July 14, 2010
Zooey Deschanel, the darling of vintage dress wearers. Whether she's appearing on the red carpet or charming us with her old fashioned crooning (the latter is this post's fashion focus), we love how she so often chooses to wear vintage dresses for her performances.

For Zooey Deschanel Vintage inspired dresses, visit our Zooey Style section in the shop! { Zooey Style }

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Credits: ZooeyDeschanel.net, 1st Photo by Something Started Crazyy (flickr), 5th Photo by Nik Sibley
We've joined forces with The Vintage Mama for a spur of the moment Summer Giveaway! Enter to win a $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE at our shop Adore Vintage. Details reposted below from The Vintage Mama's Blog.

Win a fabulous $25 gift certificate to shop Adore Vintage. All you have to do is pop on over to her shop, browse through her fab finds and comment here on your favorite item and where you would wear it . Here are 2 of my faves:



Want an extra entry? Tweet this contest, follow me on twitter and/or follow Adore Vintage on twitter! Winner will be randomly selected (via Alfalfa picking a name out of a fedora) and will be announced here on Thursday July 22.

Here are the specifics again:

  • Visit Adore Vintage and pick a favorite item

  • Leave a comment here on which item you picked and where you would wear it to

  • For additional chances follow me and/or Adore Vintage on twitter (make sure you send us a tweet with the hashtag #winvintage)

  • You can tweet this contest (again make sure you mention @TheVintageMama or @AdoreVintageCom AND use the hashtag #winvintage)

  • Contest will close Wednesday, July 21st midnight Pacific time.

  • Winner will be randomly selected and notified by email and posted on this blog on Thursday July 22nd.

Good luck!

July 13, 2010
I know it was just a month ago that I first posted about Lily Elsie, but I find her so beautiful that I had to do another post so soon!

ELSIE, Lily_Rotary. 4124 D. Photo Foulsham & Banfield

Lily Elsie (LE): They called me Little Elsie.

Spencer Edwards (SE): It may be supposed, then, that you commenced your professional career when quite a child?

LE: That was so. I sang ballads. Some friends were flattering enough to call me the infant Patti.

SE: And you took to the stage, I suppose, as the duck takes to water?

LE: Well, I played in the pantomime Red Riding Hood [at the Queen's Theatre, Manchester, Christmas 1896] when I was only eleven years of age, and, subsequently, I went to the [music] halls. My first regular engagement for theatrical work was a tour of M'Kenna's Firtation [a farce by E. Selden, first produced at the Opera House, Coventry, 1 August 1892].

SE: A natural sequence, I see. First the flirtation, then regular 'engagements,' and now the honeymoon - A Chinese Honeymoon.

LE: You may put it that way if you like (laughing sweetly).

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ELSIE, Lily_Rotary. 11428 C. Photo Foulsham & Banfield
Lily Elsie with her toy terrier dog.

LE: There, mamma, that's what I should like to do when I'm a woman!' Of course, there was an indignant chorus of the 'hush' sort, and the wonder was that I was not led out and taken home in disgrace. - (Lily proclaiming to her Mama that she wants to be an actress at the age of 8)

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These are just snippets from an interview with Lily Elsie. (Credits and links to follow)

Credits: G. Spencer Edwards, The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, London, Saturday, 28 May 1904. { Full Interview }
July 7, 2010
The Famous Words Marie Antoinette Did NOT Say. Although the young princess of France is associated with this phrase, it was actually first written by philosopher Jean-Jaques Rousseau in reference to the large gap between the rich and the poor in society at that time. And when he had written this (around 1766), Marie Antoinette was only 10 years old, not yet the Queen of France, not for another 4 years anyway.


The actual phrase written in French is "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", brioche being less fancy than cake (but still quite delicious if we might add). The brioche has been around as far back as the middle ages and consists of plenty of eggs and butter.



Image Credits: Marie Antoinette in Muslin Dress, Still Life With Brioche painted by Jean Baptiste Siméon Chardin. Modern imagery from We♥It
July 2, 2010
Hope all of you Stateside gals have fun plans for Independence Day Weekend! Here are some vintage outfit inspirations from a few of our favorite fashion bloggers.



Fashion Credits: 1.]Slanellestyle, 2.] The Clothes Horse, 3.] Alma Luna, 4.] Dasha S., 5.] Ziuta, 6.] Patricia Prieto, 7.] Jess Loves Fred, 8.] Another Day to Dress Up, 9.] Tiny Toadstool
July 1, 2010
A new feature for the AV Blog, "WEAR & SEEK" will be a pairing of one of our beloved vintage items with a beloved photograph. Vintage textiles can be so inspiring sometimes! We chose this image because it reminds us of the arbor print on this vintage 1950s bombshell maillot.


WEAR: Vintage 1950s Golden Poplars Maillot, $168
SEEK: Yellow Walnut Flowers, Flickr
June 27, 2010
A Maillot is a one piece bathing suit and was first used in the 1920s to describe tight fitting swimwear. Remember, bathing suits in the earlier part of the 20th century looked more like sundresses with full skirts and sleeveless styles.


Usually when I see the word "Maillot" to describe a bathing suit I imagine a strapless or heart shaped bust bathing suit or one with vintage inspired details such as ruching at the waist. To me, a Maillot is synonymous with the bathing suit styles of the 1950s.


Now a days we just call it a one piece. But if you want to be a bit more fancy, you can say you're planning on sun bathing in your gorgeous maillot bathing suit instead of sunbathing in your one piece. *hehe*

Image credits: 1.] Vintage Maillot Advertisement by Catalina Swimwear, 2.] Yellow Maillot With Matching Swim Cap, 3.] Maillot Pin-up at the Beach, 4.] Modern Maillot, 5.] Vintage Inspired Maillot, 6.] Anthropologie.com