Thrift Store Finds!

 So I went out after work yesterday to try and locate some of those great striped tights I was seeing at all the Halloween stores this year.  Unfortunately it was too little, too late: the Spirit store only held a sale the day after Halloween and Savers is so picked over it was sad.  *sigh*  So I guess if I want to rock the Emilie Autumn look (not to mention stay warm in my skirts and dresses this winter!) I'm going to have to find some other source for funky tights.  That's what I get for being cheap and wanting to stick to sales!

On the bright side, I scored some major vintage at Savers!

Vintage score!

Glass bottle, c. ?

Flowers with Butterfly and Bee, teardrop pearl, c. 1950s

Genuine pearl necklace

Gold toned shell earrings with faux pearl, c. 1950s

All told I scored three pairs of vintage earrings, two of which have maker's marks on the backs so I can research them, a real pearl necklace, a heart shaped glass perfume bottle and a real china bowl, again with the maker's mark, pattern name and patent number on the back!  And everything was, of course, cheap.  I just hope Savers never hires anyone who has a knowledge of antique jewelry.

Halloween Party

I am still recovering from the fun of this weekend!  Sixteen hours worth of driving, one incredibly scary haunted house, late nights and partying till the wee hours equals one very sleepy Cass.  I still haven't caught up on my sleep yet.  I'm just thankful I cleaned house before I left so I didn't have a huge mess to come home to!

The Haunted House was incredible!  Richard and Christy created a website with the back story to the haunt which you can find here.  Basically it is the All Saints Lunatic Asylum which was shut down some time in the past due to mysterious experiments and the general sadistic insanity of its employees.  A Ms. Carolyn Collins purchased the Asylum and since she can't afford the upkeep, was gracious enough to allow the public to enter on self-guided tours.  Ms. Collins greeted her vict.., er, guests, in the lobby of the Asylum, and then let us inside...

They have footage of me screaming the entire way through!  I even knew all the "haunters" and I was still wigging out!  It was awesome!!  I heard stories later about people who had to be escorted out the escape entrances because they couldn't handle it.  The haunt was seriously professional quality!  There are some pictures online at their Facebook page which I encourage you to take a look at if you enjoy getting the willies!  (I'd have posted a couple but I don't want to scare people away from my blog; tell me you don't agree after checking them out!)

The party after was a lot of fun!  I had the chance to hang out with friends and family I don't get to see all year, which was awesome to say the least.  Here are a few pics of the festivities:

Will as Inspector Clouseau

Rhiannon's Raven.

Dr. S. Freud

Yours truly as Marilyn

Unfortunately my camera's flash was acting up so I couldn't take as many pictures as I would like to and somehow I was the only one taking pictures!  So there aren't that many from this year.

Marilyn costume:

• dress from Rethreads, Downtown Tucson
• earrings, vintage cluster clips, 1950s
• all other jewelry purchased at the Downtown Mercado, Tucson
• wig, Savers
• purse (and matching heels, not shown), Rethreads, Downtown Tucson
• lipstick, Mac Red (I think)

Halloween - Before the madness...

 The annual Halloween party given by my family in California kicks off at 8:30 this evening so everyone is puttering about the house cleaning, assembling, visiting and watching really bad horror movies.  I have busted out my camera and taken some preliminary shots of the festivities.  I can't wait for tonight; my costume is retro-rific!

The Halloween Cake, during the final stages of assembly

Detail of the cake.

Detail of the cake.

Terry, proud creator!

The cake is awesome!  Terry always does an incredible job creating a new Halloween-themed cake every year and this one is so detailed.  I had to share some shots of her mad creativity!

In the retro vein, I had to take a couple shots of my friend Richard's incredible Art Deco era bar!  I just about fell over in envy when I saw it.

Shot of the entire bar. The side wings and table top swing out all at once.

A portable bar on the top along with other antique and Halloween goodies.

Closeup of the swing out wings and table.

Stay posted for more incredible pics!

Fashion Quest: the Perfect Plaid Skirt

I am on a quest for a plaid skirt.  Not the skanky, adult-fantasy-catholic-schoolgirl look.  For one thing my thighs do not take too kindly to exposure and for another you need the physique of a string bean with the silly desire to be reduced to a breathing blow up doll to pull that one off.  Nope, I want a full on retro plaid circle skirt that illustrates my retro aesthetic.  Something like this:

Created by Frigid Couture

Or this!

Created by Bristolin Bloom

I particularly like the cowboy boots with this one!  My biggest hurtle to overcome in my Quest is the strange, perverted, stubborn insistence I have that I will somehow manage to stumble across my perfect tartan skirt in a thrift store.  For cheap at that.  So I've been aimlessly wandering through some of my favorite thrift stores in the last few weeks hoping beyond hope that I will find "the one".  In the meantime I have picked up some pretty glassware and a bunch of Highlander romance novels (yum, yum!) but no skirt.  I came pretty darn close last night with a heavily pleated version in grey, turquoise and royal blue which was unfortunately a good two sizes too small for me.  On second thought it was probably fortunate that it didn't fit me because both the color and cut aren't exactly flattering on me.  *Sigh!*

I could of course shell out fifty or sixty dollars and buy one of the delicious skirts I've found online.  Or this beautiful plaid dress I can't stop staring at:

Created byJoJos Retro and Vintage

If I hadn't recently decided to cut back on the spending I would be buying this beautiful dress instead of blogging about it.

*Sigh*

But I have hope.  Push comes to shove I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and keep scouring the thrift stores, which is a reward unto itself come to think of it.

Retro earrings - root beer cabochon clip on earrings

I was just posting this pair to my store on etsy (TrojanArte if anyone is interested!) and it occurred to me that they have a couple distinctly retro features that would benefit from being pointed out.  The obviously retro feature are the clip on backings.  Women until the 1960s typically didn't pierce their ears since it was looked down upon socially, much like the stigma that lingers around women with tattoos and piercings.  As a consequence, "good girls" who were raised before that time chose earrings that stayed on due to clasps or screw backs.

Less obvious is the root beer colored cabochon (the half dome crystal in the center) that is the central feature of the earrings.  Browns, ambers, creams and the like were a very popular color during the 1940s.  This type of root beer color dates the earrings from the 1940s to the early 50s and is very collectible.  I once met a woman with an entire necklace made of large, carved, root beer colored beads; absolutely stunning!  After the end of WWII tastes changed and colors became brighter, more candy colored and people began to customize the colors of their cars, kitchen appliances and more.

The two crystals flanking it are also significant.  They have a finish known as aurora borealis, a special type of rhinestone finish that was first created in the 1950s.  Their presence on the earrings pin points the earrings to the early 50s.  I personally am a sucker for aurora borealis rhinestones and own several pieces featuring these crystals.

How to add a little retro to your daily look

• Red lipstick.  This is probably the most effective and easiest way to add some retro glamour to your look.  Red looks good on everyone, but the shade of red you wear does make a difference.  Olive toned skin would look better with a orange-toned red.  Porcelain-skinned beauties usually look better with a blue-ish red.  Some women may look better with a brick red, others with the purest red, think Crayola, they can find.  But strong red lips were the look through the 40s and 50s and a bold lip has been popular for a lot longer (think silent screen vixens).  If you are channeling the earlier Clara Bow-era look, you might want to pair your lipstick with smoky eyes, otherwise keep the eyes simple, a little mascara and brown eyeliner for daytime or some liquid black liner for nighttime and you have instant 40s-50s Hollywood va-va-voom!  I consider myself lucky; after I went redhead I discovered that most red lipsticks look good on me, with the exception of a very blue-ish red, so I actually own several in different shades.  (If the 60s are more your thing, rock the mod look: black lining the eyes, maybe even fake eyelashes, and pale, pale pink lipstick!)

• Vintage jewelry.  This is an element of retro-wear that is close to my heart since I collect vintage all the time.  If you don't have any pieces from relatives (always the coolest source for vintage anything!) hit your local thrift store or antique store and check out the jewelry case.  Pearls never go out of fashion.  You can wear a long strand if you are channeling you inner flapper, a choker if you are feeling a little like Breakfast at Tiffany's, or a shorter strand to showcase your bosom.  Cluster earrings are great for a 1950s look.  Enamel button earrings were popular for a several generations.  Screw back earrings date to the turn of the century to the early 50s so you can easily spot an older piece.

• Polka dots.  This is more specific for the 1940s, but nothing says WWII quite like polka dots.  Or khaki come to think of it!

• Western wear.  The western look was popular from the 1930s-50s so if you have a western button down or some cute western wear, pair it with a pair of capris, jeans or a bell shaped skirt, slap on that red lipstick and voila!  Instant retro!

• Color palette.  1940s: think browns, khakis, greys, tans, black.  1950s: light pink, black, red, gold.  1960s: bright colors, pinks, yellows, oranges, greens, corals, bold blockish colors.

• Silhouette.  The 1920s into the 30s was all about the long, flowing silhouette.  In fact this is coming back into fashion right now.  Think long slip dresses, slender draping fabrics and shapes, the Flappers and Art Deco chic.  The 40s and 50s were all about the hourglass shape.  Think Joan from Mad Men, Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield or Sophia Loren.  And if you are blessed with a ballerina figure, why not wear a boat-neck top, tights and flats a la Audrey Hepburn?

Even if you don't go all the way retro every day of the week, even a few of these elements scattered amongst your wardrobe can help you channel your inner bombshell any time!

Friends of the Library Booksale, This Weekend!

I was going to post about this last time I came home with multiple bags crammed full of books for ridiculously cheap and I didn't get around to it.  But it would be a crime to keep this fabulous secret all to myself so I'm letting all of you in the Tucson area know about it!  The Friends of the Library routinely hold book sales at their building at 2230 N. Country Club Rd.  Next one is this weekend September 16-19!  Ridiculously cheap books!  Some are library copies, many are donations, most in good to excellent condition!  Also some cds, books on tape, albums and more!

I bought all this in one trip for less than $30!  Then I went back the next day and crammed another bag full of paperbacks for the $5/bag book sale!!!  (They typically hold those on the final day of the sale.  You can still pick up some great books on the final day but the "choice" selections are usually snapped up by then.)

A few tips if you want to join in the book-feeding frenzy: come early!  I was in line when it opened last time and there were at least thirty other bright people who were doing the same!  These sales get really, really packed with people who don't mind scooching their way in front of you so if you don't like crowded places or suffer from claustrophobia or lack of patience, this may not be your cup of tea.  Bring your own bags because once you start grabbing books, its hard to stop; the bags give you an idea as to how much you want to bring home at once and prevent "bag failure" from those flimsy plastic ones ripping on you halfway through!  The Friends have their reusable bags on sale for a buck and they're totally worth it!  Have a game plan: if you are looking for fiction, romance, history, music, whatever, head there first!  Trust me, you will be glad you did once you see the flood of shoppers competing for the same books.  Remember, all's fair in love and literature!  Plan on going multiple days, the first if you can swing it (they have members only days that are sweet if you spring for a membership) so you can scope the best books, and be sure to come back for the $5/bag days.

Here's the link to the Pima County Public Library and information as to the sale.  Remember, proceeds go to benefit your public library so get out there, grab some books and show your support!  (Just remember it's nothing personal if I "scooch" into you at the sale!  All's fair...)