Bzz Bzz Bzz, I’m a little bumbly today. I swear I even got up early to steam out the wrinkles in this dress… some things don’t wanna stay ironed.
Mucha inspiration board:
Mucha drawings & ads
Yellow Poppy
Bee Brooch from etsy
Little Bumble Bee
I have a very small head (my mother always laughs at me) but it’s quite handy for fitting into tiny 1920s cloche hats, which are usually size 21 and smaller. The next time you’re at the beauty parlor, request for the back to be “stacked” and they’ll usually cut your hair shorter beginning at the occipital bone. Think Louise Brooks. It’s a very handy cut to have for making hats fit. There is your beauty tip for the day.
Most of my cloches are ill fitting at the moment because the back of my head is overgrown. I haven’t had my hair cut in a while because I haven’t any extra money – a ladies’ haircut in Austin is $50 in most places before tip! I feed myself on nearly $90 a month, so it doesn’t really make sense to spend food money on something that will grow back in 5 weeks. I can manage trimming the front and sides okay, but I can’t stack the back myself. I wish I could pay for just partial haircuts, because I would gladly pay $25 for just the back to be cut and the rest left alone. I have a special technique for cutting my hair that is probably not approved by most stylists. It involves dry cutting the ringlets and then twisting sections that I pincurl and thin them out.
Close up of kitten fabric! I borrowed this image from the Jitterbuggin Etsy shop. By the way, I own another blouse from this shop and I can’t say enough nice things about it. It’s all handmade in Portland, Oregon by the cutest girl, too!
I put a second coat on my manicure – I love it! I’ve worked two really intense days at the Toy Store and it hasn’t chipped at all. I’m sold. Tonight Belleweather and I are going to see “Night Nurse” at the Alamo. I’ve seen it before on the PreCode DVD collection but never on the big screen!
I’ve been watching 1940s house for the last few days. What a show! It’s so exciting and emotional, furthered on by the historical context and war-time committee that influences the event in the family’s life. They must black out their windows, build an Anderson Bomb Shelter, and eat on rationing tickets. I know I’m about 10 years behind in discovering the show, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s a wonderful show to experience. The way “living” in the 1940s has changed around the life of the people in the show is really inspirational. The grandmother of the show cut her food budget by 50% by shopping for grocery items in a 1940s way, that is, less packaged food and fresh produce and meat from the butcher.
Today was rather cool so I could wear Gabardine, which Texas heat usually does not allow.
Here is my 1930s style manicure, with the moons and the tips left naked. I was apprehensive to try out this style because I thought this would be difficult to execute, but it was so simple! The secret is to paint horizontally on the nail, not vertically like normal paint jobs. I have very pronounced moons in my nails, so I was able to follow them with the brush and create the pattern with little problem. I always notice 1930s manicures because there is inevitably a close up of a woman holding a telegraph letter. I’ve cut my nails into little sharp points for about 4 years now and it’s a very satisfying shape and it makes my nails grow longer because there is less surface area on the edges to nick.
Center, and Clockwise from top R:
Images from John Galliano’s Fall Fashion 2007, the “Boudoir Doll” fashion show
Diagram of Dita VonTeese’s Moon Manicure from Styleist
Diagram of Fingernail shape
1930s photograph – two toned and kitten claw sharp
This is my Mary Pickford face.
I love these stockings. I feel like a crazy cartoon spider when I wear them, because they elongate my (already) long legs. These 1940s shoes are quite cartoonish, as well. They are a size 10AAA, which means loooong and skinny, just perfect for my Ozarkian feet. This isn’t quite mentioned in polite society, but most girls birthed at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains are often born with large flippery feet so that they might become gifted in creek hoppin,’ peach tree climbin,’ and other activities that involve truncatin’ the g.
Oh, and they also remind me of this LOVELY photo of a Storyville Prostitute.
Since I obviously cannot get out of this 1930s chorus girl niche that I’ve grooved myself into, here are some more inspirational screen shots of the gals doing what they do:
Top Left: Screen cap of Dancing Lady (1933) with Joan Crawford in the center. My second favorite element of 1930s chorus girl movies is stopping the frame and photographing the rehearsal tap dancing outfits because they are so varied and interesting. Sometimes it’s a blouse and shorts, sometimes a onesie, sometimes a very short dress.
Bottom Left: Of course, in the final performance, the ladies all wear identical outfits. I like this little tuxedo suit number, it’s quite charming. This photo is from It’ll Take the Snap Out of Your Garters!, one of THE best vintage resources on the planet and run by one of my most favorite sassy ladies, Amy. Please pay her a visit if you’ve never seen her blog. You will be overwhelmed (in a good way).
This is a very New Orleans outfit. I got this necklace on my first trip there in 2003 when I visited to photograph graveyards and drink gin and tonics at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop in the evenings. When I’m in New Orleans, I always stop by Trashy Diva to see what kind of pretties are there that season. This dress originally had halter straps, but I began sewing it last night and I like the straps sewn strait to the back as it is now.
This is a very ticklish alligator that just arrived at work. He was born in China (although his sisters are indigenous to Louisiana) and he likes to swing and swat his tail. Bellewether and I walked to a photobooth on our lunch break with the alligator, but the machine was malfunctioning.
We took him on a walk through our grocery store and people petted him and asked about him as if he were a puppy. I don’t’ know why more grown-ups don’t carry large friends around – I made a lot of friends at the ice cream store because kids wanted to pet him.
Today was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! After work I went on a long bike ride and sat under some windy trees that were in full bloom with jasmine and honeysuckle scents wafting in. Spring! You are so short, but so so sweet!
Bellewether wears
Here’s my spin on a 1930s Chorus Girl outfit – I’m ready to dance!
I love this color of peach – and the garment has little floral embroidery and a rotting silk ribbon at the front.
I check this book out through interlibrary loan a few weeks ago and it has literally reshaped my techniques of pincurling. It is an invaluable resource for understanding curls and has the most ridiculous details of how to set them, how to brush them out, and how to sculpt them into different styles. Information about it here: Vintage Hairstyling on Amazon, but check your local library to check it out first.
Speaking of pincurls – everyone PLEASE check out the newest issue of Zelda, Bellewether and I are contributors to a full-color pincurl tutorial. It also features:
My hair is set to make the curls above by backwards curling them and pinned at the scalp so that they strand strait up. When they are combed out they make big corkscrew curls that boing into shape and stay that way for a few days (with resetting at night). Upon talking about flapper ‘fros, Nika recommended washing my hair with BIG from Lush because it has salt and citrus in it, so I tried out my salt face scrub instead (because I already owned it) and it turned out so well! It’s very fluffy and clean feeling, even four days later! I think when I run out of the scrub I’ll just make a paste of sea salt and citrus along with my normal combination of Apple Cider Vinegar and baking soda. Yes, I like to cook with my hair.
Top Left: The gals from “Gold Diggers of 1937″
Bottom Left:Chorus girls from “The Singing Kid”
Top Right:From “Dancing Lady” (1933)
Bellewether wears…
I had seen these overalls last month at Buffalo Exchange, and when I went back yesterday they were still there! They are from ReVamp Vintage in LA, which I have always ADORED but everything is too $$$ for my meager salary. These were only $28 (they retail for $150) and I knew someone who had to have them. I drug Bellewether over there on her lunch break and insisted that she buy them. Doesn’t she look fetching? We sang “It’s a Jolly Holiday with Mary!” while pricing Japanese erasers at work. We are moving in together next month into a 1940s house with a little shady porch that will be made into our own beauty parlor. There is also a detached garage so’s I can practice my tap dancing without disturbing anyone. Speaking of practicing, I need to get some tap dance practice records. Where do I find them? You know the ones I’m referring to? There is a recorded voice that says “falap ball change, falap ball change, turn shuffle step, buffalo, buffalo” over the music. I used to listen to them when I was very young.
I really debated on if I should post this outfit or not, since it’s not my normal 1930s style, but since it is technically 1970s, I guess it’s okay.
Plus, I don’t want any of you to think I’m a vintage snob/purist, although I do get put into the “Authentic Vintage” category by other vintage blogs 
I have wanted a Sex Pistols shirt since I was 14!!!! I look for them on ebay every once in a while but they are always $75.
I know it’s not my normal style, and that it’s not very punk to shop at Urban Outfitters… but here I am in a t shirt!
When I sing karaoke, I always choose Sex Pistols songs or Outkast. Now you know all of my dirty secrets.
Here is my yellow eyeshadow. It’s by Makeup Forever and I like to bust it out for special yellow occasions.
Johnny Rotten is an adorable old bastard.
He falls into my ideal of suit wearing/crust punk gentleman.
I know I’m not supposed to say that the Sex Pistols are cute, but I will.
Here are some awesome Sex Pistols Songs:
