Rachel Adams Photography

Last month I had a photo shoot with Rachel Adams Photography (https://www.facebook.com/racheladamsphoto). It was great to get in front of the camera again after some time off. Rachel's work is dreamy and surreal, each week she shoots a different theme and the week I worked with her the theme was hippies. I've been gravitating towards this look lately.

 The shoot consisted of me and four other models and it was so much fun! Group shoots are great and unfortunately I don't do many of them. We all met at Rachel's house to get ready. When I'm getting ready for a shoot alone it can be stressful, my mind can sometimes betray me and I think of all the things that could possibly go wrong. Getting ready for the shoot with this group of girls was a lot of fun and completely stress free.

From left to right we have Hannah, Brianna, me, Paige and Steph

These are my favorite pants, the only patterned pair of pants I own, they're super flares. 

The shoot was at the perfect time of day, the light was so golden!

Isn't that little orange record player adorable? Also, check out the fringe jacket!

 I love that Rachel used  records for this shoot, being the vinyl junkie that I am. There were some good albums too. Rachel's mom selected "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" (good album and my favorite album name), "Disraeli Gears" by Cream and Janis Joplin's greatest hits. 

One of the girls tuned into the Beatles station on Pandora and we got to model in the field listening to "Here Comes the Sun", it was great. 

Rachel runs a blog In a World of My Own (http://harleywonderland.blogspot.com/) where she shares photos and writes about her shoots.  To see all of the photos from this shoot head on over to Rachel's blog and my facebook page (facebook.com/obf0908)

Welcome Spring

Okay, so it's not officially Spring yet but it's going to be very soon. I am so tired of Winter and the frigid cold, I want to be outside without the air hurting my face.

Today wasn't that warm but I wanted to wear something springy and I wanted to wear one of my newest thrifted treasures, a pair of 1970s wool Bobbie Brooks super flares.

The pants came from the Salvation Army. I had to go back to the store to buy them since I didn't buy them the first time I was there. If you find something you love instantly at a thrift store buy it then!

I also got to wear my non-vintage psychedelic booties for the first time after buying them last month, I didn't want the ice and the snow to ruin them. 

 These remind me of The Beatles and Lady Miss Kier!

It's not visible in the photos but I was wearing this vintage floral necklace, it was a gift from a friend. 

I'm so happy Spring is soon, it means that being outside will be enjoyable and it means more outfit posts!

Night Time Glamour

Lisa Douglas from "Green Acres" is mostly to blame for my love of glamorous sleep wear. I first saw the show when I was little and I fell in love with Eva Gabor's wardrobe. Those of you that have been reading this blog or awhile know that I love to get dressed up. You should never forget the power your outfit can have on your attitude.

Having fun with your outfits doesn't have to end at night. I have a small collection of vintage nightgowns, not nearly as lovely as Mrs. Douglas but I have some 60s baby doll nighties and peignoirs.

 Isn't this a fun print? The fabric looks so floaty and comfortable. One of my dreams is to have a night gown/pajama collection to rival Lisa Douglas.

This robe exudes glamour. 

This photo came from a 70s issue of Life magazine and the pajamas remind me of something a genie would wear. These would be lovely for the summertime.  

The feathers at the bottom make the night gown. Wouldn't it be lovely to lounge in this in the evening? It exudes the glamour of old Hollywood. 

Photo by JLS Photography

This is one of my favorite nightgowns and peignoirs. It always makes me feel so glamorous, I just wish I had a pair of marabou slippers to match. 

So, how many of you enjoy slipping in to something glamourous in the evening?

Movie Spotlight: Being There

Hopefully you all have movies that are important to you, that speak to your being or are like comfort food for you. I have many films like this and they tend to be "vintage" themselves or set in the past.

The first of these films that I want to share with all of you is "Being There" with Peter Sellers from 1979.  I'm kicking myself that I first saw this gem last year but I think I've made up for it by watching it millions of times (I'm not exaggerating that much) .

Peter Sellers spent most of the 1970s trying to get the novel  "Being There" made into a movie, Chance the Gardner was the role he wanted to play more than anything else. He said in a Rolling Stone interview ; “ …I just read the book every six months. I knew Chauncey Gardiner…”(The Strange World of Peter Sellers Glazer,Mitchell, Rolling Stone April 17, 1980).

From reading numerous biographies and interviews I really empathize with many of the thoughts and feelings Peter Sellers conveyed in interviews and the ones that came across in the biographies. He was a complex person whose personal life unfortunately sometimes gets a bad rap. 

Anyway, back to "Being There".  It's about Chance the Gardner, a man that is a complete blank slate, he mimics everything he sees on the television. He is forced out of the home that he's lived and gardened in since he was born and by chance is taken in by a wealthy family, able to appear on television and consult with the president. 

                                     

Since Chance is so fond of television there are a lot of clips of commercials, television shows and cartoons in "Being There". It's interesting to think about why they were put there. 

I don't want to give too many details away for those that haven't seen "Being There". If you have seen it and want to discuss it in the comments feel free to do so, I love a good film discussion.

Dating vintage.

This topic has been discussed to death in the vintage community but I feel the need to write yet another post about dating vintage. I've been trying to learn all I can about vintage clothing and since I mainly collect dresses those are going to be the examples in this post.

Some people think garments get the vintage seal of approval after 20 years and some people think 30. I'm going to stick with 30. The 1990s should not be considered vintage yet, I don't want to think I'm that old.

Being able to identify what decade a garment comes from is a good skill to have. I've gone into thrift stores, this usually only works in locally owned shops, where the seller is trying to pass off an 80s dress as authentic 40s and it's possible to negotiate a discount. Once I was in a store and the owner tried to sell me a cute polyester mini dress that screamed mid to late 60s, the owner was thoroughly convinced it was from the 50s. Sometimes mislabeling a garment seriously changes the price so it's essential for the vintage connoisseur to have a keen eye.

It's nice when you have a vintage piece that you know the history of. My Mommom gave me this 1950s gold dress 3 years ago and she told me that it was from the 50s and it was one of her favorites. Since I know when it's from I'll use that as an example.

Since there is no label one would assume that it was hand made but my Mommom did not make it. A label isn't the only clue you can use.

The zipper can tell you a lot. This dress has a metal zipper down the back. Metal zippers were phased out in the mid 60s. The sleeves are also an indicator, this dress has 3/4 sleeves which was a popular style in the 50s according to the Vintage Fashion Guild

From zippers we move to labels. Remember to look for the union label when looking for vintage. My favorite dress for the summer is this floral dress. When I went to look for the union label I noticed it was from Canada and I no nothing about Canadian union labels. So I checked The Vintage Fashion Guild again and the label I have was put in use in 1968

Remember to look everywhere for the union label. Modern clothes have all the tags in the same spot. Vintage garments may have tags in many different spots. This pink wool dress appeared to only have one label, but when I looked inside near the bottom of the dress I found the union label.

Fabric is another good clue for dating vintage. When you think 70s you think polyester, right? I have tons of vintage polyester, my closet is a fire hazard. This Bobbie Brooks dress dates from the late 60s to the very early 70s. It can't be from after 1971 since tags had to have garment care instructions from then on.

I hope this has been informative. I'm still learning how to be an expert when it comes to dating vintage clothing, I'm sorry there was only dresses in the post but that is the majority of my collection.  If anyone has anything to add or any corrections I'd love to hear them.

A Bit of ABBA. Tuesday music post.

Today I was in an ABBA mood so I chose to write about their music and specifically the style of Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. I became an ABBA fan in 2000 when I was 10 years old and in the fifth grade. Not only was I a fan of their music but I was extremely fond of how the women of the group dressed and their intoxicating beauty. I immersed myself in 70s style and my mother even feathered my hair each day before I went to school. Their music was very refreshing to me since the popular culture of the time was drenched in late 90s pop music made for teens and in turn that was all my peers could talk about, while I was looking for something more. Don't get me wrong, I was and still am a fan of 90s pop but as a 10 year old and now I was always looking for something more. What luck that the A*Teens released their album "The ABBA Generation" at the same time I was searching musically!

How many of you remember this?

As much as the A*Teens put their own spin on ABBA's music I'm happy they put out this album since if they didn't I would never appreciate the pure pop perfection that is ABBA. I have read hat Frida ( Anni-Frid) after hearing the demo of "Dancing Queen" wept since it was so beautiful. As a child I fell in love with their music and also with the fashion of their leading ladies. 

One of my favorite looks for Frida and Agnetha, mini dresses and tall white boots!

Look at these women! They are a vision in white

My favorite is Agnetha's white dress but Anni-Frid's print dress and boots are breathtaking as well. Anni-Frid demonstrates a perfect winter to spring transition outfit in this photo. 

My first introduction to ABBA was through an A*Teens album, after that I purchased a copy of "ABBA Gold" and became a lifelong ABBA fan. The appreciation of their music came first and a love the their style came after and both have stuck. 

Do you have a favorite ABBA song or style?

Links for February 8th and The Beatles.

I hope you've all been enjoying February so far! I've been trying to branch out more and get out of my comfort zone, it was one of my goals for the new year.

I found out about the website "Thrift Store Runway" when I went on the thrift crawl last month. There are some great articles all about thrifting but the highlight of the site is the outfit contest. Each month you can submit a photo of yourself in an outfit that is made from thrifted pieces following a $50 budget. Four winners are selected each month and they receive a cash prize. I submitted my outfit photo last night.

I got this awesome mini dress at the Glassboro Goodwill Thursday. I believe it's from the late 60s or the early to mid 70s. 

Yesterday, my Mommom took my sister and I to the Vineland Public Library to see the Beatles exhibit that will be there all month. It's completely free to go and view the exhibit and every Beatles fan in Vineland, NJ should go see it. For more information visit: http://www.vinelandlibrary.org/pr/February_2014_Beatles_Display.htm

I had to take these shots with my phone so they're not so great. The wire art didn't show up so well. 

The exhibit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. I love that their music is still celebrated today. When I was a teenager I was obsessed with the Beatles and now my sister is too, she is currently borrowing all of my Beatles records. 

                                   

Can you imagine how exciting it must have been to see this when it aired! Music has the power to change lives and The Beatles performances on the Ed Sullivan show changed a lot of lives. Tomorrow, CBS will air a special to celebrate The Beatles. For more information visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-news-marking-beatles-anniversary-with-live-multimedia-event/

The Carpenters: Tuesday Music Post.

It bothers me that The Carpenters get dismissed as a soft white bread type band without a thought. These people are really missing out on the beautiful voice and drumming talents of Karen Carpenter.

Karen Carpenter died 31 years ago today from heart failure due to her struggle with anorexia. When I was little my mother had "The Karen Carpenter Story" with Cynthia Gibb taped and saved it in a box where she kept all the movies that she had taped off the television. I watched this movie more times than was probably healthy but it did get me interested in The Carpenters at the age of four. I wanted to play the drums and the piano but my parents enrolled me in piano lessons and I didn't start playing drums until I was 13.

People tend to forget that Karen was an amazing drummer especially during a time when it wasn't seen as the womanly thing to do to play drums.

Jumping from instrument to instrument, amazing!

Not only could she play the drums but she could sing beautifully as well. I dare you to listen to her sing and not be moved, you won't be able to. 

                                       

"A Song for You" 

I encourage all of you, especially if you are in that group of people that think The Carpenters are soft muzak, to explore their music. There are too many people that dismiss this great band. Disturbingly there are also a lot of people that regard Karen Carpenter's death with great disdain as if her illness ,which is something easy to trap yourself in, negates her immense talent and the impact she left on the world.  So, go put your favorite Carpenters album on and remember this amazing woman. 

Fashion Editorials from "Look" and "McCalls"

I've been going through my massive collection of vintage magazines and the images in them are so good I have to share. Unfortunately my scanner is too small to fit the magazines so I have to take the photos with my camera so the quality isn't all that great. Here's some inspiration for you all from 1969 and 1970, enjoy!

A 'Sears' ad in the February 1970 issue of McCalls. This would be a perfect coat to bridge the transition between spring and summer. The green color is refreshing after all the dark winter colors. 

These next photos came from the same issue. They are part of a spread called "The Petite Prints of Paris"

I love the outfit on the left. The belt looks like it has little golden keys as an accent. Also, clips on blouses and dresses need to make a comeback. 

I can't say I'm a fan of these looks but I love the chokers. This signals the 70s edwardian revival. 

These next three images are from the December 1970 issue of 'Ladies Home Journal'

I would wear either of these crocheted outfits. My Gran tried to teach me to crochet when I was little but I just couldn't get it. 

This is such a gorgeous hairstyle that wouldn't look out of place at a party today. Although there is nothing wrong with looking dated, it never bothered me. 

I love the metallic accents in the knitting. 

The final images are ads from the April 29,1969 issue of Look magazine. I have quite a few issues of Look and they are a delight to look through. 

 Here's a close up shot of the Admiral television ad. Isn't this a great hairstyle? Alos , look at those fantastic sleeves on the outfit of the girl in the ad!

It's unfortunate that the models legs were cut off in this Chevrolet ad but her outfit is beautiful. I love the rich colors and the large gold buttons on her coat. 

There are so many cigarette ads in vintage magazines. I really love this models outfit and I'm not a huge fan of purple but I would wear this. 

A new year.

Welcome 2014! I hope you all had a great New Year's eve and you all got your midnight kiss. I spent the night with Brianna, Jeremy, my Mom and Mommom. We had appetizers and dinner, then we watched my hour and fifteen minute long end of the year video. To keep ourselves awake until midnight my sister and I had a Lady Gaga dance party. She told me not to play what she called "old fogey" music so Lady Gaga was the most modern thing I had.

Ginger was all dressed for the celebration. I got him this little bow tie for parties. 

Brianna enjoys sneaking into photos. Here she is photo bombing our family portrait. 

The dress I wore was from "Twice Loved Treasures" in Vineland. It's by Leslie J and it's from the 70s. The dress comes with a black sweater that I kept putting on and taking off since the temperature fluctuated. 

Ginger wanted me to take off his bow tie later on. He looked so dapper in it. I also don't like to leave him alone with things around his neck since he tries to rip them off himself and he can end up injuring himself.

I made a bûche de chocolat for dessert. It's a rich french cake that you roll up like a jelly roll. Here's the recipe I use. 

2/3 cup sugar
6 eggs (separated)
6 oz. dark sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons cold strong coffee
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Beat 1/2 cup sugar into egg yolks and beat until light and creamy. Get out your double boiler and start to melt the chocolate and coffee mixture. After the chocolate is melted let it cool a bit and then mix it with the egg yolk mixture. Then beat the egg whites until they're stiff and add that to the chocolate/egg yolk mix. 

Put wax paper on a cookie sheet and grease it heavily then pour the batter on the wax papered cookie sheet. Make sure everything dispersed evenly and then bake it for 15 minutes. After it's finished baking let it sit out with a damp cold cloth on it for 45 minutes. Now it's time to make the whipped cream (my favorite part)
Put the heavy cream, vanilla and a little bit of powdered sugar to a bowl and beat it until it forms whipped cream. After the whipped cream is made and the cake has cooled spread the whipped cream on the cake and roll it into a log shape. Sometimes the cake will crack in places but that's okay, I just add more whipped cream. 


Later on that night Brianna and I had a dance party. Jeremy doesn't dance so he watched us jump around like weirdos. We aren't dancers either and usually our "dancing" is nothing but jumping and flailing our arms. Brianna and I usually have little dance parties at home, we're not fans of going out so we make our own fun.

Jeremy and Ginger watched us dance from the safety of the couch.

New Year's day is one of my favorite days of the year. We always go to my Mommom's house for a polenta and codfish dinner. My Mommom's birthday is the week after New Year's day and she said that the tradition of this dinner started when she was around 12 years old. Her mother would celebrate the new year and her birthday in one day and my Mommom would always request polenta and codfish. When she was little the fish used to be quite expensive and you would have to soak it for awhile before eating it. We also eat stewed tomatoes and everyone but me eats sausage, it's a great dinner!

It was really cold yesterday. 

But I  wanted to get an outfit shot. My Mommom wore this dress to a wedding in 1977. I love the print. 

My Mom and Mommom stirring the polenta. 

 This is before we lapsed into a food coma. This is a special dinner that we only eat once a year. After we recovered we posed for photos in front of the tree.

 Clyde(Mommom's cat) got in the family photo. 

I set the timer so we could get a complete family photo. 

For most people January 1st is not a special holiday. It's usually the day they begin with their rigid resolutions but I start the new year on January 2nd. What traditions do you have for New Year's eve and New Year's day?