Brat(wurst) Summer

40 vintage and secondhand finds perfect for your wet hot american summer

Jul 12, 2024

*Sigourney Weaver, Tail O the Pup Taking West Hollywood By Storm, Los Angeles Magazine, Douglas Kirkland, 1979*

The time comes every year.

Between the last waning bloom of springtime tulips and the first passing whiff of a sunscreen-covered neck, the internet rolls out its annual marketing frenzy selling the ~*Italian summer*~

Campaigns, even from the most consequential of American heritage brands, advertising everything from shoes to towels, filled with “un certo non so che” women laughing behind wide brimmed sun hats, sipping on Aperol spritzes and tanning on crowded beaches in a small, coastal Italian town, wooing us common folk to consider rummaging for every loose penny in the crusty bottom of our handbags or finally caving for that cash-back-rewards credit card all for the promise of a picturesque, romantic, undeniably s e x y European summer sojourn.

But! While international vacation escapism, especially stateside in this particular flaming-hot-garbage-can of an election year, sounds like a more than appropriate fantasy, there’s just something about the nostalgia of the Suburban-All-American-Summer that I find great pleasure in.

Summer at its best — the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I lived three blocks from here for almost four years and did not eat nearly enough corn dogs.

Ah, summer.

A synchronized sensory symphony of sentimental sights, sounds, and smells!

The distant hum of a lawn mower, the shimmery mirage of heat radiating on the sun-soaked pavement, the vibration of a fatigued oscillating fan, the sizzling charcoal grill, the sound of a baseball game crackling through the waves of the AM radio, the echo of distant conversations, the aroma of sunscreen mingling with chlorinated water, the neon light glow of the carnival, the clinking of an arcade game, the blaring opening cords to Grease blasting through the TV — there!! is!! nothing!! better!!

(we’re ignoring the presence of bugs, weather related buzz kills, etc)

Mad Men: Don Draper's Casual Picnic Clothes » BAMF Style — Yes, everything relates back to Mad Men and if this picnic scene isn’t seared into your memory, did you even really watch it?

The customs of the American summer we spent every school year anticipating is yet another side effect of post-war suburban sprawl that has survived the last 80 some-odd years. City dwellers trading their doormen for white picket country fences, living happily ever after like Don and Betty for approximately one half of one episode of Mad Men.

And for as much as ancient, curmudgeonly, white politicians weaponize the traditions of suburban summer life to further their bullshit agendas on marginalized communities, it is, per usual, deeply ironic, as most of our favorite past times (and the literal foundation of our nation) are rooted in other cultures.

Backyard barbecuing—a ritual considered as American as apple pie (also not that American), is steeped in the traditions and rich histories of both the Indigenous and Black communities. The humble hot dog! The ubiquitous ballgame staple! — owes its fame to German immigrants who brought their sausage-making know-how to the New World.

Stateside summers are a melting pot of deep fried flavors, campy traditions, and a State Fair ferris wheel of fun times. But as we all perform our best Sheryl Crow and soak up the sun, let us do so while remembering that we’ve still got to fight! for our (collective) right! to party (have basic human rights!)

On that short but sweet but serious note, here’s a round up of some vintage and secondhand goodies I feel scream Americana summer, from east coast boat life to west coast surf life.

Let’s! get! into! it!

shell necklace | beach cover up/tunic (size m, $32 - the buttons are so cute) | orange floppy sun hat ($59.99) | psychedelic bikini set (size s, $120 - very Pucci-esque) | watermelon picnic basket ($12!!) | high rise polka dot shorts (16” waist, flat, $42) | carousel necklace ($28.50 - so special and unique!) | fish salt and pepper shakers ($11.20!)

Pair of Vintage Oscar Meyer Cardboard Advertising Cut Outs Smokie Links / All Meat Weiners image 1 — These get their own spotlight because it is brat(wurst) summer, after all~ Vintage Oscar Meyer die-cut wieners. Personally think these would be fabulous framed like fine art and hung over a guest bath toilet, but no matter what, there is something fabulous dying to be made from these

straw hat with neck tie (20.75” circumference, $40)
mother of pearl seahorse brooch ($18.50) - Bode would sell this for $200.
nautical anchor crop top (medium/large, $45) - this could be very Gaultier with a striped mini skirt and this hat
1940s sailor brooch ($39)
fish skeleton earrings ($24.50, currently in 6 carts!)
budweiser bucket hat (medium/large, $17.99) - so much vintage budweiser merch on ebay that is cool cool cool
baseball charm bracelet ($12)
see by chloe buckle sandals (fem 11, $129.50)
woven basket purse ($59.97)
seashell napkin rings (set of 8, $20)
vintage coleman metal cooler ($129.99) - so many killer old metal coolers floating around from literally all over the world, the chicest outdoor bar set up for a backyard bbq, imo
seashell salt and pepper shakers ($20)
tiny seashell choker necklace (18”, $9 on sale!)
vintage denim popover shirt (medium, $100)

ny yankees food pop art jacket (small, $275) - literal work of art
mesh tunic shirt (one size, $31.74) - layer this baby à la The Row - denim, mesh, worn in light sweater
corduroy coca cola hat ($14.99) - it’s got a big stain on the logo, but for the price, she’s got character (so much good coca cola merch on eBay! go forth and dig!)
heinz pickle brooch ($25)
gold peanut necklace (18” inch chain, $24.99)
ketchup and mustard salt and pepper shakers ($18)
vintage life guard shirt (vintage medium, $42.17, sitting in many carts!)
comme des garcons play converse (fem 5, $135)
banana split ice cream die cut ($7)
carnival brooch ($30)
hot dog salt and pepper shaker ($24.95)
green crewneck sweatshirt (vintage mens small, $79.99) - everyone needs a well loved, worn-in crewneck for a summer midnight when the breeze is *just* right
michael michael kors platform wedge (fem 7, $56) - kind of beat the fuck up but they’re so 70s fun for summer night out
sea horse fruit basket ($50) - like, the brag when you have a sea horse fruit basket and your friends don’t!!!
plaid stadium blanket ($42)
whale zip bag ($42.50) - the mouth is a zipper!! i repeat, the mouth is a zipper!!