What is flower power?  Is it the smile you receive when you deliver flowers to that someone special?  Is it the excitement you feel when you start to see the bluebonnets bloom on the highway?  Is it the fashion trend happening in 2021 with layering and bold floral prints? 

Resale, Consignment and Thrifting create a Bazaar of treasures and vignettes of fashion and decor that have a history, fun to explore. See what The Guild Shop has in store for you to create your special space and find those statement pieces.

Each week, this blog will display different vignettes, mood boards and interviews to give you inspiration and curiosity to know more and what we have at The Guild Shop. Some of these pieces in the photos are from my own collection, bought at the Guild Shop, and some are still available at the shop this week—but maybe not next—so pop in and see us!

Peace, Love & History

If you asked a millennial today what Flower Power is, I bet they would refer to it as a boho lifestyle promoting free spirit and free fashion.  They might not know the depth of our modern history it has influenced.   The ‘60s and early ‘70s are an important era to study as we all know members of our community who served, and we thank them for their service!  And remember those that they knew who didn’t come back.

It was much more than peace and love.  The Flower Power movement was controversial as people were opposing U.S. participation in the Vietnam conflict. It was coined by Allen Ginsberg and referred to a group of people who opposed the war and became “flower children” and later became the “hippie” movement.  The epicenter of this movement was Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco.  Musical legends like the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin were integral to this era. 

Summer Love: Art, Fashion and Rock & Role

Several summers ago, I was in San Francisco and visited the deYoung Museum to see an exhibit entitled “The Summer of Love Experience: Art, Fashion and Rock & Roll.”  The lobby was covered in funky flowers, the walls had psychedelic art and enameled flower pins were sold in the gift shop. 

Enameled flower pins were made in an inexpensive way so that they could be bought and worn by many.  I love my own collection of these pins as they are usually bright and sweet, easy to wear and look stunning grouped together.  I love all things flowers and often when I come to the Guild Shop, I gravitate to flowers and start to wonder what I can do with different pieces and how to recycle them into something new.  I’ve actually started taking a jewelry class to learn how to take apart, fuse and recreate. Flowers are the treasures I seek when hunting for the perfect pieces. 

When this particular pitcher came to the Guild Shop, I gravitated to it like a bee to pollen.  It was bright, festive and fun.  With a bouquet of flowers, holding necklaces as a centerpiece on my bathroom counter or pairing it with brightly colored glasses for a happy hour sangria, it made sense to have.

Futuristic Fashions created in the 60s and no back en-trend

And now let’s talk ‘60s clothing fashion.  Another great exhibit I went to see was at the Brooklyn Museum of Art: “Pierre Cardin: Future Fashion.”  I had no idea how influential Mr. Cardin was in the fashion world because by the mid-‘70s, he had licensed his name out to so many items that it became common.  But his innovation in fashion looks, fabrics and futuristic ideas rocketed the ‘60s look!  His space-age dresses were the inspiration for Star Trek and now have come back into style, with microfibers and neoprene used in all fashion.  Just WOW!  When you see his label on a shirt or wallet or suitcase, try to study him as an innovator and entrepreneur extraordinaire!  And there are lots of pieces by him in shops like the Guild Shop.  

May you find your treasure, 

Karina