Ghostly Grable

For Halloween, Doug Monce of Atomic Age Pictures and I decided to do a spooky little shoot at one of the local cemetaries. I put together a ghostly pinup outfit with a 1940s midriff sweater and 1950s black velvet shorts (both eBay finds), my fave Remix Rita platforms, and a black dahlia in my hair. With a little photo trickery, I became a ghostly Grable ;-)

Snoodie Little Cutie

I recently had the opportunity to model two more of the wonderful snoods made by Naomi of Arthelia's Attic, this time in rich chocolate and bright turquoise. Naomi's classic snood style, trimmed with a removable grosgrain bow, is about the cutest, simplest way to dress up your 'do in flawless 1940s style! I wear her snoods on a regular basis, and loved coming up with outfits to showcase these two! The brown is the perfect shade for fall, but as you can see, it looks equally at home paired with a summery tropical style: A Hawaiian print linen dress made from an early 40s pattern by Vee Vintage, brown and white 40s platforms, and bamboo and Bakelite jewelry. The turquoise is definitely fiesta ready--here I paired it with a soft pink linen 40s dress and cream linen heels--but it also looks smashing with warm autumn shades as well (especially chocolate brown). Both are must-have colors for any season, and she offers the same style in a number of other fetching colors as well--you're guaranteed to find a match for every outfit in your closet. If you haven't shopped Arthelia's Attic yet, what are you waiting for?

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Weekend in Havana

I recently had the opportunity to model some hair accessories made by Andy's Eye Candy. Andy makes some of the prettiest hair flowers out there, which made it very hard to choose which ones I wanted to wear! I decided to go with a set of her fruit clips, as I didn't have anything quite like them in my arsenal of hair flowers. She sent three different clips--one made with a banana, papaya, and apple; one with an orange, starfruit, and peach; and one delightfully over-the-top pineapple! These clips are large, colorful, and fun, and I think they make for a refreshing twist on what to wear with your Hawaiian outfits. For the shoot I did with Atomic Age Pictures, I decided that the only way to go was to put together a Carmen Miranda-esque outfit, so I paired a vintage yellow and white polka dot tie top with rumba sleeves (from Matilda's Vintage Closet), a brightly colored cotton plaid sarong (from a vendor at VLV last year), and grass green Remix platforms trimmed in 1940s fruit shoe clips (an eBay find). A matching fruit brooch (from a local antique shop) and a bevy of Bakelite bangles (the carved butterscotch bracelet was a gift from my dear friend Annie--it belonged to Lana Turner) finished off the look; add in a banana tree and an orange grove and your have yourself a "Weekend in Havana"!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Cover Girl

A few weeks ago I worked with photographer David Zickl on a project for Phoenix Magazine; we had been hoping that our photo might make the cover, and I'm pleased to say that today I found out it did! David had been given an assignment to shoot one of the winners of the magazine's "Best Of" awards, and since he'd been given the winner of Best Tailor (Scottsdale's Fifth Avenue Alterations) he had the idea to style a model like Charlie Chaplin for the shoot. I'd actually worked with David a couple of years ago, when he photographed MacAlpine's Soda Fountain for an issue of Arizona Highways, and he contacted me to see if I was up to his latest challenge. Of course I said yes, and after being outfitted in proper Chaplin attire by Matilda's Closet, we shot our glamorous take on "The Little Tramp".

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

She Wore Blue Velvet

Or in this instance, black jersey from Blue Velvet Vintage!

The next frock I modeled for Blue Velvet is Trashy Diva’s Mansfield, a killer, curve-hugging jersey dress plucked right out of the wardrobe of a 1950s bombshell. This is an elegant frock that would be right at home in the office (it’s just enough “sexy secretary” without being too much), as well as on the town. It features a fabulous ruched cummerbund, a wide, double-breasted collar, and a knee-length sheath skirt. It’s made from a soft knit that is heavy enough to suit colder climes, and as a bonus, this fabric resists wrinkles quite well (making it the perfect dress to toss on when you’re rushed in the morning—you’ll look put together and polished in seconds flat .) To me, the Mansfield embodies what made 19 50s-60s fashion so great—it’s a figure-flattering, versatile piece with plenty of eye appeal, and is both ladylike and glamorous all at once.

Stay tuned for the Blue Velvet Vintage holiday special!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Dark Alley

Atomic Age Pictures and I recently partnered up with the fabulous Blue Velvet Vintage to model some of her newest dresses. The first piece I modeled is the divine Courtney Coat Dress by Trashy Diva, a swingy, double-breasted design that can be worn both as a coat and as a dress. It features a wide portrait collar and fitted three-quarter sleeves, and is made from a satin finish stretch cotton. The Courtney is the perfect lightweight coat, and can be dressed up or down. It also has the fabulous distinction of being worn in a episode of True Blood.

To get in the Halloween spirit while playing up this dramatic piece, Doug and I decided to create spooky noir scene straight out of a 1940s film.--I'm quite pleased with the way we captured the essence of the Courtney!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Does this make me look fat?

Lola is a little worried about the fit of her Halloween costume--but wouldn't you say she's the cutest hot dog you've ever seen? Truth be told, we did have to squeeze her round belly into her costume--I guess the eatin' is pretty good around here!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Paint and Powder

My lovely and talented sister Kelly is taking a film photography class right now, and she volunteered me to be her subject for one of her assignments. This is the end result of a quick photo session last weekend--and not only did she take the photo, she developed it herself. I think she may have a future in portrait photography :-)

xoxo,
Amanda Lee