Just a Vintage Girl!

So I actually paid attention to NY fashion week and saw that some runways took their cues from some of the great vintage Fashion designers!

Take Oscar de la Renta 2015 Spring collection....

2015 Oscar de la Renta           1961 Cristobal Balenciaga

Or How about Michael Kors cropped jacket taking a cue from Christian Diors 1950's cropped jacket....

2015 Michael Kors                                 1950 Christian Dior

There of course several more! But these are just a few that really stuck out at first glance for me, without me having to do any research!

For all of you vintage lovers out there, I am sure that you saw the influences of so many amazing vintage designers in the runways and are wondering if this trend will continue?

For me it brings my love of vintage fashion even more to the surface in the influence of today's fashion trends, and the importance of understanding that fashion trends are not always new. Just reinvented from taking a page from the past, using new materials, changing hemlines, accessories, and sometimes just "tweaking" them, so that they appeal to the new fashionistas out there today.

LotusvintageNY

So I have been following the vintage fashion experts for the fall this year and I have not been disappointed!

Of course the Cowichan and Nordic Sweaters are popular since they are all over the runways this year, but with them are also the Irish Fisherman, Aztec's, the 90's oversized cardigan, and of course the timeless 1950's button front cardigan!

My all time favorite site to shop for vintage is Etsy! I personally love this site because it doesn't limit me to just one vendor. You can browse vendors from all over the world, and their shops represent all era's and tastes.

This is a great website also because it offers handmade goods, so if you can't find a vintage item, you might find a handmade reproduction item or be able to have an item custom made for you!

Here are some of my favorite sweaters from some of the vendors on Etsy!

  bluedreamthreads

 wearitagain

So with all the fashion shows going on right now, the new word being thrown about is "Structured Bag".

So you might be wondering what exactly is a "Structured Bag"?

Well.... it's just a good old fashioned Tote bag with a new modern name!

With the evolution of fashion people don't want to hear the old fashioned names that their mothers and grandmothers used to describe their bags, they want something that sounds more exciting, and lets face it...  calling it a "Tote Bag" makes you thing of those ugly things your mother carried, but calling it a "Structured Bag" makes it sounds all new and modern!

Now "Structured Bag's" come in all shapes and sizes, don't forget just like a "tote bag" they are not limited to one style or shape!

Keep your eye out for color this year and think outside the box! There is no right or wrong when it comes to what you like, fashion is about what appeals to you. Its an investment and with accessories that investment will last you a lifetime.

One thing a few people don't know about me is that I specialize in traditional American Pin Up, its history, artists, great Pin Up icons, collecting Pin Up memorabilia, as well as working behind the scenes styling Pin Up shoots, teaching traditional Pin Up poses and how to purchase a Pin Up girls wardrobe, whether it be true vintage or reproduction pieces.

I now reside in Charlotte, NC and I have lived here for over 2 years. I have been busting my butt trying to get the people here to embrace the Pin Up girl and Rockabilly culture since I moved here, but I have had the door slammed in my face at every turn.

Now all of a sudden it is "fashionable" and trendy here in Charlotte to be into Pin Up and everyone is jumping on board.

There are a few organizations around here that really have no business working with Pin Up or Rockabilly Girls.

I have had these people contact me wanting to borrow my clothes (without paying for them), or to rent my authentic pieces for just insulting money without understanding if they damage them, they are irreplaceable and then they own them at full value!

Pin Up and/or Rockabilly girls is a lifestyle, its not just about a trendy look. Here today, gone tomorrow. These girls spend thousands and thousands of dollars in tattoos, clothing and hair.

I myself personally have thousands of dollars invested in my own personal collection and to have these type of requests made without regard to the personal expense is insulting.

I just wish that Charlotte was more in touch with the lifestyle of the Pin Up Girl and Rockabilly Girl.

I must admit I have been very happy following this years 2014 fall runway trends because it is really inspired by vintage fashion!

A really big hit is the return of "Shearling" to the runway! Now a lot of what is out there is faux but honestly the best is the real thing and with that being said you should really invest in a vintage piece!

Shearling coats, are warm and timeless! They have been worn since ancient times and lets face it will never go out of style!

I love the fact that they have such a great versatility to them. They can be dressed up or down, and they tend to wick moisture away from the wearer so they can be worn in really any weather condition.

Since I am a lover of vintage fashion, I am of course partial to buying vintage, but I always tell people the key thing in vintage fashion is the chance of someone else having the same garment as you is just about zero!

So think about it, and buy vintage! You won't regret it!

So I love the fact that the fall fashion runways are featuring Nordic Sweaters!

So with that trend being on the runway there is nothing better than Vintage!

Let's face it, no one else will have it! They are timeless and they are made so much better then the ones being mass produced in China!

Some of my absolute favorites are the old 60's COWICHAN sweaters, even though these are not your traditional Nordic sweaters, they did an amazing heavy knit and followed the Nordic Style and popularity in the 1960's!

So I literally fell over when I saw that Calvin Klein's new boot for 2014  is an almost carbon copy of my old Doc Marten's that I wore back in the 1980's.

Now I wish when I joined the Navy my mother never threw them away!

2014 Calvin Klein "To Boot"

Original 1980's Made in England Doc Marten's

Now I do know that some of the younger generation are not that familiar with Doc Marten's because they almost went out of business and were sold under the AirWair name exclusively in the early 2000's.

Between 2009 and 2011 new Dr. Marten's stores were opened in Britain, Hong Kong and the United States. Now the shoe line has made a come back and is also making a clothing line.

I just love it when I find a really cute vintage dress and there is little work that I have to do to it and I can sell it at a reasonable cost!

This years fall fashion is based on the fashion of the 1960's!

And the color palette of this early 1960's day dress by Georgia Griffin Fashions makes this a must have addition to any Vintage Fashionistas Fall Wardrobe!

If you love it go and visit www.krystynastreasures.etsy.com

I am so stoked that the tote bag is back in demand for the fall!

Being a vintage girl, there is nothing better than a quality vintage bag, and the fact that the vintage tote bag is in such demand for the fall has just made is so much better!

I mean there are great copies out there, but the vintage ones are the best and the ones that have stood up to the test of time!

My all time favorites are the military rucksacks and old mail bags! Check out sites like ETSY, there you will find the best values and real vintage bags that will last you for years to come!

And just some fun facts about the tote bag.... the term has been around since the 17th century but has only been used to describe bags since around 1900. And in 1944 when LL Bean first introduced the Boat Tote bag was when the "craze" over the tote bag actually started here in the United States!

We can thank Kate Spade for really bringing them to the fashion mainstream in the 1990's by making them a real statement piece of the everyday wardrobe!

  Absolutely Divine Coach Bag by the Amazing Bonnie Cashin!

This particular bag was first produced in the early 1960's and was all the rage.

Now I will say it was reproduced in the 1980's by Coach, but I do not believe that it has been reproduced by them since then.

This lovely little purse had a cloth lining with the Coach emblem sewn inside, back in the day there was no such thing as the Coach creed and serial number!

This is my all time favorite depression glass that I use on a daily basis!

Its called "Cubist" and it was manufactured by the Jeannette Glass Company out of Jeannette Pennsylvania between 1929 and 1933.

Now Jeannette Glass first started out of the Jeannette Bottle Works Company back in 1887 and they only made handmade bottles.

Now that changed in 1889 when they joined the Machine age and officially became the Jeannette Glass Company. They were able to produce canning and relish jars and even car headlights!

As they purchased new machinery they were able to manufacture more goods, and in 1904 they started to produce medical products and light bulbs.

But in the 1920's they purchased the machinery that allowed them to produce cheap yet brightly colored glass that we know today as "Depression Glass".

Now they produced several other patterns and colors of glass other than "Cubist", this just happens to be my favorite set of depression glass in my house because I am not afraid to use it!

Its heavy, washes in the dishwasher and I happen to love Pink!

I should add, that sadly in 1983 the Jeannette Glass Company closed its doors forever due to the fact that places like China import glassware in so cheaply that it has caused so many American manufacturers to close their doors forever.

Micheline Bernardini modeling the first bikini. It was so small that it could fit into a 2 by 2 inch (51 by 51 mm) box like the one she is holding July 5, 1946

I was on a house call today in the Boston area because I was told there were some vintage bikini's there. I was disappointed though because when I got there, there were only one piece bathing suits and they were in really bad shape.

But it did make me come home and refresh my brain on the vintage bikini, and I thought I would share that little bit of knowledge with you!

Now this is just the short, quick version but here goes....

The modern bikini was invented in Paris by fashion designer Jacques Heim and engineer Louis Réard in the early part of 1946.

A fun fact... they could not find a model willing to model the bikini so they hired Micheline Bernardini, who was a 19 year old nude dancer from the Casino de Paris.

The bikini was originally named the "atome" after the smallest known particle of matter, but the Réard had named the design as the Bikini and that name stuck.

Réard said that "like the bomb, the bikini is small and devastating".