While most folks define a KnitWit as someone who has a flair, knack or talent for knitting, I give the word a whole new meaning. After all, I can’t knit a stitch and yet I also can’t resist scooping up every vintage knitting book I can find. So I’m either a KnitWit or a Nitwit and I think the former label is far more flattering.

And Knitwit that I am, I found a real treasure at my local library book sale this weekend. Just take a peek at this little sampling of the oh-so-fab designs in the out-of-print book, Glorious Knits. I mean who could resist right?

Then today I come across today’s VPOD, a beautiful vintage 1970s sweater from Neiman Marcus with the most amazing details.

Coincidence? I think not.

I think the Fashion Gods were reminding me that while I might not be talented enough to spin yarn into gold, I don’t have to settle for boring, ho-hum, ordinary sweater choices this fall. After all, this vintage find is anything but ordinary with embroidered panels on the kimono sleeves and a very unique yarn-stitched open back.

Which, by the way, is a great little idea to incorporate into one of your own knitting projects if you happen to be one of those talented yarn-into-gold types.

And if not, then this pre-made beauty is a sure-fire way to be a Knitwit-ed vintage fashionista!

Available at Swank Vintage. | Discovered at TheFind.com.

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It’s here! The PANTONE(R) Fashion Color Report for Spring 2011.

Yes, that’s right. I said SPRING 2011.

I know most of you are still just adjusting to the fact that Fall is around the corner but fashion insiders are already looking ahead to what we’ll be wearing six months from now. And these are the Top Ten colors to put on your radar:

But don’t stop here! Download the FREE PDF report which includes designer sketches, quotes and headshots. Here’s just a peek at what you can expect to find inside:

It’s loads of fun for fashionistas!

]]> http://zuburbia.com/blog/2010/09/07/pantone-announces-fashion-color-report-spring-2011/feed/ 0 http://zuburbia.com/blog/2010/09/07/vpod-vintage-1990s-todd-oldham-leopard-print-boots/ http://zuburbia.com/blog/2010/09/07/vpod-vintage-1990s-todd-oldham-leopard-print-boots/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:05:27 +0000 Mary Kincaid http://zuburbia.com/blog/?p=3891

According to ISEC, the International Society for Endangered Cats, the Amur Leopard is the most critically endangered wild cat whose numbers are known. Now take a guess how many of these beautiful creatures remain in the wild today. Go ahead, guess.

Not 5,000.

Not 500.

Not even 50!

In 2007, which are the last census figures stated, only somewhere between 25 and 34 of these spotted cats were still…

According to ISEC, the International Society for Endangered Cats, the Amur Leopard is the most critically endangered wild cat whose numbers are known. Now take a guess how many of these beautiful creatures remain in the wild today. Go ahead, guess.

Not 5,000.

Not 500.

Not even 50!

In 2007, which are the last census figures stated, only somewhere between 25 and 34 of these spotted cats were still roaming their natural habitat in a small area south of the Far East-Primorskii region of Russia.

Does anyone else find it alarming and disturbing that while we women are clamoring for the faux leopard-prints that are so trendy for fall, a few dozen Amur leopards are literally hanging on for dear life, facing extinction of their species?

While I’m not suggesting that anyone should necessarily shun wearing a gorgeous leopard print like the one adorning today’s VPOD on a pair of 1990s Todd Oldham boots, I would like to suggest that when we don our leopard-print scarves and dresses and skirts this fall that we remember (and perhaps support) ongoing conservation efforts by organizations like ISEC to keep all endangered wild cats alive and well.

That’s how you become an eco-conscious vintage fashionista!

Available at Frockology.

Image Credit: ISEC

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Vintage Leopard Faux Fur Coat (twentythreevintage) | Vintage Whiting and Davis Snake Bracelet (bussisx4) | Vintage 1970s Oscar de la Renta Boutique Plaid Flannel Maxi Dress (sistersoftheblackmoon) | Vintage 1970s Red Trench Coat (lalaland_vintageusa) | Vintage Saks Fifth Avenue Crocodile Handbag (salearea) | Vintage Christian Dior Peignor Set (vintagetempest) | Vintage Ralph Lauren Navajo Sweater (nevertomanyprettythings) | Vintage YSL Silk Dress (jenscharms82) | Vintage 1960s Lilli Ann Knit Coat (dorbok) | Vintage 1950s Beaded Back Bustle Cocktail Dress (theselvageyard) | Vintage Egyptian Revival Pharaoh Necklace (lightquick38) | Vintage Dalton Cashmere Embroidered Sweater (magicalbee) | Vintage 1950s Pony Fur and Leather Clutch (lil-apple*invasion) | Vintage Courreges Coat (greatclothesnicepeople) | Vintage Sea Foam Green Beaded Flapper Dress (luckyvintage) | Vintage 1960s Satin Evening Coat (thriftwares) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without promotional consideration from Bay sellers. Zuburbia is an affiliate member of the eBay Partner Network).

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As you try to lead a greener life, do you ever wonder if turning off the water when you brush your teeth really makes a difference? Or if carrying a reusable grocery bag in your car can really save the planet?

It’s easy to lose sight of the big picture but I assure you that all of your little baby steps can add up to a very large footprint that does a whole lot o’ good.

For instance, take all those teeny tiny bubbles in a bottle of champagne. Billions of them are shipped around the globe each year and I was recently delighted to learn that champagne will be getting a whole lot greener. By creating a new standardized bottle that weighs a mere 2.3 ounces less, the industry will be reducing their carbon emissions by 8,000 metric tons annually. That’s the equivalent of taking about 4,000 small cars off the road!

The new eco-friendly bottles also produce 7% less carbon emissions during production and require fewer shipments since they can now squeeze an extra 2,400 bottles on each truck. Who knew 2 measly ounces would pack such a punch!

Unfortunately, since champagnes are aged at least 18 months, any official celebration will have to wait until 2012 when the new eco-friendly bottles make their appearance. In the meantime, why not celebrate with a champagne-colored beauty like today’s VPOD?

This vintage 1960s cashmere sweater is oh-so-pretty with its lace appliques and detachable mink collar. Plus it will set you back a whole lot less than a vintage bottle of Dom Perignon.

That makes it a find worth celebrating for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Twin Hearts Vintage.

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“Fashion is an opportunity to be chic, to conspire between reality and desire.” – Louis Feraud

Women love men who love women and one designer who loved and adored us and proved it with every stitch was Louis Feraud.

Beloved by the Parisian elite in the 1960s, stylish women traipsed through the streets in his fabulous designs looking oh-so-polished and chic. A team player, he assembled a group of experts that included color gurus and stylists to come up with what he called “weather forecasts” to predict fashion trends as he was always looking toward the future.

And he did a heck of a job because now the future is here and today’s VPOD, a vintage 1960s wool coat he designed for Saks Fifth Avenue, looks as stylish as ever with its clean lines, sharp trim and meticulous craftsmanship.

It’s a Feraud fantasy for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Vintage Blue Moon.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

If you own a computer then you fully understand the concept of re-booting, the process that shuts down your machine and reloads the operating system. But re-booting isn’t just good for electronic gadgets. It’s good for your closet, too.

Just like a computer can reach limits on its RAM or end up with a cluttered cache, your closet can reach the confines of its walls and become a cluttered mess if you don’t take the time to re-set it occasionally. And what better time than now?

Once you’ve spent some time evaluating what you’ve got, eliminating (or storing) items that you won’t be using, re-assessing the gems that you’d forgotten about, and re-arranging things in a cohesive way, your creative fashion muscles will be firing at full speed—much the way your computer always works better after a re-boot.

And speaking of re-booting, you might want to reward yourself for your Closet Re-Boot by leaving room for one of today’s VPODs. Classic, Hip, or Boho—these vintage boots from the 1960s and 1970s can satisfy a variety of fashion looks with style.

They’re a quick and easy way to re-boot for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Kakkoii Mono. | Discovered at TheFind.com

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

I was at the Pickwick Vintage Show on Sunday and so I missed watching all the Red Carpet arrivals at the 2010 Emmys. Instead I had to settle for paging through the pictures on the Best and Worst-Dressed Lists yesterday.

And since I was raised with the understanding that if you can’t say something nice about someone you shouldn’t say anything at all, I won’t call out any one particular lady  for her unfortunate dress selection. I will say, however, that I thought the Worst-Dressed lists could have been twice as long and the Best-Dressed lists correspondingly shorter.

Three cheers for Keri Russell, though, who was a sure-fire fashion winner and an oh-so-stunning vintage fashionista.

Think you need to run out and buy a new dress for every occasion? Think again!

This lovely lass chose to wear a vintage 1970s Jean-Louis Scherrer chiffon gown that had been sitting in her closet for a decade. Lucky for us she pulled it out and paired it with tastefully chosen Jimmy Choos and a Judith Leiber bag to create a young, fresh look that really allowed her to shine.

And that’s my biggest beef with what I saw at this year’s Emmys. I believe that clothes should accent a woman’s natural beauty and best features. I believe that you should notice the woman first, and the dress and accessories second. And while I completely understand the Hollywood process that allows so many unflattering dresses to appear on so many gorgeous women, it really makes me sad.

Why? Because at Sunday’s vintage show I saw several evening gowns and cocktail dresses that would have been far more lovely than some of the the new designs that were flaunted at the Emmys. So today’s VPOD features four vintage Red Carpet-worthy frocks:

I’ll let you guess which dress I’d put on which worst-dressed celebrity but surely you’ll agree these these lovelies would have made several of the women appear much more lovely on Sunday night.

Whether you’re a fan of the 1980s red satin stunner or the sparkling beaded chiffon cocktail dress, or whether you prefer the 1960s citrus chiffon evening gown over the 1960s Suzy Perette asymmetrical cocktail number, I hope you’ll join me in wishing for more vintage fashions on the rest of this season’s Red Carpets.

After all, any of these beauties would be a fab choice for any celebrity or non-celebrity vintage fashionista!

All available at Mill Crest Vintage.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

It’s the first week of school for many students and that got me thinking about some of my old teachers.

Mr. Tarone, if you’re out there, just let me say that while I remember very little of your 7th grade geometry class, I do remember that each of the circles in today’s VPOD has a diameter that is twice its radius and that I can find that diameter by dividing the circumference of each ring by pi.

And while I can honestly say I never needed to calculate the circumference of a circle outside of your class, all the proofs that I toiled over in your homework assignments did somehow instill a love and appreciation for shape, symmetry and order that has served me quite well over here in the fashion world.

Perhaps that’s why I’m mesmerized by this vintage 1960s necklace by Christian Dior. It’s a geometric marvel with its circles, spheres and perpendicular lines.

And it’s a very chic find for a vintage fashionista!

Available at Atelier-Mayer.

(To receive the VPOD via email along with detailed size, price and purchase information, sign up for my growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

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Vintage 1960s Canvas and Leather Tote Bag (cotton-love) | Vintage 1970s Goldworm Knit Secretary Dress (booboopeedoo) | Vintage 1980s Draped Cutout Dress (mokoko) | Vintage Modernist Bracelet (urbantiques) | Vintage Chiffon and Lace Peignoir Robe (helenheven) | Vintage YSL Necklace (joyas78) | Vintage 1980s Red and Khaki Trench Coat (thefamilyvintage) | Vinage 1920s Patterned Sheath Dress with Kimono-esque Sleeves (heartnsoul1) | Vintage 1960s Vera Dress (mintmallstore) | Vintage Oscar de la Renta Velvet Coat (allciaw2688) | Vintage Christian Dior Mink Stole (rodor) | Vintage Pucci Cotton Scarf (sleepysheepshop) | Vintage Gucci Bangle Bezel Watch (av619) | Vintage 1980s Silk Beaded Evening Coat (thefamilyvintage) | Vintage 1970s Judith Leiber Leather Clutch (fabienhoban) | Vintage Dead Stock Emilio Pucci for Formfit Rogers 2-piece Nightwear Set (elrodeo13) | (Disclosure: Editorial selections are made by Zuburbia without promotional consideration from Bay sellers. Zuburbia is a member of the eBay Partner Network).

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