A Treasury Of… Minneapolis Fashion and Interior Design Blog

Having bought and worn-well an item from the Levi’s Vintage Clothing line earlier this summer, I’m not at all trying to give the impression with this entry that the wares offered in their collection aren’t excellent. They really are.

But nonetheless I’m gonna stick my neck out and suggest picking up either a boxed chambray Sunset shirt in black, or a sleeve of the Milk White Pocket Ts – not so much for the wearables inside, but to present their packaging behind glare-free glass in an oversized wooden frame as household art.

Hung over your dinged-up dresser above a metal tin full of nickels ‘n tie-pins and your bedroom would instantly read two hundred percent cooler.

As teased, the beauty shot of the Australian Battered Potatoes devoured by all at the Minnesota State Fair. Not too thick, not too thin, ordered with a side of sweet chili dipping sauce. I’ll be thinking of them and waiting for my next serving every day, all year. Until we meet again, ‘lil taters!

I aimed to open my eyes to new sights and scenes at the fair this year, instead of circling around the exact seven same spots like I usually do. Had I walked by the Education building in any of the past years I would’ve already photographed the heck out of it. But it was new to my eyes this year. It’s just soooo yesterday, and thus I soooo love it.

I also had never gone into the Fine Arts building and, walking around the various Minnesotan masterpieces, I found this sun-slashed mint blue curtain in a quiet little corner, squatted all over the floor and snapped some almost-art of my own.

Paul and Babe rendered in paper mosaic.

A string of resurrected soda pop brands for sale inside Heritage Square. A bottle of Peach Nesbitt’s was already chilling in my fridge back at home. Either for me to drink or enter into the Treasury. I hadn’t yet decided, and still haven’t, I guess.

Another new adventure for me this year was the State Fair museum, filled with memorabilia from years past.

Further on in the exhibit, Norm and Opal Hall shimmied across my path. I wish people still did fancy, fringed stuff like this. And not ironically. We’re all so self conscious and cool now. It’s honestly a shame.

Old Elephants. (Speaking of which, did you know elephants “sing” songs to themselves with over 20 verses to them, and when other elephants die those that they leave behind perform a funeral-type ritual for their dearly departed? I learned that when I bought my sister the novel White Bone many years ago which I’ve been wanting to read myself someday. And in other elephant literature-related business, this book is on my horizon as well.)

Don’t really like snow cones, didn’t order a snow cone, but the shimmer of the shop’s signage was a treat in and of itself.

I would’ve honestly been happy with fifth or sixth place. Those ribbons would’ve looked livelier on a wall than red or royal blue anyways.

I like how this photo creates the illusion that the Sky Ride traveled above nothing but miles of countryside corn-fields, but it was just a good old fashioned framing trick.

Can’t wait to return next year.

Also I’m wondering if it’d be fun to go to another state’s Fair sometime too. Anyone been to any amazing ones? I’ve heard the one in Texas is as epic as the state would suggest.

Landing its juiciest celebrity ever, TV’s tartest cherry plucker Ms. Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn) has committed to attending this year’s annual Twin Peaks Fest in Washington state. If Audrey’s showing up, then maybe I should too, finally.

Lucy, Bobby’s Mom, and The Little Man From Another Place will be hanging round the donut table this year as well.

Wow (Bob) Wow!

When I was in jr. high, the only shoe a guy could wear with his French-rolled jeans were some dark brown deck shoes. It wasn’t preppy, and it wasn’t at all pretty. But other than Nikes and such, it was the only non-atheltic shoe we had access to in mid-Minnesota. It was the exhausted extent of our adolescent, aesthetic imaginations.

So two years ago when the deck shoe docked back into fashion relevance, I was far from the shore and weary about its weird return. When a year passed and the faddish irony had solidified into something stronger and more lasting I wasn’t as salty about the style’s resurgence, although I wasn’t scoping out a pair for myself either.

But the white Common Projects court shoes I’d bought last spring have always been a bit tight, and my navy Vans feel coarse and stuffy on the inside, so last summer I ended up pairing all my rolled-up chinos or shorter-than-short shorts with a pathetic pair of gray plastic sauna slides I’d swapped up from the dollar section at Target.

The slides slipped on and off in less than a second, and felt good even on the sweatiest summer days, but I knew every time I had them on that they were effectively killing the cool of whatever outfit I had assembled.

So, believe it or not (and I hardly do, myself) I’m turning to the deck shoe this summer as my fashion footwear life-saver. However I might’ve felt about them twenty years ago, their leathery insides were always smooth and soft, and they were a breeze to kick on or off, summer, spring, and fall.

I’ll be steering clear of anything (brown) that reminds me of any of my ’89 – ’91 pairs, and of anything too prep-ed or peppy. So white soles are a no-go. I’m betting on the less-boaty broodiness of all-black styles.

I (think I) think there were some at OiPolloi forever and ever, until the moment I realized I cared.

Rogues Gallery had (has?) some too that seem cool if not costly.

For now, I’m waiting to see how these dressed-up, fifty-buck ones from Asos in the UK look when they arrive in the mail next week.

If they fit and seem not too flimsy, then the first order of business will be to beat ‘em up a bit. Scuffed and with rough jeans they could be incredibly see-worthy, mates.

My father’s father was raised a Mormon and his entire family traveled the world as missionaries.

I don’t know the believers in this particular photograph, but I find the image inspiring. Outfit-wise, of course.

Being a total tee-totaler, soft drinks are as hard as my beverages get. I like wondering what makes up White Russians and Pink Squirrels, what they’d taste like if they didn’t actually taste like Windex to me, and imagining how fancy I would feel if I ordered one someday. But limited edition, imported, or ultra-rare soda pops are as exotic and intoxicating as my liquid life ever gets.

This bottle of Fentiman’s Dandelion drink has been frosting in my fridge all summer, waiting for its Treasury time in the spotlight. Its bizarre, black licorice and sparkling tea taste doesn’t warrant much of a write up however. (And I even like black licorice.)

Hopes remain higher for this safer-seeming citrus soda with a water-skiing siren as its marketing mascot. Bottled in Tennessee without High Fructose Corn Syrup, there’s a pillow of lemon lime pulp resting on the bottle’s floor. Haven’t sampled it yet, so we’ll just have to see about Ski

January 12, 2010

Yay!
I’m not hip enough to join any backlashes. I’m just gonna be excited.

1. Horchata
2. White Sky
3. Holiday
4. California English
5. Taxi Cab
6. Run
7. Cousins
8. Giving Up the Gun
9. Diplomat’s Son
10. I Think Ur A Contra

I’m officially fashioning my fall shopping list now. Item by item, I’ll tack ‘em all up on the Treasury in the coming weeks.

For whatever reason, I want to round up a couple pair of knicker-like pants and wear them until the snow falls this fall. First I want to find a pair of ordinary cords and have them hemmed so as to mimic these truncated trousers from Junya Watanabe.

And then I’ll also maybe consider these official cycler knickers from 708 – although they’re made from a poly/hemp blend which is touted to look and feel like denim, but makes me wonder if I’d just look and feel sweaty and stupid in them.

Are they worth a try?

More moments from my trip to the Rockies, captured on film via my Lomo LC-A and a disposable Kodak waterproof cam.

The water-iest point of a white water raft ride.

My horse that they told me I could call José or Bullwinkle. I opted for José. He was small but so am I, sorta, so we made a good pair.

About to board a steam engine train. Approximately three hours before a table of diners at an Italian restaurant mocked me and my bandanna.

Happily packaged peanut candies. The only souvenir of my entire trip.

Floating down a lazy (man-made) river.

On a recent run to my favorite thrifty-antique store I picked up this framed photo for my office at home.

I’m not sure if they’re actors playing roles, or if they were heads of some early 1960s insurance sales company. Either way, they’ll be watching over me and all my tasks at the Treasury from now on.

-Mr. Rees