Deja Vu... All Over Again

dé·jà vu/ˌdāZHä ˈvo͞o/

noun a feeling of having already experienced the present situation.

We are really lucky to live in a time when almost anything we want (within reason) is available to us (don't kid yourself in thinking this will last forever; simple supply and demand principles tell us the world can't keep consuming at increasing rates with decreasing supply levels)  for the present if we are willing and able to pay the price for certain things we can have almost anything we want... but keep in the back of your mind that certain things are no longer available and never will be most likely... I said in my first fashion installment to recycle because something you don't want will be a treasure to someone else... when I was younger I would always ashew the idea of visiting second hand stores because I always had more of a feeling for new and fresh and not pre-worn... but a friend of mine in London introduced me to the "Jumble Sales" often in church basements and she explained that wearing vintage is a way of bringing the past into the present and even into the future and enabling certain designs and designers  a new life... but I'll get back to her later...




It's important to understand that clothing and accessories up until the early 1980's is what is considered vintage and anything after that is second hand gently (and sometimes not so gently) worn. I really never embraced second hand shopping until my friend introduced it to me in London and my other (or better) half and I started visiting the shops in New York City. A few of the good stores that I liked are gone because of rising rents and overhead and what not... but a hand full of nice stores still remain. I don't visit Goodwill and Salvation Army for personal reasons... but in New York there is an organization called Housing Works that gives back and provides for the LGBT community and those with HIV Aids virus in many ways including meals, health care and counseling and career options... and they are usually our first stop when we make the rounds visiting the second hand stores... they are also where we donate anything that no longer suits us or is useful.




To tell you the truth there is nothing that either one of us need and we both have enough clothing to last the rest of our lives (with proper care)... but our dishes, and stemware  are both discontinued and we have found replacement pieces at a fraction of the cost of what they would be buying from and on-line replacement service. I've also been fairly lucky with books (ones that I've owned that have been lost or ruined).. and a couple of rare books that I've been lucky enough to find for pennies on the dollar rather than going through  Amazon or Libris on line. There are some people who often make the rounds in the same shops we do who sell vintage or designer goods  and books on line and we have met a hand full of delightful people especially our friend... I'll call her Laura because that is her name.




A few of the things I'm hoping to find are...



Penthuere vase by Renee Lalique



Grass Green Columbian Emerald



Turquoise Squash Blossom 




I actually owned this in the 70's and I would love to have it again... that's the deja vu all over again for me!






Diamond & Gold Pine Cone

This brooch would bring a wan smile to my lips as I think it would be fabulous on my lapel during the winter holidays and a beautiful object the rest of the year... as far as anything else... well I have found brand new never worn clothing with the tickets still attached and I replaced my Courreges and Pucci shirts. I've also found bolts of sumptuous fabric, patterns and sewing supplies and kitchen gadgets (one of my many weaknesses)... but in addition to finding a treasure now and then it's also a stroll down memory lane... because I've seen furniture I grew up with and dishes and nick- knacks I had in college... and even some of the clothing I've worn over the years most of this I don't want to own or wear again but it's nice to revisit a time and place in my mind when I did.




Also don't be fooled into thinking that you are always going to find a bargain... most of the stores do a little research on items and check on-line resale pricing for a guideline... but once in a blue moon something falls through the cracks and you get the deal of a lifetime... We once found in a book we bought original artwork by someone who is exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art... We have really simple rules about buying anything; we only buy what we love and want to use... We have walked away from things we know are worth a great deal in resale but we'll leave that to the people who operate an  on-line or re-sale business; or to someone who loves it and wants to have it as part of their life. In addition to the nice people we see regularly I've met and had charming and unexpected conversations with Toni Tennille, Faye Dunaway and Rene Taylor just to name a few... One of the things you always need to consider is that some of the items are things that came from someone who had died and it is always important to remember that the mementos and other belongings that built precious memories in their life can contribute to someone else's... and from that they have a new life instead of simply being discarded.




If you are lucky enough to have love and real friendship and health you have the most important things in life that money can't buy so the rest of the stuff we have and enjoy and think it important is simply the icing on the cake... my friend who was and will always be one of my favorite people in the world is the person who introduced me to the jumble sales in London... because of her I learned about fine fabric and details and designers like Mariano Fortuny, Edward Molyneaux, Elsa Schiaperelli and Cristobal Balenciaga... none of these are you likely to find in a modern day second hand store or even at a jumble sale (but hey you never know) ... but she did and she showed them to me and we turned them inside out to see the details and we worked together doing research on different designers and items...but more than anything she taught me to laugh and have fun during difficult times... and she told me once "I have lived through every bad day of my life" I always think of her whenever I'm having a bad day and I'm trying to turn it around... My friend Fanella Fielding died last month and I don't think there is ever going to be a day that goes by that she will not in my thoughts for one reason or another.



See you in two weeks!