R E O P E N E D

Bye Bye, Miss Vintage Pie

It's all over now!

I'm pretty happy about it. I ran, off and on, my vintage store for about-- well about a decade. In that time I passed so many hours among the racks, my arm tired, my cart getting fuller, I greedily, luridly, giddily assessing my mounting wares! In that time I came across so many delicious items I loved to pass along, and I especially loved making them pop in photos.
But, time goes on, and it's time for the store to close. Bright photos, fun hunting trips, estate sale scores and adventures, and maybe most of all the fun and job of planning and plotting and working on something.

That was lovely.

(Wiping away tears below) :))

ZSA ZSA clothes!! AND the need for CAZS!

You know what really kills me, repeatedly? The fact that the English language has no sound, no spellable sound, for the "zs" of Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Zsa Zsa, the woman, with the cigarette holder and maribou that the name Zsa Zsa implies.

My old friend's cat is named Zsa Zsa. But much more importantly (especially since old friend married and took off for Long Island nary to be heard from again) is the fact that I find myself needing to spell out half of the word casual, i.e., : CAZS, (Cajg? Cashj? There is no spelling!!!!!) every single day.

WHY, ENGLISH LANGUAGE???????

Zsa Zsa Gabor, by the way, is the opposite of casual. She was a famous actress, although all I heard of her when I first did was that she slapped a cop in LA at the age of eighty or so. Lookitup! It's true.

Here are some Zsa Zsa-worthy items you can claim for your very own and wear or gaze upon whenever this ultra cashjz world has got you so mad you'll slap a policeman who tells you that taking stop lights casually is not okay, even for YOU!

Wake up and step into this robe. Don't even let one second of your day be without something shiny, pink, or with a satin rose on it. There's just no need!

If you have a business meeting, put on this 80s couture dress. Don't deliberate over it. Red is a power color. Dress up and don't be afraid of bows. SASHAY!


This goes underneath:

Duh. Never let your body touch anything but satin and lace. It's a disgrace to do otherwise.


If you have something more serious and dour than a business meeting to attend to, like a funeral or an interview to hire a maid, then perhaps these black items will work better than the bright red:

Pouffy dark witch dress with asymmetrical strap in back.

Or this:

(for when you need something dour but please, you are who you are.)

Some everyday shoes:

or

(Heels always, obviously.)

And you're good to go. 

via GIPHY

                                                            Buh bye!



via GIPHY

New feature: Vintage Reads! 1st up: Baldwin! 'Giovanni's Room'

Hello my dears. As you know we (me) at EllenTenTen  are snugly ensconced in a weird nostalgia/love for all things old. I know why, if you want to lift up that scab and look at the platelets underneath it: the present is complex. It's great, loud, headachy, wishy washy and so REAL. ALL the atoms/facets/possibilities are NOW. The past becomes so much simpler. It's comforting. It presents less options. All the good stuff has floated to the top already. For some reason, if I am feeling 'eh" or even 'meh' one morning, I know that if I put on large 60s dangle hoops, some cutely corresponding clothing, and then crank up my beloved Dirty Dancing record, I will feel like the world is easy for me to deal with/exist in etc.

We love vintage.

Paradoxically, if we're saying the the present presents an overwhelming choice of options, and we scape into simplicity through vintage, the world of vintage clothing presents MORE options-- in a good way. It's so weird but true that at times, looking for clothing, if you are stuck with Kohl's, JCP, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom's, etc., (even Asos!? I don't wanna believe that though) you will be looking a certain way: trends happen. Mystically huge trends, that sweep across a nation so that, for example, in the early aughts one (I) simply COULD NOT, without extreme trying, find a non-low waist pair of pants. So frustrating.
However, once you dip into a thrift shop, all options across time (usually from the 40s up tho) are available!
It's thrilling, what a relief.

In any case, moving on to literature-- I not only love vintage music, clothing, decor, but let's clap our hands as well for literature. It doens't get called vintage though, it's just Literature. I am a HUGE reader and would love to share with you all some books that have really ROCKED MY WORLD. When thinking of "vintage"y books, that I love, the first one that glaringly needed to be shared is one tome by the late great James Baldwin.

"Giovanni's Room" rocked my soul and I'd like it to rock yours as well. For some reason I gravitate toward intense gay love stories. I feel I may have been a gay man in my past life. You know the movie Carol? That's like the female version of "Giovanni's Room."

But let's start at a better place.

James Baldwin is a great first author for this, EllenTenTen's inaugeral book post. For one: the Man Had Style.
LOOK:

I mean, it's undeniable--  the man's style was overflowing. Style is, obviously, an expression of self. As is writing. Baldwin's self specific knowledge and able articulation was such that he steps out of the house like above. I mean, really.

The sexy, young, feelin it vibe:

Yessir:

and this:

Please take it upon yourself to be touched by these photos and, if not read Baldwin, then emulate him: the world needs us all to be deeply ourselves. Everything is else is boring and doesn't even fit well. 

The Point of Vintage

We colorful people give others things other than basics. We give ya color!

What to Wear When You're In Love with an Asshole

SO! You’re in love with an asshole.

Well, first of all, take one chunk of shitty-feelings off your shoulders by realizing that you are not alone. Have we not all loved assholes at one time or another? Or have we not all loved a person who was maybe alright but acted like an asshole to us?

God, it’s that kind of over-empathy which gets us in these positions.


via GIPHY

Not sure who those people are but the girl is on point, I know it.

Anyway. I can honestly say, better to have loved an asshole than not at all. I really can. Please don’t click away from the page right now when I say that the experience of loving someone fully is something to behold. If they’re an asshole, then they lose you, though. And you cry. But really, to love, to behold, to adore someone…

Well, you know the feeling.

But what should you do when you love an asshole?

Cozy up, my dear, and let’s talk about it.

Put on a robe

(o)

Or a chemise to make your horrid not-leaving-the-apartment look feel a little more fabulous

(o)

And then take a good look at your walking shoes

(o)

Because eventually you are going to do just that.

Might as well get your coat, too (o)

Because ya on yer way.

You know it, and I know it.

Now. Your asshole is charming, loving, thoughtful, sincere. Maybe literally, (and good for you if so!) but I mean this metaphorically, about your asshole mate/partner/would-be love/person-who-is-driving you crazy. Basically they're all that and a bag of sweet and salty chips, but s/he just can’t seem to stay that way when more than four feet in gazing distance away from you, right? Right.

The thing is, they had a very bad childhood. And/or are an alcoholic, drug addict (shall we add thief?), cheater (but only because they thought you'd really left them!) And/or, the greatest of all, they're just "going through something." :D CONGRATS, asshole! Now I, too, am  going through something!
Ahem.
It's really not just STDs that spread between lovers. It's almost every single thing about a person.

In any case, this person literally, in some way, shape or form, has some reason they simply CANNOT do the decent thing with you. (I.e., treat ya right.) Treat you just-  nice. Like- ALL THE TIME. Like, even when you are not staring into love/asshole's eyes, stroking hair from love/asshole's face. Even then!  

No matter what the "reason" why, this person is not good for you. The reasons for bad treatment are myriad. They may be very sad for your love/asshole, but it is YOU who's actually crying about it, eh? EH??

THINK ABOUT THAT!

So, the bottom line is, you need what you need. A relationship is about TWO people, darling! TWO! And YOU are one of them, with actually JUST AS MUCH NEED/RIGHTS TO BE HAPPY as the other, no matter his/her sad and sorry state. Do they cry about you? Are they writing in their journal/songs/documentary/inotes about you? Or is it just YOU doing that?

Another thing to ponder.

Are you the star of their story, as they are yours (which is becoming a weepy tragedy)? In the end, the reasons for assholishness do not matter. Maybe sociologically they're interesting. Maybe anthropologically, maybe in a gnarly and slanted bio pic about his life, maybe THAT is where all the interest and empathy can go as far as Why Your Love/Asshole Must Be This Way. But for you, and YOUR STORY--

(I.E. :: YOUR LIFE!)

-- it doesn’t matter. What should matter to you is YOUR story, and that what’s happening in it lately is that you are being shit on. Yes. What does an asshole do? It shits. It shits, and it is shitting- on you.

I never thought about it that way!! But dang, really fitting.

It does suck that even as we speak you’re probably a little uncomfortable because of a UTI of a recent enthusiastic love fest. It's annoying that if your asshole acts assholish about your demand to be treated just *decently* ---then you feel bad.

But don't reason with an asshole. It will just stink and get messy.

Put on some comfortable, or sexy, or bright and I-mean-business clothes, go outside of your house and be around things, think about things, do things, that are not stinking of the asshole who is causing you pain. Just go outside of your story for a minute. Look around and you will find things that lift you and reassure you.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4WgGOqgWbY

It's true that true love hurts. Right? Cuz it gets in deep, like lemon juice in a cut. But sometimes things hurt and it just ain't right, like he invites you to a party and you get all dressed up and then he doesn't introduce you to anyone and you stand next to him like the mute unic servant and he simply listens while people console him on another woman.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic0kVyWORqA

Good luck, lady. Think about this: you deserve just as much care and attention as he does.
What he feels should not determine your reality.

I love tacky things, I like trashy things too.

Why is it that I can't resist tacky, trashy things? I love them.

Recently, I was having a conversation with a man with whom I am constantly mad. Other times we lay in bed lovingly.

I was going over a thing where this girl I don't know was telling her ex, my friend, bitchy comments about my etsy store! She SAID I mislabeled a pair of pants as the wrong decade. Well, I didn't. But moreover, I don't know her! "You don't just criticize someone's work [by way of introduction]," I said to my (more or less) man.
Do you consider etsy your "work?" he said. He has real (: well-paid) artistic "work."  So he's askin me.

Yeah, I do, I said. The photos take work. I do a lot to make them look as good as possible, and the whole store is about aesthetic. It's my aesthetic. It's feminine, bold, a little trashy. That's what I like. It's everything I would have considered fabulous when I was eight--

A little what? he said. Say that again.

It's feminine, bold, trashy---

Trashy? he said. I like that. I like hearing you say that.

Pursing my lips, narrowing my eyes. He used to tell me I reminded him of the girl in one of his favorite  movies: True Romance. I looked her up: Prostitute. Cool. *Shrug of cynicism*

How did I fall in love with someone who sees me as a caricature?

He did- that's what interested him, maybe. Then he got to know ME- and I was even better than he thought, of course.
But not good enough. I don't know. I feel sad.

When you find someone to love, and then they drag you around.
If I was a meme-maker, I would show this picture:

and caption it:

WAITING FOR A MAN YOU LOVE WHO TREATS YOU RIGHT.

Actually, i hate the whole concept of "treat you right." Should be more normalized than that.

or

when you say GOODBYE FOREVER if you can't treat me with any modicum of normal decency and respect!!
than you never hear from them again and also they're mad at you because, obviously, you left because you NEVER REALLY LOVED THEM.

Oh, anyway. That's a little explanation of my aesthetic here at Ellen Ten Ten. Bold, feminine, trashy.

And never without love lorn, dammit. I bet that's an aesthetic itself, one I've unfortunately bought WAY into.