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. :)

Toys in the Attic...

...that's code for "crazy".  I've been called worse.  Being a toy in the attic is a different story; a doll among interesting junk in a fancy attic setting.  Mileslove Studios Eye Candy's current photo set is a creepy doll theme in a deluxe attic of sorts, booking for Sunday, September 30th.  It's my job to make people look fabulous, alongside Jenni Davis Makeup, and to make you wanna book a shoot, so here's the promo shot:

I got to wear my vintage 1920s combination for this shoot (I'll post a photo of it on it's own later). Over that is the first corset I ever bought- a Versatile Fashions piece (from back when they were quality, before the company changed hands) I scored at a resale store for a mere $15, which is way more affordable than $300.  Those heels are Betsey Johnson, procured from a Ross store years ago for under $20.  Being Scottish, I'm a cheapskate.  It's in my genes.  I've said before I can't enjoy things that cost too much money (over $20 is pushing it for me, really), so there you have it.  It's built into my radar.

At any rate, once this set is shot, it's coming down.  We won't be keeping all of the creepy dolls, and we won't be precariously perching all of these weird and interesting vintage and antique curios among each other again.  We'll be onto the next set...