What's hot?

Chicago is. Literally. My shirt is sticking to the small of my back. My cat is sprawled on the floor, looking a lot like a Salvador Dali melting clock. My hair is damp on the back of my neck. I have three air conditioners, four fans and an air filter running and the house still feels relentlessly humid and stagnant. Is it any wonder I'm yearning for fall---and fall fashion---if only because I'm desperate for an end to the stickiness?

I don't even want to think about how much money I've spent avoiding cooking because it's 90 degrees in my kitchen.

Welcome to my world.

(To the tune of "Sympathy for the Devil") Please allow me to introduce myself: I'm a...woman with a huge beer mug in my hand. Well, not at the moment. Just in the picture.* Anyway, I'm Christina and I'm the brains of the outfit (geddit? OUTFIT?) known as Numero Treize Vintage and Boutique. I've been buying, selling, trading, consigning, and collecting exceptional attire from 1930 to present since 1997, with the occasional "collecting only" hiatus. I've been fascinated by fashion since...hmmm...1982 or so, as anyone who's known me that long can easily confirm. I'm also a language nerd and the opposite of a triskaidekaphobe. My appreciation for vintage fashion is multi-faceted: I find the historical aspect infinitely intriguing, I can tell you flat-out that the quality of the merchandise is vastly superior to all but the most expensive clothing produced today, and above all I love being able to combine vintage and modern elements in both my wardrobe and my overall aesthetic to produce something personal, individual and unique. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have great style. Stay tuned and I'll prove it.

*Photo: DSC02095 by josephfinn