Worked at Sea

My friend Edie has a great collection of textiles which are family heirlooms from Maine which I had the pleasure of taking a good look at and photographing for future reference. They included blankets and quilts, which are great references for color and some amazing sailor's embroidery like the ones pictured above which were presumably greeting cards.

New Wave

Vintage Ocean Pacific apparel circa eighties has been a big source of interest for me as inspiration for color palettes as well as graphics for surf tees for a while now but it looks like its starting to really take off this summer not only with some great references to the archives in Op's current line but also in the eighties aesthetics ( lots of mod patterns, angled layouts ) from a variety of board short companies.

Tiki

I'm working on Summer 2011 and am looking at a lot of Tiki designs for inspiration. Love the mid century color palette of these orchid vases (nice with the orange background). I also like them for the more primitive Easter Island aesthetic which looks a little more African than the usual kitschy 50's mask versions.

Autumn Plaids

Etsy, although known for handmade things, actually has a great vintage section. The taste level is high, pretty current and many of the photos have a great aesthetic. Love this plaid cake tin and the plaid skirt with a palette that's beautifully in tune with what's happening outside right now.

+ Media:Honk If You Love Mustangs

Neutral Mix

The red and black plaid is on a roll- its everywhere, shirts, jacket, bags, shoes- and more to come next spring. I'm thinking I want something different and am on the lookout for a few vintage pieces that does an interesting neutral mix of pattern and texture- like this monochromatic Pendleton shirt and cardigan.

Native Inspiration

I'm looking at a lot of native american stuff. There's definitely something in the air about this inspiration source from sneakers to store installations. Love the aged colors of the Parfleche and the elegant shape of the moccassin

Surf Nylons

I'm always interested in vintage nylon apparel because I'm curious how the colors age. Found this awesome collection of vintage surf nylons on NE Surfari- no idea if the colors have faded but they are certainly rich and interesting. The green and yellow Big Ed short is my favorite.

Atlantic Vinyl

Love the brown paper sleeve combined with the bright red label. It always interests me how many font styles there are in what seems like a relatively simple design. Image vis Carolina History Project

Rave On

I'm researching the early nineties San Francisco rave scene and loving the neon colors and the simple childlike aesthetics of glowsticks and lollipops. Got my rave on.

Storefront NYC

Came across this book this week - Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York By James T. Murray, Karla L. Murray. It's a subject I am already fond of and often take similar photos. Love the aged colors, the fonts and overall balance of design elements. Click on the image to go see a set on flickr by the authors of many of the images.

+ Media:Canoeing in the Wilderness

Miner Blues

I was looking through the Milan Shows on Men Style, noting the many iconic American references from D Squared's camping to D & G's cowboys, but surprsingly the one collection I found most inspiring was Missoni's - I particularly like her washed out blues. It connected with an idea I'm working on for Fall 2010 that references Gold Miners - this puts a color scheme to the images of workers I've been looking at which is viable- faded, stained, dusty work clothes all reduced to a range of faded indigo shades. I could also see this translating into an interesting pale blanket palette for flannel plaids and overdyed sweats and chinos.

Neon Ride

Another company going into their history and bringing it back. Maui and sons bring back eighties Neon Surf. Awesome. Saw the line at Opening Ceremony downtown.

+ Media:Boat & Tote

Madras Patch Shirt

MADRAS PATCH FITTED SHIRT