Motion Pinups - A Day at the Zoo

The latest Motion Pinup, "A Day at the Zoo" takes us on a lighthearted trip around the zoo. All starts well on this bright, sunny day, but trouble awaits and soon enough the hunt is on. I hope you enjoy it!

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

Fair Gypsy

Last Sunday Matt Carson and I went to the Ren Faire here. Matt attends several fairs in Arizona, California, and Texas, and he's been telling me about how much he enjoys them as he meets so many wonderfully decked out subjects to photograph. This year I decided to go with him and see for myself, and indeed, I had a great time people watching and hanging out with my good friend! I went as a gypsy (albeit a Marilyn Monroe-esque gypsy) and he took a few shots of me as well. Hope you like them!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Thursday Tunes--Whatcha Say

Today's tune is from the 1945 film "Pillow to Post", a wartime comedy starring Ida Lupino. Her character is working as a salesman for her father's oil company, and in order to get a room in one town, she ends up pretending to be a war bride. And as you can imgagine, much hilarity ensues in classic 40s screwball fashion. This scene features Louis Armstrong with Dorothy Dandridge singing a cute tune called "Whatcha Say". Wasn't Dorothy a doll? The dress she's wearing is a stunner too--what an unusual neckline!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Peek-a-boo Doll

A few images from the Veronica Lake-inspired shoot I did with Doug Monce of Atomic Age Pictures. The 1940s satin gown was a gift from a sweet gal who came into the soda fountain I work at, and the floral 40s gown is from Matilda's Vintage Closet. I hope you like these!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Thursday Tunes -- This Is It!

In keeping with our Betty Grable theme this week, today's tune is from the 1944 film "Pin Up Girl", starring Betty in the role of Lorry Jones, aka Laura Lorraine. This particular scene didn't make the cut, but I'd say it's a keeper. That dress of hers sure is at any rate!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

A Night in the 40s Big Band Dance

Doug Monce of Atomic Age Pictures just posted a number of photos from the Night in the 40s dance, and I thought I’d share them with you along with a mini recap of the event, plus a little plug for the amazing V Vintage!

I’ve been attending this USO-themed dance as Betty Grable for the past few years, as her famous "peek-a-boo" pose is the nose art on the CAF's B-17 “The Sentimental Journey”--the other guests always get a big kick out of Betty's appearance. The dance is always a fun event, with many people dressing in 40s-style (quite a few attendees are turned out in authentic uniforms and daywear, and there are a number of WWII vets who show up in their uniforms as well). A big band plays everyone's favorite standards, and there is a costume and dance contest as well--all in all it's a very fun event. This year, the museum decided to try something new—they offered a limited number of reserved seating tickets in the “O-Club” section, and the $100 price (regular tickets are $35) included your meal and a photo with Betty. I invited my dear friend Rose (of Matilda’s Closet) to be my guest, and the two of us got to sit right up front. Unfortunately I didn't get to spend much time with Rose, but she said she had a great time dancing and chatting with the other attendees.




Much of my evening was spent mingling with guests, and I met some lovely people this year (I meet so many interesting people at this show--this is one of the reasons I love going so much!) One cute gentleman, who served during WWII, was so excited to have his picture taken with me—he told me he was planning on sending it in to a Navy magazine. I met a group of people from SoCal who were members of the Skylark Flying Club, which has been around since the 1950s. I even met a gentleman who was visiting from the UK!

My dress was a custom design by V Vintage, based on these photos of Betty Grable on display at the CAF museum. I’d love to know the history behind the photos, as they’ve not turned up during any search for Betty. I suspect that a soldier at the base she visited took the photos, and a relative of this person found the photos and donated them to the museum—I’d love to hear more about their history! At any rate, doesn’t Betty look amazing? Her dress is so unusual and has a wonderful, effortless style; to me, such a design is the height of WWII style. Since the photo is black and white, I imagined her frock to be a buttercream yellow, accented with bright red tropical flower appliqués. After some searching, I found the perfect linen-look fabric, and settled on a Hawaiian-print linen fabric for the appliquéd flowers. V Vintage did an utterly amazing job of recreating this frock; I received many comments about it, and many people thought the flowers were hand painted. Now, V Vintage is planning on offering this style of dress for sale, so if you’d like one for your own please be sure to drop them a line! I can’t recommend her work enough—I’ve been thrilled with everything she’s created for me.

Well, that's the recap for this year's dance--hope to see you next year!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee