Many lovely vintage treasures today all dating from the 40s, 50s, and 60s. My absolute favorite is the lace bombshell dress. YoW-Za!

This mostly pertains to my most recent post (just below) about the measurements of many celebrities of yesteryear.


My closest measurement/height double is Vivien Leigh, but trust me I'm still quite a few inches off here and there. (She's slightly taller with a 23" waist) I tried to do some research on how women had such small waists (exact exercises) and I could not find much information. However, one lovely reader { Principita de Porcelana } was kind enough to point out that many women back then were used to being corseted as were their mothers and their grandmothers so their waists were "better formed" so to speak.

So (please hold the laughter because I'm a little embarrassed to admit this) I went and bought one of those elastic waist bands. My mother swears by them and she's nearly 49 with a 25" waist. So, it must be working, right?

Is it comfortable? Not really. But it's not terrible. In fact it was all right before I had dinner. I've noticed how straight I've been sitting all day though. So I'm trimming my waist and improving my posture. 2 in 1, hooray!

My ideal female form are the figures of women in the 1940s and 1950s. On the thinner side, I adored Audrey Hepburn for her gamine appearance, but there is nothing quite like a bombshell figure, no?

How did women stay so slender back then without looking sickly skinny? I wonder why they did not have that "I need a sandwich, like now!" look as popularized by many celebrities these days. Brigitte Bardot had a 19" waist, NINETEEN! Instead they look wonderfully feminine and soft.

{ Measurements of Vintage Hollywood's Leading Ladies }

Rita Hayworth || 36.5C - 24 - 36
Sophia Loren || 38C - 24 - 38
Betty Grable || 36 - 24 - 35
Vivien Leigh || 32A - 23 - 33
Audrey Hepburn || 34A - 20 - 34
Marilyn Monroe || 36 - 23 37
Veronica Lake || 34 - 21 - 33
Ava Gardner || 36 -23 -37
Brigitte Bardot || 35.5 - 19 - 35
Elizabeth Taylor || 36C - 21 - 36


{ Veronica Lake - 21" waist }


{ Rita Hayworth - 24" waist }


{ Betty Grable - 24" waist and the most perfect legs in Hollywood }

Romantic antique drop earrings, appears to be Victorian. I love the jade color of these earrings!

Where to buy: Red Lilly Vintage
Price: $34.00

I love Mid-Century modern furniture because the lines are clean and simple. Nothing is ever too bulky or too fussy. I also love all the wood grain colors.

I'm currently in love with the { Eames DSW } chair with wooden legs (pictured in 3 + 5). I need end chairs for our dining room and I feel these would be a great fit. At first I was seriously considering the Louis Ghost chairs, but can you imagine how annoying it would get to see fingerprints and marks on all that clear acrylic? And I'm slightly OCD... it would not bode well.

Channeling pure Hollywood glamour from 4 fabulous decades (30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s), a vintage inspired editorial shot by Steven Meisel and styled by Andrew Richardson. Model is Viktoriya Sasonkina.


Complete editorial can be found at { TrendLand } which is also the source of these scans.

Whenever I am at an antique shop, a vintage boutique, or even the local flea markets, I always hunt for pretty little blouses from the 1920s. They are rare and beautiful finds. I find them to be so sweet and romantic, ethereal even. If you don't want to appear too costume-y wearing a blouse from the 20s, just pair one of these gauzy pretties with skinny jeans and stilletos or ballet flats. (I usually prefer the latter)

Credits: Images are scans from the Bella Hess 1921 and 1924 Catalog.

Into the Flower Shop by Adore_Vintage featuring Jeffrey Campbell shoes

Items in this set:
PWD01 Swing Dress - BANNA/TAN, $450
Forever 21 H81 Floral Embroidery Cardigan, $33
Jeffrey Campbell Buttons, $96
A Bouquet for Cie Bag : Adore Vintage Clothing Store, Vintage Dresses,..., $36
Susan Caplan Vintage Trifari Gold Tone Faux Pearl Bunches Earrings, $110

I adore all of the little dresses the girls are wearing (not to mention all of their adorable varied expressions, gosh, I love birthday parties!) and secretly want those double strap Mary-Janes the little girl in the front is wearing. I bet she turned out to be a little fashionista, look at her snazzy glasses! I wish little girls still dressed like this, in pretty little frocks, patent shoes with pretty white socks. My Mother used to make my dresses when I was younger and she loved dresses from the 50s so I usually had fluffy vintage inspired dresses when I was growing up. And ruffle socks, I LOVED ruffle socks! (I'm sure that isn't surprising as I still love ruffles to this day).

Image source via OzFan22 via flickr (she's the birthday girl)

Happy St. Patrick's Day! And to celebrate this very green-centric holiday, I am posting images themed around the color with a vintage twist, of course :)



Image Credits: 1.} Paper Tissue, 2.} Vintage Fairy Tale illustrations via Sofi on Flickr, 3.} We ♥ It, 4.} Both images from Audrey Hepburn Complex, 5.} Vintage Advertisement via Salty Cotton, 6.} We ♥ It, 7.} A Display in Paris via Gin Paris, 8.} Fabric Detail, 9.} 1920s Peg O' My Heart advertisemt via Finsbry, 10.} Je Veux Tout

A few pictures of Zooey Deschanel in the cutest vintage dresses! She has wonderful stage style, don't you think? I bet Zooey's closet is full of 50s party dresses and playful 60s minis. I also feel she chooses silhouettes that really compliment her coloring and figure.


I created a Zooey style gallery on { Adore Vintage } from the movie "500 Days of Summer" here... { 500 Days of Summer Vintage Style }.

I will be very quick and to the point with this book.

If you ALREADY SELL vintage clothing online and have been selling for about a year or more, or even for a few months, then this book is a waste of money. Move on.

I have been selling vintage for a few years now and I thought this book would be full of expert knowledge about running an online business store.

It isn't.

HOWEVER, if you JUST started selling vintage clothing online or want to start selling, then by all means this book will be most helpful! If you have never listed anything on Ebay, don't own a digital camera, and have very little knowledge of vintage clothing itself, then this book will be a God send.

I sort of wish I had this book back when I started selling vintage. Back then, very few people were selling vintage on Ebay and Etsy didn't even exist. So, everything I've learned has been through trial and error and extensive research on my part.

The book is divided into 6 sections all lightly touching up on different aspects of selling vintage clothing but mostly focusing on Auction sites (Ebay). There are tips on how to photograph vintage clothes (not on wire hangers!), how to ship off your packages (don't just throw it in a bag!), and also a "Supply List" of things you will need for running a vintage business.

That all sounds wonderful and dandy and one of the reasons I was so excited for this book. But then when I read the actual advice, I was sorely disappointed.

As a "must have" for running an online vintage store you must have a good digital camera... hmmm...kind of a no brainer, don't you think? Another must have is a garment rack, a place to put your clothes. Again... obvious.

The book is very text heavy with the rare black and white photo of something vintage related. It is very easy to read however and it is well organized. So points for that. The books also highlights on different styles of vintage clothing, such as types of skirts, coats, and costume jewelry. But each subject has about a paragraph worth of information.

Bottom line, if you are just starting out, this book will be of great service to you as it will let you get your feet wet. If however you've already learned a few tricks and tips (perhaps from reading my blog *hehe*) then this book won't teach you anything you don't already know.

You can purchase the book on Amazon. *Note* There are 8 other reviews for this book which are all 5 STAR. Their opinion obviously differs from mine, but do realize I reviewed this book as someone who has been selling and running a successful vintage store for years.

I love this sunny dining room! The exposed ceiling beams and that gorgeous diamond patterned floor. It looks like wood and stone perhaps? I'm not sure, I'm not an expert on floors by any means. And I am currently obsessing over Louis 19th Century antique chairs. I must have these for our dining room!

I'm not sure whether to go for the real antique Louis chairs or go for the Philippe Starck Louis Ghost chairs? Hmmm...

A prominent fashion photographer in the 1940s and 1950s, Nina Leen was one of the first female photographers to work for LIFE magazine. She grew up in Europe (Russian born) and her first camera was a Rolleiflex which she used to primarily photograph animals. Nina Leen is mostly known for her animal photography, but in the fashion world, she is well known for her classic and timeless fashion photography.



Her obituary in the { New York Times } has a bit more information on her.


Nina Leen for LIFE magazine
Image credits: 1.} Beach Fashions, 1950, 2.} 1949 via Sunday Morning, 3.} Roosevelt Raceway, 1958 via My Vintage Vogue, 4.} Conversation Skirts via Playfast, 5.} Vintage capelet, 1950 via My Vintage Vogue, 6.} Woman Showing Her Fashionable Hairstyle poster print via Amazon, 7.} 1950 by Nina Leen via Elena-Lu

Photo of Nina Leen via LIFE.com