Show and Tell with Sara from Sarara Vintage

 

Photos by Sarara Vintage All Rights Reserved

I have been collecting antique and vintage jewelry since I can remember. I also started designing accessories early as well. So, needless to say, I chose to discuss an art deco Egyptian Revival style 1920s armband. I purchased this estate item with the intent to put it up in the shop. I collect Navajo jewelry, 1920s, and art deco pieces as well as 70s designer necklaces. I wear large jewelry, I mean really big! That said, I try to separate business from pleasure and have sent many an item that I would love to have owned up for sale. I think that is what makes a good selection for your brand. Are you practically crying because you’re selling it? Not everything you sell should be your style, but I say edit because it still needs to be amazing.


This piece is a thick gilt stamped brass band with Egyptian style figures, flora and deco designs all around it! And it is CHUNKY. Each time I go to sell it I just can’t, it fits me well and honestly, as I love Egyptian Revival, this is a deal breaker. I have tried to find information about the maker but cannot dig anything up. My obsession with the art deco era designs, especially those of the 20s is based on my appreciation of the aesthetic at the time. Jewelry pieces of this era are often too small for me. I usually gravitate towards the chunky flapper beads and bangles from the 20s. You can see a whole collection split between my Etsy shop and Sarara Vintage Couture where my focus is such jewelry.

*Have a fabulous story to share about your vintage collection? Join Show & Tell! Just send me a note for the details.

Victory Book Club: Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart, 2007

I am jealous of the author’s life and I bet you will be too once you’ve read this memoir. Marjorie Jacobson and Marty Garrett, best friends from Iowa University set off to spend a summer in New York City after hearing from their sorority sisters what great jobs they had found. While seeking employment at all of the fine department stores along 5^th Avenue, the ladies try Tiffany’s and become the first women to work on the sales floor as pages.

The story takes place in the summer of 1945 with much going on in the world. World War II is a top theme in the story with the girls attending dances and other social events meeting midshipmen along the way. The Navy boys they met often came from civilian life with a college degree and would have a living after the war so they could be a great catch.

Despite the war Marjorie and Marty spent their time experiencing all things New York. Through the people they met they were able to have a taste of high society, rubbing shoulders with celebrities at nightclubs and restaurants. They did not shop much since at the time it was more patriotic to wear what you had then buy new clothing. The girls did wear Jantzen swimsuits to their trip to the beach.

Speaking of fashion, did you know about the WAVES? The Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Services division of the US Navy came about with WWII. Surprisingly enough the uniforms were made by couture designer Mainbocher. I encourage you to do a quick google search for both the WAVES and Mainbocher for some fantastic photos. I imagine nothing was more luxurious than serving your country while wearing couture.

With women entering the military, Marjorie also touches on the fact that women were beginning to attend larger universities such as Yale. Unfortunately the conflict between higher education and the home remained. Once married, was a women’s education a waste of time and money? I think not but it was heard to sway mom and dad back then.

Truly I could not get enough. I read the book in two days with regret that every page I turned would bring me closer to the end. Marjorie’s excitement of living in the moment really transcends the pages when you read about her adventures. I just kept thinking, “Wow, this was someone’s life!” And a very exciting one. Could you imagine, Time Square at the end of WWII? Walking down 5^th Avenue and seeing all of the beautifully dressed women in dresses, gloves and hats? The memoir includes some photos in the middle of the book which are just the cherry on top!

Show & Tell with Pam from Vintage Renude

I started collecting Fiesta Ware when I was about 19 or 20 and got my first place of my own. My Grandmother had died recently and all her of belongings were stored in my mom's garage. I needed dishes, pots and pans and all the things to start building a home. She had Fiesta dishes and glassware. I liked it so much I started looking for more pieces at thrift stores and garage sales. It was still cheap and plentiful back then. The cobalt lamp is my favorite. They were an exclusive for Buffums Dept Store and much of the inventory was broken in shipment due to an accident. So these are very rare.

 

 My other obsession is with vintage linens. I have tons and tons of them from tiny doily's to oversize tablecloths and vintage linen bedding. I can't resist buying them either. So much delicate workmanship and labor. They are just so beautiful. I use them every day all over my home.

 

Visit Pam's shop Vintage Renude and shop her linens! Stay connected via Facebook and Pinterest too.

 

*Have a fabulous story to share about your vintage collection? Join Show & Tell! Just send me a note for the details.

Aluminum Window Awnings and Patio Covers

West Anaheim is a hub for Ranch homes, many with aluminum awnings. Some are horizontal slats, others vertical. Some are just silver, while others are painted to match the color of the exterior walls and trim. No matter the style or color, they no doubt add a retro appeal to Ranch homes. Of course they have a functional use too by shading rooms from the hot summer sun. An added bonus is hearing the ping of rain fall against the aluminum awnings.

 

The National Park Service Preservation Brief of Awnings describes aluminum awnings as being widely available by the 1950s due to being longer-lasting with lower maintenance than canvas awnings. The awnings were much more common with homeowners who could paint the slats, or pans, “to create stripes or other decorative patterns” as well as arrange them horizontally or vertically.

 

“Aluminum kept the awning relevant to the postwar ranch house and afforded an economical way to update older structures. Colorful awnings helped suburban dwellers distinguish their homes from other, similar, models in the neighborhood.”

- National Park Service

 

This Flexalum Aluminum Awning advertisement appeared in Better Homes and Garden July 1961 issue. Our Ranch became well dressed in 1961 with two window awnings and a matching aluminum patio cover. The window awnings are still on the windows, but the patio cover removed years ago. Aluminum home awnings may be a thing of the past, but they add such a great retro look to Ranch homes. Retro Renovations has compiles a list of places you can still order aluminum awnings for your Ranch home. 

Victory Book Club: An Introduction

With so many people attracted to vintage, it’s interesting to see what vintage means to people. To some it might mean the extravagances of Downton Abbey in the First World War era or the flashy disco beats of the 1970s. I think of vintage as Mid Century or more specifically World War Two through the mid 1960s.

Finding vintage treasures at flea markets or on Etsy give us the hands on appeal to the eras we love and can give us something to collect.  We can feel like we belong to the past while literally holding onto its remnants. For me it’s vintage Pyrex. I can only imagine how the concept of a dish that you can use to prepare food, cook, serve and best of all, store your leftovers in, would have been exciting to the housewives of the day. It doesn’t hurt that the dishes are colorful and beautiful to look at when on display.

We are exceptionally lucky to be able to share our knowledge of vintage on the internet. Just Google vintage lifestyle and pages of blog addresses appear. Better yet search YouTube for tutorials on fashioning your hair after Bettie Page or even how to apply an everyday retro look of red lips and cat eyeliner. I’ve even seen blogs that feature vintage recipes where the main ingredient is gelatin to make a variety of meals just like in the 1950s.

I got to thinking about what life was really like back then. Nowadays the 1950s housewife is glamorized and the 1960s ad man made into a hero. College came to mind and when it was time to write a research paper I would sit down with library books with countless post-its sticking out the tops and learned about gothic literature, feminist writing and countless other themes. So why not apply the same to vintage?

Since you probably don’t want me to bore you with text book accounts of historical events I’ve decided to read novels; Fiction, memoirs and other exciting adventures written during or about the First World War era through the late 1960s.

Join Victory Book Club and decide which books you’d like to read yourself starting next Friday! If you have a suggestion for me, send it my way.