Gypsy Gems and Rockstar Dreams...Let's Dive Into Nadia's Style, Shall We?

Hello vintagers

A question was recently posed to me about what exactly my style is - that is, what do I go for when I search for items to add to my wardrobe (and, more importantly, to your vintage wardrobe)? What influences me in how I dress, act, and behave? What is my "gateway drug", so to speak, when it comes to fashion?

It seemed a silly question, at the time. I've always thought of myself as something of an eclectic, when it comes to my personal style. Well, I thought, I'll wear just about anything, as long as it's pretty! Of course, vintagers, upon further thought, this is hardly true. We all have our own personal style, even if we don't know it yet, and it manifests itself in every aspect of our creative lives. Be it through the obvious outlets like the clothes I wear or the fashion idols I, well, idolize, or through less obvious avenues like the music I favor or even the food I eat, the answer to this silly question was all around me. 

I took it upon myself to delve into what really defines "Nadia," at least in basic terms of fashion. It was a really interesting exercise, and I recommend it to all of you - especially if you're an artist currently experiencing a bit of a block. One of the main things I learned about myself is that I tend to try and find beauty in unexpected places. I'm the kind of person who will see the potential in an ugly piece of brick on the beach when everyone else is tossing seashells into their bucket. It's for this reason that my favorite fashion icons include Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren - it's undeniable that by today's unfair standards and by strict beauty "rules", these women are not beautiful.  A current model who exemplifies this imperfect perfection is Daria Werbowy, who I've featured here in her recent W spread. If we look at these beautiful women's individual facial features and, at least in the case of Loren, body types, they really are not formulaically "pretty". What makes these women special is their so-called "flaws"; "quirks", as we say aboard La Caravane.

I scoured the nooks and crannies of Etsy to find individual pieces that really exemplify this ideal I try to live by. I started with obvious choices - something I wear quite often are blousy, floral shirts, like this one on the left made by Etsy artist Desira Pesta. This gorgeous piece has a blend of everything I love in what some of my FIT friends call a "classic Nadia blouse": it's girly, bold, and made by an up-and-coming fashion designer like myself.

Where, you may ask, is the unexpected, here? This is a floral blouse. By definition, it is pretty. However, my personal touch would be to pair such a feminine piece with one a little more grungy and tough, like an aged pair of black skinny jeans. I have to admit, there are a few pieces in my wardrobe that bring out the inner biker in me, and many are not unlike these jeans by Swarovskijeans. As well as the literal duality of pairing such a blousy, floaty top with such tight, almost constricting pants, I like to play with the figurative perspective of feminine meets masculine in my wardrobe.

I'm a big fan of dichotomy, both in fashion and in my other creative outlets. For instance - I think comedians make the best dramatic actors (think: Robin Williams in One Hour Photo, or Adam Sandler in Spanglish), and one of my favorite bands is the Red Hot Chili Peppers purely because of the song "If" (yes, that is actually Anthony Kiedis singing. Can you believe it?)


So, playing on that same theme, imagine Multikulti's funky, screen printed T-shirt fit for a rockstar with these adorable "country-fried" leggings (I just love that name!) by Bayousalvage. Or a floral shirt dress with aviator sunglasses and my signature brown boots? Anyone who knows me, by the way, knows that I travel nowhere without at least one pair of brown leather boots!

Again, lovelies, this is a great exercise to help you delve into what really defines you, and I recommend it to anybody. After arduous, but fun, soul-searching, I would call my style a collection of Gypsy Gems and Rockstar Dreams. So, I pose the question to you, dear vintagers, what is your personal style? It's not as easy to figure out as you think!

See the full collection here: Gypsy Gems and Rockstar Dreams.

Spanish Tapas and Martinis

Here's the thing, Nadia's all the way in New York City the majority of the year while Beatrice has taken up residence in Northeast Ohio while flitting off to various destinations whenever she can. This means that we get to see each other for about 7% of the year. This is not good! We go through withdrawal every time we leave one or the other. I have to say, thank god for Skype. You internet gods have been amazing for our friendship.

The good news, though, is that Nadia's dear mother moved back to Pittsburgh after living in Chicago for a few years. Hmm, Pittsburgh's about a couple hours from Beatrice and a simple train ride from Nadia. Could we dare to say... we could actually see each other for 9, even maybe 10% of the year!?

Ibiza's Signature Martini, yum!

Just last Saturday, we celebrated Nadia's birthday. This ensued in a day of shopping and a night of drinking and enjoying Spanish tapas. When we celebrate, we do it in girly style. Armed with Portuguese white wine and green martinis, we heralded Nadia's beginning of the rest of her life. Of course, we have to mention the darling 60's style dress Nadia picked up. No style but vintage style, right? 

In short, Nadia and Beatrice, being that much closer to each other geographically will mean so much joy and happiness and crazy antics, not to mention new vintage additions to your wardrobe. Honestly, it's so much easier to have a person man the camera instead of using a tiny tripod and running back and forth the room in heels to set the 10 second timer on the camera. One day, we really ought to video ourselves doing just that. It'd be good for a laugh when we need it. 

Anyway, now that we're done writing love letters to each other publicly on our blog, we just wanted to wish, just as publicly...

Happy Birthday, Nadia!!!

Happy Vintaging!

Beatrice and Nadia

Little Purple Dress

Well, the search is still on for that perfect Maid of Honor dress. I'd like to say thank you to my dear sister for allowing me to choose my own dress with only the requirement that it be dark red or dark purple. This has ensued in hours upon hours of lovely Etsy browsing, when, being practical, should've been better spent elsewhere (vintaging... making jewelry...) But who's one to say "no" to shopping? I mean, really?

The last time I wrote about my journey to discover that elusive dress, I focused on red dresses. However, when I took an excursion to the mall with my mother, I realized that red was not all that flattering on me. Purple was infinitely more complimentary with my skin tone. I must admit, this came as quite a surprise to my olive-skinned self and mother. I came home with a renewed vengeance to find.that.dress!

Of course, I just dove right in, no real rhyme or reason to my methods, and searched 84 pages worth of vintage purple dresses on Etsy. You think I'd be clever and type in "purple party dress" or "fancy purple dress" or even "dark purple dress" and save myself the time and trouble of sorting through the ones that do not apply, but that just sucks all the fun out of vintage shopping, doesn't it? 

And the very first dress I fell in love with and hearted did not even come close to fitting the criteria of a dark purple Maid of Honor dress. Did you really expect any less from me? Look at it though, it's adorable. It's flirty. It's fun. It's short. It's summery. It has cute flowers. And best of all, she donates some of the proceeds to the Save the Turtle fund! I found myself a fellow animal lover. That just makes it about a million times better. Seriously. LoveItShop, you're number one in my book now.

This time, I was much more efficient in my clicking and viewing tactic. Instead of leisurely clicking on anything that caught my eye, I made a point to aim for the dressier end of the Vintage Purple Dress spectrum. This, of course, led me to the most outrageous, incredibly stunning, jaw-dropping fancy dress ever. I am shocked that no one has bought this dress yet. 

Utilizing every glam, fancy trick in the fashion book, this dress has it all. A sweetheart neckline to show off your shoulders, a ballgown length, sequins, ruffles, tulle. It is the quintessential evening gown that will make you stand out and stage quite the entrance. I actually send this listing to my sister immediately, beseeching her to forgo the traditional white gown and to rock this dress! Swingkatsvintage, you are awesome for having this dress.

Alas, the wedding party cannot outshine the bride, so my search continued. Then, somehow, I ended up looking at a dress that wasn't even close to what I needed. The thumbnail for this listing called to me, it prodded (with invisible computer fingers) me to click and view. Boy, am I glad I took a look. A metallic silver color with a subtle purple sheen, a giant bow right on the butt, a plunging back, a plunging front (!) What an awesome dress. Plus, it's Paul and Joe! I'm not entirely sure who they are, but I'm assuming they are someone. You may berate me for my lack of knowledge in the comments below. I bet Nadia will probably berate me as well, being the fashion design maven she is. RegalVintage, this is regal indeed!

But wait, I have to search, I have to look even more. The 84 pages slowly being worked through. Purple dresses of all styles, lengths, shades are being hearted relentlessly because I just love them all. Again, like I mentioned in Part One of this Grand Dress Search, I wish I had a bottomless bank account to buy them all up!

This dress, though, deserves a special mention. As I spent my time searching through the vintage shops on Etsy, trying to find the right dress, I have developed a love for 80's strapless party dresses. They seem to always have every feature I look for in a pretty little dress: sweetheart neckline with no straps, mini length, fitted bodice, lovely little skirt- sometimes flared, sometimes not, but it always works. This one from vintageshowgirl is one such example with the sequin skirt and chiffon overlay, a removable ruffle piece, and gorgeous draped neckline. Oh, little 80's cocktail dress, be mine!

I've begun to mentally develop my new wardrobe, filled to the brim with only vintage clothes. Such gems hidden among these shops, such unique finds! I dare anyone to buy a vintage garment and not look absolutely amazing and unique in a crowd. Find an 80's party dress, throw a 50's cardigan over it, and slip on some 60's ballet flats. You're ready to roll! 

Have you ever browsed the vintage section of Etsy and found things you couldn't live without? Comment below! See more of my purple favorites and share yours.

Happy Vintaging!

Beatrice

Viva La Francais!

Happy Bastille Day!

 Thank you, Dear France, for bringing us Chanel, Brie on baguette slices, luscious red wine, scarves, l'amour de la chocolat, chic style with vintage charm, and Beatrice's fantasy to move to Paris one day.

Happy Vintaging,

Beatrice and Nadia

Little Red Dress

During Labor Day weekend, my dear sister will be getting married to the love of her life. Her wedding colors are a combination of both lovers' favorite colors- red and purple- plus accents of gold and white. The wedding party has been dictated to find a dress to their liking in a deep red or a deep purple. I, of course, made a beeline to red.

Lipstick red shirtdresses, cherry red shifts, deep red ball gowns. Obviously, red has been a very popular color throughout the ages. The vintage section of Etsy did not disappoint in my quest for the perfect dress. Of course, while there were tons of beautiful dresses in all shades of red and all types of styles, I focused on the shiny, the glam, and the dramatic of the bunch.

The name of this one caught my eye: 30's Starlet Gown. Immediately, I envisioned myself with a jeweled headband, holding a gin and tonic in a martini glass, swooning over dapper gentlemen. Thank goodness for savoybetty and her vintage gem.

I kept that one in mind and continued my search. Where I discovered this gorgeous, unique dress from anotherseason. I really need to take a minute and measure myself. I don't think I can let this one go, so don't you touch it until I figure out if I can fit into it!

I don't know how to describe why I love this dress so much. The contrast of deep, sensual red with the cool grey accents just make the whole thing pop. It features such romantic details like a deep v-neck and lovely pleated straps. This dress needs to be mine... now.

Of course, I'm not one to settle very quickly. When I walk into a shop, any shop, I must look at everything I can look at before deciding on a purchase. This is how I found myself spreading 86 pages worth of red vintage dresses for sale over two days. 

Late last night, I clicked on one of the most astounding dresses ever. Sadly, it doesn't fit the deep red color requirement, but it had to be hearted instantly. I was also chatting with my dear Nadia over Skype and sending her links to my finds. This one was sent followed by the description: "Julia Roberts circa Pretty Woman if she wore a hot little red dress!" Am I right or am I right?

You can find this body conscious cocktail dress complete with the "look at me" bright red color, rhinestone detail on the strap, and stunning back over at SpectacleVintage's shop.

Clicking back to the main search page, I found myself veering off my original goal and drooling over some awesome dresses that definitely deserved the time it took for me to look. Who knew the vintage shops on Etsy had such an amazing collection of red dresses!

This badass- excuse my French- strapless dress complete with a sweetheart neckline, fitted waist, and a flare skirt garnered a notable mention in my mind. It's everything I ever want in a dress and then some. This may be another dress you cannot touch until I check my measurements. Until then, admire this wonderful garment discovered by TheBoundlessSea.

Of course, there were so many more that I found and fell in love with. If only I had a bottomless bank account to give all these finds a home. If you want to see what else I found, check out our Favorites on our profile. You really can't miss all the stunning red gowns and dresses we "collected."

The search is still on. I have yet to tackle all the deep purple options available on our beloved Etsy. If any of you have suggestions or know someone selling gorgeous gowns, leave a comment! Until then, wish me luck! I just know I'll find the perfect dress soon.

Happy Vintaging,

Beatrice

Hello Lovelies

Nadia here, reporting back from the Big Apple after spending a wonderful week with her fellow Caravane gypsy, Beatrice in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.

Yes, yes, we know. It seems like we slacked a bit this week as far as updating and new listings, etc, but we promise we did get a lot of vintaging and such done for you guys! We just happened to be having so much fun doing it we didn't get a chance to let you know until now.

One of the best things about being in the same state with Beatrice is that we get a little more freedom with how we take our pictures for our listings. It's amazing how much easier it is to take really professional-looking pictures when you have a real life second person there, as opposed to MacGyver'ing a tripod by stacking a bunch of shoeboxes and cookbooks on top of a table, sticking a camera on top, setting it to automatic, running to your pose and hoping for the best!

Beatrice and I took advantage of our week together and started playing with a new style for our listings. We're going to make a real effort to make all our pictures uniform in our shop - admittedly a difficult task since we live so far apart. However, both of us happen to have a similar sage-green wall in our respective abodes, so things are looking good on that front.

Of course, our new outlook on our pictures doesn't mean there isn't room for a little fun. We moved the photo shoot outside and might
have gotten a little carried away.

Of course, we didn't spend the whole week at work. La Caravane's Bohème's gypsy vintagers did take some time to sit back and enjoy the beautiful summer breezes and have a little fun. It's hard to be creative when you don't give your brain a chance to breathe, isn't it? Just a few highlights from our wild week in Twinsburg Ohio...

A Beatrice-and-Nadia Classic: bowling! 

Turns out Ohio has a pretty nice beach.

Top off the week with a classy night of slice-and-bake cookies and cabernet!

Stay tuned for new listings this week and next.

Happy vintaging!

-Nadia

The Other Side of the World

I’ve been to lots of wonderful, beautiful places in the world. Some places feel like an integral part of me, like Gdansk, Poland, and others are places I’d visit but never live in, like Las Vegas. Some places are the setting of a fantasy life- Paris comes to mind. Others are simply places where I’ll bide my time until the next city, my home in Northeast Ohio is one.

Then, there was China.

A couple weeks ago, my boyfriend got an e-mail from a connection in Taiwan, extending an invitation to the both of us to visit Shanghai. The next thing we knew, we were in an airplane hurtling ourselves to the other side of the world. I had no idea what to expect or what I would see. I only had the references from movies and books to draw upon. I didn’t even know what a major building was in Shanghai. (The Pearl TV Tower.)

And what I least expected to do was to fall in love with it.

Amid the scary traffic, the horrendous pollution, and the never-ending droves of people, there hid a gem of beauty and surprise. The French Concession offered up boutiques filled with clothes and shoes of incredible style. The Old City had gorgeous old buildings with curvy roofs and dumplings sold out of open-walled restaurants. The Bund revealed the heart, and beauty, of the financial district complete with towering skyscrapers of which their sizes need to be seen to be believed. The best part was the Antique Market. Rows and rows of booths filled to the brim with figurines, statues, jewelry, tokens, coins, perfume bottles, birdcages, wall hangings, artwork, and boxes. I learned the true art of negotiation and realized at the same time, the depth of friendliness and openness the inhabitants of Shanghai possess.

My idea of China has been transformed completely. My newfound love of Shanghai sprung out of nowhere, and it will never release me. Which is why I’m so happy to say, I found a new place to leave a piece of my heart. On my next trip, I plan to bring home multitudes of perfume bottles and exotic jewelry to find a home through our shop!

Happy vintaging,

Beatrice