Have Yourself a Vintage Little Christmas...

For the first time in my adult life, I have a real Christmas tree.  I think I was the first person at the Disco Kroger to buy a tree, and I think the guys setting them up must've thought I was crazy, I was so eager and happy.  I was supposed to get one last year, but was on road trips for at least 3 consecutive weekends at this time of year.  By the time I could look at trees, I touched them and all of the needles fell off.  This year, I bought one the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  It rode shotgun on the way home.  I'm pretty sure it's name is Eugene even though it seems like a girl. Then again, in my neighborhood, sometimes you can't be sure.
Even though I have a few modern ornaments that are nouveau-sentimental (yeah, I just made that up) and match ones I got for my brother, some vintage rummage-sale finds, and a few mirrored atomic stars by Houston artist Hepcat Raphael, they won't be on my tree this year.  Eugene is decked out solely in ornaments passed to me by my Gramma.  Her birthday fell on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (another coincidental reason why she was awesome), and she would've been 96 this December.

I didn't hide the light cord, but I never look at it with a camera flash either.  My Gramma's old tree lights are on my porch, some of them blinking at random intervals.  I used the old-school lights my Daddy gave me for the tree.
There'll be no presents under my tree this year.  I don't really want or need much of anything.  I've sold, given to friends, donated to charity, consigned, and left on the curb so many things lately- and I'm not even done yet.  I've instructed everyone to just pay their bills and buy for their kids & be happy.  Last year, the only tangible thing I wanted was a boot jack, and I got a vintage one in the most precious manner.  This year, I'll just enjoy my tree.  It's like having fresh flowers in tree form for less than $5 a week, covered in memories and love.

My Lucky Day?

I've come to believe the luck o' the Irish isn't all it's cracked up to be.  Maybe my luck hasn't changed, but I had some lucky little moments this weekend in my travels.

Soooo, I drive through some small towns on alternate routes to visit various branches of my family, grasshoppers comb their hair (not really, just wanted to wedge my favorite Stevie Ray song in there), and I happen upon places that Google didn't even know existed.  I found this:

With four-leaf clovers, lucky numbers, an elephant with a raised trunk, rabbit's feet, a wishbone, and a horseshoe, it's apparently the luckiest tea towel ever.

Now, I have never, ever, evereverever owned any Bakelite in my whole entire life... until yesterday.  I found these cherry-red carved dress (or shoe or scarf or fur) clips...

...and these butterscotch clip-on hoops.

Of course, I found them super el cheapo.  I find Bakelite all the time, really- it's just always beyond my budget.  My millinery professor told me when she and I were discussing vintage jewelry, that her mother had loads of Bakelite jewelry but got rid of it because it was dime store jewelry way back when. She didn't realize people like us would want it now, and that she could have gotten a pretty penny for it all.

Alas, I'm pretty sure I can't rock that butterscotch color, with my complexion and all, so I'm pretty sure they'll be consigned or meet some other "for sale" fate.  The dress clips, though, are probably mine forever.

Black Beauty

I wanted to get a few more photos of sleepwear from my collection, but Sleep Week didn't result in any more sleep for me (wishful thinking- silly me!), and therefore resulted in decreased productivity.  (Don't you hate how that happens?)

Anyway, here's a set by Vanity Fair that I love:

 Both the nightie and robe are double-layer nylon- translucent cream and sheer black.

 The details are so pretty- lace flower appliques and little pearl beads.

We'll see what turns up this weekend... and what next week will bring.  Happy Friday!

Pretty Pleats

I have a penchant for crystal pleated nylon.  When it's allover and see-through, who wouldn't?!  This is a Vanity Fair babydoll nightie from the early 60s.

These panties, also Vanity Fair, are later- different tags, different pleating, different lace trim- but they match well enough.

I have this peignoir in my Etsy shop, where you can see the whole set.

It's by Formfit Rodgers and has a robe to match.  Gorgeousness!

sLeapin' Leopards

I could make a week's worth of blog entries on my Vanity Fair leopard print collection alone.  Today, you get to see some of the sleepwear.

This little nighty was a super el cheapo find at a resale chain in Austin. I love pleasant surprises, like when buyers don't care (or don't know) about things I love and price them el cheapo.

I've found the hip hugger panties and tap pants, just in case I feel matchy-matchy.

I usually just use the tap pants like bloomers for swing dancing so no one sees my skivvies.  I suppose they could make the nighty like shorty jammies if I wore them together.

I have these jammies on Etsy, although I'm tempted to keep them myself.

With a chill in the night air lately, I gotta stay cozy somehow.  I might as well do it in style.

Peachy Keen

Once upon a time, my dear friend Karen gave me a lovely quilted bedjacket.  I'm about to start using such things as I keep the windows open on cool nights.

It's handmade, and silk.

This pretty thing was found in a questionable neighborhood, hiding in the lingerie and sleepwear rack.

It's a no-name, but pretty nonetheless.  

Very reminiscent of Gil Elvgren pinups, backlit in sheer robes and nightgowns. 

So, the moral of the story is: If you have friends who also hoard vintage, or you venture into sketchy neighborhoods in your thrifting adventures, you get pretty things.  The End.

It's Sleep Week!

I know when I began this blog, I promised you a "Lingerie Week".  You can thank my apparent ADD for that not happening yet.  The shorty pajamas I posted about yesterday (a week late themselves), coupled with my longing for a full night's sleep since about March, have inspired me to post about vintage sleepwear all week.  It's Sleep Week!  I know, I knowwww- it doesn't sound quite as exciting as Shark Week, unless you're sleep deprived or love vintage sleepwear and loungewear.

Let's start with a piece Evelyn gave me.  Back when we worked at a resale chain together, she would wear this piece layered with lots of other things, pinned up to create texture and show colors of pieces underneath.  (We're creative types, me and her.)  In my ubergoth dreadlocked youth, I still harbored an affinity for vintage that went waaaaay back- it just had to be all black for a while.  And so when I saw the nightgown incorporated into her ensemble, I said "If you ever get rid of that, I love it."  When Evelyn purged her closet, she remembered the suggestion that I thought had been in vain (and forgotten), and passed it along to me!

It's an old Kickernick gown, and the little bow on the bust bundles an applique bouquet between layers of sheer nylon.

Speaking of appliques... Being a Texas gal, I have a special place in my heart for yellow roses.  This Vanity Fair piece has appliqued lace roses at the bust and hem.

Yellow is not my best color.  I do not care.  I love it.

Some of these nighties are so pretty and dress-like, that ladies sometimes mistake them for dresses.  A dear, sweet, very fashionable friend once told me she needed a petticoat for a vintage dress she recently bought.  We went shopping at a few local vintage stores in search of one, and when she brought the dress in to try with a petticoat,  it turned out to be a blue nightgown like this with different embellishments.  Then again, I used to wear vintage slips with combat boots and religious jewelry, so who am I to talk? ;)

Vintagey Goodness at Home and Abroad...

So last weekend, I figured it'd be warm enough to wear my red sarong one more time for the season to vend at the vintage market with my friend from EaDo Vintage.  Houston got a cool front that day, and I put on cozy jammies that night and slept with the windows open, listening to the leaves (it reminds me of the sound of the sea, and puts me to sleep almost instantly).
The jammies I got in trade from another vendor did not get worn that night (yaaaay for moving merchandise and getting what I want at the same time!).  I'm pretty sure they're old stock, and I washed them last week.  They're adorable.

Pink elephants!!  Rhinestones!  Sequin bubbles!  They're Lady Duff shorty pajamas.  If you read up on her, you'll know she was a badass.  She had passed away by the time these jammies were made, but the company was apparently still producing lingerie and loungewear well past her death in the 30s.

It's rare to find shorty pajamas or a babydoll set with the panty or bloomers still with the top.

I also got an open-bottom girdle in the trade. Looky.

It's by Goddess and it's gorgeous.  Garter tabs are present, and still in good shape.  I think I traded pretty well for a panty girdle and a half slip.

That was last weekend.  This weekend, I made a road trip to visit family, stopped at a car show on the way back, and of course, stopped at a few antique stores along the way.  I'm proud (and a little pained) to say I passed up a couple of pieces of luggage like this.  I'm exhibiting more self-control these days, forserious.  It probably also helped that the car show was in a small town where almost all of the antique stores were closed on Sunday, and the one I found open did not accept credit cards.  About a third of the cars were newer, but I did get to see a few early 60s Studebakers, several late 20s Fords, a couple of late 50s Galaxies, a few Bel-Airs, and a couple of 40s Mercurys.  I've got to remember to start bringing a camera along with me, and then remember to use it.

I was barely prepared for the cool front that snuck up on the area overnight, but the angora cardigan in my trunk saved me.  My hair held up so well in the wind, I figured "why not take a picture?".  I'm a little reluctant to post it, but here goes.  Barely anyone reads this anyway, right?! HA!

I love my brown blouse.  :)  Some color is usually added to me in studio shots like the recent doll shoot by Mileslove Studios Eye Candy. I turn out extra-pale in photos.  A few friends have suggested I do hair tutorial videos.  Any thoughts?

Summer's Last Hurrah

Just when I thought Summer was over and started to put tropical things out of my mind (and hope in vain for another cool front), more tropical goodness put itself in my path rather unexpectedly.

It began last weekend with a couple of random antique store and roadside market stops.  I don't wear bangles a lot.  Small bone structure makes for scrawny wrists, and hands that can Houdini out of almost anything.  I still couldn't resist these:

They're not as squared as some I've seen, but will be interesting among my round bangles nonetheless (when I remember to wear them).

I also found an interesting addition to my handkerchief collection:

It appears to be a late 60s or early 70s hankie, made in Japan of a nylon and polynosic blend.   "Polynosic?", you say?  Polynosic, indeed.  It's code for rayon.  Rayon has lots of tricky code names, and lots of nasty tricks that textile manufacturers and other companies won't tell you about.  If you love your girlybits, you can read this article, and if you process and file that information in your brain, it will change the way you do some things (including products you buy).

I really use handkerchiefs... forserious.   Ones with souvenir prints and 3-d applique work will never make it into my purse, however, and are collection-only.  Maybe next week would be a good time to show pieces from my collection- untouched artsy ones as well as pretty printed ones that get used during church, sad movies, funerals, and allergy season.

So, last week was a blur, but I did come across this beauty:

It's a Les Bernard coral necklace.  Judging from the clasp, it's probably late 50s or early 60s.

This thing here... this is a gem.  Not a literal gem like the precious coral above, but a deadstock Kamehameha piece with the paper tag still inside.

As far as I can tell, it's an early 60s piece.  The bust is more rounded than a typical 50s silhouette, but the bottoms are still pretty high-waisted.  I wish Dolly had legs, so I could put the bottoms on her rump and display them properly.  I found this beauty at Beatniks in the Heights.

And so, as I long for sleep and prepare for a busy weekend (including making glamour happen with Mileslove Studios Eye Candy), I leave you with this.

Are You Not MEN?!

In my weekend wanderings, I met a lovely couple.  The lady makes customized hula hoops, and the gentleman designs men's shirts.  Being a small-scale designer myself, we discussed fabric and production while I perused the available designs.  Had I been a man or had one to shop for, I certainly would have bought one of his shirts for several reasons.

First and foremost, all of his designs are made in the U.S.!  I love that.  Like myself, he never wants to outsource production and would prefer to pay American people a living wage.  It does keep cost higher, but frankly, you pay about the same retail price for clothing manufactured overseas.  (For example, I do love Trashy Diva, but was disappointed that their dresses are not American-made, which I expected for the prices.)  Not only are Flameless Shirts made in the U.S., but (clapclapclapclap) deep in the heart of Texas!

Designer Brooke Wilton makes classic men's shirts with a vintage-inspired style, unusual modern fabrics, and cool details (right down to the buttons!).  Some of the shirts are allover print, but my favorites are actually the accent ones like this Japanese wave print.  The print is even on the underside of the button placket, and I love the diagonal split pockets!

This is one of my favorites, and soon-to-be discontinued because the fabric is out of print:

Jellyfish!!!!  Maybe it's because I'm from the sea myself (as a little girl, I aspired to be a mermaid when I grew up), but I love this to bits!

The construction is high quality- you can tell he works with skilled seamstresses to make shirts that are built to last.  He pays attention to detail and includes print in unexpected places like button-placket facing, and chooses unique buttons to complement each print.

And so, to all my guy friends wanting custom western suits, the answer is still "no".  Sorry, I'm not doing all that interior hand-stitching.  I do recommend checking out FlamelessShirt.com or their Etsy store for locally-made high-quality menswear that's out-of-the-ordinary. 

All photos courtesy of Flameless Shirts

Paradise Found

So I had absolutely no Hawaiian or otherwise tropical vintage until this past year.  The following pieces were all found in the same place.

Firstofall,   I look through eBay and Etsy regularly at all types of vintage things- things I'm seeking, but cheap.  I still look at the pricey things, but it's more of a learning experience.  I like to know what else to look for.  I have never seen the label that this bears: Lani. I haven't found it anywhere.

The label also says it's hand-printed.  The accent paint is gold.  This has to be old stock.  For being white, it's super clean.  The zipper is metal, which could be done in a modern repro, and the elastic is still good, but the boning is absolutely shot. (Boning being present is usually an indicator of vintagey goodness in the first place in pieces like this.)
The frogs above the splits on the outer leg are a cute detail. I wish my camera had cuter focus.

This next piece is a Catalina.  The label even notes that the fabric design is copyrighted.  They don't fool around.

Ahhh, a sarong swimsuit... imagine my delight in finding it. :)  It paled in comparison to my delight in finding this next piece, which induced an episode of thrift apnea and a dang-near heart attack.





I keep sifting in this one place, thinking "One day, I'll find a sarong".  That day happened.  I flipped past a late 60s Malia sundress, Hawaiian, but not what I was looking for.... and then I found this:

It's old stock.  I wanted to jump out of my skin like that Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, but I kept a calm facade.  It's by Sun Fashions Hawaii.

There are so many pretty details, I can hardly stand it!  The print is interesting- paisley pineapples and seaweed, and I love the foldover on the bust!

So there you have it- my first sarong, which I've been waiting to wear, and will wear this weekend.

Tropical Paradise

With the end of summer drawing near, and the official first day or autumn approaching, I've just inventoried my recent lucky finds- all full of tropical goodness.  I was born and raised in a subtropical climate myself, and count myself a tropical creature to some degree, along with my friends from places like Guam and the Phillipines.  I always wanted to be a hula girl when I was little- Marisa informs me she would have traded places in a heartbeat.  I would have been the most blindingly pale hula girl of all time.

Anyway, I'll be commemorating the close of summer by wearing some of my tropical vintage this weekend to events here and there.  I just wore this baby again today:

The whole ensemble cost me a whopping $15 at one of my favorite vendors at the 2012 Lone Star Roundup.  I've told you I can't enjoy things that cost too much money.  I enjoy this outfit thoroughly.  The plumeria border print on the skirt is adorable.

I may redo the whole thing if I ever have time, to expose some of the darker print that's hidden under the hem.  However, with my curator job restarting for the fall semester and studio work picking up again, I'm behind on custom orders and it could be a while.

I acquired this beauty super el cheapo:

It's a Rose Marie Reid of California "Draped Sheath".  Not exactly Hawaiian, but tropical-looking enough for this Irish girl, and a good example of New Look-era "ethnic" print nonetheless.  Besides, it fits like a dream.  (If you clicked on the Irish link, I'm convinced that octave-skipping and keening are innate, and part of Irish DNA, but that's a whole 'nother cultural discussion.)

I wore this precious thing a couple of weeks ago.

It appears to be 1940s in every way from the cut to the print.  It seems to be homemade, and the original v-halter strap has been cut out (alas).  The photography studio I work for bought it from a dear friend of mine, and no one ever used it for a shoot, so it was on it's way out in our upcoming wardrobe sale.  Despite my love-for/reluctance-to-wear yellow,  I bought it.  I love it.  The print alone is fantabulous, and it fits me way better than it fits Dolly.  (Dolly could stand to eat a sandwich... if she were real. It's clipped back on her.)

It says "Kamehameha", "Aloha Hawaii", and "Waikiki girl" amidst pineapples, hibiscus, flying fish, hula girls, King Kamehameha, tropical fish, fishermen, canoes, beach scenes, and foliage.

I found these a while back for an amazing deal- almost free.  They were bought as a gift that never got to be given, and now must find another purpose.

They're awesome.  I've been researching a bit, and I have yet to find any quite like this.  The label is either 50s or early 60s as far as I can tell.

"Polynesian Bazaar"- and they're in such good condition!  The coin button is perfect, and the gold paint has oxidized but is still there-  I have half a mind to restore it.  Finding men's vintage in such good shape is a special treasure, since men have worn their clothes into the ground since the dawn of time.  Someone probably wore them once, probably at the request of a lady, and never again (if at all).

I have more tropical pieces to show, all of which came from the same little goldmine I like to haunt.  I'll show you those later.  Soon.  I'm off to some preparation work for a fashion show, so check back and I'll show you exactly what I'll be wearing this weekend. :)