Serious Shoe Sale and more at Treasury

(These shoes are from Tari, not Treasury. But still. Shoes.)

Treasury is having a Serious Shoe Sale. Shoe sales deserve caps, thinks your girl blogger. From their e-mail:

We are so excited for spring that we’ve introduced a new sale! 

For the rest of the month, we’re marking all our shoes (boots, heels, loafers, sandals, everything!) 

in-store 50% OFF!

PLUS we’re starting a jewelry sale until Valentine’s Day: 

20% OFF that special stuff for your loved ones (excluding consignments). 

As always, we are ready to help you find the perfect gift.  

Hours and such: Treasury Vintage and Curios

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Photos: New goodies at Ginger Root Design

I popped in Ginger Root Design on Saturday to do a little shopping and got to check out all the new goodies in the shop, coupled with some lovely Valentine's Day decor. If you haven't been, here are some of my favorite things for my last visit:

Lovely little vintage accessories for the man in your life.

The gingers cut out the back of the jacket, and I think I'm in love.

Clutches 'n' things! Get ready for spring with these little bags.

Pretty collars to give a little spark to any outfit.

And last but certainly not least: kitties. Kitties on a necklace.

P.S. You can now buy vouchers to give someone the gift of sewing classes. Pretty rad.

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You're invited: Preview night at Ginger Root Design

Visit the redheads of Ginger Root Design this Friday night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for a sneak peek at new (and by new we mean mostly restyled) items before they hit the shelves. The jewelry of Jennifer Jeremias—a.k.a the brains behind DauDau repurposed jewelry—will be on display.

What else can I say? Snacks. New stuff. Probably some good music.

1530 U. St. NW, basement. Look for the gingers.

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Rock it Again showing signs of life on U St.

They weren't open when I passed by on Friday night around 7, but it looks pretty convincing that Rock it Again is open for business for realsies.

Go go go go go!

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Breaking news: Eastern Market's Rock It Again coming to U Street

Vintage clothiers Clint and Aviyah of Rock It Again are coming to U Street with a planned soft opening this weekend. They're taking over Nana's spot at 1528 U St. above Millenium. Aviyah explained that Clint has been focusing on men's vintage for four years at Eastern Market, adding some women's vintage last year when Aviyah joined him.

The couple focuses on looks from the 50s through the 70s in America and in Europe, with some older pieces in the mix from time to time. Timeless pieces will be featured, ranging from high-end fashion to vintage you could wear every day without looking costumey. Men, you must visit this space when it opens. You have not been forgotten.

If you're in the area this weekend, stop by to see if Rock it Again has opened its doors, and welcome Clint and Aviyah to the neighborhood.

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Monday shopping announcement

One item of note as you ponder your supply of toilet paper and milk in preparation for tomorrow's flurries.

Ginger Root Design is offering abridged hours for the winter in order to satisfy demand for their tailoring services, original designs, and sewing classes. Hours will be as follows:

Monday:  Closed
Tuesday:  Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday:  12-7
Friday:  12-7
Saturday:  12-7
Sunday:  1-6

So don't go shopping today! Or tomorrow, or Wednesday. Use these days to work on your personal projects. And on Thursday, pop by the store to see what the gingers have been working on.

Winter coats half-off at Treasury

Word on the e-mail subscription street is that Treasury is having a sale this weekend: 30 percent off everything but jewelry. It gets better: every single coat is half-off through the end of the month. It's certainly worth a look.

When you're done thinking about winter wear, check out Pantone's "official" color for 2011: Honeysuckle. The Goodwill Fashionista has some examples of where you can already find this shade, which could also be called "magenta," "light fuschia," or my personal favorite, "pink."

Whatever you call it, this color is not hideous in my book. I just don't think I can wear it. Perhaps shoes and accessories for us pinkish pale ladies.

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More vintage coming to U Street

U Street is about to become a sure-fire hub for vintage shopping. Next up in Nana's storefront at 1528 U is a vintage shop that used to be housed under a tent at Eastern Market each weekend. Hoping to get in touch with the new tenant soon to learn more about their growing business.

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Field Trip: Dr. K Vintage

1534 U Street NW
Washington, DC 20009

(240) 888-6284


Since I'm way behind on sharing info on Dr. K's, it will do us all best if I just link to this fantastic post by Breathnaigh. Dear blogger, your post made my heart pitter-patter. Love, Lisatella.


With that, I will say this one thing: The credit card machine is up and running.


Photos beyond the jump, and that's it. I love this place. I got a gorgeous silk dress with a metal zipper. Heaven.

Ginger Root Design announces winter sewing class schedule

If your new year's resolution has anything to do with being crafty, being resourceful, or reducing the number of times you prick your fingers with a needle trying to hem your pants, Ginger Root Design can help. Sign up for any of the following classes and get your thread on.

Beginning Sewing

The ultimate class for guys or girls just starting out, or wanting to learn how to finish off their projects with a professional touch. This course offers all the basics of hand sewing: how to begin and finish seams securely, 4 different stitches (including 2 different hemming stitches), attaching buttons (both tailored shirt and winter jacket buttons), and affixing other closures. A great class for those who want to tackle a variety of wardrobe woes. 2 hour class. $40.

Available Classes:

• Monday, January 10th, 7:30 PM
• Wednesday, January 12th 7:30 PM
• Thursday, January 20th 7:30 PM
• Saturday, January 22nd 9:30 AM
• Thursday, January 27th 7:30 PM
• Wednesday, February 2nd 7:30 PM
• Monday, February 7th 7:30 PM
• Tuesday, February 15th 7:30 PM
• Monday, February 28th 7:30 PM

Be Your Own Tailor: Make it a Mini

Why toss out a perfectly good dress or skirt when all it needs is an update? We’ll teach you how to revamp your dress or skirt by losing some length and showing some leg. Bring in the garment you wish to transform and we’ll help you to mark, cut, press, and hem it to perfection. No sewing machine necessary. Prerequisite: Beginning Sewing. 1.5 hour class. $35.

Available Classes:

• Monday, January 17th, 7:30 PM
• Thursday, February 3rd, 7:30 PM

Be Your Own Tailor: Hem Your Pants

Do your hems keep falling down or dragging on the floor? No need to go to a tailor -- Fix it yourself! Bring in a pair of slacks with droopy hems or length a few inches too long, and we will help you find the right length and rehem them. No machine necessary. *Note--No jeans or khakis. Pre-requisite: Beginning Sewing. 1.5 hour class. $35.

Available Classes:

• Thursday, January 13th, 7:30 PM
• Wednesday, January 26th, 7:30 PM
• Saturday, February 12th, 9:30 AM
• Monday, February 21st, 7:30 PM

Be Your Own Tailor: Mending 101

Are those moth holes keeping you from wearing you favorite sweater, or does your favorite shirt have a 2” hole in the side seam now held together with safety pins? No worries! In this class we go through various ways to stitch that moth hole closed without an obvious eyesore of a patch. AND by using a stitch from our beginning class we also show how to mend a side seam by hand with a look similar to a sewing machine. We will also touch on how to fix a fraying button-hole. Please bring an item with moth holes to class, as well as an item with a small hole in a seam. If you do not have an item, let us know in advance and we will provide a sample to work on. No machine necessary. No further supplies needed. Prerequisite: Beginning Sewing. 1.5 hour class. $35.

Available Classes:

• Monday, January 24th 7:30 PM
• Tuesday, February 22nd 7:30 PM

Sweater Hat Making

Get prepared for the winter weather with our Sweater Deconstruction Class. We show you how to turn an unflattering, pilling, or shrunken sweater into a slouchy winter hat. Perfect for keeping out the cold, this hat is a great way to go green this winter. If you are feeling ambitious to make 2 hats from your sweater, and are in the spirit of giving to someone in need, we will be collecting extra hats made by our students to donate to Martha's Table, a local charity in DC. NOTE: This class requires a sweater to cut up and repurpose. No machine necessary. Prerequisite: Beginning Sewing. 1.5 hour class. $35.

Available Classes:

• Monday, January 31st 7:30 PM
• Thursday, February 17th 7:30 PM

Call them at (202)567-7668 or stop by the shop at 1530 U Street (basement).

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Weekend events: Vintage all over

From Hella Tuff's Facebook album

There are so many events this weekend for nostalgic dressers that it will be pretty easy to track me down. That's not an invitation to follow me. But it is an invitation to say hello if you run into me at any of the following:


Goodwill Holiday Travelin' Trunk Show at Caramel: Friday from 5 to 8. Don't forget to bring some clothes to donate; you'll get a discount to use at Caramel. Goodwill's selections will be moderately priced, as usual.


Hella Tuff Basement Boutique opening: Saturday 11-5. Stop by and welcome all this new vintage goodness to our lives. (We'll have a Q & A with the seller posted tomorrow.)


Midcity Holly-days: Saturday and Sunday on U Street and in the general vicinity. So many great local shops and restaurants are involved. And in a neighborhood that's so into vintage, it's sure to be worth a browse. 


Vintage at Veranda: Release--Featuring hand picked, designer vintage threads, shoes and accessories, Vintage @ Veranda on December 11, 2010 will have something for everyone. Tired of the same 'ol same old?  Spice up your wardrobe with designers like Chanel, Gucci, Valentino and more at prices you won't believe!  Ladies, this is the perfect spot to find that one of a kind piece for your scheduled holiday functions.  Guys, H.Darling is working hard to have a few threads on deck for you as well!


That should be plenty to get you started this weekend. If you know of other events worth checking out, give a holler.


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Get ready for MidCity shopping events in December

Two events I'd like to quickly highlight today as they go on my personal calendar:

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Sewing classes on the calendar at Ginger Root Design

Erin with a customer

I have chosen to resurrect QL to give you this breaking news: more sewing classes added at Ginger Root Design.  All the hot deets, below:

Beginning Sewing   
Wed 11-17, Tues 11-23, or Thurs 12-2         
7:30pm-9:30pm          $40
The ultimate class for those just starting out, or needing a refresher since those home ec classes in junior high. This course offers all the basics of hand sewing: how to begin and finish seams securely, 4 different stitches, attaching buttons (both tailored shirt and winter jackets), and affixing other closures. A great class for those who want to tackle a variety of wardrobe woes.

NEW!!   Sweater Deconstruction  
Tues11-30 or Mon12-6        
7:30-9:00 pm                 $35
Beat the winter chill (and perhaps a jump on holiday presents!) with our Sweater Deconstruction Class.  We show you how to turn an unflattering, pilling, or shrunken sweater into a slouchy winter hat.  Perfect for keeping out the cold, this hat is a great way to go green this holiday season.  If you are feeling ambitious to make 2 hats from your sweater, and are in the spirit of giving to someone in need, we will be collecting extra hats made by our students to donate to a local charity.  NOTE: This class requires a sweater to cut up and repurpose.  No machine necessary.

Get on this, my children. Sewing will save your closet.

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Radio silence

Dearest readers,
Just a brief note to let you know that I am in hiding for a few days while I work on grad school stuff.  Learning takes time and stuff.  Gotta do that.

Back soon.

P.S. Dr. K's is open! U Street Girl has proof.

Take care, lovelies.

♥

Ginger Root Design sewing lessons are fun and worthwhile

I can't lie, I have a little bit of sewing experience. But most of it was obtained by trial-and-error sessions with a borrowed Singer that we kept on the dining room table in my senior year group house. So when Kristen and Erin announced that they would host sewing workshops in their new store, I jumped at the chance.  And look what I made!

It might not look like much, but that's 2 hours of straight-up sewing right there. We practiced four basic hand stitches and learned the proper way to apply buttons to shirts and coats. And with four students and two instructors to guide us, everyone got the individual attention they needed—especially Your Girl Blogger, who is a right-hander with a tendency to do things left-handed. 

It's going to take some practice over time, but I plan to use what I learned for small projects....and for as long as I'm too fed up with my sewing machine to figure out what's wrong with it.  (Note to Erin and Kristen: Do you provide any sewing machine tutoring services?!)

Here is the schedule of upcoming classes (with descriptions!):

Be Your Own Tailor: Make It Mini Oct 18 or 21 7:30pm-9pm 

Fall is here, so get out the tights and hike up those skirts! we’ll teach you how to update your dress or skirt by losing some length and showing some leg. Bring in the garment you wish to transform and we’ll help you to mark, cut, press, and hem it to perfection. No sewing machine necessary.

Be Your Own Tailor: Hem Your Pants Oct 14 7:30pm-9pm

Do your hems keep falling down?or dragging on the floor? No need to go to a tailor- Fix it yourself! Bring in a pair of slacks with droopy hems or length 1 or 2 inches too long, and we will help you find the right length and rehem them. No machine necessary. *Note--No jeans or khakis

There are also plans to add more classes in November and beyond, including basic sewing, sweaters deconstructed, and mending. Classes are $35 each. You can reserve a spot or inquire about future classes by calling 202-567-7668, or by visiting 1530 U St NW.
 

Breaking fashion news: Mysterious Dr. K has merch in new U St. shop

It seems like just yesterday I was casually mentioning this new vintage shop coming to U St. Tonight while taking sewing class at Ginger Root Design (more on that later), I asked Kristen and Erin if they knew anything about Dr. K's Vintage Shop. They didn't know anything more than I did, which we all thought was strange as the block is pretty friendly and word tends to get out about these things.

When I arrived at GRD, I noticed lights on in Dr. K's. When I left GRD two hours later, I walked up the steps and peered in the window: MERCH.  Straight up merch, starting to line the walls.  Boots, people.  And some stuff that looks like tweaked vintage ladies' stuff.

Merch means one thing: they'll be open within a week.

There was someone working in the shop, up on a ladder obviously trying to get things in order.  I would have knocked on the door and said hello, but two things stopped me:

1. No entrepreneur wants to answer their door at 9 p.m. when they're trying to get their store up and running.
2. The 96 bus was idling at a stop light across the street and I was determined to get on it.  Lucky for me, the bus driver gave me a break, but not until after she shook her head in disappointment as I knocked on the door and then told me, as she opened it, "You're making that face because you know what you did!" Yes, I knew what I did. But I wanted to take the bus home, and it was just sitting there at the curb. Thank you, bus driver lady, for not making me feel any more guilty than you did.

Anyway.  Get excited for some new vintagey goodness, my fashionable friends.

♥

Sewing classes available at new U St. boutique

When I first met Kristen and Erin of Ginger Root Design/ReVamp, they were kind enough to invite me over for a lesson in bag repair. (It took me ages, but I finally finished the bag! I can use it now!)

While we sat and sewed and listen to multiple Metric albums, the girls told me that they were considering holding sewing classes. Informal and small, they would teach the basics to those who want to be able to fix things on their own.

Now that their store is open, sewing classes are here! Five sessions are available this fall to cover everything from the very basics in hand stitching, to pant-hemming and mini-skirt-making.

The first one is this Monday, October 4. I'll be there to go over some sewing fundamentals and sharpen my skills. Yes, you'll get all the gory details afterward, potentially with pictures of my pricked fingers covered in bandaids.

Classes are $35 each, paid in advance to reserve your spot. Call 202-567-7668 for more info.

Ginger Roots videofest, part 5: Hats

By far my favorite clip from my Ginger Roots video series. Enjoy, and be sure to visit them soon.



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Ginger Roots videofest, part 3

When's the last time you saw earrings made from Blue Moon beer labels? Ginger Roots offers beautiful earrings made by Erin's mother. Check them out!

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Ginger Roots videofest, Part 1

Last weekend, I visited Ginger Roots and took a bunch of videos to get a peek into the new business. Here's part one (of a probably five-part series, probably appearing over the next five days), in a classic example of why I need to stop shooting video on my iPhone and just break down and get a mini cam.



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