Vintage and Retro - ModCloth.com

I can think of several occasions when I have been watching a movie such as "The Notebook" or "500 Days of Summer" and being in love with the wardrobe. I would see all the pretty dresses that had such style and flare and think to myself "I'll never own of those". Where do you even begin to try to find such clothes?

Yes, you can make it your life's mission to rummage through thrift shops and garage sales or hope one day grandma will remember a treasure trunk in the attic full of her old classic dresses. But realistically, it takes a lot of work and time to find retro clothes. And when you do find them, is it the right size? Blah.

Worry no more. I have stumbled onto a website where all they sell is retro style and true vintage clothing and accessories! My heart skipped a beat when I found this site as I was playing around on Polyvore.com

The website is called Mod Cloth. There were so many beautiful things to choose from. Adorable little dresses, handbags and of course HATS! It was love at first site. I spent hours navigating the web site. Clicking here, looking there. And to my delight there was a wide variety of sizes available.

The first thing I ordered was a Vespa bag. I had purchased my first one in Paris and paid a pretty little European penny for it too. The Vespa bags are made in Italy and I thought it would be near impossible to find another one outside of Europe. To my surprise, I located one on ModCloth.com.

With so many things items to choose from it is hours of fun and temptation. Enjoy!

Our Roman Holiday

After returning home from vacationing in Italy, my husband Freddie and I made a decision. We decided to look at ways of life that most Europeans have in common. One thing we noticed in Italy and France is how commonplace if not prevalent scooters are. Since we live in Southern California where the weather is agreeable most of the time, we contemplated purchasing a scooter. But not just any scooter. Our theme is a European life. So naturally we decided to purchase a Vespa.

We came to this decision because Vespas are made in Italy and they have a vintage look like the kind you see in the movie 'Roman Holiday' with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. 

Imported directly from Italy, our Vespa (which we nicknamed "Scootie") added much to our European life in Los Angeles. Besides the obvious great things about owning a Vespa is the fact that you will save a lot of money on gas.  A Vespa gets a little over 60 miles to the gallon. The gas tank holds 2 gallons. So the cost to fill up the tank is anywhere between $6.00-$6.75.  It makes absolute sense why most Europeans use scooters for transportation. Their price of gas is at least double what we are paying in the US.

When we first purchased the Vespa, which is now my husband's main mode of transportation, he worked 10 minutes away from home. He was filling up the gas tank once or twice a month. Now he works in Santa Monica, CA (about a 1 hour commute, 5o miles roundtrip each day). He now spends about $48 per month on gasoline. Not a bad deal when you compare it to the price of putting gas into a car or SUV. It's great for quick trips around town or going to busy places around LA where it's difficult to find parking.

Enough with the logical reasoning. We adore our Vespa. I generally will put on a skirt when riding with my husband. Hey, if the European girls can do it, why can't I? That's one of things I admired when I saw people on their scooters in Europe. Especially in Italy, everybody was so nicely dressed, girls wearing their stilettos and skirts or dresses and the men were wearing their suits and ties on their way to work. Can you imagine it?! 

Well, now my husband is that guy on a Vespa wearing his suit and tie on his way to work. Mama Mia! And from time to time I am that girl on the back of a Vespa holding on with excitement. Just another way to continue living a European life.