Antique cameo

My mother found this cameo in an antique store about 20 years ago.  The purple stone is real amethyst and the surrounding stones are enamel.   A few of the colored stones are missing but I don't think it detracts from the piece.  Such a beauty.

leather & fringe

michael hoban north beach leather hot pants (circa 1980's), steve madden, gap button down

Inspirations

Leather jackets, heartthrob edition.

Clockwise from left: John Travolta as Danny Zuko, James Dean, Marlon Brando in the Wild One 1953 and the King

A few favorites....Briggs addition, Part Une

Introducing Dorian Briggs, my lovely friend co-worker, fellow retrophile.  With her superb eye for all things vintage and quirky, Dorian is the girl who seems to find all the catches at garage sales and thrift shops while the rest of us are swimming in a sea of smelly old furniture and bad polyester. 

I asked Dorian to share with me some of her favorite pieces and this small slice of her furniture collection has reaffirmed my wish for her to take charge of decorating my next apartment.  Enjoy the photos below, along with a little background in Dorian's own words. 

After weeks of searching for the perfect piece of furniture to display my overflowing collection of books, it seemed as if the universe conspired to bring me this antique two-tiered mahogany table. I found this piece driving past a yard sale in my hometown of Damascus.  A trip to Home Depot for some sandpaper and the perfect shade of glossy turquoise turned an ordinary Sunday into one of my favorite DIY projects.

With a little love, lots of spray paint, and a gorgeous heavy duty fabric, I turned a rusty iron garden chair into a beautiful chair for my two tiered table. I had a few yards of Oriental fabric from last year's Halloween costume (I went as a Geisha and used the fabric for my Obi) which I used for the seat, and for the price of a can of glossy white spray paint, (and $8.00 for the chair) I had a brand new piece of furniture for my reading room.

The Sutliff Tobacco Company (Richmond, Virginia) canister dates back to the mid 1800's.  I bought it at Boonesboro Days, a craft festival in Maryland, for just under $6 bucks. It's the perfect size for stowing away tchotchkes, tea candles, soaps, etc. What I love about it is the sliding pry-lock, to preserve the tobacco (and my candles') scent.

 

                         

The couch, an 18th century "Chippendale" style camel back sofa, was a sweet surprise on an afternoon visit to the Germantown, MD Salvation Army. Originally selling for $85.00, I was able to haggle the price down to a mere $60.00.  It is composed of cattle hair, horse hair, and boar hair, which unlike the sofas of today gives it a comfortable, yet firm seat. I took the liberty of using the space under the couch as a place to store my books.

This antique China box was a delightful find from a neighborhood yard sale. It is made mostly of etched brass, with a hand-painted porcelain top and cherry wood inserts.  I can't remember exactly where it was made, but the woman who sold it to me said it was a very expensive gift from China, and was reluctant to let it go.

Vintage leather hotpants

As mentioned before, La Retrophile's mother is the queen of thrift store finds. These Michael Hoban North Beach, high-waisted leather hotpants are up there on her greatest hits list. These are in impeccable condition - not even a blemish on the super soft leather.

I'm thinking some black tights will make these tiny shorts suitable for public places.

Joyeux anniversaire Elvis

The color-blocking trend is so.....1953

I was re-watching the Marilyn Monroe flick "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" the other day and couldn't help but smile during the scene in Piggy's cabin where Marilyn is wearing this form-fitting color-block jumpsuit.  I knew I had seen the look somewhere recently, namely Gucci's Spring 2011 collection.  I have to admit that I prefer Marilyn's look over the runway version....you can't argue with those curves.




photo credit: Style.com / Yannis Vlamos

 

Flashback: Mom & Dad

I came across some old photos of my parents from the late 60's, early 70's.  These first two are their high school graduations (before they met).   It wouldn't be long before their paths crossed at Yale New Hospital in New Haven, CT.....



Laura doing the flip

 

Chris looks serious here, but his hippie tendencies would soon emerge

My mom's engagement photo from 1974, below.  Love the printed blouse. 

And finally...a wedding photo, below.  Long sleeves were tres chic, even then.  Take that, Kate Middleton.  And yes, my father is wearing a light green tux.  Love him.

Retro cruisin'

I was absolutely delighted to see this truly vintage car on the streets of downtown DC yesterday as I was making my way to Trader Joe's.  You don't see many of these anymore, especially in the big city!