Viva Las Vegas Series #10- Seamed Stockings

pic from unshreddednostalgia.com

When I think of Vegas I think of Ann Margret. And when I think of Ann Margret I think of legs! Nothing makes me feel more amazing than a sleek pair of seamed stockings, especially if they are cuban heeled. So I put together a quick etsy treasury of new old stock seamed vintage stockings for you.

Viva Las Vegas! Vintage Seamed Stockings Treasury

Adorable Hair Clips

Is it wrong for me to be in love with these hair clips by Chew Chew's Closet on etsy, even though they are technically meant for children?





One perk about the kids thing is that they are made extremely well and the clip is enclosed in fabric, so gals with fine hair won't get their hair pulled out (I hate that!). If you have super thick hair you might want to request a custom piece made with a jumbo clip.


Another perk is that they are super affordable. Most clips are between $4-5. I just love this heart clip, don't you?

I almost added this as a Viva post, but decided I should leave it up to you my readers to decide if these are too cutesy for VLV. I don't think so. I could also see these being used for Kawaii and Lolita outfits.

Personally I would plan an outfit around these cuties...

Valentine's Day with Tart Deco

Oooh- I just added some new hair accessories to my online etsy store Tart Deco. Some hair flowers and a mini hat like these:

Marabou Love Hat Topper

Lena's Jewel Hair Fascinator

I will also be adding a few more each day. Here's a sneak peek just for you:

If you are interested in either of these, send me a message at tartdeco at gmail dot com and I will create a reserve listing for you. You can also keep an eye on my etsy store widget to the right for newly featured pieces.

Viva Las Vegas Series #9- Shoes under $75 for Dancing

I just adore Aris Allen reproduction Dance shoes. Right now there are a bunch of cute shoes under $75 that would be perfect for Viva:
















































And a few for the menfolk:

Viva Las Vegas Series #8- Accessories under $10

If you are going to Viva then you'll need to save as much as you can so I found some cute accessories on Etsy that are $10 and under. Here's my treasury so you can snatch them up:

Rockabilly Accessories under $10

Viva Las Vegas Series #7- Shoe Clip Giveaway on Grosgrain (closed)

I adore shoe clips! I was just watching a documentary on Flappers this morning called The Flapper Story by Lauren Lazin and I know that some of the shoes those bad girls were wearing had to have shoe clips. I just started making some shoe clips to sell in Tart Deco and I am totally going to use this documentary as inspiration. I haven't been able to find a copy of it on it's own, but I know it is an extra on the restored 1927 film Chicago.

On to the giveaway. You may have noticed the Shoe Sugar icon in my sidebar for Grosgrain, one of my favorite blogs. This whole month she is doing one shoe clip tutorial a day. She also has a giveaway for Shoeclips.biz right now if you don't want to make your own.

Viva Las Vegas Series #6- Brushing Out Pincurls




ps this is not actually Einstein's son

 I don't know about you gals, but the first time I did a pincurl set and tried to brush it out I felt like my friend on the right here. Something must have gone horribly wrong. It took me back to my first perm when I ended up looking like a scared poodle and almost passed out from the smell (this was in the 70s). It took quite a bit of reassurance from my friends and a lot of patience and pomade to calm me. Now if I don't look like Albert Einstein's son over there when I first unravel my curls I feel like I did something wrong ;)

Ava Gardner

Here is how I brush out my pincurls to go from afro (right) to fabulous (left):

First I unroll each curl and then use my fingers to start separating the curls slightly. This will help to prevent tangling when you start to brush them out. If I have tight curls I might also give them a once over with a super wide toothed comb.

Next I commence to brushing through my hair once. DO NOT use a bristle brush! Your hair will turn into a mat of frizz and you will be done for. Use a paddle brush like the one on the right. This will help to keep static to a minimum and doesn't damage the curl as much.

After this first go-over is when most gals begin crying and jump in the shower. Do not despair! This is when a little bit of pomade and a lot of perserverence will prevail. My absolute favorite pomade is called Motions Shine Enhancing Pomade. It is light with a slight fragrance and it adds just a hint of glimmer. I bought a jar on a whim a few years ago and now a pack of wild wolves couldn't pry it out of my cold dead hands. Sometimes you can find it at Walgreens if they have an African American hair section. I buy mine at Target and it costs between $5-7 a jar, which lasts almost a year for me.

After the first brush through, touch a bit of pomade with your fingertips and warm it up by rubbing it in your palms. Warming it helps to spread it easier. Remember to use a little bit at a time. You can always add more but once you have too much you usually have to wash it out and lose your curls. After it is warmed up, use your fingertips to apply it to your hair, starting from the middle of your strands towards the ends. You don't have to cover all your hair because it will spread more when you do the next brush through.

Rita Hayworth

After you add pomade to the curls, start the next brush through from your roots to the ends. You will begin to see the curls line-up into ridges. If it doesn't happen right away, try another brush through. Once you start to see some shape to your hair you can look for any patches of frizziness and dab a small bit of pomade on it. Once you have the general shape together that your hair will take you can then use hairspray and ratting to add rolls or reshape your bangs.

Have fun!

Viva Las Vegas Series #5- Getting Organized in Style

I was inspired by a recent post on VaVoom Vintage about To Do lists. It struck me that getting ready for the Viva Las Vegas Weekender is SO much more involved than a regular trip. Forgetting even a pair of stockings or a jar of pomade (gasp!) could ruin the day's plans. So to make it easier for you all to keep sane I am designing some organization tools. The first is a To Do list with a little bit of attitude. I am working on a travel check list so keep an eye out!

To download it, click on the picture to enlarge and right-click to save it. When you print make sure the paper is set to landscape:

The To Do list is free for personal use only and cannot be used or sold for profit.

Viva Las Vegas Series #4- Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway (closed)

What's better than a cute dress on sale? A FREE cute dress! Some Like It Vintage is having a Shabby Apple giveaway where you can win the Anchors Away dress.  This would be a great day dress, perfect for bright accessories. The giveaway ends Jan. 16th.

Viva Las Vegas Series #3- By the Pool

pic from Life.com

For some of us it is WAY too cold to be thinking about swimsuits, but I am not one to be daunted by the weather. In fact I am hoping that a new swimsuit will take my mind off of the midwest winter right now. I found some cute swimsuits, rompers and accessories that I wanted to post and some of them are (you guessed it) on sale!




Let's tackle swimsuits and rompers first. Below are some of the favs I found online and you can go the main page of each website to find more:

$73 @ Unique Vintage

$72 @ My Baby Jo

$102 @ Pinupgirl Clothing

$73 @ Unique Vintage

$99 @ Getgo Retro

On to the accessories. I didn't include shoes because that's a whole 'nother post, right?

Nobody wants to ruin their hair with a bunch of chlorine so swim caps are a must. Headcovers.com has a bunch of retro inspired swim caps in a ton of colors and styles, like these two. Most of the caps are around $7-10. Cha-ching!

A wide brim hat is really important to keep damaging sun from freckling your beautiful face gals. Plus, if you choose wisely it can add so much to your poolside look. There are a ton of crush-proof hats available now that make traveling a cinch as well. My picks:

$13 @ Forever 21

And finally pareo sarongs:

Viva Las Vegas Series #2- Hot Dresses ON SALE

I LOVE the website Unique Vintage and have written about them before. They have a ton of different styles, including wedding dresses, at really decent prices. Right now their sale page is chock full o' really great Rockabilly stuff that is perfect for VLV 14! I picked a few of my favorite dresses:

$73 find it here

$115 find it here

$68 find it here

$80 find it here

$58 find it here

Keep in mind that not all sizes are available for these, but I tried to pick items that had multiple sizes still available. Also, the sizes tend to run a bit smaller on some of the designers so do your homework and double check the measurements when available. They are also really good at getting back to customers so if you aren't sure contact them!

While you are at it, check out their Fashion History page on the 40s & 50s!

Viva Las Vegas Series #1- Hair

For my first VLV post I decided to start from the top down with a roll and pompadour how-to. I have the best results with a wet set so I am going to cover that.

First, you have to wash your hair, obviously ;) I use Queen Helene's Mint Julip Shampoo because the shampoo recipe hasn't changed since it first came out in the 30s and it roughens up the hair cuticle enough to keep a good curl. Plus it smells divine! I don't use an in-shower conditioner because it slicks up the hair and makes the curl fall too soon. I do use a lightweight spray-in conditioner.

Next get yourself a good setting lotion. I like to use Lotta Body. The bottle says to dilute the lotion which I suggest doing or it gets crunchy, but I use half as much water as they suggest. I haven't been able to figure out a way to do consistent pin curls on myself so I use soft curlers and roll using the same diagram as the pin curls. The curls are slightly larger this way but I get very similar results. Plus it is easier to sleep in these curlers because they are essentially squares of foam covered in material. Do yourself a favor and pick up a sleep cap so you don't accidentally pull a curler out as you sleep.

Once you have all of your supplies you need some hints on how to roll your hair to create the look you want. I have posted a few pages below from the book 1940s Hairstyles by Daniela Turudich on rolls and pomps. Unfortunately this book is out of print but every once in a while you can find a copy that isn't too outrageous. I have included an Amazon box so you can see how much the book is going for right now. It is updated as new copies become available. Click on the pics to enlarge.

I have also started to use the book Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells which is much more affordable at $34. She has a great blog Bobby Pin Blog, which is a good companion to her book.