Category: Fashion

Content dealing with fashion and fashion history.

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Outfits of the Month: August vintage fashion finds

Blue Taffeta and Velvet Dress
1950s blue taffeta and velvet dress from Sneaky Tiki Boutique in Long Beach.

From time to time I like to raid my favorite vintage fashion shops to see what I can find. Since I’ve lost enough weight to fit into common 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s shapes and sizes, the endeavor’s become easier and tons more fun! On a foray to Long Beach’s Fourth Street vintage district, I discovered a gorgeous taffeta and velvet dress at Sneaky Tiki Boutique (left).

On my last visit to the Haight in San Francisco, I found several beautiful pieces at my two favorite stores, Relic Vintage and La Rosa. Both shops feature beautifully-curated selections in wearable women’s sizes up to at least 34″ in the waist. The staff is super-helpful at both stores and the quality is amazing! Continue reading “Outfits of the Month: August vintage fashion finds”

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Outfits of the Season: Blue and white wiggles!

Custom Mad Men dress by Morningstar84.

While not as comfortable in super-hot weather as their swing-skirted cousins, wiggle dresses can still look sharp in summer colors!

My current favorite is this stunning version of the blue and white linen dress worn by Christina Hendricks as Mad Men‘s Joan Harris, created for me by Esther of Morningstar84 on Etsy: Continue reading “Outfits of the Season: Blue and white wiggles!”

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Outfits of the Season: Surviving summer work

Ginger in Circus Print
Pinup Couture Ginger dress in Circus print.

Since I live and work in a region where temperatures shoot well above 100 degrees Farenheit, it’s always difficult for me to balance summer comfort with professional elegance. Some days it just isn’t possible to trudge across scorching hot parking lots and up four flights of stairs in uncomfortable heels and sweltering Spanx, so I try to mix things up with lightweight fabric swing sundresses, white summer cardigans for coverage and for their reflective and sunscreening properties, flats, and “flatform” shoes. Continue reading “Outfits of the Season: Surviving summer work”

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The ultimate retro lifestyle accessory: a home!

Kali House
Mah howse! By Cindy.

So, nearly three months of house drama is over. I spent this afternoon at the title company signing papers for my adorable 1963 jack-in-the-box house, and I couldn’t be more proud!

Finally, my 1930s painted bedroom and dining sets, my lucite pineapple-shaped “grape” lamp, my goddess rain lamp, and my amazing new lucite grape swag lamp (birthday gift from my adorable parents, which you can see below!) can run wild and free in my swank new retro pad!

I’ll be working on decorating the place over the next few months, so stay tuned for more “housey” updates! Continue reading “The ultimate retro lifestyle accessory: a home!”

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Link: Dolldivine.com’s Pinup Maker Deluxe

Kali as a doll!
Kali as a doll! My version of the Pinup Couture Heidi dress.

If you love dressing up digital paper dolls and adore pinup style, Kei’s Pinup Maker Deluxe is the game for you!

Based on the larger selection of build-’em-yourself dolls at Dolldivine.com, this specifically pinup version is hosted at Deviantart. Customize outfits, hair, makeup, shoes, accessories, and backgrounds!

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Link: Pinup Girl Style

There’s a new online community for fans of Pinup Couture, Deadly Dames, and Pinup Girl Clothing‘s other wonderful house brands! At Pinup Girl Style, members can share photos of themselves in PUG clothing, participate in discussions, read blogs by members of Team PUG and their guests, and swap or sell their PUG goods. Check it out!

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More pretty outfits, more pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photo shoot with Angela Morales

Kali by Angela M.
Kali by Angela Morales. Dress by Laura Byrnes Black Label and makeup and hair by Ruby Collins.

In addition to my fabulous photo shoot with Tara O., my Viva Las Vegas itinerary included an amazing shoot at Paris Hotel & Casino with the talented and personable Angela Morales. Angela’s photography is breathtaking, but she’s also a lot of fun to work with and an excellent teacher to boot!

Her direction was top-notch, putting me at ease immediately. “Pretend like you’re mouthing vowels; start with A and move through U – that way you’ll get variety in your expressions!” and “If it feels silly, it’s probably perfect!” were my favorite instructions.

For the shoot, I wore my Deadly Dames Pirate Dress and Laura Byrnes Black Label Grace Dress, two of my all-time favorite outfits. I accessorized them with my vintage rhinestone necklace and clip earrings, my El Dorado Club Filigree Bat Necklace, and my Piou Piou patent leather pumps by Christian Louboutin. The multitalented Ruby Collins did an amazing job with my hair and makeup. Continue reading “More pretty outfits, more pretty pictures: My Viva Las Vegas photo shoot with Angela Morales”

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Hell Bunny of the Day + New Deadly Dames

Hell Bunny Tigerlili Dress and Trashy Diva anchor Necklace
Hell Bunny Tigerlili Dress and Trashy Diva anchor Necklace.

Here are a couple of odds and ends I thought might be of interest!

For the last few months I’ve wanted to try a non-halter Hell Bunny style, like the red gingham Chantal Dress linked here. When the Chantal sold out in my size at JBR Clothing, I steeled myself to look into other fabric options in the same cut. Luckily, my friend Jessica discovered that the minty green Tigerlili Dress from Hell Bunny was a completely different shade than the “conversation heart” hue of the Olivie Dress, which I already own. So, I decided to give it a try! Continue reading “Hell Bunny of the Day + New Deadly Dames”