daily candy deal

All week this week, Daily Candy is highlighting businesses along Passyunk Ave and up first is 1600 Below Vintage. In case you forgot, it's my favorite vintage store in Philly! And I'm so excited it's getting some recognition. I can't go in without finding something I want, whether its clothing, a purse, jewelry or something for my house. And the deal Daily Candy is running this week is awesome - get $100 worth of merchandise at 1600 Below for $50! Pretty sweet, huh? They're also having a prosecco party on April 9th at 6pm - hope to see you guys there! Check out the Daily Candy deal here.

photo: daily candy

a quick french meal...

...or so I thought. I came across this post when I was "researching" for my post on Paris and knew that it was the perfect time of year to make vin chaud. What better way to deal with below freezing temperatures (it got down to only 16 degrees this past weekend!!) than with some warm spiced wine? It also gave me a good reason to break out my new vintage glasses that I got at 1600 Below:



Aren't they so pretty? I think they're from the 40's. I'm just disappointed that there were only 4 of them. To complement the vin chaud, I wanted to make something French and something easy. And I thought I had it when I decided to make croque madames. I mean, how hard complicated can they be? Aren't they just grilled ham and cheese sandwiches with an egg on top? Of course it's not that simple - it's French! But it was worth the effort - very rich and very delicious:



I love French food. Yum.

This is the recipe I used for vin chaud:

Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine (a fruity type, preferably)
1/3 cup of cognac1/3 cup of brown sugar (or more…experiment)
Zest of one entire orange
4 whole cloves
3 or 4 cinnamon sticks

Put the wine and cognac into a pan and heat. Once it is good and warm, and if you are feeling particularly brave, hold a match to it and let the cognac flame off. Or leave it be and enjoy the extra warmth. Lower the heat and add the sugar, orange zest, cloves, and cinnamon. Let it heat through for another ten minutes. Strain and taste. If it is a bit overpowering, water it down a bit. Serve it in glass mugs if you have them.

This is the recipe I used for the croque madames - which I found here:

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
6 ounces thinly sliced Gruyere
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
8 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded
¼ pound thinly sliced ham

Directions:

Make the Sauce:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small heavy sauce pan over moderately low heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to make a roux. Whisk in milk and bringto a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop enough cheese to measure ½ cup. Whisk chopped cheese and mustard into sauce, then whisk until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cover with wax paper placed directly on surface to keep warm.

Make The Sandwich:

Lay 4 slices bread on work surface. Divide ham and remaining cheese slices among them. Spread 1 tablespoon Mornay sauce evenly on each of remaining bread slices and invert over ham and cheese. Spread half of remaining butter evenly on top of sandwiches and transfer, buttered sides down, to an oven proof 12 inch skillet. Spread remaining butter on top of sandwiches. Cook over low heat, turning ounces, until both sides are golden, 6 to 8 minutes total.

Preheat broiler. Leaving sandwiches in skillet, spread tops of sandwiches evenly with remaining Mornay sauce. Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat until sauce is bubbling and golden in patches, about 2 minutes. Transfer sandwiches to plates.

an urban wedding...

Saturday was a beautiful (and chilly) day and apparently a very popular one for weddings. Eric and I went to the wedding of one of his college friends and while we were walking around the city in between the ceremony and reception, we saw two other weddings parties taking photos. But I bet the wedding we went to was better:) I'm not kidding - if I had a wedding in the city, I'd want it to be exactly the same (well almost). They were missing one key element: dancing. But besides that, it was pretty close to perfect. It was a smaller wedding - I think there were about 65 guests. I love that they were able to keep it so intimate, I'm sure it wasn't an easy task, but it felt really nice and special. The ceremony took place in a church in Rittenhouse Square with the reception at Hotel Palomar - a beautiful hotel in the same area. I've eaten at the bar in the hotel a couple of times and it was delicious, so I was excited to see how our dinner would be - I wasn't disapoointed. In general, the food at most of the weddings I've been to have just been okay - but I really enjoyed my meal this time! I had the halibut which came with sweet mashed potatoes that were incredible. Yum yum yum. And the hors d'ouevres served during the cocktail hour were also tasty - but can you really go wrong with bacon wrapped scallops and mini crab cakes? Oh and kir royales..I was in heaven. I should've known it was going to be a great wedding as soon as I saw the bride and groom's ride to the wedding:

Now THAT is a car. I'm not a car person, but even I can appreciate the beauty of a Rolls Royce!

If you've never been to the Palomar - you really should - if only to see how well designed it is. Philadelphia is definitely lacking in the boutique hotel department, but the Palomar is doing a good job helping to fill that void. And the bar on the ground level is a pretty good spot to grab a drink - hanging out in hotel bars is almost unheard of in Philly, but the Palomar is starting a trend! I'll have to go back and take some photos of the hotel lobby and bar sometime, but here are some photos of the wedding reception to give you an idea of how pretty it is:

This was one of the rooms that the cocktail hour was held in. You can't really see much of the space in this photo - I think I was mostly trying to get a photo of Misa (the bride) in her little fur capelet. It was gorgeous and vintage - it used to belong to her aunt who gave it to her for the wedding.

These chandeliers were in the room where dinner was held - aren't they so pretty!!

The tables:

Everything was very simple but elegant. And felt very romantic. Exactly how you'd want a wedding to feel like.

And to top it all off...they had macarons as their favors!!

"where was the fur?"

After hearing that question from a number of people in response to my post on my top 5 winter coats, I've decided to devote an entire post on fur pieces that I want! Here are my top 5:

1. I have a faux fur vest that I love and wear pretty often in the winter. The only problem is that it's not a solid color fur, so it doesn't go with everything. That means I need a white fur vest of course! I love this mongolian lamb fur vest from J.Crew :

I love the curly texture of the fur and the color is perfect. Apparently a lot of other people think its pretty perfect too - its now sold out - even with its $640 pricetag

I did find a more affordable option on Ebay. Its a bit different - the fur is only around the collar of the back of the vest. I prefer the J.Crew version, but I prefer the price tag on this - $279:

2. I've been wanting a vintage fur capelet for a while now but still haven't gotten one. And I'm not really sure why. They're not that difficult to find - you can usually find one at a good vintage store, there are a ton of them on Ebay and they're typically pretty affordable. The one below is an Ebay find and doesn't it look adorable with the dress? I think it would also look great with just a pair of jeans and a long sleeved tee:

3. As soon as I saw this purse in the J.Crew catalog, I knew I had to have it...until I saw the pricetag of course (why does it seem that everything I want from J.Crew is too expensive?!!). But isn't it so pretty? Sigh.

No worries though! I've come up with an option that even I can afford! All you need to do is go into your closet and get that fur muff that's been collecting dust and - what? You don't have a fur muff in your closet? Hmm...I have a couple of them - doesn't everybody? Well if you don't, you can buy one off of Ebay or at a vintage store. The one below is from Ebay and so far the bid is only at $10.95. To turn it into a purse, take it to a tailor and have them sew one end closed and put a zipper along the other. Easy right? And they usually come with a cord wristlet, but if you want to be able to wear it on your shoulder, just sew on some chains (like the J.Crew one) or a leather strap.

4. I love hats but I usually don't look very good in them. I still have yet to find a winter hat that will keep my ears warm and look good on me. My solution: ear muffs! When I was in elementary school I had a pink faux fur coat with a matching muff and earmuffs (yes, the obsession with fur started early). That was the last time I wore fur earmuffs, but I'm ready to give it a try again. These are from Top Shop and are only $24:

5. I love this jacket and what makes it stand out among the other million black coats out there is the fur collar. And the best part (besides it being vintage) is that its only $24.99...but there are still a couple days left so the price will surely go up. You can place your bid here.

philly fashion week, day 1

(dress/belt: vintage, jacket: urban outfitters, shoes: target)

Last night, I got a chance to wear one of the vintage dresses that I bought this past summer at Sixteen Hundred Below. Its black and white houndstooth (my favorite pattern!) and is in great condition. The leather belt is also from Sixteen Hundred Below and I believe from the 30's which is really cool - I love when clothing (or most things really) have a past life.

Last night was also the first night of Philadelphia Fashion Week. All of the events will be held in the 23rd St. Armory, which I've walked by a million times but have never peeked in. It is an incredible space. Perfect for a huge party - which are what the events are like for fashion week. Yes, there's fashion and runway shows but there's also food, drinks, shopping, music and amazing people watching! I had such a good time and also saw some good fashion too!

I had thought that last night would showcase student designs, but I was wrong and that will be tonight. There were four runway shows and my favorite of the night was by Ban Thor Phan. The designer and founder is a man named Kampanart Buahombora who is based in Thailand. I really like the clothes because they have a relaxed and comfortable style to them but are also interesting. They look natural and organic and in fact most of the fabric that is used is made from cotton and hemp. And this company is more than just a clothing company - much of the profits are used to support an orphanage of over fifty children in Thailand that they have been caring for over the past twenty-five years. You can read more about their company and also purchase their clothing here.

This dress was one of my favorites - I love that it can be dressed up with a pair of heels and some jewelery or be more casual with cute sandals or flats.

This photo doesn't do this jacket justice. I really like how it drapes and although its technically a men's jacket - I would totally wear it.

I also found these gold stacking rings by Cristina V that I wanted to buy...if they set up shop again tomorrow I'm definitley buying myself one...or a few. They're so simple and pretty. And affordable - only $11 each. You can also order them online here.

There was lots of great music...

And this interesting performance. It was two dancers swinging from a metal cube hanging from the ceiling. It was pretty impressive - can't imagine how strong they must be.

I was surrounded by so many well dressed women! I wish I had taken more photos of them...I'll be sure to do that over the next couple of days. I did come across this girl whose vintage style I loved. I had all this information written down about her in my little handy dandy notebook - but I must've dropped it somewhere walking around and couldn't find it:( But I do remember that she lives in West Philly and shops at this great thrift store near her which is where her entire outfit is from. She said that her outfit is partly inspired by Scully - she has been really into watching old episodes of the X Files and loves how Scully always wears oversized trench coats. It's hard to see in this photo, but she's also wearing a petticoat! Cute! Goes to show that you can definitely look good and unique on any budget.

let's talk about dresses

When I was searching for vintage clothing on Ebay the other, I came across this GORGEOUS dress:

Wouldn't it be perfect for a wedding? There's something great about wearing a traditional wedding gown - unless you're a celebrity, how often will you get the chance to wear a dress that elaborate? But it's not for me. If I were to pick a dress (and no, I'm not engaged but it's okay to look right? or is that weird? whatever), I'd want something less formal and more true to my style. The Ebay dress is a lot more frou frou than the other dresses I've found, but who doesn't want to look like a ballerina?! I heart tulle...

I was obsessed with Christopher Kane's dresses for Spring 2009. So girly and sweet, but also edgy at the same time. These dresses would be great for a modern bride (w/o the cardigan):

I could see this Erdem dress on an urban bride who gets married at City Hall and then goes out for an intimate dinner with close friends and family to celebrate:



I also love ruffles! I know, I'm such a girl. But how cute is this Lanvin dress?



This is also from Lanvin. LOVE the combination of the extra long veil over the short dress:

loving lace

I came across this image a few years ago and fell in love with it - it's so beautiful and has such a mysterious and almost sad quality to it. I didn't know this at the time, but the woman in the photo is Gloria Swanson and was photographed by Edward Steichen who held the title of chief photographer for Vogue at the time.

I have a love of sheer fabrics and especially lace. It seems like lace has also been a popular choice for many designers - here are a few pieces I love:

I saw this dress last night on {this is glamorous} - isn't it gorgeous? I think it would make an amazing wedding dress (just need to add some sort of slip so you're not flashing everyone your goodies!).



Jumpsuits have been super trendy lately and I love this one from Stella McCartney - so chic.

Dolce & Gabbana made some beautiful lace dresses this year. Would definitley be hard to pull off (if you wear a full slip, you'll lose the beauty of the lace) unless of course you're Anna Dello Russo:

(image via fabulush.net)

I also found some great options from Ebay:

This dress is vintage but can look really cool and modern if styled well.

This jacket is from the 30's - LOVE the poufy sleeves and would look great as a jacket over a fancy dress or even a pair of jeans and a tank top.

vintage shopping

I LOVE vintage shopping. It allows you to find things that are unique and that noone else will have. Vintage isn't just for those who want to look like they just stepped out of the 1950's (although who doesn't love the ladies of Mad Men?). Even if you aren't into the retro trend, as long as you mix vintage pieces with your everyday clothing, you'll look modern and will never have to worry about someone else showing up in the same outfit!

My favorite vintage store in Philly is Sixteen Hundred Below located on the corner of Tasker and Passyunk. I discovered the store last summer and I go so often that they know me by name! It takes up the basement level of the Reliable Floor Covering Company and has crept upstairs and currently takes up half of the main level as well. They have everything from furniture and home accessories to clothing, shoes and jewelery. Maria Froio-Furey, the owner, has been collecting vintage since she was 14. After stashing all her goodies away in storage for over 30 years, she finally decided to open a vintage shop about a year ago. What I love about this store is that Maria only stocks vintage - not consignment - so you'll never find a dress that you saw at Zara last year. The clothes are also in great condition and she frequently adds new stuff. And the best thing is that everything is reasonably priced. Vintage can be expensive but I've found this shop to be really affordable - and right now they're having a sale - 50% off all vintage!

A bookcase of vintage purses.

My roommate admiring a very cute plaid dress.

An employee modeling an amazing fur trimmed winter coat. This needs to be seen in person, its gorgeous!!

This dress is adorable! I can see it with flats and a little cross body bag - perfect for walking around the city.

This little silk dress from the 1940's came home with me :) I really liked the contrasting white fabric around the sleeves and the pattern is so sweet. It's really long and I'm really short, so it needs to be hemmed before I can wear it - an easy fix.

Lots of great jewelery! In addition to vintage jewelery, Maria also offers her own line of handmade pieces called NOCE Designs.

A few of my favorite finds from Sixteen Below!