Tag: holidays

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Holiday Cocktail Style: Collectif Penny dress

A little while back I showed you two lovely Stop Staring! cocktail dresses suitable for holiday wear. I promised a third option from Collectif, and that’s what I’m reviewing for you here! Meet Penny, an attractive sweetheart front-cross halter strap wiggle dress made from stretchy black bengaline.

Collectif Penny dress
Collectif Penny dress

Bengaline is a comfortable, flattering fabric that works incredibly well in vintage wiggle dress styles. The Collectif Penny is no exception. The cut and construction are fabulous, and the fit is very good. This is the kind of dress that is snazzy enough on its own – look at that bodice! – but dresses up really nicely given its neutral color and sleek lines.

Collectif Penny dress
Collectif Penny dress

More pictures and review after the jump… Continue reading “Holiday Cocktail Style: Collectif Penny dress”

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Sin in Linen: Bed, bath, and kitchen decor for the vintage enthusiast!

Not long ago I got a very pleasant note from the people who run Sin in Linen, a Seattle-based home textiles company inspired by vintage, pinup, rockabilly, punk, tattoo, gothic, and related aesthetics. Since 2004, owner Sandy Glaze has offered bedding, kitchen goods, and bathroom decor suiting a variety of alternative tastes.

Sin in Linen Atomic Dreams kitchen set
Sin in Linen Atomic Dreams kitchen set

From their main line, you can choose sheet sets, duvet covers, curtains, baby bedding, aprons, oven mitts, and other useful home items in a variety of exclusive fabrics. They kindly sent me one of their signature kitchen aprons and an oven mitt and potholder set in the mid-century modern-inspired “Atomic Dreams” print, a fabric specially designed for them by artist Ragnar of Ragnarama.

Continue reading “Sin in Linen: Bed, bath, and kitchen decor for the vintage enthusiast!”

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Happy Halloween, pin up kitty style!

It’s here! Halloween!

Pin up black cat
Pin up style black cat – good grooming is important!

You’ve already seen my Nagel girl/Rio Halloween getup, so here’s my retro-pinup-black-cat look, photographed by Miss Missy Photography. Missy also did my fabulous hair and makeup. Meow! Continue reading “Happy Halloween, pin up kitty style!”

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Holiday cocktail style: Stop Staring! Alexis dress

For those who crave something a little more sparkly and fancy than the Twilight dress I recently reviewed, I present the Stop Staring! Alexis dress in metallic champagne. This asymmetric, vintage-style cocktail dress is the perfect antique metal shade, somewhere between silver and gold. The tone is classy and festive, and the soft stretch polyester is textured to create a lovely, almost lurex-like period look. This is the perfect dress for a Christmas party or New Year’s Eve!

Stop Staring! Alexis Dress
Stop Staring! Alexis Dress

If you were a fan of Stop Staring!’s one-shouldered satin Lovespell dresses, Alexis delivers the same elegant late-1950s/early-1960s styling. This looks like something Elizabeth Taylor would have worn in Cleopatra – no joke! The textured fabric and ruched right side accent my waist and obscure my gut bulge rather nicely, while the sweetheart bodice provides just the right amount of structure for my bustline. I’m wearing Alexis with the Wacoal Red Carpet bustier in 36DD (size down a cup!) and Spanx.

Continue reading “Holiday cocktail style: Stop Staring! Alexis dress”

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Holiday cocktail style: Stop Staring! Twilight dress

The holidays are coming, and I’ve collected a trio of dresses that will work for just about any occasion the season might throw your way! The first is the Twilight dress by Alicia Estrada’s Stop Staring!, a ladylike vision in black stretch bengaline and a lace-like net illusion fabric. Stop Staring! is a great American-made vintage reproduction brand designed to fit and flatter a myriad of sizes and body types.

Stop Staring! Twilight Dress
Stop Staring! Twilight Dress

Continue reading “Holiday cocktail style: Stop Staring! Twilight dress”

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Spooky audio, video, and reads for your All Hallows’ Eve!

This is Haunted Halloween Collection CD art...
This is Haunted Halloween Collection CD art…

I know it’s still early September, but Halloween’s definitely already in the air. For those of you itching to get into the holiday spirit, here is a curated collection of audio (mostly music, with some sound effects) and video to enjoy while you stay home to serve the trick-or-treaters!

Continue reading “Spooky audio, video, and reads for your All Hallows’ Eve!”

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New Year, New Year’s Eve Fashion: Trashy Diva’s Lena Dress

Trashy Diva Lena Dress
Trashy Diva Lena Dress.

I didn’t end up doing anything for New Year’s Eve, but I had plans. Even a nice dinner out deserves a special dress, and this time around I chose Trashy Diva’s new Lena dress. She’s a gorgeous 1950s halter dress with a circle skirt and very festive Swarovski-style crystals and glass beading on the bodice and halter straps. The dress was intended for the holiday season, but it’s actually rather seasonless and the color flatters many skin tones!

The bodice is beautifully pleated with a nice “shelf” detail that pulls up into the halter straps. For those who hate the neck-pulling that happens with many halters, this one’s worth trying. The bodice is very structured and form-fitting, which takes some of the pressure off the neck. The halter buttons at the back of the neck, too, which alleviates the pull that often occurs with halter ties.

I got the size 14, which fits a bit closer than the stated measurements on the Lena size chart. At 43-32-48″, the bodice fits perfectly without a bra.

Trashy Diva Lena Dress
Trashy Diva Lena Dress.

Continue reading “New Year, New Year’s Eve Fashion: Trashy Diva’s Lena Dress”

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Makeup on Monday: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick

Not very original, but a feature that gets the point across. When it comes to makeup, there are certain products I rely on. While I’m in no way a professional, I feel like I should share the stuff that thrills me so others can benefit from my happy – and sometimes not-so-happy – experiences.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Beso.”

My current favorite is Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick, a vibrant, heavily pigmented opaque lipstick that applies like a gloss. It’s got an almost gel-like consistency when it goes on, yet it dries quickly. Once dry, there’s very little transference and NO feathering, which is something your traditional oil/wax lipsticks do when they hit warm lip.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Beso.” Alternatively, Kali Looking Weird.

The colors are beautiful, especially for the vintage red lipstick fiends out there. Their flagship color is a true red shade called “Beso.” It’s similar to Besame Red and MAC’s Ruby Woo, but without the runny consistency of the Besame lipsticks or the drying effect of the MAC matte lipsticks.

I got mine in a limited edition Stila set presented by Sephora. The set is no longer available, but the single tubes are available at places like Sephora and Ulta for around $22 each.