Vintage Halloween Presents

Instead of candy, this October I bought myself some non-edible treats! I'll start with the least expensive to the most pricey. First, 2 Clara Bow dvds. One is her third speaking role in "The Saturday Night Kid", which also features Jean Harlow. It's one of Jeans first roles and she has one line in the whole movie. They're both so adorable! The other Clara dvd is "Call Her Savage", which was apparently her favorite role. Next I got a beautiful blue velvet 1940's vintage hat. It's so cute. Lastly, I bought the most gorgeous rayon 1940's dress. I'll have to post pictures soon! As for now, enjoy the Clara Halloween pic!

Bonnie and Clyde

I watched the 1967 film "Bonnie and Clyde" last night. The movie was enjoyable enough, but it always bothers me when period films aren't authentic to the time they're portraying. I just don't take it as seriously.
The producers seemed to have had enough money to put into the set, the cars, and even the clothes. When it came to doing the hair and make-up though, it looked like they just couldn't be bothered. So what did they say, "Hey guys, we just spent all this time and money making the whole town look like the early 30's, but don't worry about hair and make-up! Just do it modern 1960's!"
This is most recognisable on Faye Dunaway's character Bonnie. I have posted a photo of the real "Bonnie". Even if they didn't want Faye to look exactly like Bonnie, they could have at least given her a 1930's look. The 30's were known for short hair, finger waves and thin eye-brows, but there you have Faye with her very 60's hair and heavy liquid eyeliner.

I don't get it.

Vintage Lamp

I picked up the cutest 50's lamp two days ago. It's small, about a foot tall and has a 1950's fiberglass shade. I love those vintage fiberglass shades! Anyways, it's pink with silver and white swirls throughout. My whole bedroom glows pink now!

Vintage Starlet of the Day

Leila Hyams. Leila appeared in many of the early talkies of the late 1920's and early 1930's. The movie theater by my house plays old movies quite often, so last night I was lucky enough to see "Freaks" and "Dracula" on the big screen. Leila Hyams stars in "Freaks", the 1932 film about a traveling circus and the scandals that take place within it. The film was actually banned for 30 years because it disturbed movie goers at the time. Anyhow, the beautiful Leila stars in this film which role was originally intended for Jean Harlow. Ultimately MGM decided not to cast any major stars in this movie. I thought Leila was great and would love to see more of her! Unfortunately only 4 of Leilas films have been released on dvd, which is quite sad when you find out she appeared in over 50 films! Apparently 48 of her films are still stored away and have never been released.

Interesting fact: Leila used to carry around a little satin bag attatched to her garter, which contained extra stockings in case the ones she was wearing got damaged:)

Vintage Clothing Sale!

Well, it's the time of year that I need to make room for new vintage goodies in my shop! From now until the end of the year, I will be taking 20% off everything in my vintage store (Proper Vintage Clothing). All you have to do is send me an email and I'll discount whatever item you would like. The link to my store is in the sidebar to the left.

I have posted a photo of a 1930's dressing gown that I just got. It's so delicate and beautiful! I still can't believe how glamorous women used dress when they were getting ready to get dressed! That sounds funny. Hence the "dressing gown".

Bombshell 1950's Dress!

Wow, check out this 50's vintage dress I just got! I love how the chiffon is layered so has a puffy look to it. It must have been a prom gown, or worn for something very special! Unfortunately it's too big for me so I'll have to put it on my website. Hmm, who could I picture wearing this? Maybe Betty Grable or Marilyn Monroe in "How to Marry a Millionaire"? I wouldn't say Bacall, as her dresses seemed a little more conservative compared to the other two. But this is more of the glamorous girly look that they had, I love it!

Vintage Radio Find

I went to a antique & collectors show last weekend, and look what I got! It's a combination radio and record player from 1946. In perfect working condition! It's actually the "Bing Crosby model" as Bing promoted this radio in the 1940's. Hey, if it's good enough for Bing, it's good enough for me!

Vintage Workout Wear

I started going to the gym again, and it's got me thinking. What did ladies used to wear while working out or playing sports? Say during the 40's or 50's. I know that "working out" wasn't what it is today, but it did exist. Marilyn Monroe used to lift weights, and Jean Harlow & Ginger Rogers were avid golf and tennis players. In the photos I found, it looks like the usual shorts & tops worked just fine. But wow, I wish I looked that cute while at the gym! These modern day lycra outfits just aren't the same. I do have some absolutely adorable 1940's shorts that I could wear, but I wouldn't wanna chance getting them all sweaty! Not to mention the weird looks I'd get! Haha, but I'm used to that wearing vintage clothing all the time. No pain, no gain:)

Vintage 60's Bikini

Oooh yay! I finally won a couple auctions on Ebay! The first is the cutest little 1960's bathing suit. It's a pink gingham bullet bra bikini, and styled exactly like the one on the picture above. The second one is a 1930's wool one piece! There are a couple tiny holes in it, but overall in excellent condition. Too bad I'll probably have to wait until next year to show them off!

Vintage Starlet of the Day

Lucille Ball. I remember watching Stage Door with my sister and thinking "that dosen't look like the same Lucy from the I Love Lucy Show!" She was just so much more glamorous and gorgeous! Lucy grew up in New York in the 1920's and attended dramatic school with Bette Davis. Apparently Bette got all the attention and Lucy was constantly sent home and told she was too shy. Strange to think that now. Lucy did some modeling and soon started getting movie roles in the 1930's. Did you know Lucy and Ginger Rogers were best friends until Lucy's death in 1989? I guess cute redheads stick together:)

I posted my favorite Lucy photos above. Isn't she stunning?

1950's Vintage Lucite Handbag

This is the cutest and most unique lucite purse I have ever seen! It has a nice clear handle, but it's almost impossible to see because it's photographed against a white background. My favorite part is the dainty little flowers and leaves that decorate the sides. Absolutely adorable!

Vintage Jewellery

I'll be the first to admit I know nothing about vintage jewellery. Vintage clothing seems a lot easier to define. I would love to know more about vintage jewellery styles. Here are 3 beautiful necklaces. The first is from the 1920's and very glam. The 2nd one is 1930's and very art deco. The last is classic pearls from the 1940's. Which is your favorite?

Vintage Clothing Deprivation

I haven't been feeling too hot the last couple weeks, so I'd like to apologize for the lack of posting. To top it all off, I tried to go thrift shopping a few times and haven't been able to find anything even close to vintage! Now thats depressing. My last couple thrift shop searches have consisted of wasting hours looking through racks of really bad 90's clothing, low quality halter tops and mini skirts. Maybe thats what caused me to feel not so good? Sigh. Hopefully the next couple weeks will make up for my lack of recent finds. Anyhow, check out the latest goods I managed to find on Ebay. A lace embroidered 1920's dress (talk about fragile!), a 1950's swimsuit, and a snakeskin 1940's shoes and purse set! Here's to outbidding my competitors:)

Vintage Clothing I Want

One of the theaters downtown is playing film noir all this month, which is great because I'm able to see my favorite classic movies on the big screen! My boyfriend and I went to see The Postman Always Rings Twice the other night, and I loved it. What I loved even more though, was the clothing Lana Turner wore! Every outfit was breathtaking. She just looked so beautifully put together in every scene. 1940's fashion at it's best.

Vintage 1940's Purse

I just bought this 40's vintage purse, and I'm so excited! It seems to be in perfect condition. It's made from black corde, which was extremely popular during the 1940's. Corde was advertised during the 40's as the longest wearing of all handbag fabrics, and has a very elegant look. It's also lined in satin and has a cute double clasp :)

1950's Bathing Suit Dress

Is this not the cutest? I swear the 1950's came up with some of the most adorable outfits. This is a vintage bathing suit/sunsuit/playsuit or whatever you want to call it. Why can't I ever find any of these?!

Vintage Starlet of the Day

Clara Bow. In the early 1920's Clara escaped poverty and abuse by getting into film. Not only did Clara turn out to be an amazingly talented actress, but she became America's first sex symbol. I had never seen anything with Clara before, so I checked out a couple clips on Youtube. She's adorable! I instantly fell in love with her charm and playful style. Oh, and don't forget about those gorgeous flapper outfits! I definitely need to get some of her movies.

My Dream Vintage Bikini

Wow, if I could have any vintage bathing suit in the world it would be this one! I saw it online today. It's a 2 piece 1940's swimsuit, made from red stretchy wool. Gorgeous....
Does anyone own a vintage bikini? If so, when is it from?

Antique Shopping Trip

Well, I picked up quite a few vintage goodies over the last week! I visited a ton of antique malls on Vancouver Island and saw some amazing items. My favorite would have to be a 1920's stove for $150! Obviously there was a big "SOLD" sign on it.
Anyhow, I posted a few pictures of my purchases.
First is a pair of gorgeous 1950's vintage shoes. They are covered in rhinestones and have lucite heels! The best part though, is they're a size 8 and fit me perfectly!
Next I found the cutest 1950's lamp. It has a green shade, a frame with a leaf design, and comes with a removable ashtray!
The last photo is of my prized art deco purse. It's a good size with 3 pockets inside, and has a beautiful lucite clasp.
I don't even have a photo of my favorite purchase though! It's a silver cracked ice 1950's arborite tea cart. So unique! I also picked up a classy looking 1940's black velvet hat.
I think it was my most successful vintage shopping trip yet!

Vintage Lucite Purse

Well, I'm back from almost a week of antique shopping! It was so much fun, and I found some amazing items. I will post photos and details tomorrow! Today I wanted to talk lucite. Does anyone have a lucite vintage purse? Strangely enough, I had never seen one before. But I came across one yesterday near the end of my shopping trip, and it was absolutely stunning! It was a lucite 1950's purse without a handle, so it was technically a clutch. So beautiful. Unfortunately I had already spent more than I planned to on vintage treasures, so I couldn't take it home with me. I can't stop thinking about it though! Here are some similar vintage purses that I found on Ebay.