November 22, 2018 marked the record for the coldest Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade of all time, and all around the U.S.A. record lows were recorded, but it didn’t stop Lady Diana Ross from looking glamorous and fabulous as ever!
When I think of cold Thanksgivings, I can’t help but think of one of our favourite films – “The Ice Storm” (1997) directed by Academy Award winning director Ang Lee. With an all-star cast that includes Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Allison Janney, Christina Ricci, Katie Holmes, Tobey Maguire, and Elijah Wood; this is a must-see film for an cinema aficionado, but most especially any lover of vintage style!
Taking place on a Thanksgiving weekend in 1973 in the upper middle class suburbs of New Canaan, Connecticut – this film is a poignant look at the American Family, and its demise to substance abuse and casual sex. There are so many iconic moments throughout this film- some include Christina Ricci boldly shoplifting from the local drugstore, Joan Allen being hit on by a bohemian pastor, a strange make out session involved a Nixon mask, a 1970s key party, and of course….the grand finale (which I shall not reveal).
Production designer Mark Friedberg (The Life Aquatic, Far From Heaven, Across the Universe) and costume designer Carol Odit worked closely with director Ang Lee to bring meticulous period detail to the film. Sourcing inspiration from catalogues, magazines, and photographs from the period.
Most notably is the beautiful earthy 70s palette, and the remarkable use of textures and graphics to create looks. The film itself is a feast for the eyes for knitwear, classic american sportswear, and an ice storm just wouldn’t be an ice storm without – incredible 70s outerwear!
We have been wanting to do a post on this film for a while, so very excited to get this up, finally. Here’s some {style-wise} screenshots for some classic vintage inspiration as well as your viewing pleasure.
?? Copyright 1997 – Twentieth Century Fox – All rights reserved. Titles: The Ice Storm Names: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen Characters: Elena Hood, Ben Hood Still of Kevin Kline and Joan Allen in The Ice Storm (1997)
Lets pray to the Gods that we aren’t hit with anything so strange and devastating, but with how the weather has been over the past few years – who knows what we could be in store for!
We couldn’t help but use this meme from another one of the film’s iconic moments!
Please enjoy, and don’t forget to visit our {SHOP} and use XIXIXI for 25% OFF.
A high school basketball team gets in a bit of a mix-up thanks to a nosy girlfriend who needs to ask herself the question. What you saw, and what you heard are very different things, and the coach does a good job to illustrate this while also give some sure-fire tips to make sure your honesty is top notch!
Again, some really great vintage style inspiration; true classic Americana all around, while also showing some wicked 1950s sports looks which are as hot now as they were then. Obviously they thought nothing of it at the time, but today these looks still fly!
Vintage style is alive and well – just look around and open your eyes and you will see!!!
So, how honest are you, people? Check out the video below from OLD TIME TV and let us know in the comments below!!!
You a nice girl…why you lie?
We’ve got some spiffy time traveled pieces to channel the Honest vibe.
We have quite the tale in store for you today at The Eye of Faith. . .
This one is taken from the darkest depths of our imagination and tells the hidden tales of a quaint small town, not too far from where you sit. It could be any small town, but this one is brimming with mystery, and dare I say, perhaps even evil!
Things started out innocent enough, but there are certain places on this Earth where malevolent energies cluster and stay for many thousands of years. It is in the quiet of the country, far from the claws and chains of the city, that have provided families and individuals with the peace, calm, and safety they desire.
But often times, it is the unsettling chill of calm that can provide the most fright….
Even in a town where everyone knows your name, you never know the myths and legends being made behind closed doors or the grim memories lost deep beyond the trees at night. This one is all about wayward youth, rebellion, seduction, secrets, mysteries, beauty, and strength.
Please enjoy our Small Town Dreams & Nightmares . . .
With shows like CW’s “RIVERDALE” capturing our imagination, and a new season of “TWIN PEAKS” in our midst- it goes to show that while the big city is full of brights lights and noise, sometimes its our thirst for nostalgia, the whispers in the trees, and our love of mystery that truly excites our bones!
To our vintage dreams, and to our vintage nightmares – this one is to a town not yet forgotten. Keep the mystery close, for you never know what clues you may stumble upon. For all you know, they might still need your help.
EXCITING THINGS ABOUND FOR THE E.O.F. {SO STAY TUNED}
Here in Southern Ontario things are getting grimmer by the day. Not that we don’t like Winter – you know us boys love the comfort of a slouchy silk shirt or a easy breezy Hawaiian, but Old Man Winter just won’t stop peaking his nasty head out to remind us we’re on his turf!
So, we’ve put together an eclectic gallery of vintage fall/winter menswear inspiration that you can use to muse, since there’s no point of running!
Sometimes a little inspiration goes a long way . . .
A model wears an “Arctic Long” mink coat in this Women’s Wear Daily photo. Feb. 7, 1973. Morgue01
Soak up the inspiration! Classic looks never die. We make them new by adding our own unique spirit, so don’t ever be afraid to add yours!
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
Many props go to our many friends, fans, and followers who have helped get us this far – and many more to those who we have yet to meet who will take us even farther along the path our destiny has chosen for us.
Life is nothing but a series of moments that pass before us. In a blink, they are gone. A whisper in the wind. A forgotten melody that drums in our memory.
Take these moments and package them tight, for you never know when you might need them.
This very wise {Style-Wise} is dedicated to that. After all, style is not as cut and dry as people like to make it out to be. It goes far beyond the clothes we wear, and trickles deep down into our centre where the components of who we truly are stay in constant motion.
Here’s a little inspiration mixed with some simple philosophical points courtesy of the brilliant words of one, Mr. Terrence Malick, who seems to have some magical grasp on words, sound, and image, in a method that transcends the idea of style to whole other level that never ceases to enchant the mind and soul.
Check out this scene from his first feature ‘Badlands’ (1974) starring Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen as star-cross’d lovers on a crime spree across America in the 1950s.
The film was based loosely on the real life crimes of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate who attempted to live a life outside the mundaneness of their strained small town lives. . .
Starkweather was promptly sentenced to death by electric chair and died June 25, 1959 after a mass crime spree across the plains. Caril Ann Fugate maintained her innocence, and was sentenced to life in prison for a charge of first degree murder. However, after 17 years as a model inmate she was released on parole in June 1976.
“Since this has happened, there’s not a day in my life that has gone by that I haven’t thought about it,” she said of the killings. “There’s times when I think about my family and when I think about them, it’s always what happened. It’s always how they died.”
It seems Summer is finally here, and with the warming weather we are sure to find ourselves in the midst of more and more adventure as the season rolls on.
Yes indeed, and probably for many, the joys of the Summer heat are sure to incite one or many exciting and unexpected journeys and voyages.
Whether they be jet setting the globe, or simply hopping the hoods of your own town or city, a true adventurer knows that as much as anything that looking good and feeling great on your exciting expedition is as much the fun as averting danger and uncovering sinister ploys against humanity . . .
So we couldn’t NOT visit the ultra-cool, hip, and happening, bad-ass, crime-fighting, science seeking, gun toting, mid-century realness of one we have always so admired- Mr. Jonny Quest.
Jonny starred in his own television series, created by Hannah Barbara (the folks that brought you “The Flinstones” and “The Jetsons“), called “Jonny Quest” which premiered in 1964 and would run for two seasons, ending in 1965.
The blonde boy in black and blue is indeed an unmatched original, with his sophisticated turban-wearing side-kick Hadji at his side, and his adorable pal Bandit; the two kick-ass kidsters found themselves against everything from ninjas, mummies, and giant robot spiders, to pterodactyls, and knife wielding scuba divers.
With careful wit, precise execution, charm, and a bit of luck they always seem to manage. . .
Also along for the ride, and taking part in festivities, are the equally style savvy father of Jonny, Dr. Quest, and his hunky white haired “bodyguard”, Race Bannon. Race is a strong and physical war vet who likes to spend his off-time in a bikini on the beach, while Dr. Quest takes his handsome ginger beard and lab coat inside to research new advancements in engineering, chemistry, and physics.
They make a great couple, if you ask me. And they take such great care of the kids (when they’re not putting them plain into the face of danger). . .
But, apart from the bizarre family dynamics described above, there’s no doubting that Jonny Quest has what it takes to be a bold and sophisticated taste-maker of today and tomorrow with his impeccably simple and classic get-up; one that can easily be recreated for yourself!
CHECK IT OUT!
Though, there are plenty of options out there, the one that stood out for us was this Chunky Wool Knit Turtleneck by T BY ALEXANDER WANG ($265), because of its thicker knit that adds a bit more to the number. It doesn’t have to cling to your body. A comfortable and relaxed fit is best, especially in the summer. {source: OPENING CEREMONY}
For the pants, we wanted to stay as close to Jonny’s light-blue washed denim look he has in the cartoon. With all the adventures he has been on, we figured this washed out and distressed look works great for achieving that true adventure spirit. We think we found the perfect pair here from Topman – The Bellfield Cabrera 5-Pocket Jean (£40.00).
5 Pockets are perfect for storing skeleton keys, pencils, chewing gum, notepads, compasses, anecdotes, pocket knives – all those things young adventurers would need for a good day of adventuring. Roll up the cuffs to stay truest to our vintage inspiration.
And last but not least, the shoes. Looks like our Jonny Quest look is almost complete! But not before we pick out the perfect pair of white sneakers to round out the look. Since Keds are so classic, and really became popular around Jonny’s time (the early 1960s), I can just picture Jonny kicking up his heels and running straight from whatever was chasing him in a pair of these puppies. They are always super affordable, durable, and timeless.
And that’s it! It was that easy. Now, the adventuring can begin, and vintage style can yet again win! ! !
If it aint broke, don’t fix it, they always say. The same thing goes for style. When we look back to the past at a great thing like Jonny Quest, we can’t help but let our style motors run on overdrive at the potential for greatness today with some of their amazing midcentury atomic takes on classic American sportswear and utilitarianism.
Everything about the cartoon was groundbreaking for the time, so in our heart we find ourselves beating to that same rebel beat, and wanting to keep this heritage alive and well. The graphic nature of the cartoon made for a revolutionary look on the screen (jet black was rarely used and never as heavily as before “Jonny Quest“, and the uber jazzy soundtrack was also another selling point towards a radical and refined new take on the adventure genre.
No doubt, a viewer could find new ideas and stories to tantalize and spark the imagination each and every time they watched the show, but very rarely are the characters’ unique and sophisticated sense of style brought to the forefront in this way.
That’s why we thought it important to see out this vintage style inspiration, the Jonny Quest way.
Indeed there are many sinfully stylish idols to worship throughout “The Great Gatsby”; like masculine and cool Jordan, soft and feminine Daisy, even the bookish narrator Nick. And then of course there’s the poster boy himself, Jay Gatsby ,who shall always remain in the fore realm of our memory as a hero to determination and an eternal icon of excess.
But, one that is often overlooked has to be Tom Buchanan; the brutish and masculine husband of Daisy.
This powerful Yale alum is as much the style savant as any of the other devilish dandies that parade themselves throughout the story. This time around, however, Tom Buchanan is as much the idol of style as anyone of his other stylish co-sars.
We thought it only {STYLE-WISE} to look at style through the eyes of the ivy league, and look at secret society style with a time travelling hustler’s unique eye for detail. . .
{remember XIXIXI gets you 25 % off in the {SHOP} ALWAYS! }
TIME TRAVELLING at its Finest. Pieces from disparate eras can be mixed and matched to create an overall look. Secret society cool is about luxury, strength, and standing apart from the rest.
Nothing but a heartache every day . . . must be nice.
We were drawn to this dynamic trio whilst listening to our favourite box set of Girl Group classics, and couldn’t resist but share this dazzling number with you.
The video is a rare promotional video shot for their single that depicts the beautiful Flirations amidst the mysterious ruins of what seem to be a church or abbey, the kind we are used to seeing when we picture romantic landscapes, or the English countryside. Northern soul was very popular in England, so perhaps, they made a trip across the water to shoot it.
Certain conspiracy theorists, might have some ideas, I’m sure. Music Industry. Need I say more?
We like to let mysteries stay mysteries now and then . . . if anyone knows more about this, they should share it in the comment section below!
The song was originally record in 1968 by the South Carolina trio and peaked at #34 on the charts in the US, making it to #3 in Boston. The song was relatively popular world wide, but didn’t hit the Top 50 in the UK, settling at 51.
We picture listening to this song on a rain day . . .
Many young men and women must have shaken their tail to this over the years, so lets keep the tradition strong, and carry this fantastic song into the future!
We’ve been milling over 1960s girl group style the past weeks, so expect to see it make its way into our labyrinth of inspiration more and more over the coming days and hours . . .
