Playing vintage tag

Jessica at Chronically Vintage posted a game of vintage tag, which was very fun to read, so I thought I considered myself tagged and post my answers. Consider you ALL tagged.

 

{21 vintage lifestyle questions and answers}

 

 

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1. Who are your style icons? Tricky question, actually. I love so many old-time movie stars, but style icons? An important aspect of style is that it should fit you, otherwise it isn’t really style. And though I adore Audrey Hepburn and her style, I have more in common, body wise, with Jayne Mansfield. Or Christina Hendricks. If I tried to look like Miss Hepburn, it wouldn't suit me, however much I love her style.



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50's wiggledress

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So I don’t think I can say I have one particular style icon, but pick here and there.

2. What is your favourite way to get inspired? Watching movies. Reading blogs. Seeing friends who share my affection for vintage. Like Pimpinett who always makes me want dress better when I see her.

3. What's your most-used hair tool? Booby pins. I use them all the time, for pin curls and when I’m fixing hair.

4. What's your favourite hair tool? The booby pin again. Versatile and practical and can even be dressed up.

40's evening gown made after a
Vogue Vintage Style pattern.

5. Updo, down, or half-and-half? Up. I had long hair for many years and I always wore it up. I can’t abide having hair falling down around my face. Even now when my hair reaches my shoulders, I usually put it up. Or, at the very least, up around the face. I only wear my hair completely down for a party, when I have had time to fix it nicely.

6. Is vintage something you do every day, on weekends, or for special occasions? Every day, more or less. I wear a uniform at work, but otherwise I do. I’m a bit bad with being home, I have a tendency to slouch around in any old thing, but I’m working on that.

7. What's your favourite blush and lipstick? Bèsame’s lipsticks are my absolute favourite. I have several shades, but I can’t say that I have a favourite colour, more than something red. As for blush, I have very few and I find them nice enough, but I can’t say that I have a favourite.

8. Dress, skirt, or pants? Heels or flats? I prefer dresses and skirts. I gave up wearing pants 20 years ago because I never found a pair that both fit me and looked good. I am toying with the idea of getting some 40’s style trousers for leisure wear, though. Heels, heels, heels. I have a bad heel and I learned to walk in heels on my doctor’s orders. I have some well-cushioned trainers only used for dog walks; apart from that all my shoes have at least 2 inch heels, most of them higher.

9. Off-the-rack or homemade? I usually get luckier with homemade when it comes to fit… But I’m not at all averse to off-the-rack if I find something that looks good on me.

10. Do you swing dance? Not really. I learned in my teens and I know the basic steps, but I haven’t danced in years. I could probably pull it off with a good partner, though.

11. Extreme vintage or subtle touches? Both, though I rarely go to the extreme end of the scale if it’s not an occasion. Having to wear a uniform at work makes it impossible to do more than subtle touches on workdays. For a casual look I probably land somewhere on the middle of the scale.

 

12. Favourite perfume. Caron’s Tabac Blond. I’m also rapidly falling in Love with Chanel’s Cuir de Russie. My wallet hates my taste in perfume.

13. Favourite skincare product? Phytic cream from M&M. And regular facials. I can’t recommend that enough.

Handbag in lizard skin that my grandmother Greta
 made in the late 40's.

14. What does your family think of your style? They like it and a very positive about it.

15. Favourite accessory? I have a confession. I’m really, really bad in remembering to add those. So I have to say handbags, as I never forget those.

16. Do you find the vintage community welcoming or snobby? I have only had positive experiences, in real life as well as online.

17. What drew you to vintage style? A long time love. I used to love watching old movies as a kid, being a bit surprised that people looked so different from people around me. So neat and polished and smart. (I’m a child of the 70’s.) So I have always been drawn to the style.

18. Favourite places to shop vintage? Etsy and various shops in Stockholm like Epok and Old Touch.

19. What vintage eras are your favourite? The 30’s and 40’s.

20. Most glamorous film stars? Goodness, weren’t they all glamorous? But I will have to say Rita Hayworth, as she was my first movie star crush ever.

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21. Favourite vintage object that you own? My Radiola radio gramophone. My maternal grandparent’s bought it in 1955 and as a kid I loved to listen to it. When I was 18 I got it and it is in almost perfect shape and works just fine.

40's quilted bed jacket.

 

 

A review on What Katie Did's Baby corset

I recently bought the Baby Corset from What Katie Did and as it inspired by the waspies of the New Look-look, I thought a little review here wouldn’t be amiss.

In case you have missed it, WKD is a UK-based company that makes lingerie, stockings and corsets inspired by the 40’s and 50’s. I have purchased clothes from them before and always been pleased with both customer service and the quality. I live in Sweden and it took 3 days for my package to arrive, which I think is excellent.

I have their Mae corset which is shorter than the Morticia, the length from waist to underarm is 4.75. I like it as it is well made and for its price easily the best off the rack corset I have ever purchased. However, I have a very short upper torso and it’s much too long for me. I can wear it for an evening, but it is bordering on uncomfortable. I have been toying with the idea of wearing corsets more regularly, but to do that, comfort is a must. The Baby corset is just 7 inches long altogether and as I have had the opportunity to try it in a store I felt confident that it would suit me.

Despite its tiny size, this is a real corset in heavyweight satin and cotton twill, it has a real busk and 12 bones both spiral steel and flat steel. It is also really curvy and meant to reduce the waist to 4-5 inches. I really think this is a great little corset, though definitely not for every body type.

Being so curvy I think fits a curvy figure better. For a woman with little natural difference between waist and hips it may be too big over the hips. I have an hourglass figure, so I found the fit great though. It is very short and I think one should bear that in mind. On me it is perfect, but one someone with a longer body there will be a noticeable gap between corset and bra. That in itself isn’t a problem, but if you have a lot to squish, then you may get a roll of fat in between corset and bra, which may not be what you are looking for. A longline bra would probably help to eliminate that, though.

A crappy picture, but you can see how curvy it is. Here it's just laced so it doesn't slide around on me, there is definitly room for lacing it more..

You also need to be aware that if you want to wear stockings you will need a separate girdle or very long garter straps as it is too short. This corset doesn’t restrict your tummy at all and the curvy cut also gives the ribcage some room, so it is actually very comfortable to wear, much more so than a long corset. I tight dress of skirt may pronounce the uncorseted tummy a bit too much) at least one me), but with wider skirts I think it will be wonderful.

I don’t find any of the potential problems I have listed to be any problems, though. It is a short corset that will give you a dramatic waist and if you aware of its shortness and that it in some ways behaves differently from a long one, well, and then I think it’s pretty much perfect.