What in the world is Gordana Gehlhausen doing on Project Runway? What I'm saying is why is she wasting her talents there? I've watched 6 weeks of projects and watched her alternately basically being told to leave the runway as her design was "good enough" to watching her take it on the chin because she's made her fashion too wearable (newspaper outfit). It appears that "make it work" does not count except in Tim Gunn's book. Gordana has made it work on every challenge.
Last night's show just put me over the top. Yes, Gordana's flapper outfit was par for the course for that historical period, however, her execution of that flapper dress was just stunning. She hit the genre of period piece for that time period right on the head in my opinion. She is an extremely talented designer/tailor. Her outfits always come out looking completely and beautifullly finished right down to every seam, bead, macrame section, etc. What she sends down the runway is always wearable. There is such beauty in her execution on all these challenges and yet the judges don't seem to be able to give her credit for that. I did some reading up on Gordana and her favorite designer is John Galliano. John Galliano! I would never have guessed that Gordana would have chosen him. I've written about John Galliano before (see this blog: http://alwaysplayingdressup.blogspot.com/2008_06_22_archive.html ). I have to say when I see John Galliano's designs on the runway the phrase "hot mess" comes to my mind immediately. I fear that soon the axe is going to fall on Gordana simply because the judges deem her work too "wearable" and not enough of the fantasy pieces that her favorite designer, John Galliano, spins out for the runway. Ultimately I have to say that I'd much rather have Gordana designing wearable fashion for the masses than cranking out the stuff John Galliano spins for his runway shows. Surely there is room for both the functional and the fantasy on the runway. Are you listening judges?
All it wanted to do was go home. It was 63 years old and although it's owner had loved it for a long time, it was tired. Tired of sandy beaches and salt water taffy. Tired of being passed from sister to sister, niece to niece and granddaughter to granddaughter. Tired of being exposed to sun, summer after summer from Maine to Florida to California and all beach points in between.
It was finally donated when it's last owner just felt it had no use left it it and that's when I found it in my travels.
Checking out one of my favorite shops, I saw that this one was different. There was just something that caught my eye. As I picked it up off the rack and rifled to see the label I could tell that it was vintage. Then it happened. A treasure. A bona fide treasure in a place I shop often. I saw this:
I looked again, not believing what I was seeing. On the exterior I was cool as a cucumber and sauntered up to the checkout line. I paid for my purchase and made my way to the car. Once I got my treasure into the car I gave it a good going over. I'd seen a similar label a few years back.
I decided to head back home as nothing else I could find that day would compare in any way to my treasure.
Once home, I showed my treasure to my husband. He said, "You can't sell that on your venue. Why did you buy it?" I looked at him and smiling, said, "Because I'll never find another one like it." I took my treasure into my office and went right to the Vintage Fashion Guild label resource and looked under Jantzen. There were similar labels but none exactly like this one. The ones that were similar were from the 1940s. Surely there was no way I'd found a 1940s Jantzen bathing suit.
I searched on the Internet for the Jantzen website and much to my surprise found that they are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. So I emailed the sales department and asked that my questions about the bathing suit be forwarded to their archivists.
On Monday morning I received an email from Jantzen letting me know that my treasure was produced in 1946 and called "Sun Soaker", made of gorgeous Lastex Velva-Lure. It retailed for $5.95. I showed the bathing suit to my 12-year-old daughter who loves vintage clothing, in particular vintage bathing suits, but alas, the suit would not fit her, so I had a decision to make.
Would I offer my treasure on another venue or keep it.
Later in the day I received another email from Jantzen offering to purchase the bathing suit. I decided it could have no better home than in the Jantzen archives. So today the Sun Soaker is finally going to make its way home where it will receive a well deserved rest. I am positive that this bathing suit was the favorite of many, many women. Here's hoping that Jantzen will come out with a retro line of these suits. I know at least 3 women in my household who would definitely buy the Sun Soaker.
It was with a heavy heart that I learned Patrick Swayze passed away yesterday. Now what did this athlete, dancer and movie star's life have anything to do with a middle age wife and mother.It started with the movie "Red Dawn." I saw the movie with my then new husband. That movie made us really think about what we would do if our country was ever invaded. Long before 9/11 happened we always made sure we were prepared for the worst. Then with a lighter heart and much enjoyment we rode the "Dirty Dancing" wave. We've watched the movie numerous times (as have our daughters). We even taped the dance scenes back to back and practiced and practiced until we could dirty dance at my sister's wedding. We blew people right off the dance floor (the two of us, who always had two left feet up until we somehow absorbed those Dirty Dancing moves as if by magic). We watched "Tiger Warsaw" and "Road House." Of course we will never forget "Ghost." Never has making pottery been so sensual.We went out on a date night for us and stumbled upon the movie "
To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar." We had no idea what the movie was about but if it had Patrick Swayze in it we were game. We came out of that movie a little bit different. than when we went in and thoroughly enjoyed the enlightenment and the entertainment as well.My husband and I watched and enjoyed "The Beast" all the time knowing of the battle Patrick Swayze was waging. Cancer is not a fight that we are unfamiliar with. As Patrick Swayze battled the beast our thoughts and prayers were with him. Through the marvels of movies we'll never truly have to lose the vitality and sparkle of Patrick Swayze. Through his acting and dancing he has provided many pleasurable moments for my family. Our condolences go out to his family. He will truly be missed.
"Arkansas Mom Fails to Sell Baby Naming Rights on eBay for a Fifth Time"What the headline doesn't tell you is that for eBay this is business as usual. Go ahead and list that item you think will bring you some bucks. eBay doesn't really care if it sells or not because you still pay eBay regardless. What really frosts me is the fact that the highest bidder, a producer at an Internet radio talk show, told the mother of six that he had no intention of paying for the naming rights of her seventh child. He says he was just trying to help push the bid higher and several other bidders that bid more than him dropped out of the auction (I would presume by cancelling their bid). Said the producer of the internet radio talk show, ""This happens all the time on eBay."Well now, far be it for me to question the thought process of this mother of 6, soon to be 7. Bless her because I've got two kids and there are plenty of times when my thought process isn't too clear. However, it would not have occurred to me to relinquish the right to name my own child via an eBay auction.What really bothers me is the producer's attitude that "this happens all the time on eBay." Well Mr. Producer, just because it happens all the time on eBay doesn't make it right. Your bid is a contract that you agreed to. No one forced you to punch in the bid. eBay tells you that you are entering into a contract and that you are responsible for honoring that contract. When you break a contract on eBay you are costing someone money. This may be someone who sells part time for extra money or it could be a family who makes their living on eBay. When you do this you're messing with someone else's livelihood. Not keeping your end of the bargain could mean someone doesn't get to go to the movies that week or it could be something as important as someone not being able to pay a bill they owe. So Mr. Producer, the next time you decide to bid on something, remember that the person whose item you're bidding on is depending on you to complete the transaction. The deck is stacked enough against sellers on eBay as it is. You don't need to add grist to the mill by reneging on your obligation. I'd love to get this producer's id on eBay so I'd be able to block him from bidding on my items. Customers like him I can surely do without.To see the story I read about this unfortunate incident simply click on this link: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,542605,00.html
Eunice Shriver died today. Headlines read "sister of JFK, sister of Bobby Kennedy, wife of Sargent Shriver, sister of Teddy Kennedy." While the headlines are technically true, Eunice Shriver may well leave the greatest Kennedy Legacy of all.
In a time when women born to a privileged family life became debutantes, socialites, wives and mothers, Eunice Shriver wanted more. It's been said time and again that Joe Kennedy, patriarch of the Kennedy clan helped push his sons to achieve greatness. From what I see, Eunice Shriver didn't need any pushing. She just went out and got the job done.
She earned a sociology degree from Stanford University in 1943. She became a social worker at a women's prison in West Virginia and later in the 1950s worked with the juvenile court in Chicago. Following that she took over the foundation named after her eldest brother, a foundation founded with the goal of improving the treatment of the mentally disabled.
She married and raised five children with her husband. She has been dealing with the onset of Alzheimer's disease in her husband, and from personal experience (my beloved father had Alzheimer's) that itself is a personal journey only the strong survive.
Eunice Shriver's largest contribution, however, was that of organizing The Special Olympics. Every four years The Special Olympics hosts more than 6,500 athletes from over 150 countries that allows the mentally disabled to show the world they are more than capable of so much more if given the chance.
So I say thank you Eunice Shriver. Your legacy will go forward with your children and grandchildren and future generations yet to be born. We salute you for your contributions to the world. Surely your hard work and dedication are the true Kennedy legacy.
Where have all the aprons gone?
For hundreds of years, homemakers have used aprons to keep their clothing clean and carry items when doing chores such as gathering eggs or for collecting kindling wood.
In the 1940s and 1950s the apron took on a new roll as that of a stereotype for the "perfect mother" or grandmother who always wore an apron. Prior to that aprons were more of a functional piece of a woman's wardrobe, meant to keep your dress clean in a time when people did not have the size wardrobes we sport now. As time went on aprons became more fashionable and used as accessories as evidenced by "cocktail aprons" which were worn when entertaining at home. It kept your dressier dress clean but at the same time helped you maintain that image of the stylish homemaker who knew how to throw a great party and still look wonderful doing it.
Homemakers were not the only ones that used aprons. School teachers, children, shop-keepers, and secretaries wore different styles of aprons over their clothing every day. In the 1920's and '30's aprons followed the silhouette of the dress - long, with no waist line. By the 1940's, aprons gained a cinched waistline, and were often gaily trimmed with rick-rack, buttons, and pockets of contrasting color. Many aprons were made from feed cloth. Feed cloth was a heavier fabric and was used as a sack to put seed or four in that farmers used. There was no wasting back then.
The 1950's brought out the half-aprons of highly starched cotton and sheer fabric trimmed with lace for special occasions. Also two-piece aprons and short smocks of bright cotton prints for every day use were popular. At one point, Aprons were a serious fashion element, not just a way to keep the dress underneath clean.
So today for your viewing pleasure we have these aprons available at Born Too Late Vintage. Whether you're looking to make a fashion statement or just enjoy some baking or cooking while keeping that great vintage dress underneath clean we have what you're looking for.
Vintage 1950s NWT Paisley Fruit of the Loom Full Apron Plus Size
Vintage 1950s Sheer Sexy Black Apron w Roses
Vintage 1950s Sheer Sexy Yellow Apron w Red RosesDon't forget to check out Born Too Late Vintage for more new items every week.
I love the styles of yesteryear's bathing suits. I recall with great memories a bathing suit my Mom gave to me that had been hers. It was a corset style suit with a little bit of skirt over the built in panties and made my tiny waist look even smaller and my small bust line look a bit larger. I wore that suit in the hot Phoenix sun for two summers until it fell apart. Had I known then what I know today I'd still have that suit in my collection and I would have worn something more practical for every day. Ah the mistakes of youth.
Bathing suits have been around since the Greeks. Actually the bikini is very similar to early Greek bathing suits. How we got from those minimalist suits from Ancient Greece to the cover it all up wool suits of the 1890s I'll never know.
As time passed, suits got a bit briefer like in the 1920s and 1930s. The bathing suits were a bit briefer for men than woman (surprise surprise) such as the ones seen here which are available from Born Too Late Vintage on Ruby Lane:
Vintage 1930s Welgrume Duckies Swim Trunks W30 H32
Vintage 1930s Wool Worsted Wool Mans Full Bathing Suit Swim Suit Chest 36 W36 H36Once the 1940s hit swimsuits really started to cling to womens curves such as those in the pictures of Betty Grable in her pin-up bathing suit or Esther Williams in her swimming movies all dolled up and looking great.
Bathings suits give a woman or for that matter a man a way to show what they're made of. Suits of the 1940s and 1950s had modesty panels across the hip area in lots of women's swimsuits.
Two piece suits were available and of course American Sportswear designer, Claire McCardell, designed some spectacular swimwear.
Vintage 60s Red, White & Blue Modest Bathing Suit Swim Suit B34 W32 H38 B cup Size 14T
Sale Vintage 1960s Roxanne Spider Mum Bathing Suit Swim Suit D cup B38 W32 H36However, none were near as brief as the bikinis of the late 1960s to the present. And of course there was the famous monokini designed by Rudi Gernreich in 1964 that let almost all of it hang out. Bathing suits after the 1960s still included the ever popular tank suit for those serious swimmers and for those more interested in being seen or tanning, all types of bikinis such as string bikinis, etc. were available as well.
Now that I'm the parent of two young girls bathing suit decisions are looming ahead for this summer. At this point, however, my girls are young enough that they're not very interested in letting as much show as possible but that day will come soon enough. For now, my husband and I have another summer to be able to dodge that bullet!
