For a while now, I’ve been hearing about some super secret button store which is stocked with all manner of vintage buttons. I never understood why it was a secret, because I’m sure such a tiny little business could use the support and customers!

Anyway, I finally found it. Exclusive Buttons in El Cerrito is a teeny tiny little shop run by an incredibly helpful older lady, and stocked to the brim with vintage buttons still on their cards, along with buckles, closures, etc. The owner told me that they stock no plastic. I’m still confused about that because a lot of them seemed like plastic, and some things were clearly marked “bakelite,” which was the first manufactured synthetic plastic.

I bought several cards of beautiful buttons, but seriously had to restrain myself. Beautiful buttons can transform the plainest piece of clothing, but it’s really hard to find full sets of nice vintage ones.

But I think my favorite purchase was the vintage belt buckle kits for making fabric-covered belts! Remember when I was just recently pining for such a thing when I posted about this beautiful yellow Lorick dress?

And just look at those red and white flowery things. They look like christmas cookies. And the ones below are my favorite.

I always thought Tender Buttons in NYC’s garment district was the be all and end all in buttons. And it still wins for selection. But Exclusive Buttons is so much more charming, magical, old fashioned, and helpful.

I’m a bit of a connoisseur when it comes to red lipstick. I’ve been wearing red lips since I was a teenager dyeing my hair black and listening to siouxsie. It seemed every rockabilly, punk, or goth girl I knew was on an endless quest for The Perfect Red.

Though red lipstick has become more of an occasional thing these days, mostly out of laziness, it holds a special place in my heart. Few things are as simple and transforming.

So let me share with you my favorites to date.

The queen of them all, in my opinion, is MAC Russian Red. This is a simple, true, matte red. Also, it smells like vanilla or something.

But after that, I would have to go with some of the lipsticks from Besame, a retro makeup company run from Los Angeles by a gorgeous lady called Gabriela Hernandez. The packaging is high-quality, old-fashioned, and gorgeous gold-toned metal. The quality is amazing and the colors are beautiful. This goes for everything, not just the lipstick.

My favorites are Red Velvet (a deep, neutral red), Cherry Red (a very cool toned pinkish red), and Noir Red (a really dark silent film star type color).

The reason I mention this now is because Besame is clearing out their current line to make way for new products and everything on the site is extremely cheap. Lipsticks are $6, about a third of what they usually cost. I am struggling with this because I really do not need more lipstick. sigh.

(By the way, the red I’m wearing in the above photo is gorgeous, but I have no clue what it is. My friend Mari gave it to me, and it’s in an unmarked pale mint green tube.)

It’s been a busy busy week for me, so I’m very glad I had last weekend off to hang out in Portland with friends. The weather was gorgeous (mostly), we had some great food, and got to explore several different neighborhoods.

One of the things we did is visit Seaplane, which I’ve been meaning to do for a while. It completely exceeded my expectations. Seaplane carries pieces by a selection of small local designers, and the clothes had a super feminine, frothy, deconstructed sort of look. I really wanted to wear everything in that store. Alas, I am still under my no-new-clothes pledge (month nine!), though I think some of these clothes would probably fall under the handmade exception, seeing as some of them can also be found directly on Etsy.

I did, however, buy a pair of gorgeous heels by Biviel. They are super soft and comfortable and go with everything.

I have a bit of an addiction to vintage sewing patterns. I find that the cuts are just totally unlike anything you would find in modern commercial patterns and much closer to the amazing garments you might see walking down runways. I love the illustrations, I love looking at them, I love collecting them, and I love sewing them.

If you share my illness, take a look at this directory of vintage sewing pattern sources I’ve put together. I started putting this together to keep my own links organized and realized that it would probably be helpful for others.

And if you have stores you love (or stores you own) that you’d like to see included, please do contact me!

Update: I’ve received several emails for new resources, and I’ve added them. Keep ‘em coming!

I have a real thing for tights and stockings, especially around this time of year, and Sock Dreams is my absolute favorite source. My first purchase was a few pairs of the M stockings, which I find tend to sag around the ankles. They work really well for boots, but tended to look a bit sloppy with heels. More recently, i discovered the N40s (pictured above, first row), and I’m head over heels for them. They come in a large variety of colors, are very stretchy, and tend to stay up without the use of a garter belt. I always cuff them about mid-thigh, which helps create a little band to keep them from slipping.

But recently, I was tempted into buying some thigh highs from We Love Colors. The prices are lower and they come in an even larger variety of colors. Alas, it was a mistake. Some of the stockings are weirdly streaky, they feel pretty cheap, and one pair ripped the first time I put it on! I’ve learned my lesson. It’s back to the wonderful Sock Dreams for me.

Isn’t this necklace lovely? It’s a (late) birthday gift for my little sister, purchased from the Etsy seller Imogene and Dannie. They have many many lovely things. I spent quite a while trawling etsy for the perfect pretty, cool, not-too-fussy, not-too-girly piece of jewelry for her, and I definitely found it.

On Sunday, we rode our bikes to the new Flora Grubb Gardens location. What a gorgeous nursery. I was clutching my heart, pining for an actual house with an actual yard. Or at least a porch that gets a bit of sun. Anything.

San Francisco, why do you taunt me with your stylish nurseries and completely insane housing prices?

Ritual Roasters has a little outpost here. We took our coffee and pumpkin bread into the garden. A perfect way to relax on a sunny sunday.

Last weekend, I stopped by Lacis in Berkeley to pick up a few things. Lacis is something of a dream store for me. Part of it is dedicated to their lace and textile museum, while the rest of the site offers all manner of tools and supplies for textile arts, as well as vintage textile pieces and lace. You can find anything from millinery supplies to steel corset boning to vintage grosgrain ribbon. Their book selection is also incredible, and includes some rather hard to find titles.

The only issue I have with Lacis is that it always seems, for some reason, extraordinarily quiet. Couple that with the signs all over the place telling you not to touch or pick things up, and I sort of have to understand why Kenn calls it a “fussy grandma store” and practically refuses to go in.