This Modern Vintage features vintage that is strikingly similar in style to modern items.
Grand Abandon loves vintage because it conserves resources, restores tossed-aside items to their former glory, is ultimately unique and one-of-a-kind, takes a little work + a little love, can be purchased relatively cheaply, is not perfect, has history + depth + warmth, and is both fashion-relevant + fashion-forward.
The Vintage Version
Grand Abandon Western Sparring Boots
No-nonsense with these. A modern-day showdown shoe equipped with a low-slung ankle cut, cozy worn-in leather upper, a sophisticated pop of heel, and pointy toes to meet the day.
*Compare to*
The Modern Version
Taken from freepeople.com
Jeffrey Campbell for Free People Tommygun Ankle Boot
Collars are an ever-jam. And collar clips can be very charming. I quite like the dainty, floating quality these adornments possess especially when linked with a chain. Here, Grand Abandon uses vintage pieces to create collar clips that are both sweet and smart, with a little bit of asymmetry to knock asunder the calculation of the look.
Collar clips made by Grand Abandon from recycled vintage beads, charms, brooch pins, pendants, and chain:
HOW TO: The Dreaded Navy And Black Color Pairing(Or Pairing Any Too-Close-For-Comfort Colors, For That Matter)
Who says black and blue don’t go together? Graduate “clashing” colors together in head to toe separates and you get a lovely little ombre effect. Black and blue make peace at last!! YES.
LIGHT BLUE+MEDIUM BLUE Vintage Jersey Light Heather Blue And Royal Blue Collared Crop///Grand Abandon
MEDIUM BLUE Blue With White Oversized Bow Snap Shoulder Purse///Bodhi
DARK BLUE Vintage Navy Pleated Skirt///Grand Abandon
BLACK Black Ankle Hose Socks///Target
BLACK Thrifted Black Lace-Up Oxford Heeled Black Leather Ankle Boots
More Oooo-ombre and Color-Wheel-Slice inspiration:
Scott Hutchison bleeds deeper and “thicker than concrete” on Frightened Rabbit‘s State Hospital EP but instead of sparing himself, he remains, at the end of it, barely viable, with significant blood loss, for he has poured out everything, like a sacrifice for honesty, he has told us everything, and he cannot go back. And we are sure that he will continue into the fire all bloodied and splintered and whittled. For it is his way.
As he sings on “Home From War”: I might never be normal again/ but who cares/ I ask who cares/ now I’m standing disheveled at your door/ covered in dust and dirt but full of hope, we realize the result of reckless supplication. It is in Hutchison’s unwillingness to be torn asunder by the reality of the big picture, no matter the bleakness, that his passion pours so thick, so ready, so tangible. Each line sits on Hutchison’s Scottish tongue and dissolves, forcing its way into the soft, cold climate of the music, and its seething soul refuses to retract. Hutchison’s poetry imposes its tenderness, and we nearly forget the dark place stoking the content of these songs–a girl “born into a grave,” a dynamic that “you can scrub, you can soak, but you can’t wash it out,” a universe “that eats itself, and swallows us whole.” There is much to be explored in Hutchison’s visual diction–State Hospital EP proves once again Hutchison as an infuriatingly brilliant lyricist. What is more is his ability to adapt to the dark by cuddling against the musical life-force he creates with a humble, wry humor as he “celebrate[s]” the fight of life: in style/ in boxer shorts and spirits/ floor littered with ghosts of bottles past.
In a surprising twist, Hutchison paints with spoken word on “Wedding Gloves” in a sumptuous groan and then jumps high–laddering falsetto on the vein-stick suppleness of a tracing bassline–and we cannot believe we have been given such a gift. The story has not changed for Frightened Rabbit, for we are ever-reminded that “all is not lost.” It is not some half-conjured consolation. It is not an attempt to push the bad under a rug. It’s an honest and brave exploration of the soul’s depth and its propensity to glean hope, possibly, from a bit of light that actually does exist.
Frightened Rabbit releases this tremendous State Hospital EP as a reminder of their enduring past offerings including 2007′s The Midnight Organ Fight and 2010′s The Winter of Mixed Drinks and refuels the anticipation of the band’s next full length. It’s the band at it’s best–as emotional as ever and gripping, clinging to the sticky fruit of its music as to recover from the bloodletting that is State Hospital EP and representative of Frightened Rabbit’s blood drenched musical backstory.
I’ve always been a collared shirt girl, but lately I’ve been liking the neck-hugging look of button-down collared shirts buttoned up all the way to the top. I think pairing these shirts with a high-waisted pleated skirt or tailored high-waisted ankle pant can add a girlish flare, cutting the androgyny of a collar and a button-down, especially one that is buttoned up all the way. I love the clean, modern effect of pairing monochromatic separates, and I think doing a different color shoe can give a really nice edge to this look. Plus, you can’t go wrong with a hard black and a soft cream. Finishing off the look with an asymmetrical ‘do helps the collar retain it’s youth instead of ushering it into grandma territory.
Black Apples 7-inch released August 2012. Includes “Cover Up” and “Morning Song”
The fruit lands fast and terrifically on Black Apples latest, cementing a fresh season for the Los Angeles-based four-piece. “Cover Up,” the first single off Black Apples newly released 7-inch, gives the upper bunk to felt pop rock and permits the inevitable climb of restless garage clamor creating coiffed jubilance ready for affecting. Clear pop construction sparkles behind sheer, peeling crests of fuzzed guitar, surefooted percussion, tinkling bells, and masquerading, layered vocals enshrined in mixed emotional melodies spilling and containing joy and detachment.
It’s the collision of musical languages that proves interesting—for every familiar structural turn, there is an equally surprising level of instrumentation. The rock ‘n’ roll mystique is present but the sound blooms into something more. Where “Cover Up” gets cool, it warms just as readily under the resting, beating heart of its folk-rock landscape. Even its leanings toward the expanding embers of psychedelia are harnessed by the tapered folk-drenched guitar that laces and backbones the song. The panging sitar trembles and leans into Scarborough’s outcry whose cadence possesses an impassioned indifference recalling Daniel Rossen, while his nasal-glam intonation reflects an “I’m Only Sleeping”-era John Lennon.
Black Apples control “Cover Up” without suffocating the fun. Its invigorating sing-along chorus is genuinely felt, and keeps anything from getting too calculated. “Cover Up” is something familiar, but it is something true.
Chigliak Records holds a mic out for personally treasured but forgotten–truth be told, tragically unknown–bodies of work. Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon minted Chigliak as an opportunity for people to behold “lost records” that “never went anywhere but [are] incredible.” The handpicked artists will now have the opportunity for defunct outfits to reach audiences beyond small circles of their past. Eau Claire’s Amateur Love marks the labels inception and touts members from acclaimed present day acts including Megafaun’s Phil and Brad Cook, Peter Wolf Crier’s Brian Moen, and Vernon’s self-proclaimed “ambassador of my heart for many years” Josh Scott. There is something to be said of music that has captivated a musical genius. There is also something to be said of musical geniuses that have made unheard music. Meet Chigliak.
“Chigliak is a record label devoted to releasing extraordinary albums that were never commercially released. We, at Chigliak, believe the records we choose to put out are very deeply special and deserve to be in the homes of listeners who may not subscribe to the notion that life changing music is both popular and current.” -chigliak.com
Charm School Vintage blooms in East Austin, TX amidst a big ole crated porch with a bench swing, a chunky gravel lot and the cozy, old sounds of creaking wood all wrapped around beautiful and thoughtful vintage and handcrafted charmers. It is a barefoot world of wonders that begs to be explored. There is a lot of love in the bones of the building and it is apparent that Shari is a natural at rekindling the spirit of tossed-aside pieces of the past. There is something kinetic in the clothes, walls, and movement that reaches beyond the four walls of the East Austin house-turned-store. I couldn’t resist, so I took home a little number called the “pink gingham dream dress.” /// Sweet dreams.
