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Although we’ve had a merciful respite from the heat, the sweltering summer will soon be upon us. That got our resident vintage fashion expert thinking about how we used to keep our cool before the miracle of air conditioning. By Claudine Villardito

The author and her sister keeping cool during their childhood in Chicago. Photo courtesy of Claudine Villardito.

Watching as event coordinators converted a quarter-mile section of downtown Phoenix into a 1000-foot Slip ‘n’ Slide, I couldn’t help but recall my own attempts to stay cool during the hot and humid summers of my Chicago childhood.  Most afternoons were spent under a homemade water feature consisting of a kiddie pool and oscillating sprinkler while my sister jammed to the band Foghat and soaked her feet in ice water.  But when the temperature and humidity crept toward 90, we knew we could always retreat indoors where the air conditioning and lemonade were cold enough to turn our lips blue.

So how did folks endure the summer prior to the advent of air conditioning, which didn’t appear in residential construction until after World War II?  Although the wealthy could afford to travel to cooler climes (more on that in my last article), before the middle of last century most people’s comfort depended on the clever use of water, physics and fabric.

Though frozen water is an obvious antidote to heat, until the invention of electric refrigeration at the turn of the 20th century, ice required harvesting, carving and long-distance transport, all of which were costly to the average consumer.

An ice wagon helped distribute ice before electric refrigeration. Photo by Russell Lee via Wikimedia Commons.

Instead, liquid water was used in ingenious ways to cool homes, bedding and perishable food.  As those in hot, dry climes and Tucsonans with evaporative coolers know, a breeze blown through a wet medium delivers moist, cool air to the receiving side. Hanging wet sheets in doorways and draping moistened cloths over partially submerged bowls of food were two reliable ways to keep perishables – and the people who ate them – moderately cool.

Basic knowledge of the laws of physics helped too.  Turns out, the turrets of medieval castles and gables of southern plantations did more than just look impressive: they were exhaust mechanisms that trapped heat as it rose and then vented it from their rooflines. Conversely, subterranean outposts like basements and cellars kept contents cool and made such excellent repositories for fuel, food and wine that they are returning to favor among urban and rural farmers eager to escape the industrial food cycle.

Gables and turrets did more than look impressive. They were exhaust mechanisms. Photo by Caitee Smith Photography

Although it seems counter-intuitive, covering up with clothing has been one of humankind’s greatest defenses against sweltering heat.  As any Arizona rancher will tell you, the higher the sun, the longer the sleeve.

While it follows that covering the skin protects it from damage, covering it with certain fabrics also cools it.  Cotton, which breathes, allows perspiration to evaporate and has been used in warm-weather clothing for centuries (think togas and traditional kaftans). But another – wool – is less obvious and was used extensively during the Victorian era for “gauze weave” underwear, as it reportedly absorbed and then repelled perspiration. (Eww.)

The wide brimmed hat and parasol were ubiquitous Victorian accessories that also provided relief in the form of shade, but when combined with long gloves, a tight-laced corset and a minimum of six petticoats, they were likely of little help and explain why the “weaker sex” made frequent use of the fainting couch.

Interestingly, it wasn’t until home air conditioners became more ubiquitous in the 1950s that baring the skin by wearing 2-piece bathing suits and midriff-exposing tops during the heat of the summer became fashionable.

An early ’60s bandeau bikini top from Black Cat Vintage.

So as we celebrate (or bemoan) the unofficial start of summer, let us be thankful for automatic ice-makers, air conditioning and window tinting.  And may we know that if our compressors fail in mid-July, we will always have Foghat, the kiddie pool and cotton underwear.

* Just in case you thought the slipping and sliding were only happening in downtown Phoenix,  Slide the City is coming to Tucson in September.

* Claudine Villardito’s boutique Black Cat Vintage is online at blackcatvintage.com

* Click here for more vintage articles and to sign up for our free vintage newsletter.

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Some people see a dresser as storage. Francine Smith of Hot Cool Vintage sees it as valuable horizontal real estate. Find out her style tips and, below, get a special 3 Story discount in Francine’s store. Photos courtesy of Francine Smith/Hot Cool Vintage.

Some people see a dresser and see storage.  When I see a dresser, I see valuable horizontal real estate. When I start to style a space, whether it’s a shelf, dresser or table, I use the same “formula”. Height + Color + Texture = Winning!!  Well, hopefully.  It might take a few tries but eventually it comes together in the end.  I usually start with color, grouping like ones together, then add in texture and height.  Plants and flowers are the cherries on top. Add them in at the end to complete the story.  Below are three different vignettes.  Let us know if you have a favorite.

Nod to the 70’s

Interior design has been majorly influenced by the 50’s and 60’s in the last few years so you know the 70’s are up next.  Though I can’t say brown is my favorite color, I am grooving (yeah, I just did that) on this palate.  I also love that this vignette is a mix of cultures – Israeli art, West German pottery, Scandinavian brass.

Color: Browns and oranges

Height: The art is a great focal point but the vignette needs the pottery and the lamp to keep things interesting.

Texture: The pottery just oozes awesome textures.

Desert Modern

This was fun to pull together as it’s not generally a combination of items I would reach for first. I was looking for earthy, deserty, and modern.

Color: Earth tones, browns.

Height: The lamp and the bears are the key heights in this vignette.

Texture: … is everywhere!  The lamp, art, concrete cactus (from ShopBoxhill.com), saguaro boot, even the smooth finish on the bears, add dimension.

Modern Traditional

This vignette does not scream VINTAGE but it most certainly is.   All the pieces have some history, some more than others, but it reads as very modern and clean.

Color: White

Height: The lamp and the vase are anchors but the house is what makes it interesting.

Texture: Lamp, vase and cloth.

Any favorites?  Which one would you want in your home?  Any guess as to which vignette is still on my dresser?  Please leave a comment below.

* Some items are not listed as of this posting but are for sale.  You can check Francine’s Etsy shop or contact her directly at [email protected] with inquiries.  

* 3 Story readers can use the coupon code 3Story10 for 10% off any item in stock at Hot Cool Vintage.

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Our resident vintage fashion expert is not so resident any more. A recent move from Tucson to Phoenix had her ruminating on how people used to travel. By Claudine Villardito

Louis Vuitton cleverly circumvented travel restrictions with its rectangular trunk. Photo courtesy of Daniels Antiques

My recent adventure in moving my 3000-piece collection of vintage clothing from Tucson to Phoenix left me mystified as to how people traveled – whether for necessity or pleasure – in the days before the airplane and U-Haul truck. Though it hasn’t kept me from complaining about the cost of wardrobe boxes and professional movers, research into the bygone methods of travel and transport leave me ashamed of my lack of resolve.

Covered wagons measured just eleven by four feet. Photo courtesy of National Archives

Take, for example, the Great Migration to the western United States in the mid-19th Century. Before the introduction of the railroads in 1869, pioneers crossed half the country on foot beside their oxen, armed with only as many possessions as could fit in an eleven-by-four-foot covered wagon. Though their typical load was 700 pounds, five times lighter than the inventory I just moved (drat you, brocade!), voyages routinely lasted six months and claimed the lives of four percent of those who attempted the journey.

Nineteenth century European immigrants endured shorter trips but similar peril. Because the cost to transport an average-size family in steerage class cost over one-third of a European laborer’s annual income, few immigrants could afford more than the most basic accommodations. That left little room for their possessions, which would likely have been destroyed during the rocky voyage anyway. Nevertheless, those who survived felt fortunate since ten per cent of immigrants died at sea from cholera, typhus or dysentery.

Upstairs in first class, however, pleasure-seeking travelers experienced a far different reality. The colossal wealth generated by the steam and electricity industries left an entire strata of Americans, Britons and Europeans with a taste for luxury and the time to pursue it, both of which were satisfied by ocean liner travel. Unlike their third-class counterparts, first-class passengers had no financial restrictions and traveled with as much baggage as they saw fit, which sometimes included furniture. Their only constraint was that the curved lids of their steamer trunks could not exceed fourteen inches, a restriction cleverly circumvented when Louis Vuitton introduced the rectangular – and therefore stackable – slat trunk in 1855.

The dining room of the Hindenburg Airship. Photo courtesy of Airships.net Collection

The epitome of travel in the early 20th Century, however, was an airship or zeppelin voyage, which was the preferred transport for a woman whose clothing estate I very happily purchased in 2013. While first-class passengers aboard an ocean liner might cohabitate with as many as 1000 third-class occupants, airships kept their numbers to a mere 70 passengers and the ratio of staff to guests at nearly one to one. Furthermore, though a trans-Atlantic airship voyage took fewer than three days to make, passengers were permitted only 66 pounds of personal baggage in their cabins and an additional 220 pounds in holding. That’s half what early American settlers brought in their covered wagons.

The smoking room aboard the Hindenburg Airship. Photo courtesy of Airships.net Collection

A passenger cabin aboard the Hindenburg Airship. Photo courtesy of Airships.net Collection

While the luxurious appointments aboard ocean liners included balconied dining rooms modeled after French chateaux and exemplified Edwardian opulence, amenities on airships were comparatively sparse in keeping with the Bauhaus style popular in Germany at the time. Miles of chrome and glass accompanied white walls and austere chairs throughout the craft, which included a formal dining room, passenger lounge, writing room, smoking room (?!) and a bar where the kirschwasser cocktail was allegedly invented after the bartender ran out of gin.

The passenger lounge on the Hindenburg Airship. Photo courtesy of Airships.net Collection

Despite the comfort in which they traveled, however, wealthy vacationers still assumed risk, as we saw with the Titanic and Hindenburg disasters. The moral of the story appears to be that human migration has never been without sacrifice, and that I should suck it up and be grateful I’m not walking to Phoenix beside my U-Haul. But I still reserve the right to wish I had a vintage Louis Vuitton trunk to put it all in.

(Editor’s Note: While we at 3 Story are in mourning over the departure of Claudine and Black Cat Vintage from Tucson, we’re happy to report that she will continue to write for the magazine.)

• Claudine Villardito’s boutique Black Cat Vintage is online at blackcatvintage.com

* Click here for more vintage articles and to sign up for our free vintage newsletter.

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They don’t just carry things, they highlight, contain and elevate items. Francine Smith of Hot Cool Vintage on the versatility of trays. Photos courtesy of Francine Smith.

Let’s talk about trays.  Me? I love them. Big or little, metal or plastic. I can always find a spot that instantly looks better once I find the right tray. Trays highlight, contain and, most importantly, elevate your items.  Have a collection?  Need to organize?  Want to make something look just a little bit better?  Grab a tray.

Sushi or not

These vintage sushi trays are just so incredibly versatile.  They can be used in any room… office, bedroom, bathroom, or a kid’s room.  They can be grouped together or used individually. Use a couple and keep the rest on reserve.  These are in a bright lemon which adds a nice pop of color.  I have a set of these in my bathroom and seriously considered hoarding this set too.  They can be used as snack trays (perfect for kids) but also look great on a nightstand, a desk or on a counter.

Classic

This is a classic mid century Danish modern teak tray by Dansk.  I have used this tray on my dining room table, on my coffee table and even in my bedroom to hold jewelry.  Very handy.   I grouped my teak pepper mill collection but I’ve also used it to serve hors d’oeuvres and as a table centerpiece with some flowers.  I’ve had as many as three of these in use at the same time.

Recycle

In a previous life this was an ashtray.  Technically it still is but it hasn’t seen a cigarette in years.  Accented with 22 carat gold, this tray is just too pretty and cool to sit idly by.  Air plants are a great way of turning this overlooked and seldom used ashtray into something that’s functional and a distinctive piece of vintage home decor.

Keep in mind…

•  Large serving trays are great for liquor bottles, making a coffee station, TV remotes, or to hold a personal collection.
• Smaller trays can be useful next to a bed, in the bathroom, in the office or on a counter.
• Keep some extra trays on hand.  Great for serving or if a guest stays the night.  Also, they’re fun to have on hand if you like to change up your decor often.

* You can see more vintage trays in Francine’s Etsy shop.

* Click here for more vintage stories and to sign up to our Vintage Friday newsletter.

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The Big Heap comes to Tucson for the first time this week. The big what? Gillian Drummond reports.

A collection of some of the items that will be on sale next week at The Big Heap in Tucson. Photo collage courtesy of The Big Heap/Lori Cowherd.

The organizers describe it as “a meandering village of uniqueness.” One of its visitors called it a “vintage Woodstock”.

The Big Heap is the baby of friends Mickey Meulenbeek , a gallery owner and interior designer, and Lori Cowherd, an artist and graphic designer. After meeting in their home town of Cave Creek, AZ, the two began the monthly Thieves Market flea market. Thieves Market has been named one of the best flea markets in the country by The Huffington Post. Then they started The Big Heap, a three-day curated event that brings together artists, pickers and dealers.

The Big Heap events in Scottsdale and Flagstaff attract vendors and ‘pickers’ from many different states.  This week it makes its debut at Old Tucson Studios on April 11 and 12.

Vintage has featured more and more heavily in their event, say Lori and Mickey, largely because they both like the mid-century aesthetic. (Micki is a former friend of Tucson-based mid century furniture designer Max Gottschalk).

Here are our picks of what to love at The Big Heap:

Aaron Voigt. This metal artist from Mesa, Arizona learned his welding skills from his father. He constructs his retro-style tin pieces – mostly robots – from machines, aircraft, cars and household fixtures, finding them at junk yards and swap meets. “The robots have the characteristics of an old tin toy,” he says, explaining their popularity with the public. His pieces sell from $25 up to $6000. Aaron’s work is currently on display at Terminal 4’s Mosaic Gallery at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. You can also find him at Popcycle in Tucson.

Redhead Sadie Vintage. Jenny Kuller describes her Phoenix boutique as “like shopping at your favorite grandma’s house”. She loves anything that reminds her of her grandmothers and aunties, from the early ‘60s and further back. She carries vintage clothing, accessories and jewelry.

A concrete planter with recycled bottles from Bottle Rocket.

Bottle Rocket Design. This Tucson company makes glassware, lighting and, now, concrete planters from re-purposed bottles. The planters are made from concrete with 75% recycled glass and molded using reclaimed plastic and Styrofoam molds. Read more about them here.

A piece from the Tucson Junk Girls. Photo courtesy of Tucson Junk Girls.

The Tucson Junk Girls. “They” are Sheri Gribbs of Reloved Junk, Kassandra Labonte of Painted Lovely and Julie Peterson of Junkaddicts. Three years ago they started fixing up and selling pieces they had been collecting for years. At The Big Heap, look out for some unique side tables and reupholstered chairs. They have a booth at 22^nd Street Antique Mall and in April two of them plus a couple of other fixer-uppers open No4 and Company, a store in Green Valley.

* For more information and vendors, visit thebigheap.com

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When it came to designing this stage set for the Tucson Festival of Books, only a mid-century look and punctuation marks of colors would do. By Gillian Drummond. Photography by Lisa Harris.

How the stage will look when Noam Chomsky visits for the Tucson Festival of Books. Photo by Lisa Harris

Color, drama, mid-century style and punctuation marks come together in this set by Copenhagen Imports, designed for next week’s Tucson Festival of Books.

Which is fitting, since the set is for A Conversation with Noam Chomsky, a man whose career encompasses all of these things.

Professor Chomsky joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a Professor of Linguistics in 1955 when, still in his 20s, he was blowing the academic world away with his theories on universal grammar. He is still at MIT and still blowing people away, although in recent years it’s been more for his forthright political views, particularly on U.S. foreign policy.

The appearance on March 15 of Professor Chomsky – widely regarded as the father of modern linguistics – is expected to draw a crowd of thousands. Which is why Copenhagen Imports’ in-house designer Maurice Brantley made sure to pick something that would stand out on the stage of Centennial Hall, Tucson. He went for colors and pieces that pop like punctuation marks. “It will be a conversation rife with unexpected color and controversy. And better make it comfy and memorable too,” says Maurice.

The photo shows:

1. Dotz screen, $999 by Elite Manufacturing
2. Extra-supple City Easy Chairs in bonded leather, $399 by Kuka
3. Indian-made cowhide ‘Christine’ rug with leather backing, $1176 by Linie Design, a pro-fair trade company based in Copenhagen
4. High-gloss fiberglass Galan Side Table available in black, orange, red or white, $219 by Euro Style

* See Professor Chomsky interviewed by The Nation’s John Nichols at Centennial Hall on the campus of the University of Arizona, 1020 E. University Boulevard, Sunday March 15, 4pm to 5pm. The event is being organized by the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Tucson Festival of Books and The Nation magazine. Tickets are free and are available on the day from noon at the box office. More info here.

* Click here for more vintage articles and to sign up for our free vintage newsletter.