VINTAGE VANDALIZM

Societe Perrier interview & feature!

vintagevandalizm — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:17:33 +0000

Societe Perrier interviewed and featured me on their website today and I couldn’t be more thrilled! It has been a long time since Ive done an interview so its good to update people on who I am. I hope you all love it as much as I do!

Check out the feature by clicking here!

Thank you Societe Perrier for featuring me. Couldn’t be more thankful <3

XOXO

Dapper in denim..

vintagevandalizm — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:45:30 +0000

Many of you may think it is a rare occasion to see me without my signature cat eye or baggy jeans but this is actually something I do regularly. I take a fashion day off to cater to my tomboyish side at least once or twice a week where I completely boycott makeup, heels, and my sassiness for a more subtle, less manageable look. On days like this I usually leave my camera home too, simply because I usually dress like this on non-blog-worthy days. This day was an exception as I was off to a meeting and thought I may need my camera. It was a productive casual day. Notice I didn’t say comfortable because believe it or not, I happen to be more comfortable in heels than flats and I feel more like myself in a dress, dolled up. This look is still me, I mean if you look at my childhood pictures, I was always in baggy jeans, boots, and my leather jacket. Not much has changed obviously. I only like jeans if they are baggy, you will rarely ever see me in skin-tight jeans because they just aren’t comfortable for me. I prefer men’s jeans actually as they just fit baggier than going up a few sizes in women’s jeans that are tailored to accentuate a woman’s curves. I am more of a pants, trousers, and leggings kind of girl in terms of women’s bottoms. Anyway, here are some photos of my look a few days ago.:)

I think I was about 5 years old here lol.I think I was 9 here.

This has become one of my favorite hats. It is vintage and was one of the last things I purchased at Billy’s Antiques. I have worn the hell out of it ever since and it always reminds me of the magical place I was once a part of. Sometimes it is refreshing to leave my cat-eye alone for a day or two. Just mascara and blush will do. My vintage doctors bag is also something I have worn to death since finding it at a flea market upstate for just $10. I mean it is so convenient because I am such a bag lady. I can fit my life into this bag and be on my merry way. My boots are from Steve Madden and my jeans are by Carrot, a new launch by Levi’s. I usually buy men’s jeans so I was shocked when I found them in the women’s section in Buffalo Exchange but they remind me so much of a pair of mens replay jeans I have that are my favorite. My fingerless gloves are Betsey Johnson and so is my hood. Even when I am dressed down I am still in Betsey!

My turtle neck is by Express and my leather jacket is Zara.

Good day!

XOXO

PRADA SPRING/SUMMER 2012 WOMEN’S ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN!!

vintagevandalizm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:54:34 +0000

Prada’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection is just tugging at my heart-strings. The entire collection is inspired by mid-century fashion and I am absolutely in LOVE. I mean, my attraction to this collection is a no brainer since I follow the rockabilly culture religiously. I am just glad Prada did a great job exuding the aesthetic of an era I love. I am going to do everything in my power to have some of these pieces in my collection of vintage and vintage-inspired threads! I am so impressed and excited for Spring/Summer! Bravo Prada, Bravo!

XOXO

A day in the life..

vintagevandalizm — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:30:34 +0000

Lately life has been kind of crazy. I am experiencing lots of changes that has my head spinning. Most of these changes are great ones but even great changes need warming up to. The other day I got to tell my story..my life story on video. It was nerve wrecking as I am still getting used to this whole film thing but It was a long walk down memory lane and a huge eye opener for me as It made me remember how far I have come. Sometimes we need to revisit our roots so we can see how far we have grown from the seed. I am still learning in this journey called life and will accept any challenges before me with open arms, open eyes, and an open heart. I know I have a purpose and I believe that I am following it down the right path, I can only hope that never lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel because I am no good at getting lost. This is a rather short post with just a few pictures that described my wonderful day. Astoria Queens is such a lovely place.Court Square train station.Astoria Projects in a Vintage Chanel chain logo jacket, Kiki De Montparnasse leather pants, Steve Madden Leopard boots, Betsey Johnson fingerless gloves, and my vintage shades and doctors bag from the 1950s.

“The World is Yours”

Special thanks to EwokOne for these photos.

StyleCaster x Sebastian Infinite Possibilities @ the Darby

vintagevandalizm — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:50:16 +0000

The other night I was invited to a StyleCaster event at the Darby in the city so I brought my friend Queena with me. First we went to my new favorite spot Coppelia to eat cuban food and then we were off to the Darby to dance the night away. It was my first time at the Darby and I have to say I was impressed. I loved the decor and the service was really friendly. As soon as we got in we were greeted and given cute little totes and it was only just a few minutes after arriving that we were already on the dance floor. I attended the event in a Ralph Lauren top I snagged at the Salvation Army last Tuesday (yes I couldn’t wait to wear it), my army green trousers, Dolce and Gabbana booties, and my vintage purse case. I went super casual as I had to be ready in a jiffy. My girl Queena wore a really amazing gold sweater, cool black pants, Lita boots, and wore sick jewelry. Queena is a dancer, stylist, and designer who fancy’s Avant Garde fashion. I adore her and her hustle and we had such a great time. Trust this wont be the first or last time you see this girl on my blog. See more photos of our night inside!Queena and I!I love this girl!Darby was like a cool behive.Pink!Super cashhhh..These have been my colors this season.I love anything nautical and I adore fun regal prints.Queena has style for DAYS!
This canadian bombshell just recently styled Renee Graziano of the Mob Wives for Mob Candy magazine and has done work for Vogue Italia, T & M Magazine, PaperCut magazine, and more. Check her out by visiting her website.Dance girl DANCE!WEPA!I love this pic!Dapper <3Good times!

XOXO

Vinny the riveter’s vintage finds!

vintagevandalizm — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:03:53 +0000

Yesterday was one of those “never waste a minute” kind of days where I made the most and the best of my day. My day started with me running to the Salvation Army in Hells Kitchen to shoot for a project that is in the works. I cannot announce what it is until it comes to full fruition. Hopefully it will, I have my fingers crossed. We shot for most of the day the best part about it was that I was able to THRIFT and meet other thrifters like darling Patrice Williams who is not only a fellow thrifter but a blogger as well! Patrice runs the blog “Looking fly for a dime” and I suggest you all check her out! Patrice knows her vintage, why? because as soon as I walked in the door she had a vintage 50′s robe at hand that I was drooling over for hours until we made a trade. She happened to like a purse I had in my cart and I must say..I wasn’t going to miss that bag..but that robe…I would’ve missed it had she not been so generous in giving it up. I absolutely adored her and can’t wait to thrift with her again. I ended up with a garbage bag full of goodies that I can’t wait to wear and I have photos inside to prove it! I also invited my friend Tim who is my old coworker from Billy’s Antiques so we could catch up after thrifting and grab some grub. He ended up leaving with a bag full of stuff too. We snuck in a little fun photo shoot of my outfit before leaving the building as Tim usually takes my pictures (he is such a good friend ). I definitely dressed for my thrifting occassion in a “Rosie the riveter” outfit I can’t wait to show you! After an exhausttting dayy of shopppinngg we headed on over to BBQ’s where we had some good-ol-fashioned southern food and what a perfect way to end the day than a big plate of food and a strawberry daiquiri. More details and photos inside!First and foremost…..THE ROBE. So glamorous and exactly what I needed in my life. Thank you Patrice<3!I love these regal cool prints so it was a no brainer that I had to have this Ralph Lauren top. I am going to wear the hell out of it.I also found this tagless cropped candy striped cropped sweater. I love stripes and I cant wait to wear this top with my Christian Louboutin candy striped shoes.This bolero stood out to me not only because it was cropped but because of the Chanel-like tweed material and the Versace-like lion button. This is going to look great with a pencil skirt or high waisted pants.I died when I found this vintage sweater. I love the abstract tribal design and the contrast of the black and white together. I am going to have a field day with this sweater, and it is long so I can make it into a dress!I found this vintage top while looking through the sweaters and I am absolutely in love with it. I mean look at the color and the neckline. This is sooo 1950s and would look great with a poodle skirt, pencil skirt, or high waisted pants. Adorbs!This was one of my favorite finds at the Salvation Army. This is a cashmere skull sweater by Lux. This isn’t vintage but it reminded me so much of Betsey Johnsons skull sweaters that I had to have it. Plus, I love skulls anyway..I mean…Who doesn’t?Before checking out I found a really cool silver necklet. How amazing is this!I snagged some other things but I will wait to show you them later . P.S this lady in this picture above is the same lady I used to see at the Salvation Army in Queens when I was just a tween! I have a good memory.Off to BBQ’s because we certainly weren’t going to wait on that Shake Shack line. Look how sad my face was lol.I was still ecstatic about all of my finds, this picture says it all lolol BBQ’s!This is my amazing friend Timothy. Not really sure how my blog would have survived without him taking all of my pictures last summer or how I would have survived my stress without his friendship. I love you Tim!Yum Strawberrryyyyy.lol no pictures pleaseStill sippin.Here are photos from the little shoot we did of my outfit.“Yo Vinny!”

Remember that Grey Antics top I scored at Buffalo Exchange the other day? Well, I happened to have pants that were the exact same color and fabric by American Apparel. I was soooo happy when I realized it! They go perfect together!My bandana is from the Freshthetic shop in Brooklyn. Its my favorite! My earrings are from Tarina Tarantino, I wear them in different colors all the time.My belt is vintage. I always find cool thin vintage belts like these for $2 at thrift shops.My glasses are also vintage, see my previous post for details.My hair is up in a pompadour wrapped with my bandana, my 1-2-3 ready hairstyle.I used a blue contrast of accessories to match my belt like my vintage suitcase and Pan American bag. They make quite a pair. Felt like I was about to go work on a plane with my vintage brown bomber jacket.<3My construction wedge boots are from Zara, I actually purchased them off of another blogger.Definitely one of my favorite outfits! Hope this one makes the big screen!

Photos by: Timothy Dark

XOXO

Vintage cat-eye glasses!

vintagevandalizm — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:48:48 +0000

I am addicted to vintage cat-eye glasses and have become an avid collector of them. These are my new finds as of recent. However, finding the right pair is tough because you have to try it before you buy it. Many people shop for vintage specs through ebay and I have done that and learned that what you see is not always what you get. Vintage specs from the 50s and 60s were made in a variety of sizes but most run fairly small. Shopping on ebay, I ended up with a bunch of cat-eye specs that were way too small for my face and had to sell them. My suggestion to anyone looking for really great frames is to attend flea markets or thrift stores where you can actually try them on. The best part about buying specs at flea markets and thrift shops are the prices as well (depending on where you go). I like to find mine at flea markets in deserted towns, places that have boxes full of them. If you aren’t afraid to wipe the dust off, you may find the perfect pair of vintage specs at the perfect price. Some of my vintage glasses cost as little as $3! The most I have ever spent on a pair of glasses was $50 just because the lenses and condition was perfect and didn’t need work. I got most of these specs restored and re-lensed at Luxeye Optical in Williamsburg Brooklyn. I have good vision so I got regular lenses for just $30 and they sometimes finish the job the same day I bring them in. All of my vintage glasses end up costing me less than $50 which is less than most expensive thrift stores and online shops may sell you- with warped lenses and screws that may be loose. Save your money vintage mavens and go on a treasure hunt at your local vintage flea markets and get some vintage specs restored at a great affordable optical shop like Luxeye Optical. I am sure you will hit the jackpot like I did!

Here are some photos of me in some of my new specs <3When I bought these 25% of the handle was broken at the tip, didn’t care..At $3 you wouldn’t care either. They are still broken but not really noticeable. These are really cool despite the leucite turning a little yellow from the age, I bought them anyway. The blue brows of these specs are simple but classic. $5 specs + $30 lenses = $35!I bought these in pristine condition for just $5, they have a tiger strip design within the leucite that was irresistible. I mean look at them, they are amazing! They came with lenses that had a not so crazy prescription but I bought new lenses anyway. $35!These were a little more expensive at $20 and had no lenses at all. However, I fell in LOVE with them and they are actually my favorite out of my collection because of the intergalactic marble design. These ended up costing me $50 after I got them re-lensed.

There you go, you don’t have to go spending tons on a pair of glasses that fit your pinup personality. It is worth being patient and searching for a deal!

Happy thrifting!

XOXO

Yumna Al-Arashi’s “Internet Bitch” Styled by V.V!

vintagevandalizm — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:07:17 +0000

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of collaborating with Yumna Al-Arashi, a very talented photographer and a good friend of mine. Her passion for photography couldnt’ be a better marriage because her fun and quirky personality shines through her work. Yumna is a whimsical gypsy who enjoys traveling all over the world capturing beauty, art, and those precious moments when one connects with nature. This woman is brilliant beyond measure and I cannot wait to see her continue to flourish. Many of my favorite photos of myself were shot my Yumna and I feel fortunate that I could now lend my expertise in styling her model for this new project she was working on called “Internet Bitch”. The whole concept of this shoot is self-explanatory. Many of us allow technology to run and ruin our lives like a bad addiction, But if you learn how to make technology work for you and not against you, the possibilities are endless. With that said….

“Don’t be technology’s bitch. Make technology your bitch.”

Inside is the finished project of Yumna’s “Internet Bitch” along with behind the scenes footage and more details about the shoot. Must be 18+ to view photos.

Behind the scenes!

Cyndle did an amazing job with makeup. Her work was flawless and Stephanie looked beautiful for both looks.Peter did a great job with Stephanie‘s hair. How could anyone not love a pink finger waved hairdo?I did the styling. Stephanie was really pleasant to work with. She had me laughing the entire time. Gotta love a model with humor and a great personality. She did an AMAZING job modeling for this shoot.For the first look which was more of a sweet sexy look, I put Stephanie in a leopard Lucy B Lingerie bra and brief set, a vintage robe, fur stole, and white pumps. I had her drenched in vintage jewels with the exception of her kitty Betsey Johnson earrings.For the second look which was more of a dark look, I put Stephanie in leather Agent Provocateur shorts, a Jessica Simpson pleather sleeved blazer, biker gloves, a vintage military cap, vintage panther earrings, a Versace for H&M choker, Leg avenue thigh high stockings, and Topshop boots. Fabbbulous.

It was the perfect shoot with the perfect team. Special thanks to Eric White for taking behind the scenes, I wish I would have gotten a picture of him. He is also a very skilled photographer and a dapper one at that!

Model: Stephanie Wagenman (yes, Betsey Johnson’s muse!)
Makeup: Cyndle Strawhecker
Hair: Peter Mattelinano
Styling: Jasmin Rodriguez (Vintage Vandalizm)
Assistance: Eric White

Visit Yumna Al-Arashi’s website now!

XOXO

Winter Wonder Woman.

vintagevandalizm — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:45:04 +0000

I have to say, winter has been pretty good to us out here in NY and even though we have had cold and brittle days, it hasn’t been so bad. However, on this day…NY was brick city and I had a very important casting to attend so I had to bust out my vintage fur coat, thick sweater, jeans, and Michael Kors boots. I had to look my best for this casting and I can’t let winter stop me from dressing up so I like to wear really cool coat and hat ensembles. This happens to be my favorite. I actually bought my hat separately at a vintage flea market upstate. I was ecstatic when I realized it matched my vintage coat. Though they are similar, my hat is from the 60′s and my coat is from the 50′s (I only buy vintage fur). Two of my favorite eras . I found my coat at Beacons Closet in Brooklyn about a year ago and nearly died when I found it because it reminded me of a coat one of my Barbie’s sported in my childhood days. I was even more excited about the condition of the coat considering it was so old. It gets better because I couldn’t believe the price! I mean $50? Are you for real? I had to have it and it is one of my most treasured vintage finds to date. hear more about my winter wonderland outfit along with more details inside!

This is actually a simple outfit for me but still classic vintage. My sweater is from the Gap, my coat is no label vintage, my hat is vintage, who knows where my jeans are from, my boots are Michael Kors, and my purse is a handmade Bishette Bag made of all vintage materials.
I swear this is my warmest ensemble and I plan to wear the hell out of it allll winter.
My Bishette purse has become one of my favorite purses. I wear it all the time!These Michael Kors boots actually have a faux-sheepskin button-on trim but I liked them better without the trim for this look.I am obsessed with bold stripes, I like that this Gap sweater has subtle ones.

Special thanks to my bestie/pinup artist Santiago for taking these pics!

Xoxo!

Coppelia & the Boom Boom Room.

vintagevandalizm — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:05:32 +0000

The other night, my girl Maria and I wanted to have a night out on the town. So we first stopped by Coppelia, a cuban restaurant I am newly in love with that exudes old Cuba to it’s finest. I was in LOVE. The walls were adorned with paintings and photos of Cuba, classic cars, flags. There were also old-fashioned mid-century dining tables and GOD..the food was so delicious. I ordered a Cuban sandwich and I have been craving it ever since. I am very picky about my cuban sandwiches and I have to say this is hands down one of the best I have had in this city. The service was lovely as well. I actually plan to return on Wednesday with my friend Danielle and I can’t wait. After we got some grub we were off to the Boom Boom Room at the Standard hotel to meet up with my friends Andrea, Nina, and Nazir. It was nice to zone out at a beautiful venue and enjoy drinks and a good conversation. I haven’t been out in a while so I definitely dolled myself up in a vintage dress that had been collecting dust in my closet. I was so happy to finally put it to use. It was a really good night..Check out more details and photos inside.Coppelia was full of Cuban culture. I was loving every little detail about this place.Maria got this shot with her phone. I was ready to eat!My plate after 2 seconds.Maria and I in the elevator of the Standard hotel, being silly.The beautiful Boom Boom Room.This dress is about 6 or 7 years old and this is the first time I have worn it. Felt so good to put it to use in such a beautiful place. I wanted to mix the film noir feel of the 1920s with this goddess-like look. I like to mix and match different images, cultures, and eras together. I was drenched in vintage from head to toe.We kept warm and toasty from the cold rain by sitting next to this fire-place.This makes me realize I have such pretty friends lol <3
Love this picture of my friend Maria!
My city.ahhh what a good dress..Why have I neglected you sooo long.Maria, Nina, and I! Love them!As if! ;DKissy!My girl Andrea and I! Love this girl! She is so full of life.Nazir and Nina, two very talented performers. Nazir is a Musician and Nina is a performance artist.Puerto Rican dolls <3

Good times!

XOXO