Springtime

It was spring again. Tom Waits seemed to always be playing on the jukebox and the gals at Odd Twin giggled behind the counter as they tried on the new vintage cat-eye glasses and Easter bonnets. Elizabeth Butters contemplated her new spring wardrobe. Maybe the 1940's dupioni dress would be a good choice for her upcoming dinner events. "I need a cocktail" she thought.
Just then, Deaf Dave appeared at the window staring longingly at Helga the gorgeous Russian mannequin. "Helga", he whispered "Helga my love, I've come back!"
"Ummm..." Elizabeth spoke, "excuse me, creepy man talking to a statue, can I help you find anything today?"
Dave stepped into the store, gray wisps of his hair flying in the warm spring breeze.
"It's Helga" Dave wept. "I have to have her...I must! She will be mine!!"
"Ok," Elizabeth said, "just so you know we're having an end of winter sale, so everything is 20 percent off on the winter items"
"What about Helga?" Dave asked, "how much is Helga?"
Elizabeth fixed her lipstick in the mirror and said, "Helga's not for sale creepy man. She's not a winter item."
Deaf Dave beat the counter with his fists, and Elizabeth put him in the last dressing room and forced him to try on womens shoes (which were also 20 percent off).

The Morning After

Odd Twin has some questions for you:

1) What are you wearing?
2) What's your favorite movie?
3) What awesome stuff did you do on Valentine's Day?

Here are some of the answers to our own questions which, we'd really like to share with you:

Odd Twin is wearing vintage, as always....what specifically, you ask, you dirty bird? Well, we had to have the lingerie dry cleaned (don't ask) so today we're taking it easy. We're in a 1960's velvet and satin smoking jacket and 1950's plaid pajamas. We're also holding onto some old Playboys. In the ladies department we're rocking 80's high-waisted jeans  and a 1940's black corset which we can't get off because our hands are full of roses, chocolates and Whitney Houston CD's. Our favorite movie is The Goonies because we know about three things: friendship, adventure and creepy looking older men with Superman t-shirts who scream a lot. What did we do on Valentine's Day? We can't remember, but we woke up with fishnet stockings on our face and raw fish in our 1970's handbags, which could only mean one thing: It was awesome! We hope you had a day filled with love and we await your return with open arms and vintage board games...come on in soon so we can get our Brooklyn vintage on together. Kisses xoxoxo

Bustin' Out With Mariah

     It was a 65 degree winter in Park Slope and Irene, the newest store mannequin was livid. Mathew had dressed her in a white cashmere coat from the 1950's, blue stockings, a wool circle skirt and a silk 1940's blouse. The sun beat down on her and her wig frizzed. All of a sudden, in the distance, she saw it: A silhouette of fake boobs, a tight mini dress and big hair. "Could it be?" Irene gasped..."Is it really her?" All the mannequins looked up the block as a cool breeze began to blow and the door chimes chimed. All of a sudden, in the middle of Odd Twin stood the Goddess of Goddesses herself: Mariah Carey. Irene pulled her stockings up and froze into position.
     Georgi was working the counter that day and had been a Mariah Carey fan since infancy. In sixth grade she had memorized the words to "Emotions" and dreamed of having big hair.
      "hhh....hhhh....hello" Georgi said trying desperately to sound normal. "hhh...hhh...hhhhow can I help you today?"
      "Hey girl," Mariah said, "I remember you."
      "You do?" asked Georgi "but how?"
      "You used to sing to my poster girl...I'm Mariah Carey...I know everything, but what I don't know is where I can find a lace tablecloth that's vintage"
      "OMG Mariah! You've come to the right place! I have just the thing!!!" Georgi ran to the back of the store and pulled out three long lace tablecloths. Mariah quickly took all her clothes off and wrapped one around herself.
       "This is soooo perfect!" she screeched and pulled out a diamond necklace to place around Georgi's neck.
        After leaving Odd Twin, Irene let our a scream...Mariah had hit a high note and all the windows had broken. Come into Odd Twin, where we love Mariah.

Ring in the New Year Disco Style

        Santa had been to Odd Twin again. It was after New Years Day and he had been looking at the 70's sweater in the window. Mrs. Clause was throwing an after-Christmas disco party and had told Chris to get a move on. He thought of only one place. He got there at three a.m. and Helga the mannequin let him in. "Thanks Helga, how are the vintage pumps I gave you for the holiday?" Helga froze back into her position at the window and didn't answer. They were too tight, but she couldn't bear to tell Santa. She would wear them and like them. She secretly had a thing for men in red suits with beards. Her father - a plus sized mannequin who was crushed when a snow plow went through the front window of Macy's - was wearing a Santa outfit when he was killed. Santa Clause was like a God to her.
         Odd Twin has clothes from every era. Disco is a popular party theme and Francesca had already laid out merchandise for Santa to look at on the counter. He was the only one in the store because he wasn't to be seen by the masses and people started giving him early wishes for the next year when they saw him. He decided to go in the middle of the night for this reason. Also, he had been taking walks after he had eaten his share of Christmas cookies on the 24th.
         Finally, he saw a pair of white polyester pants and a colorful shirt with a pointy collar. He had a pair of platforms at home that he had borrowed from one of the elves and a big gold chain left for him one year from Versace under the chimney. He paid in candy canes and love. After trying the outfit on, he walked up to Helga again. "Hey Helgey, what do you think?" Helga wouldn't look, she couldn't. Every time Santa visited she was grief-stricken. But, as he walked away she caught a glimpse of him and a tear fell to her cheek. "Oh, Daddy would have looked rad in 70's duds." she thought to herself.
        Santa's big pot belly fell over his white trousers, but Mrs. Clause would be satisfied with his purchase. He had to lose forty pounds before the next Christmas and so a disco party was a great way for him to exercise. "Later Odd Twin," he called to the store as he hopped on his sleigh. Rudolph put ABBA on the i-pod and they flew away.
        The next morning when the store opened, Helga was holding a red hat with a white fur lining, and the store workers could have sworn they heard her singing the Beegees.

Can We Please Talk About Hats and White Horses

Dear Bianca Jagger,
       I love you and your off the hook hats. Why are you so crazy? Also, can you come to my house on New Years riding a white horse just the way you did in 1977? That was freakin' awesome. So here's why I'm writing you this letter. Odd Twin has hats, and lots of them. I feel like you're missing out. I mean, the one that you're wearing on your head in this picture is obviously ridiculously marvelous, but it also looks like Ozzy Osbourne freaked out and threw a wild dove at your face after biting off its head. So, I really think you should come by. We've got a new selection of 1960's turban hats, 1950's feather hats, real and faux fur hats (because I know you love your animals), and a 1940's wide-brim sun hat that's waiting for you. I mean, why are you not shopping vintage these days? Bianca Jagger get your gorgeous ass in here.
Love,
OT

Halloweeeeenin'!!!

      Once upon a freaky time in a freaky fairy land full of freaky-ass dolls there was a little elf who wanted terribly to celebrate Halloween. He was small and green, with pointy shoes and a big gold hoop through his nose. He wore black and white striped socks, tan shorts and a 1970's leather vest which he wore open to expose his small elfish chest. On his left bicep was a sketch of a bikini wearing pin-up elfin lady and below her was the name "Queenie" in red ink.
      At the elf bar he went to he talked to Radcliff, the goblin bartender about his dream.
     "Rad," he wept, "I want nothing more than to celebrate this big-kid holiday. It screams my name in the night! Just look at the pumpkins. I design grapes that look like that! And I could use the candy corn like a skateboard. Oh, I could do so many things."
     "I know little friend," Radcliff said and poured him another serving of green saphire gin, "but it's too dangerous. Big people are all around and they won't see you. They'll step on you and swish you around from side to side. Believe me. You don't even have wings."
      And at the word "wings", the little elf perked up his pointy ears.

     "That's it!" he burped, "Radcliff, you're a genius! I know just where to get a pair of wings! There's a store in the Slope called Odd Twin! I look throught the windows at night, and sometimes I sneak under the door and try things on. They have the most wonderful things! Look at these shorts! They had a 1930's suede leather wallet that I took with me and made into shorts. I left them money on the counter before I snuck back out into the night. They will definitely have wings for me! Then I can fly around and listen to rock music on my i-pod and watch the children and their parents trick or treat from the tree-tops!"
      The little elf opened his pouch and tipped Radcliff, then marched out the swinging doors and headed into the night.
      When the store-keeper opened the door on Halloween day, she found a hundred dollar bill and a note that said "Keep the change sweetie...love, Johnny." The store-keepers husband just happened to have the same name and she thought it was a gift he had left her for their anniversary. She gushed and giggled and didn't even notice the small green pointed boot the small elf had left behind on the counter.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! LOVE, ODD TWIN AND THE LITTLE GREEN ELF!

The Odd Twins

 

Odd Twin celebrates Diane Arbus today and everything related to art, creativity and especially vintage.  Arbus was known for her photographs of "freaks", but oddly enough one of her most famous portraits was of these two twins you see here. They are Cathleen and Colleen Wade of New Jersey. This photo has inspired many artists including Stanley Kubrick who mirrored "The Shining" after the photo. Arbus photographed the girls at a Christmas party in 1967 for twins and triplets. The twins father said that at the time he thought it was the worst depiction of the twins he had ever seen, but, that was because it wasn't your average Christmas photo. Diane Arbus was constantly asking questions about people in what we call "normal" society and people on the outskirts of society. She is famous for saying "A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you, the less you know." Make sure to celebrate your differences and have an Odd Twin kind of day today.