My Weekend in Havana

Ok, I didn't really spend the weekend in Havana.
The title is in reference to my Halloween costume - I went as Carmen Miranda!

I rented this costume from my former place of work: Harlequin Costume and Dance. It was built when I worked there and I have always loved it. I had a big party to go to last night. I wanted to wear a fun, vintage inspired costume and just couldn't get this one out of my head. I knew I had to wear it.
The jewelry and shoes were all bought by me for this costume.

Costumes usually inspire me to do lots of research and this one was no different. I didn't know much about Carmen before I decided to emulate her last night, but now I'm a big fan!

After some research I discovered my costume was inspired by Carmen Miranda's performance of 'Samba-Boogie" in Something for the Boys.

screenshots sourced here

More specifically, I remember the inspiration coming from this paper doll book that we had at the store. You can see my costume there on the left. 

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We had a great time at our party and my costume was a big hit! I'm already starting to think about next year! haha!

How was your Halloween? What did you dress up as?

Lisa.xo   aka. Carmen

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! (Or, 5 Last Minute Costume Ideas You Can Grab from Your Own Vintage Closet)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

If you've been reading my blog for a long time you know that on holidays I usually post a themed pinup photo and a quick greeting.

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Ya, that looks about right...

I thought since Halloween lands mid week this year and it's likely most of you will be heading out to party this upcoming weekend instead of this evening. If you're still stumped in the costume department I thought I'd help you out with some easy last minute costume ideas you can throw together out of your own vintage wardrobe.

Mime
This is a classic, but a fun costume I think. It's a costume that comes with an attitude! You can be trapped in a box, pull on imaginary ropes and all sorts of other mime-y things!
This was an easy costume to cobble together. It's comfortable and recognizable.
You could pull out all the stops and wear a full white face, but if you're not into that, drawing a tear under one eye and some triangles around the other like I did with and eyeliner pencil will get the message across.

* Black and White Striped Tee * Black Pants * Red Neckscarf (could also be black or white!) * White Gloves * Black Flats * Black Eyeliner Pencil * Black Beret *

Sailor

Every good vintage loving gal has a sailor dress in her closet. I also happen to have a gob (name for the classic white sailor hat) in mine as well (I found it at Value Village one day and couldn't resist bringing it home). If you need one to complete your costume check your local Dollarstore or Halloween Party Store. 

This is another easy, comfortable costume. And as you can see, you don't need to be exposing skin and be "sexy". This costume is cute and is still costume-y enough. It's certainly better than showing up to a party without a costume! 

For added effect, I drew an "tattoo" anchor on my forearm with a black eyeliner pencil. Sailor inspired temporary tattoos would be fun too!

* Sailor Dress * White Belt (optional) * Peep Toe Pumps * Gob Sailor Hat * Black Eyeliner Pencil *

Mother Nature
This costume is up for interpretation. I threw on a bright vintage flowery dress and pinned every flower brooch I have to it and wore green tights and shoes (which are a bit hard to see in this pic). I even pinned a decorative birds nest into my hair!
For the purposes of this photo I only applied a little green eyeshadow and some pink lipstick, but if I were actually going to wear this costume out I would go all out with my makeup. Bright eyeshadow, crazy coloured fake lashes, maybe even glue some leaves or butterflies to my face. I'd also spray my hair green to look like grass. Can't you imagine it?!

* Bright Flowery Dress * Layered Petticoats (optional, depending on your dress) * Green Tights * Green Shoes * Lots of Flowered Brooches and Jewelry * Long Gloves (green would be fun too!) * Decorative Bird Nest (optional) *

Ringmaster

This might be my favourite costume in the bunch - I will definitely be wearing this one year soon. 

I pinned the bottom of my jacket back so it looked more like a tailcoat wore a layered a thick elastic belt at the top of my jeans to get a high waisted look. High waisted black or red pants would do the trick too. Or shorts and tights. The options are limitless. 

For the blouse, go for something frilly so it looks like you've got a jabot. I pinned a sparkly bow shaped brooch to my neck. You could opt for any appropriate brooch you've got at home.  

And don't think you have to have a red blazer to rock this look. I think it could also work if you had red pants and a black blazer. People will get the idea. 

And if you're missing a top hat and want one on a budget, check Pintrest or YouTube for a tutorial on how to make one with felt or cardboard. 

My whip is simply a black leather skinny belt. I held the buckle in my hand. 

* Red (or Black) Blazer * Black (or Red) Pants * White or Cream Frilly Blouse * Wide Black Belt * Black Knee High Boots * Black Top Hat * Black Gloves * Sparkly Brooch * Black "Whip" (aka leather skinny belt) *

Leopard
Meow!
This costume would work just as well if you had a leopard print cardigan and wore some black pants. I happen to have a leopard print dress, so it was my number one! I paired my dress with black tights, black gloves and leopard print heels.
I didn't have cat ears (perhaps a surprise for a girl who just happens to have a top hat and a sailor gob in her closet! haha!), so I made these ears with a black headband and some cardboard I coloured black with a sharpie and taped to the headband. Worked like a charm!
Again, I went super simple with the makeup for this look and painted the underside of my nose with black eyeliner pencil. You could go super elaborate if you want or keep it simple like me. Your choice.
If you don't own any leopard print clothing, dress in black and go as a black cat.

* Leopard Print Dress * Black Tights * Black Gloves * Leopard Print Shoes * Black Eyeliner Pencil * Homemade Cat Ear Headband *

I had such a fun time putting together this post for you all! I hope you enjoyed it and its got you looking at your wardrobe with a new light.
This is the way Halloween is supposed to be.

Still need more inspiration? Check out some of my costumes from Halloween's past here. 
Or check out my Pintrest board Halloween Costume Ideas - Vintage Style. 

Lisa.xo

5 Halloween Costumes for the Vintage Loving Gal (which are a bit sexy..)

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes at Halloween I do want to wear a costume that's a bit sexy.  I'm not talking Mean Girls sexy or anything (if you don't understand that reference, please click here.), I mean a costume with thought, but also a bit of sex appeal.

Well, there seem to be a lot of great halloween inspiration posts for vintage gals floating around, but nothing for a girl looking to be a bit provocative, yet still have a costume catered for her vintage aesthetic...I'm here for you friends.

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1. Carmen Miranda. For full the vintage glam effect, wear false eyelashes, perfect winged eyeliner and pouting red lipstick. For a more vintage authentic look make sure your skirt covers your bellybutton! No low slung skirts here! Also kick it up a notch with amazing repro (or authentic, if you dare!) peep toe platform shoes - the higher the better (Carmen was known for her sky high platforms!).The plus here is that you don't have to style your hair - the turban fruit hat hides all sins!

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2. Original Barbie. I love this idea, and hope to replicate it one year. All you need is a vintage style stripy bathing suit - many beautiful suits are available online (such as this one here), some sunglasses and heels. Again, makeup is everything with this look. Red lips, winged liner thick false eyelashes and some blue eyeshadow. Don't forget to pose like a doll all night - that will really sell the look!

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3. Jessica Rabbit. This is easily the sexiest look on my list - and please don't feel the need to find a dress as revealing as the one pictured above. I think any slinky sparkly red dress will get the message across - just remember to slit it up one side to show those gorgeous gams! Purple long gloves and red pumps. Again, this look is all about makeup and hair. A red wig may be in order if you don't already have amazing long red hair. Once again, red lips are your friends, but to be Jessica, you need some bold purple eyeshadow, the usual winged liner and I would also add falsies to this look. A push up bra and some amazing sheer nude hose wouldn't hurt either.
For bonus points have your man dress up like Roger Rabbit.

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4. Wonder Woman. Who wouldn't want to be a badass superhero for Halloween? Wonder Woman is a great iconic character with a little vintage style and tons of sex appeal. The trick not to look trashy in this costume is not not buy it at your local party store. Invest some time and resources to get a red bustier and glam it up yourself with gold accents, buy a pair of blue high waisted tap pants from American Apparel or a dancewear store and paint on the starts with fabric paint. This is a great tutorial for making superhero boots with a few supplies and little money.
Simple makup is the name of the game here. nude lips and subtle liner and lashes. Set your hair in curls and voila!

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5. I Dream of Jeannie. The first woman to bear her complete midriff and bellybutton on national television?! How much sexier and provocative can you get than that!? haha! I love this costume and it's versatility in flesh baring options. If you want to be more covered, wear an opaque pant and opt for the high waisted early Jeannie costume option. You could also cheat a bit and wear a long sleeved cropped jacket instead of a vest. Or, go for a more revealing look with a low slung, sheer legged harem pant, bra top and vest.
Jeannie's makeup is all about the eyes. Thick black liner and I would opt for falsies with this costume as well for maximum eye batting potential. Again, a nude, or pretty sheer pink lip and you're set!
Bonus points for dressing your man up like Major Nelson.


So there you have it. 5 slightly sexy (some more sexy than others..) Halloween Costumes with a vintage twist.

For more vintage costume inspiration visit my Pintrest board here!


Lisa.xo

I Cancelled All My Insurance and Switched to Progressive!

Hello friends!

I'm back! This is my last week of work and I'm finally started to feel the stress melt away a little (I see a massage in my near future...to melt away the rest of the stress...).

Halloween has come and gone, but you know I love a little show and tell. You may have already guessed from the title of this post, but I went as Flo from the Progressive commercials for Halloween this year!

I had a great time and my costume was a hit at every party we went to!

Not too shabby if I don't say so myself! 

Lisa.xo

Show Costume

Hello! I'm still alive! Long days at the theatre (11am to 11:30pm or midnight usually) have been keeping me busy, but the show is in great shape and I'm quite excited for opening night on Thursday.

As I type this, I'm on lunch and sitting in the Stage Management office waiting for my HotSticks to heat up so I can do my hair.
If you remember, I did tell you that I will be in costume for this show (not acting, just setting and striking some set pieces and the designer wants us to blend in). I thought it would be fun to give you a sneek peek of what I'll be wearing.


Here are my boots. I'm sure they're vintage, the lining is this amazing red and cream stripe. And it's a little hard to see (dark in the dressing room, you know), but they have a scalloped trim around the button holes. Yes, I said button holes. I have to button these babies up to get them on.
Thankfully, Wardrobe gave me an old fashioned button hook to help me out!

And my blouse. Again, bad photo, but it's the most beautiful peachy colour. This was made by the Wardrobe department (not for me, it was in stock from another show). So pretty!

I've also got a black pinstripe ankle length skirt. None of those photos came out very well, but I'm sure you can imagine it. 

I'll try to find time to take a picture of myself all done up so you can see!

Lisa.xo

Do You Know the Way to Grandmother's House?

The Boy and I love dressing up for Halloween.

This year we're Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf!

This is our friends new puppy Hope. She's a Husky, Akita cross and she LOVED the Wolf costume! She cuddled in and fell asleep in seconds! Cute!

Last night we went to a friends house for a low key party and tonight we're going out again (this one promises to be a bit rowdier! Fun!).

What are you dressing up as for Halloween this year? I'd love to see photos! Send me a link!


Lisa.xo