From StyleHive: Vintage Fashionistas Embrace “Mad Men” Style

madmen_vanityfair0806Once upon a time, women sat around on Sunday nights sipping cocktails and tuning in to their favorite fashion friends on Sex and the City. But whether you were more of a Samantha or a Carrie type doesn’t matter anymore because there’s a whole new gang of girls in town.

The new fashionistas to watch are the girls of the hit series Mad Men.

The buxom Joan Holloway, the poised Betty Draper, and the spunky Peggy Olsen don’t just entertain us but allow us to feast our eyes on the fabulous designs of yesteryear, coordinated by the show’s talented costume designer, Janie Bryant. Pair the dresses walking down the halls of Sterling Cooper with period pumps and handbags and you’ll look a bit dated, but it’s easy to glam them up 2009-style with tights, belted cardigans or ankle boots.

Check out the StyleHive slide show for some vintage delights for Mad Men fans. Now you’re one step closer to becoming Joan Holloway.

Everything Old is New Again: Vintage Finds Online

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I have this awesome Chinese cut red dress. The tag says it’s a size 14 but it’s form fitting if you’re a sexy eight. But you know back during the 40s sizes were just different. There was a war going on then, you know. I wasn’t there. I heard about it from my grandma, the original owner of the dress.

In any case, in the event that you don’t have a grandmother who stock piles everything that she and her children have owned since BIRTH you might need a place to fill your vintage needs. Because vintage clothes are awesome and pretty and everyone needs some.

Fortunately, the internet is there for you:

1) Mod Cloth

This is a fun little boutique featuring everything from dresses to shoes. You don’t see many retailers sporting vintage shoes, so this is a rare find. Or maybe I just love shoes. Too much. Anyways, they also carry a wealth of accessories to augment your perfect retro look whether it be 40’s swing or 60’s flower child.

And they’re giving it all to you for 15% off until August 8th! Just shop your vintage little heart out, put it all in your “basket,” then enter the super special code (ModCandy 15) at checkout! That’s it. 15% off some of the cutest vintage-inspired goods on the web.

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Day-to-Night Styler: Turn Back Time

Vintage/vintage-inspired fashion is a great way to add a fun flair to the every day. Why wear a simple cotton dress when you can easily bring a unique retro look into the mix? I’m all about playing with fashion, so this week’s Day-to-Night Styler is taking a trip down memory lane. I found a darling 50’s style dress that can smoothly transition from day to night and look totally bangin’ wherever you decide to wear it.

Start with a cute, 50’s-inspired halter dress. This particular style is from Forever 21, but I also found some super cute dresses in this cut (but with fun prints, like leopard) at H&M. The halter cut and the cinched waist do wonders to give a gal that hourglass figure.

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Sneak Peek of Target’s New Tracy Feith GO International Line!

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I’ve loved Target and their super-cheap prices since… well, pretty much forever. I know I’m not the only one who goes in there to buy toilet paper only to come out with 4 bags of stuff. Or to make the excuse of buying toilet paper so I can shop the cute accessories in the front of the store…

It’s gotten even harder to resist that Target-urge since they launched their seasonal GO! International line. How can you not buy Proenza Schouler or Jovovich-Hawk at Target prices? You’d be a fool.

Anyways, GO! International has announced their next designer and it’s Tracy Feith! I have a feeling I won’t even be making the “I need toilet paper” excuse to run to my campus Target and clear off the racks. Simply putting the words “Tracy Feith” and “cheap” in the same sentence will be a good enough excuse.

Don’t know who Tracy is? Well, Michelle Obama does. She wore a Tracy Feith dress during the big Inauguration weekend. Feith is known for his interesting prints, his  laid-back, California style and, of course, his attention to detail. Read More »

Thrift Shopping: How to Spot the Real Deal

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Ever since I was given a fistful of dollars and a ride to the mall to buy my own school clothes, I was a thrifty shopper. I liked the new stuff too, but once I discovered that, by looking in the right places, I could find better quality things for WAY less money, I was hooked, and thrift stores became my new shopping mall. Now, when I say thrift store, I don’t necessarily mean Goodwill or Salvation Army, though I have been known to find some killer stuff there too. (I happen to live in New York, and I’ve gotta say, people get rid of some top quality clothing.)

A step above that are second-hand stores like Buffalo Exchange and Beacon’s Closet; really excellent spots for finding top notch clothing at a fraction of its boutique price. The great thing about these places is that they have very high standards of quality, so you’re not going to find anything with rips, stains, holes, or anything else like that. The key is being able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Just because something has a designer label stitched into it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the genuine article. Here is what to look for in your quest for honest to god designer clothing. Read More »

Old is the New Vintage

 

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I adore vintage stuff. Nothing makes me squeal quite like walking into a vintage boutique and running my hands along the delicate lace dresses and feather trimmed hats. The fact that all vintage shops have such adorably cleaver names just endear them to me more (Hello, Again Boutique? Another Man’s Treasure? *squeal!).

Sigh. Too bad they’re all too damn expensive to shop from. Ever since vintage became fashionable, the prices have skyrocketed. Eighty bucks for a blouse? That’s like, eighty times what it sold for in the seventies! When it comes down to it, I’m not willing to pay that much for a brand new shirt, let alone an old, used one. And don’t get me started on Goodwill – trust me, you don’t want to set foot into the one by me. Not only do they lack anything remotely cute, but the place is pretty gross, smells funny and houses some sketchy people. Ever get hit on by creepy homeless men while digging through a barrel of old nighties? No? Well you can take my word for it – it’s not fun.

Anyway, back to my point. In an act of sheer desperation born from an utter lack of cash, I went rifling through the only other place I knew that could possibly cater to my vintage needs: my 78 year old grandmother’s closet. Oh yeah, I went there… and to my surprise, I actually snagged some great finds! Read More »

Make Your Cameo With These Gorgeous Cameo Goodies

cameo-brooch.jpg[Post courtesy of out friends at StyleBakery.com. For more awesome fashion, style and beauty news, check them out!]

The one trend we’re always happy to see resurface?

The gorgeous cameo.

This intricate form of carving dates all the way back to ancient Greece, but seems to make, well, a cameo every century for a period of time. In Britain during the 1700s and 1800s, for example, King George III and his granddaughter, Queen Victoria, loved cameos so much that they were responsible for them becoming mass-produced.

And you know what? The cameo is back in fashion once again!

Read on to discover the pieces we are totally going to have on rotation in our wardrobes this season.

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Night Styler: Party Like It’s 1929

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[In early adulthood there is an activity that plays a large role in most of our lives; nights out on the town. And with those nights out always comes the question: “What am I gonna wear?!?”

Each week I’ll be putting together a cute and affordable “going out” ensemble guide (that you can tweak to your own personal style and body type, of course) so that maybe that age-old question can be answered a little quicker than usual. And your friends aren’t waiting - for hours - for you to emerge from your room. Just consider me your own (free) personal Rachel Zoe.]

It’s the holiday/party season and with the economy in bad shape, it is the perfect time to honor another time of financial woe and give your party outfit some of that old style, 1920’s glamour. I read an article a few months ago when the financial meltdown had just begun that was reflecting on how times of national financial hardship tend to lead to more excessive glamour and glitz for the sake of lifting spirits, so why not take advantage of the currently bleak economy by having fun, going a bit overboard, and puttin’ on the ritz? Read More »

Candy Dish: Cute Kids, Cute Animals, and Jason Wahler

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Comedian Katt Williams is missing…

Rumer Willis is a whack job!

The best things come in small packages…lookin’ good when you’re not 5′11”

He may be a little weird…but TomKat made a damn cute kitten!

So, I know the election’s over, but Sarah Palin continues to amuse me.

Tips on going vintage

Baby animals are sooo cute!!

Amazingness…get Hilary Duff’s look for under $100!!!

Get ready, ladies (and some gents), Black Friday is right around the corner…

LC’s ex is back in the news…

The Love List: Guilty Pleasures, Popstars and Pumpkin Spice

rachel_zoe_105_scrapbook_05.jpg[Last week, I brought you the first edition of my Weekly Love List, but as the Backstreet Boys song says (and yes I am actually quoting them) "My Love is All I Have To Give." So with that, here are this week's list-worthy things...]

1) The Rachel Zoe Project. I don’t know if it’s her voice, her constant addiction to her Tea from Starbucks, her over-sized furs or the bones jutting out of her body – but there is something so addicting about Rachel Zoe. The hour always delivers entertaining ridiculousness, amazing fashion (that if given the choice to own all that vintage-ness or have my way with Brad Pitt — I would choose the former), and let us not forget her assistant Brad. Anyway, I find myself parked on my couch, Venti Tea in tow every week.

2) Canvas photos. Such a great way to make your fav pics pretty artwork, but chose wisely; that photo of you doing a keg stand from last week’s football game may not be the best choice to be printed in black and white and hung on your wall as artwork. But then again — it could be AWESOME. (Or, if you’re watching too much Rachel Zoe: “I Die”) Read More »