More On Vintage Fashion

I'm friends with a blogger named Lyosha.  She's a sweet young woman with fun fashion sense.  Lyosha just got married and her doggy Raidho was Best Man at the wedding.

Lyosha invited me to guest-post on her blog, so today I'm spreading the word about my favorite new topic, vintage fashion.  You can see the post here.

This is the first time I've been on a blog in Russia!

Making You Laugh

Hi guys.  I've been frustrated by two things lately -- a crushing amount of work at the office and, even worse, an inability to upload pictures onto my blog.  The latter is due to a problem with Blogger which many people are complaining about.  I'm going to try to load some pictures here using a different, unusual method.  If it works, maybe I'll make you laugh...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makeup And Language

I loved your comments to my last post -- they are honest, insightful and enlightening.  They teach me valuable lessons about female life.  Thank you.

Beyond gratitude, I have two lighthearted responses to your remarks.  The first is a true story and the second is a laugh.

Growing up, I idolized figure-skater Katarina Witt.  Unlike skating waifs, Katarina is a big-boned girl with muscles.  I identified with her from the perspective of being big and muscular myself, while wishing I could figure-skate in a sequined dress.

Katarina wasn't just good, she was great.  She won two Olympic gold medals, in 1984 and 1988.  She dominated the sport for a decade.

At one of the Olympic finals, Katarina was the last person to skate.  She had to wait for everyone else to perform and that delay was lengthy.  Even harder, her competitors put up good numbers so the pressure on her grew and grew as she waited backstage.

The time finally came for Katarina to skate.  She emerged and -- oh my gosh! -- she looked like a clown.  She had an inch of heavy-duty makeup on, to the point of clownish absurdity.  Why did she do that?  She looked ridiculous.

Katarina skated perfectly, got high marks and won the Gold Medal.  Afterward, interviewed on television, Katarina explained that she had been very nervous backstage before the performance.  To ease her anxiety, she put on makeup.  Then, waiting around, she put on more makeup.  Then, more... and more.  She compulsively keep adding more makeup to her face out of nervous anxiety about having to skate her best and she had too much empty time to worry about that. 

Most of us can relate to the humanity of this behavior.  Have you ever heard of Katarina?

Now the laugh.  We all make mistakes in language and grammar, especially when writing casually.  Despite being a pedant, I slough off such errors as harmless slips.  I make them myself as often as I see them committed by others.  We dash off the contents of our minds and, unless we re-read our thoughts (which we rarely do), mistakes go uncorrected.  No big deal.

Some mistakes are understandable, such as misspelling words with similar sounds but different meanings.  One commentor wrote "concur" (which means to agree with) when she meant to say "conquer" (to win).  You can see why she did that -- the phonetic similarity. 

Another common mistake is to misspell a word because it looks like (but isn't) another word with almost-identical letters.  This is what made me laugh. 

In my post, I used the phrase "deserted island," which means an island cut off from civilization.  Some of you wrote "desert island" which doesn't mean the same: it would denote a hot island, not necessarily one cut off from others.  The funny mistake was made by one of my friends who, intending to say deserted island, spoke of being on a "dessert island" -- as in, an island full of cupcakes, cookies and eclairs.  Hah!

The best mistakes are those that comically mean something different from what we obviously intended.  We're all yeomen.  Oops!  I mean, human.  :-)

Female Life

I wasn't raised as a girl, so there's a lot I don't know about female socialization and psychology.  One question that perplexes me is this:

Why do women work so hard at their appearance?

I understand the joys of clothes, makeup and grooming, but they come at a cost, in terms of time, finances and effort.  What do women get in return for that?

I was reading another blog this week and it suggested a reason I'd never considered before.  Disputing the common belief that women try to look good to attract a mate, the blogger said that women make this effort in an attempt to gain some control over their lives.  The blogger said that, psychologically, it makes women feel more secure to have greater control over their personal interactions and social circumstance and, by altering their appearance, they can affect these things.

The blogger also refuted a reason many women assert for why they do this: e.g., to look good for themselves.  She argued that, if you lived on a deserted island, why would you put on makeup?  Isn't "beauty" an attempt to look better for others to see?

What do you think?  Why do you put effort into looking good?

Starting My Education

When I set a goal, I pursue it with vigor and enthusiasm.  This attitude explains my quick education in vintage fashion.

Learning about a subject requires effort and, at the beginning, we know only generalized ideas gathered passively from our environment.  Often, this information is wrong. 

For example, many non-bikers think Harleys are the best motorcycles.  In fact, they're close to the worst.  Harley uses outdated technology.  Non-riders, however, see Harley's pervasive advertising and, without any analysis, often believe that information.

There is a parallel between Harleys and my first vintage stockings.  Before studying vintage lingerie, I knew seamed stockings existed but I didn't know any more than that.  I assumed, incorrectly, that all seamed stockings are the same.  I was wrong.

When sheer stockings were introduced in the 1920s, they were made from silk.  Silk doesn't stretch.  Authentic early stockings sag due to the material used in them.  A sharp-eyed reader observed that the seamed stockings in my last post are stretchy and she's right -- they are reproductions using contemporary materials (nylon and lycra).  To a vintage purist, this is heresy.  To me, I had no clue.

The original style of vintage stockings is called "fully fashioned stockings."  The term refers to stockings made of non-stretch material with a seam where the material is sewn together.  There are only a small number of manufacturers making stockings in this style today.  Modern reproductions of seamed stockings usually use stretchy materials and add seams as decoration, not as the integral sewing junction of real fully fashioned stockings.

There is an old Zen expression, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."  I've found it to be true several times in my life.  Right now, two mentors have suddenly emerged to teach me about vintage fashion.  I'm grateful to them and, even more, I like them as friends.  Having a fun subject to share with them is a nice means to strengthen our friendships.

Coincidentally, both of my mentors are named Jessica!  The first Jessica has a terrific blog which focuses on vintage fashion and is an enjoyable read.  It's called Chronically Vintage.  Jessica has steered me in good directions for learning about this subject on which she's an expert.

The second Jessica used to have a fashion blog but she closed it a year ago.  (Some of you may remember it: I profiled her blog here).  I'm currently in touch with Jessica by e-mail and we've been chatting about vintage clothing.  She's very knowledgeable about old lingerie, like silk slips, stockings and girdles.  I'm hoping to learn lots from her.  She has an extensive collection of authentic lingerie from the past.

So, starting from scratch, I have two Jessica's in my corner!  Mentors accelerate one's learning curve and I'm lucky to have these two sweet gals advising me.  I'll pass along what they teach me to you, so you can join me on this journey.

Do you have any interest in vintage fashion?

Walking The Walk

My first New Year's resolution was to learn more about vintage clothing and lingerie.  I wasn't kidding!  I really do want to immerse myself in this subcategory of fashion.  I find it fascinating.

Nothing says vintage like seamed stockings.  When stockings were first available, they had seams because manufacturers needed them.  After equipment improved to eliminate that need, seams disappeared.  Wearing seamed stockings now is like waving the vintage flag.

I found an online store that sells seamed stockings and other vintage lingerie.  Their wares are fun to browse.  The store is called What Katie Did.

I bought a pair of seamed stockings and some long silk gloves.  Here are some shots.  Let me know what you think.

 

 

 

 

 

My Favorite Films of 2012



Happy New Year, everyone.

I had this light-hearted post planned for yesterday. It got pre-empted, however, by the sad news of Geoff's death.  It may take me a little while to return to normal.  In the meantime, let's cheer up with fun talk about movies.

Movies are a great part of our popular culture.  I enjoy the full range of film.  Here are my favorites from this year, broken down by category:

1. Favorite Commercial Film: "The Hunger Games" -- Jennifer Lawrence is one of my favorite actresses (since "Winter's Bone") and she carries this movie to artistic and commercial success.  The story is well-presented with talented character-actors shining like gems (e.g., Stanley Tucci; Woody Harrelson).

2. Favorite Independent Film: "Hitchcock" -- Beautifully written and well-acted account of the making of "Psycho," placed in the context of Alfred Hitchcock's long career and marriage.  The film finally casts some spotlight on the often-hidden role Hitchcock's wife Alma played in making his movies.  Helen Mirren will certainly get nominated for an Oscar for this role and she deserves to win it.

3. Favorite Documentary: "The Queen Of Versailles" -- Funny true story about a rich couple (husband in his 70's; trophy-wife in her early-40's) who were building the largest home in America when the husband's business collapsed.

4. Favorite Comedy: "Ted" -- A hilarious romp with the surprising presence of a plot and characters.  Its success catapaulted Seth MacFarlane to critical respect.

5. Favorite Romance: "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" -- Warm romance between Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor in a faraway land.  Nicely acted.

6. Favorite Guilty Pleasure: "The Expendables 2" -- A big improvement over the original, this action-flick manages to both spoof the genre while resting comfortably within it.  The movie is worth seeing simply to watch these actors having fun together: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and Arnold Schwartzenegger.

What are your favorite films from this year?