The Tango Lesson

I want to let you in on a secret. Tango shoes are the most comfortable heels in the world. They are magic. I wish somebody had told me sooner. I have been flirting with Argentine Tango for the past 10 years but never had a pair of proper Tango shoes until just recently and I was in for a big surprise. I am NOT a heel person--my choices are practical, generally maxing out at a 2.5" height.

Well, these babies are 4". On my Tango shoe shopping trip each subsequent shoe I tried on got higher and higher as all the shoes were so well balanced and comfortable. Tango dancers have a special relationship with their shoes and as I now know, there are LOTS of choices out there. Mine are from Nueva Epoca and I will be wearing them outside (which is not advised but these shoes make me want to live on the wild side). If you feel prepared to enter the Cult Of The Tango Shoe, then go check out the ultra chic line Comme Il Faut ("proper" in French), which is wildly popular and doesn't produce anything shorter than a 3" heel as far as I know (that would not be proper).


And if you want to catch the Tango dancing bug, all you have to do is watch Sally Potter's gorgeous film The Tango Lesson.

Strawberry Thief

My heart was racing in the final minutes of the ebay auction for this Liberty print blouse from J Crew. I had won one recently but it was too small, and here was a second chance. I won, it is mine, and I am so in love! This print is from William Morris and is a cornucopia of birds and flowers but I love the sort of muddied, moody feel of it. Very 1970's Pre-Raphaelite, don't you think?




Check out this painting by Frank Sidney Harper, 1919, showing the Strawberry Thief wallpaper in the background. Found here.

Do Not Leave These Lights At Home Alone...

They are going to use your house as a rehearsal space for their Busby Berkeley revival show, set up an underground poker game, and create an illegal (albeit very high quality) whiskey distillery.

Seriously, don't they look so enchanted and anthropomorphic? Hey, reading lamp, can you pass me my coffee mug? I'm almost done with this Shouts & Murmurs but I don't want to get up because Mr.Whiskers is napping on my lap.

They are part of a new collection of restored industrial antique lighting from Rejuvenation Hardware, circa 1900-1940. They've been sourced from places like NY Subways, old movie theaters, garment factories, and machine shops.

Lend a Hand
Quirky Adjustable "Hand" Bracket w/Straw Opal Shade, c1900


Don't Move, I'll Come Over There
Iron Scissor-Arm Bracket w/Lyhne Shielded Shade, c1915

People Used to Dream About the Future
Silver Steampunk Cluster Pendant, c2035 - oops, 1935


Lampus Reticulata
Pair of McCrosky Articulated Lights w/Green Shades, c1920

Pretty meets Industrial
Industrial Cloth-Cord Pendant w/Silvered Reflector Shade, c1915



Mirror, Mirror
Faries Swing-Arm Lamp w/ American Reflector Co. Shade, c1915

What To Expect When You're Expecting Liberty Of London At Target

Coated Tote--looked a bit plasticy but cute print

Yesterday I started to hear about some Liberty of London sightings (and purchases!) at some Target locations and I went into a panic worried that Portland stores would sell out of things before the official launch on Sunday the 14th. I called two stores--the first one acted all officious about the launch not happening until Sunday and then the second store I called (on NE Halsey) confirmed they had some things out. So I headed over expecting to see just a few styles but they had the motherload from lampshades to stationary to little girl's bathing suits. They were missing dishware (which I'm excited about), menswear, that friggin adorable bike, and a few of the clothing items I was wanting to check out. So I will still be standing in line tomorrow morning for Liberty at Target, Part 2.

So, here is a brief report on the good, the bad, and the ugly for those of you who are planning to stake out your Target store tomorrow morning. The first thing to note is that I think all of the women's styles I saw were poly. On the plus side, the poly was of a nice quality and the construction on all the clothes I saw was sturdy and impressive. For some reason the girl's clothes seems to be mostly cotton and there were even a couple styles I contemplated trying to squeeze into--if you have a little girl in your life you will be pleased to find a treasure trove of darling Summer dresses.

Nicely made and one of my favorite prints. Would make a
really cute diaper bag or gym bag.

Grandma in a good way. Hope to see more of that blue print.

I'm a sucker for peacock feathers and hat boxes, so yes.

They had some larger frames too but I liked the shape of these little ones and
I could see them looking cool on my dresser framing some Persian miniatures.

Most of the paper goods looked a little too cutesy for my taste but this paper cube in my favorite print will come in handy and looks way better than yellow post-its.

Look familiar? Yeah, this print is really truly gorgeous and the teal is a little
darker and moodier than the rest of the collection. Nice shape--very flattering and it's lined in front.

Fingers are crossed that I can find the multi-ruffle dress in this print tomorrow--I love it. This style is really pretty but I think I will cut that flounce off and have it hemmed so it's a bit shorter.

That's it (so far!) for the Liberty styles. I will be looking forward to more and hope the collaboration is a success so that they can continue (and hopefully add more cottons to the clothing).

A little post script:
There are some other great things at Target right now. I went nuts and bought 5 vintage styled bandanas from the men's section. I wear bandanas when I'm gardening (I don't know how I seem to kick up so much dirt but they help keep it out of my hair and help me feel like a pioneer woman).



And these sandals are really great too. They zip up the back. There's a little bulkiness between the toes, but other than that seem comfortable.

Art Voyeur

Medicine chest snoopers, I have a couple books to recommend to you...

Creative Space: Urban Homes of Artists and Innovators, Francesca Gavin
Looks at the studios, apartments and homes of designers, directors, stylists, artists, graffiti writers, curators, novelists and innovators who are pushing the boundaries of contemporary culture. Featuring Julie Verhoeven, Fafi, and Aya Takano. The spaces they inhabit and work in give a real image of today's avant garde.


Sketchbooks: The Hidden Art of Designers, Illustrators & Creatives, Richard Bereton
Sketchbooks provides a revealing glimpse into the thought processes and working methods of leading designers and illustrators.

bookworms, gin drinkers, slip off your satin slippers, i've been waitin for you

Leigh Batnick is an artist out of NY who inspires me on a regular basis with her terrific blog. Visit her site and you enter a fantastic world. She makes wonderful cards with titles that imply a quirky subtext. She also turns her deliciously wicked hand to tees, totes, and jewelry. I am so glad I already purchased her Ada style cards for Christmas this year and won't be stuck with cards of cute animals in Santa hats. You too can order at her store.

Sew Pretty

I just know sewing would be a pleasure if I had these pretty sewing tools from Maison Sajou.

Magic CameraBag

When I learned that the makers of my favorite iphone app had introduced a desktop version of CameraBag, I couldn't wait to apply it to our next fashion photoshoot for Le Train Bleu. I have to say that the desktop version of CameraBag is just as pleasurable and easy to use as the iphone app but it has so many more applications. You literally have an entire camera bag of vintage cameras and discontinued films at your fingertips. Check out the screenshot above and you can see how it works--just drag any image over to the work area. It transforms images taken with your cell phone and your Hasselblad alike. Oh, and it costs $19 (I'm not sure if that's a special introductory price, but it's a steal in my opinion).

All of my favorite vintage camera effects are there including Instant, Helga, and 1962.

Instant Filter

1974

Helga

You also have the ability to add frames and crop your photo as well as apply multiple filters to the same image. See some examples below.

Helga + Magazine

Cinema + 1974 + Helga

Cinema + 1974 + Helga

Cinema + 1974 + Helga

Cinema + 1974 + Helga

Cinema + Helga Filter

Cinema + Helga Filter

Cinema + Helga Filter

Cinema + Helga Filter

1962 + Helga Filters

1962 + Helga Filters

As with the iphone version, certain photos will be better suited to different filters depending on the mood of the photo and the exposure. And even though you CAN apply multiple filters, a little restraint here is best in my experience or things begin to look over processed.

Girls in Ties

How do you feel about wearing ties? Does it bring to mind images of quirky and sweet Diane Keaton or are you still recovering from the misuse that ensued during the 90's by pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne? We have a new line of ties at Le Train Bleu from a company called The Hill-Side. These very special ties in fabrics such as indigo Japanese selvedge denim and waxed cotton canvas are quickly becoming a cult item for sartorialist men, but we want to wear them too.

The free-spirited icon, Annie Hall

Veronica Lake showing her patriotism

Marlene was never more seductive than when she wore a suit and tie

Amedeo Modigliani
seems to have been a fan of the look

Girl-as-Boy crush, Katherine Hepburn as Sylvia Scarlett

ala Paolo Roversi

And below you will find The Hill-Side ties as styled for women in our last photoshoot. I think they lend a cute 1940's uniform look to many things.

Waxed Canvas Necktie from The Hill-Side

Deadstock Selvedge Hickory Stripe necktie from The Hill-Side

Selvedge Hemp/Cotton Necktie from The Hill-Side