Pretty Link Roundup {August 16, 2009}

The air, warm and humid as the kitchen of a bustling restaurant, has been keeping us up at night and running for a third shower during the day. Sweet Ms. Stella – clearly a Canadian kitty to her very fur lined soul – has become a whiz at finding any spot in the apartment that is even a degree cooler than the rest of the house (such as at the base of the entryway door, sinks, in the “shade” of a bookcase, under darling hubby’s desk, etc). Though, despite the seemingly tropical heat, I can’t help but find myself a little more in love with summer year - or rather, with Ontario’s spin on summer (I never had a problem with the pristinely fantastic, dry as a bone ones I grew up with on the west coast).


{While the heat can certainly get under anyone’s skin after a while, there’s no denying that summer brings with it a massive dose of unparalleled beauty, too. 1950s postcard via StevenM_61’s Flickr stream.}


On Friday this blog hit its 100th post! I can scarcely believe it myself, but it’s true! Over the past four months I’ve written one hundred entries and had the most amazing time sharing in my love of everything vintage with all of you. To celebrate this milestone and also kick off the next hundred posts, I’m holding a giveaway contest in conjunction with the lovely people over at AllModern.com. Be sure to swing by yesterday’s post and enter for your chance to win an absolutely adorable, stylish Alessi kitchen timer.

On the subject of blog posts, I wanted to quickly mention – and apologize for something. In a recent post, I encouraged readers to send me your emails about vintage items that you’re on the hunt for. What I didn’t realize at the time of that post’s writing though, is that the email address I provided (in the post) is currently haywire! It doesn’t seem to working at all (“configuration issues”, according to tech-smart hubby), and so I’m dreadfully afraid that I haven’t received any emails sent to the address Jessica [at] chronicallyvintage.com whatsoever.

If you’ve recently tried to send an email to address and haven’t heard back from me, it is because I didn’t receive your message. I truly apologize about this and please ask you to resend any correspondence to my personal email address, jcangiano [at] gmail.com. Thank you for your understanding in this matter, and again, I’m very sorry if you wrote to me and haven’t heard back yet. Please forward your message and I’ll get back to you on the double!

To help keep the heat off my mind this afternoon, I’ve been diving into a pool of marvelous blogs and have put together a delightful array of wonderful vintage related links, that I hope you’ll all enjoy – and which, if you’re similarly sweltering, will aid in distracting you from the broiling heat for a while, too!


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* Finding Your Vintage Groove: From the always insightful Super Kawaii Mama, comes a well-written post about examining your own personal sense of vintage style and then finding ways to get the most from your chosen look. Whether you’re new to vintage dressing or a seasoned, dyed-in-the-wool pro, this article is definitely worth reading.


* Hair Inspiration: Bangs, but not Bettie Page: These days when we think of bangs (fringe) and styles of the mid-twentieth century, the hair that lined Bettie Page’s forehead often springs to mind first. However, then as in now, there were many diverse looks one could sport in the bangs department, some of which have been beautifully highlighted in this photo filled post.


* Good Housekeeping, 1955: Box Lunches Part 1: Straight from the pages of a 1950s edition of Good Housekeeping magazine, the terrific blog Haven of Home brings us a list of practical, useful tips on ensuring that lunch box monotony does not set in when you pack meals for your loved ones. (And for the second part of this article, be sure to click here.)


* Summer Travel coast-to-coast, 1949: A wonderful collection of colour images hailing from 1949 of some of the fashion styles that were popular all across American for women sixty summers ago.


* Mad Men wedding styles: From the people who bring you Bride magazine and its online sister site, Brides.com, comes a list of ten ways you can inject a beautiful dose of Mad Men inspired vintage style into your wedding day look.


* Tea Party Chic: This week Wicked Frills brings us a selection of deeply gorgeous tea party worthy vintage dresses. Just the post to inspire anyone who may have a tea – or garden – party or two still to go on their summer calendar.


* Clothes For You – A Pictorial Fashion Show 1954: I really enjoy and appreciate it when people scan (and/or type out) pages from vintage books that I might otherwise have never gotten the chance to see or learn about. Such as in this post which takes a look at the 1954 book “Clothes For You” by Mildred Graves Ryan and Velma, a title that dealt with helping to ensure young women of the time were as fashionable as possible. Along with snippets of text, this post includes some very chic photos showing exactly what ladies of the day were sporting from the pages of that book.


* Not circle skirting – The origins of the circle skirt: Here’s Looking Like You, Kid digs into the humble origins of one of the most iconic looks of the 50s, the circle skirt, in this lovely and informative post.


* Fall college fashions: While the telltale nip of autumn’s breeze may still be a distant dream for many, there’s no denying that summer is winding down and with its end nearing, a return to school is on the horizon for many, including college students. Travel back in time via this Sally Jane Vintage post and take a peek at some pretty collegiate appropriate styles from yesteryear.



A very dear blogging friend of mine, Cait (from in company with sparkles), recently bestowed a most lovely award upon this site (thank you so much, sweet heart!). The premise behind this accolade is that it is to be passed along to blogs which continually inspire you. To this end, the thought occurred to me that instead of simply writing one post and listing a number of inspiring blogs, I would take the spirit of this award and pass it along each weekend to one blog that never ceases to amaze and inspire me, as part of the weekly link roundup post.



There are literally countless blogs that inspire and delight me with their fantastic images, words and themes, so I see no trouble in passing along this award to a great many sites over time.

This week, I would like to bestow the Inspiring Blog award upon Tales of a retro-modern housewife, whose pages are bursting at the seams with vintage fashion, hairstyling, home decor, art and lifestyle information and photos. Retro-Modern Housewife, please feel free to pass along this award to whomever you like or simply accept it with my gratitude for the incredible inspiration your always blog provides me with.


In last week’s video clip we took a gander at elegant ladies fashions from the 1950s, this time around the focus in on the gents, in this short 1954 newsreel piece highlighting some of the latest work and sportswear men’s styles of the day.


{Men’s Fashions 1954}



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Before this post wraps up, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thanks to a wonderful new Flickr friend of mine, Georgianna, who recently wrote about a Chronically Vintage post in which I highlighted one of her resoundingly beautiful photos. If you’ve not had the good fortune to chance upon this lovely lady on Flickr, I really can’t encourage you enough to check out her stunning floral and nature themed photography, which is blended expertly well with artistic flourishes.


{This piece, entitled "Signs of Summer", is just one example of the dazzling, charmingly beautiful photographic work Georgianna creates.}


What have you been up to this weekend, my dears? Have you been soaking up the rays or doing your best to avoid the heat as much as possible? With many weeks of this season behind us at the point, I finally feel like I’ve hit my stride in terms of finding a happy middle ground when it comes to both embracing and contending with summer’s sizzling temperatures. Still, even if summer and I are better friends this time around, like many of us, I’m bursting at the seams with excitement just thinking about autumn’s arrival, whenever it occurs.

Wishing you each a gorgeous, serene and wonderful week ahead!




*PS*

Be sure to keep your evening free tonight, the third season of Mad Men kicks off at 10pm EST (9pm Central) on AMC!

Pretty Link Roundup {August 2, 2009}

Happy Sunday to one and all, how are you each on this second day in August? It's been an interesting weekend so far here, which kicked off with at least one (possibly more) of our fuses blowing quite entirely out of the blue (in other words abhorrent amounts of power were not being consumed at the time) late Friday night.

As we live in an apartment with, what’s I’ll tactfully call “less than stellar” maintenance, we were told that the problem couldn’t get fixed until at least mid-week, partially because they were entirely out of replacement fuses. Fortunately while two rooms and portions of others in our unit are currently without power, the fridge and stove are working, so we didn’t have to do a mad dash to buy pounds of ice in a futile attempt to keep our food from spoiling. Hopefully the issue will get fixed this week, as it rather nice to have all the rooms in your home illuminated and ready to power your electronics (including your computer!).


{While our building hails from around 1970, I could sure use some fuses at the moment whether they’re vintage, retro or modern, just so long as they fit and work! Image via HA! Designs – artbyheather’s Flickr stream.}

Aside from that, things are quite their usual selves, I’m happy to report. As you may recall, I missed compiling a weekly roundup up last weekend due to extenuating medical circumstances, and as a result pledged an even larger number of links this week. Keeping my word was a snap, as there is rarely a shortage of interesting articles to be found each week in the vintage blopsphere.

Below you’ll find posts on everything from what’s recommended if you want to get into being a pin-up model to an ode to the timelessly wonderful shirtwaist dress, plus many other fantastic topics! The video clip in the spotlight this week is a terrific how-to segment featuring step-by-step instructions for creating a beautiful vintage style starburst mirror. Enjoy these links, everyone, and be sure to share any of your favourite recent posts with me in the comment section, if you like.


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* Oh Nancy Drew, how I love you: Jessica over at The Cat’s Pajamas put together a truly stellar, image filed post that pays tribute to her love of one of my all-time favourite childhood series of books: Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. My mother had tons of 1950s and 60s Nancy Drew titles from her childhood, which I lapped up with intrigue and gusto as a youngster. This post brought back many lovely memories and also reminded me to keep my eyes peeled for Nancy Drew books while I’m out thrifting.

* The Lucy Fashion Chronicles 2: I love Lucy fan - and expert on the show’s wardrobe – Miss Red Lips presents the second in her ongoing series of posts about the beautiful, often very “real world” fashions that Lucille Ball sported on this classic TV sitcom.

* Cutting Your Own Bettie Bangs: The Bettie Page style of bangs has become synonymous with rockabilly culture, pinup models and vintage loving gals everywhere, yet it can be a style that’s tricky to get right (especially if your stylist has no experience with this type of fringe). If you’ve wanted to try your hand at giving yourself Bettie Bangs, be sure to swing by and bookmark this thorough, extremely handy how-to from the Lisa Freemont Pages.

* Operation Petticoat: Can’t find the right size or style petticoat that you’re looking for? No worries, Sew Retro gives you step-by-step instructions on sewing a petticoat of your own.

* Vintage shopping expert tips: Queens of Vintage present five handy tips for getting the most out of your vintage shopping experience.

* How do I get into Pin-up?: Helen from the Pin-Up Parade offer up some insightful, straightforward advice on the steps one should take if they are serious about getting into pinup modeling. All the while reminder readers that extremely few woman make a full time career out of this type of modeling, and that if you’re interested, it is best viewed as a hobby you truly love, not a million dollar job.

* Botanical Gardens: I just discovered this site a few days ago but am already smitten with it. This blog is clearly helmed by someone with passion for vintage fashion and photography, as evident by the photos of a charming young couple sporting 1920s and 30s looks, such as the ones in this shoot entitled “Botanical Gardens”, which somehow reminds me subtly of the 1937 book Out of Africa.

* A vintage swimwear guide: A suit for all body types: Another entry from Queen’s of Vintage this week, this one focused on finding vintage swimwear to suit a variety of different body types. It’s certainly handy for those may still be searching for the perfect style of swimwear to don before summer comes to a close.

* The quintessential shirtwaist dress: Vintage fashion guru Casey takes a look at one of the most time-honoured and versatile ladies wear pieces to ever be invented, the shirtwaist dress, in this lovely image bedecked post.

* Inspiration: redheads: Being of the ginger ranks myself, I couldn't possibly pass up the chance to share a post about redheads as sources of beauty and fashion inspiration! :)

* Something to look forward to I never knew existed: To say my heart skipped a beat when I read this post would be an understatement. Once I’d picked by jaw up off the ground, I knew I’d found a future dream trip! What got my motor running so? Turns out that each year a vintage music, dance and Hawaiian beach party themed festival is held in Senigallia, Italy. While I’d never heard of this event before, it’s clearly very popular and attracts a wide audience from around the world, including a certain Ms. Dita! (For more info be sure to check out a post on the wonderful blog Greetz from Tiz, as well.)

* How to get luminous skin - the vintage way: The ever-gorgeous and knowledgable expert on vintage style and beauty Fleur de Guerre, takes us through her daily skincare routine – which is filled with wonderful, old fashioned products – in this thoroughly well-written post.

* Vintage Hollywood Magazine Covers: Aileen shares a well-culled collection of absolutely lovely silent film era Hollywood magazine covers.

* Besame Mucho: Vintage Beauty with Besame Cosmetics: Via the Debutant Clothing blog I discovered a terrific article that Sandra recently held with CEO and president of Besame Cosmetics, Gabriela Hernandez. For those who may not be familiar with Besame products yet, they're a fabulous make-up company that creates a wealth of cosmetics that have been deeply influenced by vintage make-up and packaging design.

* Summer Suiting: Millie Motts has a nice little post comprised of black and white fashion magazine pages about yesteryear mens summertime suits.

* Red Lipsticks: Handy, easy to remember tips and tricks to getting your red lip stick look just right, from the pages of Mademoiselle Guillotine’s blog.

* How to carry a purse and wear gloves like a lady: Scans from a 1968 etiquette book reveal the secrets behind how a lady should sport gloves and carry her handbag, in this post from Couture Allure. (Be sure to check out some of her other recent posts as well, as she’s scanned various other pages from the same book as well. And for even more fantastic glove etiquette tips, be sure to pop by this lovely post on Rosina Lee’s blog.)

* Fashion Photography 1920 – Edward Steichen: A strikingly elegant, artistic array of 1920s Edward Steichen photographs compose this gorgeous, image laden post from Glamour Daze.

* Collectors Weekly: This site recently came to my attention and I thought it was definitely worth mentioning as it features an array articles on various topics pertaining to vintage fashion.


This week the video taking centre stage revolves around a super handy tutorial from Thread Banger on how to make your own 1950s style starburst mirror. I was impressed with how incredibly easy this clip makes crafting one of these iconic home decor elements look, and must say that I’d love to give creating one a try myself someday.


{Atomic Starburst Mirror, 50s Decor it Yourself}




It’s currently nearing mid-afternoon and the while the temperature has put on the breaks a smidge and the sky is veering more towards faded grey denim than sparkling blue and sunny, it’s still very much summer here! (Just ask my precious little cat Stella, who’s taken to lounging on the bathroom tiles and in the tub so that her flurry body can lay atop something cool to the touch.)

I’ve got oodles of laundry to fold this afternoon, emails to catch up on, letters to write (I adore – and have never stopped – penning good old fashioned “snail” mail), and several days worth of blog feeds to dive into before I whip up a lovely Sunday supper this evening. What plans are on your agenda today – and this for the coming week, sweet dears?



{A casually dressed young woman, who was training to be a pilot at the time in the Women's Flying Training Detachment, writes a letter home in this 1943 Life Magazine photo.}


However you spend your Sunday, I truly hope it’s a relaxing, joyful one for you!