This is the last time, I swear

So remember a few weeks ago, how I switched my blog name from Flora Vintage to Diamond Star Halo?

Well, I'm doing it again!

This time, the name remains the same - for the most part at least; it's the server that's changing.

You can now read my updates at www.thediamondstarhalo.com/blog.

The reason for the switch? My dear friend Sunny - she of the incredible Hooprama studio here in East Nashville - is helping me link all my enterprises (Etsy, Twitter, Facebook, Libbycallaway.com, and this here blog) into one site, which will be called - you guessed it - www.thediamondstarhalo.com. The site is sponsored by Yahoo, so I'm moving all my stuff over there.

More info on this soon!

Until then, follow me here.

XO,
LC

PS. You can now find my Etsy gear at www.thediamondstarhalo.etsy.com!

LC

A bit of Memphis in Berry Hill

I have a weird kind of love for the Regal Hollywood 27 movie theater in the Berry Hill section of town. And it has nothing to do with the quality of the sound there or the butter they squirt on their popcorn.

As far as I know, the Regal is the only building in town designed in the mode of the Memphis Group - the 1980s Italian art movement, not a pickup band in the famous river city 200 miles to our southwest.

The building has all the hallmarks of Memphisian design: it's very graphic, colorful, symmetrical and cheery (the Memphis Group was reacting to decades of what they saw as soulless Modern design.

The name came from - of all things - a Bob Dylan song. Check out this excerpt from the Design Museum:

Originally dubbed The New Design, the project was rechristened Memphis after the Bob Dylan lyric "Stuck Inside of Mobile (With the Memphis Blues Again)" stuck repeatedly at "Memphis Blues Again" on (Milan furniture designer Ettore) Sottsass’ record player. "Sottsass said: ‘Okay, let’s call it Memphis," wrote Radice, "and everyone thought it was a great name: Blues, Tennessee, rock’n’roll, American suburbs, and then Egypt, the Pharoahs’ capital, the holy city of the god, Ptah."

Well, I guess Dylan gave us Nashville Skyline; it's the least he could do for Memphis, right?

I snapped these pics the other night, when my sister Millie and I went to see The Hangover, which is kinda awesome. I love Ed Helms.

Elegant? Check. Spooky? Check. Faaaabulous? Double check.

Can't wait to get this issue of Vogue Italia. I love me some Kristen McMenamy!

You know how one thing leads to another?

I started out this morning ready to begin posting even more new Etsy editions.

Two hours later, I'm still here at the kitchen table, my dirty cereal bowl and cold coffee cup still sitting here beside my computer, where I've been surfing for far too long.

I just got on one of those fashion searching frenzies, starting with my attempt to find the correct year and season that the 1990s Gaultier sweater/jersey dress that I got in Boise came from. I found what I am SURE is a companion piece from the collection on The Way We Wore's site on 1stdibs.com (my new obsession), which gave me a jumping off point. But since Style.com's backlog of shows is only nine years old, I couldn't find what I was looking for.

I did, somehow, run into a story about my childhood friend Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the incredible AMC series Mad Men - back on TV August 16! - with the news about how she's working on a vintage inspired line. That's super-exciting stuff, so I started searching for more stories, which led to finding interviews she's done with the NYT magazine, British Vogue, the LA Times and a host of websites.

Something on one of Janie's sites linked to some information on Resurrection Vintage, which is the bicoastal vintage store co-owned by Katy Rodriquez, a friend of mine from New York. She's amazing - just a lovely, kind, talented woman (that's her in a vintage 40s Indian headdress, above)- and has been extremely successful over the past few years launching her own namesake line. Recently, she's had a celebrity explosion, with lots of red carpet action and ton of media exposure.

On her business' FB page - join it here - I came across a link to a story by another top-notch off-the-radar fashion site, Refinery29, about her fall '09 lookbook featuring Jessica Joffe, the gorgeous red-headed socialite/writer/model/former Ryan Adams GF. Super stuff. Check it out:

New Etsy additions!

Here are some of the goodies I have up on my Etsy site right now. Check 'em out at www.floravintage.etsy.com!

Walter Steiger black suede pumps with KILLER heels

YSL military jacket

Flora Kung silk dress

Guy Laroche silk cocktail dress

Escada suede spectator pumps

Who's on 1stdibs.com

Gloria Vanderbilt, for one. (How 'bout that amazing crazy quilt robe?!)

And Hamish Bowles, and Kelly Wearstler, John Derian and Wendy Goodman and a whole slew of other style luminaries whose work and/or vibe I dig.

I'd heard about this art and antique site for a while now, but had never checked it out until this morning, when it showed up as an ad link on the side of the Times' T Magazine website, where there's also an Alaia story that I'm keen to spend some time with soon.

1stdibs.com is an auction website, but like most successful and well-executed internet destinations, it also has a journalistic component. I just spent an hour I really should have been doing hot yoga reading about Bunny Williams sensitive design hand, her protege Miles Redd's sensational inclination to reference movie sets in his interiors (his "My Fair Lady" kitchen is wonderful, in all its black and white, at-the-Ascot glory) and even one of my favorite actresses, Rachel Griffiths, who has a big thing for Noguchi chairs and other benchmarks of good modern design - who knew?

Z is for zebra belt

I'm going to start carrying a lot more large jewelry and over-sized belt buckles at Fanny's from now on. This dude is there right now, alongside a pair of linking Mimi Di N leopards and a funny little angel duo that come on a hot pink patent belt. Love!

Killing Me Softly, indeed!

I posted this incredible album cover on my Facebook page last week, but thought I'd slap her on here as well. I'm just mesmerized by her - the eyes, the tear, the purple blouse, the Farrah flip. She's like the lady painting I've never found.

A bit of background. For the last 18 years, I've been amassing a collection of paintings of women. I started back in college, when I found four canvases with female faces on them priced $.98 each. I hung them in a grouping over my couch and fell in love with the idea of having a whole house full. So, now I have over 80 now, and that's after selling some and giving others away.

Of course, these aren't just any women.

My "lady paintings" have to fit into some very specific parameters. They must be non-professional, and definitely not too perfect. They must have something a bit "off" about them - aka they have to have personality! They can't cost more than $20. (Actually, that was an initial rule I made back in '91; now, with inflation and all, I pay up to $40 - though I do try to lowball as much as I can.)

I'll share some of them with you guys in later blogs. If you just can't wait, head over to the corner of Holly & 11th in East Nashville to Fanny's House of Music, where I have the second location of my vintage business (the first is still at GasLamp). I moved a bunch of my girls over there to decorate the joint, including the over-sized version of Marlene Dietrich in full-on Blue Angel drag that I picked up at the Chelsea Flea Market five or so years ago, as well as the buxom, mantilla-wearing seniorita and a moody homage to Angelica Huston, which are also from the NYC flea (I lived at 15th & 7th Avenue for many years, so I was there every weekend back in the day).

Man in the mirror-image

While covering the 'Roo last month for Style.com, I noticed that a ton of the cute indie boys were wearing penny loafers; some, like Rollum Haas of The Features, wore 'em with their jeans rolled up as well.



At the time, I remember thinking that this trend reminded me of something, that I'd seen it before. But at the time, I couldn't place it.

Fast forward three weeks, with all the MJ memorials, including the picture below.

Yep. That's it!

Paging Madonna!

When I went shopping solo on Thursday morning here in Boise, I found a great little consignment store on Broadway Avenue called Back on the Rack. There was a lot of the regular stuff you find in nicer consignment stores in mid-size cities, including dresses by French Connection and Milly as well as some Chicos stuff and a smattering of vintage.

When I inquired about other stores where I might find more secondhand "rich lady clothes," Linda, the owner, gave me some names (unfortunately, the one she was most certain about having great stuff had closed, or rather, merged into a maternity/baby consignment store) and then asked if I were interested in seeing a Gaultier dress she had in her car trunk that was too fashion-y for her clientele: a frock with a lavender angora sweater top and a black silk jersey skirt with a square yoke. She sold it to me for $25. I need to find a photo of it online, with the right crinoline under it to post, because just shooting it here doesn't do it justice.

If I was excited about the Gaultier, I was ecstatic about the round '80s sunglasses I found under the glass topped counter. Check them out!

They're both mirrored and the lenses are very fragile glass. The silver ones have tight springs at the temples, while the pink ones have blinders on them, which make them even more awesome. They totally look like something Madonna would have worn in her True Blue period - actually, I swear I remember a Herb Ritts snap of her in round glasses. Does anyone else remember that? If you find an image, send it on!

Secondhand in Sun Valley

Proof that The Universe wants me to continue shopping for cool old stuff for a demi-living: the first of the two annual antique fairs that happen in Hailey, Idaho, was this weekend!

Marie has been more than gracious, allowing me to shop as much as I want on our July 3 trip over to Sun Valley. This is made easier on her, as the drive is really great; it look us from the relative river oasis of Boise through high desert scrub near Mountain Home and then inches up in elevation as you go further north in Sun Valley.

Our first stop was Hailey - the charming rural township made famous by Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, who chose to raise their three girls here during their formative years (the kids', not the adults', in case it wasn't clear). It's charming little town - despite the small airfield where literally dozens of private planes were lined up, having deposited their owners in town for the holiday weekend - made even more appealing to me by the fact that the flea market was the first thing we saw when we got to town. (There was also a so-so Episcopal church thrift, where I did find a pair of very early Giorgio Armani nude suede flats with clear plastic sides and some men's lederhosen suded shorts that fit me like a charm for just $10! Can't wait to put them on with a pair of heels and play like I'm some Southern-fried version of Gwen Stefani.)

I picked up a few really killer pieces,including a fringed leather jacket with sweet floral beading on the yoke and pockets and a buttery fringed leather purse. Check 'em out here, pictured alongside my wallet and phone, which I managed to leave behind. I'm famous for that shit.

Here are more snaps from the show. I loved the Ralph Lauren-esque styling of the clothes in this top shot. I got two pristine 40s printed rayon dresses from this woman, who has been collecting vintage in Sun Valley for 40 years. AMAZING.

Thrifting Boise, Part 1

I am pooped, having spent the last two days either in a car or on a plane. (I left Nashville at 6:55 AM on Wednesday morning, bound for Boise; had a two hour layover in Las Vegas - a city I loathe - where I came to the conclusion that everyone there looked like they were from Nashville. When I related this to P. Cole, she made the very astute connection to this observation and Music City's second most-commonly used nickname: NashVegas.)

The flight was actually pretty quick, and I got into town by 2:30. Marie's car was waiting at the airport for me, so I was able to jump in, fire up the GPS, and head straight to the nearest Savers, the Western version of our Value Village franchise back East (check out the colors and font of the sign!).

I'm a big fan of the Savers chain for several reasons, but chiefly because of size. They're huge - like, mega-supermarket huge. The West Fairview location I hit in Boise was no exception and I took a good hour-plus to get through it. The clothes were a bit expensive - dresses were mostly $7 or $10; jackets were about the same - though I did manage to score a few jewels, in including a painted silk caftan with an Asian design and a few pairs of shoes, including a pair of black suede boots with beaded rodeo riders on the side (sounds stupid; looks cool).

Three storefronts up the strip mall there was another one: Idaho Youth Ranch Thrift, a non-profit store that I am assuming receives a good bit of dead stock in addition to their usual mix of clothing donations. To wit: the large number of stretch minis and double-breasted peplumed jackets that still had the circa 1980s Contempo Casual (!) tags hanging from them. I got one of the former, two of the latter, as well as a white lace Fredricks of Hollywood brand dress with a full tiered skirt just like the hot pink one I have hanging in Fanny's right now! I love finding twinkie dresses.

After about an hour there (I also got some totally cute plastic wedge Kenny's sandals, size 6ish, that have never been worn; they'll be in the store next week), I hit the last store in the West Fairview thrift trifecta: Deseret Industries. I remember going to one of these in Arizona a few years ago, and loving how organized and well-priced everything was. I also remember thinking it must be a totally Western chain, seeing as it was called Desert Thrift and all. (Missed that last e, yo.) Marie just told me that it's LDS-operated, which makes sense considering that there's a huge Mormon population here.

All I can say is those guys sure know how to run a thrift store: I don't think I've ever been in a thrift that was as ship-shape and pin-neat as this store. I got a few things: a pair of $3 red suede ankle boots with little buckles on the side (my size: yay!), some gold Springalators and a pair of vintage regulation Boy Scout shorts.

After that, I headed to watch Marie play frisbee in gorgeous Ann Morrison Park. Her team is called Isis; they have wings on the back of their T-shirts:

I have much more to report - and many more pictures of FABULOUS booty I got today. But we need to get going or we'll be late to meet up with my old grad school buddy Greg Hahn, who lives here. It's been over 10 years! I'm excited.

FYI: You can read more about my shopping adventures as they happen if you sign up to get my Twitter reports. How you do that, I know not. But looking up my name is as good a place to start as any!