Wanelo Blog

24 May 2013

#wanelocrush: Blackbird Tees

Screenprinting power couple Karl & Jody, the duo behind Blackbird Tees, make our hearts skip a beat with their ethically made apparel (and cute jumping photos).

We recently sat down with Karl and talked food trucks, thrift stores and selling neat things online.

Hey! How’s it going?

Fantastic! We just got back from Austin, Texas. So we’re still in that relaxed, post-vacation haze. It’s been quite nice, actually.

Anything awesome or life changing happen while on vacation?

Funny you should ask… Austin is bursting with food trucks! So my life-altering vacation moments were typically in taco, sandwich or fried chicken form. Jody did some clothes shopping and scored mightily with a slew of vintage summer dresses. Overall, our trip was pretty amazing!

You got our attention with your designs and prints. Can you tell us where you get your inspiration from?

We’re often inspired by the things we see when escaping the city life. In fact, we love taking roadtrips and vacations because they allow us to relax and reset our brains to creativity mode. So many of our designs can be traced back to a day at the zoo, an evening drive through the Southwest or even a moonlit stroll through our neighborhood.

Can you also tell us a little bit about how you came up with your Etsy shop, Blackbird Tees?

Back in 2008, we were living in Seattle and selling our T-shirts at local farmers’ markets. We even had our own boutique for a short time. Long story short, we were struggling. Luckily, a friend of ours whispered a little something in our ear and mentioned a site called “Etsy.” Within a year, we set up camp, immersed ourselves in Etsy culture and let the internet work its magic. Looking back, it’s probably one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.

Your love of vintage is evidenced in your designs, collections, and your other Etsy shop, Half Pint Salvage. Any thrifting techniques you can share?

New merchandise comes in almost every day, so hit your local Goodwill shop(s) early and often. And don’t forget to bring a smart phone! I typically do at least 3 or 4 Google searches while I’m thrifting. That allows me to identify items and/or gauge their overall worthiness. And when nothing is to be found, it’s fun just taking pictures of the crazy (and sometimes outlandish) stuff you stumble upon!

Top 5 essentials you can’t live without?

A good cast iron skillet, argyle socks, morning coffee, our 1930s Deco area rug and a comfortable T-shirt, of course!

Any favorite stores or users you follow on Wanelo we should know about?

So many to choose from! A few of our fave users are @anastridendeavor, @seanflannagan (we share a love of vintage Star Wars toys) and @localcolor.

Some vintage shops we adore: Bless That Dress, Bellalulu, Skyparlor and Red Line Vintage. We also have a soft spot for pretty much everything saved by @omgdannydevito. :)

Anything else we should know?

If you haven’t been to RVA (Richmond, VA), you need to plan a trip! We have a fantastic art scene, lots of history and old architecture, a ton of vintage shopping destinations and a beautiful river walk. Did I mention we also have a growing number of food trucks?!

@blackbirdtees

Blackbird Tees on Wanelo

Blackbird Tees on Etsy

23 May 2013

HOW TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER MOTHER OF DRAGONS: A GUIDE

This season of Game of Thrones has Daenerys Targaryen looking straight up out of New York Fashion Week. Homegirl must have a caravan of fabulous dry cleaners schlepping around the Seven Kingdoms with her. Admittedly, we’re glad she left the Dothraki leather-and-burlap sacks behind. They really weren’t doing her any favors.

Here’s a roundup of our favorite Dany-esque items. I’ve a special place in my heart for this particular gelatin mold, and if you’re thinking about hosting a GoT screening party for the season finale, you’d be crazy not to serve it as an appetizer. Unless of course you’ve gotten hold of an actual horse heart, in which case I apologize for my candor.

-Therese

21 May 2013

whyisitalwaysyouthree:

whyisitalwaysyouthree: Oh my god wanelo really gets me.

20 May 2013

Today’s Manelo Monday outfit comes from JP Riemann - AKA Clue. Find him on Wanelo and Instagram.

Wanna be featured on the next Manelo Monday? Email me at therese@wanelo.com with your username and/or sweet menswear inspired collection.

17 May 2013

“Knowledge is invariably a matter of degree: you cannot put your finger upon even the simplest datum and say this we know.” -T.S. Eliot

you can go your own way print by fieldtrip
heart shoe clips by ban.do
purple chiffon dress by ustrendy
i can and will necklace by wonderkath
starry string lights by restoration hardware
happy day garland by littlenestbox
awesome party hats by fredflare
infinity ring in rose gold by mickeysgirl
tassel garland by confetti system

-Therese

15 May 2013

Our founder Deena working a photoshoot with her favorite @squishables at HQ!

Channel your inner Heather (or Veronica) with vintage preppy-inspired looks found on Wanelo.

-Therese

14 May 2013

Wanelo and Earcuffs!

debaucherousgatsby:

ohmyglob first Etsy now Wanelo! when will the internet obsession end! i feel like its everything i see on tumblr has suddenly come on sale on the market and i can be glamourous all the time…say it aint so! just take my money just please take it :”“”“”( Wanelo (want need love) is an e-commerce site that is fairly new, you can browse collections of whatever you please just like on other sites, etsy, amazon etc. It has anything and everything that will make you feel wildly sexy and incredibly cute all at once! hello crazy stupid love ref! okay but yeah I’ve only had an account with Wanelo and they don’t lie when they say its mad addictive I’ve already saved a ton of products i really want to buy!

As soon as I saw them circulating on tumblr I became obsessed with ear cuffs! here are some I found over on Wanelo! There also really cute ones available at Claire’s! I haven’t really seen them around too much. I went to Forever 21 over the weekend and didn’t find any there. I will be checking up on other websites. I don’t see too many people wearing the more flamboyant ones maybe thats why.

I really think this trend should catch more attention. Especially how the last picture is a cartilage cuff! Been meaning to get mines pierced in ages but it really hasn’t happened yet so ill just cuff ‘em till I do!