My Halloween costume is almost complete! Hooray! I need to sew on a couple buttons to the blazer and I think I should have a white hankie. And of course I need a pocket watch. I might just make one from vintage jewelry scraps though since I haven't been able to find one.
Everything was purchased at Goodwill, except the vintage gloves, I've had them for awhile. Hmm...the mask is kind of creepy... hopefully I won't scare any of my nieces and nephews at tomorrow's Halloween party.
My inspiration for the costume (but with a different color scheme and pants, LOL)
I love musicals. When I was younger I always thought it would be fun to be in one, singing and dancing for an audience. I did dance for awhile, but never pursued a career out of it (and part of me does think "what if...") and well, my voice isn't exactly spectacular enough for Broadway (but I like to imagine sometimes)
The Sound of Music (1965) is one of my favorite musicals and my favorite as a child. My other favorite musicals are My Fair Lady (the very first Audrey Hepburn movie I saw, I was immediately smitten) which initially was suppose to star Julie Andrews who starred in the Broadway version.
I always thought Maria's clothes were so sweet and simple. I especially liked her traveling outfit, the one the poor didn't want. (LOL!) But then she sews herself some lovely dresses and the children gets clothes made from curtains. (LOL!)
Long post short, I am currently listening to music from "The Sound of Music" and was so delighted to see someone had posted them on Youtube with the lyrics. I never could understand what Maria is singing in parts of "The Sound of Music".
THE SOUND OF MUSIC The hills are alive with the sound of music With songs they have sung for a thousand years The hills fill my heart with the sound of music My heart wants to sing every song it hears My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray
I go to the hills when my heart is lonely I know I will hear what I've heard before My heart will be blessed with the sound of music And I'll sing once more
I do hope you watch the videos and sing-a-long! ^_^ Let out your inner Maria!
I love this picture of Lucille Ball, she's one of my favorite Hollywood stars. I wanted to do a quick and short Lucy post because I am currently watching "I Love Lucy" as I fold and iron laundry. It's the episode where Lucy buys new furniture that Ricky told her not to buy (because they don't have the money) so he tells her she needs to 'economize' which leads to a disastrous turn of events (her terrible handmade dress and her awful perm, AHAHAHA)
This is one of my favorite vintage dresses I own, the first time I wore it was on my 23rd birthday (over 3 yrs ago, hehe) and I also had blonde (well blonde-ish) hair.
{What I Wore} Dress: Vintage 1970s maxi dress Hair pins: Vintage inspired from Forever21
This dress is definitely showing a bit more wear though. After a recent wash I noticed a couple tiny holes close to the hem. But I guess that has to be expected, after all this dress is over 30 years old.
Yardley of London Lipstick advertisement circa 1966
Maybelline cosmetics advertisement circa 1966
Max Factor lipstick advertisement circa 1961
Lustre Creme advertisement circa 1969 (this is also the book cover image)
Tussy skin care products advertisement circa 1960
Do you girls notice that the color PINK was very popular for cosmetics and beauty ads? My favorite ads are the last two...and the reason? POLKA DOTS of course!
Who is Louise Brooks? Louise Brooks (born Mary Louise Brooks) was a model, dancer, showgirl, and most famously known as a silent film star in the 1920s and 30s. She is also credited for pioneering the super short haircut known as a "bob" (I wonder why it wasn't named after her...)
A short tribute video of Louise Brooks. The part where she is dancing is so cute! Aww, love it!
~ Tid Bits & Trivia ~
1.] Louise Brooks had made a vow to herself never to smile on stage unless she felt compelled to (in most of her photos she has a neutral face, although the few photos you do see her smiling, she has such a pretty smile!)
2.] Her childhood nickname was "Brooksie"
3.] Louise Brooks stood 5 feet 2 inches tall.
4.] She quit films all together in the late 30s. By 1946, she had to take a $40-a-week job as a sales girl at Saks Fifth Avenue to make a living.
5.] Louise Brooks died of a heart attack at the age of 78 in 1985.
6.] Despite the affairs she had with women (most famously with Greta Garbo), Louise Brooks has denied being bisexual or a lesbian. "Out of curiosity, I had two affairs with girls - they did nothing for me."
This is one of my favorite dresses in the shop right now dubbed the "Perthshire Dress" because it reminds me of a little frock one might wear if you were vacationing in a Scottish cottage. The colors are sweetly subdued and I love the floral botanical print.
I recently picked up the new Anthropologie catalog (arg I missed September's though...) and wanted to share a few lovely pages.
I noticed a trend in the catalogs...the models are not stickly skinny. Hooray! I am happy to see that Anthropologie has been featuring models that have more realistic figures, now if they would feature some petite girls. *hehe* Since I'm a petite girl and sometimes their clothes just kind of drown me. Especially the coats and sweaters.
I found these lovely images of vintage costumes you could make from the 1920s. Aren't these the most beautiful costumes you have ever seen? I so wish I could make one, but unfortunately I'm not that talented.
How cute is this dress? And even cuter at a sale price of $24.00! I could see this dress worn with black tights and super cute brown oxfords. Or maybe a pair of coganc colored t-strap heels. Hair worn in Heidi braids (because this dress has that folky feel to it) and finish it off with a great modern day leather handbag.
Vintage 1970s Mushroom & Butterfly Dress available @ Timon Michelle
Yesterday I started doing a little more work on the revamp of "The LookBook", the older version is still up, but it's kind of just half done because I kept changing my mind on the design... you can see it here
So...the first celebrity style gallery I am working on is Alexa Chung! I was cropping and editing photos last night...then our entire neighborhood lost power. BUMMER. Because I didn't get to save much. ARG. Anyhow, here are just a few Alexa Chung photos for some style inspiration.
BTW, is anyone else a fan of her show on MTV "It's On With Alexa Chung"? I recently (as in 2 days ago) started watching it now that we have TiVo and the first show I watch the guest was Gerard Butler... who hit on her. *hehe*
Working on the LOOKBOOK some more this morning, printing postage labels, biking to the post office...busy day.
A friend of mine recently purchased a vintage leather handbag from Ebay and wrote to me asking how to get a strong smoke odor out of it. So, I decided to take this opportunity to post a few tips and tricks on how to get smoky smells out of your vintage leather goods.
It is important to note that smoke consists of approximately 4,000 different chemicals in both gaseous and particulate forms which can seep into the pores of your vintage clothes and accessories. If it has set in after years and years, the smoke smell will not magically disappear within a couple days. Some of these may work better than others and some you may have to repeat a couple times.
If in doubt, bring your vintage goods to a professional! Don't forget there are different types of leathers as there are different types of fabrics, use your own best judgement.
TIP #1: Wipe leather goods with a damp cloth, then a dry cloth. Stuff purses and shoes with newspaper to retain shape. Leather goods should be dried away from heat and sun (if left in the heat it can crack, dry out, and ruin the leather). When leather goods are dry, clean with saddle soap. "Rinse" leather and suede jackets in cold water and dry away from heat and sun. (By rinse I mean wipe it throughly clean so there isn't any saddle soap residue, make sure you have also wiped it dry enough to get as much of the moisture out - do not SOAK your leather!)
TIP #2: Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and lightly mist the item. Vinegar eliminates odors easily. Use a clean cloth to wipe down the item and set it outside to dry, avoiding direct sunlight.
Tip #3: Clean the outside of the bag with a damp clean cloth. Gently wipe the interior clean as well. Let it air/dry out. Gather some fresh coffee grounds in a cheesecloth bag and leave inside the bag for 24-48 hours. Keep bag in cool and dry place. You can also try this with cat liter.
Tip #4: For a fresh scent (and this is for bags that do not have too strong of an odor or if you just want to "refresh" your bags) after you have done the initial wipe down/air dry... place some citrus peels in a cheesecloth bag and place in your bag (DO NOT ZIP IT UP). Leave for 24-48 hours, but use your own discretion on when to remove the peels. You don't want them to rot!
Tip #5: Use activated charcoal (you can get it at pet stores usually). You can do this in two different ways. You can either put your purse in a box next to a dish of charcoal or you can place the charcoal in your purse (make sure it's IN something, don't let it touch the leather). Activated charcoal is known to absorb carbon particles very effectively. Leave charcoal in bag/box for 24-48 hours.
GET THE LOOK, VINTAGE STYLE: The "Morning Blend Sweater" available at Adore Vintage is very similar to the wool cardigan featured at instyle.com (but much more wallet friendly)
Was a bit chilly this morning so had to bring out the tights (hooray!). It was 'Back to School Breakfast' at Chloe's school and this is what I wore.
{What I Wore} Jacket: Anthropologie Dress: Bought in New Orleans a few years ago on Magazine street Shoes: Seychelles from Endless.com Bag: Vintage quilted Chanel Ring: Vintage Avon Belt: Charlotte Russe or F21
I love the outfit that Zooey Deschanel wears in the "Cotton" commercials so much, I found a picture to share! It has all the elements of a darling outfit...
1.) peter pan collar (or large rounded collar)
2.) bows
3.) a cardigan
(cute vintage style bicycle with wicker basket optional)
{What I Wore} Top: Urban Outfitters Shorts: Vintage from "American Vintage" (in L.A.) Shoes: Christian Louboutin Clutch: Vintage "Vogue" magazine clutch circa 1970s Ring: Vintage cocktail ring circa 1960s
Oh Monday...Monday... you are so full of promise for the week to come. I really must start on my "To-Do" list habit again.
Anna Karina's rise to fame is very much a Cinderella story. She moved to Paris without a penny to her name or knowing any French at the age of 17. She was approached by a rep from an ad agency while sitting at a cafe who asked if she would like to do some photos. This lead to a successful modeling career then later she appeared in movies, sang songs, and lived happily ever after.
And just for fun and because this video always makes me smile and makes me want to dance in a line and clap... Anna Karina dancing in "Band of Outsiders" (1964 - directed by Jean-Luc Godard)
