Vintage Fashionista Friday: March 5, 2010

There is always a degree of excitement when I begin a new type of post that is set to occur regularly within the pages of Chronically Vintage. A clear sense of eagerness accompanies that exhilaration, as I begin to tentatively create the layout design that future editions (in this case for the brand new “Vintage Fashionista Friday” series) will adhere to – or at least be guided in some measure by.

To date one of the most popular posts on this site (not to mention one of my absolute favourite to put together!) has been Seven Stunning Vintage Holiday Season Outfits, which appeared in the early days of last December. That holiday season article – and the immensely positive response it received – really got the ball rolling in terms of what inspired the idea behind this new “end of the work-week” post.

In that piece I created seven distinct looks based on different vintage styles (such as “The Jitterbug” and “The Bombshell”), handpicking a number of items for each style. I think that for this budding series of fashion centered posts, I’m going to adopt a somewhat similar approach, however, instead of classifying each look by a title (for example, “The Girly-Girl”), I’m going to bestow a female name upon each weekly look.

As I was mentioning just the other evening on the phone with my step-dad (while discussing an entirely unrelated matter), I’ve always had a passion for naming things. Growing up I named nearly everything in my bedroom, including the beloved down filled pillow that saw me through my whole childhood (it’s name, if you're wondering, was Squishy), and that passion for bestowing monikers onto things has scarcely waned over the years (to this day any doll, plush toy or anthropomorphic item that comes into my house gets its own special name).

There’s something soulful and endearing about giving an item – or in this case, a handful of items grouped together – a human name. Doing so is certainly not a new act in the world of fashion; just think of the many clothing, shoe, handbag, and jewelry designers that assign monikers to their items and/or collections, some of which – like the Hermès Kelly bag – have literally become household names amongst those with a passion for style.

Of course the sort of look that one person might conjure up in their mind for the girl’s name “Evelyn”, for example, may be entirely different from what you yourself would picture someone with that name wearing. If you ask me, that’s part of the fun in assigning handles to things! The names I’ll bestow on each look are the product of my imagination; they’ll be based on anything and everything from a passing whim to a lifelong association with a direct source of inspiration.

In giving a ladies’ name to each weekly outfit (which is composed of a selection of different wardrobe pieces, accessories and related items that tie into a particular style), I feel that it embeds an extra level of depth to the very title “Fashionista”. For just as with women themselves, beautiful looks should always have a name to be remembered by.

And on that very note, let me present Chronically Vintage’s first ever edition of “Vintage Fashionista Friday”, staring a lovely, excellent for the beginning of March ensemble I’ve dubbed “Daphne”.


♥ ♥ ♥


{Sensuous curves and a fabulously elegant shade of steely-lilac, paired with gold toned arm bands, combine to make this stunning set of 1950s aluminum cat eye style frames a true work of art for your pretty peepers. Vintage women’s eyeglasses frames (which do not include lenses, so that you easily have them filled with your own prescription), $82.00 (US) from etsy seller Vintage 50s Eyewear.}



{Cardigans are a wardrobe staple all year round, but few times call for them more than when winter is slowly beginning to transition into spring. This immensely cheerful vintage button front sweater (labelled as size “M”) in the hue of fresh churned butter would pair well with everything from sun dresses to wool skirts, making a great piece to have on hand no matter the season. Splash some sunshine into your wardrobe with this cute cardi, which can be found from etsy seller My World of Wonder’s shop for $28.00 (US).}



{When I think of a woman named Daphne, I imagine a bold mix of sultry allure and girl-next-door charm. She’s the type of gal who wears a fragrance that is both feminine and powerful, such as Galanos (by Galanos), a classic scent that’s been on the market for over thirty years now. Mixing cedar wood with geranium, rose, carnation, oak moss, musk and other heady floral and earth notes, this scent would be perfect for the ethereal lady I envision in today’s vintage look. A 60ml bottle of Galanos eau de toilette can be had for $43.24 (Cnd) from FragranceX.com.}



{A cacophony of gorgeous leaves in rich shades of blue, plum and yellow swirl to and fro across this immensely pretty 1940s/50s cotton day dress (complete with rhinestone buttons down the front), which is fits up to a 40 inch bus/32 inch waist, and is available for $118.00 (US) from etsy seller The Greedy Seagull.}



{This glistening set of elasticized rhinestone bracelets from Forever 21 would be the perfect way to add a pop of sparkle to another wise understated outfit – or they’d do just as nicely as the finishing hit of pizazz for a to-the-nines look. No matter what you match them up with, there’s no denying their sticker price of $10.80 (US) for the entire set is real gem of a deal!}



{Sometimes it’s the most agelessly precious of items that can add extra life to an outfit or a room. Case in point, this darling Bukowski of Sweden plush bunny rabbit, which so wonderfully echoes the approaching spirit of spring and Easter time. This sweet little bundle of faux fur can be found for $10.00 (US) from etsy seller Hello Darling! Vintage.}



{Imagine you’re strolling through a field of vibrant daffodils as you go about your day in these upliftingly lovely “Lemon Meringue Heels”, complete with their playful matching bow. These stylish citron hued pumps are available in women’s sizes 5.5 to 10, for $34.99 (US), from ModCloth.com.}

♥ ♥ ♥


I truly hope that you all enjoy and garner your own wardrobe inspiration from this blossoming series of weekly Friday articles. I must say, I'm even more giddy about the idea of Vintage Fashionista Fridays then when I began writing at the start of this post (surely that's a positive sign of things to come!).

Wishing you each a gorgeous weekend filled with countless reasons to smile, my eternally stylish dears!

Pretty Link Roundup {July 12th}

Happy Sunday, one and all! How are things in your neck of the woods? I hope that you’ve each had a fabulous weekend (and that the heat in your neck of the woods hasn’t been too unbearable!). Many happy goings-on have transpired here this week, thanks in large part to my 25th birthday on Friday. It proved to be a special, fun-filled day from sun-up until sun-down, and I really must thank my darling husband for everything he did to make this my best birthday in ages!


{Jubilant, colourful and sweetly wonderful, this photo from Simply Claudia on Flickr, perfectly captures the spirit of how my birthday felt this year.}

On the blog front there’s been no shortage of activity either! The links this weekend feature everything from what to look for when buying Lucite purses to photos of charmingly pretty old school belly dancers. Our Youtube clip of the week is a definite must-watch for those who love vintage Hawaaii looks, as it features instructions on how to achieve a terrific luau approved hairstyle. I hope you enjoy these fantastic links - I would love to hear about any other must-read posts you’ve encountered recently.

♥ ♥ ♥

* Sewing on a budget: Nine seriously handy tips to help keep your sewing costs down that any sewer or crafter is bound to appreciate.

* From Towel to Beach Coat in Five Easy Steps: A simple-as-pie vintage pattern and five quick steps is all it takes to transformed a pair of beach towels into a darling beach cover-up with loads of summer style appeal!

* Vintage Belly Dance: With a history stretching back to the days of Babylon, belly dancing is an ancient, beautiful art that still turns heads to this day! To see what belly dancers looked like in the mid-twentieth century, be sure to check out the lovely photos in this post.

* Five Tips Towards Glamorousness: A handful of easy, quick tips (like wearing lipstick and using an eyelash curler) that can help any gal feel even more glamorous.

* Get back to work Mama!: Fashionista extraordinaire Super Kawaii Mama shares her thoroughly useful tips, ideas and outfits (care of beautiful Polyvore sets) to help moms everywhere transition back into the work world while putting their their best fashion foot forward.

* A Guide to Vintage Lucite Purses: A lovely, detailed, well written article that explores the beauty of Lucite purses and guides fellow fans towards knowing what to look for when shopping for these handbag gems.

* Polka Dot Vintage Dresses: Couture Allure gathers up a marvelous assortment of dresses decked out in timelessly pretty polka dots. (Each one is a treasure, but the 1950s Jonathan Logan number really caught my eye!)

*
Street-style Stars Take a Lesson From Old Hollywood Elite: A fun side-by-side comparison of some modern day street fashion lovelies next to images of old school Hollywood stars with whom their outfits share a lot in common.

* Finding Ginger: Care of the terrific site Old Hollywood Glamour, I recently discovered a blog devoted entirely to the immortally gorgeous starlet Ginger Rogers. Be sure to stop by for fun facts about this talented actress and for oodles of great 30s, 40s, and 50s fashion inspiration.


This week’s video clip features the lovely Iris of All the girlie things as she takes viewers through a very thorough step-by-step tutorial on how to create an adorable vintage Hawaiian girl inspired hairstyle, that would be perfect for any luaus or other tropical get-togethers (or getaways) you might have on the horizon.

{Luau Hair Pinup Doll}




The highlight of this past week was definitely my birthday on Friday, but the joyful spirit that swirled throughout all of it really helped to establish summer on the right foot. I hope that each of you are encountering many reasons in your own lives to celebrate, and that your summer days will be filled with many vintage delights!

Five items I would always/never wear

Wednesday’s post about one of my year-round favourite items of clothing (lightweight knits) prompted me to think more about those pieces which are perennial favourites and those that would never be seen within a five mile radius of my closet.

Across the pages of many fantastic blogs, I’ve recently been noticing a fun “tagged meme” sort of post popping up, in which the writer describes five items of clothing or other fashion related items she (or he) is eternally fond of wearing and five which they would never be seen dead – let alone alive – in. I haven’t been tagged, but I think it’s still A-ok for me to compose my own such list.

Before I begin, I must say that there are very few items of clothing I truly loath, that I would have to be plied with copious amounts of liquor or be handed a cheque with numerous zeros to put on. Like most people who enjoy (re: insanely love) fashion, I have distinct favourites and have developed a style of my own, but that doesn’t mean I dislike a certain pieces of clothing just because I don’t own one of said item. Everything that I love will be hated by someone and vice versa. So if you’re wild about some of the items that I’m not on speaking terms with, please know that chances are I dislike the item primarily because it just doesn’t work on my body type, not because I feel it needs to be put in a lead box and dropped in the middle of the ocean.


{Always}
These items are my clothing are my bread and butter, my BBFs for life; they’ve got my back (often literally), and I’ve got a perpetual soft spot in my heart for them. Without these pieces my wardrobe as I know it would cease to exist.


Full skirts: To say I love full skirts (which hit just below the knee or longer) is a true understatement. I would don a crinoline and get my Gone With The Wind style on, gleefully, any day if given the chance. While I have a penchant for pencil skirts too, there’s something about the undeniably feminine element of a skirt that bells out at the bottom that appeals to me on every possible fashion level.


{Drop-dead gorgeous floral print? Check. Hailing from the 1950s? Check. Full skirt? Check. Ladies and gents, we have a winner!}


Classic, tastefully tall boots : I have somewhat wide, uneven sized, thick feet and as such have had to watch the majority of sexy, strappy heels and shoes poke fun at me my whole life. Thank goodness for boots, whose construction often affords those with wide feet more room, while still looking stylish. I love black, brown or other dark hued boots, especially those in the mid-calf to just-below-the-knee range (think classic English riding boot height), a good pair of which can almost always sooth my nerves after I’ve tried on 947 pairs of heels/sandals/wedges/sling-backs/flats that wouldn’t stay – or couldn’t get – on my feet.


{What can I say, I’m a sucker for an elegant, classic tall boot that works its stylish magic all through bitterly cold autumn, winter and early spring months. Must be the Canadian fashionista in me.}


Crisp, well tailored button front shirts: I have at times described my style as mid-twentieth century meets Stevie Knicks meets Victorian belle meets Martha Stewart, though really the later is added to mix simply because I love the look – and wearing – of classic, well cut button front blouses. They work incredibly well with a pencil skirt to highlight my hourglass curves, and have the amazing ability to transcend and rise above whatever wacky fashion trends might be going on at the moment. And hey, we all know that’s a good thing!


{If you’re ever going to buy something in multiples, I implore to make it gorgeous button front shirts like this one. They are to fashion what Mozart is to classical music.}


Polka dots: Awww, mommy dearest, I know it was you and your adoration of Little Dot cartoons that instilled a passion for these charming spots in me from the get-go. So long as they steer clear of the large, mod era circles, I love polka dots like they were a member of my own family.


{One look at this charming dress and I decided to create a new take on an old expression: cute as a polka dot!.}


Dark denim: Imagine the best dessert you’ve eaten in your life, think about how its flavours sent your taste buds on a joy ride, how you wanted it to last forever and how every other dessert you’ve consumed since has secretly been compared to that one. Now imagine a stale convenience store fruit pie that’s probably been sitting on the shelf for three years. To me that is what it’s like to compare dark denim with light denim. From the moment I bought my first pair of indigo hued jeans (September 2000, I remember the day well), I’ve never been able to wear anything below a medium hued denim, the darker the inky blue, the better (ideally in a slight boot-cut or classically tailored trouser leg). Denim cheesecake if ever there was!


{Sliming, sophisticated, versatile, dark, well cut, “bling-free” denim should be a staple in everyone’s wardrobe. I mean it, everyone’s!}


{Never}
Sorry, nuh-ha, never-ever going to happen in a million years. Well, ok, probably never. What am I saying? Never. Period.

Drop crotch pants: Seriously, never. I would quite literally prefer to walk out the door in my knickers than wear these trouser monstrosities. I am appalled that they’re having an of-the-moment love fest in the world of fashion. IMO, anyone who wears these pants is doing so for the attention they’ll generate, not because they actually look presentable in them.


{Not even the pretty grey fabric and bow can save these “pants” from being a fashion train wreck. Tisk, tisk, tisk such a waste of a perfectly good piece of material.}


Anything with ridiculous amounts of unnecessary drapes/folds of fabric: I love Shar Peis, I really do, they’ve always been one of my favourite breeds of dogs, the thing is I don’t want the fabric I’m wearing to have as many folds as one of these precious pup’s faces. I’m always up for a little pleating, rouching or draping where it adds something to the item itself, but when the folds become the whole piece, I’d rather just wear a square sack (unless it’s the square sack dress at the bottom of this list, in which case, ok, hand off the built-in wrinkles).


{Even the adorable haircut and quirky headband on the model failed to rescue this outfit from looking like a crumpled Kleenex.}


Jumpers/jumpsuits: There were certain wardrobe elements of the 80s that I secretly wished would remain buried in the past. Yet like fashion zombies many such items of clothing have freakishly reappeared this year (think acid wash jeans, massively exaggerated shoulders, neons, slap bracelets, over-sized, off the shoulder sweaters; bike shorts – or as I like to call these pieces, six more items I’d never wear!). Rising from the wardrobe dead in full force are jumpers (aka, jumpsuits or rompers). I think part of the reason I’m not wild about the adult onsie look, is because you (often) need rather long legs to pull this style off with any degree of success. Lacking lengthy gams, I end up looking like more like a 24 year old auditioning for an Osh-Kosh commercial, than a worldly woman of fashionable style.


{The words “silk” and “Victoria’s Secret” is usually a winning combination, yet not even a lux fabric and great label could pull off a jumper that I’d ever even consider wearing around the house, while home alone, with the curtains drawn and all the lights turned off.}


Gladiator sandals/heels: Like a plague of locus, footwear inspired by blood-thirsty Roman fighters seems to have ascended in great numbers upon the pages of almost every fashion mag in town. While I do think that on some women the plethora of buckles, straps and other bondage gear-like parts these shoes posses looks nice, on someone like myself who is immensely allergic to nickel (and thus has to avoid any form of metal most of the time on shoes), the thought of twelve buckles or rows of studs is enough to wake me up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.


{If your shoes require you to schedule a block of time from your day to put them on, it may be time for footwear that didn't come from an era of unfathomable human (and animal) bloodsport.}


Kindergarten Teacher dresses: I’m not sure if there’s an exact name for the type of dress I’m talking about here, but just about anyone who went to school (or had kids of an elementary school age) in the 90s (and in some parts of the world, to this day) will know what I mean just by looking at the picture below (note, teachers are not by any means the only women I’ve seen wearing these dresses, for a while they were quite common amongst librarians, too).

This style of consists of a long, shapeless, drab, often pale denim (or part denim, part other fabric), often v-neck (or vest style top) dress that, depending on the top half of the frock, can be worn as its own pillow case like garment or put atop a blouse/t-shirt. Often the wearing of such dresses makes one look like they’re decked out in 80s or 90s maternity wear, even if they’ve got a terrific figure. On What Not To Wear, they’ve sometimes referred to frocks that are cut like this as the “I’ve given up dress”. I couldn’t agree more, they are the antithesis of all I hold sacred and dear when it comes to sporting a dress.


{Why? Just plain why? I feel like saying, “Call now and for just $26 a month you can sponsor this poor, helpless to dress lead a fulfilling life as a potato sack, slip cover, or small tarp. Your caring donation could change the life of this dress by turning it into something people might actually want”.}


That’s my list, I could add many others to both categories, but you’ve heard enough about my always/nevers. I’m admittedly quite shy when it comes to tagging fellow bloggers to continue memes onward, so instead I’ll openly invite one and all to create your own list of fives! Be sure to let me know if you do, I’d love to read yours!



*PS*

Here is the first always/never post and four others that I’ve since encountered.

* The post that started it all on Dear Golden.

* Thrift candy

* Mon Petit Fantome

* Clever Nettle

* Vintage Found

Pretty Link Roundup {May 17th}

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 :)

{How to sketch fashion}


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!

Crushing big time on Liz Clairborne

The other night I got an email from Issac Mizrahi (ok, not a personal note, but rather an email on behalf of the Liz Clairborne clothing empire signed with Mr. Mizrahi’s name) informing me about the latest pieces in their New York line had been released.

Though I’ve only owned two Liz Clairborne pieces over the years (a stripped long sleeve sweater several years ago and more recently – a now too big for me – pair of jeans), I greatly enjoyed them both. I was impressed with their quality and durability, but moreover with the feminine sense of tailoring they possessed (at 5”2, I also greatly appreciate that Clairborne pieces are often produced in petite sizes).

Like Ann Taylor and Laura Ashley, Liz Clairborne is a label I admire because of its ability to produce relatively affordable, beautiful pieces – many of which have a wonderfully innate sense of classic timelessness to them that instantly appeals to my taste in clothing (trendista, I am not!), and which lends itself quite well to achieving vintage inspired looks (think items such as sweet cardigans, girly frocks and fuller cut skirts).

I recently mentioned a pair of dark blue denim Liz Clairborne heels that I was swooning over, and after checking out the latest offering from the New York Line, I can safely say that several other items have now been jotted down on my Clairborne wish list.

Below is a selection of items that I especially like from the current pieces being offered up by the New York line. Please forgive the tiny photos, the Liz Cliarborne site uses flash to display its larger sized pics, so I had to utilize the smaller preview photos to create this mosaic.



{Starting from the top left hand top corner and working right the items are as follows: 1.) Belted Seersucker Dress 2.)Floral Stud Earring 3.)Elsie Patent Logo Tote 4.) Stretch Pleated Poplin Shirt 5.) Danielle Denim Pumps 6.) Dot Jacquard Pleated Waist Dress 7.) Pearl Cluster Earring 8.) Stretch Poplin Candy-Stripe Sundress 9.) Bow Flex-Link Bracelet 10.) Linen Bubble-Print Godet Skirt 11.) Marisa Stretch Gingham Shirt 12.) Striped Scoopneck Tee with Drawstring 13.) Jackie Stretch Seersucker Wide Leg Pant 14.) East West Leather Tote 15.) Eyelet Shawl-Collar Dress 16.) Petite Linen Godet Skirt}

The dresses - and of course those sweetly chic denim heels! - really caught my fancy, but I could easily see myself wearing any of these charming summery pieces, perhaps with a freshly picked flower tucked behind my ear.

Are any of my readers also Liz Clairborne fans?