My Trailer Park Xmas

Trailer park, mobile homes, RV's and 5th wheels are my neighbors here and their human inhabitants love to put up the Xmas lites! or Christmas lights!

 Mee toooo. In the  vintage Winnebago, on the front dash, we put a vintage light up Snowman and a vintage light up Santa. They are both blow molds, made in the USA, by Union Products, Leominster, Mass.
What's a blow mold? It's an awesome piece of Americana. We Americans saw the need to make figurines of plastic, brightly colored, and we needed them to light up and we needed them to decorate our yards and our American homes.  clicky that link up there and learn more!

In 1960 John Steinbeck, the Californian, got in a pickup truck with a custom-made camper and a poodle and went on a trip to find America. Yes Steinbeck had his own RV, his own mobile tiny house. The book is "Travels With Charley".
One of the things he found was a mobile. home. community.
And he stopped to visit and chat with people who had bought one and lived in a neighborhood of other like-minded folks. What Steinbeck found was that people loved their mobile homes, their trailers.  Some of them knew this was the only house they would ever afford, and became "house-proud" and were content.
And some used their years in a mobile home park as a jumping off place, and a chance to save a lot of money to one day, be able to afford a "real house".
And now today, we have another resurgence of people who, though they may be middle class, they may have just left the middle class, they wish they could get in to the middle class, are, once again, loving the small home movement.
No need to build a tiny house on a trailer frame, but you can if you want. If you want your own home, buy an RV, buy a trailer, buy a camper on a truck, buy a 5th wheel set-up.

yeah! Blow molds of the Nativity.

I've always chosen "marginal housing" because you get a lot of house for a little bit of money, and you live in very interesting neighborhoods.
My trailer park is no exception to that astute finding! I have the most interesting neighbors, so many of them choose to live in a manufactured home, rather than a Stick Built, or brick and mortar home, or a home built of 2x4's and permanent foundations.

Here is a little video I made with retro tiki lounge music by John Deney, to show a few of the trailers and mobile homes. Merry Christmas trailer park people!!

Lurex shiny bright!

oh about 70 years ago, during World War 2, a bright shiny thing happened. Metallic film to wear, was given to mankind. Where there was once war, there came Bright. Shiny. Happy. for the people.
It just wouldn't be a proper 40's Post-war Midcentury Modern life without it. It was used in that 50s chenille fabric for living room upholstery.  You know it and have probably worn it. If it has sparkle and shine and wasn't a sequin it was most likely LUREX^®.
It's a shiny metal film applied to a synthetic surface, like a fabric, and then cut into threads to weave cloth or knit pantyhose, sweaters and threads and novelty trims. It is also twisted with other threads to make threads for weaving, sewing and accenting boring clothes.

50s Star Pillow is yes, PINK with gray, and it has Lurex silver threads in the textured fabric.
Yes. sold from my shop. :-(

Take a look at Rose Brands, and see it in all it's Wowza Beauty! silver, gold, velvet, tissue, knit, all kinds of fabric and patterns.

Here's a vintage 50s dress, for sale in our shop at etsy, in turquoise, green, gold and ruby, and woven through with shiny threads, very likely Lurex, altho, with most vintage dresses of this era there are no content labels.

 and what would the 80s be without shiny shiny dresses for Prom?
Boring. As. Hell.
Pick this little mini number up also in our etsy shop for some sparkly New Years Eve fun!
This is a Double Shot .. It has loads of sequins and a ruffle skirt, a wide sash and a BIG rose too!
By ZumZum.

Oh and who can forget Julie Newmar as Catwoman, in the 60s TV show, Batman. Of course her skin-tight catsuit was made of black sparkly shiny Lurex.  For more of Julie, stop by her website and buy something.

You can buy it made into thread for embroidery, you see it knitted in sweaters and it isn't a vintage thing at all! Modern designers and clothing companies use it all the time.

The Lurex company put up this cute little film featuring vintage fashion starring Lurex!

 Here's just a very few of our vintage fashions as examples of Lurex in vintage fashion. A 60s velvet top with heavy gold metallic trim, very Sgt. Pepper, sold.

Here it's used as an accent woven in a silk sheer fabric for a 70s party dress by Nat Kaplan.
On the swirly feather print are dots and feather tips in shiny golden Lurex.

80s! Oh yes, that Luxe Lurex. This is a tissue poly woven fabric made into a very glam Grecian party dress, also sold.

Lurex can be any color in addition to gold, silver and copper. Green, blue, rainbow.... you only have to dream it for it to be true!
 Here's a shiny green dress made of a heavier satin woven with some Lurex also. Sold.

One of our favorites, bright blue Lurex with accents of black stripe bow and lots of big ruffles for a sweet dolly party dress. Sold.

Fall into Autumn Lookbook with vintage Levis, Pendleton and

wooly plaids, Harris Tweeds, more Pendleton, and all the vintage things that funkoma loves.

Vintage Pendleton, worn vintage Levi 501 jeans, leather boots, a red bandana and a vintage fedora. And the funkomavintage car of choice, a vintage Volvo 122.
Toss on some Ray Bans, or a pair of vintage black frame glasses and you have a classic and cool look for men. Vintage is timeless, quality, and we're always happy to present a great collection for fall and winter.

We shot this Lookbook on location in the Napa Valley with palm trees, maples, oaks, Monterey pines, and an mellow pastoral vibe rather than the cliche Grapevines, grapevines, grapevines. Grapevines will appear in some of our upcoming Lookbooks shot on location - but for now, let's see a different side of the valley, from the perspective of a native Napan, a native Californian.

A vintage Levis corduroy vest with acrylic sherpa faux fur is layered over a vintage red and black buffalo check jacket, edged with leather and leather elbow patches.

as the sun sets

A navy and black plaid Pendleton jacket.

A vintage 60s bronze wool fedora, vintage Ray Ban sunglasses, and a red plaid Pendleton 49er jacket, paired with a stripe polo shirt, a chambray shirt, Levis and brown work boots.

Most of the men's vintage clothes are at the website. clicky here.

Other vintage men's shirts and jackets, are in the Etsy shop. 

Vintage green plaid Pendleton shirt.

When the weather turn colder, here's a pea green windowpane Pendleton vintage 60s overcoat. It's a shorter length, giving it amazingly cool style!

Worn underneath the Pendleton coat is a 60s Nordic print fuzzy acrylic zip front sweater.
Layers are the best way to stay warm, and mixing and matching or unmatching pattern and color is the key to great vintage style that doesn't look like a costume.

A classic red and black plaid wool hunting jacket is key for a great vintage men's wardrobe.
funkomavintage, the website.

If you are new to funkomavintage or have shopped with us for years, you know how much we have always loved vintage Harris Tweed.
We get so happy when we find those rare Harris Tweed patterns that are not produced anymore. We always stock the classics too, in blue, brown and gray herringbone fleck tweed.

Vintage Pendleton plaid shirts, and a much-needed Pendleton Indian Blanket sweater.

Napa palm trees, the famous native oak, and autumn light.

Looking west towards the Pacific Ocean and the curdled clouds, and an autumn sunset.

Loaded up and ready to head home for cocktail hour, the vintage Volvo takes a last look towards the setting sun.

Tiny House, Vintage Camper and the Front Door

Sometimes you just don't want a big big big Xmas tree. Sometimes you want a tiny one. Sometimes you want something made of reclaimed pallet wood and a bit of burlap.
Have I got a thing for you! yes yes yes.

Burlap and old wood is always a favorite combination of mine. The Winnie has burlap curtains... and old wood. Yeah.
Back in the mid-70s, my house on Dry Creek Road had a boring wall behind the wood stove so I thought that would be the perfect place to put a covering of old barn boards. We lived in the country and old barn wood was not a problem. to find.
So I cajoled the old ex into seeing my vision (a common occurence), and saw and nail we did.
Recently, I was staring at the pile of coffee burlap bags in a downtown coffee shop, and staring at the huge coffee burlap bag I use to set up my pictures with, and staring at the tall stack of pallets we collected.
Oh no. Oh yes.

Of course our steps are pallets and we love them!

A small sample of the pile of pallet wood.
 

And burlap curtains in the Winnie.

So, I designed a small tree, a Christmas tree if you wish, but you can put it on the wall all year long, or on the front door.
You can decorate it. or not.
I painted it rustic white and added burlap.
And if that wasn't clever enough, I designed it to fold up for storage.
Yes! I include a strip of vintage cotton muslin to tie a bow and to make a bow on the treetop if you wish. Feast your eyes.
Yes, a copyright design, from your pals, funkomavintage.
You can buy it at the website, or from the Etsy store.

You can decorate it, or put tiny LED lights around it, or leave it up all year for some rustic cheer, just plain and simple. Suitable for inside or out, but protect it from rain, snow and sunshine.

Bla Bla Blag... Buy Good Vintage for a Good Tomorrow

What is a classic? What is well-made? Why should you care?
What do people wear who don't have a staff? What can a person do who puts on her own makeup, a guy who shaves himself,  that is what I find interesting.
So much of the Street Style, has now, become "What do Rich people wear that other Rich People give them to wear." Honestly, why is it impressive to see that? There is no imagination. And the Rich Bloggers don't blog what they want, they don't wear what they want. They are the Bitch of the Rich.
blah blah blah.
Here is what is interesting to me. And the things funkomavintage buys to sell, is that which is classic, well-made, and often, has a bit of fun, and allows a wearer to put together their own unique style. But of course, some people are just .... sheep.

and speaking of sheep, here is a beautiful pink wool sweater, Made in Japan in the 50s, still in excellent condition. I just washed this and it is gorgeous wool that kept its shape and dried sweet and fluffy.

1. Sweaters. you know it, if you have shopped at the Gap, Old Navy, Target, Macy's, even venerable Nautica, and brands like that, that should know better, and etc. in the last 10 years, that clothes are made of crap. 
You wear them once or twice, and they start to pill. A LOT. Buttons pop off. Seams pop open. Hems sag. Zippers split. Crap.

Life is Good brand ... not so much for the workers in Peru. For the corporate officers of LIG, sure! Lotsa cash, big fancy homes, new fancy cars, no worries brah! For the garment workers of Peru... no. Here is a simple Google search about the garment workers of Peru. Fuck yeah, Life Is Good. What typical corporate hypocrisy horseshit.

This degeneration of quality is the fault of the corporations that make clothes. They could make quality clothes, and they used to, but they don't anymore. I've been buying clothes since the 60s, and I have purchased tens of thousands of vintage items, and I have watched the crap take over.


That there is a picture of the Tacoma Mall in the early 70s. Lots of middle class workers, lots of Union jobs paying high wages, so the average American family could actually go shopping and buy quality clothes. And that, my friends, is why we have good vintage. It was made to last.

I remember shopping at Trade Fair in Napa, which is now the site of WalMart. Trade Fair was a big discount department store, just like WalMart. My favorite dress in the 8th grade, in 1967 was made in Hong Kong. It was an acetate knit print, and that sucker lasted me a long time and still looked cute for years. The fabric was sturdy and the shape held well.
Try that with anything you buy at the WalMart today. Crap.

So, it isn't that clothes come from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, or other craphole places....it's that the CEO's of clothes-making companies, have chosen to skimp on fabric, design, buttons, zippers, thread, and closed down US factories, disband the Unions, and pay shit wages to 3rd world peasants, and then, take all the profits and stick them in their big fat corporate pockets.
And what are we left with? Crappy clothes that fall apart in less than 3 months.

And this, my friends is why I sell vintage.

Vintage Was Made To Last, and It Was Made With Quality Ingredients.
Yes, there are a few excellent companies left that take pride in workmanship and design, but no one with a store at the average American mall, has that pride in workmanship.

 Here is a link to the sweaters at funkomavintage website....for men and women. Adding more daily!

and here is a clicky link to sweaters currently listed in our Etsy shop. Gals and Guys!

Here at funkomavintage, you will always find quality sweaters, excellent jeans, vintage Levis, Vintage Lee, and Vintage Wrangler, Vintage Irish Fisherman knits, Scotland's Harris Tweed, Vintage L.L. Bean, Vintage Filson, Vintage Pendleton, and top quality vintage clothes of all types.

If it's crap I don't sell it. Maybe once a year, I'll put something up that is kinda crappy, but it has to be cute!