California Dreamin'

If I was in L.A. ... I would brave the traffic East of the 405 and run to this shop!  Gale Parker, former Andy Warhol muse and editor of Vogue, has an amazing looking store called Clothespin on where-else...Melrose Boulevard in West Hollywood.  She sells her own line of clothing (made from antique fabric), vintage accessories AND 4-yard cuts of delicious looking French 30's to 50's rayon.  No online store (and no prices on the website - be afraid) so us Aussies will just have to drool.  I love the fact that vintage is being spun as 'carbon neutral'. HAHAHAHA say the ghosts of garment-workers past! I stumbled across an article about the store in the fashion section of the L.A. Times website whilst printing the Sunday crossword.  Fifteen years in Oz and I still can't get my brain around an Australian crossword! Here are some pics from the Clothespin facebook site (hopefully it's kosher to post these here - I'll remove them if not). This is definitely my style - chunky-heeled boots and girly vintage!

 

 

Keep Young and Beautiful!

Today I did something very girly and fun - a three hour workshop on 1930's and 40's hair and makeup. The girls from The Lindy Charm School for Girls come down to Melbourne a few times a year and I signed up back in April for one of their very popular afternoons.  I work in an industry where most women don't wear any makeup, and there's a bit of a judgement factor that you're not 'green' unless you're wearing hemp, so this was a treat!  The workshop covered how-to's on makeup, hair and vintage garments.

Me using a wooden dolly-peg to shape pin-curls.

For a 1940's look, a very pink rouge is applied in little circles on the apples of the cheeks. Beet-root juice was used as an emergency substitute during rationing.  This was a new one for me! I usually use a very neutral coloured powder blusher for every-day and apply it in an upward sweep along my upper cheekbones.

 The idea with the 40's look is to mimic a natural flush - as if you had pinched your cheeks!

The final result! Thanks Chrissy for helping me with the upsweep.

The 'do from the side.

Chrissy and Kim lacing one of the girls into a waist-cincher for an hourglass figure. She was still smiling when they finished and lost three inches in her waist! Va-voom!

Kim demonstrates a four-inch waist loss with a Dior-style cincher!  The 'New Look' original vintage suits have a smaller waist in the skirt than in the jacket, so you need one of these!  Ouch! What was it that Meatloaf said..."I would do anything for Vintage....but I won't do that!" (or was it love....).  Apparently, her Pilates teacher said it helps you work your core muscles since you sit up straight all day (which also has the added bonus of keeping the boning from impaling you). At least half a dozen slim girls in their 20's bought these and raved about them when they tried them on.  Maybe next time...!

A final pic: one of the first skirts I made two years ago.  The pattern was McCall's M5390.  

I would highly recommend the workshop if you can get into one - the remaining three in Melbourne this month are sold out.  The girls were great, it was very low-priced for the three hours and it was heaps of fun.  

Now, repeat after me, 'Though shalt always endeavour to wear red lipstick!' The Lindy Charm School Motto