Thanks and Big Ups

We just wanted to thank our buddies and supreme DC movers and shakers at Pandahead and Don't Say I Didn't for their Listopad mentions here and here!!! We really appreciate it and are flattered to be on the minds of these DC culture warriors!

Work In Progress: Painting and Stripping

Our weekend at the beach was traded in for some hefty labor at Treasury's future spot!

How do you make a pvc pipe look cool? Black paint!
We went to Community Forklift this weekend! It was such a thrill and inspiration for us to find old building materials to reuse and repurpose. More about this later... (Thanks, Kathleen and Ashby!)

Our breaks included perfect iced coffee from Cafe Collage around the corner (so thankful this spot is there) and window-watching all the passersby on 14th st.

Makin' progress! But still lots more to do...

An Origami Wardrobe Would be Rad

This is by far the best Origami paper I have found in this city, at Hana Market. Check out the patterns! Aren't they delightfully pretty? I wish I could make a wardrobe out of these patterns and wear them on my boat on a breezy day. Also, I wish I had a boat.

Imagery by Yelena Yemchuk

Ok so I know it's not cool to like the Smashing Pumpkins post Siamese Dream, but in the waning '90s I couldn't help but be enchanted with Adore. I blame Yelena Yemchuk. The imagery in the album itself, the videos, the whole gothic wilderness scene pre-empted FIT and Rick Owens (who owes D'Arcy some serious royalties) by a decade.



Now you can find Yelena shooting Cacharel ads and contributing to Lula, which fits her/their aesthetic perfectly.

Eco Knowledge

We love reading the Bodkin blog for all the deep thoughts a fashionable lady can have regarding the production of clothing and its relationship to our environment. The options for ecologically-minded fabrics seem to be expanding exponentially lately, but we often find while hunting down vintage that a lot of pieces from the 1970s onwards have odd fabric content that sometimes takes a dictionary to decipher.

Here's a good run down of some interesting textiles out there right now:

• Cupro: I got wind of this guy while browsing the Acne selection on Revolve. Apparently "Cupro is not synthetic, nor is it a man-made fabric. It is considered a regenerated fabric, in other words, it is reclaimed from natural products."
• Lyocell:, or brand name Tencel, is basically tree pulp. Awesome!
• Acetate: our old friend (lots of wonderful '80s dresses are composed of this fabric) is also a regenerated fiber from tree pulp.
• Banana fibre: for kimonos. Need we say more?

If companies were digging on these eco fibers starting in the '70s (or less commercially since the 13th century Japan), why don't we see more mainstream iterations nowadays?

Music for Lovers: Remember the Time

More Egypt-obsessing from us here at Listopad...this time it's a '90s take on the classics: gold jewelry, white tunics and jesus sandals--truly the best elements for a carefree summer wardrobe.

Inspiration: Long Lost Sisters

Officially I have five siblings. Unofficially, I have seven. It's those long lost sisters, Emily and Anna, that fascinate me the most.

There was a time they both lived near my mother's house in Silver Spring. Anna, raised partly by my father, may have lived with us at one point. Emily, though she was my father's child, lived with her biological mother and stepfather. My memories of them range from vague to traumatic. Anna dislocated my shoulder when I was a toddler. She was punk. She smoked. She had a chelsea cut and she wore cutoffs. I remember cowering in the living room while she cranked up Elvis Costello's "My Aim Is True" and screeched about how the song was dedicated to me, since my name is Allison. (I said the song isn't about me. She screamed back, "YES IT IS!")

Emily was worlds apart from Anna. She inherited my father's easygoing personality, and she was small, pretty, and mild. Sharing neither parent with Anna, she looked completely different. Despite their differences they were close friends.

Now Anna lives somewhere on the west coast and I haven't seen her for more than a decade. Last I heard she was traveling through Europe selling a new type of caffeinated alcoholic beverage. That was years ago, and I don't even know if it's true. Emily has a family somewhere in Oregon, and she seems to live a happy, normal life.

Here's to my style inspiration: my long lost sisters, Anna and Emily. Click on the photos to see larger versions.

Anna (c. 1990)

Anna (c. 1990)

Emily (c. 1992)

Emily, flanked by friends (c. 1990)

We Will Resume Normal Posting Shortly

Sorry, we've been busy. In the meantime, consider the best dressed person to the Costume Institute's Gala last week:



Class act.

Scene Report: The DC Mini

Last night I headed over to the opening of the DC Mini, a new space owned and operated by Michael Harris of Laughing Man notoriety. Though it was an opening party, the space isn't officially open for business (I'm checking with Mike on a date-- TBD), but last night he and his bandmates invited friends to get a sampling of what we can expect from this new, exciting all ages venue.

The DC Mini brought me back to the days of the Electric Maid, Corner Kick, Wilson Center, and all the random church and college basements I saw shows at in high school. At 14th & Crittenden St. NW, it's in between two heavily residential neighborhoods, Petworth to the east and 16th St. Heights to the west. Many businesses in this strip are Ethiopian-owned, including the excellent restaurant right down the block from the DC Mini, and there's a large Ethiopian church a couple blocks south. The city likes to call this 'hood 14th Street Heights. They even put up signs making it official, so I guess that's what we'll call it.

When I walked in I was taken aback by how large the space is. There is a stage on the west wall, a backstage (!), and a roomy basement ideal for shows. Brandon and Luke of the Laughing Man were handing out cupcakes. Ebony from 52 O St. was iTunes djing. The All Our Noise crew was representing in full, taking video and Twittering like wild. J squared had some vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories for sale. It was fairly crowded when I got there, and when I rolled out around 10:30, people were still hanging and watching the bands. I had a blast at this spot and I see it being a great space for DC music. Kudos, Mike!

The DC Mini

Mike, proprietor

See all my photos on Flickr.

Washington Wizard: Smash

Smash is the perfect boyfriend/girlfriend shopping hybrid. Sure I like records OK and sometimes my boy wants to look at vintage clothes, but most of the time we're both obsessed with the opposite. Where better to pop in on a Saturday for some leisurely shopping but Smash, which incorporates both. PLUS awesome jewelry. Stay punk 2009.

P.S. SUPER CRUCIAL event on May 23rd at the store: Sam McPheeters Spoken Word. I saw that shit in NYC and it twas hilarious.

Vintage Vault: The Pits

Summer is nipping at our heels and that means SWEATING for most of us. Here's how to keep your precious vintage goods from suffering as well:

• For white garments, keep the pit stains in check with hydrogen peroxide. Mix half part water, half part hydrogen peroxide and soak the garment in it for a bit. Rinse!
• We love Oxyclean and Borax. FOR EVERYTHING.
• Make a paste of baking soda and water and spread on the stain. Let sit for a bit and then scrub off with a little brush.
• White vinegar is good for most colored fabrics, but be sure to test a spot beforehand if you're concerned. You can soak the whole garment in a mixture of water and white vinegar to freshen it up.
• We've never tried this, but apparently aspirin works well!
• And lastly, spray some lemon juice on the offending stain, and then air dry the garment in the sun. The sun plus lemon should bleach the stain out.

Record Fair with Chuck Brown

People! Vinyl fair this Saturday 10-4 at Warehouse Next Door, hosted by our future neighbor, SOM Records, with Chuck Brown! Sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday.

Music for Lovers: Egyptian Lovers, that is.

I don't want to pollute this post with distracting words, since the style really speaks for itself. Of note: rings and huge pendants, just like our very own Emily. Can't get enough? Check it.

Work in Progress: Floored

Wow!!! The space looks completely different now that we've covered the old linoleum in cork and bamboo. Now we can finally start moving stuff in...Of course that is the most exciting part for us pack rats. All the trinkets and jewels and swatches of fabric and pieces of attire and random shoes from here and there can finally begin to form a collection united by aesthetic and place. Did we mention opening up a boutique is a lot of work? ;)