 +0000

Mystery actress (sorry!) and (I think) Thomas Meighan. . . . . . Louise Brooks.

My old Silent Sundays tumblr blog has pretty much been forgotten; I've been too lazy to update it, even though every once in a while I still go on hunts for photos for it. Strange. I think that I just get a little bit overwhelmed by Tumblr and all of the blogs I follow and then forget to check it (just like my Twitter!) and then forget to upload the pictures I find.

I'm sure I'll get around to updating it again because lately I've been more inspired by the silent era than any other . . . Particularly some of the simpler looks of the '20s. And not so much the flapper or evening gowns as much as the simple cotton day dresses and plain jane frocks with bits of ruffles or embroidery at the collars. Well, I'm sure I'll do a post on it some time. At the moment I'm a little sick (again!) and non-coherent, so I'll just stop rambling and leave you with the photos . . .

Silent Sunday favorites Dolores Costello and Madge Bellamy.

Marion Davies . . . . Enid Bennett.

Bessie Love (I think) and William Haines (who I need to do a post on one day!) . . . Alma Bennett.

Inspiration: Autochromes by Etheldreda Janet Laing

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Looking at old autochromes online never fails to make me wish I could go back in time . . . The colors in them may not be quite realistic, but they're usually prettier than real life--mostly pastel and soft focus and a little faded from time. Everything looks so nice and lazy . . . women walk around gardens in their cotton and lace dresses, with their hair done up like Edwardian theater stars, protected from the sun by straw hats and parasols. Or they sit around on abnormally green lawns, looking a little bored, but in an idealistic and romantic sort of a way, as if they have all the time in the world to sit around. Which to me sounds like heaven.

At least that's the sort of world that Etheldreda Janet Laing captured in her Edwardian era photos. I found her work on this amazing site devoted to autochromes called The Dawn of Colour, which has photos that go far beyond my romantic autochrome generalizations, with subjects much more exotic and maybe a little more realistic than Laing's pretty scenes of country life. But for some reason I like Laing's autochromes best.

Apparently Laing was the wife of a well-to-do barrister in Oxford, living in a "large well-appointed house" complete with a darkroom for her photography hobby. She mainly took photos of her two daughters, who always look weirdly calm and serene, with their hair always in place. They look like the sort of sisters who've never had a fight in their lives, though I doubt that was the case. They probably fought just as much as my sisters and I did growing up, and I bet that they got annoyed with their mother for making them pose with bouquets of flowers. But don't they look like they belong in some wonderful old escapist, Edwardian novel?

Photos found at the Science and Society Picture Library.

The Prado, Bruno, and a weekend back in Atlanta

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Photos by Drew

1940s dress: Etsy
John Romain bag: Ebay
Shoes: Pierre Hardy for the Gap
'30s locket: gift from Drew
socks: Target

In midtown Atlanta there's this wonderful little neighborhood called The Prado, and it has a string of hidden parks that you can only get to by walking down steep and treacherous (if you're wearing heels) stone stairways--we've already taken photos there three times but it's so pretty that we keep going back to find new spots. It's the perfect place to go for photos when there's just not enough time to travel outside the city or it's way too hot for long trips.

That's why we went there yesterday, at least. Our day was packed full of things to do--first Drew and I went to a bakery to have brunch with some friends (I had a chocolate muffin!) and then we went to spend a few lazy hours at Barnes & Noble just to look at magazines. They were pretty uninspiring. Even the ones that I normally like are sort of boring at the moment--this awful same-y edginess in every one of them. I should have just bypassed the magazines for the Southern history section.

After that we took blog photos, and then had sushi for dinner and went to see Bruno, which was probably the second movie I'd seen in a theater in three years. I normally hate going to the movie theaters since I can't sit still and I'm no good at appreciating new movies, but I couldn't pass Bruno up. It's a good sort of movie for people like me who have an immature sense of humor and maybe a case of A.D.D.

Today was a lot lazier--we made one trip to a thrift store, and then came home and rested, watching It Happened One Night on TCM. Now it's half-storming out . . . Weather.com is giving us a "Significant Weather Alert," and I think it may be hailing out, and suddenly storm watching at the window seems a lot more fun than blog post writing!

Return of the yellow jacket

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:39:00 +0000

I've had the worst luck at estate sales over the past few months and I really wasn't wanting to get up for this morning's, but I felt like I had to go since it promised vintage clothing and was only three miles away. But unlike the sales I've gone to lately the clothing promised really was vintage! Well, mostly '60s, but cute anyway--some little lace dresses and a tweed jacket and some '60s coats. The best thing I found by far was this little goldish-yellow jacket . . . Supposedly it had belonged to an actress in the '60s; her daughters were in charge of the estate sale and--in terrific New York accents--kept trying to get me to buy a similar green coat instead, saying that it was in much better shape, but I only had eyes for the yellow one. And of course when I got it home I saw that they were right--it needs a good drycleaning and the hem's completely undone.

I really don't mind paying a little extra to have it freshened up though because I think it might be the '60s jacket I've been looking for. My love of yellow coats started up almost three years ago when I found a little Aquascutum coat at the thrift store. I wore that thing as much as you can get away with wearing a yellow coat . . . it may have been bright, but back then I was into much brighter things than I am now, and whenever people made jokes about how they could see me coming from blocks away I just fake-laughed them off. And then when my style started to gravitate towards more subtle colors and less graphic shapes I put the coat in the back of my closet and forgot about it.

The Aquascutum thrift store find . . . . . Trying on a Milly coat in the dance club mall . . . . . Elizabeth Hooks in an old issue of Lucky.

But then last year some time I saw the most amazing goldenrod-y yellow '60s coat worn by an Anthropologie fashion merchandiser in Lucky Magazine, and it sent me on a hunt for a new version of a '60s yellow coat. I ended up selling the Aquascutum coat, but never found a replacement 'till today. The new one is a bit more subtle in color than the more mod one that I sold, but I think that the best thing about it is its shape--smaller and more fitted, with a daintier (I kind of hate that word, but it fits!) collar and sleeves, and then little rhinestone covered buttons that are sort of old lady-ish, but maybe in a good way. And then the length is absolutely perfect, which you really can't tell from the photos since the hem's hanging loose and looking terrible. Actually the whole thing's in pretty bad shape right now, but by Fall I'm going to do my best to have it all dry-cleaned and tailored up and ready to put on my blog. And I'm crossing my fingers that by then my hair will be long again, too--seeing photos with my hair all long and kind of ratty makes me wish I never cut it!

New this week . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Coming to the store . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:12:00 +0000

I'm not feeling the best right now (I know, I'm a sickly person!) so instead of coming up with a post I'm just going to post a few pictures of some things that will be going in the store tomorrow. I'm especially excited about tomorrow's update . . . there will be lots of summery floral dresses, two wonderful cotton blouses, a '60s bikini, shorts, and the most wonderful little white sailor dress. And I think that this week's batch will be going back to my Ebay store--not that I don't love Etsy (I really do!) and I haven't entirely given up on the idea of an Etsy shop, but I just can't say goodbye to Ebay yet, I suppose.

Pretty things I found in my mailbox . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Well, I guess most of these pretty things found their way to my mailbox because of my crazy June online shopping spree. For the longest time I was having an impossible time finding anything online, too--I was doing daily searches on Ebay and Etsy for the perfect vintage dresses, only to end up finding them on Etsy after they had already sold, or on Ebay only to forget to bid on them. But then all of a sudden wonderful things started showing up--this little '40s dress was one of them, and even though I had already bought two dresses in the summer sales (I still feel half-guilty for buying them so they'll make their debut later!) and even though I've been trying to ween myself off of dresses like this I couldn't leave it behind.

The pencil portraits were actually a gift from the lovely Maria Confer, who wrote to me a few weeks back offering to do a drawing of Scarlet. She has an Etsy shop called Lulu Letty that sells her drawings and custom portraits, and it was all so cute that I took her up on her offer in a hurry. It really couldn't have been better timing. I remember walking into the dance club mall just after I found out that Scarlet had died . . . we had gone there to get my mind off of sad things, but of course all I could think about was Scarlet, and really out of nowhere I suddenly remembered the portrait Maria was making, and it made me feel a bit better. I don't know; is that strange? I got the same feeling later on that day when it rained for the first time in weeks . . . it just seemed so fitting.

Anja's the one to blame for June purchase number four, since she sent me the link to a Marion Davies biography on Etsy. Well, really it was nice of her--I'm in the middle of reading the book now and it's put me on an even bigger Marion Davies kick than I was on before. If I had been around in the '20s I would have tried to be her friend for sure!

At the moment I'm obsessed with the Etsy shop Rosebud Cottage and the vintage barrettes it sells, even though my hair's still at a weird in-between stage that makes me look extra funny when I wear any sort of barrette or headband. But when I saw this little pale yellow rhinestone barrette from the '40s I just had to buy it.

And you've already seen these sandals in two of my outfit posts, and I guess it's safe to say that you'll be seeing a lot more of them since I've been wearing them about every day. I just love them; they're the '70s ankle strapped sandals I've been on the hunt for for months, and the 2 inch heel makes them just right for weird summer adventures. But really I'm just waiting 'till Fall when I can wear them with a pair of black tights. I don't think I've ever been so excited for cool weather in my life!

4th of July Fun

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Photos by Drew! (more photos on Lauren's blog!)

On me:
'80s Laura Ashley dress and belt: thrift stores
Necklace: antique store
Sandals: Etsy
Purse: Tiny Rose from SWANclothing.

On Lauren:
The cutest little gingham dress ever: thrift store
Socks and barrettes: Forever 21
Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Thanks for your 4th of July well-wishing! I ended up having such a terrific time in Tennessee with my family that I was sad to get into the car to go back to Atlanta. I could have easily spent more time there . . . Most of our time there was spent at my grandparents' house for their annual 4th of July party, but I did get to spend some time with my mom and sister Lauren, talking about Scarlet and Michael Jackson (I think they're pals in Heaven, because Scarlet was so much cuter than Bubbles!) and relaxing while Drew and my dad went on long bike rides in the countryside.

On Saturday two of my college friends came to the party, so it was nice to be able to joke around a lot and get my mind off of sadder things. It was a blast--there was lots of food (all the men on my dad's side of the family are obsessed with cooking, and Lauren's husband Neil is a cooking star, too) and wine (rum and coke for less fancy people like me) and fireworks, which I don't like much either, so I was a little relieved when they got rained out.

On Sunday it didn't start raining 'till later, so we drove out in the country with Drew so he could take some quick blog photos. I thought the old Laura Ashley dress I brought to wear was cute 'till I saw the little blue gingham dress that Lauren had found at a local thrift store. If it hadn't been made for tiny-waisted girls like Lauren I think I might have stolen it.

These photos also mark the debut blog appearance of my new denim purse. The lovely Tara at SWANclothing must have known that I was getting bored of the 2 or 3 purses I carry around on a regular basis, because she offered to send me one of her new Tiny Rose purses, which I'd been eyeing. I think I've used mine about every single day since it came in the mail--small cross-body bags are just perfect for summertime anyway, but this one is especially nice and light. The denim fabric gives an edge to my a lot of times too cutesy outfits in the same way that a denim jacket does--I was actually tempted to wear a jean jacket with this dress, but it would have been way too hot and I would have gotten teased, and, besides, the Tiny Rose really gives the dress the same sort of feeling.

After we took these pictures I realized I didn't get any sorts of close-ups of the purse, but I'm sure it will be making plenty of blog appearances from now on so I'll be able to get some soon.

Weekend in Tennessee

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:44:00 +0000

Photo by the amazing Ellen Rogers

This photo may be of the English countryside but it sort of reminds me of rural Tennessee where I am right now for my grandpa's annual 4th of July weekend party. My sister Lauren and I are crossing our fingers that the thrift stores will be open tomorrow, but even if they're not I'm sure we'll find something to do . . . it's so pretty around here that it always makes me wish I had lots of extra hours to go exploring and do silly things like take blog photos and go on nerdy historic house tours. As it is I'll probably just spend the weekend eating a bunch and hiding from fireworks with little Rufus.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

New this week, from the '40s and '50s . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:15:00 +0000

I'm doing a little experiment this week and will be selling these on Etsy instead of Ebay--I have an Etsy shop I used to sell in years ago and I've half-forgotten how, but I'll see how it goes!

So you can find all these items right here.

Lazy Wednesdays

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:04:00 +0000

Photos by Drew!

'60s dress: antique store in Beloit, Wisconsin
Pink cardigan: thrift store
Necklace: H&M
Purse: garage sale in TN
Sandals: Fox Farm Vintage on Etsy

Oh dear . . . after writing yesterday's post about how much better I was feeling I suddenly got a bad case of Scarlet-blues again. It's strange how it comes and goes . . . Last night I was back to crying again, and while I didn't cry today I did feel pretty detached and strange. Also I didn't do a bit of work. I figured I was going to take the week off of listing, but I think I might list just a few things tomorrow after all--they are extra good things, too!

I did feel better once I got out of my apartment and went to visit Drew for dinner at Whole Foods and a trip to Borders. And dressing in cheery colors even helped . . . sort of. I'm not usually drawn to pink, so I'm not really sure why I've been buying so many things in girly colors lately; I found this little cardigan at the thrift store on Monday, got a mauve-ish skirt at Anthropologie on Saturday, and then yesterday found a little pink '50s blouse at a vintage store in Athens. But then I think it may be those hand-colored '20s photos and silent film star postcards that keep seeping into my head, making me want to dress in the extra girly and romantic colors that I've been trying to avoid over the last few months. I don't know what else it could be, but I guess it's ok 'till Fall comes along.

A stop in Braselton . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:55:00 +0000

I just want to say thanks a million for all your nice comments about Scarlet . . . I was so sad all weekend, crying and walking around really absent-mindedly, but after reading all the encouraging comments I got from that post I felt so much better. Because I think that Scarlet's death made me feel isolated--sort of like I was the only sad person wandering around the almost obnoxiously sunny Atlanta that weekend, and oddly enough like the only person who'd ever lost a childhood pet. Then I saw how silly I was when I read that so many of you went through the exact same thing--a lot of times even with shelties who lived to be the exact same age as Scarlet. There were so many similarities and nice words.

So this week I've been trying to go about things as normal, because I just know that if I took a few days off I'd let my mind go dark and my face would go back to being red and swollen again. So instead of listening to sad music I put on The Kinks, and I got in my car and took a vintage-hunting trip to my home of last year, Athens. I do miss it. I went to all my old favorite thrift stores and vintage shops, and even caught a glimpse of the old Georgia Theatre that caught fire last week. But I think that I must have had the most fun stopping at a place on the way called Braselton. It's exactly the sort of lazy, falling-apart little town that first drew me to the South . . . The only places that seemed to be open were antique stores; even the main street in town was filled with abandoned buildings and homes, and I was tempted to take photos at every one of them, but in the end I settled for an old 1800s mill.

Scarlet . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:52:00 +0000

It's funny because everybody kept going on and on about what a sad week it's been with all of its celebrity deaths, but I never really started crying myself 'till yesterday when my mom called me to tell me that our little dog Scarlet woke up feeling awful and probably wasn't going to live much longer. Then I cried and cried, even though Scarlet was fourteen and a half and I'd been preparing myself for the worst ever since last Thanksgiving when I first saw her really looking old and having a hard time getting around.

But even though I'd been expecting a phonecall like that I'd been dreading it all the same--it's the sort of call I seriously used to get nightmares about receiving. Scarlet's been as close as family to me ever since we got her almost 14 years ago when I was just around 14 myself, awkward and nervous and on the verge of a scary year of back braces and scoliosis surgery and my first year of high school to boot. I was shy and scared of just about everything, so I think that Scarlet's loyal, calm nature was the best thing for me . . . I latched on to her. High school was the worst for me, but at the end of every day of it I always knew I had Scarlet to meet me at the door when I got home. . . she'd lay at the foot of my bed while I read or wrote, and whenever I talked to her I was sure she knew exactly what I was saying. Also, whenever I played David Bowie and T. Rex. albums for her I was sure that she loved them!

When I went away to college I didn't get to see her nearly as much, but I always worried about her, and every time my mom called sounding the least bit sad I'd get terrified that something had happened to Scarlet. Well, when I got the call yesterday I knew that the time had finally come, and it was true . . . Just a little while later my mom called to tell me that Scarlet was gone, and we both cried and cried. I still can't get through a couple of hours without crying. I'm pretty much useless right now, so there won't be any outfit posts this week, though I'll do my best to keep up regular posts, even though I don't know how terrific they'll be. My mind's really somewhere else, I guess.

12 Things . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:55:00 +0000

The vintage issue of Dujour Magazine came in the mail the other day and it reminded me that I did a list for them of the 12 (vintage-related) things that I love about spring. Now, it was written about a month or so ago when nice spring coolness was pretty much on its way out here in Atlanta, so I was really putting together the list with summertime in mind.

1. The start of garage sale season!

2. Vintage hunting in tiny Southern towns.

3. Simple sun dress and sandals outfits.

4. Gingham, chambray, and pastels.

5. Taking inspiration from old '40s spring photos on Flickr.

6. Getting away with wearing light cardigans and faded denim jackets.

7. Planning summer vacations with thrift store detours.

8. Spotting wild lizards at Georgia flea markets!

9. Hunting down the perfect '50s bathing suit.

10. Wearing over-the-top pretty dresses for plantation sight-seeing.

11. Springtime reading.

12. Saturday morning coffee and estate sale adventures.

At the time I was still actually excited about the idea of dressing for summer; I guess I forgot how the humidity likes to frizz up my hair and how boring the simple sun dress and sandals outfits can get, and how those '50s bathing suits of my dreams never do end up fitting me right.

But then again how could I get sick of things like summer day trips and iced coffee (double shots on ice from Starbucks!) and lizard-hunting? And for all my complaining I really don't even mind summer clothes so much . . . I still do like the ginghams and floral prints from the list, only instead of being inspired by 1940s photos at the moment I'm sort of knee-deep into old '20s photos and anything Gatsby garden-party.

Garden at the Robert Mills House . . .

New this week . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Robert Mills House

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:23:00 +0000

Photos and collages by Drew!

'50s Jonathan Logan dress: stolen from my Ebay store

John Romain bag: Ebay

T-strap sandals: online somewhere, last year

On Monday, the good-bad day when I lost my debit card and then found it again (it figures that I forgot to add that part in my whiny post about it!), Drew and I did get a chance to sneak into a historic site. This one wasn't a planned trip--we were driving back to Atlanta from Drew's parents' house, and just before the sun started to set we stopped in Columbia, South Carolina to take some blog photos, and magically ended up in the town's historic district. Well, it wasn't exactly magic--Drew just did a historic site search on his iPhone, but I still have a plain jane old cellphone, so iPhones are just about magic to me!

It was really lovely--there were two or three mansions and big 1800s houses on the same block so we really had our pick of places to take photos at. In the end we went for the Robert Mills House, even though we had no idea of the history behind it or anything . . . It was the prettiest, with its old fading brick arches and its well-kept gardens, and I think it was also the easiest to sneak into, because the only people on the grounds were playing croquet and didn't seem to mind when Drew and I strolled in with his little dog Rufus. Actually the scariest near run-in we had was when we were in the gardens and a little fox pranced through with a dead rabbit in its mouth. Fortunately the mean little thing didn't spot Rufus (who might be the size of a rabbit), so it turned out all right in the end.

Ruth Harriet Louise

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 06:23:00 +0000

Marceline Day . . . . Dorothy Sebastian

Way back in college sometime I had to do a research project on all of the women involved in the making of silent films, and I remember being amazed at how many there were. I dug up information on female directors, producers, editors, screenwriters (supposedly there were more women screenwriters than men!), but I must have given up early, because I never found a single thing about women photographers of the era.

If I had just done a bit more digging around I would have found out that during the '20s MGM's chief portrait photographer happened to be a woman, and a 22-year-old one at that.

Mary Nolan . . . . . . Joan Crawford

And if I had my way this post would be filled with good biographical information on Ruth Harriet Louise . . . it would go into detail about her beginnings in photography and how she ended up in Hollywood, and how on earth she managed to head up MGM's portrait studio by the time she was in her early 20s. Unfortunately I don't know anything more about her than I could find in her Wikipedia entry, and that's just a few short, vague paragraphs that have more to do with the famous people she photographed and was related to than anything else

Sally O'Neil . . . . . . Anita Page

I really would love to know more about her. Of course I'm nerdily fascinated by any woman who played a big part behind the scenes of the '20s studio system, but then again I'm equally fascinated by her photographs. They just seem so different than the ultra-glamorous, glossed-up portraits Hollywood was churning out at the time --they seem more personal. Less perfect, but more interesting to me--I especially love the photographs of screen goddesses like Joan Crawford and Anita Page looking a bit goofy and somehow more real. And the portrait of Mary Nolan with a cigarette in hand looks nothing like the glamorous George Hurrell (one of Louise's successors) photos of smoking starlets that would come about in just a few years . . . Mary looks more tough than glamorous, and her sort of raggedy clothes and half-sad look makes me want to imagine up a story about her.

Leila Hyams . . . . . Gertrude Olmsted (she reminds me so much of Decca Mitford!)

Fortunately there happens to be a whole book on Ruth Harriet Louise and her photographs, and it's definitely going on my wishlist, too. Except sometimes I get afraid to buy big photography books because I get tempted to tear out pages and hang them on my walls. I have a feeling I'd be especially tempted with this one.

All photos are from the always amazing AliceJapan's Flickr photostream.

Monday Inspirations

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:41:00 +0000

We're back home in Atlanta after a long day of traveling, and I'm just too tired to write up the blog post I had planned--not that it was that good to begin with, but I don't want to botch it up even more with silly tired writing. It was a good-bad sort of a day--kind of long and exhausting being on the road so long . . . we ended up missing out on South of the Border, but did get to a historic area in Columbia, South Carolina that I'll write about later. So that was fun, but once we got back to Atlanta I realized that I'd lost my debit card along the way, and it doesn't take much more than that to get me scared that I'm losing my mind too.

So instead I'm going to post some of the nicer things that have been inspiring me over the last few days . . . The photos above are from my current favorite Flickr photostream, Swapatorium 2, which I love for its mix of funny and pretty and weird old photos. Are those ladies above from the '20s or '30s, though? I can't figure it out for the life of me. Those two girls in the first photos look like they're from two different decades , and I think I'm too tired to try to figure it out!

Another thing I'm a little in love with is this video for Lewis' new collection . . . Maybe watching girls walking about the city in wonderful thick coats and wintery clothes isn't the greatest thing to be watching for someone who's already tired of summer, but there's plenty of warm weather inspiration to be found too. My favorite part is when the girls change into little 1930s-ish shorts and white dresses and start tap dancing. Maybe mostly because it's nice to see that I'm not the only one out there who gets weird urges to tap dance after having a little too much to drink. But then again I don't look one-half as cute as they do . . . They are the sorts of girls who look perfectly put-together and accessorized and are probably neat and organized to boot. They probably don't go around letting debit cards drop out of their messy, old receipt-stuffed purses. But seriously, the clothes are about too good to be true, and now I've suddenly got silk tap pants, simple-but-pretty dresses, and small suitcase-style purses on my ever-growing wishlist.

LEWIS Fall 2009 Collection from LEWIS on Vimeo.

Holden Beach

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 04:09:00 +0000

Photos and collages by Drew!

Little boy's button-up shirt and purse: thrift stores

Necklace: antique store

Denim skirt: Modcloth

Shoes: Rachel Comey for U.O.

Boater: Ebay

Thanks so much for all your well-wishing for the North Carolina trip! It turned out to be a blast . . . well, it's not exactly over since we're still here, but we're planning on leaving tomorrow, followed by a visit to some thrift stores on the way back and the best roadside attraction/gas station/junk shop on earth, good old South of the Border.

I was sort of weirdly stressed out all last week, so the weekend we spent here was really perfect for me since it included lots of resting and absolutely nothing work-related at all. We did a lot of pool-swimming (the bathing suit is terrific!) and boating on the intracoastal, hanging out with two little dog friends and Drew's extra nice family. Today we drove around the little town of Southport, where there are the prettiest historic houses along the sea front.

A few of you mentioned in yesterday's comments that the things I was bringing to wear looked so simple! It's true, though . . .I brought a bunch of plain jane clothes, but that's sort of the way I've been wanting to dress lately. I love this little shirt I bought a few weeks ago, even if it is just a little boy's button-up . . . I just like the idea of wearing something that's a bit simple and loose, and just rolling up the sleeves. At the moment I like this sort of thing better than the little floral dresses I have in my closet, but then again I'm so fickle . . . And really not one to talk, considering that the last dress I ordered may be be the frilliest one my closet has seen yet.

Off to the ocean . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:03:00 +0000

This weekend I'm off with Drew for a visit to see his parents, who just happen to live on the North Carolina coast. And I'm still so not used to seeing the ocean that every time I get the chance to go I get excited and plan my wardrobe way ahead of time. Things to go in my suitcase this weekend: sort of sensible summer shoes, Southern summer reading, vacation-y purse, that '50s dress that is, um, in the store this week (I can't resist!), and the most perfect little '60s lavender eyelet bikini. I found it two days ago at Club Vintage on Etsy and got so excited that I had it sent Express mail so that it'd get here before I left. Then I started to get scared that it wouldn't fit, but it actually does, and maybe is the least scary bathing suit I've bought so far. Plus it matches my sunglasses!

So I'm not sure how much posting I'll be doing, but I'll do my best to take pictures and gather up weird stories to tell, and if I don't visit any historical places this weekend maybe I can make some up.

New this week . . .

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:17:00 +0000

Madison, Georgia

rhiannonleifheit@gmail.com (Rhiannon) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 05:58:00 +0000

Photos and collages by Drew!

'40s blouse: antique store in Pigeon Forge, TN

Shorts, purse, and belt and sunglasses: Atlanta thrift stores

Shoes: thrift store in Rockford, IL

I've been really wanting to do some more Southern exploring this summer, so I was excited when Drew suggested we go to this little historic town that his work partner told him about. Madison's a little town that's not all that far from Atlanta--maybe about an hour--but with its lazy small town atmosphere and well-preserved little downtown it's about as different as the city as you can get. I've already complained here about Atlanta's rotten habit of tearing down its old buildings and replacing Civil War battlefields with sprawling parking lots and the occasional historical marker . . . Well, Madison seems to be about the opposite. Supposedly it was one of the few towns around here that wasn't burned by General Sherman on his march to the sea, so on the road that winds into the downtown square there are quite a few big white antebellum homes still standing.

My favorite of all the buildings we saw was the old original railroad station, dating back to the 1840s, and apparently the first brick station of its kind in the state of Georgia. And it doesn't even seem to have changed much--it's sort of old and falling apart in a pretty kind of a way . . . no cheesy restorations or no conversions into lofts or offices or fancy restaurants . . . Just fading brick and patched up doors and windows, making it that much easier to sit there and try to imagine how it was back at the turn of the century.

Do you know what's really hard to try to imagine about turn of the century Southern life? The summer heat! I don't know what they did in those days before air conditioning or even fans. Especially those poor women in all of their Victorian and Edwardian layers of clothes. I'm such a baby that I even wore shorts, and I never wear shorts! I think I have the same sort of shorts-phobia that Casey has, because I haven't worn a pair for years and years, unless you count shorts-with-tights as shorts-wearing, but I don't think it's really the same. I guess that the Georgia summer heat is finally wearing away my resistance, because when I found a pair of shorts at the thrift store that actually fit I had to give in. They sort of make me feel like Ruby Keeler in a Busby Berkeley film, or at least Ruby's clumsy older sister who can't tap dance for the life of her but doesn't let that stop her from trying.