Thursday, October 31, 2013

Thursday Thrill – Have A Devilishly Good Weekend!

Lillian Roth, Marion Shilling and Rosita Moreno #1930s #1920s #vintage #halloween
 {photo source}

A very ghoulishly delightful
 Halloween to you all!!! 

***I'll be taking a break for the next two days, but will be back with a new Sunday Snag!!***

Vintage Halloween! #vintage #halloween #costumes #1920s
Leila Hyam #vintage #halloween #1930s
June Lang #vintage #halloween #1930s
1940s Halloween #vintage #halloween #costume #1940s
Amazing 1920s Halloween Costumes #1920s #halloween #vintage #costume
1940s Halloween #vintage #halloween #pumpkin #1940s


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Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Treasury Tuesday – Black List

In anticipation of this week's ghoulish delight, today's treasury, curated by Carol of Beadaycious, is a tribute to Halloween black. And it is spookily chic if you ask me! Beautiful midnight lace, draped charcoal wools, shimmering onyx and dark metallics. And it was definitely a treat to see my Victorian lacework necklace, "Upon the Wings of Night", in this dark and shadowy collection!

To view individual items in this treasury, click here.

Midnight Gift Guide on Etsy #black #handmade #gifts


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Sunday, October 27, 2013

The Sunday Snag – Kimono's Day Out

My Mid-Century Evening Out #1950s #fashion #1960s #vintage #style #kimono

Can I just tell you once again how terribly in love I am with this kimono? Last week, I showed you a peek into my home and a peek at me in my underpinnings (see here), part of which was this beautiful mid-century kimono robe. Note: Today is the last day that the The Slipperie, where I purchased my kimono, is offering my readers 15% off with the code BLOSSOM15! Get on over there and snag something sexy for yourself!

It was, quite literally, a rather cheeky outfit post for me to share with you last week, but it gives me the chance to show the versatility of that piece today. There are many examples of classic "lingerie" being used as parts of outfits meant for the public now. We see fancy bra straps and lace accenting dresses, bras themselves through sheer tops (I've done that here), slips worn as dresses, and bustiers and corsets worn as tops. Some of these are more risqué than others, but I'm the sort that doesn't mind a bit. Especially when these garments are worn in an elegant and subtly sexy manner. If you've wanted to take the plunge, but are a bit shy, a vintage kimono can be a great transitional piece of classic lingerie that can easily be worn out in the open. It will actually provide more coverage, not less!

Victorian Swallow Brooch #Victorian #jewelry #swallow #brooch #1900s

Vintage Kimono #vintage #fashion #kimono #1950s #style

My vintage little black dress longed for a companion and found it with this kimono. They go together so well! The kimono, with its beautiful floral woven silk, provides a relaxed and exotic elegance to the sophisticated and clean cut of my 1950s linen/silk dress. That dress! My brain just says "POW" when I take off the kimono to reveal that dress! This is the first in person vintage anything I ever bought (I had only bought one dress online before (see here)). I thought it was these shorts (see here) that were my first, but I had forgotten I had bought this just a couple weeks before them.

Victorian Swallow Brooch #victorian #fashion #vintage #style #antique

Me and a few of my swing dancing friends had stopped into a vintage shop in Richmond, VA called Bygones Vintage Clothing last year during a dance event. I remember the place was packed with pretty things, but I had never bought vintage before, so I can't quite remember much in the way of specifics (I really need to go back now!). I just remember thumbing through the black dress rack and this unassuming little dress was hanging there. I saw the shape and the tailoring (I've worked in bridal stores for years and know excellent tailoring when I see it) and knew this was special. No frills, no flash, just a fantastically shaped silhouette. I snuck into a dressing room, slipped this on, zipped up, walked out and...Whoa. Yowzas. I remember the one male dancing friend that had bravely come into that store with us walked by the dressing room and just said, "Wow". I was sold. I had to call my hubs though because the dress was more expensive that any usual purchases I might make. I made the call while in the dress and explained that there was no way I could take that baby off and leave it all alone in that shop. I gave all the usual justifications: it's beautiful, it's black so it will go with everything, it fits perfectly, etc. He, without a second's hesitation, said yes because he is the best. As luck would have it, when I got to the front register, the clerk said that my dress was on sale for 20% off! Saweeeet!!

By the way, they don't call them wiggle dresses for nothin' folks!! I can't even step up into a higher elevated automobile. We went out with my sister and her husband over New Year's and they drive a small SUV. My husband literally had to pick me up and put me in the car!! Hahaha Worth it!

Mid-Century Chic #vintage #fashion #1950s #dress #kimono

My Vintage Little Black Dress #vintage #LBD #fashion #1950s #1960s

My Vintage Kimono Love Affair #vintage #kimono #midcentury #fashion #lingerie

Vintage Kimono Sleeve Detail #vintage #fashion #kimonoVintage Kimono Detail #vintage #kimono #1960s #fashion

Now, with the kimono, I just have one more way of styling a classic piece of beautiful vintage. I brought along my hair scarf (seen here in this tutorial) to use as a belt and I slipped on the only pair of 1950s pumps I own. These are cute black suede like pumps with tiny leaf accents at the top from Blue Butterfly Vintage (they were my first vintage shoe purchase too!).

I have a few very pretty accessories on too! First, my brooch! I was beyond thrilled to snag this up on Ebay. It is a Victorian swallow brooch, circa 1900, in a beautiful purple pink tint. This is perfect for the incredibly romantic (me!) because swallows mate for life and always return home to nest. I love it! These brooches can be incredibly expensive so I was thrilled to find one at such a ridiculous price ($5). Speaking of an amazing find, my earrings are a modern handmade leaded glass creation that I found at a church rummage sale for...50 cents! My hair accessory is just sprigs of vintage velvet millinery flowers and the ring, "Eyes Like Moonlight", is soon to be in my shop. It is a beautiful vintage button with a tiny owl perched upon a crescent moon.

Mixing Vintage Eras #vintage #fashion #1950s #style #dress

My Vintage Little Black Dress #1950s #fashion #50s #dress #LBD

Outfit Details
Kimono: 1960s/1970s silk from The Slipperie
Dress: 1950s silk/linen wiggle dress from Bygones Vintage
Shoes: 1950s pumps from Blue Butterfly Vintage
Belt: red silk head scarf 
Brooch: 1900s Victorian Swallow from Ebay
Hair Flowers: Vintage velvet millinery sprigs
Earrings: Modern handmade leaded glass from church rummage sale
Ring: "Eyes Like Moonlight" (coming soon) from my shop ChatterBlossom

My Mid-Century Cocktail Attire #vintage #fashion #1950s #dress #kimono


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Saturday, October 26, 2013

Saturday Shop Talk – How High the Moon

Antique Man in the Moon Necklace #antique #jewelry #moon #stars
Personality: The Enchanting Charmer
Places you'll find yourself: Dancing alone under the moonlight with stars in your eyes
Man in the Moon Necklace #antique #jewelry #moon #stars

This lovely little charmer of a necklace was made with an antique brass button, titled Man in the Moon, circa 1880-1918, depicting a crescent moon with a detailed face, engraved stars, and a midnight blue tinting. Once again, one of my favorite parts is that the original brass color is coming through after a hundred years of hands rubbing the tint away. 

Antique Man in the Moon Necklace #antique #jewelry #moon #stars


Antique Man in the Moon Necklace #antique #jewelry #vintage #moon #stars

View my entire shop here.



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Friday, October 25, 2013

Friday Photo Swoon – Lady in Black

Anton Bruehl Photo c. 1930 #vintage #photograph #1930s #black

That little black dress. Or long dress. Whatever. It doesn't matter what you call it, we all have one. We know how we feel when we put it on too. Sexy, strong, in control. I don't know why exactly. Maybe because black has mystery where other colors don't. It is hard to pin down, to see detail. Almost like the night. You know everything around you is just the same, but nighttime can alter even the most familiar of spaces. Blackness can void what you think you knew. Maybe this is why we can feel different in black. We get to take on a different self. One that is in control of a mystery while others are left questioning...

1920s Little Black Dress #vintage #fashion #1920s #dress
Solosigns dress, April 1927 #1920s #fashion #black #dress
1920s Black Flapper Dress #1920s #fashion #flapper #dress
Louise Brooks #1920s #dress #tulle #black #20s #fashion
Sylvia Sidney, 1930s #vintage #photo #1930s #fashion
Jean Harlow #1930s #fashion #black #dress #harlow
Rita Hayworth in Gilda, 1946 #vintage #black #dress #1940s #hayworth
Susan Hayward #1940s #fashion #black #lace #40s
1950s Little Black Dress #50s #fashion #1950s #black
1950s Woman in Black #1950s #fashion #LBD #50s #style
1956 Little Black Dress #50s #fashion #LBD #1950s #style
1950s Elegance #50s #fashion #1950s #style
Vintage LBD #1950s #1960s #fashion #black #dress
Marilyn in black, 1956 #marilyn #monroe #1950s #black #fashion
Marilyn Monroe in Little Black Dress #1950s #fashion #black #LBD #50s #monroe


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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Thursday Thrill – Opal

Chandelier Fine Art Photo by Jessa Mae Photo #chandelier #romantic #photography

October, that illustrious maiden so full of maddening change with galaxies of color glistening within. Flashes of Summer green, tints of Springtime yellow, kisses of Autumn red, and touches of Winter blue all thrive and pulse in her breast like a newly burgeoning world.

Opal

1980s Sequin Sweater #opal #vintage #fashion
Petrified Wood Fine Art Photo by Seabelly #photography
Opalescent Victorian Bowl #opal #antique #decor #dishware
1920s Wedding Dress #1920s #wedding #fashion #20s #dress
Gorgeous vintage opals #vintage #opal #gemstone
Vintage Opalescent Glass Creamer #vintage #home #decor #kitchen
1980s Sequin Blouse #vintage #80s #fashion
Art Deco Brooch #1920s #jewelry #deco #brooch #opal
1950s Sequin Blouse #50s #fashion #sequin #1950s
Victorian Opal Ring #victorian #jewelry #opal #ring

The Birth of the Opal

The Sunbeam loved the Moonbeam,
And followed her low and high, 
But the Moonbeam fled and hid her head,
She was so shy -- so shy.

The Sunbeam wooed with passion;
Ah, he was a lover bold!
And his heart was afire with mad desire
For the Moonbeam pale and cold.

She fled like a dream before him,
Her hair was a shining sheen,
And oh, that Fate would annihilate
The space that lay between!

Just as the day lay panting 
In the arms of the twilight dim,
The Sunbeam caught the one he sought
And drew her close to him.

But out of his warm arms, startled 
And stirred by Love's first shock,
She sprang afraid, like a trembling maid,
And hid in the niche of a rock.

And the Sunbeam followed and found her,
And led her to Love's own feast;
And they were wed on that rocky bed,
And the dying Day was their priest.

And lo! the beautiful Opal --
That rare and wondrous gem --
Where the moon and sun blend into one,
Is the child that was born to them.

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox




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