My Grandmother

I spent a wonderful time in Ohio visiting with my family.  I had to share these pictures of my grandmother which she graciously let me make copies of.  Presenting: Carol Arter.

Carol and Tom Arter, 1951

Tom and Carol Arter, 1951 (?)

Carol Arter, c. 1950

Carol and Tom Arter, on their honeymoon, 1950

My grandmother is gorgeous!  I have many, many more pictures of her, but these are some of my favorites.  I would love to have her sense of poise and polish, not to mention her clothes!  And my grandfather is quite the looker too, no?

In Ohio...

...on vacation, hanging with my family!  So probably no posts for a little while until I get back.

Outfit Snap!

I seriously love my new digital camera!  The pictures I can take are soooo much better than the one on my cell phone which is what most of my images have been taken on!

My shirt is an awesome thrift store find, this time the St. Mary's Auxiliary Thrift Store (St. Mary's and Silverbell).  I usually scour the men's section for small sized western shirts and I snagged this one for $4.  Red is one of my favorite colors and I love the handkerchief print and pearl snaps!  Western shirts were popular from the early 1930s thru to the late 1950s so I have a few in my closet just to get a bit of that pin up feel along with making my inner cowgirl happy!  The red rose in my hair is a barrette of my own creation.  The earrings were found discounted after Halloween at a Walmart years ago and they feel so Southwest, Dia de los Muertos that I bust them out all year 'round.  Makeup: eyebrow pencil is Wet 'n Wild, Mascara is by Rimmel, lipstick is Rimmel "Red Alert".

The Fashion of Frankenstein

I've been watching some vintage horror films the last few nights and some of the costumes in Frankstein (1931) with Boris Karloff were so incredible I had to share them here.  The lovely actress is Mae Clarke in the role of Elizabeth, Henry Frankenstein's fiance.  This post is fairly picture intensive, so be patient.

Elizabeth's all-lace dress fits her like a glove, and the scalloping around the sleeves and bottom hem of the blouse is just exquisite.  The 1930s still had that slim silhouette that was so predominant in the 1920s but the waist of her dress emphasizes her curves beautifully.  I love her triple strand pearl necklace and drop earrings, and, it's a little hard to see in the picture, there are two heart shaped brooches (?) attached to the neckline of her dress.  Her pin curls are absolutely perfect!

 Elizabeth's sun dress was a little harder to see in this scene, but again it has a very flowing, lengthening feel to it.  She is wearing the same necklace as in the earlier scene along with a big hat to shade her face from the sun.  The trend in hats throughout the movie is very "cap" like, hugging close to her short curls.

Elizabeth's wedding dress is absolutely fabulous.  It's a little difficult to see in the picture but her dress features a sweet heart neckline and the lace sleeves are somewhat transparent.  Her veil is one enormous piece, trailing several feet behind her as she moves through the Frankenstein household.  It hugs her head like a cap and is pinned just above her ears with two sprigs of flowers.  By far my favorite costume!

Where to Eat in Tucson: Planet of the Crepes!

 Well, actually this is less of a where than a what 'cuz the "where" changes frequently!  Planet of the Crepes is a food stand that moves around and about the Tucson/Marana/Mt. Lemmon area.  I discovered them when they parked across the street from my work and since I've never had a crepe before, I had to try it...Lord almighty!  It was one of the best things I've ever eaten.

  First crepe I tried was a smoked duck breast with havarti.  Second, the mushroom, goat cheese and tomato crepe.  I am dying to try their sweet crepes.  Then again, I don't know if my waistline can take it!  Actually, though, they are quite light.  The crepes are thin but moist and succulent wrapped around the awesome fillings.  The come served up in a complex wrapping of wax paper, stiff card-stock-like cone then a thick napkin around the whole lot so busy office people on the go can grab their lunch without getting it all over them.

That's my crepe.  About, oh, 30 seconds before I inhaled the whole thing!  Sweet lord.  The melt-y goat cheese and the pesto and the mushrooms?  Divine!

To snag one of these luscious lovelies for yourself, you have to track 'em down first.  Follow this link to their Facebook account here to get updates as to where they will appear next.  They also have a Twitter here.  You've got to get some of this!

Bathing Beauties

One of the articles that appeared in this month's Zocalo magazine was entitled "Bathing Beauties: The History of the Swimsuit".  It traced the evolution of bathing suits from heavy wool swimming dresses that were worn with hats and full stockings to the one-piece and the earliest bikini (interesting trivia: the bikini was created during WWII to save fabric due to wartime rationing!).

Retro-style bathing suits are coming back into fashion right now.  Here are some great retro-style options to be found online.  Drool away!

Broad Minded Clothing

Pinup Couture

Victoria's Secret

Pinup Couture

 

 

 

I really, really like the last Marilyn-style swimsuit but I fear the pink would clash with my red hair.  I actually found a suit very similar to the black Pinup Couture suit seen above at Old Navy for super cheap but its not on the website.  I will have to take pictures next time I hit the pool. ;)

Retro images

We have a local glossy magazine called Zocalo which is a fairly recent publication but it has great articles on downtown happenings, fashion, music and art.  This month's cover caught my eye.

Apparently this is an actual mid century advertisement created by Tucson tourism officials.  It originally appeared on the cover of "Enjoy Tucson".  I just love that perfectly green lawn which is not usual in today's more eco-conscious landscaping.  And don't you just love her outfit?

The peasant or desert look was popular in the 1950s and you can still find some great vintage patterns online.  And genuine vintage pieces in this style can be found in most of the vintage/costume shops on 4th Ave.