Warm is the New Black

BRRR It’s cold in here. There must be some Torros in the atmosphere.. Ok, for those of you that have no idea what I am talking about that was from a movie called ” Bring It On.”  A wonderfully cheesy cheerleading movie that I secretly LOVE.  

Anyways, for all my New Yorkers, I know you are all freezing off your tucasus like I have been and can relate to the BRRRR in the beginning of the cheer.  At least other people in other cities get to run from their front door to their car and have to fight the cold for 2.5 seconds. No, not us. We have to WALK through it and if we want to take a cab we have to WAIT in the cold for a cab to pick us up. It’s not fair. In fact, it should be illegal. 

Dear Mother Nature,

This weather is NOT attractive. Walking down the street looking like a stuffed marshmallow is not a look I am into. I also am not into my nose looking like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. Why must you make it so cold? I can do the 30’s, but anything below that is just un fair. 

Sincerely,

A very cold VintageVixen

Well, since I don’t think I will be getting a response anytime soon, I guess we might as well fight this weather in style.  I have been surfing the net and there are some ADORABLE vintage jackets out there. I am staying away from black (like I said in my earlier post). I think a vintage jacket should be fun and NOT black. It’s your jacket you wear on your day off not an every day staple.

Vintage Chestnut Tweed Coat, $88

Mustard Quilted Coat, $38

Hot Pink and Red Knit Long Sweater, $48

Sheared Beaver Coat, $550

Cream and Navy Coat, $135

Stay warm, loves!

xx,

VintageVixen

No Glove, No Love

My latest inspiration came from this photo. While browsing my favorite style website, lookbook.nu, I came across this photo.

For those of you who don’t know what Lookbook.nu is, it’s basically a site where normal people (like you and I) style ourselves and tag each item of clothing. I love the site for many reasons:

1. I am a lover of street style.
2. Sometimes I get jealous of 15 year olds because they are wearing Louboutins and a delicious vintage frock and manage to look effortlessly chic. (Um, when I was 15 years old, I didn’t look like this).
3. I can see trends from all over the world.
4. I get to find inspirations for my “look” of the evening.

In this particular instance, I became OBSESSED with this young lady’s creative use of gloves. What an underrated accessory!  So, lo and behold, I have gathered up a bevy of beautiful gloves to keep you looking cute and staying warm.

Pink Leather Bow Gloves

Good for adding that touch of color to your all BLACK outfit. Plus, they have bows. What girl doesn’t love a bow?

Short Black Stretch Satin Gloves, $16.99

All Over Stud Leather Gloves, $36

Red Leather Bow Gloves, $25

Vintage Polka Dot Gloves

Portolano Black Studded Leather Driving Gloves, $75

There’s an abundance of amazing gloves out there, girls, so don’t settle for just any old pair! The most important thing is to keep those hands warm and soft. Don’t neglect your hands in the winter. They need pampering too! You don’t want to look like the Crypt Keeper. Scary! I, personally, love and carry this hand moisturizer with me wherever I go. 

Amazing Grace Perfumed Hand Cream, $25

Stay warm, sweeties!

xx,

Vintage Vixen

Vintage Vixen Goes GAGA!

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I spent it with the folks in good ol’ Waterloo, Illinois.  Most people’s response when I tell them where my father’s side of the family is from is always, “Oh, Waterloo! That’s that song by Abba”… NO friends, this is not the same Waterloo, far from it. The Waterloo I visited is one that mainly consists of farms, beer and a local Wal-Mart. Basically it’s a “Why Did You Wear That?” field day.

Anyways, on the flight over I had the pleasure of picking up the new ELLE with my lover, Lady Gaga on the cover. I have been waiting for the right time to share my Gaga obsession with you. I think the woman is AMAZING and have been known to get in Facebook arguments with people just to defend her.  Although I have never met her, I KNOW if we met,  we would be instant friends, so I dedicate this post to my future BFF Lady Gaga!

I absolutely loved how Joe Zee styled her. Unfortunately, I don’t have $640 for Vivienne Westwood velvet combat boots right now, so I decided to find some looks that I thought “could” have been part of the shoot.

I found a GREAT new vintage site that had several items that would have fit in perfectly. It’s called ShopNastyGal.

They sell an amazing selection of vintage clothes, accessories, bags- you name it.  They also have a section with new items that still embody the vintage look we all love so much. The models are adorable and the styling is great. Kudos to the owner of  Shop Nasty Gal!

Below are a few looks I “pulled” that I thought would have been a good fit for my girl, Gaga:

Incognito Shades, $48

Majorette Sweetheart Dress, $78

White Fox Tapered Vest, $390

Same Edelman Zoe Boot, $320

Teardrop Sequin Silk Top, $118

Funktional Caged in Dress, $98

Just in case that was not enough Lady G for you, check out the behind the scenes video of the shoot for Elle:

xx,

VintageVixen

In the Black

After receiving this message from a friend via Twitter, I got to thinking…

*anonymous* -Um “hip&cool” New Yorkers…let’s discover a new look besides all black. I do it 2, but its overwhelming walk in a party & all look the same. 10:12 PM Dec 10th from UberTwitter

Living in NYC, I have come to find that the word that sums up this crazy city is -BLACK. Everyone has a signature uniform. Black bottoms, black top, black coat. Coming from sunny Miami, I am flabbergasted by this.  Don’t get me wrong, since moving to the city I have become guilty of this black sin. I think my gay/drag queen gods would be ashamed of me. They would say, “Where is the color honey, the sparkle, the glitz?”   So in order to satisfy both worlds I have made it my New Year’s resolution to make it a point to ACCESSORIZE with color and have a little more fun like I used to with my clothing.

Accessories can be an area that many girls feel uncomfortable with. One of my friends said to me the other day, “I’m a plain girl, I like simple.” How you could say that when the world gives us gorgeous vintage necklaces like this?

Long Art Deco Rhinestone Necklace with Stunning Bow Centerpiece, $70

I get it, you don’t feel like being bejeweled at all moments, but I do think there are certain pieces that are necessities in your jewelry case. Pieces that you can leave on every day and don’t have to think about putting on. They just become a part of you.

Staple piece one: A Long Gold Vintage Chain. Easy to throw on with anything from a tank to cocktail dress.

Vintage 1970’s Gold Fringe Chain, $27

Staple piece two: A Great Cocktail Ring. Makes for a great conversation piece!

Vingtage Bow Ring, Gold and Fabulous, $10

Staple piece three: An Over the Top Costume Jewelry Signature Necklace. Not for every day wear, but for special occasions a.k.a a show stopping necklace!

Vintage Runway Necklace, Large Baroque Pearls and Rhinestones, $145

Signature piece four: Layered Bracelet or Bracelets Stacked Together. We call it arm candy!

Never Give Up Gold Chain Coin Charm Brass Plated Bracelet, $40

There is an abundance of amazing vintage jewelry pieces out there, so there’s no excuse not to sparkle. Also, one of my favorite places to look for vintage jewelry is my mother and grandmother’s old jewelry cases! You will always find hidden gems in there. One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure! So, get moving girl!. It’s time to accessorize and add some color to this black palette.

Happy Shopping!

xx,

VintageVixen

Point, Click, Shop

One of the many things I love about the internet is the easy 1, 2, 3 click of a mouse shopping damage you can do from behind the privacy of your personal computer.

There is no salesgirl judging or eyeing you. If you don’t like something, you can close the page or in my case move onto the next item. 

 Although I live in NYC, a.k.a.  a Vintage Vixen’s dream, I have found that some of the best vintage shopping I have done is online! I am about to share one of my secret vintage shopping sites with you. It’s called www.Etsy.com…

I have been a regular on Etsy for many years. I even owned my own vintage shop on this deliciously wonderful little site. The greatest part is that each shop is owned and operated by someone like you and me. Stay at home moms to college gals  set up shop on this site and sell their beautiful handmade items or … drum roll… Vintage finds! 

 You can find anything from a FABULOUS vintage 50’s hats

1950’s Vintage Sleigh Ride Fur Hat, $38

to a vintage pair of 80’s aviators…

You’ve Got Attitude Aviators, $11.20

The finds and possibilities are endless!

I also came across this one particular shop on Etsy called Persephone Vintage (www.persephonevintage.etsy.com).

They have an AMAZING collection of vintage items- from coats to bags -this girl knows what she is doing.   I love the fact that many of her items are relevant to the trends right now. I also heart the fact that she has some reconstructed vintage pieces for sale. All of her items are one of a kind, so you don’t have to worry about your bitchy arch nemesis walking down the street in your same exact get up.  Here are a few of my favorites items:

Magic Dance Vintage Oleg Cassini dress, $249.99 (NYE, anyone??)

Tomorrow is for You Reconstructed Vintage Mini, $64.99

When My Boy Walks Down the Street Vintage Snakeskin Briefcase, $39.99

Happy Shopping!

xx,

Vintage Vixen

Make Way for the Vintage Vixen

My name is the Vintage Vixen and I have a problem. I am a vintage junkie. I eat, breathe, and live for all things vintage.  Dresses, bags, shoes, furniture, I don’t discriminate. I love it all!

From the tender age of fourteen, I knew that there was a world out there beyond the local JC Penney’s and that world consisted of thrift stores and heavenly old treasures that were one of a kind.

After discovering these little gems, I started making my sweet grandmother re-vamp vintage dresses that I found at the local Goodwill and turn them into timeless pieces that I still wear to this day.

Eventually, I turned my love for vintage into a successful business and started two clothing lines: Love, Gemma and FFF (Fabulous Fashion Finds).  They were made of purely vintage fabrics and reconstructed vintage pieces and sold in boutiques throughout the US.

WhyDid has always been one of my favorite blogs and I feel lucky enough to start contributing my vintage tips and tricks once a week.  So stay tuned…

A Little More About Me:

Hometown: Miami, Florida

Favorite Color: Seafoam green

What’s your sign? Pisces

Fashion Icons: My mother and grandmother

What’s your style? I LOVE anything shiny. I have the soul of a drag queen. If I could, I would walk the streets of New York in purely rhinestones and vintage boas.

What is the best vintage find in your closet? When I was eighteen, I had my grandmother re-vamp a vintage black bridesmaid dress  into a strapless black cocktail dress with a a huge delicious ruffle along the bottom. Yum!!

What are you wearing RIGHT now? Black tights, shorts, vintage Dior sweater, fur vest, and black knee boots. And lots of vintage sparkly rings, of course!

xx,

Vintage Vixen