Fun in the Sun

Here's a few pictures of my favorite 50's starlets having some good old fashioned (literally, now) fun. These photos represent the warmer seasons flawlessly, and show you that some of the most celebrated women can look just as perfect without having to hide behind all the sequins and make-up.

The first photo, is of graceful Audrey Hepburn. I love how carefree she looks in her simple gingham capri pants, sleeveless egg-shell white tunic top, and white flats. This is a flattering look for many women, and can still be worn today. Puppy optional.


The second photo, of bombshell Marilyn Monroe in Long Island. Who says one-piece swimsuits aren't sexy?! The silhouette is classic and hugs all the natural curves. It leaves something to the imagination while still showing off her amazing body. Not to mention that white swimsuits on glowing skin looks so clean and fresh. The photo below is of stunning Elizabeth Taylor, who is also pictured wearing a scandalously adorable one-piece. The added halter to the swimsuit helps to shape her body, another flattering feature.

Stop thinking you need to avoid the beach this summer because of the fear of the bikini. Embrace your figure, and go get yourself a sassy pinup one-piece! Ooh la la!

Right now at FOUND, you can find similar pieces to the ones our lovely ladies above are wearing! Come in and check them out for yourself!

Golly, Gee!

One of my favorite trend reports to come out this Spring 2009 for MEN has been inspired by...AMERICA!!!! Yes, we can still inspire some things. These new trends exemplify cookouts, boating, baseball and apple pie. Things we are lucky enough to experience in March in Florida, while the rest of the country waits for June to arrive.
Whether its tailored khaki suits worn with boat shoes, floral shirts with trousers and saddle shoes, or baseball jackets and above the knee shorts-one thing is certain...these all-American classic fashions have been inspired by vintage looks of the 1950's! Think Rock Hudson, Robert Wagner, Cary Grant...even Ward Cleaver.
So break out your grandfathers gray wool trousers, a button down plaid shirt, black loafers (socks optional), and a pair of Ray Ban clubmaster sunglasses! Ray Ban just re-issued these, and they are the bees knees! If your grandaddy was too hip to be square, then stop by and visit your local Vintage shop! We here at FOUND pride ourselves on staying up to date in the fashion world, and always look for one-of-a-kind vintage pieces that are being worn today.

Diane von Furstenberg

Many of you know her from her appearances on Project Runway, but may have wondered why the competing designers stood around gawking when in her presence.
DVF carved her name in fashion history in New York 1972, when she introduced the world to her cotton jersey wrap dress. Due to its important influence on women's fashion, her wrap dress can be found in the collection of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1997, she re-launched a line of wrap dresses, and continues to include a reissue of a dress or two from her 70’s collections.
In 2005 Diane was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for her impact on fashion history, and only 1 year later, was elected the CFDA’s new president-a position she continues to hold today. She is also on the board of Vital Voices, a non-governmental organization that identifies, trains, and empowers emerging women leaders and social entrepreneurs around the globe, enabling them to create a better world for us all.
Diane has her own stores all over the states, across Europe, China and Japan. You can also find her collections in various high-end retailers like Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, etc. If you’ve got the eye of a tiger, you can still find DVF treasures floating around Vintage Shops and the occasional Thrift Store. We here at FOUND have been lucky enough to score some great finds. In one photo our friend Ashley is modeling a DVF bat-wing top paired with an acid-wash denim skirt and the second picture has Ashley wearing a pretty in pink DVF dress. Timeless pieces from a woman who continues to mold today's fashions.

black and white and f-ing rad all over.

As you may or may not know, Amy and I are kind-of fans of black/white patterns, outfits, decor etc. (Amy's wedding was even decked out in black and white and I went so far as to adopt a black and white dog to further feed my obsession...) But all joking aside, bold black and white patterns were seen all over the runways of fashion week Spring '09. Everyone from Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel to Michael Kors to Prada showed some variation on the black and white theme. And if you can't quite get behind all those jumpsuits and harem pants-also seen on those same runways- opting for a graphic black and white outfit is a perfect way to easily update your spring wardrobe. FOR CHEAP. Pictured here is our good friend and model, Ashley, wearing a dress from the 1980s with a subtle yet strong all over pattern. Available here at FOUND for just $40.00 this dress is light and easy to wear and looks like it could've fit right into one of this season's fashion shows..... the v-back cut and revived black and white pattern are both current and accessible. Like I said, I may be a bit biased, but I happen to think this is an easy and fun look that is guaranteed to make you feel current- yet in your own unique way.
And yes, the Chanel dress- the second one- IS to die for but magazines and websites won't even give you prices on these puppies. "Price upon request"=more than a month's rent. So that $40.00 number looks even better now.... yay recessionist fashion at FOUND.

A little dose of green in honor of Saint Patty's Day...

Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle.

As easy to say as it is to do nowadays. Switch off the lights in the empty room, weather strip your doors, change air filters often, use vinegar and baking soda as cleaning agents, and of course, my favorite, BUY VINTAGE!!!!

Everyone has heard that buying Vintage helps reduce your Carbon Footprint. But WTF is your Carbon Footprint?!? Settle down a bit, and I will explain.
A carbon footprint is the total set of green house gas (GHG- water vapors, carbon dioxide, CFC’s etc) emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product. So basically, if you are a Wasteful Winston (thanks Garbage pail kids) who thinks its perfectly acceptable to drive across the street while leaving the faucet and every electronic device on, just to buy the most chemically enhanced cleaning product…then you will have a larger Carbon Footprint than Mindful Mindy who’s idea of a great day is riding her bicycle to a nearby restaurant that serves seasonal food provided by local farmers.

When you buy vintage, you are recycling. (Just check out that picture above, imagine the treasures that might being thrown out everyday instead of being re-used.) It also cuts out the use of sweatshop labor, or any negative practices being used to pump out as much as you can, as fast as you can, for the very hungry consumers. There is no gain for the major corporation that mass produces their clothing, or that uses harmful dyes. The average conventional cotton t-shirt takes 150 grams of pesticides to produce. Nutty, huh?

So the moral of this story, is continue to buy vintage, and you will continue to stick it to the man!! Along with the other perks like, being original, it was made with love and also made to last the test of time.

vintage eye candy

Ok so I'll be honest. 90% of the reason I wanted to start this blog was so I could profess my love for this dress. This dress.... where do I even begin???? Worn by Penelope Cruz to this years Oscars, this dress is basically the only thing memorable that happened all evening. Personally, I kept watching because I was A. sick as hell B. wanting to see amazing red carpet fashion and C. somewhat believed that the entire show would, at some point, become funnier/more entertaining. Well, it didn't. It was lame but this dress made my night- made my entire week even. So first of all, the dress is vintage Pierre Balmain, it is 60 years old and the actress admitted to having bought the dress 8 years ago for a "special occasion" but never wore it until that night. (On a side note, if you ever needed a justification for buying some amazing, extravagant vintage piece and felt like you "didn't know where you would wear it", Ms. Cruz just gave you a lifetime of justification. Of course we don't all have her wardrobe budget, but we all can relate to seeing that one piece that we know we can't live without. I think we have to embrace those sartorial moments in our lives and know that if the dress, hat, shoe is THIS amazing, it simply must be ours. Ladies please feel free to reference this post to your boyfriends/husbands who might be wondering why you need that certain vintage gem..... Because you just do. the end) Back to the dress, it is detailed with tulle and lace and actually has been criticized for looking too bridal. It is true, the strapless, princess dress does have a somewhat matrimonial flair, but what people are forgetting is that this dress is vintage!! That nipped-in waist, that amazing attention to detail and even the use of tulle and lace is representative of 1950s couture!! What we now associate with wedding day grandeur, was once just the style of the day....(see image below- they are almost identical!) Despite varying opinions, I think Penelope choose the most perfect dress to win an Oscar in. It is everything that vintage should be- it is unique, beautiful, personal- she kept it in her closet for 8 years!- and CLASSIC. And I'd sit through another boring Oscars just to see it again. Well, maybe with vodka.
By Rachel.

who we are

So it official kids, FOUND has joined the rest of the world and started blogging! And just three short months after our store's grand opening- (not bad considering that Amy and I pride ourselves on being completely technologically illiterate and usually avoid all things of this nature like the plague.) But here we are and, shock of all shocks, we're super excited to have this space to rant and rave and gush about all things vintage! For those of you that don't know, we are a small locally-owned vintage clothing and housewares store run by two best friends in Orlando, FL. We started our store-and this blog for that matter- to bring together all lovers of vintage styles, vintage craftmenship and the green lifestyle that is part of choosing to wear vintage in today's world. We are proud of the amazing sustainability of our products and even prouder to offer our customers truly unique and one of a kind pieces at a (gasp!) affordable price. We know that vintage doesn't have to break the bank and during these times, we can all appreciate that. So we hope that you follow along and let us introduce you to some of our favorite pieces in the store, analyze vintage choices by celebs , look at the cyclical nature of fashion trends and much much more. And if you are ever in the Orlando area and need a break from Mickey and Shamu, come see and we promise, you won't be disapointed.
more to come soon,
Rachel @ FOUND