One day I went shopping...

One day I went shopping and look what I found...



This cute little hostess apron.



This beautiful and amazing (brand new!) black morning gown with a deep burgundy satin lining!



This 1940 - 1950s hat ( needs a little fixing and cleaning).



And these amazing , never been used before, shoes! Took them to my fab shoemaker to have him take a look and he told me what I had not dared to think... that yes, they were indeed a 1930s pair of shoes!! They're so comfortable and are destined to become my new dancing shoes as I venture into 2012 with the aim to swing dance in heels ! :)

Did you pick up any goodies lately?

An evening of burlesque and other thoughts

Me and my vintage pal Madelin went to a big WWII evening with burlesque. All of us vintage girls had dressed up. But often at burlesque events there seem to be quite a few wearing skimpy outfits... Bosoms were "overflowing"everywhere, tight corsets and latex seemed to be the preferred material for many a girls... Mind you, I don't have anything against burlesque per se. I love Dita ( as you may have noticed) and have participated in the burlesque world before, both as a spectator as well as haven taken a workshop. But the culture crash if you may, was just a bit too much last night.

Also with the WWII theme uniforms were part of the dress code and this is something that makes me a bit uneasy. The invitation stated that the hosts of the event did not want any Nazi symbols, but to me just wearing a German uniform, symbols or not, would make me feel extremely uncomfortable... Especially since my best friend is of Jewish descent.

At one burlesque event I actually confronted the person wearing such an uniform and then abruptly left. I just felt that under no circumstances could I stay in the presence of someone wearing such a uniform - as that would be, to me, condoning it.

But at yesterdays event that didn't happen although there were a few borderline uniforms... But I don´t think if I'll attend more of these evenings...



However Madelin and I still had a splendid time! We danced together with her vintage friends and chit chatted in a smaller room next to the grand ballroom which had a more cosy atmosphere.



And the elegant style of these ladies! Just look at this vintage 1940s shoe!



When I heard that she found them online for a mere 35€ I was must admit that I was more than a little envious ... :)

Have you had an awkward, uncomfortable or embarrassing vintage moment?

Dita! Dita! Dita

The divine Dita von Teese has just released her own perfume.



In this beautiful vintage bottle, atomizer and all, trés chic! But it was this image that caught my attention...



What is she holding on too ??



OMG!!



I want! I want!



"My Cointreau Travel Essentials" Coffret, a luxury travel cocktail bar for people on the move!! Please, please Santa - this is what I want for Christmas!!

The Cicada Club in Los Angeles!

This dear Vintage Lovers is were I will be on the 18th of December - The Cicada Club in Los Angeles ! I found this over at Lost in the 50s. Thanks for the great tips Laurence!



Doesn't this look so cool! They're giving a big Xmas bash on that evening, the last for the year, so I just have to be there!


Have you signed up for any cool parties recently ?

Vintage shopping

One of the weekends I went home ( right now I'm working out of town ) I went to a vintage flea market shopping...



And came home with this little black sheep's fur collar.



And this gorgeously red hat!



And going back up north I fell upon this sweet retro shop!



Lots of things in teak. The preferred wood material in the 1950s.



And I found this cool collections of vintage magazines were I quickly snapped up the only 1940s edition in the pile :)

Tell me, what did you treat yourself to lately?

( Asking a question like this I picked up from Laurence at Lost in The 50s )

Oh, how time flies!

More than a week has passed since my last post and I never posted about the cocktail party I attended ! So,here goes; after all the "pampering" was done and over with, it was time to head out the door in my fur with my birthday present (a pink bottle of champagne) clutched tight in my hand!



The birthday girl - Madelin Downey! Who is a superb vintage wedding stylist!



Madelin and her dashing hubby! The party was so much fun! Cocktail were in the kitchen with posted "how-to" notes on the cupboards, then there were little goodies to nibble on.



Lemon custard treats with meringue topping!! Delicious!!



Madelin with her two colleagues from work, a wedding planner and a wedding photographer. I let one of the lovely ladies wear my hat just to prove a point - that she really wears hats well! :)



And speaking of hats... I traded one of my vintage hats with the hostess for this one. Isn´t it adorable!




And here´s Madelin in the hat that I gave her on the Tweed & Bicycle event in Stockholm.



Here is one of Madelins beautiful brides ! This picture is from her blog Vintage Flowers.



It was a great party!



The evenings youngest Vintage Lover... ;)



I had so much fun!

Anatomy of "Cocktail Party Preparations"

1. Food - before any party, but especially a cocktail party where the only food are hor d'oeuvres and canapes, it's essential that you stock up on some "real" food. And have a wee drink to get in the mood ! ;)



2. After a quick facial cleanse I apply a masque. Here I'm wearing 2 different ones. A clay masque on my nose, chin and forehead and a moisturizing masque on the rest of my face. I look quite insane ;) Time for a bath!



3. A rolled up towel supports the neck.



4. A slosh of Weledas relaxing Lavender Milk and the whole bathroom is filled with wonderful lavender scent. In the bath I finish my Pims drink - delicious!



5. And settle into the steaming bathtub with Elisabeth Gilbert's book ( the author of the sublime Eat, Pray, Love ) and relax for a good 15 minutes.





6. In the bath all that needs to be done gets done, like filing feet etc. Extremely important if one is planning to wear, as I am, fully fashioned stockings...



7. Time for continued facial indulgence. As I am gradually letting go of years of "chemical" skin products I have been looking for natural and effective skin products. My current skin care choice is the all natural Jurlique series. Eventually l'l be adding a few items from the Orgins (Estee Lauders) line too. I'm very pleased and a little surprised too actually at the high quality.



8. In order to create an impression of "flawless skin" I use products by Bobby Browns.



9. My powder though is MACs Studio Fix.



10. Ready to begin adding a little make-up color.



11. My intentions was to go for a slightly shimmery eye make-up look and add a little purple eye shadow into that mix. I used B.B eyeshadow, B.B eye liner , L'Oreal mascara and MACs Russian Red (of course!) lipstick. Almost there!



12. Tadaaaa ! And now - the hair.






13. Black hair care reads like an encyclopedia.... But I can honestly say this is one of the best hair products for black hair that I've ever tried - R & B from Lush!



14. Praise the Snodd! Simple "do" with a low chignon in the back. All I need now is a dress and a hat and I'm ready to go!



15. Cocktails anyone? :)

Im invited to a 1940s cocktail party - what to wear!!

Going out for cocktail is something people did all the times in the 1940s.



Sometimes it was just a casual relaxed get together.



Other times it was more of a formal event and called for black tie and evening gowns. Cocktail party 1940: Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Lili Damita. Picture from here.



Gable and Lombard. Picture from here.

"Cocktails became fashionable during prohibition. The new cocktails, often with fancy names, were a mix of one or more types of alcohol and fruit juices usually used to mask the poor quality of bootleg liquor. Because drinking alcohol was prohibited in public places, people held private parties in their homes. These cocktail parties, typically held in early evening between the hours of 6 and 8, soon developed a reputation as chic and sophisticated events.

Attending cocktail parties meant wearing the appropriate outfit, hence the beginning of cocktail dress fashion. During the 1920s cocktail dresses were a just a fancier version of daytime attire""long, loose fitting columnar-style ankle length dresses in jewel tone colors. Small hats, gloves, shoes, and tiny handbags completed the look.

As the 1930s approached, the cocktail dress still mimicked daytime fashions, but was on its way to becoming its own fashion style. The decade between the 1930s and the 1940s saw the creation of day to evening wear and the emergence of the cocktail suit. Day to evening wear was often embellished with faux rhinestone buttons and accessorized with costume jewelry such as brooches for evening events. Hats and gloves remained de rigueur at every cocktail party, a tradition that lasted into the mid-1960s.

During the 1940s, black became the favored color for the cocktail party dress. Instead of the wool crepe used for daytime fashions, dresses were made with fancier fabrics such as silk or satin. The small cocktail hat remained a favored accessory, as did gloves. It was at the end of the 1940s that the term cocktail dress was coined."

Text from here.

Left dress from here. Right dress from here.



Left hat from here. Right hat from here.

Black dress, knee length, some jewelery, hat and gloves and perhaps a fur since the weathers quite chilly. Well, I shall do my best! :)