Pinup, vintage fashion, vintage home, Jane Austen's Emma, and Miracles from Molecules!
Content dealing with fashion and fashion history.
The Clairol Color Carousel was the most interesting fashion/beauty-related attraction at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. Bill Young’s Nywf64.com has cool content related to the Carousel, including ephemera actually distributed at the Clairol pavilion. Take a peek at mid-60s hair and makeup culture!
“For Women Only! Take a ride on the Clairol Color Carousel. See yourself as a blonde, a brunette or a read head! Your friends will ask, “Does she… or doesn’t she?”
Over the weekend I attended my first Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender, an amazing excuse to head to Las Vegas and hang out with my new retro fashion friends!
In addition to hanging out with pals, I was able to take part in two wonderful photo shoots (more on those in the coming weeks) and buy some gorgeous clothing!
My favorite buy of the weekend was my Mode Merr Fitted Peasant Blouse in Hawaiian Print plus Perfect Skirt in Black. The skirt’s stretch gabardine was thick enough to support without adding bulk or stiffness, and the high waist and extra-hippy cut was perfect for my crazy pear shape (wearing 2x, my waist: 32-33″, my hips: 48″). Continue reading “Outfits of the Weekend: Viva Las Vegas, Viva Mode Merr, Viva Pinup Girl Clothing!”
I’ve meant to share these for a while, but everything seems to get in the way.
First, Trashy Diva’s 40s Dress in Olivine Floral, Doll Dress in Slap ‘n’ Tickle, and Honey Dress in Fuchsia stretch satin. I’ve had the 40s dress for nearly a year, but the others are new.
Love the fit of the Doll Dress, though the Honey is a wee bit big in the armscyes and waist. My current measurements are 44-32.5-48″, and I’m wearing size 16 in both (and size 18 in the 40s dress; the Olivine Floral version ran small).
Next, vintage 1950s! I recently purchased a deep aqua and lavender floral cotton dress (label: Carol Brent) from La Rosa Vintage on Haight in San Francisco. I paired it here with a “Luxelon” acrylic lilac cardigan from Relic Vintage (label: Designer Originals), also on Haight. Continue reading “Outfits of the Month: Random Vintage, Trashy Diva, Deadly Dames”
Yesterday was our Greater Bay Area Costumers’ Guild Falling for Vertigo: A Toast to Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco event. We had a wonderful time attending a guided tour of the Georgian portraiture at the Legion of Honor (an iconic Vertigo filming site), a nod to the fictional “portrait of Carlotta” that appeared in the film. Afterwards, we visited historic Fort Point, the location where “Madeleine” throws herself into San Francisco Bay, to explore the Civil War-era fort and behold the spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands. Our day ended with drinks and dinner at the Presidio Social Club (and for some of us, the Top of the Mark). Continue reading “Falling for Vertigo: 1950s Fashion and Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco”
I was impressed by the adorable Hell Bunny brand sundresses some of my friends were sharing on Facebook, so I decided to buy one three of my own!
Since a wide selection of Hell Bunny clothing isn’t readily available in my neck of the woods (California), I purchased my dresses from Sirens & Starlets, a UK Ebay Store that came recommended by a fellow pin-up style fan in New Zealand. Even from far across the pond, S&S delivered promptly (within ten days) and with excellent service.
Best of all, the dresses fit perfectly and look amazingly cute! I purchased the Olive (mint green), Vanity (black, white, and red), and Motley (black and white) in UK 18/2x, as that is what seemed to best suit my 44-33.5-49″ measurements. Since these styles all feature an elasticized back, there was some concern that they might be too big in the bust.
While I could probably size down without trouble (my waist measurement matches the xl size according to the fitting charts), it wasn’t necessary. For the Hell Bunny dresses that don’t come in plus sizes (I’m looking at you, Kiki dress!), it’s comforting to know that the XL size is there for me to try.
My next Hell Bunny purchases will be the Kiki dress – a black tropical-print halter – and the turquoise May Day dress.
The cotton fabric is light and crisp, perfect for warm springs and hot summers. I’m planning on wearing these three in Las Vegas come April, which should be pretty warm! Even though it’s still February, north-central California’s weather has been mild enough for me to wear two of my new dresses with cardigans!
I recently purchased two barely worn Pinup Couture Laura Tops (size XL, in white and red) from a groovy fellow Pinup Girl Clothing fan. The price was right, their condition is excellent, and the tops seemed like a great way to solve my perpetual problem finding cute, casual tops right for wear with jeans and crops. While the Lauras are cute (love the heart buttons at the neckline), well-made, and comfortable, they aren’t quite what I was hoping for.
First, the tops are short. Whenever I sit or bend over, they pop right up around my waist, leaving my lower back skin exposed. This issue likely unresolvable by sizing up to the 2x, as both the XL and 2x are 24 inches long.
Second, the tops are not long/big enough in the chest area, as the underbust seam hovers just above my bra underwire. While it’s still comfortable and looks fine, this doesn’t bode well for people with truly large or round boobs (i.e., bigger and better boobs than mine, which are fairly average for a person of my height and size). My bust measures 43-44″ and usually takes a 36/38DD/DDD bra, which puts me squarely in the XL area (40-45″) according to the size chart.
Ironically, some Laura Top reviewers have mentioned that despite falling well within the bust range recommended by the size charts, they felt that their boobs did not adequately fill up the bodice space provided. While I wasn’t expecting this to happen to me, I wasn’t expecting to ride the upper end of plausible fit, either. :/
Third, the stretch jersey fabric clings. Maybe this would be less of a problem if I sized up, but the top is already big enough around the waist to give a practical, comfortable fit. I have loose skin on my midriff from major weight loss that peeks through no matter how thin I get, which makes me feel incredibly self-conscious (and is in fact one of the major reasons why I have issues finding fitted knit tops I feel comfortable wearing). Wearing the tops over Spanx or tucked into a high-waisted skirt solves this problem, but that kind of negates my whole reason for buying them in the first place; I wanted to wear them with jeans and crops!
Something else to consider is the darker colorways run a bit smaller than the lighter ones. In my case, the red fits a tad more snugly than the white. Additionally, the white fabric is somewhat sheer; the bodice is self-lined, but the lower part is not. Those who are looking for a bit more coverage in the boob area and more “disguise” in the midriff region may have better luck with the long-sleeved, surplice-bodiced Gia Top, which comes in the same fabric and some of the same colorways.
I’m still on the fence about what I will do with my Lauras. I may trade these up for the larger size and see how I fare, or I may keep them and use them as I can until I lose a bit more weight.
ETA: I ordered the black and pink Laura tops in the larger size (2x), and discovered that the extra fabric in the waist helped alleviate some of the showthrough!
At any rate, stay tuned for some new clothing posts and reviews! I’m anxiously awaiting an order of Hell Bunny dresses from UK-based online store Sirens & Starlets.
Since the semester’s started, I haven’t had much time for anything but work. However, here’s my casual outfit for this dreary Saturday! White House/Black Market dot cardigan, Deadly Dames Vamp top in red with black dots, El Dorado Club “New Orleans” bat necklace, Torrid jeans, and Coach patent leather flats.
I’m also including a shot from Thursday afternoon, which features a smidge of that Heartbreaker Marilyn Tee I’d previously mentioned. I’m happy with the shot because my hair isn’t frizzed beyond belief and the colors involved seem to suit me.
I have a few new (and old) items in the hopper to show you within the next month or so, so stay tuned! Here’s hoping everything fits as planned! 😀
“Uniform Project was born in May 2009, when one girl pledged to wear a Little Black Dress for 365 days as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Designed to also be a fundraiser for the education of underprivileged children in India, the project acquired millions of visitors worldwide and raised over $100k for the cause.”
What an interesting exercise in creative accessorization! It’s also a reminder that it’s more socially responsible to buy quality goods (made under empowering circumstances) that will last a lifetime, instead of a ton of cheap crap that you’ll throw away in five seconds.