Things I Learned From Sassy Magazine

With the 90s fashion resurgence, there has apparently been a renewed interest in Sassy magazine.  People who weren't even born during my Gen X teen years are wearing things I wore to high school and college.  I could write a whole entry titled "Let's Not Do That Again". :)

Amid this 90s vintage fixation the young kids have, my thoughts drifted back to Sassy after spotting a few issues in a vintage store.  As the weird alt/heavy metal girl in a small town, in a trailer across the street from a cow pasture, my Gramma's gift subscription to Sassy was a Godsend among the other options for light reading. (I preferred classic literature anyway.)

As a little girl, I was given She-Ra magazine, on which I drew armpit hair, chest hair, and moustaches on everyone.   I had been He-Man fan and had a serious conversation with my aunt prior to starting school, making my case for having my name legally changed to Teela.  I didn't need no stinkin' She-Ra, although I did like playing with my neighbor/friend's ice lady doll.

Until Jem came along, I admit I sometimes enjoyed Barbie magazine with it's fashion spreads.  I remember a particular floral pastel Ralph Lauren-esque spread in which a lovely black model had a ponytail at the nape of her neck, gathered again at the bottom, creating a big, beautiful puff past her shoulders.  I also remembered showing my momma and requesting the hairstyle for school, and being disappointed to hear "Honey, your hair won't do that." (My hair was thin and blonde and would not grow.  It's ok.  I made up for it and had all the hair I wanted after I dyed my hair black and could easily match all kinds of weave to it.) 

In my teenage years, along came 'Teen and Seventeen magazines.  I tried "fitting in" at certain points of my formative years.  I tried to relate to these publications.  I just couldn't.  Then, along came Sassy.  Sassy showed me a lot of things, mostly through reinforcing that it was ok not to fit in.

Sassy had models that looked like regular teenage girls, who even sometimes cut their own hair or did their own piercings.  I could relate to that.  They had regular articles on DIY accessories and clothing- making retro pillowcase dresses, skullcaps from turtlenecks, and rocking (actual) baby tee-shirts before "baby tees" were manufactured.  As a girl who hand-sewed her own patchwork top hat (loved and hated by many, for the record) inspired by Linda Perry and Slash, and DIYed her jeans into bellbottoms in admiration of the late Cliff Burton, I could relate to that. 

In the same vein of rock-star inspiration, Sassy showed me that was okay, too.  They published fashion spreads inspired by Axl Rose and T-Rex, and showed models in other articles wearing things like a vintage Cramps tee shirt.  A particular piece on mix-matched swimwear separates (before separates were widely available- you really would have had to mix up different sets or thrifted pieces) still stands out in my mind, and I still seek out pieces in thrift stores that complement each other when no exact match is available or desired.

Sassy's poetry page featured pieces sent in by readers that often questioned social norms, asserted independence and self-confidence, and reassured other girls like me through the words of others who weren't concerned with fitting in.  It was like a coffeehouse-on-a-page for those who had no such tangible haunt to speak of. (My hometown had one, I just couldn't get there.)  Sassy's articles often enlightened on topics that other magazines wouldn't touch, or flat-out made a mockery of some of the typical articles one might find in other magazines geared toward young women.

Sassy taught me today, via a quick eBay search, that if I would have held onto my back issues, I could be making a small fortune right now- especially if I would have kept the one with the Kurt Cobain cover.

In short, Sassy taught me it's fine and dandy not to be like all the other girls.  I thank God they did, too- because in those brief, fleeting periods wherein I tried, I sure as holy hell couldn't.  I've always only been able to be me. 

Photos to follow soon...

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? ;)

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