Supertaster

god bless america.this may be one of my favorite finds of all...

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:50:00 -0500

god bless america.

this may be one of my favorite finds of all time, in ranks with a gucci clutch, a herman miller like wooden bench and the oxford shoes that i shared earlier in this blog…a vintage american flag with 48 stars. i die. over & over again. found in san diego at a thrift store that once was reasonable, but now has become “expensive”. americana at its best.

with the advent of shows like pawn stars, american pickers and storage wars, the saying “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” is reiterated.

when visiting thrift stores stray away from the conventional and seek out the “other stuff”. you never know what you may find.

btw, pardon the ugly brown couch. been meaning to pick up a shabby chic white sofa for awhile.

wrist action.vintage finds are my go to presents. i was in need...

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 04:56:00 -0500

wrist action.

vintage finds are my go to presents. i was in need of a gift for a friend so i headed to one of my local thrift stores where i found the pretty feather/leaf-like silver bracelet. perfect. got home, tried it on and looked in the mirror and could not take it off. great. plan b. so i turned to my own jewelry collection to see what i could give up. i found the blue, green, red and ivory bangle which i had picked up at a street market. the colors screamed vintage gucci. had yet to wear it so i decided that this was a possibility. stuffed the 2 bracelets in my suitcase and was on my merry way to california. spent good times with my vintage partner in crime slash cousin and i asked her opinion which one to give up. she said none. both keepers. so stuffed the 2 bracelets back in my suitcase and was on my merry way back to nyc.

p.s. gave my friend vintage housewares

fontalicious.if i had a dog, i’d name her helvetica. god,...

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:15:00 -0500

fontalicious.

if i had a dog, i’d name her helvetica. god, i love typography. often when browsing thrift stores, you can always gage vintage items by color, material and font. attracted by their typography and functionality, the apron and duffle bag are some awesome vintage finds from my trip to san diego. unfortunately, i was only able to purchase things that could fit in my suitcase. trust me if i could, i would have purchased 2 leather chesterfield couches, a dining set of table and chairs, a massive bird cage, a vintage baseball bat, rusted metal boxes, a set of wooden skis, military metal gas cans….just to name a few.

back to the items above, thrifted from different stores, red, black and serif fonts must have been the business back in the day and according to the duffle, 1981. i could only imagine what bill shoemaker’s 50th birthday party was like in the summer of 1981 on the beautiful beaches of del mar…me and my dog, helvetica, playing fetch on the shore, would have made fun guests.

btw, i just googled bill shoemaker and he was a famous horse jockey who stood 4 feet, 11 inches and weighed only 95 pounds. shoemaker won 4 kentucky derbys and was immortalized by andy warhol with a portrait. that must have been some 50th birthday party.

bric-a-brac wine rack.you may be familiar with the term...

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

bric-a-brac wine rack.

you may be familiar with the term “bric-a-brac” if you thrift at the salvation army. according to dictionary.com, bric-a-brac is “miscellaneous small articles collected for their antiquarian, sentimental, decorative, or other interest”. the above wine rack is definitely not small, but usually housewares and divine treasures can be found in the bric-a-brac section.

excuse the retro built in cabinetry, but shoot, ain’t the wine rack perfection. wood, metal, oh so industrial. must buy wine stat. well maybe, first, score impressive accompanying vintage wine glasses.

btw, the amazeballs h20 bottle next to the wine rack is made of glass, picked up at one of my fave stores in milan, high tech.

see more details here: supertaster on flickr

kiss me it’s christmas.i have worn this festive number two...

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 08:00:00 -0500

kiss me it’s christmas.

i have worn this festive number two christmases in a row and not to an ugly christmas sweater party, but to my family’s annual christmas day party and plan to do so until the sweater is no more.

finding an ugly christmas sweater at a thrift store has become more of a challenge since they are high in demand for themed holiday parties. i have heard that some vintage stores have a special section for these sweaters and charge a minimum of 45 dollars a pop. minimum!!!! the key is to find such item in the off season. i found mine during the summer.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SUNNY SAN DIEGO!!!!

mamma said knock you out.red is the color of power and warfare,...

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:27:00 -0500

mamma said knock you out.

red is the color of power and warfare, so it is quite poetic that boxing gloves are red and this vintage chanel button down is the same shade. gabrielle bonheur “coco” chanel was known for her menswear-inspired fashions. i like to femme up this find with denim cut offs or wide legged jeans.

this crisp cotton chanel button down is my summer staple. when wearing it, i feel like i own and rule the summer and am transplanted to the riviera somewhere, italian or french, sipping on a chilled glass of pinot grigio or iced tea. i love how i am discussing summer when the first day of winter is 10 days from now. i am already longing for sunshine and warm weather, that’s the SoCal girl in me.

t minus 6 days till san diego - supreme vintage shopping, carne asada fries & time spent with my triplet nieces. priceless.

see more details here: supertaster on flickr

turn the lights down low.while living and studying in milan,...

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:50:00 -0500

turn the lights down low.

while living and studying in milan, italy, you gain appreciation for furniture design from kartell to cappellini to cassina to boffi. having sat on a starck chair one too many times during aperitivo, i knew when i saw this plastic goodness from afar it was something special. sure enough, i checked underneath and it was by philippe starck. as i carried it to where my boyfriend was, the vintage vinyls of course, i shared with him my find and put it down and sat on it. boyfriend: ummm, i think that is a table that you are sitting on. table, chair, who cares, i own a starck. later we found out the lighting table was from starck’s collaboration with target. does that change things? of course not. un bicchiere di vino per favore.

see more details here: supertaster on flickr

black suede shoes.with cheetah print calf hair. hotness. i had...

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 18:22:00 -0500

black suede shoes.

with cheetah print calf hair. hotness. i had been thinking to myself how i would like a pair of loafers and an animal print pair of shoes and POW! KAPOW! BOFF! ZAP! SOCK! 2 in one. see more details here: supertaster on flickr

supertaster 1 bernie madoff 0

JFK - SAN 12.17-12.26Sitting in a park in Paris, FranceReading...

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 16:12:00 -0500

JFK - SAN 12.17-12.26

Sitting in a park in Paris, France
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
They won’t give peace a chance
That was just a dream some of us had
Still a lot of lands to see
But I wouldn’t want to stay here
It’s too old and cold and settled in it’s ways here
Oh, but California
California I’m coming home
I’m going to see the folks I dig
I’ll even kiss a Sunset pig
California I’m coming home

listen to the whole song by viewing Joni Mitchell’s California video

print by my bf. his DIY take on michael leon’s “california”. this pretty thang hangs on my wall in my bedroom. first thing i see when i wake up. i love in san diego. work in nyc. play in milan. denizen of the world.

canvas & leather.if i had my own handbag line i would call...

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:26:00 -0500

canvas & leather.

if i had my own handbag line i would call it canvas & leather. my handbag buyer friend says it is a terrible name because it is limiting. but really??! why would you want to make bags out of anything else, unless your name is miuccia and make parachutes fashionable.

anyways, this bag is vintage barney’s and it has been my go to bag every since i thrifted it. i feel bad for my handbags. i will buy one. it will be my fave bag, but then it will be replaced with my next find. the cycles goes on and on. i wonder what handbag will replace this one. until then, canvas & leather. view more details: pocket and stitching

i’ll have some tea. it’s more refined. when i...

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:12:00 -0500

i’ll have some tea. it’s more refined.

when i travel, i pack my favorite tea bags. when i am in San Diego, i drink bottled water. when i am in Italy, i hope to drink only levissima water. hello my name is G and i am a supertaster. i have sensitive taste buds. i despise cilantro.

anyways, having stopped at my local supplier for my green tea, my bf and i decided to stop at one of our fave outdoor spots, bryant park. beginning to get chilly & thirsty, i thought hey let’s have some hot tea. spotted a coffee kiosk at the park & made my way to buy hot water for 2. 25 cents i was charged. case in point, travel with your own tea bags even if u don’t have supertaster strength. be thrifty in the city.

fur fridays.i have had this vintage fur stole slash wrap slash...

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 10:35:00 -0400

fur fridays.

i have had this vintage fur stole slash wrap slash capelet piece of goodness for awhile but had never worn it. i broke it out as the weather was crisp and heck it was friday.

not sure what type of fur it is, but if you can make it out in the photo there is a stripe pattern. stripes + fur = delicious.

oui oui.picked up the pair of vintage bakelite like necklaces at...

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:41:00 -0400

oui oui.

picked up the pair of vintage bakelite like necklaces at a thrift store in BK. love the neutral colours - black, off white, army green and soft nude/pink - considering my favourite colours are black and camo. as soon as the sales person grabbed the necklaces from the glass case, i exclaimed, “i’ll take them.” 2 french girls were behind me, all up in my business and commented on how great the necklaces were. yes. yes they are.

see more details here: supertaster on flickr

happy birthday to me.when my cousin called me to wish me a happy...

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 12:54:00 -0400

happy birthday to me.

when my cousin called me to wish me a happy birthday, she asked me how i was going to spend my day. i replied with, firstly, a trip to the thrift store. my cousin, also my thrifting partner in crime, replied with, perfection, doing something you love to do.

this vintage coach pocketbook as mentioned in my previous post is part of my fall uniform. pocketbook. who talks like that? this bag is very structured and small and the handle fits perfectly nestled in my grip. i think calling it a pocketbook does it justice. this was a very last minute find. as i was paying for my other finds, i noticed this pocketbook hidden in the cashwrap glass case. the thrifting gods must have know it was my birthday.

anyways, last night it accompanied me to a bar. $3 drinks and under bar hooks that perfectly display my find. hmmmm, u think i can yelp the bar and give it 5 stars for their hooks?

brogues and oxfords and wingtips, oh my!after months of...

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 13:31:00 -0400

brogues and oxfords and wingtips, oh my!

after months of searching numerous sites and even contemplating a trip to italy just to purchase a pair of authentic leather oxfords, my search ended at my stomping ground, my neighborhood thrift store.

the color, the leather, the heel. love, love and love. i was surprised to score such a find that day as i arrived 30 minutes past opening. spotted…a hipster with a full cart at the button down blouses and a japanese couple at the coats, i made my way to the shoe section and there this pretty pair lay. done.

these shoes, along with a gorgeous charcoal cape and a vintage coach handbag make up my fall uniform. fall in nyc. best time ever.

welcome home my little mustached friend. he sits on my coffee...

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:02:02 -0400

welcome home my little mustached friend.

he sits on my coffee table and makes me smile. not sure how to use this quirky find, but for now he holds matchbooks.

i hate milk. but i love ebay. i have never really been into ebay...

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:04:00 -0400

i hate milk.

but i love ebay. i have never really been into ebay until i had to buy a birthday gift for my gadget techie toy loving boyfriend. i got him this really cool passport polaroid camera, but i will save that for another day, another post.

anyways, my boyfriend got us a record player and we have been thrifting vinyls here and there ever since. tell you the truth, we had a collection of records before the record player. our collection had been propped up against my living room wall in 4 rows according to genre. can u imagine?!?! ughhhh, i had enough and started looking for storage and thought of those plastic milk crates that deejays used to transport their records from gig to gig. i went a little more rustic and industrial and scored the above vintage wooden, metal milk crate from ebay. love. unfortunately the vinyls only fit when you lay them diagonally. fail.

never rule out drawstring bags. alexander wang refers to them as...

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:21:00 -0400

never rule out drawstring bags.

alexander wang refers to them as bucket bags, but i still call them drawstring bags.
leopard print + drawstring = pirate booty of a bag

memorial day sale at your local thrift store. davidson star-d...

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 23:20:00 -0400

memorial day sale at your local thrift store.

davidson star-d tripod. probably one of my priciest purchases, but it was love at first sight.

Robert A.A. Lowe shot by Alessandro Zuek Simonetti

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:01:00 -0400

Robert A.A. Lowe shot by Alessandro Zuek Simonetti