On M&A Etsy: Anne Klein II for Riviera tortoiseshell plastic frames

Just added to my Etsy shop: these beautiful 1980s tortoiseshell/amber plastic glasses frames by Anne Klein II for Riviera. Hope these find a good home!

New Milk & Amber Etsy items

New items on my Etsy shop! Check these bad boys out.

1980's camel pure wool box-pleated high-waisted skirt

Tiny delicate gold & pearl earrings

Big-ass vintage emerald-green clip-ons

Vintage art deco gold fan clip-ons

Vintage gold monogram earrings

Vintage jewel-tone pendant necklace

Milk & Amber Earrings of the Day

Earrings of the Day on Milk & Amber are these mismatched abstract bits and pieces. Sort of avant garde artsy, and a little bit Saved-by-the-Bell-theme-song (um, did I say that somewhere already? I basically encapsulate all 90's design in that one clip). It's earrings like these that make me wish I was more crafty/handy!

Milk & Amber Earrings of the Day

Well, it's past midnight, but I was originally going to write this about an hour ago. (Ends up Homeland is a pretty great show and we had to watch two episodes.) But I was going to say, it's October! Fall leaves! The Walking Dead! Gossip Girl! Toronto trip! Lots of good things. How about some pumpkin orange vintage straw hoop earrings to celebrate this great month?

Milk & Amber Earrings of the Day

Well, it's been fall officially for a little over a week, but it's only been hitting me the last day or two that it is no. longer. summer. Sigh. The sweet smell of decaying fallen leaves is in the air, and soon, the last greens of summer will turn into fall oranges, browns, and yellows. Still beautiful, but it makes me realize I should enjoy the leaves while they're still on the trees. So, in honour of the last days of vibrant green on PEI, how about some classic gold hoops with emerald-coloured plastic gems?

Milk & Amber Earrings of the Day

I think everyone needs a little cobalt, cerulean, or azure in their life, don't you? This three-pack of funky 80's earrings ought to do the trick.

Milk & Amber Earrings of the Day

Cloudy grey earrings for a cloudy grey day.

New Etsy items

Just threw a new batch of jewellery on my Etsy shop. Check it out!

Black knot earrings (or shoe clips)

Gold crescent moon earrings

Bevelled black rectangular earrings

Big gaudy pink 80's earrings

Southwestern silver feather earrings

Eighties neon flower clip-on earrings

And about eight others were added since yesterday. Fun! 

Sky blue, cloud white

Can't help but think about those summer days lying on the grass looking at the sky when I see these vintage plastic earrings.

Black / Gold

Vintage black and gold Eighties earrings. Nice to find delicate earrings from that decade.

Labels

Labels matter to me. Yes, I partly mean labels like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, à la that awful Sex and the City movie theme song. I do care about finding vintage designer stuff, because it's fun, interesting, and exciting. Same with heritage labels like Great Northern Knitters, a now-defunct heritage knitwear company from the Island, or Hudson Bay Company. 

I also take care in reading and learning about the actual, physical labels on my clothing and accessories. Where was it made? Are there hints about when it was made? Who made it? Was it union-made? Why did the textile industry in Canada have to disappear? Lots of questions can (and, I think, should) be asked about the provenance of things that you buy.

Which brings me to the vintage designer ties I have for sale on my Etsy shop. Many of them were made in Canada, and it makes me happy to think huge labels like Oscar de la Renta and Christian Dior outsourced their labour here, where clothing manufacturers aplenty made super-high-quality garments. If only that were still the case! 

Check out some of the labels on the ties on Milk & Amber:

The three above are of this awesome vintage Oscar de la Renta tie.

Here's another Oscar de la Renta (above).

Or this red striped vintage Christian Dior tie.

A good label makes a good garment even better. If you have vintage clothing, try looking up the CA identfication number here so you can find more out about the things you own. It's a fun to try to know the history behind what you wear!

Grape Earrings

Typically, my favourite style of earring comes in the shape of a bunch of grapes. It may have something to do with my love of all things Grecian, but who knows. When I like a kind of earring, or amass a couple pairs, I start scouting for them... this is my grape earring collection:

My first pair (the gateway pair, if you will)

Fusing punk and Grecian, an unlikely but fantastic coupling

Big ole grapes

Giant chrome danglers

These ones have little leaves at the top!

Because no earring collection is complete without black and gold grape earrings, I guess

These shoulder-grazers came in as donations to the Jewellery for Japan fundraiser sale I co-organized recently - they may be one of my top ten pairs of all time. Just have to find a time to, you know, wear them.

My grape earrings mixing in with my pearl clusters and other vintage clip-ons.

All of these are vintage or second-hand - keep an eye out next time you're perusing earrings at a flea market or thrift store and think of me! :)

- Kat