Is It Too Soon to Tell You that I Love You?

I’ve talked about Annie Bacon before. Her O-Shen plays all over town on a pretty regular basis. But she also wrote and performs in The Folk Opera. Tonight (Sunday June 20) this beautiful piece of work will be performed at Amnesia in San Francisco, starting at 6pm. If you can make it, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you can’t make it (or you’re reading this on Monday, Tuesday, so on), you can still support Ms. Bacon and her operatic endeavor through the Kickstarter Project.

The Folk Opera tells of Elizabeth, a caretaker in her twenties in charge of Aunt Sara, an cantankerous, down-home grande dame afflicted with dementia. Their car breaks down on the way to the mechanic, and in one short afternoon their lives become entangled in those of the small town in which they find themselves. Tragedy mixes with romance, the personalities are clear and true, and the music is gorgeous, moving.

There are four main characters in this tale: Elizabeth, Aunt Sara, the Old Man, and Rita the Waitress. Here I’ve pulled together four vintage-inspired looks for these folks, all culled from Bay Area vendors.

Aunt Sara

Aunt Sara is, as I said, a little off her rocker, but it is clear from the little we know of her life that she is not and was not without bravery and gumption in her life. While it may be said that she led a pedestrian life, in her own small town, with her own tight-knit family, there is no reason, in my mind, why she wouldn’t also be stylish and daring of dress. She was once a very beautiful woman, I suspect. So for these reasons, I’ve chosen bold, balls-to-the-walls pieces for her and tried to throw them together like I imagine a drunk five year old would.

From BREDVintage: Gorgeous abstract floral, silk sheath dress by Mam'selle by Betty Carol, size 8, $39.99.

Aunt Sara should also pile on the costume jewelry like it’s going out of style, which, you know, maybe it is. Also, she’s may have Alzheimer’s but even she knows you can’t take it with you, so you might as well rock what you got while you still have it.

From BREDVintage: I think Sara should throw this crazytown, gold, sequin and bead, diamond-patterned vest over her red dress. It's $59.99, in case you're interested.

I picture her, for some reason, in high top Chuck Taylors. Pink maybe to match this coat.

Also from BREDVintage: Beautiful poppy print, linen, 3/4 length coat, $39.99.

Aunt Sara can top the coat with some great broaches. Grande olde dames favor broaches.

From Sewn in Pieces: To top it all off, I think these pink velvet combs are charming and appropriately quirky. And they're only $8.

Elizabeth

It is unclear, or unimportant, whether Elizabeth is actually related to Aunt Sara or whether she is merely her caretaker. It is very clear, however, that she takes excellent care of the old broad and cares for her very much. I picture her dressing casually and comfortably, particularly for this little dramatic sojourn, though I think she may also borrow liberally from Aunt Sara’s closets. I see no reason why this should be a bad thing. She is only much more simple in construction and compilation than Aunt S. Tone down the jewelry and piled -on prints and you’ll come closer to the truth.

From SweetRocket99: Green, paisley dress, $30. I love that this looks so easy to wear, while still being super cute with a vintage twist. Elizabeth also looks smashing in green.

I see her wearing Tom’s loafers, because they are comfortable, cute, and clearly Elizabeth is one who wants to give back.

From Triple Gemini: I see her topping off her simple dress with something equally simple, equally cute, and super versatile, like this blazer with puffed shoulders and a fitting waist, $36.

The Old Man

We eventually learn the identity of the Old Man but it would be wrong to tell you now. Know though, that he’s dapper as can be and suave from years of practice. He is a romantic. I see him in some classic suit, daily, and throwing on great accent pieces.

From OutFit: Like this 14k gold pocket watch circa 1894. It is an American Waltham Watch with exquisitely engraved decorations and it'll run you only $60.

From BREDVintage: This Jean Paul Gaultier men's pinstripe vest features a hand painted orchid, $50. It is perfect for the old man.

The funny thing is, Joel Dean Stockdill, who plays the Old Man, already kind of dresses like this. He’s got great style. I tell him so all the time.

Rita the Waitress

So Rita actually owns the diner in questions, the de facto home away from home for the residents of the unnamed small town. She’s got sass and she keeps all the secrets. I also suspicion she keeps all the clothes she and her kids have ever owned. I think she cultivates kooky.

From SweetRocket99: Like take this tee, she's probably been rocking it for years. I think it's probably always covered in flour and food stains, $25.

I picture her in jeans, possibly cut offs (though not of course as short as the ones worn by the young lady above). Of course, she wears and apron, and has bic pens stuck in her bun.

From SweetRocket99: This is the another example of the kind of shit Rita rocks. This boho patchwork vest, $15, will have been in her wardrobe rotation forever. Throw it over the tee. Whatever, it's cool.

I hope I’ve got you intrigued. I cannot recommend the Folk Opera enough. Please donate and help Annie hit her mark, and get a recording made of this amazing, musical, moving experience.

BREDVintage has a mantra: mantra is “Be Resplendent Every Day”. Dress with style, make people smile. Here you can find beautifully made vintage clothing, perfect for crazy women, apparently.

Sewn in Pieces is based in Berkeley and comes courtesy of a long-time fashion lover. She’s got a great eye and wonderful pieces to offer.

SweetRocket99 you’ll find hand picked vintage items from the 40′s to the 80′s. The aesthetic is influenced by everything from bohemian gypsy girl, Brazilian Tropicalia to 40′s pin-up and 80′s glam rock stars.

Triple Gemini has a great selection of vintage clothes from all the big decades. Free shipping on orders over $100.

OutFit is another Berkeley based vendor. Another vintage clothing seller with great taste.

Last but not least, Claridad sells all kinds of amazing little treasures and says she finds her inspiration from all over, especially San Francisco where she is currently based.

Adventures in Wonderland and Local Curiosities

Laura Walls Taylor "eat it" large bowl, $45

I still have yet to see Tim Burton’s latest. Seriously y’all, who’s down for going with me? Out of those of you who have seen it, what did everyone think?

iKtizo Alice in Wonderland with Mushroom cell phone charm/keychain, as you like it, $7.50

“‘It was much pleasanter at home,’ thought poor Alice, ‘when one wasn’t always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn’t gone down that rabbit-hole — and yet — and yet — it’s rather curious, you know, this sort of life! I do wonder what can have happened to me! When I used to read fairy-tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! There ought to be a book written about me, that there ought! And when I grow up, I’ll write one.’

Dangs World mini French lace flower posts, $4.75

So when I was younger, I was a bit obsessed with the Lewis Carrol tome, reading the books multiple times and even picking up biographies on Carroll and the real-life Alice. In the seventh grade, for Halloween, I made my own Red Queen card soldier costume. And then I wore it to school. WORST IDEA EVER. I don’t know if you know this, but you can’t sit down in a card soldier costume. At least not the one I made out of cardboard. I think I spent most of that day either kneeling painfully next to my desk or awkwardly and embarrassingly half-naked (in a leotard) after I finally gave up and took off the costume part of the costume. As if it wasn’t bad enough just being 13, when everything on your body and face is either too small or too big. Sigh.

Mama's Little Babies Red Queen Broach, $25

“The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. ‘Off with his head!’ she said, without even looking round.”

Decibel Productions Mushroom Pendant, $24

Still while doing the google search for Alice quotes for this post–blogging is hard work, friends!–it dawned on me that I haven’t read this book–or the others–since I was 13. Like seeing the Burton remake, I think this is an oversight that should be remedied and attended to soon.

Who Made It 3-tiered antique jewelry stand, $70.50

“‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’
‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat.
‘I don’t much care where–’ said Alice.
‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.
‘–so long as I get somewhere,’ Alice added as an explanation.
‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.’”

For now, I’ll have to settle for staring at these Wonderland-appropriate pieces, all made by Bay Area-based artists. I’ve said it before, but support local artists. Even if you don’t stay local, you can do better than mass produced stuff. Head to the bottom of the post for brief blurbs on the artists featured and links to their work, all via etsy.com with the exception of the cupcakes. Etsy.com is a wonderful resource for scouting all kinds of one-of-a-kind, artisan-created goods.

Sweet Ride Mocha mini cupcakes, Belgian dark chocolate cake and espresso-infused frosting, $2 each

“Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her and to wonder what was going to happen next.”

Steampunk Supply, large grab bag of antique watch parts,$20

“Oh my ears and whiskers!”

FaerySpell Creations, Mad Hatter hat, $69

Twinkle twinkle little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!...
Up above the world you fly
like a tea tray in the sky

Iva's Creations White Rabbit figurine, vintage spice tin and paper mache, $68.95

1. Laura Walls Taylor makes ceramic and porcelain housewares and jewelry with quaint charm and simplicity. While the piece I’ve featured here is one of her great “message bowls,” her other pieces may feature woodland creature or classic tattoo motifs. I couldn’t find any single piece priced more than $60. In other words? a steal.
2. For that special geek in your life, iKtizo offers adorable charms in the likeness of all the favorite superhero, Star Trek, Star Wars, comic book, and video game characters. My personal fave? This Link (Legend’s of Zelda) charm.
3. At Dang’s World you’ll find a darling abundance of studs and cocktail rings worthy of a garden party or simple tea.
4. Based out of Santa Cruz, Mama’s Little Babies makes handmade, vintage, illustration jewelry. Quirky and literate, these pieces are made using Victorian Era images which are printed onto plastic and then finished with carefully chosen, high quality materials. All of these pieces are pure fantasy and fun but indulgently inexpensive. Check out the Tattoo Guy Earrings and all of her Alice and Friends creations.
5. Decibel Productions is based in San Francisco and offers creative, go-big-or-go-home fashion, jewelry and accessories that are steampunk, music and dance inspired. These are not pieces for the wall-flower but are described, aptly I think, as “wearable hedonism.” These pieces are unique and standout. On a separate note, I love the name. My friend Scott has called me Decibelle for years on account of my loud voice.
6. Who Made It makes these awesome jewelry stands from antique pieces. Some of them are magnetized or feature rows of drilled holes for your dangly earrings. This is all you really need to know. Each piece is a as stellar as this one.
7. So have you seen the Sweet Ride girls? They drive around in this lavendar delivery truck with hot rod flames and sell delicious, made-from-scratch cupcakes and treats. With a focus on quality and flavor, if you’re lucky enough to run into these lovely ladies, stop whatever you’re doing, and buy a gourmet cupcake, sweetie pie, old-fashioned banana pudding, or chocolate mousse. You’ll thank me, I promise. And could their name be any more perfect?
8. For the DIY-er out there, Steampunk Supply is your source for antique and vintage watch and pocket watch parts, clock parts, keys, buttons and charms for jewelry and art projects. And like all my featured artists, this supplier is Bay Area-based.
9. Faeryspell Creations sells one of a kind, original pieces created with love and magic and made with designer and vintage fabrics, bridal quality silk flowers, ribbons and laces, and parts of vintage and antique jewelry. You can find all kinds of Alice in Wonderland themed things right now as well. So obsessives like myself may want to take a look.
10. At Iva’s Creations, you’ll find an eclectic mix of original folk art, inspired by the holidays, the Victorian age and times past.

For Emily – with Love and Squalor

As I’m sure you know, J.D. Salinger, that incomparable recluse, favored among many, America’s forever reluctant genius, died on January 27, 2010 at the age of 91. Enough already has been written, clearly, and I do not think that I could say what I would want to say, nor as well as he deserves, without time, to reflect and reread.

I will say this, however: After the immediate grief I felt upon hearing the news, I had a wave of extreme excitement, because I hoped/knew that we’d finally get more stories to read, and then I worried whether extreme excitement isn’t perhaps an inappropriate emotion in the wake of someone’s death.

Cover, 1960

But maybe that reaction is matched to the kind of writer he was and to the kind of stories he wrote: those of grief and meaningful losses, shot through with uncomfortable, anticipatory thrills.

One of my favorite Salinger stories has always been “For Esmé — with Love and Squalor” and Esmé always seemed like such a smart, free-thinking, free-wheeling, stand-up dame. The narrator calls her forehead “exquisite,” her eyes “blasé,” and her voice “the sweetest-sounding, the surest, and it automatically led the way.” He fancies her a “truth-lover” and “small-talk detester.”

"I thought Americans despised tea."

Anyone can tell the first time reading that she grew up to be Katherine Hepburn in every movie ever with Spencer Tracy; that woman with the witty, intelligent, intriguing things to say and the “enviable poise”; one of those mad femmes who wear their awkward or odd features, wet hair or quick-bit nails, as well as their well-tailored wardrobe. She is privileged but tragic, like the female Batman.

And anyway, she’s just one of my favorite literary heroines of all time, a definite contender guest for that hypothetical, ideal dinner party. You just know she’d bring a fabulous bottle.

"I'm going to sing jazz on the radio and make heaps of money. Then, when I'm thirty, I shall retire and live on a ranch in Ohio... Do you know Ohio?"

And only the day before that old man’s passing, my old friend Emily¹ had left this message on Quick, said the bird’s facebook wall: “I love the unabashed love of sumptuous fur!”

So I was thinking about Emily and then I was thinking fondly of Esmé, and thinking then that maybe the two were similar in certain ways. They aren’t quite perfect matches but they’re both strong of mind and of will, and both say what they think to charming but slightly shocking effect.

"My first name is Esme. I don't think I shall tell you my full name, for the moment. I have a title and you may just be impressed by titles. Americans are, you know."

Emily is a talented writer and thanks to her I’ve got some good stories in my own arsenal. For example: When we were still in high school, Emily (and our friend Nadia) came along with my family and me to LA and Palm Springs for spring break. At an open mic at some coffee house dive in the desert, Emily sang the Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” told everyone there that she was the love child of Gene Simmons, and shot out her tongue like a banner to prove it.

That same trip, she charmed the big black bouncer at the Viper Room in LA, over 6 feet tall and 300 lbs. if he was an inch and an ounce, and swathed in head-to-toe purple. He ended up writing us a note² to give to the bouncer at the Whiskey-a-go-go and bouncer #2 let us in to the sold-out show for free.

Another story is that in college I visited her parents’ home in Oxford, Miss and we snuck onto Faulker’s property, even though it was closed for renovations, and smoked cigarettes on his porch.³ I imagined that literary hero doing the same in the same spot and almost died.

"My mother was quite a passionate woman. She was an extrovert. Father was an introvert. They were quite well mated, though, in a superficial way. To be quite candid, Father really needed more of an intellectual companion than Mother was. He was an extremely gifted genius."

Anyway, this post is for Emily, and Esmé, and Salinger: It is Esme’s grown-up wardrobe. Full of fur and better than you. With love.⁴

"I'd be extremely flattered if you'd write a story exclusively for me sometime. I'm an avid reader. It doesn't have to be terribly prolific! Just so that it isn't childish and silly. I prefer stories about squalor."

Outfit #1: Betsey Johnson Dot Dot Dot drop earrings, $41 on zappos.com; PRADA lace dress, $1,590 on yoox.com; Atelier Mayer velvet and fur dusky blush coat, $735 on atelier-mayer.com; men’s 18kt gold watch at j2trading.com; tea cup, $18 on amazon.com; Arteriors Sherwood Brass Glass Accent Table, $440 at laylagrayce.com; Ambrose Tufted Leather Chair, $400 at homedecorators.com; Nicholas Kirkwood Rodarte corroded brass pumps, $1,880 on luisaviaroma.com; Lanvin large wood and pearl necklace, $1,415 on luisaviaroma.com; Burberry “Supernova” plaid belt, $260 on overstock.com.

Outfit #2: Birds of a Feather Clip, $35 on modcloth.com; Christopher Kane Midnight print tank dress, $265 on net-a-porter.com; Pantelleria snake earrings, $315 on mytheresa.com; Just Cavalli Amuletto Cornetto Nero Necklace, $260 on zappos.com; Burberry Tartan check cotton scarf, $350 on net-a-porter.com; Alice in Wonderland White Rabbit Pocket Watch, $27 at loveheartsandcrosses.co.uk; Missoni knit hat, $97 $59 on matchesfashion.com; Silver Dragon Pewter Goblet at tudorshoppe.com; Sondra Roberts satin flower clutch, $99 on sondraroberts.com; Alkemie + Owl Mask Cuff, $190 at econsciousmarket.com; Jeffrey Campbell combat boots, $185 on lorisshoes.com; Burberry Prorsum Fox fur jacket, $7,795 on brownsfashion.com.
Outfit #3: Coyote fur vest, $1,060 on mytheresa.com; Emporio Armani men’s watch, $295 on emporioarmani.com; Rhinestone & Lace Bib Necklace, $495 at saksfifthavenue.com; Firetrap tartan dress, $125 on oli.co.uk; Valentino lace heels,  $6,045 on colette.fr; Willow Spray Silk Flowers, $375 on insideavenue.com; Rebecca Minkoff ‘Nikki’ Handbag; Upholstered Dining Beaumont Parsons Chair, on homedecorators.com; moleskine sketch book.

Outfit #4: Bottega Veneta fur jacket, $5,760 $2,870 on matchesfashion.com; Marmèn spider pin, $340 on luisaviaroma.com; Avanessi One Love bracelet, $225 on shoprumor.com;  Roberto Cavalli printed silk-chiffon blouse, $1,095 on net-a-porter.com; ASOS two-tone metal boyfriend style watch, $31 at asos.com; hexagonal stone drop, narra wood earrings, $510 on lindestore.com; Steve Madden Tayla purple suede heels, $100 $80 at heels.com; Alexander McQueen spike ring, $180 on zappos.com; Curved Ori Skirt, $455 at lagarconne.com; Series 5 designer spiral notebooks, $8 at urbanoutfitters.com; Rocio shell and wood clutch, $780 at luisaviaroma.com.

Outfit #5: Love Is All You Need Interplanet Wings tank, $87 at maruione.jp; Opening Ceremony Faux Fur Coat, $755 at brownsfashion.com; daisy umbrella, $28 on amazon.com; Jeffrey Campbell All Stud Combat Boot in black, $275 on singer22.com; 1887 steel/ivory watch, $545 on coggles.com; Diane von Furstenberg “Paulita” ruffled mini skirt, $475 on net-a-porter.com; black tea cup from badgerandblade.com; Rainy day in Paris large tote bag, $30 at artistgifts.com.

1. Let me be clear that Emily is NOT old. She’s young. Like us. I’ve just known her a really long time.
2. The note read, simply, “Gino, Let my friends in. -Ed.” I think Emily still has the note. I have physical possession of the poem that was written for Emily, Nadia, and myself at the party we were invited to after the Gene Simmons Incident. True stories, all of these.
3. Sorry Mom.
4. “Are you at all acquainted with squalor?”