Back From My Break!

This past week I took a little break from blogging to catch up on summer activities, catch up with friends and family, and organize all of the inspiration and ideas that jump around in my brain! Here's a little recap of what I did on my blog-cation!

I went to Boston for a couple of days to visit two of my sisters and their families. Here I am on the rooftop pool at The Colonnade with my sister, Suzanne, and my adorable niece, Alanna. I am wearing my 1960's green and white striped bikini under the matching cover up. I wish I had a photo of the bikini for you, but I don't. Once I got in the pool I practically forgot I had a camera. It was a short but sweet visit!

I had lunch with friends. We looked glamorous, but we didn't smoke!

I went to the beach! But with a friend, not a monkey doll!

And I shopped, which I don't need a blog-cation to do but I just had more time to peruse, focus, and pounce! Here's what I bought:

A vintage lingerie pattern! I've got some wonderful lingerie project ideas in my head! Coming soon!

From: Blue Cat Vintage

A vintage wrap dress pattern! Much like the popular Swirl dresses! I can't wait to try this one!

From: Patterns From Grandma

Vintage Ruched Pillow Pattern. All of a sudden I am obsessed with these pillows. Think how pretty will they be in satin or taffeta!

From: Patterns From Grandma

I am re-doing my throw pillows. I am in the process of sewing up new covers for them, but this one I couldn't resist buying. That velvet and silk fabric is stunning!

From: The Home Centric

Did I mention I am obsessed with these ruched pillows? I bought a vintage white velvet one!

From: Bliss Vintage

I bought this beautiful 1950's taffeta at the flea and turned it into two new throw pillows! I love this fabric! I have 3 more pillows to sew up in different fabrics, will post pics when all is finished.

And on a silly note I finally got a hold of some Bumpits! I need to practice a bit more but they actually work really well with my thick and very straight hair! I've been waiting and waiting for them to be available in the drug stores here and I finally found them!

Weekend Reading: Links a la Mode

Playing Dress Up

Edited by Jordana

I’m in the process of moving to New York City, just in time for Fashion Week, which kicks off in two weeks. In browsing through all the link submissions this week, I couldn’t help but tie it all back to one very important question lingering on my mind – what the heck am I going to wear? This week’s round-up speaks to the art of ”getting dressed.” We have inspiration posts from Cake not Coke and Style on the Street, style how-to’s from Denim Debutante (she was also quoted in the WSJ this week, here!) and The Coveted, and a variety of interviews. One of my favorites was Prom Mafia’s DIY for converting your boyfriend’s tee into a tunic – love it!

For those plannig to attend fashion week, make sure you RSVP for the IFB Dress Up Soiree and panel discussion on evolving influence! Special thanks to Moxsie and Microsoft Windows phones for their support!

Links à la Mode : August 27th

• 39th and Broadway: Are You a Fashion Sellout?


• Brick My Lane: Interview with Fee Doran, aka Mrs Jones – the woman behind Oxfam DIY and that famous white catsuit.


• Cake not Coke: Vanity Fair Setpember ‘09 Toujours Couture - A Stitch in Time.


• Chicago Style: Interview with Monica Dimperio, of the Chicago street style blog The MidWasteland


• Clutch 22: Exclusive scoop on Seattle indie greentrepreneurs – Sara Seumae of SPUN Clothing collaborates with Tara Smith of Revival Ink (plus a contest)


• Denim Debutante: The reasons you should love Rich & Skinny denim, along with tips for the three best cuts and how to wear them


• Dramatis Personae: Unveiling the feminine fashion stylings of independent designer Claire la Faye…


• Dream Sequins: Shoptalk with Cherie of online vintage marketplace Shrimpton Couture, which collaborates with emerging designers


• Fashion Pulse: Check out the new trend in leggings, by way of geometric prints and loads of grey!


• Independent Fashion Bloggers : Dress UP for NYFW


• Prom Mafia: Raid your boyfriend’s closet: How to turn his t-shirts into cute girly tunics


• Retro Chick: What happens at a Burlesque Lesson?


• Saved for Best: Girls on Film – A celebration and run down of the best-dressed films


• Shop Fair: Top 5 obstacles fair trade and “green” fashion labels have to overcome to be more successful


• Style on the Street: Three photoshoots inspiring trends for the next season


• Style Symmetry: The Symmetry Seven with Rhiannon of Liebemarlene Vintage


• Sweet Fuzz: Rustic Elegance - independent fashion designer Dace’s beautiful Fall line


• The Coveted: Charlotte Russe Review – Mixing in Fast Fashion


• The Demoiselles: Shopping for your body type is hard enough without a recession; shopping on the cheap is even harder

Mid-Week Inspiration: Summer Fun!

Oh it will soon be the last week of August! I want to be like the ladies above frolicking on the beach! I will be taking the next week and half off from blogging to do just that! I will also be catching up on museum exhibits and my blog reading. When I return I will have some blog awards to send out, new inspirations, more fashionable histories, and more. Stay tuned and enjoy the summer wind down!

Vintage Finds of the Week: Bathing Suits

Last week I finished my summer series of Fashionable History: Swim Wear by Decade. To round up the series I thought I'd search on Etsy for some vintage bathing suits and take a tour through the years with my findings. Here we go!

Deco Darling Vintage 20s 30s All Wool Black Bathing Costume-$65-fabgabs

Fashionable History: Swimwear by Decade- 1920's

Fashionabe History: Swimwear by Decade-1930's

1950s Bathing Beauty Swimsuit-$42- Church of Vintage

Fashionable History: Swim Wear by Decade-1950's

Vintage Jantzen 1960's Floral Swim Bathing Suit-$24-mangawings1

Fashionable History: Swim Wear by Decade-1960's



Urban Mesh Vintage 70's Sexy White Peek a Boo Halter One Piece Swimsuit- $20-Billie Goat Vintage

Fashionable History: Swim Wear by Decade-1970's

Behind the Scenes: The Mad Men Costume Shop

I just watched this mini tour of the costume shop on the set of Mad Men at Retromodgirl. I can't help but spread it around some more. If you haven't seen it yet you must take a look!

Newly Listed This Week!

I was a busy girl this past week. There are lots of new items listed in my vintage shop, Femme Fatale Vintage and my handmade shop The Sparkling Cocktail on Etsy. Here is what's new:

Vintage 1950/60's Seersucker Swirl Dress-Femme Fatale Vintage

Vintage 1960's Floral Tie Collar Mad Men Secretary Dress-Femme Fatale Vintage

Vintage 1970s Butterick Pattern 6717- Femme Fatale Vintage

Vintage 1970's Simplicity Pattern 9672- Femme Fatale Vintage

Retro Cotton Pique Swimsuit Cover Up with Bows- The Sparkling Cocktail

Weekend Reading: Links a la Mode

A Stylish New World

Edited by Jennine

Here we go with this week’s round of stylish links. Editing this week was quite difficult as there were so many great links to choose from and everyone had some fantastic news on the fashion front. One of the great things about the internet is that we can all find out what the smaller labels are doing and thinking. This week we have great interviews from 39th and Broadway, Fabulous Finds Gal, Style Gourmand and A Typical Atypical. We also have a brilliant DIY project on what to do with your fabric scraps on Brick My Lane.

Links à la Mode : August 13th

• 39th and Broadway – Designer Interview; Delirius


• A Typical Atypical – The wonderful Every Little Counts! With 15% off for readers!


• Bobbins and Bombshells – Vintage Finds of the Week: Mad Men Secretary Accessories


• Breakfast at Saks – Enter to win accessories from the eryn brinié Fall 2009 collection!


• BRICK MY LANE – DIY: putting scraps of fabric to good use by turning it into a ruffled neckpiece


• ClandestineChic – Interview: Patricia Valery of Evil Needles


• Denimaniac – Wood Wood’s S/S 2010 collection – a bit of street, a dash of fash and a whole lotta style!


• dramatis personae – Quality vs. Vegan/Environmentally Sustainable


• Fabulous Finds Gal – “Gardens in Grey” By Fashion Photographer Julia Pogodina And An Inspiring Interview


• Fashion Pulse Daily – What was Your Favorite Summer 2009 Trend?


• Fasshonaburu – A review on the now purchase-able Under.Ligne, the diffusion line by Doo.Ri.


• Fete a Fete – Dancing all night and your 5-inch stilettos killing you? Bring some Rollasole emergency ballet flats with you!


• Independent Fashion Bloggers – NYFW SS10 Schedule + tips on getting in


• Market Publique – Art Class: Vintage Abstract Prints


• midnight feast – The Jean Genie


• Retro Chick – Win – Reese Witherspoons first fragrance for Avon


• Sterling Style – New York’s Rachel Antonoff Holiday 2010 Collection


• Style Gourmand – Ag Kij of Net-a-Porter discusses Net-a-Porter’s new iPhone app and how technology and fashion co-mingle.


• Style Mom – STYLEMOM holds it down for fashion bloggers as one of the only IFB members at Blogher 2009 in Chicago


• Stylish Thought – Cats with Style: Boxing Kitten


• THE COVETED – Mummy Dearest: Iris Van Herpen taking inspiration from the macabre


• Unfunded – Vintage sequins, sparkles and sprinkles

Mid-Week Inspiration: Houseboat 1958

I was lucky enough to catch a Cary Grant movie marathon last Sunday on TCM. A pleasant surprise was Houseboat (1958), a very uplifting feel good romantic comedy. Cary Grant plays a divorced bureaucrat that gains custody of his three children after their mother dies. A young Sophia Loren is hired as the maid even though she can't cook because the children love her more than their pig-headed Dad. They rent out a shabby and leaky houseboat and with some movie magic fix it up into a wonderful home. It takes him a while to realize it but he falls in love with the dazzling Sophia by the film's end. In real life Cary Grant was madly in love with Sophia and he made this movie in an attempt to reignite their love affair that had ended the year before. She turned down his advances and married Carlos Ponti instead.



Here's the trailer:

Vintage Finds of the Week: Mad Men Secretary Accessories

In honor of the new season of Mad Men (starting this weekend!) I thought it would be fun to find some vintage accessories fit for a 1960's secretary. Here we go:

Practice your typing skills!

Vintage 1962 Textbook; 20th Century Typewriting-$12.95-Virginia Jane

Perfect for your desk!

Flip Down Speed Read Electric Clock-$40-vintagebutterfly94

Spend your weekends making an abundence of pencil skirts.

The Perfect Pencil Skirt c. 1962 Pattern McCalls 6441-$5-rickrackshack

Perfect for under those snug cardigans!
Mad Men Vintage Bullet Bra-$12-lemonsqueezie

Add a little sparkle to your day!

Vintage Earrings Large Rhinestone Flowers-$12-designarchives

Fashionable History: Swim Wear By Decade-1970's

In the 1970's, swim wear is all about being sexy. Sheer suits are introduced as well as the thong. String bikinis also become very popular. The best photos I could find to showcase this come from Sports Illustrated. The SI Vault has a great selection of some of their best shots and models. Here's a few:

Cheryl Tiegs in a sheer suit.

Monique Moura de Carvalho in a string bikini. This is a beautiful photo.

Christie Brinkley in a sweet and sexy one piece.

Christie Brinkley in a thong bikini.

Newly Listed This Week!

I managed to get three vintage sewing patterns from the 1960's listed in my Etsy shop Femme Fatale Vintage this past week. One sold right away! Here are the other two that are still available. Click on the photo to go to the listing.

1962 McCalls Suit Pattern. Very Mad Men!

1960's Butterick Mary Quant Dress Pattern!

Weekend Reading: Links a la Mode

Feminine Mystique

Edited by Debutante Clothing
The caliber of blog posts amongst the IFB members never ceases to amaze me. We run the gamut of style and fashion here. This week’s picks definitely appeal to the dueling femmes in me – the old fashioned gal and the powerful feminist. The debutante in me loved all the lovely posts about pearls including modern choices from Fashion Hippo, as well as the history of Mikimoto pearls by Fabulous Finds Gal. But nothing makes me clutch my pearls more than affordable Chanel looks by HiFashion. The feminist in me was thrilled to see smart posts about smart girls and smart fashion. Threadbared talks about academia and fashion, while 39th and Broadway explores the continuing inequality even within such a female driven industry like fashion. Enjoy!

Links à la Mode : August 6th

• 39th and Broadway: – Women are the backbone of the fashion industry, yet inequality reins supreme


• A Few Goody Gumdrops: – lets out her inner rockstar with Alexander McQueen’s Skull Knuckle Duster Whipsnake Clutch in Red! To-Die-For!


• A typical Atypical: – The Phenomena of “The Sale”


• Debutante Clothing: – contributes back to school style for “Hot for Teacher” at Style Sample Magazine


• Dramatis Personae: – reviews the B&Lu Femme Dress.


• Fabulous Finds and Co. – Mikimoto Pearls – The Story Behind The Cadillac Of Pearls.


• Fashion Hippo: – Modern Pearl Necklaces that aren’t your grandma’s pearls


• Fashion Talk by Lovely Lovisa: – I am the Resurrection


• fête à fête: – Get plumper lips with Givenchy Le Makeup’s new Gloss Interdit collection. Also, lip gloss giveaway to three lucky readers!


• Hi Fashion – Coco avant Chanel – how to get the Chanel look for less


• Individual Chic: – What makes a good ballet flat


• Retro Chick: – Iconic British Union Jack style.


• The Capitol Fashionista – Arise Magazine – the magazine that keeps you informed about what’s happening in Africa and around the globe.


• The Coveted: – Review of the New Bobbi Brown Nude Collection with Video Tutorial


• The Demoiselles: – Elle gets bombarded with subversive, negative advertising by Estee Lauder, and decides to take action.


• The Fashion Planner: – shows you how to build your back to school wardrobe


• The Recessionista: – Happy 80th to Jackie and Mad Men’s Casting Call for that 60’s look


• Threadbared: – Pondering the mutual near-exclusivity of academic fashion studies and style blogs


• Unfunded: – unveils Creative Recreation’s new women’s line.


• Work Chic: – get 10% off Fit in Clouds foldable flats

Mid-Week Inspiration: Vanity Fair's "Ain't We Got Style"

I gasped with excitement when I opened my August issue of Vanity Fair. The clever stylists recreated scenes from seven Depression classic movies, with young fresh Hollywood faces in designer clothes. The images are amazing in their own right and the homage to Hollywood and the 3o's, both glamorous and down on it's luck is spot on. Here are four of the seven images.

It Happened One Night. One of my favorite movies. Here James Marsden is Clark Gable and Rose Byrne is Claudette Colbert. Photographed by Michael Roberts.

42nd Street. I love the outfits in this one, from the tap dancer's flimsy shorts and bobby sox to the vamps on the right in their pencil skirts and seamed hosiery. Photographed by Norman Jean Roy.

Letty Lynton. What's not to love here? Mila Kunis in Joan Crawford's role in that Givenchy dress! The original Letty Lynton dress by Adrian was hit and sold over 500,000 copies.
Not to shabby for the Depression. Photographed by Mark Seliger.

My Man Godfrey. Channing Tatum as William Powell in Armani, and Amanda Seyfried as Carole Lombard in Galliano. Photographed by Norman Jean Roy.

Vintage Finds of the Week: Lace Trim

I've got some new project ideas in mind and have been compiling a list of trims I need. With a little searching on Etsy I have found some beautiful vintage lace trims for this week's vintage finds. I can't believe I am not hoarding them all for myself! Take a look:

6 Yards of Vintage Mint Green Lace Panel- $18-little red mercantile

Vintage Lingerie Lace in Three Colors-$5-Trumperies

3 Yards Beautiful Vintage English Cotton Lace-$4-My Sweet Wren


Vintage White and Blue Floral Lace Trim-$5-Zaama

Newly Listed This Week!

I have listed two wonderful vintage items from the 1960's to my Etsy shop, Femme Fatale Vintage this past week. Take a peek below and click on the photo to see the item listing!