Space Age Style

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted? I promise you, dear readers, that I have not abandoned this blog intentionally!  It seems that lately my schedule is jam-packed with things to do, and as I am now the official bass player for the Heymakers, I suspect that I will be staying quite busy.

But anyway, enough of my rambling excuses ;-)

I thought perhaps you might enjoy a few still photos from the Space Rangers scene we shot this past weekend. This time I wore another costume consisting of a fabulously shiny silver catsuit and lipstick red armor. The armor is an original design made by the amazingly talented Roxy Almblade--didn't she do a fantastic job?

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

Looking for Her Tarzan

Part two of my recent shoot with Atomic Age Pictures was a jungle themed look--we call this set "The Jungle Princess". (I feel like a lot of our titles have the word 'princess' in them, I suppose that since I wasn't a terribly girly child I am making up for lost time *giggle*)

My leopard outfit was inspired by a photo of Dolores Moran and made by the amazing Vee Vin Tage. Chris always does an incredible job with her creations--show her a picture and she can recreate an outfit perfectly. I am always thrilled with the finished results and can not recommend Vee Vin Tage enough!

xoxo,
Amanda

P.S. I'm wearing a new red lippie that I will be reviewing this week (along with several other new beauty products), so stay tuned!

OOTD--Grapes of Summer

Thought I'd post a quick snap from last week--I'm wearing a 1950s yellow cotton dress embroidered with orange and green grapes, with an orange "rope" belt, green and yellow 50s earrings, and a pair of yellow orchids in my hair.

The pic was snapped by my sewing instructor (a post about the exciting lessons I've been taking soon) who worked as a model in the 90s and also dabbled in photography. She's a real neat lady and I've learned a great deal about sewing from her already!

xoxo,

Amanda Lee

Stormy Weather

On Saturday I modeled in an informal fashion show for Matilda's Closet, at the Glendale Jazz and Blues Festival. Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy, which put a damper on the event attendance. The other models and I still had fun though, even as we braved the rain and hail! Here's a photo taken by Garry Wilmore; I'm wearing a 1950s red cocktail dress and Persian lamb wrap, both of which are for sale at the shop.

After the show, I couldn't resist trying on this 1950s Asian lounging set--isn't it the loveliest shade of green?



xoxo,
Amanda Lee

The Quest for Luscious Locks--Roux Porosity Control Corrector & Conditioner

For those of you struggling with dry, frizzy, or otherwise unmanageable locks, I may have found the answer! I’ve been using Roux’s Porosity Control Corrector & Conditioner for the past few weeks and it has transformed my hair , which had become very difficult to style of late (tending toward the dry and flyaway side, and just generally refusing to hold a set.) Since I’ve been using the Roux conditioner, my hair has been styling like a dream—soft and silky (but not slippery), and holding sets better than ever.

My hair is quite thick, but has only a slight wave, and I kick up my natural light ash blonde to a very light golden-toned shade. It’s always held a cold set pretty well, and due to the color process I have done (my stylist uses a high lift color) it’s quite healthy for color-treated hair. However, it suddenly began refusing to curl at all—cold sets and hot sets fell right out, no matter what styling products I used—and brushing it left me with a mess of flyaway frizz. After searching through the reviews at www.makeupalley.com, I decided to take a trip to Sally Beauty and pick up a bottle of Roux’s PC conditioner—and boy am I glad that I did! I shampoo my hair 2-3 times a week, and follow with a good-sized dollop of the Roux conditioner. I rinse this out after a minute or so, and then follow with my usual conditioner (Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose conditioner, which smells divine and is wonderful for dry and course hair types. My only complaint about the Roux conditioner is that it’s not the most pleasantly scented. ) I let my hair air dry as much as possible, then comb setting lotion through and set it on rollers. In the morning, I wake up to a head full of bouncy curls that fall right into place—even the first day after washing! (I don’t know about you, but my hair always looks its best on the second and third days following washing—usually on the first day it’s not as manageable and requires a hot roller touch up. Since I’ve been using this product this seems to be a thing of the past.)

Roux also recommends using this conditioner before you have your hair colored, as it fills in the porous sections of hair so that the color processes more evenly. I can’t say I’ve noticed a difference with my hair, but it definitely lives up to the other claims for me! Oh, and Roux has been around since 1932, so it has a fab vintage appeal as well :-)

I highly recommend this product—if you’ve been struggling with dryness, frizz, or if your hair no longer holds a curl, this is well worth trying out!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Rodeo Queen of Hearts

In honor of Valentine's Day, Doug of Atomic Age Pictures and I put together a "cowgirl cupid" shoot, inspired by an image of Marilyn Monroe. V Vintage whipped up my red satin and white fringe cowgirl outfit, complete with heart trimmed gauntlets and garter, and I accessorized it with a vintage cowboy hat and white cowboy boots.

On another note, What Katie Did was so nice as to feature our latest Motion Pinup on their blog--I'm wearing the Swiss Dot and Striptease sets, along with a corsolette from Dottie's Delights.

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Ahoy There!

I apologize for the cheesy blog title, but I couldn't resist ;-)

The military vehicle show turned out to be great fun--I had a fab time hanging out with Brenda Lee and Melissa Moxie. Both ladies were lots of fun to chat with, and I think our booth was quite a hit! Brenda Lee was representing the Pinup Angels, a group of pinups that puts together care packages for the troops. Melissa and I were both selling our 2011 calendars, which proved to be quite popular (everyone should have a pinup on their wall every day of the year, don't you think?) Doug Monce of Atomic Age Pictures photographed and filmed us (video clip to follow soon, so stay tuned!)--I wore my cheesecake Marine uniform (a custom design by V Vintage) on Saturday, and a pinup sailor outfit (borrowed from the Brenda Lee) on Sunday. Melissa and Brenda Lee also dressed in pinup military attire--and let me tell you, a lot guys asked us where they needed to go to enlist! We also met a gentleman who enlisted in 1945 at the age of 13 (he had some great stories) and a spitfire named Helen who was a WAVE--as you can see in the photos, her uniform still fit! All in all it was an enjoyable event, and I hope to be back next year.

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Calendar Girl

Doug of Atomic Age Pictures and I put together a classic one-page calendar for 2011 (his talented sister Donna Monce was the graphic designer), and I realized I never mentioned it on my blog! So, although January is almost through, there are still 11 months in which one can use and enjoy this calendar ;-) We're selling them for a mere $10 (plus S&H), so if you'd like one, do let me know!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

A Little Marilyn

A few shots from my latest photo shoot with Matt Carson. For this shoot we went to the Tumacacori Mission ruins, which are located about 40 miles outside of Tucson, and I have to say the ruins are amazing! The history behind the mission is incredibly interesting, and the area where they are located is incredibly peaceful.

My outfit for this shoot was a copy of the costume Marilyn Monroe wore in the movie "Bus Stop". V Vintage did a wonderful job creating it; the peasant blouse was done up in olive green crepe-backed satin with an emerald green lace overlay, and the skirt was made in a satin with a bit of stretch for wearing ease. I highly recommend this seamstress, as she can create anything you can dream up, and is a delight to work with as well.

The purse and necklaces came from Matilda's Vintage Closet; seamed fishnets and my Remix platforms completed the look.

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

OOTD

I have't posted an OOTD photo in ages, so I made sure to take one today! This is a typical look for me when the weather cools off--sweater and skirt combos are classic and easy to put together in a rush :-)

1950s pale pink cashmere sweater with button-trimmed collar
1950s black wool skirt
Narrow patent belt
Black patent 40s-style heels
Lucite 'A' brooch
Pink and yellow floral reverse carved lucite earrings

Hot Rod Girl

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot with photographer Ron Ricci, and I'm really happy with how the photos turned out! The shoot took place at DRT Automotive, and the Boston Bad Boys provided some amazing cars for the models to shoot with. We also had the chance to work with new designer Celena Garcia of Krabbie Gurl, who had sewn up some super cute pinup looks for us to wear! Ron is a very talented photographer, and his assistants Joleen and Maryam made the shoot run incredibly smooth. I hope you like my latest work!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

I'm wearing my own wardrobe here--a 1940s yellow linen sun top by Koret of California
1950s black velvet shorts with rhinestone buttons
Remix platform heels
1940s carved bone earrings

Indian Summer Photo Shoot

These past few weeks have flown by in a whirlwind, and I've hardly had time to catch my breath, let alone visit with my blogging friends! I hope you forgive my absence, and I promise to get back on track with regular posts :-)

Over the weekend I had a chance to shoot with my good friend, Matt Carson. We always have a great time, and I always love the shots he takes! He has a fantastic eye for color, don't you think?

The first outfit I wore was a red reproduction midriff sweater by Dixabilly, paired with navy blue sailor shorts from F21 (you can't see my shoes in this shot, but I'm wearing a pair of 40s red leather platforms trimmed in brass nailheads.) The second outfit I wore was the 1950s gingham cotton dress I scored in Tucson recently, paired with my "grown-up Dorothy" Betseyville heels. I also had the chance to wear a stellar 1940s-50s peach and gray Hawaiian playsuit, borrowed from Matilda's Closet, along with a matching pair of coral heels from Urban Outfitters. As you can see, the weather is still quite warm here!

I look forward to catching up with everyone!

xoxo

Retro Style Goes to Work

How do you dress for the office?

I’ve discussed this topic before, back when I first start this blog, but I wanted to revisit it as I am working in a new office with a much more relaxed dress code than my previous workplace.

I’ve always worked in “business professional” settings, where you are expected to dress neatly and can only wear jeans on Fridays. My attire consisted of tailored vintage or repro dresses, blouse and skirt/trouser combos, and the occasional suit, and though I was dressier than most (standing out even further by wearing red lipstick, reverse rolls, and the like), I found that retro style was right at home in the office. For years I had Fridays off, and rarely had the option of wearing jeans. On the rare occasion that I could wear them, and chose to wear them (I find dresses to be more comfortable to wear than jeans, though I love the look of cuffed dungarees), I wore a vintage or repro high-waisted style, again with a nice blouse or top.



Now my new office is very laidback, and employees have the option of dressing casually every day of the week. Most do, and I was a bit apprehensive about being too dressy—I like to blend in while acclimating to the new environment, but luckily people dress in a wide range of styles, and have no issues with my retro look (which I’ve been slowly easing into—I always tone things down a bit at first ;-).) It seems they do encourage uniqueness, which is always a good thing no matter where you are

How do you dress for your job? What kind of environment do you work in, and do you have to change or tone down your vintage look for day? Considering that vintage styles are very classic and well-suited for an office environment, I think most places would be very accepting—but I’m sure there are some places out there that would mind!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Tucson Travels

One of my purchases from How Sweet It Was--a 50s black and white gingham dress trimmed in soutache and sequins

Red linen 40s platforms

Red carved plastic bracelet

Red Bakelite earrings and necklace

Red patent purse

Fully fashioned stockings

On Saturday my Sweetie and I took a short little jaunt to Tucson--we had a free night stay at El Conquistador Resort, and we drove down Saturday afternoon. We had just enough time that day to take in a little shopping and a nice dinner, and later we hit the town in search of music and cocktails (I had a most divine beverage called the Ghost Orchid at the Congress--creme de violet, peach and ginger liqueur, oh my! My Sweetie went with his favorite standby, a dirty vodka martini.)

The next day we had breakfast at the Cup Cafe (always a hit) and then toured the Pima Air Museum before heading home that afternoon. It was much too short a trip, but we hope to be headed back sometime in October for a special project ;-)

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

1940s-50s grey denim trimmed in red bandana cotton top and skirt
Matching bandana belt
Rocket Originals "Georgia" Wedges
Carved red Bakelite earrings and bracelet
Red patent purse