Slowly but surely I am settling into my new digs (both work + home). Check out this week's new vintage in the shop! I am quite pleased with the speediness of work now that my workspace is literally a hop, skip, and jump away! So many lovely vintage summer pieces... most of the US is in a bit of a freeze right now (we've definitely had some freaky cold weather in southern California!)...but these summer whites and blues and hints of the desert are sure to bring a bit of warm sunkissed feelings your way. Or you could just hug your computer screen. Ahhh...



★ vintage 1930s sheer gauze ruffle blouse
★ vintage 1930s blue striped deco heels
★ vintage 1950s checkered eyelet full swing skirt
★ vintage 1950s embroidered white blue floral summer dress



★ vintage 1970s eyelet lace camisole top
★ vintage 1960s teal wool coat with decorated collar
★ vintage 1970s wool navajo print skirt
★ vintage 1960s brown bow slingbacks



★ vintage 1950s atomic print Jonathan Logan dress
★ vintage 1970s folk design snowflake cardigan sweater
★ vintage 1980s navajo print jacket
★ vintage 1970s triangle print sundress



★ vintage 1950s reconstructed ribbon party dress
★ vintage 1940s cotton white eyelet sundress
★ vintage 1950s grey cotton embroidered suit set
★ vintage 1970s blue floral maxi skirt




★ vintage 1980s tan drawstring pocket top
★ vintage 1950s blue cotton sundress
★ vintage 1940s crochet clutch with lucite detail
★ vintage 1980s tapestry shoulder bag



★ vintage 1950s reptile envelope purse
★ vintage 1940s tan studded peeptoe heels

Which is your favorite?

In case you didn't know by now, Adored Vintage is opening up a brick & mortar vintage shop in downtown Long Beach! Today I finally got to unpacking my old atelier and I have a lot more inventory than I previously thought! A few weeks ago I had looked for an office space in addition to the brick + mortar, but after a mental pros and cons list, I've decided to go another route.

Instead of an office space I'll be getting more industrial storage for all the backstock. Eventually I would like to expand to a larger retail space and don't want to be tied to a commercial office.

Anyhow, I have been scouring Pinterest for retail shop inspiration and visually it is finally forming in my brain! The space has it's challenges (it is only about 250 sq feet) and very large floor to ceiling windows. I haven't even started on anything in the shop other than unpacking a few boxes of vintage clothing, but already the excitement of "setting up shop" is tingling inside me!

So here are 10 Ideas I have for the Vintage Shop!

Industrial Garment Racks




I will be following this Industrial Clothing Rack DIY. I'm not quite sure if I'll paint the pipes gold/white... probably not gold. But white/grey...perhaps!

Chalkboard Wall + Greenery


I've always loved chalkboard walls! In my previous apartment, I painted the kitchen with chalkboard paint and had such a blast throughout the year drawing doodles and having my friends leave me notes.

Black + White + Grey



The overall color scheme for the shop space is white, grey, cream, with hints of black highlighted by greenery. I want it to be a pretty neutral canvas so the vintage clothes can really stand on their own and be the highlight of the shop.

Getting excited!

All the photos above are from my Retail + Boutique Shop Inspiration board on Pinterest!

It has been uncharacteristically cold in California and I've just moved into my new living quarters right by the beach which means when it is cold inland in Los Angeles, it is even colder along the shore.

I have spent the past week holed up in my new apartment unpacking a seemingly endless mountain of boxes wrapping myself up in plenty of cozy layers. Knit socks, vintage wool sweaters, and a scarf around my neck.



Hardly beach lifestyle apparel! The solace has been quite nice though. A short trek to a nearby cafe in the mornings all bundled up, a little bit of reading here and there since my internet wasn't fully functional until just this morning.

But, goodness, after a week of just moving in, I'm ready to get a move on! Looking forward to the warm sunshine (in the 70s the rest of the week...yes!) and being able to traipse about town in a sundress and cardigan!

1. Hat, Farfetch.com
2. Sweater, Levis.com
3. Gloves, Black.co.uk
4. Journals, Jaysonhome.com
5. Skirt, Dolce & Gabbana
6. Scarf, Nelly.com
7. Boots, H&M

Let me just preface that many of my posts this month well be interior design and retail design-centric. I sit here typing this in my kitchen (I'm not sure if you knew my "office" in my apartment is literally next to my refridgerator...but now you know!) and feeling quite sad about the move.

So to console myself I've been admiring photos of other people's lofts and daydreaming of how my own loft apartment will look.

I can't stand sterile looking lofts though. You know the type. Very minimalistic, very cold, hardly anything in it at all! I don't get the appeal. I also don't understand where all their crap must be hiding! Have they got a separate loft to house all their things? To me a home is cozy and lived in with lots of plants around (even if they're all half dead which is the case of my apartment), knit throws, pretty found little objects, and a faint scent of jasmine and vanilla in the air. I sound like I'm describing a grandmother's home, but I like all these cozy things to be in one of those stark white boxes. Aka "The Loft".


So my new loft doesn't have an amazing industrial kitchen (much to my sadness) and has *GASP* brown cupboards. *make puking sounds* I really hate these cupboards. BUT on a happier note my new place has a dishwasher!!! HOLY SCHNIKIES! The convenience if it all!

All images are from ADORED: Home Inspirations board on Pinterest! Some of them don't link to the original source unfortunately :(

The day is fast approaching! It's so soon! I am still in slight disbelief this is happening. I'm still thinking "What!? Am I doing this? Is this for real?"

But tis is!

By this weekend I will be moving into the new Adored Vintage retail + work studio. I feel that until all my things are actually in the space, I won't feel like it's real. There are so many things to do, I have so many ideas, so many plans! Part of me wishes I had some sort of device that would allow me to look at my future so I could see what the shop will eventually turn into.



Well, that's the other thing, I'm not sure what I want the space to be yet exactly. I really don't have plans to do a full time brick & mortar, not in the near future anyway. Although the space is a full front retail, I'll actually be curtaining off all the windows as about 50% of the time the space will be used as a photo studio and another 30% of the time I'll be sitting around the computer working in the space. And well, with this many windows and right on the street, I'd feel rather like a goldfish in a bowl (and the idea of that just makes me a bit ill).


This afternoon I had a bit of an anxiety attack because I don't know nor do I have definite plans for the space. Other than of course it is where I will work. What will it look like? How will everything fit there? All the "What?? When?? Where?? " questions swirling around my head were driving me crazy. And I'll be honest, I'm still anxious about not knowing. I plan so many things. I write lists. I have a backup plan for my backup plan. I'm THAT girl.

But diving into this new adventure is one of the scariest things I've ever done! I've never done it before and unlike most things in my life, I didn't spend months of research and writing pros and cons list and making Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C for it.

I just did it! (And I'm scared shitless, but like in a good way!)

So, lovelies, won't you dive into this adventure with me?

Valentino has won my heart again with a collection so undoubtedly inspired by the 1930s. The puffed sleeves, the breezy blouses, the bias cut skirts and dresses... There's a small nod to the late 1940s and early 1950s with the collars and fuller skirts, but it's these designs that really incorporate the 1930s that just tug at my heart strings.



I love when designers are inspired by silhouettes and details from different eras and the Valentino Spring 2013 collection is so perfectly spot on with the 30s details! Just in love with everything about it! Beautiful feminine clothing paired with simple hairstyles and minimal accessories. J'adore!



I also have to add that I LOVE this color palette! I really used to not like navy blue all that much, but after seeing it here paired with peach and nude...I have a new found love and appreciation for navy blue! So perhaps when I do my next vintage shop update with navy blues, I won't be so sour faced about it. *haha*



image source: Style.com

Oh the wonders of the internet! Whilst perusing Pinterest I happened upon a vintage photograph of 3 women impeccably dressed dating from the 1930s. LUCKILY this pinned photo provided the source (thank you for that!) and I was able to see even more photos of these women! I think this year is going to be a 1930s meets 1970s year as far as style inspiration goes for me (mixed with Edwardian, because I can't ever say goodbye to long skirts and lacey things)

Here are a few others of a lovely dressed lady named Mary Jane Elston and her two friends named Esther and Peggy.


These vintage photos are from Elston: Family Archive Photos and were snapped by Walter Elston, Mary-Jane's husband and scanned/shared by their grandson Chuck. I also love this vintage photo of Walter (the cameraman of these photos) tinkering with a camera.

Aren't these photos just so great?! I come across so many old photographs at flea markets and always wonder about the stories and lives of the people in the photos! The way these photos are framed makes me think that the photographer would have made a great cinematographer, don't you think? I especially love the duo shot of Esther and Peggy, looks like a movie still.



source:// Elston: Family Archive Photos. first saw here: retrorita: 30s

A collection of bright and cheery colors to start off the New Year! All of these vintage garments will be available in the vintage shop on Saturday! This is the first shop update of the year that literally has something from every decade! Well, besides the 1920s. I did have a black chiffon dress, but it didn't really go with this update, so it will be available next week (along with more goodies from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s!)

The start of a New Year is always when folks want to reinvent themselves. I used to make a big list of things I was going to do for the year and always found by mid February that I was slacking. It was back in January 2010 that I decided to live the life I've always imagined and stopped making resolutions that I wasn't going to keep and instead live every day fully and purposefully. And that has stayed true with me since then.

I am not going to say "I'm going to do this or have to do that...". Instead I will say "I am going to and I will do that!"

And so, without further ado... what is inspiring me today at this moment for the rest of my 2013! Happy New Year everyone!