BOOKS…BOOKS…BOOKS: MY FASHION LIBRARY AND UPCOMING nenasnotes THE FASHION BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS

A peek at a small sampling of my fashion books.

I have been collecting fashion books since high school so needless to say a very long time! I followed fashion magazines long before that…I come from a family of magazine lovers, as well as major bibliophiles! so no surprise. This is the first fashion book I got, I decided to go downtown after school, actually Michigan Avenue, to my favorite bookseller at the time, Main Street Book Store, mid-1950’s, to get the book. I talked Mom into joining me and we could then meet Daddy for supper at one of our favorite restaurants, A Bit Of Sweden….their smorgasbord was perfection….loved it.

Since that time, both establishments are long gone, my fashion library has grown to around 1000 tomes! I have most of them listed on the fabulous site, LibraryThing http://www.librarything.com they also have an app. I still have many more to add. It’s truly a full time job! As you know I have hosted a monthly nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club since 2018, you do the math as to how many I’ve added in 5 1/2 years! I do add those as I get them and have them all together. Just a note on how I house these books…I have them either by designer…think Chanel, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent…or by theme such as Hollywood Costumes, French Designers, American Designers, Monographs, Novels, Biographies, Autobiographies, Anthologies…you get the idea. I have many first editions, many signed and many personalized. One of my treasures is a Godey’s Lady’s Book given to me by a dear friend…I found it in a vintage bookstore in Stratford, Canada.

Everywhere I go I seek out bookstores or antique shops and have found lots of treasures. I have also found several at our own Randolph Street Market (it’s celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year at its season opening May 27th and 28th). https://www.randolphstreetmarket.com

I’m hoping to house the collection at the Chicago History Museum in their research center. I want to leave it as a collection…if I find they aren’t interested I’ll seek another institution. Perhaps a fashion school. Need to do more research on that.

Now let’s look at what’s ahead for nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club…as usual, for most months, I’ll be in conversation with the authors. All via zoom.

APRIL 2023

MAY 2023

JUNE 2023

JULY 2023 TWO BOOKS NOT WITH AUTHORS

Met Museum Exhibition Book

AUGUST 2023

All the nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club selections are available at my partner Independent Bookseller https://www.thebookstall.com I’m always open to book suggestions and be sure to stay tuned for upcoming reviews on these selections….happy fashionable reading!!!!!

FRIDAY MUSINGS: THE RANDOLPH STREET MARKET IS BACK

And just like that the uber popular and dearly missed RANDOLPH STREET MARKET is back and so are the monthly nenasnotes exclusive posts for their blog, https://www.randolphstreetmarket.com!

What can you expect from my posts, well I’ll give you some hints….I’ll feature some thoughts on fashion and why sustainability is so important..what better way to shop responsibly that by adding vintage to your wardrobe…we all like to look unique, ✔️the wonderful finds…from designer names to logo tees and, of course, every fabulous accessory you can think of can be found at these extraordinary phenomenal events!!!

My first post is on the RSM blog as I write this…what is its theme you might ask….BARBIE!!!!! This photo found on Pinterest photo credit unknown.

Here I am in a fabulous beaded necklace and my exquisite vintage embroidered quilted kimono at a Market!

Always exciting jewelry finds…..

We will explore the return of vinyl….for the nostalgic it never went away for others it’s a new collectible. I’m also thrilled that young people are now craving their grannies china, silver, glassware…it’s about time.

Thinking mid-century modern furniture, objects, ✔️they are there…no need to fret! Many other furniture styles await your perusal….

Textiles…most certainly…I have found so many one of a kind pieces from paisley pieces to needlework to quilts, both old and new…I have dibs on any crazy quilts you spot! A rug, why not, all sizes on display!

You will find ANYTHING you are looking for or had no idea you wanted. I’ll hopefully inspire you to find new collectibles, items to spice up your wardrobe, furniture, art, even vintage tools….the possibilities are endless. Here we go…..enjoy the ride!!!!

Sally Schwartz, the incredible entrepreneur and founder of RSM, et Moi together again and always!!!!!! This photo taken by the late, great Steve Starr at our first RSM together.

All photos taken by me for nenasnotes at past Randolph Street Markets, unless otherwise noted.

COLLECTING FASHION TRENDS: THE BLACK LEATHER JACKET

                                                      HAPPY FALL!

            THE BLACK LEATHER JACKET…..ALWAYS CLASSIC ALWAYS NEW

Repost with permission from the Randolph Street Market blog.  A reminder the last outdoor vendor portion of this year round market is Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29, 2019.  Do go it is chocked full of treasures in vintage clothing and everything else under the sun!

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From “Greasers” to high fashion and everything in between, let’s look at where the leather jacket began and see it developed into a fashion wardrobe classic.
Obviously leather has been with us for centuries but the jacket we are featuring today we are tracing back to “modern” history.

The brown leather jacket made its entrance on the scene on the aviators of World War I.

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Then again for the air women and men as the Bomber jacket for WWII.

In 1928 Irving Schott designs the first motorcycle jacket and sells it for $5.50 at the Harley Davidson store in New York. He named it after his favorite cigar, The Perfecto. And perfect it was, on and off motorcycles.

In 1953 The Wild One starred a sexy Marlon Brando in a classic leather motorcycle jacket. Often the jacket became its own character.

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And other stars jumped on the bike, so to speak, definitely defying the norm and defining the person on and off the screen…James Dean

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Steve McQueen…..

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Tom Cruise….

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Elvis, of course…..

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Henry Winkler before he was The Fonz (notice Stallone) in The Lords of Flatbush…

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And as Fonzie….

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And then there was Grease…..(my era!)

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The Beatles before suits and Ringo….

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The English Punks and, of course Sid and Nancy and The Sex Pistols…

 


The one and only Michael Jackson…

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From the outrageous to….David Beckham….


And so many more celebrities….
Three blonds….Madonna, Glenn, Lady Gaga…..who wears it best, I’ll leave it to you…


Haute Couture, why not….a bit of Schiaparelli…


Some embellished jackets…they have come a long way baby, how shall you embellish your Randolph Street Market Finds…..so many options…here are a few suggestions…

 

I must admit my favorite of the bunch, although the feathered piece or hand painted or……

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Let’s look at a few ways to style and update your vintage jacket…..


I’m obsessed with this on Elizabeth Moss…DA30D24B-A3E8-4B8C-BCFF-F57832335FDD

 

Robert Mapplethorpe Self Portrait…a recent Retrospective at New York’s Guggenheim Museum.

Self Portrait 1980 by Robert Mapplethorpe 1946-1989
For your own research some books (you knew I would have some suggestions didn’t you!)

The one and only Ralph Lauren who exemplifies “Always Classic Always New”

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And your blogger in one of four black leather jackets, a motorcycle piece needs to be added if only to embellish!!!!! RSM here I come!!

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All photos with the exception of the one of me, from Pinterest photos credits unknown.

COLLECTION TRENDS: BOARD GAMES

 

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Recently I have found myself wanting to play board games…is this a summer thing…no, I think a year round thing! While visiting friends at their county cottage a few weeks ago, I found they love to spend weekend evenings entertaining friends, after a divine home cooked supper, playing board games. Imagine actually sitting with “real” people at a table and moving game pieces, tossing dice, stretching your brain and enjoying a giggle or two or three!! We have gotten so use to playing games on our gaming systems or on our tech devices…think PacMan, Candy Crush, Words With Friends, Jeopardy, the list goes on and on and grows daily…let alone the zillion versions of solitaire (I’ll address card games and collecting decks of cards in another post!) we are losing the camaraderie of being with people. Well, that is true of so much of today’s culture isn’t it!! How modern to enjoy the challenges the many versions of board games give us.

Let’s look at their history and then talk about what you might find at the monthly Randolph Street Market….who knows! Board games have been found in Egyptian tombs and, as shown at the top of this post, painted on the walls of the tombs. They can be traced back 6000 years. Senet, as shown in this fresco and in the painting below, dates to around 3500 BC.

Backgammon originated in Persia 5000 years ago. Chess, Pachisi from India. And The Royal Game of Ur, the oldest game known with surviving original rules, is over 2000 years old.

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The Royal Game of Ur

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Hounds and Jackals from 13th Dynasty Egypt.

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Snakes and Ladders began as an ancient Indian game still widely played today.

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A modern Snakes and Ladders…

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As a child I loved all games, most especially Monopoly….we certainly did not want to land in “Jail” but rather acquire the most prestigious real estate….what could be more fun. There are dozens of versions of this one of the all time best selling board games. Conceived and patented as The Landlords Game in 1903 by a feminist, Lizzie Magie (she wasn’t credited with creating Monopoly). Here is the original patented design….

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And the original design for Monopoly….1935.

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Monopoly - car on Park Place with hotel

Books….

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And other games….
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Photos, taken by me, of a few of the games I have found from vendors at Randolph Street Market…

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Some decorating ideas…..

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Another book suggestion, two editions…..

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And a board game Café….they seem to be everywhere…who knew!!!!!!

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Dig out your games or find vintage ones at RSM what could be more fun for a lazy day by a body of water, to past the time at a picnic or barbecue or to play inside on a rainy day…a perfect way to conjure lots of nostalgia and giggles along the way….enjoy!!!!!

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REPRINTED FROM RANDOLPH STREET MARKET BLOG WITH PERMISSION FROM FOUNDER SALLY SCHWARTZ

All photos, unless otherwise credited, from Pinterest credits unknown.