Book Review: Hollywood Sketchbook

Here's something for you all to put on your Christmas gift lists...and maybe if you're very good (or very naughty, wink wink) Santa will get it for you!!

Hollywood Sketchbook: A Century of Costume Illustration, by Deborah Nadoolman Landis

This is a huge (600 pages) heavy, glossy coffee table book.

It's got page after page of costume illustrations by designers like: Bonnie Cashin, Travilla, Orry-Kelly, Adrian, Cecil Beaton, and Travis Banton. Only costume designers who were also accomplished illustrators are included.

Here's some eye candy for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aren't these gorgeous???

The author has written many other books on costume design and is herself an Academy-Award nominated costume designer. She has a PhD in the history of design.

This book is really all about the pictures, though...and what pictures!!

 

OK, Santa, you know what to bring me!!!

 

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My Summertime Scores

September 21st is supposed to be the first day of Autumn, right? Well, apparently Southern California didn't get the memo, because it's now heading toward October and it's still summer-hot around here! This has been the hottest summer I can remember in So Cal. Just sweltering. Forgive me if I just can't get into a Fall frame of mind! The photos of fuzzy wool sweaters and knee high boots in all the mags just make my brain sweat.
There's something really wrong about shopping for Halloween decorations in shorts, flip-flops, and a tank top!

So if we're going to stick to summer for a while, I thought you all might like to see a few things I nabbed for myself over the last couple months...(it's never too hot to shop, right?)

This first one is a cotton sundress I got on eBay for 25 bucks. It was one of those auctions where the photos were kind of lame and the description was totally lacking in info. That, plus it's (totally fixable) condition issues made the price way lower...just right for my budget!

50's sundress by "Fritzi of California"

It had a flaw, which is that the elastic shirring on the back was about 75% dead. Replacing the elastic seemed like way more than I could handle, so I came up with a fix that I think worked out pretty well.
I just took it in and added a (vintage) zipper! Whenever I see vintage sewing notions at an estate sale, I try to grab all the vintage zippers. That way if I have to replace a zip on a vintage garment, I can replace it with a metal or nylon zip, sometimes almost exactly the same as the one I'm replacing!

the back, with new zipper

Now it fits really well and since it still has a bit of elastic left it's really comfy.

Here's a cute floral shirt that I bought for those days when it's really hot and I'm just working around the house. It looks really cute with my beloved yellow 60's wicker & pearly Lucite handbag.

I actually did a little alteration on it as well...I took in the sides so it wasn't quite so boxy. You can't quite tell in the pic but it's a really nice lightweight cotton. I got it on Etsy.

Here are some things that I got from the Pickwick Gardens Vintage Clothing Show in Burbank:

I love this skirt so much! I had actually seen it the previous time I went to that show, and was so sorry I hadn't bought it. I was super stoked to see it still hanging there! No way it was going to get away this time!
It's actually a bit tight in the waist, so the question is...lose a few pounds or alter the waist? Hmmm......I see a sewing machine in my future :-)

This beautiful 40's dress, thankfully, fits me just as-is (miracle!)

Again, the photo does it no justice...the fabric is so pretty...it has a fabulous texture almost like seersucker and it's incredibly lightweight, and yet not so sheer that you need a slip underneath. The only problem is that I have no shoes that look good with it at all! I spent the whole summer looking for a pair of white non-leather sandals with a vintage look and found bupkis. PPbbbbthht :-P

Finally, I also got this fun Hawaiian shirt:

It's like a tea-timer, with the cap sleeves and square hem with vents, but the collar is a traditional shirt collar.
It looks cute with white shorts!

That's about it for vintage clothes over the summer...I didn't get a lot because I pretty much blew my budget on these sunglasses:

They are real, genuine, Christian Dior Mohotani's, from the Les Marquises collection, not vintage, but vintage-inspired. This was a huge splurge for me...the "nicest" sunglasses I've ever owned, before this point, were Ray-Bans.
I love them so much!

Look! You can tell this was at the beginning of the summer, before the sun decided to land on So Cal, because I don't have my bangs pinned off my face and I'm actually wearing a long-sleeved shirt!

Is anyone out there actually enjoying a cool, crisp Fall? With sweaters? And apple picking? Oh, please do share with me...I have to live vicariously through you :-)

Happy 4th of July! or...Don't Catch the Yard on Fire!

from Normajeanscloset on Etsy

My feelings toward the Fourth of July are a lot like my feelings for New Year's Eve...I feel pressure to be doing something "big" and "fun" and  I always feel like everybody else is out doing fabulous things and I'm not. Yeah, yeah...    *world's smallest violin playing*
In actuality, my hubby and I decided he should work tonight because he gets extra pay for working on the holiday and we are trying to make more money. So it was a choice we made. Sometimes you just have to be a grown-up and do the practical thing! It's actually blissfully quiet right now and I'm rather enjoying getting some stuff done. Next year I'll do it up big!

So that's enough venting...I actually love Fourth of July because it's really the best time to rock the red, white and blue color scheme! On that note, here are some fun red, white and blue goodies I found on Etsy:

From lolanyvintage on Etsy
Aren't these the cutest? They're my size, too, so it's taking mucho willpower to resist buying them!

from vintage50's eyewear

from elliemayhems on Etsy

from MoMoDeluxeVintage

These shorts are up in my Etsy shop right now...aren't they great? I think the print is really cute. I'm a sucker for novelty prints :-)

Happy Fourth Everybody!!

Estate Sale Tales, Episode One

This morning I went to an estate sale in Bel Air, which if you're not familiar with Los Angeles, is a really fancy-schmancy part of Beverly Hills, where a lot of celebrities live.
This one was a first for me...we (the shoppers) actually had to park off-site and be taken by van to the home, which was behind a big gate on Sunset Blvd.
The lady of the house was a truly inspirational gal...she was a real spitfire! Teeny tiny, and with bright-red hair, she apparently got a boob job at 82 years old (!!!) and was so proud of it that she'd show anyone who wanted to look. She was a MAJOR shopper and a bit of a hoarder in the fashion department. She had over 500 pairs of shoes! Yes I said 500! Piles and piles of purses, jewels, clothes...an absolute mountain of lingerie and negligee sets...I've never seen so many. Needless to say there were a million clothing dealers like myself there all vying for the best stuff.
Here's what I managed to grab:

Mostly from the early 80's, purses, shoes, belts, gloves, etc.
Unfortunately, this lady wasn't much of a long-term "saver" and there wasn't a thing there that was before about 1979, but still, I got some cute stuff.
I'm thinking about keeping one of those two pairs of fabulous sunglasses in the front, there...they look amazing on!

I also got two things for myself:

this cute summer bag with straw veggies on the front, and...

this cool flower. It's made of a shiny faux-patent leather. It's got a pin back on it right now, but I think I'm going to convert it to a hair flower. I love it!

All the other goodies are going up in my Etsy store as soon as I can inventory/clean/photograph and list them!

Handbags by Caron of Houston, Texas

A few years back I found a beautiful vintage handbag, peeking out from under piles of tacky purses, at the grungiest of thrift stores. Shining like a pearl inside an oyster...there she was...
The cute label inside said "Hand Decorated by Caron of Houston, Texas". I still have her. Here she is:

My first Caron bag

I'm not sure what it is I like about these bags so much...they really are kind of tacky & almost ugly, in a way. I think it's best described by the french phrase 'jolie laide", which means "pretty/ugly".
Since then I've run across many bags from this maker, but never saw much about the company or designer in any book. No one seemed to know anything about this company! I did manage to find one 80-something year old lady who said that back in the 50's, Caron bags were "all the rage" and she just "had to have one!"

Here's what the tags look like:

Two more Caron beauties

I'm thinking about selling one of the two above in my Etsy shop. Anyone have an opinion as to which one I should sell? I like them both equally, but they are similar enough that I think I should sell one...I can't decide!



Here's the most recent addition to my collection. This little golden cutie was a filthy wreck and I got it on Ebay for about ten bucks. A little TLC, and she cleaned up nicely!

My new baby...I love the boxy shape!

The most common pieces are black wool jersey, with a single top handle. One side is encrusted and bedazzled with a thick layer of all kinds of gewgaws...beads, needlepoint flowers, rhinestones, metal and/or plastic leaves, three-dimensional fruit...all framed by a strip of coordinating braid or gimp. There are other colors out there, most commonly navy blue, brown, tan, taupe, and occasionally metallic gold or silver.
Here are some nice & somewhat unusual examples from Ebay.

Current eBay auction Very unique (and overpriced)

The straw ones are fun, too! Another Ebay auction

There are other companies that made similar bags during the 50's and 60's, notably Soure' New York.
I have a couple of those, too. Here they are:

Two bags by Soure' Bags, New York

These bags are frequently beaded on one side and sort of a mesh-type fabric on the other, whereas the Caron bags are most frequently knit fabric. I've also never seen a Caron bag with a lucite, faux-tortoiseshell handle like the ones above, but it wouldn't surprise me if one existed! I'm going to list one of the two above in my Etsy shop sometime soon.

The Caron company was started in Houston, Texas, by Mrs. Velva Pepper (great name, huh?) who began embellishing handbags in her garage in the mid 50's and selling them to her friends. Soon, her daughter joined her in this enterprise, and soon thereafter their respective husbands joined in as well. Caron, Inc. of Houston was formed in 1957.
According to an old Kiplinger's report, Velva took her little garage enterprise to pretty great heights...in 1963 they had 65 employees and annual sales of $2,000,000. Impressive, I think!
I haven't been able to find out when the company shut down, but my best guess is in the late 60's or early 70's. Mrs. Pepper passed away in 1982 at the age of 68. I wish I could find a picture of her...if I do, I'll post an update.

I think that's a pretty cool story. It would be a big deal nowadays, but back in the 50's? You go, Velva!

Burbank Vintage Clothing and Textile Show, Part 2

As promised, here are some pix of what I bought. I didn't buy much 'cause I'm on a pretty tight budget right now (who isn't?), but I did manage to pick up a few cute things...I HAD to, right? I mean who goes to a vintage show just to look?

This is my favorite thing! It's super soft cashmere, and the color is just soo gorgeous. This pic doesn't really do it justice at all. (As an aside, my camera doesn't seem to be able to capture greens very well...does anyone else have that problem?) Anyway, I'd say this sweater is early 60's. I paid a little bit more for it than I probably should have, but I'm sure I'll get lots of use out of it and have it forever.

This cute little sundress will be perfect when it starts to get really hot this summer. The fabric is really lightweight and yet not so sheer that I have to wear a slip or something underneath it. It's got a couple of minor stains on it that I'm hoping will come out with a little TLC.

This is fabric...a couple yards of lightweight cotton. I just think the pattern is funny and the colors are cute. I think I might try to make a little sleeveless shirt out of it someday, when I learn to sew more advanced-type things!!  I really am going to learn...someday :-) Although I must say the idea of making buttonholes is very scary.

This is also fabric, just a little scrap of it, but enough to make a couple of cosmetic bags or a purse or something else that's small.
I love the atomic 50's print and the colors.
I spent about 100 bucks on the four things, and most of that was for the sweater. I sure could have spent a lot more so I feel like I escaped without too much damage!

Burbank Vintage Clothing & Textile Show

Last Sunday I went to a fun vintage clothing show, in Burbank, right by Disney and Warner Brother's Studios.
They have this show three times a year, but this is the first time I'd been able to make it.
I'm so glad I went! I had a great time, and most importantly bought a few fab things to add to my vintage wardrobe.

The show is held at a place called Pickwick Gardens where you can have wedding receptions & things like that. The grounds are full of flowers...really beautiful!

Right away I saw some great stuff:

Love those "telephone cord" bags

gorgeous late 50's copper jewelry

I've been interested lately in this type of 50's/60's copper jewelry with colorful enamel. I can't deal with clip-on earrings (ouch! Pass the Advil, please), but a bracelet would be nice.



There's a vendor named Wear it Again Sam that always has the best things. Check out this leopard swimsuit:

You can't really see in the pic, but there is lacing up the front...super hot!
The owner, Kristine, has the best taste...I could burn up some serious cash in that booth, if I had any serious cash ;-)
I also loved this dress & jacket combo:

 Isn't that a great print? The dress is sleeveless, with an Empire waist.

I think my favorite find of the day, though, wasn't a clothing item, but a person. Check this out:

Joanne with just a portion of Verona's wardrobe

 The nice lady in the pic above is Joanne, from Joannes' Vintage Lifestyle. She's a super nice gal, very passionate about vintage stuff, and she sells at the Rose Bowl and at the Pasadena City College Flea Market. Yeah, yeah, that's all well and good, but here's the interesting part: every single thing in her booth came from the wardrobe of ONE LADY. Her name was Verona, and here she is:

That's her in the red dress. She started out her life as a nun, of all things...apparently she made up for lost time later in her life! Boy, Verona knew how to shop!  There were easily 100+ items of GORGEOUS clothing in this booth, and apparently these were only the springtime & summery clothes! Joanne said there were just as many fall & winter things she'd be showing later in the year.

Many of the clothes still had the tags on them. Some, like the adorable dress above, even had the original catalog tear sheets! Another interesting thing is that the clothes were a small spectrum of sizes, not just all one size, because Verona's shape changed over time...as shapes are wont to do ;-)
Joanne doesn't have a website that I know of, but she'll be at the Rose Bowl every 2nd Sunday, Row H21.
She'll have lower-priced items of clothing (around $25) and also some mid-century furniture that belonged to the lovely Verona, as well.
If you're in the LA area you should definitely check her out! 

Well, that's enough for now...I'm going to save the goodies I bought for another post!