New (Old) Wardrobe!

Sorry I have been MIA for a while – school has been absolutely insane lately, and tests galore. I also had duty last weekend, as well as being caught up with the recent events in Boston as some friends of mine are in the Boston and Cambridge PD. But all is well now, and I feel happy that things turned out the way that they did, both in general and for my friends, that I felt motivated to post something new for all of you!

Over the past few weeks, I have been on an epic spending spree. I just felt like I needed some things to fill in “holes” in my wardrobe (we all have them), and I ended up picking up some other things on the side as collateral damage. I feel like I have a whole new spring and summer wardrobe! I got a few new dresses, but I really upped my game in the separates department. I have a closet of nearly 40 dresses, but not too many separates. I will always prefer a dress to anything else, but one cannot deny the need for a good top or blouse and that perfect pair of pants.

These are my pants from the UK – two pairs of Freddie’s and one pair of 1940s swing trousers from Vivien of Holloway. Amazing companies with great products! Their prices may seem a little steep at first, but trust me when I say that you are really buying top notch, quality items. These are pieces that will last you for a good many years, and will be vital in your wardrobe. You will wonder what you ever did without them!

This next bunch are my US bottom separates collection. The Doris Atomic Print skirt is from Pin Up Girl clothing, and I instantly fell in love with the colour as well as the atomic pattern on this. I have a few full circle skirts, but mostly just the basics such as black, grey checkers, and this like. This is certainly a skirt that will make a statement! The high waist pants with the anchor zip are from Sourpuss clothing. I honestly can’t say enough about this company (and no, they are not sponsoring or subsidizing me in any way) – they are very efficient with their shipping, and always have great, high quality items in a wide array of styles and sizes. I go on their site frequently and always find new things I add to my wishlist and plan to purchase soon. Definitely for the rockabilly girl! They are nearby to me, so I applied to model for them – we shall see! The leopard print cigarette pants are from Pin Up Girl, and the anchor button shorts are from Sourpuss as well. The next pair are multi coloured polka dot capris from Bettie Page Clothing. These feel like a regular pair of jean capris with a bit of stretch, but have a cute late 50s/early 60s print on them that is so spunky and fun for the spring and summer. The black pencil skirt is also from Bettie Page, as I needed it since it is a must-have for any vintage or rockabilly girl!

Next up – dresses! I will always be a dress girl at heart. I tried to refrain from buying too many dresses, as I already have quite a collection, but I just can’t help myself 😉 The first are from Amy from Wildfell Hall on Etsy. I had modelled the brown dress previously, and instantly feel in love; the other I had just seen and loved the piping detail as well as the colours and pattern this dress offered. So cute and something that you can wear all year round. I also bought this vintage 1950s black “bombshell” flower dress from another seller on Etsy, and it comes with a fabulous matching cover! The next few are from Pin Up Girl Clothing: the red sailor circle dress and the banana tiki twist dress. I must say that PUG has high quality items to offer, and you can just feel it in the item as soon as you take the item out of the bag. I have other opinions on their shipping and customer service…but I will keep my mouth shut on that for now LOL. As you could probably tell by now, I really have a thing for the nautical/sailor look, and I keep finding myself drawn to them and compelled to purchase these style items. Like I said, I try to keep my wardrobe from veering sharply in one direction, but sometimes one can’t help but make a few exceptions for greatness 😉 The others are from Bettie Page Clothing; the boomerang halter top dress, the caramel black polka dot pencil dress, hunter green jumper, and the multi coloured dotted pencil dress. The dresses from Bettie Page are of an amazing quality and fit your womanly curves in just the perfect way. I was determined to get myself some more pieces from Bettie Page, and these do not disappoint!

Next category – tops! The peach tank, red Doris top, and “Team Pinup” blue tee are all from PUG. The leopard print halter and cherry print v-neck top are from Sourpuss. I realized I needed more cherry print in my wardrobe and that shirt from Pinky Pinups brand was just the ticket! The tops that are printed are all from Lucky 13 – I love their shirts, so badass and awesome! The others that are not printed (minus the black with the birds on it) are all from ModCloth. I had an issue with an order, and they immediately sent out my actual order and gave me 10% off my next order with free two day shipping. Customer service at its best! The tattoo halter top is from a seller on eBay, and it is made by Heartbreaker. I love halter tops, since they make your boobs look amazing and make your waist appear smaller. The flash of your back isn’t pornographic, but there is just something so sexy about it 🙂

Next are the mentionable unmentionables! I am a hardcore Rago fan, and as such, I had to get more items from them for a wide variety of circumstances. The first I bought from PUG, but is a Rago full body firm shaper, and will go well under any dress or tighter items. It will just streamline your body shape and emphasize those womanly curves! I also bought a beige extra firm waist cincher, as well as a mocha lace firm waist cincher. It’s always good to have options, n’est-ce pas? The bullet bra I actually bought on Amazon believe it or not, and it was only $12. Janey from the Atomic Redhead had recommended it for a traditional ’40s silhouette (slight bullet, but not super pointy like the ’50s). The black and nude lace lingerie set you see is from Dollhouse Bettie. SUPER sexy and only $48!

Shoes are next up on the list. I didn’t have a wide range of shoes, but I certainly changed that! The first group are from Iron Fist – I love almost every design from them I see! The white flats are from eBay, and the carved tiki heels are from Pinup Couture. I loved them, and they go perfectly with a few of the dresses I have! The tie up wedges are from Bettie Page (NOT the clothing company), and those amazing saddle shoes are from a seller on eBay. I just had to grab myself a pair! They are super comfortable and you can just see that these are a quality pair – not costume-y at all 🙂 The wingtip flats are also from a seller on eBay. So I think I’ve upped my shoe collection, yes? 😉

Last but not least are the assorted odds and ends. The root beer Bakelite bracelet is from eBay, while the cherry dice necklace is from Aloha Lounge Designs on Etsy. The “Loose Lips” necklace is from PUG. And I simply adore this pocket watch necklace from ModCloth – it works and just has a great vintage look to it that will go swimmingly with a wide variety of outfits. The cigarette holder is from Etsy as well, from a woman in my old hometown of Las Vegas! It is true vintage, with some added crystals for additional style and glamour. I feel so classy when I smoke now! I know it’s bad for you, but hey – I might as well look like a classy broad if I’m going to do it, right? 😛 I also managed to nab myself one of the last few Bésame Masterliner Lip Pencils, as they seem to have discontinued it for god knows what reason. These liners were fab an I was heartbroken to see it wasn’t available any longer! So I turned to the trusty eBay and found a pencil with pink and rose. I had the cerise and red colours, but I just can’t find it anywhere at all. The pink/rose colours are similar and should work fine with my red lipsticks. I also nabbed myself my first issue of Pinup America! It is the issue with Bernie & Levi Dexter from Jan/Fed 2013. It is awesome so far, and this girl may need to subscribe soon! And check out that black vintage Olga nightgown – super sexy and with a 170″ sweep – so glamourous! I just happened upon it after the auction ended, when the seller gave me a second chance offer since the original buyer never paid. These normally go for about $50 – the bigger the sweep, the more it brings. But my second chance offer was only $25! Quite a deal if I say so myself 🙂 I also nabbed myself a pocketwatch necklace (that yes, actually works) from ModCloth that has a true Art Deco flair! And that lovely mint sparkle handbag is one of two Lux de Ville purses I managed to get my hands on. My friend Yvette, the owner of Lux, is super awesome and simply just makes the most divine bags, does she not?!

I am still waiting on some more things, like a baby blue vintage Lurex top from the 1950s and an awesome 1960s political donkey belt (since I am a raging Democrat and involved in politics, I HAD to have it!), as well as some Bakelite earrings, Bomber Betty Brow Wow, black espadrilles, head scarves, and another order from Sourpuss…but I think I shall leave that for another day, oui? 🙂

So, what do all of you think of my new purchases? Are there any that appeal in particular to you all? Any new purchases you have made that you would like to share? I hope you all enjoyed my show and tell!

Review: Style Me Vintage: Step-by-Step Retro Look Book

A little over a week ago, I received an email from the lovely Amelia of IPG about whether I would like to review the upcoming book, Style Me Vintage: Step-by-Tep Retro Look Book. Of course, how could I say no to that?!

Some of you may be familiar with this series, as they have a few books out already. This is a meshing of all of them, which is great for anyone looking for a wonderful all-around foundation to begin your retro, vintage, pinup, or rockabilly style. This guide can help take you from know-nothing novice to a savvy shopper. Mind you, this is not the be all or end all, nor are other books – there are just some things you have to learn and experience yourself based on your body shape and a number of other factours.

Now, when I do reviews, I like to give full disclosure on what I received. My disclosure is this: I have the Style Me Vintage: Hair book that I bought about a year ago, and upon inspection, it seems to be very alike, like this picture tells:

The top book is just for the hair and the bottom is this book I am reviewing. I just felt the need to let everyone know about this, so there are no surprises when you receive your book.

The makeup section if this book is fabulous. As a makeup artist, a lot of tricks and tips are put into this section that will help many women to achieve their best looks.

You can go from a Marilyn Monroe look here:

To an eighties Madonna or an extreme Siouxie Sioux look as seen here:

They provide a variety of looks, starting from a 1920s Clara Bow all the way to the 1980s Madonna look and everything in between. Also, in the back of this book there are more beauty tips about how to get the perfect manicure, including the famous ’40s half moon look, as well as getting your brows perfect and nailing false eyelashes and the cat eye look. All of it is explained very well, and helps you to achieve the best look you can.

My absolute favourite part of the book is all about the clothing. If you were to buy this book, just the clothing section alone is well worth the price! It goes through each decade from the twenties through to the eighties, and lists the must have day and night looks and staples of the period. A history of each period is given to explain and rationalize why the fashion was the way it was during that time. Included in each section are amazing tips to help boost your period look, and some definitions of things you may see in the book or have heard of before, such as what a bias cut is.

This section has incredibly useful extras including a whole portion on shape wear and underwear as well as swimsuits of different periods. The most helpful are the sections dedicated to how to make easy repairs to damaged items, from tears, washing, stains, drying, and storage. This is so important for any vintage lover to know, so you can keep your fabulous frocks in the best shape and to help them get even better if need be.

There is also a great section about how to get into vintage clothes. I know this may sound ridiculous to some, but there are different ways to put on different items without tearing them or thinking they don’t fit when in actuality they will but just need to be put on correctly. This will help so many gals get into those amazing and to die for dresses without being disappointed that they can’t get in it when all it needs is a little battle planning! It also includes a “vintage shopping necessity kit” that you should always bring when shopping, such as a tape measure and a wide belt. It also guides you on how to properly inspect items for any flaws and how to get chummy with the sales people to get the first dibs on good items. Another area is a quickie list on how to date vintage, which is helpful to know that what you are pining for is indeed a fifties frock and not an eighties knockoff.

I found this book to be quite an amazing addition to my collection, and is something I will surely go back to reference from time to time. The layout of the book is gorgeous, as is the cover with its vintage inspired fabric cover. I read this in its entirety, and it just has a wealth of fabulous facts and information on every page that I think will serve all of my readers on numerous levels, from the beginner to the more advanced. It is gorgeous to look at, put together well, and will serve as your go-to reference book quite often!

Style Me Vintage: Step-by-Step Retro Look Book is available for $29.95 (US) or $32.95 (CAN) November 2012 at bookstores everywhere or through Trafalgar Square Publishing. This book is also available on Amazon as well.

Do yourself a favour and go for it – it will be worth it, I assure you 🙂

The Sneaky Girl’s Guide to eBay

Hello all! I apologize for being MIA lately – I have been having a test every week in school lately and plus I have been horribly ill with some type of intestinal malady that has really taken the life out of me. But don’t worry – I’m not abandoning all of you! As a matter of fact, due to my recent addiction to eBay, I decided I would dedicate a whole post on how to find, decipher, and sneakily bid on items, particularly of a vintage nature.

First, we will touch upon how and what to search for, then picking through what you find with a deciphering eye. Then comes the fun part – how to bid on the item of your lust in a way that will turn the tables in your favour from others. Ready? Let’s go!

1. What do I need to search for?

This is a labour of love for many. You can’t just expect to find what you want automatically upon the first search in the first few results. It happens, but rarely. What the key here is, is to use language and words to your advantage to bring you the best results. Keep in mind some people call things by different names, like here where I live we call it soda; out in the Midwest it’s called pop; and in the south it is indiscriminately called Coke no matter if it is Pepsi, Seven Up, or otherwise.

Here are some ideas for search terms:

Vintage: retro, midcentury, New Look, forties, fifties, sixties, 40s, 50s, 60s, atomic, rockabilly

Shirt: Blouse, pull over, button up, tee shirt, chemise, tunic

Shoes: loafer, heels, sandals, pumps, boot, foot wear

Pants: Slacks, trousers, jeans, britches

So as you can see, there are many different names that one particular item can be called. Don’t limit yourself by sticking to only one word. Also, feel free to mix and match different terms to see what you get. It’s kind of like a slot machine – you will get that big payoff if you keep trying! I also highly recommend having a thesaurus at the ready for just such efforts.

2. How do I know what I am bidding on is the real deal?

I have noticed that a lot of sellers have misleadingly posted that their items are vintage from the fifties, but upon closer inspection and other various details it is easy to see that what is being sold is a frock from the eighties. Some do this unknowingly, since they are not entirely educated themselves on the subject and just see very common elements of a time period and assume that it is so; others do this purposefully, in order for their item to move faster or to get the higher price they want in saying it is from the fifties, and assuming most can’t tell the difference. Well, I am here to educate you so you know what you are dealing with! And educated consumer is the happiest consumer.

❎ No pre-1950s item should have a plastic zipper. If anything, it should have a metal zipper. The best tellers are if you find buttons and hooks and eyes as the only way to fasten the garment.

✅ Most vintage clothing did not have cut seams until around the 1960s. Clothing before that should have raw seam edges, and hemlines should have a fairly large amount of fabric folded over compared to what we are used to seeing today.

❎ Don’t be fooled by common elements repeated in time. Have you ever noticed how styles from however many years ago seem to come back around? Look at skinny jeans now – they were popular back in the 80s, but the difference between then and now is the lack of a high waist. Those are the little nuances that you have to educate yourself on and look for in items you may purchase. In the 60s there was a throwback to the 20s in the short dresses that seem to look best on boyish figures; the 70s had a throwback to the 30s in the revival of the bias cut and jeweled earthy tones; and the 80s had a resurgence of both the 40s and 50s in peplums, shoulder pads, full skirts, and large florals. Lets think about those 80s shoulder pads for a minute: remember how obscenely large they were, like you were a member of some galactic army? You never saw that in the 40s – shoulder pads then were small and just added some structure to that area, rather than looking ridiculous. Most anything style-wise from the 80s was big and oversized; if any garment you are looking at has such qualities, as well as being made of fabrics like polyester, then keep looking and avoid that 80s knockoff!

✅ Do as much research as you can about the fashions of whatever particular era you are passionate about. The more you find out the more you will be able to decipher what a dress is or isn’t. Also, please do some research on the era that emulated it too – knowing what was common in the 70s for fashion will help you in deciphering what are 70s recreations and what are real 30s frocks.

❎ Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find what you are looking for immediately. Sometimes it has taken me months to find exactly what I want, but I’m not willing to just cave in on something that is sub-par or not entirely what I was looking for.

✅ Do save searches for items that you are on the hunt for. eBay lets you know when new items are posted with the terms you searched for since you last checked. This way you can always have your eyes peeled and not miss out on that fabulous frock because you didn’t check!

3. How do I place a bid?

Bidding is all about strategy. I have noticed a lot of people just place a bid to their maximum amount that they are willing to spend. That is all well a good, but it leaves a door open for people to still outbid you. What you want to do is to place an initial bid where the maximum amount is about $2 to $5 over the starting price. That way, if anyone outbids you, they will just be over your limit by fifty cents or a dollar. I have noticed that people placing secondary bids oftentimes just bid a small amount over your threshold, and nothing too exorbitant.

Let them be lulled into almost a false sense of security by this, and just sit on the item until it gets down to the last few minutes of the auction. What I do is around five minutes before the end, I place a two to ten dollar bid (depending upon the current price) and wait. Sometimes no bids will be placed afterwards, and then you’ve won! But if some annoying jerk swoops in and tries to steal your item, let them think they have it until the last minute or thirty seconds of the auction. This is where having a fast phone or Internet speed is rather important! At this point, place a maximum bid for your item that is five to ten dollars over what the real maximum is that you are willing to spend. If you do a little research on similar items, you will be likely to find that most people have the same maximum threshold that you are willing to pay, and therefore see a lot of similar ending prices. Most people will have the same max as you. Let’s say you have a dress that you would be willing to spend a maximum of $50 for – when you are placing that last bid, put in your maximum bid for around $60, if not a bit more. Like I said, most people will have around the same maximum threshold, so you going a bit over that in the last few seconds should ensure you being the winner of your fabulous new addition! This also does not allow much time for anyone to counter your bid, so the closer to quittin’ time you place that bid, the better.

I am not saying that this is a fool proof way to win every item, as there are a few people out there who are just willing to spend insane amounts for certain things. These people really have no maximum amount that they are willing to spend, so regardless of what you bid they will do their damnedest to outbid you. These types are a lost cause, but they are not common. I have found that my method seems to work more often than not, so I decided I would pass my bidology on to you (possibly to my disadvantage! 😉 ).

Bidding on eBay is more of a science and an art combined. Between finding what you want, deciphering between what is authentic and what isn’t, and using time and psychology to your bidding advantage makes for quite a stressful yet exciting experience! But like me, you will probably find some fabulous finds for some fabulous prices. Good luck, and have fun!