EPIC VINTAGE PICSPAM. Including wigs and orange plaid blazers.
Caite recently alerted me to “Looking into the Past” — a Guy-Bourdin-polaroid-within-a-polaroid-esque Flickr meme (full set here) of photographing an old photograph of a scene so that it lines up with the scene as it is today. Which is confusing to explain, but you get the idea. But this — combined with some of the awesome vintage I was contemplating at the Flea again this past weekend — got me thinking about the sheer number of old family photos I’ve scanned into the computer at one point or another (hey, I had to find SOMETHING to do during those painful summers-in-the-suburbs-waiting-tables between college semesters back in the day) — and also about how awesome the clothes and furniture and decor and whatnot are in all of those pictures. The internet at large definitely needs to witness the INCREDIBLE SHOES my extremely tiny great-aunt was wearing in the 40’s, no question about it.
And so: an extremely large collection of family photos and an extremely large number of awesomely-dressed women and men!
This is my great aunt and my grandfather, and I don’t think ANYONE looks this awesome today. Dress, heels, pearls, bag, weird flower thing pinned on top of enormous updo: WANT.
More after the jump…
Seriously. The shoes. Are those spectator pumps? Also, the men’s trousers or whatever are amazing.
My grandmother at front right. Look how cute she is!
In which my grandfather looks like a very dashing secret agent / spy / con man / detective / I don’t know what.
Things to note: more 50’s Dick Tracy, and my grandmother’s shoes.
World’s Fair in the 60’s or so. My mother appears to be wearing cutoff capri-length denim shorts, lil’ lace up jazz shoes with socks (Agy, eat your heart out), a plaid shirt, and that American Apparel oversized cardigan, and Ray Bans.
CHECK OUT THAT BEEHIVE. And the tinsel tree.
I don’t even know where to start.
WIGS in the 60’s, and the most amazing mint green coat ever.
My mother and aunt in 1976. Bellbottoms? Crazy leather jacket? Aviators? Oh yes. I have that orange hat that my mother is wearing though!
Did you guys know that my dad was Ben Gibbard dressed up as a used car salesman for Halloween?
And that my mom was Karen O, and your bowl cut is nothing new?
Then there was that brief stint as an American Apparel model with a white-girl-fro, of course…
But seriously, are these my parents or is this a Holga shot from that party we were at last weekend? Can’t get over that bowl cut still.
My mother worked as a secretary or something at Marvel Comics or their distributor or something — aside from all those abysmally bad suits (pinstripes + paisley tie?! Though I definitely want that guy’s glasses in the back) the print and collar on her shirt reminded me more than a bit of Miu Miu SS2010.
There’s really no explanation for this, other than that maybe my cousins were going as easter egg lampshades for Halloween or something. Though Eline, I could kind of see you wearing these….
pixie cut, wedge sandals, rolled up high-wasited cutoffs: again, did someone take this at a McCarren pool party this summer, or is it my mom in the 70’s again?
And the best for last, of course: My mother’s grandfather dressed up in his wife’s clothes.
