A Little Artsy Fartsy

over 70 (!!!) vintage and secondhand springtime finds inspired by a day at the museum

Apr 11, 2025

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I’m home at long last after two weeks of non-stop travel, decidedly undecided on if I feel reenergized stepping back into this chaotic, topsy-turvy online space that continues to push and pull on my vulnerable, tender ego.

The time away has brought to light the stark difference between merely “touching grass” versus actively living in the big big scary real world, radically disconnected from the spindly tendrils of the world wide web. Being present is brave. I have to remind myself this when I return home, disappointed that my camera roll is not robust or giving Rick Steves like I had hoped.

Traveling is a privileged, gentle nudge that reminds my often perpetually pessimistic heart of the delicate nature of humankind. Observing the societal rituals of daily life in frequented but unfamiliar spaces, intensely oscillating between a wide spectrum of emotions that come from actively participating in society.

The Bad: a person on one of my many flights determined to exit the plane before everyone else by aggressively steamrolling everyone’s ankles with their carry-on.

The Good: orchestrating a bar-wide toast for a newly married, fresh-from-the-courthouse lesbian couple that had been together for 20 years — how much easier it is to love than hate…

These last few weeks reinforced that many of us are fumbling around to find meaning and chase whatever joy we can on this big ol’ rock hurdling through space…

My recent adventures took me to three very wildly different cities across the U.S. — Los Angeles (for work), Chicago (for The Deftones), and New York (for play.) During my long weekend in Chicago, I had the opportunity to spend a day at the Art Institute, a stark contrast to a previous lifetime when long weekends in Chicago meant music-festival-drinking and cheap-cigarette-chain-smoking…

Our trip was spontaneous and very unplanned for tackling the three story, one million square foot building, so we decided to aimlessly wander, popping into rooms as our whims and the crowds allowed. While I’m sure many would not approve of the Absolute Chaos Approach to museum roaming, it worked delightfully well for us and I would, and will continue to, highly recommend. Less pressure to read every little thing and see every nook and cranny and a better chance of unexpected discovery!!

There’s something about a museum visit that inspires in unexpected ways — whether through the art itself, learning about history, or gaining a new perspective on the complexity and vulnerability of human life. Not to mention the people watching, which comes second only to Disneyland, or maybe Vegas.

I decided to channel a little bit of said inspiration into something slightly more tangible today — a round-up of vintage and secondhand finds to spice up your spring wardrobe.

Color! Pattern! Texture! Weird Shapes! Funky Silhouettes! Statement pieces!

a peek into my camera roll after my afternoon at the museum — inspiration can come from color palettes, textures, composition! find what speaks to you and use your imagination on how to execute it in real life, whether in your closet or your home or an afternoon cracking open that dusty sketchbook sitting on your desk! also, shout out to the cutie little devil demon absolutely serving in this renaissance painting.

Springtime always triggers the urge to start fresh! purge! clean up! buy something new! I thought it would be a nice experiment to explore this concept through a lens of inspiration that isn’t an exact regurgitation of your Pinterest feed. The internet is a vacuum and seeing real people in their real clothes was a profoundly refreshing break from the algorithmic chaos of must-have trends and It-Girls and think pieces!! Some of these finds are “old” trends and that’s okay!! They’re still cool to me!!

Most of these are from The RealReal, simply because it was the one app my Delta wifi seemed to load without issue and because I think if you’re going to invest in a pricier piece with pizazz, it can be a good starting point.

Obviously, the art featured here is far more meaningful and moving than the clothing shown alongside it. I’ve linked each artwork back to the museum’s website and would encourage exploring as their catalog is vast and easy to get lost in, in the best possible way.

Who knows what you might discover…

PS — if you don’t already own A Dictionary of Color Combinations, I would suggest considering the purchase! Many of these finds are colorful in a way I think intimidates most, but having this book as reference is an excellent jumping off point for making wardrobe combinations you can feel confident about.

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