Building Momentum/Building the Site

This week Ive started to be able to schedule a lot more time in and I am becoming a bit better at following a routine to work on developing the brand and process, as well as the listings. A lot of work has gone into cleaning up the listings to include more detailed pictures, more details about pieces and history about them. Ideally, I’ll be able to continue this level of weekly progress listing new items! Hopefully you will stumble upon something you would love the story as much as the item itself. If not, and youre looking for something special, feel free to reach out!

An Update About the Archive

Over the past year, I’ve been adding items to the site, making some sales and determining the look of the imagery. What started out as a project that sounded like a good idea (that I didnt quite have a lot of spare time to work on), has become a bit more dialed in. Ive had some people ask if this is a real site, not a scam site. It is in fact a real website, run part time by one person. So, if the system seems not like your experiences on a professional, large scale, heavy traffic e-commerce website, thats somewhat intentional.

I want the experience to look a little home grown and a unique offering of items curated from my life’s work in styling apparel and interiors. I want the pieces to tell a story of where they came from and have some sort of pedigree and provenance while also telling a story of well travelled, historical accumulation. You should feel like you are looking at a glimpse into my archive, not at a giant commercial warehouse where there are thousands of sku’s of the same item and each item is just that to the people who have handled it: from the buyer all the way to the shipper. When you reach out, I personally answer your questions. Pull the items, review them, package them and ship them.

Along with the above details, I am also trying to give a little more fashion expertise on pieces including significance for the period in which the piece came from. Which really are, in most cases, the reason for the original purchase. And where like art, certain items design attributes have such historical significance. It would be a shame not to be able to appreciate and make sure we recognize them. I true lover of fashion will always want to know these things. So, whether you are a fashion aficionado or just beginning, you get an experience of much more than what’s on trend now.

I hope you are liking how this site is unfolding.

Shop the Trends

Since I cant post everything at once, Im giving priority to some of Spring 2024’s trends. Of those, you can find ROSE PRINTS AND APPLIQUE, FRINGE, PAILLETTES, CRYSTALS, SHEER AND OPEN MATERIALS, COLOR BLOCKS, PENCIL SKIRTS, ICE BLUE, WHITE, COLLARED SHIRTS and still the ever popular 90s MENSWEAR that continues to populate and bring our wardrobes to a chic modern sensibility here. Some pieces are actually from the 90’s and 2000 era and you can find measurements for these pieces. Dont be afraid of the size. You can see how much vanity sizing took place from then until today, its actually be fascinating to see. A size 8 that can fit a size 4. Or even Italian size 12s that can potentially fit even a size 8. The only numbers that matter here are the measurements. Feel free to ask any questions to make your purchasing comfortable!

Inspiration for and from the Shoots

I’ve had this nostalgic reference in my head for years of images from The Coveteur (one of the early on line editorials). They would profile fashionista’s in their home, and their best pieces in a bit of a snapshot way within the subjects environment. I loved the fusion of how the pieces looked like art nestled with other objects or hung amongst interesting treasures that gave a further sense of the aesthetic of the taste.

In setting down this road of e-commerce, it became clear very quickly that I couldn’t photograph all of these things at a commercial or corporate level. I dont have the means time wise or staff wise to have such a well oiled machine consistency.

I was so happy when my friend and talented visionary photographer Melina Vanderpile immediately knew what I meant when I talked about shooting fashion inside my part renovation part restoration brownstone. Her vision actually helped me see and feel more confident about what I had in terms of my interior and the fashion we could shoot within it. Her visual lens had me looking at my renovation (that seems to never be finished) and the fashion archive that I have through her eye and seeing it in an incredible light.

These days, Im feeling optimistic about where this site is going and happy to share it along with the stories and history of fashion and style as its passed from me to you.

Thank you Melina and Luci (our Fashion Doll Muse for the last shoot)!

Pulling from the Archive

Today I pulled another 50 or so pieces from the archive for the next photoshoot. Im excited to be adding some more vintage, designer and couture items to the mix and even more excited to be planning this first on model shoot. This on figure shoot will give you a lot more wardrobing ideas for pieces I’m listing. Being able to show creative pairings is something I hope I can continue to inspire with.

Years in the Making

After more than a year of trying to get this site up and running, this month I set out to really put in some time in getting it edited and looking how I would like. It’s a work in progress that I have just started to try to give priority to. Be gentle, please! I know there are a lot of things that need to be perfected. Some inconsistencies in formatting, product details and even imagery thats not looking fantastic. Its tough to say its good enough and tougher for me to know its not good enough; especially since Ive been doing parts of this for clients for years on a much better level than I am doing here.

I hope to be able to grow into a great website of well edited loves from my collection which I would like to get on to the next home. Hopefully the listings will be able to give you some provenance and other information about where they came from in fashion history…or my history including imagery or a story of where, when, and how and even more so, that my passion for these treasures translates from this site to you.