Vintage magazine clippings.

Some changes have been made to the blog today. Have you seen the new header, what do you think of it?
I'm throughly enjoying this crisp fall morning. I'm  getting caught up on some design homework while listening to the 'Goon Show'. I wanted to get in a quick blog post though. So, without further adieu here are some fashion shots from a 1969 issue of McCalls and some from a 1971 issue.

Check out these fashionable ladies. The woman on the left is making me want to rush out and hunt for a jumpsuit. I also think that women should wear gloves again. 

Check out those accessories and that fantastic scarf! This issue is from January 1971 but I think this look would work for a crisp September day, what do you think?

 Now this is what I call travelling in style! Check out the bell sleeves the woman on the left is sporting!

In need of some hair inspiration? Why not try this stylish 'do? Look at this woman's fantastic choker. 

I love the t-strap heels the woman on the right is wearing, I have a pair similar to these. I'm not too keen on what the woman on the left is wearing though. 

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed this quick Saturday post. Did you get any style inspiration? 

Lets talk lining.

Today we're going to learn something about garment history. It's going to be fun, I promise, it's a subject that I find fascinating.

I purchased this yellow crepe and sequin dress this summer at "What Goes On" on the Wildwood boardwalk. I'd say the dress is from the late 60's. There is no label, just a small tag that says the size.

I decided it would be the perfect dress to wear for the birthday party my parents threw for me. On a side note, I made a lot of food for the party including delicious crab dip and an earl grey cake with orange zest frosting. 

 Anyway, I decided that this was going to be my party dress and then my plan hit a snag. The dress was a bit see through and my undergarments tend to be brightly colored with a loud print. So,  I had to bother my Mom for a mini slip. I understand a lot of people aren't used to wearing slips and I'm one of them. I know what they're for but I don't ever really need to wear them. I bet you're wondering where the history lesson fits in to all of this so here it is. If you have a lot of vintage dresses you might notice that they are not lined like modern dresses. Sometime in the 70's dresses were starting to be made without lining, prior to that the correct undergarments were needed to wear the dress. Often it was a bra, underwear, girdle(which fell to the wayside with a lot of women in the 60's) and a slip. 

So, your vintage wardrobe doesn't just require a cute 60's party dress it often times requires you to buy special undergarments. You can go to almost any store and buy a slip, it doesn't have to be vintage. 

I hope you all enjoyed this little Thursday history lesson. Now, more photos of the dress. 

We have such well behaved deer in our back yard! 

In this shot you can see the sequins around the neckline and the earrings I was wearing. I love how detailed the neckline is and how dramatic the sleeves are, there is no need for a necklace or bracelets. I just wore earrings and engagement ring.

These are Betsy Johnson earrings that Jeremy got me for Easter earlier this year. I absolutely love Betsey Johnson and I have a few pieces of her jewelry, including one of her massively heavy but gorgeous charm necklaces, I just look at it as an exercise for my neck. 

I hope you have all learned something today or at least enjoyed looking at my yellow party dress. My recipes aren't secret so if anyone wants my crab dip recipe or my earl grey cake recipe I'll be happy to give them to you. 

A last taste of summer

Last Friday I had a photo shoot with Nathanael Vega in Hammonton NJ ( Which Jeremy and I plan to go back to soon! There were so many Mexican restaurants and a two story antique shop!) It was in a way a farewell to summer shoot. I had a lot of fun and sadly I didn't get to model much this summer. The photographer was a pleasure to work with and I loved parading around in my vintage (and vintage styled) suits.

Here are some highlights.

The black one piece is from unique-vintage.com and I've had it for two years. I highly recommend the Esther Williams bathing suits from this site, I've worn this suit a lot in the two years I've had it and it still fits like the first time I put it on. 

This blue plaid bikini is also from Unique Vintage and it's also and Esther Williams bikini. The only thing I'm not fanatical about is the plastic clasp on the top. I haven't had good luck with plastic clasps and pools but thankfully I haven't had a problem with this suit yet. 

This is my newest bikini and it is 100% vintage. It's from Sears and I think someday soon I will be able to open my very own 60's Sears shop with all the things I have from that store now. I bought the bikini on Etsy.

My attempt at a 60's bikini model pose

I had a lot of fun at this shoot! The weather was fantastic, it was warm enough to prance around in a bikini and yet there was a hint of fall. I am so excited for the colder weather, I tore all the summery things out of my closet and replaced them with pieces for fall weather. I tend to be an eager beaver when it comes to switching out my clothes but I am just so excited! 

I hope you all enjoyed my farewell to summer. 

Crusin' tunes.

Not only am I a vintage fashion, lover I am a music lover too. Since I was a child I loved music that was "before my time". It started with The Carpenters and then moved along to ABBA, then The Sex Pistols, The Clash (The Only Band That Matters), when I was a freshman in high school I was obsessed with Frank Sinatra! While I still love all of these artists right now I have discovered the perfection that is Bobby Darin (If you don't already love him I don't know what's wrong with you!)

Bobby Darin's records are so hard for me to find in South Jersey that I act possessed when I actually discover one. I found this prize at a yard sale while on vacation in Wildwood, NJ. 

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of driving this summer and so I've been finding that some tunes on my iPod are fantastic to drive to. The best ones are song that I call "spy tunes. These are songs that have that 60's spy movie feel to them, even though they all aren't from said movies. I even made a special playlist for driving tunes.


Secret Agent Man -Johnny Rivers

This is the best for driving on an open highway. I really like to pretend I'm a secret agent when I drive to this song, it can make even a trip to the grocery store fun! Yes, people who pose as adults have fun pretending too. 

After the Fox-The Hollies (with Peter Sellers)

Ugh, that opening keyboard line! You can't go wrong with The Hollies and anything Peter Sellers touches is gold! 

Casino Royale- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Well, Herb Alpert is fantastic and so is the movie "Casino Royale". If you like this check out his album "Whipped Cream and Other Delights". I discovered that album in my mom's record collection when I was little (she got the album from my Poppop) and I always wanted to recreate the image on the cover. 

Here it is in all its splendor. Maybe one day. 

You Only Live Twice-Nancy Sinatra

This is the theme to the James Bond movie of the same name. It just makes me feel so cool when I'm 

driving. 

Now, dear readers, I want to know what you like to listen to while driving. I want to hear your thoughts, even if you just like the tunes I posted.

I have goodies!

I'll keep this short and sweet for a Saturday morning. I found a box of magazines in my Mommom's attic and a lot of them were ladies magazines, McCalls, Ladies Home Journal etc. Anyway, I want to share the things I find with all of you. So without further delay, I present to you selections from the December 1969 issue of McCalls.

Doesn't that look good!!

1969 London Fog add. I want all the coats. 

Fashion spread. The hairstyle on the left is fantastic, the shirts meh (except for the one on the left)

I hope everyone enjoys these and there will be lots more to come!

I've been busy

This weekend I had a photo shoot with Chuck Woolson from Devil Dog Photography.  We did a Swinging 60's shoot. I've worked with him before and he is a pleasure to shoot with and I am always pleased with the results. He has his children help him with the set up so there was a nice atmosphere during the shoot. Jeremy came along with me to help me with my things. I received two preview photos today that I want to share.

The black dress was not vintage but I thought it was reminiscent of Nancy Sinatra. 

The blue dress is is vintage. It was one of the five that I purchased while I was on vacation. It is from Rose Kate's ,a boutique that is now closed, in Atlantic City. The dress still had the tags on it when I bought it. I had no idea the dress was as shiny as it showed up in the photographs.

I will do a full report when I get the rest of the photos, this was just a sneak peak.  

How to channel the 60's (Summer edition)

I just got home from a rather disappointing shopping trip at the Salvation Army in Vineland, N.J. It seems that in the last couple of months the vintage well has run dry and it's not just at the Salvation Army, none of the shops I frequent seem to have any vintage things I like in stock. I'm not a big fan of a lot of 70's and 80's fashions so I don't buy them, if you haven't noticed my favorite decades are the 50's and the 60's. Anyway, what's a mid-century loving girl to do when she can't get the real deal? There are many modern garments that one can wear to capture the fashions and the attitudes of the 60's.

The long short.

In this photo from Labor Day 1964, my Mommom (on the right) models a smashing pair of shorts. Longer pairs of shorts are hard to come by at thrift shops, at least for me they are, so when you find a pair grab them! The high waist styles are the best in my opinion. 

The mini skirt.

This one is a no brainer. What would 60's fashion be without the mini skirt! However, no super tight denim skirts so short that they resemble a belt! Other then that go to town!

The mini dress/ sheath dress

I love dresses because they're so easy no matter what the season. The last couple of weeks have been sweltering and I have been wearing dresses constantly. 

'

This dress isn't a vintage dress but when I saw it I thought it captured that 60's style so I snatched it up! 

The photo to the left is of my Mommom and Poppop in Florida. My Mommom is wearing a blue and white checked sheath dress, which has been handed down to me. In tho photo to the left my Mommom, Poppop, and my Mom pose in Florida. My Mommom is yet again dressed impeccably in a sleeveless sheath dress. My Mom, whose clothes were alway picked out by my Mommom as I've been told, is wearing a cute little dress with a bold pattern. Which brings me to my next point...

A bold print!

Above you see a photo of Jeremy and I with our furbaby, Ginger, at Easter time. I was wearing a sheath dress with a bold floral print on the front and back. There were a lot of bold prints, especially loud florals, in the 60's. 

This photo is of my Mommom and I last month at my Sister's end of the school year luau. I have on a button down halter with a loud print. This is a candid shot, I wasn't quite ready. 

All of the photos of me in this post feature modern garments. I wanted to show all of you that it is possible to channel vintage styles with modern pieces. 

Swimsuit showcase!

We have reached the sticky days of Summer and I can't wait for the season to be over. I am not a summer person. I'm not the outdoor type, I can't play a sport to save my life and I don't eat meat so I'm a lot of fun at BBQs. I also used to dread wearing a swimsuit since most of the modern styles are way too skimpy and only look good on 1 percent of the population, I am not part of that percentage. This paragraph wins the award for most bitter blog opener by the way.

I now somewhat enjoy swimsuit season since I've started a vintage swimsuit collection. This summer I added two authentic vintage suits to my collection.

The first swimsuit belonged to my Mommom.
She told me it was one of her favorites and I can understand why. It's so comfortable and it has molded cups! If you've been reading my blog you know how fanatical I am with molded cups. They just add a whole different feel to the garment. When my Mom took the picture of Jeremy an I on the beach the wind was blowing and that's why he's squinting, that and the sun. He says I need to start getting better shots of him, I think he looks cute. We're just not beach, or sun people. The second one is just me hamming it up for the camera.

The next suit is an etsy purchase. I saw this adorable bikini and just had to have it. It's from Sears and it has held up well. However, it's not meant to be worn while playing on the slip and slide, I popped a seam that way. Anyway there aren't any molded cups but the top is stitched so the cups come out to a point. The photo was taken in the breezeway of the motel we were staying at.

I also have a thing for these sun glasses.

I don't feel confident when I wear modern style swimsuits so I don't. There is just something about the cut of vintage swimsuits that makes me feel amazing, I get a confidence boost just from putting one on. I don't care if I get weird looks, and I actually don't recall getting any while I was on vacation, because I feel that untouchable.

Keep on the lookout for more posts, I have a lot of interesting things to share.

My Lucy moment!

Well the inevitable has happened, I have a nasty case of sunburn. No matter what I do I always seem to get a sunburn, I look like a tomato person. However, the sunburn did not stop me from thrifting today.

I went to Cheapie Charlie's on Pacific ave. in Wildwood. I looked through the dress rack and quickly became discouraged, I didn't find a single vintage piece! However, I looked at a small rack by the window and thought I should sift through it, I heard that little voice in the back of my mind calling to me. Well, I'm glad I listened to that voice because that rack was loaded with vintage outfits! I purchased 4 dresses for 18 dollars! Fellow vintage lovers if you are in Wildwood you must visit Cheapie Charlies, their prices are unbeatable and they have a lot of hidden treasures.

We are staying quite a long way away from the shop and so I had to carry four wool dresses all the way back to the motel, all two miles. It was very hot today but I was so excited about my finds. Four dresses are in the bag dear readers, whatever could they be.

The happy look soon gave way to exhaustion after the heat set in.

I do want to share with you my favorite dress out of the four. I didn't dare put it on because of how scratchy it  I now know how Lucy felt in the episode where she was sunburned and she needed to put on a tweed suit! The photo doesn't do the dress justice and I can't wait to wear it in the fall and winter!

Wildwood: A blast from the past.

As I said in my last post, my family and I go to Wildwood every summer. I think our frequent visits helped to start my love for all things retro and vintage. If you've never been to Wildwood and you love 60's styles then you need to go now!

While a lot of the fantastic motels are gone now there are still some classic 60's style motels left. In the mid-2000's there was a condo boom in Wildwood and a lot of the motels, each with their own personality, were demolished to make room for cookie cutter condo buildings. A town that once had blocks of distinctive motels now has a bunch of towering beige buildings. Thankfully the "Doo Wop Preservation League" www.doowopusa.org has stepped in and continues to fight to preserve these magnificent motels. 

My family and I used to stay at the "Kona Kai" motel in Wildwood Crest. The photo below is one of the motels brochures, it's not my scan. The Kona Kai was built during the tiki craze and even the rooms were tiki themed. On the balcony there were torches that were lit at night and you really felt like you were at a Polynesian resort. Sadly the motel was demolished in 2006 and in it's place there is a boring beige block of condos.

It's sad that some people don't see the value in older things. The motels gave Wildwood personality especially when all the neon signs were lit up, it was magical as a child. So my retro fanatic readers, you should plan your trip today. 

The dream dress.

Well, I haven't been neglecting this blog, I just haven't been home much to update it. I've been spending a lot of time with my Mommom, helping her recover from her fall and keeping her company since my Poppop died. Time with Grandparents is alway something to treasure and I am having fun with her. We've been having some "Golden Girls" and "I Love Lucy" marathons. Not all 20 year olds get to give back to their Grandparents and I'm lucky that I can after all my Mommom has done for me.

However, in my last post I promised to talk about the little blue mini dress I purchased at the beginning of the month. I will set the scene: It's Sunday afternoon at the Goodwill and I am sifting through the dress rack convinced I will not find a thing. Then, suddenly, I see *it* the dress. You know how people have that idea that when they buy that one item it will change their life, well mine was this dress.

The beautiful laurel is all gone now :(.

I knew when I saw it I had to have it, even if it wasn't my size I figured I could take it to the tailors, but thankfully it fit. My life has not changed since I bought my dream mini dress except for a few stares at the bank but you know, nothing happens overnight. 

Spring florals.

As much as I love the winter chill I enjoy being able to shed the layers of thick winter fabrics and don a simple sun dress.
Last month I went to Thrift Village in Glassboro, New Jersey. I am a frequent shopper there but last month I found my most treasured find, a floral print late 60's dress complete with pointed molded cups (something I seek out) for only 7 dollars! I do notice when I wear anything with molded cups I tend to puff my chest up a bit more, this is not a look for the meek! Does anyone else carry themselves differently when they wear something with molded cups or a built in "bullet bra"?

I could tell the dress was from the 60's based on the metal zipper and the union label. Also when I was at the register with the dress a customer walked by and remarked, "that's an old school looking dress"... Good, that's exactly the look I was going for! The dress label indicates that the dress was made in Canada and I wonder how it made the journey all the way to southern New Jersey. I have worn this dress at least once a week since I purchased it two months ago and it is such a well made piece. 

My Mom's friend Karen also gave me this fantastic handbag! She said no one in her family was using it and she said I could have it to put to use. That's what I do: Megan Steigerwalt, clothes rescuer. 

Stares and looks.

Let me ask you a question dear readers, when you dress in a vintage style or even when you just dress to the nines for no special reason, do you get a lot of strange looks?

This morning I had a couple of things to pick up at the grocery store and then Jeremy and I went out to lunch. It was hot today so I decided it would be the perfect day to wear my mod influenced dress.

I'm oh so skilled in modeling.

I received so many strange looks in the Shop-rite, I'm guessing it was what I was wearing. I thought the dress was really cute. 

another photo just for kicks. 

What are some things that happen when you step out in your best just for fun? I want to hear your stories. 

I'm back, seriously this time.

Well, I am finished the semester and I am committed to this blog. I know I've said that I was committed before but I really mean it this time. I've gotten a lot of new pieces and I plan to go on a lot of thrifting adventures this summer.

Yesterday was the end of my Spring semester so I decided to treat myself to some new duds at the Salvation army. I went alone which was nice because I could hunt at my own pace but I didn't have anyone to get an opinion from. I got a lot of nice things but my treasure was this purple dress.

After I inspected it I figured the dress is from the mid to late 60's or very early 70's. I've gotten a little better with dating clothes. I paired it with a cute pair of heels, I don't know when they came from but they look 60's to me. I also wore my circle sunglasses and a scarf that you can see in the photo below. I was having some fun at my Mommom's house. 

I call this "frazzled housewife"

Over the past couple of weeks I've had a lot of success finding authentic vintage pieces at my local thrift stores so I've been able to expand my collection. 

I hope you enjoyed this post!

-Megan

I'm back.

      I haven't been blogging in awhile but I am inspired to return to it. This evening Jeremy took me out for a lovely dinner at Mori's. It's in Vineland on Landis Ave. If you are ever in the area and you are looking for a fantastic place to eat you must try Mori's. Tonight I had the Mahi-Mahi with mushrooms and capers and a pear martini. The fish was excellent and it was even topped with almonds :).
     Now, you're probably asking yourself why I'm going on and on about my dinner when this is a thrifting/fashion blog and it's because I like to talk. Seriously though the evening does relate to fashion. I wore a dress that I picked up at a thrift store and a beaded handbag that I got at a yard sale just this morning.

Everything but the earrings, headband and my ring were thrifted or from yard sales. I was trying to pull off a 60's vibe, how do you think I did?

P.S. I've got a lot of new pieces to talk about. Look out for more posts.