State of ephemera

AshworthsArt

Since I was little, I've always been obsessed with how fleeting time is -- every second is just another second away from becoming a shadowy memory, or forgotten completely. It's bittersweet and I always struggle to be in the moment while trying to etch every single impression into my mind.

I'm also obsessed with paper. Combine the two things and you get... yet another obsession with ephemera! I love searching for ephemera packs on Etsy. The coolest things turn up. I recently ordered a pack from Paper Aeroplanes. It was amazing, stuffed with treasures like vintage rail tickets, playing cards and stamps from Australia, US, Spain (I think) and England. I love having a glimpse into the daily life in the (not too distant) past of faraway places. I have another pack on its way to me from Ashworths Art in North Carolina, which I plan to use in collages or my scrapbook.

PaperAeroplanes

wildheart515


lauraprentice


theCandyShoppe

Zig-a-zig-ah

When I was back in California last fall, I bought an old chevron stitch throw in a flea market. It was so quintessentially Seventies Americana that I just had to make space in my luggage and haul it back to Taipei with me. It seems like everyone who had a crochet hook in the 1970s felt compelled to make one of these. Here are a few examples I found on Etsy. If you want to make your own chevron stitch throw, check out this vintage pattern. I thought about crafting my own, but I'm not sure if I want to spend all that time working with acrylic yarn -- these throws have to be acrylic, otherwise they aren't authentically scratchy! Click on each photo for a link back to the Etsy listing.

The Lovely Doll

I have to admit that the summer has pretty much sucked any interest in dressing up right out of my life! I wear the same thing almost every day -- a black T-shirt and a flowy skirt. My make-up case is sitting lonely in a corner because I hate the feel of anything on my face when it's humid, even lip gloss. Jewelry, unless it is sterling silver or stainless steel, irritates my skin. High heels aggravate my back problems (and they are already aggravated enough!) Over the past couple of months, I've just come to terms with the fact that I'm going to look pretty boring until the weather gets cooler.

On the other hand, I've developed a new obsession -- vintage Japanese pose dolls! I see a few of these decorating boutiques here in Taipei from time to time. They were popular in the 1960s and 1970 in Japan and were grouped into two main styles: mod and Southern Belle. Here are some of my favorite mod dolls that were on eBay last week:

I loved their proportions, their carefully detailed faces and those outfits. Don't the blues ones look like something Trudy Campbell on "Mad Men" would wear?

I was tempted to bid on one, but in between my Blythe dolls, urban vinyl and toy cameras, I don't need to start collecting anything else! If you like the dolls, too, and want to see more eye candy, check out the Lovely Pose Doll from Japan group on Flickr. Try the search terms "Bradley dolls," "Japan pose doll" or "Japanese pose doll" on eBay.

Hope everyone is great and still keeping me around on their RSS readers! Taken by themselves, my different health issues weren't worrisome... but unfortunately they all seemed to happen at the same time and for a while I was feeling very gloomy and unproductive. But everything's coming back together again, the way the different pieces of mimetic polyalloy converge and resculpt T-1000 after he gets shot in 'Terminator 2.' Soon I, too, will be back to molding my arms into razor-sharp kitanas and chasing after John Connor in order to save the future of Sky Net.

Or something like that. Have a great weekend everyone!

Charmed, I'm sure

I've been in love with the idea of charm bracelets since I was a young teen. In fact, I like the idea of souvenir jewelry in general, including lockets and hair jewelry. I had a locket that I wore through college. In it were photos of our family's cats, Crystal (who passed away my junior year) and Deedee (who is still around and fat). Every time I showed the inside to someone, they looked surprised and told me they'd expected to see photos of a guy, which I thought was odd. At 19, my cats were more important to me than any boyfriend could have been. Even though I am married now, I'd still pick a photo of our cat, Taroko George, over one of my husband for a locket (a choice I'm sure Ron would approve of, since we are both feline fanciers).

During our honeymoon in San Francisco a year ago, I thought it'd be fun to start a charm bracelet. I didn't get the chance, however, until we'd returned to Taipei and I discovered De Stijl, a store that imports vintage jewelry from the US and Europe. Several of the charms on my bracelet are from De Stijl; the rest are from Internet sources. The first was this little cat in a basket, which Ron bought for my birthday last year:

I chose the charm because I think the kitten, cozy in its little basket, represents the household that Ron and I have created together. Also, I'm a basketcase sometimes.

The next charm was the one you see at top of this entry. The typewriter represents my career as a journalist. I debated getting the miniature ad or holding out for a tiny 3-D typewriter, but in the end I decided I like the "50 words" at the top. Sometimes when I have writer's block or am stressed out by a deadline, I remind myself that everything will fall into place quickly if I just write 50 words at a time (and keeping doing it for as long as I have to).

I've always been bad at keeping a personal daily journal. Despite that, I think it's important to constantly look inward and think about how your own thoughts and actions have contributed to the shape of your life and your relationships. This tiny diary is a reminder to myself to be accountable. Also, I get a kick out of the fact that it opens and closes, like many things in my life, including my jaw.

The zebra symbolizes our wedding. We got married at the San Francisco Zoo on a platform in their African Savanna habitat and there were several animals grazing behind us during our vows. There's a zebra (or its butt) in a lot of our photos from the ceremony.

This sewing machine represents my love of needlework (and its history). It also represents the fact that I could not find a knitting charm that does not look like a silver ball of snot with two sticks stuck through it.

Photography has been a big part of my life since our parents bought my brother and me matching kids' cameras with disposable flash cartridges (remember those?). This charm is the only one on my bracelet that isn't sterling silver. I'm thinking of looking for one that is, because the contrast between the color of the metals is a little jarring for my taste.

I found this tiny bust of Queen Elizabeth II at De Stijl and debated buying it for several days. The history of the British monarchy reminds me of cultural imperialism and colonialism. As someone of Chinese descent, I find those things distasteful in a personal way. At the same time, I admire Queen Elizabeth II for her sense of duty -- and the fact that she occasionally wears thick-rimmed spectacles with evening gowns. Now that's what I call charming (rim shot)!

Lovely Liza

Hello blogging buddies! I noticed that it's been more than week since my last post, but that's not because I've been feeling under the weather. I've actually been on the mend over the last few days. In fact, I had enough energy to go shopping for summer clothes (I basically shop in spurts -- twice a year to reflect the changing weather in Taipei with a few separates, shoes and accessories in between). But my photographer has been working overtime because his co-editor is on vacation and I don't own a tripod. So, no outfit posts! Heh.

Anyway, I wanted to share this enchanting video of a young Liza Minnelli singing and dancing on her mother's show. I've loved Liza Minnelli since I first saw her in "Cabaret" when I was about 12 or 13. I think she has an amazing combination of vulnerability, giddiness and strength and I admire her candor (and her sister, Lorna Luft's) about the tendency to alcoholism and substance abuse that runs in their family. And I am a huge fan of "Arrested Development." Loose seals forever!

What I'm Sproutin': Sorbet Noir

Vintage dress: easystreetvintage @ Etsy, cardigan: American Apparel, scarf: Muji, belt: J. Crew outlet, vintage necklace and tights: night market, shoes: Aldo, purse: Hayden Harnett for Target, earrings: Target

Today the sun came out and the temperature went up a bit (it was 8 to 10 degrees Celsius yesterday in Taipei), so I decided to celebrate by breaking out my rainbow dress.

I dressed to match Mr. Dragonfly behind me.

I also wore a pair of giant white filigree earrings, but the hooks started bothering me after a few minutes. I have to swap them out for sterling silver ones. I've been getting more sensitive to nickel and other base metals since hitting my mid-twenties. Does anyone else have this problem?

My dress is handmade, from the 1980s (I think) and has HUGE puffy sleeves. Here is a picture from the seller:

I thought I might be able to get away with them, but I think I'll have to cut them off or otherwise alter them into ordinary short sleeves or maybe flutter sleeves (though that might also be too much). I was also thinking I should shorten the dress (by removing the bottom horizontal rows, shortening the main skirt and then reattaching the self-trim), but I actually like this length with heels. I often do this with dresses in my "to alter" pile. Instead of working on them, I drag them out, shake out the wrinkles and just wear it as is. Sometimes laziness works out!

What I'm Sproutin': Ruby Re-mix

Dress: Urban Lotus Boutique at Etsy, shoes: Re-Mix Vintage shoes, belt: Forever 21

I am very excited because I just bought a new flash for my camera from Big Camera (相機王), my favorite photography equipment store in Taipei, and can now take indoor photos on cloudy days. Woohoo! Now all I need to do is figure out how to take good indoor photos. My dress is from Urban Lotus Boutique on Etsy. I'm not sure how old it is, but it has a very cool print and a Peter Pan collar. Here's a close-up from the seller:


The hem looks uneven in the photo above, but it isn't. Here's another view. You can also see how much my cat loves me.

My shoes are the highlight of my outfit -- they are from Re-Mix Vintage Shoes and are reproductions of 1940s wedges. I bought them at The Bee's Knees on Piedmont Ave. in Oakland when we were in California for our wedding last May.

They are very comfortable, but I keep falling off of them when I walk because of my over-pronated feet (they roll inwards). I bought motion stabilizing New Balance running shoes that are made specifically for over-pronators, but I still get shin splints in the inner front of my calves when I run, so I have to watch my gait. I guess I just have to learn how to walk/run correctly!

What I'm Sproutin': Gingham to me

*Reposted with photos you can actually see. Thanks to Elaine for pointing that out to me!

Vintage shirt dress: bvikki vintage, tights: Urban Outfitters, shoes: Aldo, cardigan: Muji, belt: Forever 21?, squirrel necklace: Haoshi (close-up photo here)

These photos were taken before Lunar New Year! It seems so long ago. I can't believe it's already March. I'll have to start planning my summer wardrobe soon. It get so hot and humid in Taiwan during the summer that dressing becomes an art. The hard part is that I don't like sleeveless tops or t-shirts and I'm not a big fan of shorts or short skirts. So that pretty much knocks out 90% of my options. I might just have to buy more vintage shirt dresses.

This will have to be short post because our cat, Taroko George, is playing a game called "knocking stuff off of stuff," but I just want to add that my dress is from bvikki vintage. Becca also keeps an amazing blog of the same name that compiles images from vintage African-American publications.

What I'm Sproutin': Dandelion Green

Dress: Dandelion Vintage, shoes: Aldo, tights: the black hole of my sock drawer, purse: Hayden-Harnett for Target, vintage wooden heart pendant: vendor in Shida night market (師大夜市), belt: J. Crew outlet, headband: Accessorize

This is my first vintage shirt dress and one of my favorite 1960s styles. I bet I could do a nice, collegiate winter look with it and a v-necked black lambswool sweater, but unfortunately I left my v-necked black lambswool sweater home in California. Argh! It's on my list of stuff to fetch when I visit my parents.

This shirtdress has red and yellow stripes that run through the green. You can't see them from afar, but I think they brighten the fabric. They also remind me of dandelions, which is funny, because I purchased this dress from Dandelion Vintage right before I left for Taiwan.

I highly recommend them, by the way. One of my first eBay purchases ever (back in high school, when I still had to go to 7-Eleven to get a money order because I didn't have a checking account yet) was from Dandelion Vintage. It was a chartreuse green satin evening shift and coat set with a rhinestone-encrusted mesh neckline. It's as fabulous as it sounds. I haven't worn it a lot, but I might also bring it back to Taiwan with me and wear the shift an everyday dress. After all, rhinestones are considered a basic embellishment here, the way buttons and top-stitching are in the US, so I would fit in perfectly!

Vintage Taiwan No. 3: Friends (and some thoughts)

I love this because the girl on the left is wearing a western-style sundress and her companion has on a traditional qipao

Here are a few more vintage photos I bought from an antique store in Taipei -- including one in color! The stone formation is called the Queen's Head (女王頭), a very famous landmark in Yehliu on the north coast of Taiwan. It's slowly eroding, so I bet tourists aren't allowed to casually lean against it anymore.

After I posted my first series of vintage Taiwan photographs, Threadbared included my blog post in a collection of writings by different bloggers on vintage fashion, race and politics. That entry was re-posted on Racialicious and picked up by Jezebel (Fashion for Writers' Jenny also wrote her own insightful and moving post on the subject).

I was surprised by some of the comments on Racialicious (which I am a fan of) and Jezebel -- many were dismissive of the issues that the other bloggers and I raised. Many commenters basically said, "what's the big deal?" or "I like vintage because it's pretty and I don't think it's worth politicizing."

I feel those responses missed the point of our posts (Julia at à l'allure garçonnière wrote a very thoughtful response). The main reason I enjoy vintage clothing is because it is pretty and different from what I can find in mainstream stores. It's not like race and identity politics are foremost on my mind when I go vintage shopping. But being able to take pleasure in the lush folds of a 1950s dress or a shimmery 1960s evening sheath doesn't mean I can't also devote brain space to thinking about the more difficult issues vintage collecting brings up. The two aren't mutually exclusive. In my case, I'm taking advantage of the opportunity to be mindful about the injustices dealt to Asian Americans and other minorities in the US during the last century, as well the more difficult aspects of Taiwan's social and political history.

I am absolutely not saying vintage enthusiasts who don't think about those issues are shallow; my passion for vintage fashion and design just happens to intersect with my interest in social history. I'm grateful for that because it makes the past come alive in a very immediate way.

On a semi-related topic -- I post these photos because they are novel to me. I rarely see photos of Asian people from before the 1980s doing "everyday" things (i.e. not posing with a dragon or giant pair of chopsticks in an advertisement or something). My family's old photographs are scattered among various relatives, so even those are hard for me to get ahold of. Whenever I stumble upon photos like the ones above, I feel a certain sense of glee -- and relief -- that's hard to put into words.

But I am also cognizant of idealizing the people in the photos. I try to remind myself that they were more than just the cute clothes they are wearing (that I want in my own closet). I know nothing about these people, just that for one moment they posed for a photo that somehow ended up in my hands. I'm planning to re-read "On Photography" by Susan Sontag and "Camera Lucida" by Roland Barthes so I can better articulate my feelings on this issue.

Any thoughts on either of these topics (vintage clothing and politics/race or collecting vintage photographs)? I'd love to hear your feedback.

Jean Simmons: Strength and Beauty

As you may have heard, actress Jean Simmons passed away last week. I knew her work through two movies at opposite stages of her career: Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" (she played Ophelia when she was just a teenager) and "The Thorn Birds," in which Simmons portrayed Meggy's distant mother.

Simmons was an intelligent, feisty and well-spoken woman who had a long, distinguished career; she also overcame alcoholism at one point in her life. Her amazing personality really comes out in all the obituaries I've read so far -- in fact, every thing I've ever read or heard about her sparkles with Jean Simmons' spirit.

All above photos from the Life magazine archive

What I'm Sproutin': Bavarian Barney

Vintage dirndl: eBay, jersey top: Target, cardigan: H&M, vintage wooden heart pendant: Shida night market (師大夜市), shoes: Sogo Zhongxiao (Sogo 忠孝), tights: I have no idea, headband: Forever 21

This dirndl is one of my favorite dresses -- and the best thing about it (besides all the flaming purple) is that it came to me though eBay serendipity. The woman selling it had photographed it backwards on a dress form, so it looked like a plain sleeveless dress with embroidery around the bottom. When I saw the thumbnail, however, I was like "hey, that 'sleeveless cocktail dress' looks just like the back of a dirndl!" Apparently, the seller thought it was supposed to be worn with all the embroidery accentuating the back. I guess that's one way to remix the it!

The rest of my outfit is plain black, as I wanted to put the emphasis on the purple-ness, but I do like my vintage wooden heart necklace and my bandeau-style plastic headband. I forgot to take a close-up, but it has a airy, lace-like pattern on it. People often comment on it when I have it on. I've had some nice conversations with strangers in New York City and Taipei because of this headband. I guess that's one way to get to know people when you're new somewhere -- wear a statement accessory.

An old friend from long ago...

Source

I was trawling through Vintage Ad Browser when I found an old friend. This vintage advertising poster from China used to hang on my wall when I was in college. I bought it at the Union Square holiday gift fair. The woman in it appealed to me because she seemed bookish, shy and in her own world despite all the busy little graphics around her; during my freshman year of college I could certainly identify with that. I also loved her outfit -- the sleekness of her qipao, the surprisingly modern vest with its rosette and the strands of pearls. It's good to see her again (and it's also good to be able to read Chinese now and know that the poster is advertising the awesome flour and vegetables you'll grow after using ammonium sulfate!).

More found photos of life in Taiwan, back in the day

I hope everyone is enjoying the end of the year! The last week was a busy one for me... and I just came down with a cold (boo), so this is just a quick post of more vintage photos found here in Taipei.