Tag: vintage

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Vintage bridesmaid dress styles for retro weddings

Pinup Couture Ava Dress
Pinup Couture’s Ava dress is available in eight sizes and ten colors.

So you’re having a vintage-style wedding and you want some pretty mid century styles for your bridesmaids. If you want everyone to wear the exact same dress, it’s tricky to find a style that will fit everyone and comes in a color you like. If your choice is basic black, or red, you’ll be able to find something easily in one of the better-known pinup and retro lines. But if your wedding colors are a little more esoteric, you may have trouble.

I’ve found two popular styles that come in an array of colors that are perfect for bridesmaids: Pinup Couture’s Ava dress and the famous 1950s halter circle skirt dress by Vivien of Holloway. Both come in dressy satins, and the Vivien of Holloway halter dress comes in cottons and prints for a more casual day wedding.

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Fashion Icons: Vertigo, Edith Head, Alfred Hitchcock, and Kim Novak

Vertigo Costume Sketch
Madeleine’s icy white coat, worn by Kim Novak in Vertigo. Scan from an Ebay poster auction.

Anyone who knows me knows I love me some Vertigo. It’s my favorite Hitchcock film. The mystery involved makes it an obvious choice for Halloween, but there’s more to in than that. There’s the local aspect (I’m from Northern California), the Edith Head costumes (which aren’t exclusive to this Hitchcock piece, though they are particularly wonderful in it), and Kim Novak, whom I admire greatly.

She’s not just beautiful, she’s a tremendously sensitive actress. Novak’s very raw, vulnerable portrayal of Judy resonated with me. I could relate. Plus, she looked darn hot as both a rough-edged shop girl and a sanitized stand-in for the very patrician Madeleine Elster.

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A vintage and repro autumn!

Since the weather’s finally turned, it’s time to share some autumnable vintage and vintage-inspired dresses and separates!

Collectif Simone Doll
Collectif Simone Doll Dress in grey houndstooth.

First up is Collectif’s Simone Doll dress in grey houndstooth, a late 1940s/early 1950s-style day dress with a princess-style skirt. First introduced last fall, it’s available in four fall-appropriate colors.

Since Collectif’s measurements are all over the map and their website provides virtually no guidance in this regard, it’s best to ask around to see how a particular style or fabricway fits! On the advice of friends, I chose the UK size 16 and wasn’t disappointed. At 42-32-48″, I had no major fit issues. There is a bit of extra room in the shoulders and the drape of the fabric makes it a good idea to wear Spanx underneath to avoid lines, but nothing to make me run screaming.

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ESO: End of Summer Outfits

Jenny Dress
My Aunt Cynthia, my mom, and me at my cousin’s graduation party. I’m wearing my Pinup Couture Jenny Dress in Harlequin print. Photo by Shelly Donald.

Northern California will probably be warm until Halloween, but Autumn officially starts in just ten days! In honor of the climactic end of Summer, some outfits I’ve worn along the way…

First, a beautiful vintage dress from the 1950s that I bought from a friend. The striking color, mid-century halter-twist neckline, atomic-era buttons down the back, and metal sequin details made me fall in love with this one.

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I <3 WTC

WTC Model
Early 1964: Architect Minoru Yamasaki and Gov. Nelson D. Rockefeller pose with the first “finished” configuration model of the World Trade Center.

This humble post is dedicated to Minoru Yamasaki, modern architectural master, and Guy Tozzoli, the man who directly managed the original World Trade Center project and deeply loved his Twins.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was a source of political contention and financial worry. In the late 1970s, it was a symbol of metropolitan glamor (it was the Emerald City in The Wiz, after all!). In the 1980s and 1990s, it stood for commercial success and tourist fascination. In the early 21st century, it became Ground Zero. And now, for most people, the World Trade Center is back to being the World Trade Center once again, proof that determination can – just as in the 60s and 70s – overcome political strife. Things may never be right in Lower Manhattan again, but things can be good.

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Vintage Home: 1960s shadowboxes, 1950s atomic lamps, and side tables…oh my!

Lamps
Lamps!

So I’ve been in my house for over a year, and I’m only just now getting to the end of my long list of intended improvements and additions. Most of the work has been in the back yard, but I’ve also collected some home decor items I’ve been craving!

First, my preciouses; new vintage furniture!

My new (old) mirrored shadow box is stamped 4-30-62, a year before builders completed my home! I’ve filled it with my great-aunt Alice’s knickknacks, as she’s the first person I knew who had a mid century shadow box in her home.

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More pinup by Angela Morales!

Kali by Angela
Kali by Angela.

Being back at work is a drag, but photo shoots aren’t. Earlier this year, I shot some fresh pinup pics in Los Angeles with photographer Angela Morales – one of my favorites! – and makeup and hair guru Angel Jagger.

This set’s got a sixties vibe going, with the jet-setting, uber-modern hotel surroundings and all. And even though I’m fully covered from armpit-to-thigh with a longline bra and high-waisted girdle, this is technically a lingerie shoot. Hah.

Anyway, it was fun and I think the pictures turned out great!

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Outfit of the Week: Trashy Diva Jaclyn

Trashy Diva Jaclyn
Trashy Diva Jaclyn Dress.

My friend Monica gave me a Trashy Diva gift certificate for my birthday, so I used it to get the fabulous Jaclyn Dress in the Big Band Bows print! This one’s got a warm summer print (fruit, flowers, and bows), but the colors and cut make it totally autumnable, too! I adore the cutouts on the neckline…they’re super-1940s!

I was warned that the invisible zipper would be tough to get past the waist seams, but it wasn’t that bad. I will say that the neck opening – while perfectly comfortable to wear – is a bit close when pulling the dress over your head. So, do your hair and makeup after you get dressed to avoid getting foundation on your clothes and messing up your coiffure. Additionally, my size 14 size charted a 33.5″ waist, but I flat-measured it closer to 32″. That wasn’t an issue for me, but it might be for you.

Trashy Diva Jaclyn
Trashy Diva Jaclyn.

I’m wearing it here with my 1950s copper “Sealife” earrings and cuff by Matisse Renoir and my Remix Gloria wedges, a great 1940s repro shoe!