Anyway who has taken a peek at my shop knows I have a thing for dirndls. Although the ones listed there are, of course, for sale, I did give in to temptations and keep several for myself. Why dirndls? Here are my reasons.
Dirndls are for so much than just Oktoberfest. Actually, when I see one worn in full apron Bavarian glory I almost get offended. ;) They are both sweet and sassy, both innocently girly and super sexy. They fit well. If you have a boyish figure they make you look more curvy. If you have a curvy figure, they hide the spots that are maybe just a little bit too curvy.
They are also made of such beautiful materials. Soft cotton, raw silk, linen. The bodice is always lined often with a funky retro cloth or a brilliantly white cotton. And the pewter buttons are oh-so-cute for sure.
In fact, the only complaint I have about dirndls is the little "gap" that so many of them have underneath the bodice. If worn with an apron, you would never notice, but worn without the gap needs to be either pinned or sewn shut as it will flap open. But why is it even there in the first place? My theory: easy access. You can't get sassier than that!
I don't know if it's the crisp fall weather, lingering jet lag or the fact that it's getting dark so darn early, but I've been finding it hard these days to motivate myself to get new items posted in my shop. I have lots of fab goodies from both California and Berlin including lots more post-Oktoberfest Trachten and a black dress from the 1930s with a proper little bow. I have managed to post some things in the past week or so, thank goodness. Click here to take a closer look at them and things to come. Vintage 1980s Geometric Little Black Dress
(any one who reads my other blog Schaufensterbabe is well aware that I am no fan of this 80s revival business. Still, the 80s did geometry like no other decade and this is no doubt a great dress down to the satin covered buttons.) Vintage 1970s Tori Richard Shirt Decorated With Cranes
(a men's shirt, this retro piece designed by Tori Richard of Honolulu also looks fab on the ladies up to a 2x)
Chocolate Knot Ring Handmade From Two Vintage Stacked Buttons
(Curious Knopf has been making stuff with buttons again because Knopf=button in German. ;) Lots o' rings to come.)
Vintage Hand-Knit Cream Bolero Sweater
(words cannot even describe how plush, soft and warm this baby is!)
Vintage 1960s Cream Clutch
(Still has the original Capwell's tag before they became Emporium Capwell's and well before they eventually went out of business....)
Vintage 1960s French Angora and Lambswool Blend Cardigan
(with faux pearls and a hand screen print. What more could a vintage loving lady ask for? ;) )
Just about everybody knows the Mama's and the Papa's song California Dreaming, but in my opinion Bobby Womack does the song so much better. He's got such a fabulous voice and you can just feel the longing. The song is also "aktuell" for me, as they say here in Germany, because I will be going home to California for a three week visit on Wednesday. Although I love my life here in Berlin, I still do miss a lot of things about NorCal, Californiaese for Northern California, especially the ocean. Oh yeah, and my family. ;) Anyway, here is Womack singing to some great vintage California footage. Enjoy!
p.s. I'll definitely be thrifting when I'm there, so stayed tuned for some of my great vintage Golden State finds!
My parents were Jesus Freak hippies in the 1970s. This meant, instead of being high on drugs, they were high on the love of the Lord. Everything else was pretty much the same; long hair and peasant skirts, bushy beards, bad acoustic guitar playing, dreams of communal living and living off the land (because, of course, the Lord will provide...) My childhood was filled with fruit-juice sweetened cookies and Hansen's Natural Soda. We spent each Sunday at the Vineyard, a hippie church where we sang handwritten songs cast onto the wall with an overhead projector while women twirled down the aisles with tambourines in hand. I went through a pretty big hippie phase in my early 20s, with hair down to my waist and a penchant for any clothing that could be described as batik or Guatemalan. I also was a vegetarian for six years and it was definitely because I thought Meat was Murder. Although my style now is not in the least bit hippie, I've always thought part of my soul has probably stayed in Flower Power Land. That explains why I love this vintage bird of paradise navy kaftan. I will be posting it soon in my shop, but I will probably re-take the pictures first because it's pretty darn wrinkled in these ones. Since I hate ironing it might take a while til it shows up, though I admit it may also be because I decided to keep it. It is oh-so-comfortable and would make a perfect lounging gown. Now if only I can find a place in Berlin where I can buy myself a good ol' can of Hansen's. ;)
The answer? Each of them spent some time in my vintage shop before I decided I couldn't part with them. Ever since I opened the shop, I never have to buy clothes for myself anymore. I go thrifting or to flea markets and buy whatever catches my eye without thinking about if it will fit me or not. What often happens is that great clothes literally falls into my lap.
I think I posed for only one picture in this gray-green vintage 1960s dirndl before I realized "Uh-Uh. That one you are keeping for yourself!" Oktoberfest is still going on but any parties that they have here would only be in the touristy areas because, well, Berlin doesn't really "do" Oktoberfest. I'm planning on taking the Alps out of it by combining it with a simple blouse and cardigan topped off with my very favorite Puss In Boots-style vintage brown leather 1970s boots (which, by the way, I bought from the vintage shop my sister runs out of San Francisco. Yes, she did cut me a bit of a deal, but not much of one. Can you say, "shrewd businesswoman"? ;) The necklace is one of my handmade pieces and is still available for sale in my shop, though I'd hurry if I were you. I love it with the dress and so it might just be disappearing from the listings soon.... This vintage 1970s sheer black dress has a pearly, Victorian collar and is patterned with fireflies. It was actually in my shop for a while and got some attention, though I listed it in the summer (the day I posed in it it was sweltering outside so yes, that is a glisten of sweat on my brow...) It will be great for fall and I have a thing for fireflies since they feature heavily in a story I made up for my daughter called When Lights Were Born. I think I'll wear it with the buttons open though because I find it a bit extreme with them closed (not to mention, a little bit hard to breathe!) This dress was also in my shop for quite some time, though it was modeled on my friend Erica. I've lost some weight recently so I thought I'd pose in some of the older dresses and found myself liking the funky school marm appeal of this one. Erica also probably won't be modeling for me again. Although a really beautiful woman, she actually doesn't like to have her photograph taken (the exact opposite of me, Miss Self Portrait ever since I can remember...) The clothes she modeled in also have barely sold for some reason, maybe because people can sense she is actually uncomfortable? At some point I may try to find a model for the size small and medium clothing, but for now I'll stick with the wall and dress form.
So I've been busy this last week teaching an English as a Foreign Language intensive course (this is my day job, if you will ;) ) so I haven't really had the time to get many new items for my shop. But on Saturday I did manage to go thrifting and today I sent my husband together with my older daughter for a jaunt on the countryside (Brandenburg ho!) I posed in some of the new clothing while my younger daughter took her nap. I will be posting these items over the next week as well as (non-modeled) clothing in smaller sizes and handmade jewelry, so do stay tuned.
Vintage 1970s Embroidered Black Mexican Shift Blouse Vintage 1960s Embroidered Dark Green Balkonett Dirndl Vintage 1970s White Dirndl Blouse (Sold Separately) Vintage 1970s Embroidered Blue Peasant Blouse Vintage Lilac Eyelet Blouse, Made in Yugoslavia Vintage Embroidered Trachten Skirt, Moulin Rogue Meets Pirates of the Caribbean
I've been wearing a lot of skirts these days. I love how easy it is to change the entire look by mixing and matching different tops and shoes. I suppose this is one of the reasons why I've been posting so many skirts in my shop these days. Here is a sampling of what is currently (or will soon be) on sale, trachten and otherwise.
Vintage Wool Orange Roses Trachten Skirt With White Lace And Black Velvet Vintage 1950s Navy Skirt With Colorful Patchwork Pattern Vintage 1970s White Peasant Skirt With Red Mum Embroidery Vintage 1960s Beige Trachten Skirt With Edelweiss and White Lace Vintage 1970s Navy Pleated Skirt With Pattern Of Mod White Squares Vintage Black and Purple Roses Trachten Skirt With Black Lace
I read somewhere once that the opera singer Cecilia Bartoli's first ambition was to be a flamenco dancer. At some point her mother reminded her that she was Italian and not Spanish which is why she decided to finally go into opera. I might have that same conversation with my daughter Mia someday. She's only three and a half, but she loves flamenco music. If I need a few minutes peace all I have to do is put the two following videos on YouTube and she is instantly enchanted. Come to think of it, if she does decide she wants to be a Flamenco dancer (or guitarist for that matter) I'll just encourage her. She may be half German and half Mutt-American, but who's to say she can't be the best damn Flamenco dancer in the world? ;)
I posed for photos in this dress but the timer was set wrong and the first photo came out as you see above. I love that the background is so in focus but I'm such a blur, like the ghost of vintage past, haunting thrift stores and flea markets across the nation. By the way, the dress is super adorable, with rhinestones on the back of the belt even. Unfortunately it is also a tiny bit too small for me so I will be posting it soon. Stay tuned.
I've been running my vintage clothing shop Curious Knopf for five months now and Schaufenster Art & Vintage for around two years, but even after all this time I'm still surprised sometimes about what sells and what does not. Sometimes I've posted something that I thought was nice but not all that super amazing only to have it sell right away. Other times I've posted something that I find wonderful, something I feel sure will be snatched up right away only to have it sit around for months. This vintage 1950s dress is just one of these items. When I first found it I was really excited (but also sad that it's not my size....) The dress is made of the softest cotton and has the greatest print: orange and white stripes with colorful Aztec tiki-like gods along the orange stripes and little black Aztec-like stars on the white stripes. I was sure it would have a new owner pretty quickly. But it's been in my shop now for several months and not only has it not been sold, it also has had over 300 views and not a single heart. The dress does have a few minor flaws. The handle to the zipper is broken (though the zipper itself is in perfect working order.) One of the buttons was replaced and is of a slightly different style. But still, it's white and the same size and no one would probably even notice the difference unless they were specifically looking for it....What can I say? Nobody seems to love this dress. Except for me. Maybe it's a sign that I should work harder at finally being a size 10 again so the lovely little old dress can hang proudly in my closet!
So summer is winding down and we are heading slowly into fall, but in my mind I seem to be in spring fever. This is partly because we didn't really have spring this year in Berlin, more like a long, especially cruel winter that one day turned into summer and then REALLY turned into summer in the form of a series of vicious heat waves. Sigh. Back when I lived in California I never imagined I would spend this much time talking about the weather....
Anyway, on a more cheerful note, take a look at some of the lovely floral prints I have recently added to my shop:
The answer? A whole heck of a lot! I posed with this scarf today and, boy, did I have fun. Granted, it was pretty easy since it is a gorgeous 1960s silk Italian scarf in a retro Hawaiian print. Just try and not have fun with that. I dare you. ;) Here are some of the different photographs. I didn't post all of them because a few are just a little too goofy even for a goofball like me. Here goes:
I'm pretty sure I'm humming The Hills Are Alive here, though of course, the song would better fit some of my Trachtenmode pieces....
According to Wikipedia, it's a little known fact that Mary Magdalene was actually very into retro tiki Hawaiian print which she combined splendidly with religious pathos. Who knew?
This one I call my Isadora Duncan look, though I suppose the scarf would have to be a tad bit longer...
And this is my Mata Hari (come on, let me flatter myself. ;) )
Here I am, doing the discerning Haufrau, trying to decide if what I have in my hands is a quality item. Come on, lady. The scarf is from the 60s, made in Italy of 100% pure silk, is in mint condition. Geez. What else do you need to know?
I also think the scarf would make a fab belt, but it would have to be on someone with a slimmer waist than mine. Thank you little old scarf for providing so much entertainment on a humid late summer day!
Anyway who has taken a peek at my shop knows I have a thing for dirndls. Although the ones listed there are, of course, for sale, I did give in to temptations and keep 
several for myself. Why dirndls? Here are my reasons.
Dirndls are for so much than just Oktoberfest. Actually, when I see one worn in full apron Bavarian glory I almost get offended. ;) They are both sweet and sassy, both innocently girly and super sexy. They fit well. If you have a boyish figure they make you look more curvy. If you have a curvy figure, they hide the spots that are maybe just a little bit too curvy.
They are also made of such beautiful materials. Soft cotton, raw silk, linen. The bodice is always lined often with a funky retro cloth or a brilliantly white cotton. And the pewter buttons are oh-so-cute for sure.
