harmonious garments

summer. cotton. straw. green. vintage. peter pan collar. mary janes. woven.

Dress.

Shoes.

Purse.

All available in my vintage shop!

The j-3 crew will be at the Etsy Handmade (+ Vintage) event in tomorrow
in Hudson, NY and hope to meet some of you there!

https://www.facebook.com/events/180989615354188/

pale blue shop update

I've been listed a lot of pale, summery blues! Here are a few of the recent ones:

Vintage 1950s Day Dress

Vintage Polka Dotted Plus Size Dress

Wrap Around Skirt

1980s Colorblock Dress

1960s Plaid Cap

Door Knocker Belt

1960s Vintage Playsuit

I love this last pale blue ring. If it were my size, I'd surely keep it!

a girl can learn a lot in 4 years . . .

I thought it would be fun if we chuckled together at the progress I've made over the last 4 years as the proprietress of jessjamesjake. We celebrated out 4-year anniversary on Etsy last Friday!

2008 - One of my 1st sales, using the bed as my "model"

My last sale of 2008, and I'm seeing a little improvement in the photography department (very little):

2009 was the year of models. I had 4 of them:
1st up, was my dress form (which I still own and love):

Next, was my lovely blonde model, Nicole, who was very talented but incredibly flakey. I could not get her to show up, even with extra $$ offered.

This model was sweet, but too over the top in her poses, so we only had 1 shoot.

At the end of 2009, I met Lauren. She was my next-door-neighbor and a natural beauty! I've been working with her ever since.

In the summer of 2010 I got a better camera:

In the fall of 2010 I accepted the fact that natural lighting + Albany, NY were never consistent, so I purchased a lighting kit.

And, at the end of 2010, I started shooting in a new room, to get rid of the seam across the wall.

2011 was pretty consistent - Lauren, decent camera, soft box and lighting kit: 

I am getting a new camera this year, so there will be continuing improvements (hopefully!) to the shop. In 4 years and over 4300 sales, I can say I'm probably most proud of my feedback. Keeping only positives has been a challenge, but each and every customer has been so great to work with on any little bumps along the way! We've had fun, and will continue to!

To celebrate, we've having 20% off the shop. Sale ends tonight at midnight with code 4YEARS.

xo, jess

Gigliola Curiel Couture

So, what do you know about Gigliola Curiel? I knew very little until I googled this recent find:

Turns out, she was a total rockstar. Curiel designed exclusively for Bergdorf Goodman, New York from 1955 - 1969. Gigliola Curiel was the first Italian fashion designer to have an exclusive contract with Bergdorf Goodman. She was an Italian fashion designer who was promoted by the Milan-based Italian Fashion Center, which was formed in 1948 in order to market Italian couture internationally. In the early 50s, the Italian Fashion Center helped Italian designers compete with French haute couture, with labels such as Ferragamo and Gucci.

This ad is for an early 1950s Curiel dress for Bergdorf Goodman, announcing 

her label to their New York store. It sold (in 1956) for $975.

Having this amazing designer in my shop is a real treat! The dress is in 

amazing condition, circa early 1960s, with metallic gold X's covering 

the dress, and rows of modernist shapes and houses along the bottom. 

From the Teaspoon To the City!

"It is not true that what is useful is beautiful. It is what is beautiful that is useful. Beauty can improve people's way of life and thinking."

- Anna Castelli Ferrieri

Agreed! Though you may have seen our Ferrieri modules on Etsy's Get The Look: Vintage Decor, we still consider this one of our most exciting newest additions! We stumbled on a set of these amazing space-age Anna Ferrieri containers awhile back and since then have been carefully cleaning them and sliding the tiny curved doors back and forth in amazement. The design is wonderfully simple and functional as you can see from the dismantled pieces. Each unit consists of a sliding door and a circular container. They stack directly on top of each other, each one functioning as the top of the next and the finished slide for the door. The only other piece is a topper. Unfortunately we are missing one topper, so our quest continues. But so far, we've put a houseplant in one, stretching out its leaves from the small round doorway. Another has small hand painted clocks. James and I each have our own for our keys, wallets, hats, etc. They keep everything so organized!

Here's a bit more on Anna Ferrieri's fascinating career and innovative design...

Anna Castelli Ferrieri is the embodiment of the Italian creative philosophy that advocates designing "from the teaspoon to the city."

Trained at the famed Milan Polytechnic Institute as an architect, Castelli Ferrieri worked in the office of the postwar rationalist Franco Albini, who became a role model for her. Castelli Ferrieri started designing for Kartell in 1966, after being chosen as the architect for their headquarters. Famous for its critical role in the introduction of plastic as an acceptable material into the consumer market, Kartell was founded by Anna's husband-to-be, Guilio Castelli. Castelli Ferrieri became intrinsically linked to the company both as a designer as well as its Design Director, instrumental in bringing such innovative designers to Kartell as Joe Colombo, Marco Zanuso with Richard Sapper and Achille Castiglioni.

Anna Castelli Ferrieri
Photo Courtesy of http://www.woont.com

In her own designs for Kartell, Castelli Ferrieri exploited new materials through innovative forms. For her "4970/84" container elements, Castelli Ferrieri treated the design as a mini architectural exercise, with units that are stackable and interchangeable based on the needs of the new lifestyle of the 1960s. For her beautiful and useful designs, Anna Castelli Ferrieri has won numerous design awards, including the prestigious Compasso d'Oro, but the fact that most of her pieces are still in production bespeak the highest praise.

They brightened up quite a bit - we had to use a magic eraser for the most stubborn scuffs, but most everything else lifted with a little Meyer's All Purpose Cleaner. After hosing them off, letting them air dry, and then assembling them, this is what they look like:

Currently, ours frame our fireplace:

Here's a few more we'd like to get our hands on.

Photo courtesy of www.museedelaville.agglo-sqy.fr

Photo courtesy of www.architonic.com