New Purse

When I was in high school 79' to 81' (we are great, we are fun, we're the class of 81'....cheeeeesy I know) my BFF (no long BFFs and it has been over 20 years since we spoke, but I did stalk her on the internet and find our she lives in Phoenix and is a Senior Project Manager for a huge construction company and works with Habitat for Humanity) Theresa Schultz was everything cool.
Scary smart, pretty, skinny and she had an Aigner* purse and shoes.
Dear GOD I wanted some Aigner of my own.
You need to remember that at that time among those of us with a bit of taste Aigner was ALL THAT and a slice of cheese.
It was not to be.
My mom would not spend "that kind of money" on a purse.
I'll tell you all of this because the other day I decided I was finally going to get my Aigner purse.
So I went shopping and bought one on Etsy from thecherrychic. (it looks like vintage linens and such are her thing with a lot of kitsch thrown in.)

I'm so happy.
Perfect size, super soft leather in great shape and very fast shipping.

In my quest for the perfect everyday purse I have come close, like the 80's blue leather bucket bag with gold bunnies and poodles (which is like crack to me) that I got from Dorothea's Closet, but still not right.
And I have a bunch of vintage 40's, 50's and 60's purses that I use if the spirit moves me, but i am VERY hard on purses so I try to use them sparingly so this will be a great purse for the next year or so.

*I've always thought the quality of Aigner leather to be superior to a lot of what passes for "quality" handbags these days. The prices were reasonable and are very reasonable now for a vintage one. I think for the summer I'll get one of the woven straw and leather handbags.
Though I must say that what they are putting out now, if the website is any indication, is just ass. I like the classic stuff.

What's For Dinner This Week

Tonight it is homemade bread and cheesy potato soup.

Sun: BBQ Pork Steaks
Slaw
Corn

Mon: Meatloaf
Mashed Potatoes

Tues: Pizza (pizza hut?)
Salad

Wed: Burritos
Spanish Rice
Salad

Thurs: Baked Ital Sausage with Onions and Potatoes (hmmmm I sense a theme this week)

Weekend Sale at Damn Good Vintage

Vintage 1950's Polished Cotton Dress
From L'Anglion with Blue and Purple Roses

Was: $115
Now: $57.50

Sew Vintage Patterns

Pattern Blog.
What I like and what has been listed in the last week at Sew-Retro.
Done.

Vintage Swimwear Interview

Collectors Weekly has a new interview they just posted with vintage swimwear collector, Pam of GlamourSurf. "Pam talks about the evolution of vintage swimwear from the 1920s through the 1980s. She discusses the changing styles, famous designers, and the various materials that were used."
Go take a look.

Sexy, Curvy Vintage

Lord have mercy these gals are hot!

(Rockabilly Fashion Show put on by Senorita Hollywood and blogged by Pam from GlamourSurf. BTW, a little bird told me that Senorita Hollywood will have a booth at the upcoming Rockabilly Rave USA in New Orleans this October.)

Other People's Vintage

That I like. 1940's big shoulder green gabardine coat and 50's Vintage Silk Print Dress by Claire McCardel from Denisebrain.



1940's Plus sized dress with fun print from Dorothea's Closet.

CHECKERBOARD Vintage 1950s Penney's DOLMAN Cardigan from Fast Eddie's.

Dior and More

Just a quick look at what vintage I have coming soon to Damn Good Vintage:

A Dior Ultrasuede Coat

Early 50's Purple Rockabilly Dress


Cute 40's Day Dress (look at the buttons and the hidden pockets on the hips)

Vintage Etsy or YOU KNOW YOU WANT THAT CLOCK

When my son comes home from work he throws his crap all over the kitchen counter that sticks out in the living room and collects our crap.
Once my Wellbutrin runs out for the day and turns ugly I may yell about his crap all over my counter and might throw it on the ground or maybe at him.
The other day I decided to set this great MCM metal trash can, black with silver deer on it, on the washstand my the counter and have him throw everything in there.
It looks pretty good, but it is a bit tall so I spent some time trolling Etsy trying to find a type of atomic container or planter or large bowl to use. I did not find anything I wanted, but I found some great atomic housewares I want, but do not need.
Here are a few:
Atomic Starburst Vintage Glasbake Casserole or Cake Pan (actually I might NEED this more then I thought)

Amoeba atomic vintage pitcher

Ameoba Boomerang Glasses Atomic Federal Red Black Turquoise Eames

SCHAEFER ATOMIC CLOCK
I really love this beer advertising clock, but man I do not need it.

If you love Mid Century Modern and Atomic vintage you should check out Kim on Tuesday for her Atomic Tuesday roundup and No Pattern Required.

Green Fields of France

War is so glorious y'all.....



Green Fields of France is my favorite anti-war song....






Please don't forget the troops dying.
45 in July and already 40 in August...there will never be enough bodies for Afghanistan.

Music for an Irish American's Passing

In Teddy's honor.

Mmmmmm, Raspberry

No, not raspberries to eat, but this amazing raspberry silk HATTIE CARNEGIE gown at Dorothea's Closet.

Strapless gown has fantastic seaming along front and off-set pleats to side of center waist, drapes dramatically to the floor. Supported by self crinoline, has RIGHT metal zipper suggesting it was custom made for a left handed wearer! Stole wraps around shoulders, seams create lift, straps pull under arms.

Carnegie was in business from 1909 until her death in the 50's but her business continued until the late 70's. From the Vintage Fashion Guild Listing:

It was said that a lady could be dressed from "Hat to hem" at Hattie Carnegie (the one item she did not have being shoes!) By the 1940s, Carnegie's store was actually a department store. There was a handbag shop, where a customer could order a bag to match an outfit or hat, the fur salon which was next to the Custom Salon, a millinary shop and a ready-to-wear hat shop, her jewelry department, an antique shop that sold furniture, china and glass, a cosmetic and perfumes department, the Jeune Fille shop which sold Spectator Sports and ready-to-wear from other design houses.

To see more of this great dress go here and for more information on Hattie Carnegie check out the entry for her on the Vintage Fashion Guild.

Liberal Lion

This is how I will remember him.
Fighting the good fight for the regular guy.


The good stuff is around min 3:35....




TeddyCare.
In lieu of flowers, let's pass health care reform.

Statesman

“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dreams shall never die.”

Requiescat in Pace

New Life for Vintage

My views on taking perfectly good vintage and hacking it up to make "trendy" garments that for the most part are NOT well made is well known.
But in the hands of a talented seamstress and designer a piece of vintage clothing that is damaged and has outlived its usefulness can be a thing of beauty.

This brings me to re:couture a line of designs now being offered at Shrimpton Couture (a site that is everything I want to be when I grow up)....

"re:couture is a new label from designer Tallulah Charlotte and is exclusively available through Shrimpton Couture. Tallulah is a long time vintage devotee who chooses to work with damaged vintage and restores or re-works it to make pieces wearable once again while adding her own unique vision to each piece."

(Tallulah. I love that name. I hope that is her real name. If I had had a girl I would have named her Tallulah. It is a name that you don't mess with. Powerful.)

These are just lovely designs that stay true to their original eras.

I would even argue that this delicious design (really, it is just lovely) is a step up from the "originally a maxi length vest that was ruined beyond repair near the hem" it stated out as, because maxi length vests should never had existed in the first place.
Except maybe as garments for Maude or Mame, no one else could pull these off without giving off a real "crazy cat lady drinking highballs at lunch" vibe.



Another wonderful design.
Respect paid to its 50's base with an added modern twist.

re:couture.
Re-making vintage done right.

Shitty Movie Blog

If you like movies you might want to check out Shitty Movie Blog.
It's no Pajiba and the author is one foul mouth dude (takes one to know one, right?) and our household TOTALLY disagrees with his review of Inglorious Bastards (though Quinten could be more generous with his editing and I am tired of the black hole that is the Tarantino ego) but still, there is some good fun writing there.
Go check him out.

WWBW? (what would Betty wear?)

If you don't watch Mad Men (why not?) then you won't get this.
This is what Betty would wear:

Betty would wear this* after the baby and then tell Don that she has a headache.
Forever.
Because Don is a cad.
He's hot.
But he's a cad.

*"This" is a vintage 50's Vanity Fair Peignoir set in aqua that you can find here at Damn Good Vintage.

Sadness Abounds

Tonight we found out that a wonderful "online" friend, Mary Catherine Lamb, passed away last night.
My heart is heavy with grief.
After a good cry I went looking for an old post I did on MC and her crazy sock monkey quilt.
Here tis:

I know that Sock Monkeys have their fans.
So do clowns...and those creepy "dolls" that crazy ladies display
in glass cases.

I am NOT a Sock Monkey lover.
I think they are creepy and probably plan to take over the world,
but when Sock Monkeys are added to a quilt and created out of
vintage Bark Cloth fabric, well, then that might equal love.

I give you "Sock Monkey Jamboree"

That makes even me smile with glee.

The quilt has been aquired The University of Nebraska's
International Quilt Study Center along with other quilts created by
the extremely talented and creative Mary Catherine Lamb including a
quilt titled THE FOUR HORSEMAN OF THE freaking APOCALYPSE(!).

From their website: "The INTERNATIONAL QUILT STUDY CENTER at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln houses one of the largest publicly owned collections in the world. The quilts range from outstanding early examples of American quilts to contemporary and international quilts. The International Quilt Study Center's comprehensive collection now numbers more than 2300 quilts from seventeen countries, dating from the early 1700s to the present."

Of course this begs the question what will she create next?
I think there is only one way to go after using the Four Horsemen and
Evil Sock Monkeys.
That would be to place all of the Evil Overlords List on a quilt.

I'm sure this is all some evil plan to bring about the APOCALYPSE
and install Sock Monkeys as our Evil Overlords....hopefully they
won't read the list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also you can enjoy this video of her and her work that Oregon Public Broadcasting produced.

Requiescat in Pace

Sand and Light

Watch this amazing video of a performance artist who uses sand and light and music to tell a story of WW2.



You can read more about Kseniya Simonova here.

Weekend Sale at Damn Good Vintage

Vintage 50s 60s Pink Linen Shirtwaist Dress
Was $75
Now $37


Vintage 50s Vogue Special Design Box Jacket Suit with Shell
Was $24
Now $12

Aloha

Great article on the Honolulu Star Bulletin's website:
50's Years of Hawaii Fashion on View
via Fashion Tribe twitter.....

LOL

Tomato Pie

Last week I made Paula Dean's Tomato Pie recipe.*
Last week my husband and I ate the whole damn thing.
It was just that good.
This week I made a larger one (just dbl the recipe and made it in a 9X13 dish instead of a regular pie pan) so I could have leftovers today.
Just as good this week as last except The Teen who hates tomatoes said "ok, you were right mom, this is really good". So much for leftovers.

Great recipe for this time of year when you have all those tomatoes sitting around and wondering who you have not given some to.
The first time I just used a pre-made pie shell, but this time made my own pie crust.
Really pie crust is easy folks, especially if you use a food processor.

Yum.
and Yum.
Oh, Yum.

Tonight it is fried pork chops with gravy and mashed taters and probably cantaloupe.

*You need to peel the tomatoes. To do this you make an X into the bottom of your tomato, drop it into boiling water for a min or two (just to the point where you see the skin begin to peel away at your X) the drop them in cold water for a min. You can now just slide the skin off.

Weekend Bonus Sale at Damn Good Vintage

From Damn Good Vintage and Sew-Retro this weekend.

Vintage 40s New Look Nipped Waist Suit Quitted and Beaded Peplum XS B32


Was $150
This Weekend Only $75

Vintage 60s Pattern Spadea Suzy Perette Fly Away Panel Tunic Dress with Skirt Factory Folds NS-217 B35


Was $20
This Weekend Only $10

90's Revival

Who knew?
It seems there is already a "revival" of 90's fashions.
My guess is that it has to do with the overabundance of 90's clothes at the thrifts and yard sales and the fact that you really can't label something made in the 1990's vintage.

Here's a bit of real vintage clothes:

Vintage 40's Blue Tweed Jacket

Vintage 40's Purple Plaid Swing Dress

Vintage 60's Serbin Day Dress


Vintage 50's Red Wiggle Dress


Crazy Fred Perlberg Party dress.
I love this dress in a "Sharon Stone in Casino would
look so awesome in it" kinda way.

Morning Glory and Disappointment

I did finally hear back from my Doctor.
The scans did not really show any real issues with the parathyroids, but they might have seen something with my thyroids.
Sigh.
Getting an ultrasound on Friday.
The problem is that my Dr. took off on vacation today (no I do think re deserves a holiday, he's a nice guy) so I could only talk to his nurse. Nice lady, but she was just setting up the time and trying to explain what was going on.
Ultrasound on Friday, results at the beginning of the week with a visit to see Dr. Mayfield.
I've gone down the thyroid road before and nothing has ever come from it.
So this is all probably an exercise in futility and a waste of money and I'm just disappointed because it would have been nice, for once, to have a cut and dried "this is what is wrong and it will fix what is wrong with you" ending.


Pretty.
Morning glories are one of those vintage flowers I love. Old style, vibrant colors and a bit chaotic.
The ones pictures are going on the sunny side of the back deck.

Weekend Bonus Sale at Damn Good Vintage

This week.
LS Ayres knitted wool shell covered with crazy discs.
Was $80, this weekend $40

Vintage 60's Jacques Heim Coat Dress Pattern from Vogue
Was $45, this weekend $22.50

Now Your Dog Shall Kill You

Way to make your dog hate you.
Woe unto man when the cat Snuggie comes out.
Our feline overlords will rise up and finally deliver the cosmic smackdown we have been asking for.

I Hope I Have Parathyroid Disease

Went to my Doctor the other day and while I was there I mentioned the blood tests he did last year that he had wanted me to come back and retake that I blew off because the gal who called said he was worried that my cholesterol count was high and I was all like "of course it was, I had a meatloaf sandwich before I went in".
One year later he is like "no, I was worried because your CALCIUM level was high in the blood test, your cholesterol is fine".

Oh.
OK.
So we redid the blood test and HE called me this morning to tell me that he was making an appointment for a nuclear thing to see if I have Parathyroid Disease. It involves the parathyroids (who knew we had these? raise your hand) and a tumor.
Not cancer...he kept telling me not to worry about cancer.
Once they know for sure they will go in and remove the parathyroid in what seem to be a pretty easy and fast procedure.

I hope I have this.
Why?
Because the symptoms read like a who's who of what has been fucking wrong with me for years :

• Confusion, foggy thinking
• Muscle cramps. A tingling sensation in the hands and feet.
• Loss of energy, always tired
• Trouble sleeping, waking up at night.
• Feeling bad, but not able to say the reason
• Loss of interest in activities, inability to concentrate
• Changes in personality, more irritable or cranky
• Bone pain, especially in the legs
• Heartburn (GERD)
• Decreased sex drive
• Frequent headaches
• Thinning hair
• Heart palpitations (arrhythmias), high blood pressure
• Depression

The last month I've gotten worse and it would be so wonderful to feel normal again and not like some tired crazy bitch who wants to sleep all day and/or fight with my husband and son.
(of course I could just be going though menopause)

Engagement Session

Due to an unfortunate follow on twitter of vintageglam I went to Vintage Glam Weddings (a pretty, but massive time waster if there ever was one, I got sucked in looking at all the pretty, pretty vintage inspired weddings and spent like an hour there) which caused me to find out that in the wedding photography biz there is now something called the "Engagement Session".

These seem to involve the future bridge and groom being photographed looking at each other lovingly or kissing or laughing or looking seriously into the future whilst in picturesque settings.
I think I hate these, not because I have a problem with pretty people having their picture taken in cool places looking awesome in their vintage, but because of the damn name.
"Engagement Session" goes though me the way "space" does when you are talking about a room. In your house.
"Oh that couch fills the space nicely"
Ugh.
and Ugh.

Oh and croquet balls and mallets seem to be a running theme in the wedding pictures.
Maybe to throw at your beloved after the wedding when you catch him drunk kissing that HOR! Renee?

I like my wedding pictures full of people who look like they are scared to fucking death, not looking happily to the future.

BTW, I have 40 MINIONS/FOLLOWERS ya'll!!!!
What is the matter with you people?

Latest (and maybe greatest) Vintage Lampshade

I have been shopping for a cheap Venetian blind lampshade, but they always include a lamp (got enough of those) OR they are too expensive. A few weeks ago on ebay I spied not your traditional Venetian Shade, but a circular shade of copper and cream.
Yes, I needed that.
No one else seemed to notice it and I paid $9 something for it.

Sweet!

Included is a picture of the Wall O' Vintage Clocks so you can see how the light hits. I have a new clock ($11 on eBay) on the way to add to the collection and I'll get a picture up when it arrives.