Just a heads up that I've listed the most perfect pair of Joan Holloway-worthy Ferragamo spectator pumps, ever to exist, in my eBay boutique. I'm weeping a million tears that they don't fit me, but happy that soon some dame is gonna be strutting down the boulevard in them, puttin' on the ritz . . .
Once upon a time, in the early 1930s, a young girl created the most beautiful collaged scrapbook of her favorite Hollywood screen goddesses and leading men, meticulously pasted onto fragile sheets of lined-school paper. Featured on these pages, are the most glamorous actresses of all time, in hundreds-upon-hundreds of rare candid and on-screen photos (including one of Louise Brooks i've never before seen).
I discovered this beautiful scrapbook (or early fanzine, as I like to think of it), wrapped in tissue paper and plastic at an antique barn in Upstate, NY, and after keeping a few pages for myself, I've decided to part with the bulk of the collection though my Etsy boutique (now SOLD).
Each page was layed out so beautifully, begging for an Art Deco frame to display it, and adding to the romantic ephemeral vibe of the stack is the golden foxing to the edges of each sheet.
Featured Stars Include: Clara Bow, Jeanette MacDonald, Gloria Swanson, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Louise Brooks, Dolores Costello (grandmother of Drew Barrymore), Fay Wray, Dolores Del Rio, Lupe Velez, Corinne Griffith, Bebe Daniels, Anita Page, Billie Dove, Norma Shearer,Greta Garbo, Mary Pickford, Loretta Young, Carole Lombard, Claudette Colbert, Pola Negri, and hundreds more.
A must-have addition to vintage kitchen library is a complete set of the TimeLife cookbook series, The Good Cook, published between 1979 and 1983. My personal set is only a couple of volumes away from being complete (there are 23 vol. total), but I just happened upon some extras at an estate sale and am now offering them via eBay, so you can begin your very own collection.
Each volume features its own pop-art endpaper, as seen above.
As you can see, they are brilliantly designed, and have been blogged about often by mid-century decor enthusiasts, fans of pop typography, and fashionable gourmands alike.
Off to attempt my first very "yule log" . . .
A few whimsically fabulous vintage Fall handbags, newly listed for your shopping pleasure . . .
(Left): Black textured silk seashell handbag with velvet flowers c.1940s (Right): "Owl + Pussycat" wood box bag designed by Enid Collins c.1960s
(Left): Rare zodiac -themed "Gemini" bejeweled purse by Enid Collins c.1960s (Right): Collins of Texas-style owl + moon tote c.1969
October has arrived, so for all my vintage vamps and sinister Sadies, i've listed two especially spooky frocks in my Vintager Boutique, perfect for both Hallow's Eve galas and Siouxsie Sioux concerts.
The first frock (SOLD) is an elegantly macabre number, designed in a hypnotically curvy wiggle-style that would have Elvira, Vampira and Morticia all a'drool . . .
The second dress (SOLD) is a wickedly scorching go-go length mini with super-long fringed sleeves, calling to mind Ozzy Osbourne's covetable 1970s stage costumes . . .
These naughty dresses are much too intense for my current country closet, so i'd love for them to go to some brilliantly bad girls before the season of spooks has taken leave ; )
I've just posted several covetable pieces of vintage garb in my Etsy boutique, and wanted to make sure you had first dibs . . . First we have a very bohemian Victor Costa maxi dress, in a festive ethnic pattern of red & white, which lace panels. This was a hard dress to let go of, as I wore it only once (it was purchased deadstock), in a layout that was featured in my 2008 book, Vintage LA. It was appropriately worn on a section about L.A.'s historic Olvera St., and it moves like a flamenco dream.
This was also a tough decision to make, but i'm all for dramatically cathartic closet edits, so voila . . . the impossibly rare, c.1990s, pink Moschino guitar case purse, which I carried during my press tour for my first book, Life is a Movie Starring You. You'll never carry more a conversation starter in your life (i'd even been asked if it held my violin). It has also been re-issued for Moschino's Fall 2010 pret-a-porter collection, which makes this all the more special, as it is the O.G. . . .
I've also listed a must-own addition to any fashion girl's library, Twiggy's Guide to Looking Good, which features priceless tips, as well as loads of amazing fashion shoots, many of which feature clothes by Biba's Barbara Hulanicki and Ossie Clark. It's really an inspiration, as you'll surely gather (the shot on the left is the Twig dressed up as Rita Hayworth!) . . .
And last, but certainly not least, i'm letting go of what has to be the most bombshell-worthy gown on planet Earth. It is a little black polka-dotted, curve-hugging number by Suzy Perette, which would have any girl feeling like a burlesque mermaid. It also resembles Barbie's iconic Solo in the Spotlight gown, which could in fact be the perfect Halloween costume for some lucky lady, if they were to snag this truly fabulous frock . . .
And if you are on Facebook, be sure to join The Vintager's brand new page (the link is on the right sidebar). I'll be so jazzed to see you there! XO.
I'm back from a long and much-needed vacation, so i'm newly inspired and have many totally thrilling new posts in the works : ) But first, let's take care of some important vintage shopping 'biz . . .
I've added some special new items to my Vintager Etsy boutique, with more to come this week. Many of the delights I will be posting were found during my recent vacay down the West Coast (from Vancouver to L.A.), which I will also be posting about (soon). Here's a peek at the current treasures on offer;
Above: A never-opened bottle of Avon's totally adorbz One, Two, Lace My Shoe bubble bath, hailing straight from groovy 1968 (can you believe the little bootie even has a red vinyl spat)? Great for a gift or as powder room decor, and too cute to possibly really exist.
A small section of the most fabulous psychedelic '70s contact paper on Earth! It can be used for countless projects (you can line all the drawers in your house with the giant roll I found, or wallpaper your entire boudoir!) Be sure to check out the amazing phrases featured within the design here.
A very rare Moschino figural guitar case purse (c.1990s), which was just re-released for the Cheap & Chic Fall 2010 RTW collection (as seen held by model Lee Hyun Yi on right). This purse has a ton of sentimental value for me, as it was what I carried during my first book tour, for the release of Life is a Movie Starring You, in 2000. It's not really in harmony with my new countrified life though, and i'd love to see it go to a loving, high-fashion home, and into the arms of a rock 'n roll girl with killer kitschy style. I'll be listing it this coming week. Also stay tuned for deadstock Dorothy Draper wrapping papers, crazy-amazing '80s vintage designer dresses, LPs and tzotchkes galore!
My newly re-vamped Etsy boutique is currently showcasing many issues of the highly coveted magazine, Petticoat.
Click on every mag listing in my store, and you'll find a sampling of some of the wicked lovely photography featured throughout each issue. But for now, here are some enticing peeks at what you'll find inside . . .
The above photos hail from issues that were published from 1971-1972.
*All scans of these rare mags were done by me, so if you choose to re-blog, please be courteous and link to us. Merci!
Just posted the most perfect 1960s white lace mini-dress in the history of the galaxy, here. It was a favorite frock of mine for many years, and i'd love to wear it still, though sadly me bosoms have grown too buxom for the flower child frame it requires. It was also worn on a cover of the fanzine I published in the '90s, Pesky Meddling Girls (see below). So i'm seeking the perfect dollybird to give it a good, albeit groovy, home.
It also happens to be a dress that Leigh Taylor-Young's character in I Love You, Alice B. Toklas would've gone absolutely bonkers for.
* Pesky Meddling Girls 'zine cover photo by Lizzie Brandt
If you saw the current state of my vintage storage room, you'd understand the amount of frantic eBay listings i'll be posting throughout the month. Not to mention that the mister and I are taking a shoebox-sized pied-a-terre in the city for the rest of the year, so a Spring-vintage-wardrobe editing is essential. Here are some current listings to behold . . .
(Above): A fabulous little green ostrich feather and chiffon mini-dress, fit for '60s Vegas showgirls and green fairies alike. It's like an Irma La Douce dream, and if my boobs weren't twice the size as the last time I wore it (early '90s), then i'd totally be tap dancing down Broadway in it (current bidding at $9.99).
Mod 1960s enamel brooches (currently $2.99 each) with rare pop art patterns = instant flower power!
A pristine crocheted grannie-chic shawl with long fringe c.1960s, that i'm sure Buttercup Chain-era Leigh Taylor Young would've gone bananas over (Leigh Taylor Young photo: GettyImages).
Vintage 1980s chain necklace by Anne Klein, featuring her signature lions ('70s photo of Anne Klein in her jewelry showroom: P. Venant for Corbis).
Legendary Italian actress Anna Magnani in her signature all-black attire c.1957 (photo: corbis), and the most perfect, buxom black lace blouse c.1950s (to be listed Weds. here)!
The most perfect 1980s violet pouf sleeved, boat necked Valley Girl Summer dress, this side of the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
Ruffled and embroidered 1950s petticoat skirt, which I can totally picture Betsey Johnson doing cartwheels in, down her runway, paired with a bustier, a million necklaces, green tights and leopard platforms.
Delicate 1940s tea dress that is so very East of Eden, and would surely steal James Dean's heart.
Black satin Bendel's blow blouse, as darkly decadent as Yves Saint Laurent's October 1979 collection. It's also a good luck top, as I wore it to my first NYC book signing for Life is a Movie Starring You, in 2000, and it made me feel oh so glam, despite my butterflies.
Today i've listed the most perfect little 1960s black & white dollybird dress of all fashion-eternity, in my eBay boutique. It's like if YSL's maid-style dress for Catherine Deneuve (from the 1967 film, Belle De Jour), and Wednesday Addams' favorite frock had a baby . . . et VOILÁ!
Please credit/link to J.B. Taylor when re-posting original artwork or written content from this site. Merci.
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