{Will Santa still believe you’ve been good all year if you hang this alluring stocking off the fireplace mantle or foot of the bed? Of course he will, for Santa knows all vintage loving gals are sweeter than sugar right to their cores! :D With just one month left until Christmas Day, it’s high time to start decking the halls (and the living room, and kitchen, and bedrooms, and – every spot in your abode!), and what more enjoyable way to incorporate a shot of vintage cheer into your festive decor than with an adorable pin-up girl Christmas stocking? Three different patterns of fabric featuring sultry lasses (such as the blonde bombshell pictured above) are available for $15.00 (US) a piece from etsy Deluxe Junque.}
Before Christmas arrives however, my wonderful US friends and visitors have Thanksgiving Day to look forward to tomorrow. From the bottom of my heart I wish all those who are gathering to give thanks, share in a beautiful meal, and honour the splendor of the autumnal harvest on Thursday, the utmost of joy and serenity as you celebrate this meaningful day.
This post began its life on Saturday, but I must confess to falling asleep quite literally with my laptop alongside me on the sofa yesterday evening. While I cannot call the day immensely exhausting from a physical standpoint, I think I was worried into slumber over money and the fact that earlier in the day darling husband and I had returned from the bank whereat we paid our income taxes in full (it’s the first time either of us has had to pay, and boy howdy, was it a hefty chunk of change to dole out in one go!).
I perked the evening up by making my (very North American-ized) version of chicken and mixed vegetable yaki udon (with perhaps what might be called a slight French hit thanks to a little pat of butter I used to enrich and thicken the sauce, of which I prefer their to be copious amounts), that hit the spot wonderfully, but I think helped lull me to dreamland as well. I awoke this morning perhaps no less consumed by thoughts of finances (story of my life for...well, ever! ;D), but ready to continue hopping to and fro among some of my favourite blogs, looking for all sorts of vintage goodness to share with you.
Immersed in an online universe centred around the bygone days of earlier times it’s tremendously hard not to shake off at least some of one’s worldly woes for a little while. Escaping to – or perhaps more aptly, peeping in on – the past is great joy of mine and a huge part of what drives my love of vintage. No matter how dreary, rough, fantastic, ordinary, strange, or “taxing” the day is, I know that the pursuit of vintage images, fashion, music, films, decor and the like will always transport my heart and soul to a relaxing place that is full of mystique, allure and beauty.
{Was life truly any less carefree in the 40s or 50s? Who’s to say for sure? One thing is certain though, the majority of magazine photo spreads – such as this jolly balloon filled beach scene – would have you believe that it was. Image via Party Perfect’s Flickr stream.}
And on that note may I present to you this week’s roundup of diverse vintage links, spanning everything from Wizard of Oz inspired red heels to movie ads from the thirties. I really hope you enjoy them!
* Quick Vintage Up-Do: Every hair style I’ve ever seen Atomic Mama sport looks nothing short of fabulous, and in this post her speedy vintage do is absolutely no exception. Be sure to check it out if you’re looking for an awesome vintage style in mere moments.
* In Praise of (Vintage) Shorts: With summer’s heat bearing down on us it’s time to shake off long pants and don some shorts. In this article Lizzie of the Vintage Traveler takes a journey through the subject of vintage shorts, complete with a lot of history and lovely images featuring these pint sized trousers.
* Bathing Beauties (Volume 2): Betsy eye for beauty, timeless style and immensely wearable pieces is a joy to behold each week in her blog posts, such as this terrific piece full of summer bathing suits that tickle her fashion fancy.
* A Return to Vintage: Some Like It Vintage observes the excellent point that in times of financial troubles and/or world crisis, a return to the art of good tailoring, investment pieces, and timelessness over quick flash-in-the-pan styles often appears on the fashion scene.
* It’s all about the Betty’s: The mid-twentieth century is peppered with marvelous stars who had more than just lovely bodies and faces in common, some of them also shared a common moniker: Betty, as highlighted in this lovely post by Darla.
* Come Fly With Me: The first time I flew on a plane I was 14, I was not entranced by the world of sky travel as a child, and I have a small pocketful of less-than-glamorous airline stories, and yet there is something so immensely appealing to me about the styles and aura that surround vintage airlines hostesses and the yesteryear world of aviation. As such I just about squealed with delight when I saw this image packed post on the subject vintage air travel from Moonspinner of Dust Jacket Attic.
* 30s Film Ads: Images of quirky, charming, and absolutely delightful black and white movie advertisements from the 1930s are on the bill in this cinema themed post.
* Hosiery Fashion Timelines: The older I get (ok, at a month shy of 25 I don’t think I’m quite out to pasture yet, but nevertheless...) the more I find myself in love with hosiery. Giddy about denier and pattern, hue and material, tights and stockings alike, it’s always a pleasure to encounter an article on the subject of this wardrobe staple, such as this lovely one from Glamour Daze.
* There’s no place like home: Arrive wearing a pair of sparkly, glitter encrusted red shoes and chances are people anywhere will instantly think of the footwear Dorthy wandered around Oz in. This fun post gathers a slew of glistening crimson heels together into one spot, making it even easier to agree “there’s no place like a shoe store!” :D
* Wardrobe Staple: Shirtdress: Teaming with photos and interesting facts (plus styling tips), this post does a wonderful job of highlighting and displaying the subtle, ageless beauty that emanates from the humble shirtdress in all its past and present iterations. (And for more on the subject of these practical yet deeply pretty frocks, be sure to see Miss Ruby La Mour’s post on the same topic.)
This week the video in the limelight comes care of LadyMakeup1, and features a handy-dandy tutorial on how to emulate the make-up style that Lucile Ball sported throughout the I Love Lucy series. So fun and adorable!
When you jump into the online cosmos of all things vintage, how does it make you feel? I hope that as I do, you find tranquility, enjoyment and inspiration as the days of the past do their best to make the present world better, brighter and more joyful for those of us who admire them so dearly.
Greetings, lovely readers, I hope that you’re having a splendid weekend! It's a grey and drizzly one here, but I'm not letting that dampen my spirits. I’m still floating a good ten feet above the ground over my marvelous hair cut and the fact that darling hubby returned home this week.
My weekend kicked off on the loveliest note, when I received an email on Friday from Betsy of From Betsy With Love, letting me know that she’d honoured my blog with one of her delightful photo mosaics in her Weekend Links post this week. Thank you so, so much, Betsy dear!
{Isn’t Betsy’s collage of images from Chronically Vintage positively gorgeous? Thank you very much, sweet dear, for giving my blog so much love!}
* Hollywood mommy: Emme of songs I sing compiled a superb collection of vintage starlets such as Barbara Stanwyck, Lucille Ball and Gene Tierney with their lovely children. I enjoyed viewing these photos a lot, especially as an alternative to the endless stream of certain Hollywood wee ones you see in the glossy spreads these days.
* A classic Hollywood make-over in 8 steps: This week Mademoiselle Robot featured guest make-up artist Alexandra Collins, who shared a wonderfully useful series of steps/tips to help you achieve a picture perfect vintage Hollywood face.
* How to do rag curls: I love rag curls and remember with fondness how my grandmother would twirl my hair around scraps of fabric when I was younger. Even from an early age my hair was too fine to hold a curling iron curl and as I looked on longingly at curly haired people and dolls alike, she came to the rescue with the age old art of rag girls. Here Vintage Vixen takes you through the steps (complete with photos) of how to achieve perfect rag curls.
* Betsy McCall paper dolls: Over at what-i-found, Tina added a delightful vintage 1957 Betsy McCall paper doll sheet that anyone and everyone can download, print off and place with to their heart’s content.
*How to grade patterns: Sewing fans delight, The New Vintage Wardrobe has a post up this week – complete with step-by-step photos – all about the method needed to increase the size of patterns (whatever era they may hail from).
* Some thoughts on stockings – care and wear: From the delightful pages of a blog I just discovered today, comes a great article on keeping your stockings (be they nylons or otherwise) in tip-top condition as well as what to look for when selecting hosiery. (And should you be looking to add some superb vintage inspired legwear to your wardrobe, I can’t recommend What Katie Did highly enough.)
* An Ode to Department Stores: I definitely share the sentiments of this post by Past Perfect Vintage, in which the author reflects fondly on the once common mainstay of towns and cities everywhere: the department store.
* McCadrellisms: The title of this post doesn’t even begin to do justice to the fascinating look back at vintage fashion terms Glamoursplash has highlighted, each one taken from the 1956 book What Shall I Wear.
* It’s cookout time! How to have a vintage backyard BBQ: Fantastic tips, steps and scrumptious mixed drink recipes to help get you out into the yard in vintage style this weekend, from excellent retro lifestyle blog Atomic Radar.
* What’s one of the best things about the return of spring and summer? Yard sales! I recently stumbled about Yard Sale Bloodbath, a terrific site that’s jam packed with going ons of the Seattle garage sale scene.
{Four delightfully stylish, bathing suit clad ladies enjoy the warm weather in this charming 1949 photo, which comes by way of myvintagevogue’s Flickr stream.}
This week’s feature video while not strictly vintage related, can certainly be translated into helping your vintage wardrobe. Care of the cool folks over at Thread Bangers, this clip features a trip to the Simplicity sewing pattern company in which a talented Simplicity employee explains how to sketch fashion – even if you’re not the most artistically inclined person. After watching it, I definitely felt inspired to draw and am now thinking I should pick up some pencil crayons :)
There we have it, some of the awesome vintage links that provide oodles of inspiration to me this week; I hope you enjoy them all too! If you have any of your own wonderful links or sources of inspiration that you’ve discovered, please don’t hesitate to share them in the comment section.
Wishing you each a joyful and sunny weekend, vintage dears!
