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.

Viva Las Vegas Series

It's a new year and I hope you all had a great 2010! Moving forward into 2011 I have so many new and exciting things coming my way. So much so that I am worried that I will let this blog slide down my list of things to do. To combat this I have decided to start a Viva Las Vegas series. These posts will be everything a rockabilly needs to get ready for the big weekend.

pic from andihazelwood.com

If you aren't familiar with Viva Las Vegas Weekender it is an amazing event in Las Vegas one weekend a year where thousands of lucky people get to hear amazing rockabilly music, buy cool items from vendors and see souped up cars. There is also a hot fashion show and burlesque contest and show. I haven't been able to afford to go yet but I have friends that do and the pics and stories fill me with total envy. Once I am finished with school I am SO there in 2012.

For those of you lucky enough to be able to go I get to live vicariously through you by posting my series. Feel free to share my posts (with credit please) and make sure to send me links to any of your own blog posts from the event, especially if you use any of my tips ;)

At the end of the series sometime in March I will be having a big VLV giveaway if I can hit 350 followers. The giveaway will include items from my posts, including hair curlers, accessories, music and more! Tell your friends!