Whew, let me catch my breath for a moment... Can you believe we've entered into another year? A fresh, shiny, new-car-smelling 2013 is upon us. And we're faced with an endless supply of options, adventures, decisions and promises for the next three-sixty-five and change. 

It's daunting to consider all these possibilities ahead, but I have one item in particular that I had the pleasure of admiring over the holidays that I think is both fitting and fetching for a year ready to take flight. I was very lucky to meet boutique owner, style influencer, and author, Cameron Silver, at an event at Tiffany and Co. in December, presenting his new book, Decades: A Century of Fashion.  He's the owner of a gorgeous boutique in Los Angeles, also called Decades, which speaks to his expertise and appreciation for mixing classic with modern. Vintage clothing paired with contemporary jewelry and accessories, ways to bring time periods together and reinvent new looks. Just because it's a new year doesn't mean we have to only look ahead -- sometimes a trip back in time will inspire where we will move forward. 

Cameron Silver's book is an outstanding collection of fashion photography and portraits. I misspent many productive workdays dreamily paging through the different eras and I was very much in love with the 20s and 30s pieces. Periods where photography wasn't as prevalent as now are particularly stunning because the photos are a rare, beautiful look at a time that seems both far away but very familiar. We can recognize dress styles and shapes, details and accessories that we still see today, and that speaks to the timelessness of true style. 

As you go through the the chronology of photographs, you start to see trends, like Hollywood stars becoming stylemakers, the evolution of silhouettes from pinched-in waists and full skirts, to more simplified, ultra-modern lines that almost erase gender. The book touches on the Reign of the Supermodel, hip-hop/street style -- many recent looks and trends that I definitely remember. And then it softly lands on present-day style, which is that many of the looks we find compelling now are ones that incorporate trends spanning those decades. Fashion is a form of history, one that we see every day and may not take the time to notice, but in the context of a book that views our wardrobe through a historic lens, an item that simply drapes on a hanger gains new relevance. So as we enter a new year, consider Decades a guide book to inspire for how we wish to present ourselves, moving forward.

Jaunty Fine Print: Photos from Cameron Silver's book, Decades: A Century of Fashion

The Bird couldn't help but share this latest antique store find! I came across a cache of vintage Stratton compacts at a little antique store along Monroe's Main Street. Monroe is the small city "as the crow flies" about twenty minutes from Duvall, where I live. I do enjoy browsing the sparkly finds in both cities, as they have their share of small vintage shops dotting their respective Main Streets, but I've probably found my most favorite things along Monroe's Main Street, including my very Jaunty jewelry box, an old tool/fittings storage box that was just made for holding all my sparkly finds. 

I love the look of old compacts. Aside from the fact that they're more sturdily made than the contemporary ones, which are either built for disposal or novelty use, the designs of vintage compacts are a little touch of classic, ladylike glamour. This particular one has a pheasant design that came out around the early to mid 1950s, as best as I could research on the interwebs. Stratton is a British company, and has been making compacts and mirrors since the late 1800s and they have a long history of being favorites for collectibles, since they've had so many different designs over the years. The shop had some of Stratton's signature "Princess" compact shape, which has a floral scalloped edge and had more of a classic-era look to them, but I went with this smaller, more modern round shape with the pheasant design. It had more potential to be used as an elegant pill box, the inset space for where the powder sits could cradle a few aspirin in a very ladylike manner. And it could still be used as a working compact, as this still had its original puff, although I would think one would want to keep that intact.

I loved this, but it wasn't meant to be in my possession for long, as I gave it as a birthday gift for a good friend's birthday. I have a corny birdbrained notion that objects contain a little bit of a past life, and when we can make a connection with that past life with someone's current life, there's a bit of magic that happens. So here's to magic and lost treasures being found. 

Jaunty Fine Print: Photo by Denise Sakaki

Hap-hap-happy 2012! Did you have a fabulously festive New Years weekend celebrating this bright and shiny new year? Are you probably still nursing a wicked hangover and putting off that pesky ol' resolution thing until the aspirin kicks in? Yeah, yeah, this Birdy gets it, we've all been there.

Of course, one of the big reasons I love New Years is the excuse to get dolled up and be a fancy Birdy. This year was no different, bringing together old favorites that give a bit of sparkle and shine. I was Inspired by a vintage 1930s photo of a swimsuit that was actually crocheted, if you can believe it. I liked that it had the look of a jumpsuit, almost disco-like. I have no crochet skills, but I need no prompting to find an excuse to wear sparkle-sequin shorts! A 1970s whim made me pull my favorite purple halter tie-neck blouse out. It's a Jaunty Wardrobe outfit that's made appearances before, but this Birdy doesn't care that it's been worn -- gasp -- a couple of times. We wear what makes us feel festive and fun. And really, when else is a good time to wear sequin shorts, but New Years??

From the Jaunty Wardrobe: fabulous sparkle-sequin shorts from Express, silk halter top from Macys, boots from The Bay, jewelry and handbag are vintage. BYO party attitude.

Jaunty Fine Print:  photo from Vintage Home Arts, Jaunty Wardrobe photos by Denise Sakaki

Back to school, back to school -- remember those days of picking out new folders and boxes of fresh No. 2 pencils? And then putting together the outfit you would wear for that first day, mixed with the angst of wanting to make a good impression, but not look like you're trying too hard? Although we all would walk into the classroom looking like a shiny, brand-new dime.
The Jaunty Schoolbird got flashbacks thinking about those days and was taken over by a Mood of first day of school jitters and the nebulous hipster look that can really only be described as just that -- hipster. A mix of vintage finds like a rust-dotted pencil case, leather brogues, a love of Moleskine and Pee-Chee, antique-style blouses with stovetop jeans, and a nod to Bohemia with a colorful scarf. More than anything else, this Bird was most likely taken by the soft tailoring of Ellen Page's look in the movie Inception. Adorable scarf-as-necklace polish, and a name like Ariadne -- can't get any more hipster-chic than that.

This hipster back-to-school Mood includes: {1} Applespice maple wood pendant from Natural at the Heart, {2} Swash Merry-go-Round scarf in green from Barneys, {3} Ellen Page as Ariadne in the movie, Inception, {4} Moleskine lime green daily planner and {5} Keep Calm and Carry On date book from Paper Source, {6} Camden studded leather brogues in saltwater grey from J. Crew, {7} Two Worlds tee from Anthropologie, {8} Vintage Mars Staedtler pencil box from Wolf House, {9} Sargeant jacket by Free People at Nordstrom, {10} Saddlery Sophie cross-body bag by Marc by Marc Jacobs at Piperlime, {11} Pee-Chee ColorTalk folders by Mead, {12} Covent Garden Jacket by Anthropologie


Jaunty Fine Print:  photo credits noted above, Mood collage by Denise Sakaki

 

Call me old-school, but this Bird forgot how fabulous sweater twinsets and saddle shoes could be after watching episodes of David Lynch and Mark Frost's fabulously weird 1990s series, Twin Peaks. It featured my most Jaunty of girl-crushes, the amazingly stunning Sherilyn Fenn as the she's-so-totally-not-in-high-school spoiled rich girl, Audrey Horne. And duh, could the name be any more double entendre? I think not. I remember first watching the series in my pre-teen angst thinking, damn, I hate this biyotch, but watching the series again, it's more like, damn, I want to be like this biyotch, because she's so hatefully fabulous. 

Reaching Cult Queen status the second she tied a cherry stem in a knot (without using her hands - jigga yeah!), and slow-dancing alone to the haunting, cool jazz sounds of Angelo Badalamenti's score, Audrey Horne went from jailbait naughty schoolgirl to a more industrious jailbait naughty Nancy Drew, doing her part towards solving the mystery of Who Killed Laura Palmer. And no, even after over a decade since the show aired and was unceremoniously dumped by ABC, I'm not telling who killed Laura Palmer, because by the power of Netflix, you should give this oldie-but-goodie series a watch.

Let's face it, David Lynch, as much as he's known for being an eccentric artist working in the medium of weird, he totally knows how to pick strikingly lovely actresses. He always lends a unique, retro look to everything, so much that when you watch Miss Audrey swaying about in her saddle shoes or red kitten heels, wearing a pleated skirt and sweater, nothing about the show looks dated. Fine, there were a few moments of big hair/mall bangs, scrunchies, and a pair of acid wash jeans or two, but Lynch knew to treat the ladies with vintage class and style. The wardrobe was not a designer-name, label-driven commercial like a lot of the television series now -- the looks were timeless, with the exception of Donna Hayward's wardrobe of sweaters that were clearly raided from the Huxtable family collection. But the eternally sassy Audrey Horne was consistently stylish and delightfully retro, sneaking cigarettes in the girl's bathroom and sauntering in and out of each scene, leaving a strangely innocent smolder in her wake.

Jaunty Fine Print: Photos of cherry pie and doughnuts by Denise Sakaki; photo of Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey Horne from Wikipedia

 

So, at the risk of this Birdie looking a total retro/vintage hot mess, I couldn't help but put together an outfit not only inspired by the fashion stylings of Kate Spade, but the bags themselves. Granted, I didn't have the exact-matching cardigan color to match their signature spring style vert, but the trappings of 1940s vintage ivory earrings, bright red tights and patent shoes and a bold print feels just crazy enough to qualify for getting totally Kate Spay-ed, right?

I love how the Kate Spade brand has expanded to clothing. Granted, it sort of forces them to qualify a particular look that fits their overall company image, but since last year, I've been totally loving on their cheeky, young, vintage look. It's both classic and modern-funky, the perfect combination I love so dearly, as the Jaunty Wardrobe is just a giant collection of style insanity that runs the gamut of wearable options, but defintely leans more towards the love of retro styles and silhouettes.

For this outfit, the not-quite-Kate-Spade-green cardigan is from Old Navy, dark purple shirt is from JCPenney, the black and white graphic-print skirt is from J. Crew, grey buckle handbag is from The Limited, red tights from Express, red patent Mary Jane flats are from Nine West, and the clip-on earrings are vintage ivory.

Jaunty Fine Print: Photos of wardrobe pieces by Denise Sakaki, from her own Jaunty wardrobe; photos from Kate Spade

 

I have a girl-crush on actress Zooey Deschanel. There, I've said it. She's adorable! How could you not want to just put her in your pocket and take her home to have tea and scones, listening to old vinyl LPs? Along with being an indie film darling, she's been in a couple of my favorite sci-fi/genre movies: the Sci-Fi -- sorry SyFy (hate this, by the way) -- Channel steampunked Wizard of Oz, Tin Man, and the silly movie adaptation of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I know fans hated this remake, and while it's got issues, I thought casting her as Trillian made it easier to watch. Plus I loved the opening musical number. No, no, dolphins -- thank you. And you're welcome for all the fish.

I enjoyed seeing her as one of The Fabric of My Life spokespeople for Cotton's latest celeb-dotted campaign. Her online stylebook is cute as a bug's ear. The television ads had music from her CD, She & Him playing in the background. I received this as a gift from Mr. Magpie. Call it a celebrity indulgence album if you must, but I thought it was a nifty gifty, as I love the low-fi sound and the sweetly earnest lyrics.

Zooey's twee sensibilities helped Inspire this home wardrobe-shopped look of a cotton-fabric-of-our-lives floral applique dress (Romy), gray knitted shrug (Macys..?), rust-colored tights (Alloy), and my very favorite kimono-print, chain/buckle detail flats from Steve Madden. The earrings are vintage clip-ons, carved from ivory from my grandmother's collection; I believe they're shaped to resemble the pikake flower, found in Hawaii. While the InStyle photos of my celebrity style muse's red Isaac Mizrahi dress and white Luella dress isn't exactly like what's shown on the right, I'd like to believe Zooey would approve of this Magpie closet mashup.

If there were a catalog this Bird would like to become truly lost within, it would have to be the latest one from White House/Black Market. It arrived in the mail recently and I've been staring dreamily at its muted palette and atmospheric scenes of wine lingering in crystal glasses, alongside long-necked beauties in decorated woolen cloches, dripping with jewels. It leaves one wishing for a late afternoon sitting at a zinc bar, waiting for F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre to stroll in.

Who wouldn't want to be the belle of the ball? The pretty bird with the brightest plumage? When talking about the weather simply won't do, these are some conversational pieces worth a dinner party or two. Any of these would liven up the simplest outfit, giving the lucky wearer the Jaunty Gold Star for the day. Be honest, wouldn't you want to get to know someone wearing Edgar Allen Poe on a locket, or chat up the bird with the feather in her cap? {1} Havana Sweater Coat by Anthropologie {2} Madame de la Lune cocktail hat by White Apple {3} Edgar Allen Poe Brass Moth and Locket by Secret Jewellz

This little birdie was wilting from the heat this weekend! I sought shelter in a retail haven, visiting an outlet mall with some fellow birds. It's no secret that I have a deep abiding love for J. Crew, and I have an outright passion for their outlet stores, which always have bargain gems, ripe for the picking.

I was keen on finding some of their soft t-shirts with the lovely vintage prints. They have such character and are easy year-round staples that can go from hot to cold weather while still looking smart. The printed tissue tees shown below the main photo are some of the newer ones, but I was looking for the foil-printed styles I'd seen a while back in the stores. Being true to my Magpie self, I found a couple of sparkling eye-catchers at the outlet store. The bee pollen-yellow tee with the silver foil was particularly endearing, since it's a little ad for an art supply store. The cream-colored tee with the motorcycle print and clear sequins were just the right notes of fun and light-heartedness that J. Crew always manages to exemplify in their pieces. Plus, I know if I lose one of those clear sequins, it won't be obviously missed!

Thanks to J. Crew Aficionada for keeping us Crew-fans up to date on the latest news and seasonal releases!