Viva Las Vegas 17: Pre-Game Tips & Tricks

As some of you may know via my Facebook page, I will be making the pilgrimage to Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend for the first time since 2012. I am beyond excited, and I will get to spend some good QT with my main gal and maid of honour Nicole! I am sure I will have a much better time having her with me and we can totally enjoy ourselves 🙂

Seeing as Viva is only a little over a month away (!), I wanted to give everyone a good pre-game list to refer to regardless of whether it is your first time or you are a seasoned VLV vet.

Let’s get started!

1. Don’t Overpack
I know this seems like a pretty basic tenet, but any gal who has been to Viva previously knows this is impossible. You need a day dress for each day, an evening dress for each nightly event, accessories for each outfit, shoes, undergarments, and more. One can simply not afford to look less than fab! But this also means you’re risking having a veritable army of suitcases to lug with you. This may not be so bad if you are driving for a couple of hours, but for someone like yours truly who is flying from NYC to Las Vegas, it’s a logistical nightmare. Luckily, the military taught this girl how to pack and be efficient with space. I know how to roll clothing to make the most use if my space and to not get many wrinkles. It may be painful to have to leave those vintage 1940s wedges that match perfectly with your vintage New Look wrap dress for a pair that is more comfortable and can go with two or three dresses (albeit not perfectly), but you will be glad you did. Which leads me to…

2. Be prepared to leave some suitcase wiggle room

The main lesson I learned at Viva my first go? You’ll be shopping. If you’re not shopping, you’re not living the full Viva experience! And seeing as such, you’re going to be bringing those goodies home, n’est-ce pas? You’ll be needing room for those, darlings! I have heard numerous occurrences of girls having to go and buy another suitcase just to get their spoils home. And you know what another suitcase usually means – checked bag fees! Why deal with that crap? Even better, have a flattened/expandable bag tucked inside your main one for such an issue. Then take it as a carry on. Voilà – problem solved!

3. Heels may look nice…but OW!

Some of you may know I have chronic pain in my left foot from nerve damage in a condition called RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy). Because of this, I rarely wear heels. My husband couldn’t care less (he’s about an inch shorter than me), but sometimes a woman just wants to feel sexy and gorgeous in her heels! Well, Viva may not be that place. You will be doing a LOT of walking (and dancing!). If you slap those 4″ on at 8 AM for a day lasting until 3 AM, you won’t make it that far without being in horrendous pain. Nearly everything at Viva requires walking or movement of some sort. You don’t want to spoil your awesome trip because of some stupid foot pain and only remember the grief those blisters gave you, right? Go with those flats or a sturdy pair of wedges and rock what the man above gave you, girl!

4. Looking to see some pastie-adorned ladies? Be prepared for lines

I remember my very first day at VLV 15 – my first 45 minutes at the Orleans was spent waiting in line…one that ran and wove nearly the whole length of the casino. Why? I had to see the burlesque showcase! But that line though 😦 I am a New Yorker, we notoriously despise lines. I grumped my way to the front and got my tickets, but I know it would have been a little easier to prepare for that line mentally prior to actually being in it. I never even tried to get tickets for the burlesque competition. It would have given me agita.

6. The “main” days of Viva are always Friday and Saturday

I always prefer to arrive on Thursday, rather than Wednesday sometime. If you look at the schedule here, you can see there aren’t really many big deal events going on Thursday or Sunday (well, I see Kim Lenz on Thursday night, sooo…there can be an exception or two 😉 ). So take the time to dance, meet up with friends you aren’t hanging with the whole time, or go see what the rest of Vegas has to offer (it’s amazing – trust me, I lived there for over two years!). Maximize your time to however you please!

7. Did you notice I left out 5?

Just seeing if y’all are paying attention 😛

8. Wear as much authentic vintage as possible if you want to look unique

I can’t stress this enough. My first go at Viva I brought a lot of Bettie Page dresses. And for each dress I saw at least three other girls nearby wearing the same one. That’s a shitty feeling, honestly. I now know much better than to do that again. And luckily my vintage dress collection has grown so much since then, so I have a lot of unique pieces I can wear when I go. As much as I absolutely love Pinup Girl Clothing and Bettie Page, I would never dream of bringing dresses or clothing there unless they were basics. There is just way too much of a chance of running in to other girls with the same exact outfit. Try and bring your most fabulous and most original pieces to Viva – it will be worth it! You’ll be the only fab girl wearing that one of a kind fab outfit 🙂

9. Be sure to have FUN!

A lot of women seem to think of Viva as some sort of huge competition with everyone else. I HATE that. I go to enjoy it, not to compare myself with everyone else. I am there to shop, enjoy my friends, listen to music, check out awesome cars, and just generally rock out and have a good time. Why stress yourself out trying to compete? You will only remember that and not the awesome show that Imelda May gave at the car show! And what kind of fun is that?

 

What tips and tricks do any of you all have out there for fellow Viva goers?

 

Wedding Planning

Hi everyone!

So the wedding planning has been moving along rather rapidly – we are planning to get married on 15 February aboard the Skyline Princess yacht, with a reception to follow. The Skyline Princess was introduced to me through our officiant, Captain Arnold. He was/is a Coast Guard chaplain for 40 years, and seeing as how both Alex and I are prior service, I thought it would fit perfectly. The yacht does a cruise around the Manhattan skyline and points of interest such as the Statue of Liberty. Everything is taken care of, from the ceremony to the cake to the bouquet. How could you go wrong with that, when we only have about six weeks to prepare? I hope it really is as wonderful as it seems so far!

It will be a very small list of guests, only 11 at most. We are planning to get married so soon because Alex is planning to reenlist, this time in the Army. It is way easier to be already married going in rather than getting married after signing a contract. Soooo…hence the sooner wedding.

Now – on to the fun parts!

These will be the wedding colours, in a nutshell: deep red, ivory, and black. I feel like it is extremely classy but appropriate for the time, both if the day and of the year. Plus red is my favourite colour!

This, for sure, will be along the lines of what I intend my hair to look like that day. I already a few ideas of how to get my hair to this level of amazing vintageness, but I shall not divulge!

One of these beauties will certainly be taking center stage in my hairdo! 🙂

How’s that for some gorge vintage bling?! But I fear it may look like a little over the top considering the hair comb I will be having behind my right ear. So I will have to figure something out 😛

The wedding program and favour ideas that I have that I may DIY. Hey, it’s not 150 programs and favours I have to make, so certainly doable!

This is certainly a picture I want to take – so cute!

I just bought my dress, but I won’t post anything about it whatsoever – why spoil the surprise? Plus I don’t even want to give away any little bit about it if my fiancé happens to pop in here 😛

My Love List

I always tend to go through periods of things that I am obsessed with on a rotation. I will be completely into something and want to be immersed in it for weeks at a time, usually. Of course, the vintage lifestyle is more than just a fleeting obsession for me, and it has become a part of who I am at my core. But there are elements of it that I may pick up for a while, and then move on. But it will always be there! Maybe I am a little weird, but I like it that way 😉

Here’s what I am totally into at the moment:

Getting Myself Doris Mayday’s Haircut

I am completely infatuated with her ‘do. I want it. I NEED it. I will have it. I know I need to get my hair trimmed at least, and I figure this is the perfect balance of length for it still looking feminine yet short enough to have the style hold and to have it be manageable. Getting her perfect style may require a bit more of an effort, but I think it is ultimately worth it. Vintage pinup perfection, my dear!

 

Breaking Bad on Netflix

 

I know, I know – it took me long enough to watch this show. It takes a lot for me to get into a new show (new to me, mind you). The last show I got into was Freakshow; before that was Mad Men, if that gives you any idea. But I have been wanting to watch Breaking Bad for the longest time since I heard such good things about it, and I tend to go for gritty and deep shows. Well, I was right! Immediately from the first episode I was drawn in. The new season starts this weekend, and even though I am not through all of the prior seasons on Netflix, I certainly will be tuning in this Sunday!

 

Double Indemnity (1944)

 

I loved this movie to begin with when I saw it late last year, but over the past week or so I have really gained an even deeper appreciation for this film. Barbara Stanwyck was genius and gave an amazing performance. This is a totally typical film noir, and was one of the very first in the genre. This type did not start getting popular until after the war; this was released during a time when very upbeat and chipper movies were de rigeur for the time, in order to lift the moods of moviegoers during a time deep in war. Double Indemnity broke that mold and offered patrons a taste of something different, which took movie making in a whole different direction.

 

Alex Minsky

 

Marine turned underwear model. You’re welcome, ladies 😉

 

L.A. Noire video game

 

I never EVER thought I would want a video game in my life. I’m not going to dive into why, but let’s just say I’ve had more than my full share against my will. But after being introduced to this amazing game, where you interrogate suspects and victims based in 1946 Los Angeles, I am all in. I am going to be grabbing myself an Xbox along with this game next week after I get paid, because I need this awesomeness in my life. You get to read people’s body language and how they act around you and respond to your questions, and guess whether they are lying, telling the truth, or you have doubt as to their answer but have no proof to shoot back in their face. You work at solving cases, all while seeing the amazing scene of post-war LA and the drool-worthy cars and clothing. And this game is actually rather accurate to the time period in regards to everything. I can’t wait to get my paws on it!

 

What items are on your love list right now?

 

The Start of My Vintage Yearbook Collection…

…begins with this 1945 Westwood High School yearbook from New Jersey!

As some of you know, I was born and raised in New Jersey, so naturally when I saw this, I was immediately pulled in. And best of all, I know exactly where Westwood is! I love looking through the yearbooks; it gives me a real connection to the eras that I love and allows me to know what people’s everyday lives were like – especially those just starting their lives in a very scary and trying time – World War Two.

Regrettably, my mind sometimes goes to places that are depressing, and looking at a lot of these pictures made me think of how many had died in the war. I know it is a very viable prospect, and highly likely that this is a situation that exists in high numbers. It really makes things hit you that much harder when you see faces and lives in cold, hard ink. There is even a list in my 1945 yearbook of all the alumni who died in the war until that point, and later on in the book you see a list of who is going into the service from the graduating class.

But one of my favourite things is that it does give a real face to those in the war, and commemorates their lives rather than their deaths. I also enjoy the intense patriotism that these yearbooks show, and it makes my heart swell with pride to know that quite literally, everyone partook in the war effort in one way or another.

The yearbooks also give a great glimpse into the real fashions that people wore, from the teenage/twenty-something students to the faculty and other people in between. I love looking at the outfits and the hair of the girls – I get rather envious of some girls with great dresses and perfect hair to match!

I have five yearbooks now – three from high schools, and two from colleges. Why the college yearbooks? It gives another insight into life back during that time. I love to look at the majors of everyone and see what kind of path they were paving for themselves. I just so wish I could further investigate their lives and see what they made of it. I may have to at least pick a few of the ones that interest me the most and do some research! As would be anticipated, most of the women in college either majored in home economics, English, or education. But I did notice a few outstanding women who went above and beyond the “boundaries” of their time to major and go into fields such as political science, psychology, chemistry, and even medicine. These women make me proud – they didn’t let stigmas of the time dictate what kind of live they led. They let their passion take the driver’s seat rather than what was “expected” of women during that time. And that is trailblazing at its finest, my dears! 🙂

My favourite yearbook has to be the 1942 Flambeau from Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It’s called the “Victory Garden Edition”, of course paying homage to growing your own veggies to offset the rationing of the time.

This yearbook is unusual first off in that it is spiral bound – this has to be the first and only time I have ever seen this! It was owned by Howard Lensmire, a junior during this time and was slated to graduate in 1943. He seemed to be quite a popular and well-liked guy by all of the signatures he acquired!

On nearly every page you see a few signatures from kids in the school. I love reading them, and knowing that real people wrote on that exact page back in 1942. It just blows my mind and makes me smile 🙂

But the real cherry on top of this ice cream? Well, when I opened up this yearbook initially, a piece of paper fell out. It was yellowed, obviously showing some age. I opened it, and immediately was stunned – it was the whole wedding coverage of the yearbook owner’s nuptials! Not only that, there was the announcement of his second child’s birth!

How amazing is that?! I feel like I know Mr. Lensmire personally because of having all of this first hand information. I want to research more of his life and if he is still alive! I think this may become a pet project for me now LOL!

Howard was also on the Junior Varsity Football Squad, and in the picture I have the yearbook opened to that page. You can see him in the group by looking directly where the lower right hand corner of the birth announcement is pointing to in the picture. I believe his jersey was #17.

I have had a few people give me weird reactions when they know I have a collection of vintage yearbooks. My one friend even said, “Why do you have yearbooks from a school you never went to and people you don’t know?” But I feel that unless you are either a history nerd or a vintage buff, you won’t entirely understand the magic of it. But if you are a history nerd or vintage buff, I highly recommend getting yourself a vintage yearbook or two from your favourite eras. They’re not expensive at all, either – the most expensive one I have cost $15 with shipping included on eBay! It is a very cool and very fun way to have an authentic attachment to a period that holds a special place in your heart.

Outfit of the Day: 01 March

Today was yet another school day, but I just had a lab. Nonetheless, I was in a good mood because I had gotten a 91 on a recent exam this week, so I wanted to look good to match 🙂

This dress is from Pinup Girl Clothing, and is my first acquisition from the clothing line. I say acquisition because I also bought this dress from the “Oh La La!” Vintage Swap & Sell Facebook group. It is a fabulous group to find all sorts of great vintage and pinup/rockabilly items being sold from individuals usually for a great price. This dress usually retails for over $125, but I got it from a great gal in the group for only $65! And yes, it is authentic 😉 The PUG brand is Deadly Dames.

This dress has a great v neck cut that is low and super sexy. It also emphasizes your bust while offering more support and making your waist look tiny. The skirt is full, and you could even wear a crinoline very easily with this dress. I didn’t because I felt like I would look too over the top, and I like to just look regularly over the top heheh.

This dress fits me like a glove, and is very comfortable. The slight bit if spandex helps to fit your curves perfectly 🙂 But my favorite part if the dress? The pattern!

It has whips and Bettie Page looking gals on it, as well as corsets, bullet bras, and even a girl with a gag in her mouth! I thought it was too awesome – it just screams bad girl and femme fatale sexpot. Definitely a unique print and one you won’t find anywhere else!

As you can see I also wore my red and black wig again. I felt like it matched the dress perfectly, and also offered another ‘sexy’ factour with the dress. I was certainly the dame of my class today! 😉

Tie Me Up dress: Pin Up Girl Clothing
Wig: eBay
Shoes: Amerimark

Outfit of the Day: 28 February

Today I had a long day at school – I spent from 3 P.M. to 10 P.M. in class, with maybe about 40 minutes of a break after my first class, and I have three in total. Since today was my long day, I figured I would glam it up a bit. And when I mean glam, I mean vintage glam!

I recently bought a dress from a friend of mine from Australia in the awesome Facebook group “Oh La La!” Vintage Swap & Sell. Kat was selling the gorgeous dress you see above, which is semi-sheer and from the 1940s. She was selling it for only $35 – how could I resist?! It’s part of the reason I sell on eBay – so I can spend some money on fun things like that without diving into my own shallow wallet 😉

This dress fits me perfectly. And today was one of the first days in a while since I started my diet that I actually felt thinner and felt good! So I was really feeling fun, flirty, feminine, and confident today. I think I have learned what I need to do and not do when it comes to what I eat and do for exercise – I’m not in my early 20’s anymore so I can’t just limit what I eat and that’s it! It sucks but it also helps me to be healthier.

This was my hair and makeup for today. I apologize for the crappy pictures, but this was taken at 11 at night and I was tired! LOL. It now takes me about 15 to 20 minutes to do my victory rolls now, as opposed to the hour or so it took when I first started. So yes ladies, it is true about practice making perfect! 🙂

One last thing I want to leave you with us a shot of the pattern of my dress:

Isn’t that so cute and feminine? And I love the detailing of the scalloped shoulders 🙂 This is my first time wearing this dress since it now has finally gotten to a decent temperature to wear this dress today and really let it shine. I think this dress will be in heavy rotation from now on!

Vote for My Next Bettie Bang Hair Colour!

Hello hello to all my lovely readers. I have really been trying to force myself to write a bunch of posts lately and take some snaps of my huge thrifting trip (yet again, I know) yesterday but I have just been feeling as low as your can nearly get because I do believe I am coming down with the flu that has been going around. Lucky me! And ironic indeed as well as just my luck, as I was unable to receive a flu shot recently because I was taking a special steroid for the pinched nerve/herniated disc in my neck and getting vaccines during the course of that treatment is a no-no. So I missed out and intended to get one this week, but here we are. What impeccable timing.

Anywhos, on to the topic at hand – hair! I have been itching to yet again change my hair colour on my Bettie bangs and am just torn between two wonderful colours. Since I just cannot bring myself to a decision, I am opening up that decision to you! I have entered a poll below for all of you to easily vote on what colour you would think would look best and prefer to see next on my Bettie bangs. I have the black hair besides so keep that in mind too!

Here are the options:

Atomic Turquoise

Hot Pink

Go for it and let me know.

Thank you all for your help!

Second Photoshoot with Jodie King Photography

After we finished up with Rebecca Danielle’s shoot, we got to work on mine. That weekend I wasn’t feeling 100%, but I think Jodie worked around that wonderfully. I had such a great time that part of the time I wasn’t paying attention to the shoot sometimes! LOL.

I seriously don’t think Jodie King can do anything wrong with that camera! Go check out some of her other work and find out how to contact her here.

Makeup, hair, and styling by yours truly.

Dutch-in’ It Up: City Scape

I had the great pleasure of working with Miss Jodie King of Jodie King Photography again, and this time the lovely model was Miss Rebecca Danielle. She is here from Holland doing journalistic work, and we bonded over the fact we are both Dutch. I told her my family originates from the Frisian Islands, to which she replied with the “ohhh” icky face I was expecting – the Frisian Dutch are known to be kind of conservative assholes. Luckily for me, the rest of my heritage – Swiss, English, & Scottish – repeals that trait I’d like to think 🙂 I was never proud of being Dutch until a few years ago when I found out that I was related to FDR.

Anyways, Jodie, Rebecca, and I had a great time together, and it took at least two hours before we were ready to shoot because we were having so much fun! But the images that we captured of Rebecca – WOW! Just stunning. Have a look see and find out for yourself!

Amazing, am I right?! An amazing shoot with amazing ladies that yielded amazing shots – can’t lose with that combo!

Check out Jodie King Photography here.

Check out Rebecca Danielle’s Model Mayhem profile here.

And stay tuned for my own photoshoot shots tomorrow!

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 🙂