A Vintage Quiz

Here's a little quiz to see how discerning your eye is. What's wrong with this 1950's dress? No, I'm not talking about the missing button. There is something about this dress that is very obviously wrong. Take a good long look at the photo and see if you can find it.

I was thinking about titling this post "DON'T DO THIS", but I wasn't sure how many people would respond positively to that. I could have titled it "What Not to Do", but that was too close to one of my favorite TV shows.

Did you figure it out yet? Hint - the dress has been altered, probably in the 80's.

Here's a cute picture of my dog:



No, Zippy didn't alter the dress! I just needed to fill in some space on this post, so the answer to the quiz didn't pop out before you had a chance to figure it out. He is cute though, no?

Answer: The dress has been shortened about 8" from its original length. What's worse, its been cut off and shortened. DON'T DO THIS!!!! There, I said it. Please, I'm begging you, if you must shorten a vintage dress, leave the original length in the portion that you fold up. That way, the next owner can let the hem back down if she wants. I spend alot of time restoring original hem lengths to 1950's dresses that were shortened in the 60's. Hey, fashions change. Hem lengths go up and down. That's OK. But step away from the scissors.....please!

See this dress and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Dear readers, if you are looking for one of those novels that is hard to put down, I recommend that you check out the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. I am almost finished with the first book which is called "Twilight." I bought the book in the first place when I noticed that all three books are at the top of the best seller lists. When I read that it was about a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire, I must admit I was a bit sceptical. After all, I am a sensible woman in my forties, and have never been particularly attracted to stories about vampires or other occult themes. However, after reading most of the book, I have been pleasantly surprised. The story is very well written and the vampire character could almost be any boy who is from the wrong family, the wrong side of town, or similar situations. I was particularly amused when the boy takes the girl to meet his family for the first time, and her biggest fear is that they won't like her! Anyway, if you read the book, or have read it, please leave your comments!

Nine West Shoes

I really like Nine West shoes. The main reasons that I like them is they have many styles that are similar to expensive designer looks, but are moderately priced, often in the $80 - $100 range. Their website currently has some great summer sandals on sale. The large sandal with the tan and brown straps is on sale for about $40. They also have in some really great new styles in for late summer - early fall weather. Here are a few that I particularly like:

Shop Early for Best Selection

I've always disliked that phrase, no matter how true it may be. But the fact remains that you can't find a decent bathing suit at the mall when the temperatures finally decide to soar in June. And you can't find a stylish winter coat when you need one in February.

I'd like to tell you that it is different with vintage clothing, but we sold out of bathing suits in March. We started photographing and listing winter coats in May, and many of our best for this year are already sold. Style takes planning!

For those of you who are thinking about your winter coat while sitting on the beach, may we offer these for your consideration?

1940's Emerald Princess Coat:



1980's Pauline Trigere Coat:



1960's Tapestry Coat with Fox Collar:



1950's Black Velvet Swing Coat:



See these coats and more at Couture Allure Vintage Fashion .

Nicole and Joel at the DCMA shop

Nicole was spotted out at the DCMA shop in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 26, hanging out with Joel Madden and his brother Benji. She started her outfit with a pair of denim shorts and paired with a Nation Ltd "Karen" Burnout t-shirt, a blazer and sandals. Nicole accessorized with a Chanel bag, Leonard Paris vintage sunglasses and a rosary.

Fabric origami flowers

Here is a skirt that I customized a few months ago. I bought the skirt at a thrift store, and then I sewed on a fabric origami flower, which is an interesting quilting technique. Here's the result!

Necktie skirt

Here's easy sewing project. I bought a bunch of silk neckties at our local thrift store, and I sewed them together to make a skirt. If you want to try this, I would suggest that you get approximately one tie for each inch of your waist size. My waist and hips are not very different in size. At the waist, I simply turned the fabric to the inside and sewed it down with some seam tape covering the raw edge. It tends to get too thick if you try to have more than two layers. See how great it turned out!

Bravo channel's Shear genius

Last night I watched a show called Shear Genius on the Bravo channel. It is a hair styling competition. The first challenge was to do a haircut while blind-folded. That one was not very interesting. The second challenge was more fun. The stylists had to makeup the ladies to look like a cartoon character. When they first said what the challenge was, i thought that they had to be kidding! However, for the most part, I was pleasantly surprised. The winner did a Wilma Flintstone hairstyle and it was beautiful! This picture does not do it justice!

Il look di Victoria

Victoria Beckham's Look for $87.69

Sleeveless Grey Ruffle Top $20.50

Black and White Striped Skirt $22.80

Wide Black Belt $10.80

Black Clutch $10.80

Black Sunglasses $5.80

Black Pumps $16.99

Fashion Under $100

Meditate gente, meditate

Natalie Portman's Look for $98.59

Green Ruffle Bib Top $19.80

Black Jeans $15

Black Flats $28

Brown Tote $29.99

Aviator Sunglasses $5.80

Lo chemisier di rag & bone

Blake Lively

Ma che bello questo chemisier, vedete qui

Nicole and Harlow

Nicole Richie in Hollywood with Harlow, on June 26. Sporting two bags (Balenciaga and Chanel) with a black top tucked into flared jeans and Christian Louboutin Miss Boxe wedges, she tried to be as incognito as possible in her big sunglasses and a fedora.







credit

Minnetonka boots

Care amiche , li portiamo come le star fin da ora o aspettiamo una temperatura più consona ? Sono belli ed in autunno li rivredremo di nuovo in città. Gli originali stivali Minnetonka per il momento li trovate in vendita Clicca . Però Zara ed altri da bravi come sempre hanno già preparato una loro versione.

Chanel union jack & Agyness Deyn

Agyness Deyn ama Chanel e la Chanel Union Jack, la pochette matelassè della maison francese dedicata agli inglesi modaioli,rivisitata in chiave british da Karl Lagerfeld.

{happy weekend + nyc}

Off to NYC for a few days to trade work for play, and short conversations on our mobiles to long conversations over dinner . . .

{p.s.}
Been a busy week here, so here's a wrap-up of the some of the things you may have missed:

electric
summer
stylishly french
karl lagerfeld + versailles
beauty sleep
swank lighting + joe cariati
une fille comme moi
everyday objects as art

Have a beautiful weekend, everyone!

{images: top - french country living by caroline clifton-mogg, photography by christopher drake; bottom - polly wreford}

50% on your entire order at Bluenotes

I just saw this on RFD: Enter code canada141 to take 50% off. Go to Bluenotes . IT's only valid for today so hurry !

Who wore it better?

Nicole wore this Missoni dress at the 2008 Women In Film Crystal Lucy Awards, on June 17. A week later Margherita Missoni wore the the red version of the frock at Milan Menswear Fashion Week.
Who wore it better?

poll by twiigs.com

Nicole's tattoos

According to most reports, Nicole Richie has nine tattoos. Here is a list and pictures.
Rosary - on her ankle and foot, her most popular tattoo

Richie and a ribbon - on the back of her neck Nicole has her last name in an old English font. Above is a red bow and ribbon

Angel wings - on Nicole's back, it's my favourite

Ballerina slippers - on her abdomen, to commemorate the song that her father, Lionel Richie, wrote for her when she was little

Tiara - Nicole has a tiara on her hip

Red shooting star - on the inside of her left wrist

Cross - Nic has a cross located on her lower back

Virgin - on her right wrist she has the word "Virgin" tattoed because she is a Virgo