Vintage Fath

While I find a nipped waist suit quite delicious, I think these softer suits that showed up in 1954 with their longer cut and bloused backs are the epitome of Paris chic. The jeweled cuff link is a look you can copy with a vintage brooch.

"Back-Bloused Suit: Fath
Gray flannel suit-wearing its blouse outside. This, fitted at front, full at back and centre.
Jewel cuff links; Persian lamb hat, scarf, bag."
Vogue, October 1954



Or this Dior suit from 1952:

I have this suit on my site which has all the style features I like; loose fit, dropped waist, bloused back.
Very chic.

Vintage Handbags

Scans of vintage purses from my desk calender.



Love it!
"Leather basket bag with ruched interior. Roger Model for Elisa Schiaparelli, mid 1930's"



"Tricolor handbag in red, white and black. Late 1940's"

Obviously I have Nothing Better To Do

First, I spend hours in the black hole that is the Life Magazine Archives on Google and now I have been pointed towards Ugly Shit On Esty.

What is the first item up?
A TP Pendant:

Nothing says I love you like a toilet paper pendant.

Harem Jumpsuits are Never a Good Look

Not in 1939, not in the 80's and not in 2008.
Sorry ladies.

Via Jezebel:

Even though Life magazine is no more, the Life photo archive is now available through Google's Image Search feature. There are more than 10 million photos, many of which were never published. About 20% of the collection went online yesterday, and Google will be adding more in the coming months.

A good search to start with?

Dior

My Mother Will Kill Me

Hi
My name is Julie and I am a pie crust snob...or I was until my husband (who does the grocery shopping. i think grocery shopping is a form of purgatory, not unlike bra shopping...plus I spend too much money when I go, I think it is all the bright lights, they confuse me) brought home the roll out Pillsbury Pie Crusts.

Really, they taste almost like homemade, super flaky and so easy.*


You just roll them out.

Tonight I made Chicken Pot Pie.
(yes I know there are no carrots, I had no carrots so I put in potatoes, green beans and corn)
Very yummy and The Boy, who is really picky about food even at almost 17 and still hates all things green, liked it.

The reason my mother will kill me is that I gave her such a hard time when she started using frozen pie shells after a lifetime of making her own pie crusts. It must be genetic since I am probably close to the age she was when she decided "fuck it, life is too short to make pie crusts".

Smart woman.

*The Pillsbury folks are welcome to send me a check for this endorsement....

In Which I Begin a "Project"

I traded a cool sweater with a vintage friend for this great coat.



It is perfect for the weather here. Not too heavy and it almost fits me.

Almost......

It has the smallest freaking sleeves...just at the wrist. Now part of that is because I'm a big gal with huge wrists, but they really taper down from just below the elbow. I have decided that since I have spent no real money on this and I really want a vintage coat that fits, I am planning to do a bit reconstruction.
Since I would prefer that it was a jacket I am going to cut about 5 inches off the bottom, cut the sleeves off where they begin to taper and add that 5 inches to the sleeves.
I hope it ends up working out.
Wish me luck.....

Vintage Auction

Kerry Taylor Auctions is having an antique and vintage fashion/textile auction on Nov. 18th.
Bids can be placed though Live Auctioneer.
Tons of wonderful eye candy for the vintage lover, like this:



I. Magnin 40's evening gown.

Yummy, there are some really nice "lots" of 30's, 40's and 50's print dress to be had....if you can afford the 22.5% "buyers premium".
You can view the catalog here.

The Queen of Garfinckel's

This is a fabulous article on the Garfinckel's website about Elizabeth Fairall who was called "The "Queen of Garfinckels".

The following is an article from Colliers Magazine, February 10, 1951. This was a time when there were no racks of clothing in the store: Ladies came in to shop, sat on sofas and were shown the clothing on models. And strangely enough for the time, the merchandising operations of the Garfinckel's stores were run by a woman, Miss Elizabeth Fairall, who had been with Julius Garfinckel since the beginning of the company in 1905. During a time when corporations were run by men, I'm sure this article about the female vice president of one of the most important fashion retailers in the United States was unique.

Human Right

Good quote via Andrew Sullivan:

"The right to marry whoever one wishes is an elementary human right compared to which ‘the right to attend an integrated school, the right to sit where one pleases on a bus, the right to go into any hotel or recreation area or place of amusement, regardless of one’s skin or color or race’ are minor indeed. Even political rights, like the right to vote, and nearly all other rights enumerated in the Constitution, are secondary to the inalienable human rights to 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence; and to this category the right to home and marriage unquestionably belongs," - Hannah Arendt, Dissent, 1959.


I guess I should mention that the bridesmaid in the top vintage wedding photograph is my paternal Grandmother, Leona Meier, the dude behind her may or may not be my Grandfather....I'm not really sure.
(Seriously. My image of my Grandfather is of him as old, wearing an undershirt while sitting in his recliner and smoking a pipe. Which is why my husband is not allowed to sit in a recliner wearing an undershirt. Though, I do wish he would smoke a pipe. I like the way pipe tobacco smells.)
The bottom photo is just part of the collection of vintage pictures I have picked up over the years.
I liked her "Gibson Girl" style and as a bonus, thought the groom looked scared to death.

Back to Vintage

Election is over, Obama is President-Elect and Michelle wore an awesome dress to the White House.
Back to vintage.
Here are scans of a couple of vintage purses on my desktop calendar.


Mice at play basket bag with woven ribbon, 1960's.
Am I bad to think that "mice at play" means mice playing poker? Or even better Mice Plotting to Take Over the World?


Phone-cord bag in multiple colors, 1950's.

I love these bags and they were pretty popular from the 40's to the 60's so they come up quite often on eBay and vintage sites.
Here and here and here and here.

Why Do You Care?

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment tonight.
All I can say is...well, why do you care if Gays marry?
"Separate but equal" never works. It is always separate and never equal.

By the way here in Arkansas the evangelicals seem to get divorced more then anyone else.
Can you say "sanctity of marriage"?
I knew you could.

Fat Kitty

...is not pleased.

Dear America,

THANK YOU!

Sincerely,
The World

All That is Left

People died so you have the right to vote.
So go exercise that right no matter how long the line is.

Chill

The Boss

The Boss is in Obama's camp.



This generation's Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band on Letterman earlier this year performing The Rising.

The Queen of Mean

Wow, and people thought Leona Helmsley was a bitch, but this gal takes the cake.
Mom and Dad Obama supporters?
No candy for YOU!

Wanna bet she calls herself a "Christian"?


Way to stay classy Republicans......

In Praise of Candy Corn

Don't judge me!
I love candy corn. I know that a lot of you purists out there will remark that it does not taste like corn.
So?
What it is is soft, pure sugary goodness.
No one else that lives at my house likes it.

More for me.

Cheif in a Box

Happy Halloween

What Obama did Not Say Last Night

While Palin is being snarky about Obama today in her speeches John Cole over on Balloon Juice reminds us of what Obama did not say in his infomercial last night.

Notice what is missing from that, conservatives? Attacks on John McCain. For 30 minutes, Barack Obama talked about what he thinks are the problems currently facing the country, about what he thinks he can do to help fix them, how you can help him, and why it is important to elect him. He did not spend his time telling you why you should not vote for McCain, he spent his time telling why you should vote for him. You may not agree with his ideas, but you can not argue he has them and is presenting them to the country in a clear and nonthreatening manner.

Since John and Sarah can't give a speech without lying about Obama I have a feeling their infomercial would be POW!WAR!AYERS!SOCIALIST!ISRAELHATER!TERRORIST! oh and did I say POW?!!!
I'm glad my candidate is the one who tells me what he will DO not what is wrong with his opponent, who lets me know what is ideas are to fix this country and who talks to me like an adult.

Vintage Monte-Sano Coat

Mrs. George Pope, photographed above in the I. Magnin hat
department, wears a rust tweed coat with fluted pockets,
pleated skirt; by Monte-Sanyo in Hockanum's
super soft nubby tweed. About $235

Vogue, 1948

Vintage Purses

Wicker strawberry-basket bag, 1950's

Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil purse, 1940's.....
Cause really, who can hate a monkey purse?

Ceil Chapman, 1948

Vintage Ceil Chapman dress:

"Back gathered dinner dress (shades of skirt shapes to come), cut just over the ankle.
Of dark blue twill silk; Ceil Chapman."

Vogue, 1948

Vintage 1940's Hats

Crochet.
Yep, they are crocheted.
Pretty chic too.

Paul Newman

Requiescat in pace et in amore

LOLfatcats

Vintage Handbags

More scans from my calendar:


Classy Bakelite in Contrasting Colors, 1940's



Cheerful summer tote adorned with sequin flowers, Enid Collins, 1960

Vintage Irene Suit

Vogue, 1949

Newsflash

Elite Hillary backer joins the elitist party!
Sorry Baroness Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild, but as a "regular person", I really could care less if a "insanely wealthy, titled aristocrat" leaves the Democratic party.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Chief and Morning Glories

Here is a new picture of Chief.
Such a big boy, no longer a little kitty.
He has begun venturing out on the back deck and into the yard.


The deck covered with wisteria and morning glories.

Vintage Suit

Lilli Ann, Vogue 1954

No Honor

The Republicans have no problem lying.

That we all know.
This goes beyond the pale.

I am speechless.
At least georgia10 on Daily Kos is not.

Oh, and some asswipe Republican tore the Obama '08 sticker off my car tonight while I was in the fucking WalMart parking lot.
I kid you not.
So.
Pissed.

We Are Not Amused

I promise this will be my final Sarah Palin post.

At least until she talks to real reporters who ask her tough questions.

Rick Davis from the McCain campaign has said:

Rick Davis, campaign manager for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., just told Fox News Channel's Chris Wallace that McCain running mate Gov. Sarah Palin won't subject herself to any tough questions from reporters "until the point in time when she'll be treated with respect and deference." ... "Sarah Palin will have the opportinity to speak to the American people," Davis said. "She will do interviews, but she'll do them on the terms and conditions" the campaign decides.

Sarah, just a little hint, respect needs to be earned and so far honey, you have done nothing to earn mine. Having 5 kids means nothing to me when I know gals who have 7 or more kids and homeschool them all.

And Deference?
Seriously?
Just who the hell does she think she is....the fucking Queen?

Vintage Dress

Givenchy, 1953

Give Em Hell Joe!

Now this is what I'm talking about.

Ugly American

This post on Huffington Post pretty much sums up the way I feel about Sarah Palin, without my meanness.

Many pundits in reviewing her polished performance claim to see an unflappable and gung-ho winner on stage. My honest-to-goodness visceral reaction was quite otherwise. What I saw on that stage was the personification of small-minded smugness, an utter lack of humility, a kind of self-righteous entitlement based on little more than puffed-up narrowness. She struck me not as plucky but, rather, as stunningly immodest--to the point of arrogance. Some people are arrogant and maybe deserve to be. They know it, and flaunt it, while everyone else thinks they are jerks. But there's another kind of arrogance, perhaps harder to spot at first, an arrogance that apparently doesn't even recognize itself as such, a sanctified, self-satisfied presumptuousness that flows from sheer naïveté about oneself and the world and manifests itself in giddy ambition.

Sanctified, small-minded smugness.
Yep, I know this person.

Scary Kitties

I know I should not laugh, but there is something about bobcats taking over an abandoned home just hilarious.

I've Got you Covered

Well, we have just seen the Republicans use 9/11 as a way to get votes with a "9/11 Tribute Video". Why am I not surprised?
Here is your daily dose of reality from Obama to scrub the bullshit of the Republican convention.

Community Organizers

I'm still pissed about the derision that Rudy and Sarah displayed last night.
So in case anyone is wondering what a "community organizer" does here is a Photo History of Community Organizers.


That is a photo of one of my favorite community organizers, Dorothy Day who helped the poor and homeless and promoted social justice. I guess Republicans would call her a communist.

Ugh.

I was pretty appalled by Gov. Palin's speech. She was sarcastic and the speech had a very ugly
tone.

I promise you, every women out there heard who she was. She's the leader of the clique who
was cruel to you while she smiled at you, she is the gal who ran the PTA as her own little
fiefdom and treated like shit because your kid was odd or had problems, she is the petty woman who ruins your reputation or runs another family out of your local church with an ugly smear
campaign all the while smiling at them, she is the gal that gets the town to cancel Halloween and inferrs that those who disagree with her worship Satan.

I get who she is and it is not a person I like.
Just ugh and no.