The Vermont Country Store

A few weeks ago, the wooden iPhone cases from Brook Farm General Store started showing up all over the blogosphere. The first thing that popped into my head when I saw "general store," however, was Vermont Country Store. I've never been to their stores/restaurant (in Vermont, of course), but I was a huge fan of their catalog back when I still lived in New York. Every few months it'd arrive and I'd pore over the color illustrations and all the quirky, nostalgic items they had for sale, from Black Jack chewing gum to something called Tired Old Ass Soak.

I wish I'd brought a few catalogs to Taipei with me, but their Web site is almost as great. Some of my current favorites include...

... swimsuits with a vintage flair (click on the picture for a link to the purchase page)...




...a really cute playsuit that looks retro and modern at the same time, thanks to its geometric print...

... this awesomely kitschy swimcap...

... a peacock chenille bedspread that looks straight out of a 1950s bedroom...

... reproduction Moser glass, including this Hen in a Basket dish and Depression glass mixing bowls, both made from original molds...


... the same toys your parents (or grandparents) played with, including this amazing ballerina top and tin kaleidoscope...


... cosmetics and toiletries you've only seen in vintage magazines before, including Tangee lipstick, Evening in Paris perfume and Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo...


... cute support sandals that have a 1940s/1950s flair...

... sweater clips...


... reproduction 1949 Big Ben alarm clocks (I own an original ivory one that I bought from an estate sale for $5. It still works)...

... and best of all, the indestructible Singer sewing machine of my dreams.

I really regret not making a trip to the Vermont Country Store while I was still living in New York City. I mean, I was busy with work and short on funds and everything, but it would have been worth it... there are counters of fudge! FUDGE! If you live on the East Coast, don't make the same mistake I did! For more about the history of the store, click here.

MUJI Labo

At the beginning of the Lunar New Year celebration, Ron and I headed over to Breeze Center (微風廣場) to do some shopping in their grocery store. While dilly-dallying in the rest of the mall, I discovered Breeze's MUJI had expanded -- and now included a whole new collection of clothes called MUJI Labo.

MUJI Labo has a lot of the same silhouettes (dropped waist dresses, up-and-down shifts, swing coats, A-line skirts) found in MUJI's regular clothing lines, but features more luxurious fabrics and higher price tags. Most dresses I saw were about NT$4,500 (or about US$140) to NT$6,000 (~NT$187.50).

My favorite pieces included this shawl-collared sweater coat, which looks ordinary from the front but has beautiful, undulating horizontal cables on the back...

...a black/white plaid drop-waisted dress -- the stripes looked like they were felted, instead of woven or printed, onto the white fabric...

...and this cream shift and vest set because of the silhouette and textured brocade.

Overall, I really like MUJI's newest clothing line, even though it's out of my price range (and I always have fit issues with MUJI's more tailored items). I know MUJI enjoys an almost cult-like status in countries where it's hard to find their stuff, like the US, but there is a store in almost every major mall in Taipei. Since moving here two and a half years ago, I've had plenty of time to think of how good MUJI is at marketing their items (and creating really gorgeous catalog shoots) and how their brand philosophy of minimalism just disguises how unextraordinary and overpriced a lot of their products really are.

I hope MUJI will continue to launch new product lines that focus on design and quality and spend less time trying to flog plastic boxes that warp easily, hats with seams that fall apart after a month of wear and pens that dry out within a couple of months (can you tell by my little rant that I've bought a fair amount of MUJI stuff?) before they dilute their appeal.

ETA: One of my commenters noted that MUJI has a lot of great designers working for them and that they have to stick strictly to a MUJI aesthetic. I am well aware of their brand history. It's fascinating and is one of the reasons why I was a fan of MUJI (and still am, for certain of their items). But I think they have to do something about ensuring consistent quality control. One of the most important criteria of good design is functionality and, in my experience, a lot of their products fall short in that regard. It's a disservice, not just to the consumer, but to the designers of MUJI.

What do you think of the new line?

Cosmetics: how much does the outside count?

All photos by me unless otherwise noted

Above photo from Jill Stuart Beauty

A couple weeks ago, I went to the launch of Jill Stuart Beauty's (site in Japanese, but graphics intensive) latest collection for spring, Angel Rocker. The eyeshadows and blush are too glittery and perfumed for my taste, but I was entranced by the ornate and extremely princess-y packaging. Most of my everyday make-up is from MAC or Nars, and their plain, black, "we are professional makeup artists and we mean business!" packaging is completely different from the shiny crystal-clear compacts and ornate, jeweled nail polish bottles I saw at the Jill Stuart Beauty launch. The brand is very popular in east Asia, but (as far as I know) available only at certain Jill Stuart stores in the US.

I can see how pulling out a crystal-like compact when you are touching your make-up in the middle of the day might give you a small lift, even if you are just quickly swiping on some lip gloss at your cubicle or patting on some powder in a flourescent-lit office washroom.

This made me wonder how important packaging is to women when they make cosmetic purchases. It was to me when I was younger and make-up seemed like a magical thing. I wanted enameled compacts that closed with a satisfying click and lipstick in gilt tubes. When Coty still sold lipstick, I bought them even though the texture was too dry for me because they came in vintage-style packaging; even the lipstick had that mid-century bullet shape. I also bought Coty loose powder because the packaging had not changed since the 1930s). I know this sounds crazy, but sometimes I'd just wave the puff in front of my face and enjoy the scent, which just smelled so vintage-y. I felt like a character in a Rosamunde Pilcher novel!

1939 ad found on Cosmetics and SkinProduct photo found on [drumroll] Walgreen's online store

Coty still sells the same boxes with the powder puffs against a golden background (the harder to find blue packaging indicates formulation for sensitive skin). I remember passing by a store here in Taipei that had rows of Coty loose powder boxes and feeling a nostalgic thrill, even though I haven't used their products in 10 years (alas, I've forgotten where that store is!).

Credit: Ad Classix... the vintage ad is for sale

When I used Coty make-up as a vintage-obsessed teenager, I felt like I was playing a role. I'd swivel the lipstick out of the tube and pull it against my lips. The almost paste-like texture didn't bother me because I figured that was what women in the 1950s were accustomed to. I set my precious Coty powder box on my dresser next to my iridiscent Caboodles case and felt like I'd been transported into a more glamorous era.

I no longer pay attention to cosmetics packaging, however -- I just want make-up that doesn't irritate my skin, give me a headache with too much perfume or wear off quickly. But when I saw the Jill Stuart cosmetics and all the fans of the brand who were at the event, it made me wonder: what do those compacts and bejeweled brush handles symbolize to them? I got the feeling that most of the women were young professionals like me. Is part of the reason they chose make-up brands like Jill Stuart and Anna Sui over Mac, Smashbox and Nars because the packaging gives them a bit of escapism in the middle of a stressful day?

What do you think? Is fancy, ornate packaging a marketing trap or a way to inject some beauty (or at least prettiness) into your day? Would you be willing to spend extra for product in ornate containers? And (since I'm on this topic) what brands do you think have the most attractive packaging?

Say hey to Booday

If you've been following The Renegade Bean for a little bit, then you'll know that Booday (蘑菇) is one of my favorite brands in Taiwan. The Booday team started as a graphic design firm with a small magazine they launched as a creative outlet; today, they are a lifestyle brand with a line of t-shirts (now made exclusively in organic cotton), canvas bags and home accessories. Booday's Taipei store also has a cafe on its second floor, where they host art exhibits, talks, music performances, readings and classes. I recently took a cyanotype class there, which I'll write more about later. For more about Booday and their address, check out the article I wrote about them a couple months ago.

Here is a sampling of Booday's items from their online store.

My current favorites include:

A t-shirt with drawings of paper airplanes made from international mail envelopes (this resonates with me because I'm an expat and though I love living in Taiwan, sometimes I wish visiting home were as easy as folding a paper airplane!).


A pencil bag shaped like an eggplant.


This neat noggin bag.

I know they ship internationally to some Asian countries. Here is a list of stores that carry their items; if something catches your fancy and you can't read Chinese, try shooting them a note. Several staff members are fluent in English. If you can read Chinese, check out their adorable blog.

Have you have a nice Booday!