Behind the Curtain

Sorting through those dames

I found a funny little pin-up spread with the premise of being able to tell "what a babe is by the way she sits at the lunch counter." I though it was cute, especially because of the vintage inspired outfits series I've done on different "personalities." For those who want to see more than the teaser over to the left, click here . I will warn that is shows bums though, so its probably not proper for the work environment!

This particular spread is from a pin-up collection from Taschen, but I know there are plenty of other books that have a wonderful collection of vintage pin-up spreads. For those who would like to get a steady dose of modern pin-ups with a vintage flair, you should check out Bachelor Pad magazine.

Interestingness

• Cute head thingy from Hysteria (Image from her Etsy shop).

• View some key MAD magazine fold-ins interactively online. Very cool.

• What would Nora do? An article discussing the attitude of one of my favorite characters, Nora Charles from The Thin Man.

• Rhiannon's Flickr set of 1920s-1930s women.

• Ward's Flickr set of a 1962 Fallout Shelter Handbook. I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to fallout shelter/Red Scare stuff. I'm a fan of the look of propaganda art, what can I say?

• Ms. Vanda's Flickr set of her trip to Paris.

The Sheer Issue

I've been restricting myself from buying dresses for spring and instead am stocking up on separates to allow for more versitality. There is something great about creating a million looks off one pencil skirt. There are plenty of 30s and 40s blouses on Ebay right now, but the one issue I have been finding with them is that they are all sheer. Even modern day blouses modeled after 30s and 40s looks are a bit too see-through for my liking. This, of course, was no issue for the ladies of those eras as they would wear full slips under their outfits, but finding full slips and even camis at reasonable prices are quite hard now a days. (and yet half slips are easy to find, but alas, cover the wrong half of the body for blouses!)

I have been using tank tops underneath the blouses, but never was too happy with the look as it would make the whole thing bulky and not very streamlined. To my joy I found a solution while walking through Target the other day. Hanes has these wonderful camis that solve the see-through issue, look great under sheer blouses and are only $8. What is the best is that they come in several colors, all which work with a variety of blouse colors. I got the black and pink - with the black working with dark sheers and the pink working great with light sheers, even whites. I was so happy with my find that I wanted to spread the word to you and possibly prod you to try bringing out your separates for spring.

Keeping me in good spirits...

Mail goodies have started to creep in at the new apartment. One of which was a crumpled letter from Nikki with a photo of an Everything Will Be OK piece and a photocopy of an article with wonderful stuff for my thesis. Everything a gal needs to keep her going in the last months of her masters program. She is the keenest.

Donovan also gifted me with a handmade letter portfolio for writing letters on the go. It is oh so very cool and even has a place for stamps. You can get your own at her Etsy shop. Donovan and I are also working on new stationery for 16 Sparrows. I think we will be unveiling a new line sometime next week.

In the move I rediscovered many things I forgot about or thought I lost. One of which is a honking ring that used to be my grandmother's. She gave it to me as a teen - it was made by an artist in Venezuela. I never wear rings anymore, but I'm giving this one a chance. It makes me feel like Renée Perle when I wear it. Also, the weather in Chicago has been very spring-like, making it very possible that spring may be coming soon...maybe?

Lady Collegiate, A Serial of Ritzy Coverings

So, this is the last in the series and I'm going to take a little break from the glamor for this one. As much as a girl likes to dress up, we also like to take it easy, but still look fab. With that, here is the Lady Collegiate look.

• Sailor-collar sweater from Gap.
• Art Deco Bella top from My Baby Jo.
• Alli jeans from Daddy O's.
• Navy/beige saddle shoes from Muffy's.

I may do more vintage inspired outfits later on, if you ladies are keen on these posts, but this is the end of the series for now. There is only so much eye candy a lady can handle! I hope that these posts have inspired you to try new things in your wardrobe and perhaps even introduce you to some new shops. Now, if only spring could get here so we can wear our cute clothing concoctions!

(If you are interested in hairstyling and make-up to complete your look, check out my Vintage Style Series posts.)

Murder, My Sweet

This weekend I was over at the Music Box Theatre (they spell it the old way) for their matinée series. I've been in love with this theater since the moment I moved to Chicago those few years ago and especially love their choices for their matinée shows. This season they are doing a whole line of detective/noir films and on Saturday we caught Murder, My Sweet, which is a Philip Marlowe story. I'm a big fan of Philip Marlowe, mainly through the radio show, because of his smart ass remarks and the like. We enjoyed this film, I would give it 3 out of 5 stars, and would suggest you see it if you are interested in vintage detective stories. Its a bit of a winding story and you are not sure how things relate or will get tied up until the very end, which is just how I like them.

Golddiggers of 1933, A Serial of Ritzy Coverings

The second to last outfit in this vintage inspired series, and it's all about the 1930s look, my favorite. (Oh yes, and a little movie called Golddiggers of 1933.)

• Kiss curl cocktail hat from Kiss Curl Millinery.

• High-waisted suspender pencil skirt from Go Go Retro. I was never a fan of the high-waisted suspender skirt, until I saw it on a friend of mine and it looked fabulous (and so wonderfully 1930s).

• Tamera Shirt from Forever 21. They change their stock out often, but they have *a lot* of wonderful vintage inspired blouses!

• Tease heels from Poetic Licence or Savoy pumps from Remix Vintage.

Coming up next week...Lady Collegiate.
(If you are interested in stockings and make-up to complete your look, check out my Vintage Style Series posts.)

The First

Moving went well and we have been unpacking quite swiftly, we are almost done actually. Even though I'm away from school, I'm still very much in it. In fact, I think this quarter will be more busy than when I was in classes! I took some time this weekend to relax with some baking and got the chance to break in my "new" Fire King jadite mixing bowl. Hmm...I'll have to get my hands on some more of this kitchen glassware.

His Girl Friday, A Serial of Ritzy Coverings

So here is the second installment of my vintage inspired outfit series. This one is all about 1940s glamor, but taken down a few notches so you can wear it everyday or to a semi-formal affair. By the way, if you haven't seen the film His Girl Friday yet, you should. It's a cute, fast paced black and white.

• Monsieur Reinaert Scarf - a cute alternative to the fox stole, and a great light covering for the breezy Spring season.

• Pleated pencil skirt in chocolate - Will make your bum look stunning.

• Kendra peep-toe shoe from Clark's or the Ada Binding pump from Frye.

• Feather fascinator, like from the last scene of the movie Brick. I made a post on my old blog how to make this, but I can't find it now. Basically, you buy a feather pad of your choosing and hot glue a french clip, barrette or hair comb to the back of it and you have yourself a neat little feather fascinator! If you want to recreate the one from Brick, get the pheasant pad. It is such a simple way to doll-up any look. I always get compliments when I wear mine.

Coming up next week...Golddiggers of 1933.
(If you are interested in stockings and make-up to complete your look, check out my Vintage Style Series posts.)

Moving House

I'm pretty much all packed up and am just waiting for the movers to come in and load all my stuff into a truck. Sadie and I will be on a flight back to Chicago at the end of the week and after a year and a half I'll finally be back home. I'm going to take some time away from blogging in order to get settled and all that wonderful nerve-wracking fun that comes with moving. The next post in the series of vintage inspired outfits will go up next week, but otherwise I'll see you back here sometime in the beginning of April.