Ladies Can Nail It Safer These Days
Nail polish has been around, experts say, for 3,000 years. The original formula contained a base of gum arabic, egg whites, gelatin, and beeswax. Ladies would dip their hands in for hours. The modern concept of nail polish, however, emerged in the 1920s, inspired by the new lacquers that came out in the auto industry, so women started painting their nails instead of staining them.
I shouldn’t say just women. Some punk rockers adopted wearing black nail polish for men on occasion. Then again, the Max Factor corporation probably didn’t have that quite in their vision. Nor did they probably imagine I would use some in the ninth grade to write my initials on the back of my scientific calculator so none of my classmates would accidentally walk away with it. I think it was some sort of color between pink and plum. Plum colored eyeshadow was big then. So was the Clarion computer. Well, that might not have been “big” but it was something that you could turn the dials of at the store if you were bored.
I met a man who was repulsed by the use of nail polish on his lady’s hands and discouraged her from using them. I never understood what the aversion was, unless her nails were so rediculously long and had such ornamentation that it was almost like a handicap, preventing her from tending to her daily life for fear of marring them. However, they weren’t like that. Hmmm….
In the past decade or so, the practice of women wearing nail polish has ebbed and flowed. The new trend has been having makers look for more ways to create nail polish without formaldehyde and other not so appealing ingredients that vintage ladies had to live with. It may be okay at Maaco, but not on the human body. The Olan brand, at left in cosmopolitan red, is one such offering on the Hello Gorgeous! website that lets a gal browse from the comfort of home (or I should also say “person who wants to put their initials on their calculator regardless of gender”). I think Rita Hayworth, the original red nail trendsetter, and Uma Thurman, who influenced women again in the 90s, would have approved of the hue.
Men! Guard Your Vests
Guys, guard your vests! The ladyfolk are after them! We have not seen the likes of this than circa 1988-1990 when the clothing makers were cranking out satin backed vets with floral tapestries. Of course, there were form fitting vests issued with some ladies pantsuits later on, in the 1990s, but they matched the fabric of the outfit and were meant to be a “versatile seperate” than a standout piece.
For fall and winter, “They” are saying the vest is back for women. I believe them, as I saw a few at an outlet store I went to recently. They had the little ring in the back where you could cinch it in, and were….you guessed it….tapestry! At first I thought they had just unpacked a forgotten box from twenty years ago, but it was by a label that I don’t think I saw back in the day.What does this mean?
Pay attention to the racks at the vintage stores to snag the matching vest to a suit if it got seperated before any ladyfolks get it ahead of you. You may also see vests being sold at a higher premium. In truth, sometimes a classic suit is in tatters and the only saving gtace is the vest. In that way, it is good that it is being appreciated seperately. The downside is that it may mimic the great Blazer Seperation of 2004-5, where skirts and pants were abandoned because everyone just wore the blazer.It is definitely a jungle out there. Be fashionable, but be careful!
ladieswear, modern fashion | Comment (0)Made in the USA: Funky Maternity Clothes
Periodically, I get questions posed to me about how readers like to buy vintage and antique clothing, but for everyday basics, they prefer to purchase items that are made in the United States. Sometimes it is hard to find everything you need that fits that criteria. The ones that have it the toughest may be people that cannot fudge so much on the size. For example, there is specialty clothing out there, such as orthotics for shoes and maternity clothing. Sure, you can purchase very large sweatshirts for your wife or sister who is pregnant, but she can’t exactly wear them to a special occasion, or wear them to work if she is working through some of her pregnancy.
There is actually a company named Due Maternity who has a wide range of items, all made in the USA. There are many psychedelic and funky patterns that are groovy enough for the slightly retro gal. There is also something called the bella band which allows women to wear some of their existing pants that they just need to loosen the button on. It covers the waist area and smooths out and covers any undone buttons or zippers and supports the stomach as well. It is not something I would have ever thought was a cinsideration, and I have never heard of it, but it sounds like a real economical idea to get the most out of their clothes.
Something for the Ladies: Denim Sale!
If you are have a teenage girl or trendy petite gal in your life, Heavenly Couture is having a denim sale. They specialize in teen clothes and seem to really know what is trendy at the moment. There are some Cheap Jeans prices of only $13.80 site wide. It is hard to find discount clothes that are not made in China, and they only offer items from North America.
Buying jeans for a gal is a sensitive topic. It is a difficult thing to do unless someone directs you to the cut and color they want. There are so many magazine articles that discuss what cut is right for a figure shape, but even that makes it a guessing game. As far as the cuts that are in style, everything from flared to straight leg are available. Stove pipe, boot cut, slit front, and more. Luckily, Get Heavenly has a return policy so if it isn’t right, you can exchange it if it has not been worn (aside from a quick try on) and has the original tags attached.
It seems that the denim finish with the streaks and the brown undertones has now fallen by the wayside but it is still available. Some called this the “fallen off a horse and dragged in the mud look.” The official term is “dirty wash.” There are still lots of other shaded finishes, and different washes, but there are more solid colors like “dark denim” (dark indigo), white, and turquiose.
A Good Source for Replacement Beads
Recently, we found a treasure trove of my great aunt’s costume jewelry. It was never really “lost.” It has been sitting in a trunk in my parent’s garage for the past ten years unbeknownst. When she and my great uncle moved out of the family home, they downsized to a small cottage, sending a trunkload of family memorabilia to my parent’s house for storage. They have long passed on and the trunk remained undisturbed, until my parents made plans to move.
Some of the paste jewelry was destroyed by the humidity, but there were still semi-precious stone jewelry that is salvageable. The only problem is that some of the toggles are missing and the thread is crispy.
Since there are folks in the family who sell antiques or putter around with restoration, we thought it would be a good idea to look into wholesale beads. The beads and findings that I found at Beadofcambay.com fit the bill. The jewelry that was salvageable wasn’t rhinestone, but contained some irregularly shaped stones. I didn’t know the proper “lingo” to describe them in an internet search. The site had pictures of each shaped to help me stumble through.
I learned the difference between oval and olive shaped beads. More importantly, I found some hexagon faceted smokey quartz beads that fit the bill. In truth, I wouldn’t have been able to describe them to ask for them by name so the photos helped. Next time if you are looking, whether you are looking for sterling silver, semi-precious or wholesale gemstone beads, the site is definitely worth a visit. Discounts range up to 30%, so you can afford the process of trial and error.
I have an idea. Buy a necklace for your sweetheart, and then buy a number of similar beads at Beads of Cambay. Scatter them about the table and say, “See, I made it all by myself for you!”
Looks are Deceiving
Okay ladies, here is a question for you:
What do you think about the dress on the left? How would you describe it? It seems to me to be a very trendy selection for the rest of the summer. The straps are wide enough to not suffer from tacky bra strap syndrome. The vertical stripes are elongating without making a woman look like a retractable awning or an inmate. The colors sort of harken back to tribal designs or the tiki era.
Would you BELIEVE that this is a maternity dress? No way? Yes way! Maternity clothes have definitely come a long way from my mom’s photoprint “seagulls on a sunset” ruched blouse with navy rickrack trim!
Kiki’s Fashions has maternity clothes starting at $9.99. There is an offer of free shipping over $75 (coupon code: freeship). I usually advocate finding historical clothing, but finding authentic maternity clothing in any particular size is usually a big challenge as they were typically handed down and worn to threads. Just ask my aunts who all wore the seagull outfit in the early 70s.