I don't buy vintage repro. I don't have a problem with it, but I (and I don't mean to sound too arrogant here, but really I do) can probably make it myself!! For less the HALF the cost. But I've been trolling the repro sights for ideas and I'd say these are quite pretty:
Collegiate Skirt. I'm about this girl's size. Why doesn't something like this look as good on me???
And this. I don't remember where I found it, but I think it looks good. I'd make it!
For the record, I don't wear real vintage either. I just don't believe in putting my sweaty, oily, potentially stinky body up against a 70+ year old piece of fragile fabric. Can't do it. I make all my clothes from vintage patterns using modern fabrics and notions.
I am loving styling my own hair in vintage styles. Seriously, before this summer, I had NO IDEA how to do any styles and never knew they were so easy. Of course, I always had shorter hair, too. This is just a brief history of my bad attempts at "vintage hair" then I'll end with my lastest successes! I still ain't "elite", but that's fine for me. I don't think this girl could be called "elite", either:
Ok. On with the show...
When I first got into vintage wayyyyyy back in 1998 I had a pixie haircut. I began growing it into a Louise Brooks bob, but in the meantime I spitcurled the shit out of it. Always over the top!
When it got long enough in 2001, this was always my staple haircut. Louise Brooks' hair is what initially attracted me to vintage, so I got her haircut. I wore this baby for the better part of 10 years. This is my real hair colour, too (I was "anti-dye" for a while!) My hair is super straight so I figured the 20s bob was the only vintage 'do I could pull off. Lol.
Waves from a 1920s crimping iron. I heated it over my stove flames.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s I had frequent visitations with the "rockabilly" look. This is my bob tied back and my bangs roll-curled with a curling iron. My bangs were the only thing that held a curl so I went with it!
I wore my hair like this for a while. I called it my "Dolores del Rio" hair (not quite!) My hair was all one length and I made the curls on dry hair with a hot curling iron. They always drooped and ended up straight by the end of the day. Always. I eventually gave up.
I tried a combo of the above two. Yea....
With a spitcurl...
LOL. I couldn't do fingerwaves to save my life! This was wet set in my hair all day that day (I was going to a wedding!) There was hardly any wave -- just clip ridges! I never really had any concise instructions when it came to fingerwaving -- just ones that confused the hell out of me!
Still clinging to the straight bob, I went black! I wore this 'do for about 2 years.
This is this past August. I was tired of the black and tired of the bob. Here my hair is all one length and pincurled. I still hadn't grasped the concept of layered hair making better curls, nor did I realise I had to comb my bangs back (not let them droop off to the side!). But I persisted. I needed an absolute change...
I went platinum! And got a layered haircut. This is a pincurl wetset that I slept on. The bangs are pincurled inward towards my face to get that "wave" in the bang (which I LOVE the look of!) I do my hair like this every single day. I've mastered the art of the pincurl and all the different sizes. I comb my hair away from my forehead. It's great! I've never been so happy with my hair in my life!
This is my set. I do it every night around 7 to give it enough time to dry. One bobby pin is enough to hold it overnight. I only criss-cross the pins on the sides, front, and very bottom for extra support. Every night.
Last night I did my first-ever V-rolls! The left is nicer than the right because I have about 50% more hair on that side. It's really unequal!
This is my first time. It took me 30 seconds! I'm rocking them today, too. Gotta do them everyday to get better and better!
There are a few people and things I'd like to give shouts out to that helped me do all this stuff:...
Fluer de Guerre and her You Tube 1940s hair tutorial. It inspired me to get out my hot sticks and experiment. While the hot sticks didn't really work for me, this did make me do that first pincurl set! And I haven't stopped since.
This little bookie from Bramcost Publishers is wonderful! This one in particular, reprinted from an original 1923 manual, has the most sensical instructions I have ever read for doing a Marcel wave. I haven't tried it out yet, but it finally came together when I read this book.
Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells. Oh dear. This book really is the bomb diggity. For real. THIS is the only book that has ever made sense when it comes to fingerwaves. After all those years of frustration, this saved the day! All types of hair tools and techniques are thoroughly discussed, plus I love the little "bonuses" at the end!! Really. GET THIS BOOK!
A new discovery, Lisa Freemont Street, has got me rearin' to go when it comes to vintage styles! I watch one or two of her videos every night before bed on my iPhone. This video in particular is the one that inspired me to try victory rolls.
Bobby pins! I never knew what to do with these! And I certainly didn't think they could have a great relationship with my thin hair, but the pincurl is the answer to all my hair frustrations!
The vintage crimping iron. The hotter it is, the tighter the crimp! Give it a little tug while crimping and it will wave a little. Finally figured out how to properly utilize this thing!
The only thing that stood in the way of me using one of these babies was not having that aforementioned Marcel Waving book! Really, I had NO CLUE how this was supposed to curl or wave my hair :/
This thing. I don't know what it's called, but it makes a PERFECT fingerwave-like wave at my bang whenever I part my hair to the side. I love it! Again, I've had these clips for years and never knew what to do with them.
Overly-large, obnoxious hair flowers. Love 'em! I feel I can wear them properly and with pride now. I always felt awkward with a huge flower and a bob/straight hair.
I keep an album on my Facebook devoted to the loveliness of the vintage blonde. Here are some of the highlights. These have been collected around the web....
I'll admit I have an affinity for chicks more than I do guys. Mostly because women are more interesting to look at. These are the only guys I find attractive. Really.
I've been in love with Moz since I was 11 years old! He was the first guy I had naughty thoughts about...;)
MOTHERFUCK! Peter Serafinowicz is #1 on my celebrity "crush" (ahem) list these days. This guy is SEXY AS FUCK! I hit it any day of the week ;)
I'm such a dork for thinking the KGB dude is hot, but I can't deny it. Sean Gunn (on the left) is so hot. He is just so wonky looking it drives me INSANE. Like, I NEED to have him. I need to...oh....I'll censor this part ;)
And my everlasting dead crush in Billy Haines. I do tend to love gay guys. I can't help it.
My other dead crush: Allen Jenkins. I like a lot of dead guys :/
Karl Dane. I so would not turn down this guy! He's so UGLY. It's like it needs to be eradicated out of him. (I like big, ugly guys, too!)
Is Herman Munster a hottie? Lol. Well, he is big and ugly. And dumb. I kinda like 'em dumb. Fred Gwynne is NOT a hottie, but Herman -- I wouldn't mind being in Lilly's shoes. LOL.
Guys I would date and even MARRY, but don't find too hot: El Brendel, Hugh Herbert, Buster Keaton. Jerk: Harold Lloyd! Sorry -- cool actor and hilarious, just a JERK! lol.
But, the most sexiest guy of all is my hubby. He looks like Moz, Peter, Sean, and Allen. Must be what I fancy ;)
I don't know about you, but I like it! And they would have LOVED it at the '39 World's Fair and you know it! The 30s-60s was ALL ABOUT technology, advancements, and the (paleo) future. If they had email during WW2 you know it would've been utilized to the fullest extent!!
I don't understand these anti-technology whiners (on the INTERNET -- lol!) It's BECAUSE of technology that I can be "vintage." Yup. I've bought 99% of my vintage patterns online. Same with my vintage magazines. All my modern vintage how-to books came from online. I keep in touch with the world of OTR and the latest Al Bowlly tunes because of my iPod/Cds/Mp3s. If it weren't for YouTube I wouldn't have seen ANY of the cool 1940s Home Ec shit I've seen!
Google Image Searches keep me inspired; whether it be glamourous actresses or "regular" women. Facebook and Blogger lets me share my passion with others -- others I never would have known if it weren't for the Internet! The cell phone doesn't fit in here anywhere, but the freakin' IPHONE does! I've got ALL THIS VINTAGENESS in the palm of my hand. How ironic. Haha!
I've made two dresses in the past month. Here they be:
Of course, this is the famous Folkwear 249!
The wonderful Hollywood 955!
And for those keeping track:
I'm also very proud of myself for successfully up-sizing the Hollywood 955 from a 14 to an 18. It was EASY! COMMON SENSE! Now, I look at all the patterns I've hoarded that weren't my size and now I want to sew them all! Yes, I have a dilema. I have fabric. I have patterns. I can't make up my mind!! Gah!!
First, look at the fabrics I've been hoarding:
Two different florals: an "old lady" type and an Hawaiian type.
Two different watermelons!
Black, red, and white diagonal stripes!! 30s!!
I've got a brown 40s-esque flower material and a Halloween-y green bats material. I really wanted to make the bat dress this week, but....
Eventually I'll make a doggie pillow.
Isn't this fabulous?? I plan to just hoard this....
...AND THIS! Isn't this the best fabric ever!? If you click on the picture you can see the detail and read the comics! I LOVE IT! Don't have the heart to use it.
So that's all my free fabric at the moment. I want to make so many things. I have these in mind:
I've made the blouse on the right twice already. I was thinking the brown 40s-esque fabric for this. For some reason, it reminds me of Fluer de Guerre.
I'm thinking the watermelons for this one!
I don't know what I'm going to make this out of, but I'm going to make it. I love DuBarry patterns so much.
I'm going to make the one on the right with the "old lady" type flowers fabric. With pink accents. Ooooh.
There's a very similar dress on ReVamp Vintage and ever since I saw it I've been wanting make this!!
And this is cute. I want to make it. Now that I know how many inches to add I can!! No idea what fabric this should be made from.
