Redheaded Woman

This week I ventured over to redhead territory with the help of my good friends Veronica and Lana. Inspired by Veronica's lush ginger locks, I decided to try out the copper shade I've always longed for, and my two friends were happy to help! So, what do you think? The color is only temporary, but I've quite enjoyed my time as a redheaded woman!

Matt Carson took these photos out at Goldfield--I'm wearing a 1950s peach and brown lace peasant blouse and skirt set, a Christmas gift from my parents this year, that turned out to be the perfect complement to my warmer hair color. The shoes are my standby "sweater" pumps, and although you can't really see them, I'm wearing a pair of copper earrings.

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Happy Holidays from Blue Velvet Vintage

And Atomic Age Pictures and me!

For Blue Velvet Vintage's holiday page, I modeled the glam Honey dress by Trashy Diva. This swing dressis very aptly named, for it's one honey of a dress! Fashioned in cherry red stretch cotton, it features a spectacular--and very Marilyn--shirred shelf bust that will turn your assets, whatever their size, into one traffic-stopping silhouette! Draped straps and a higher back allow you to wear this dress with a regular bra (always a plus, I think) and the circle skirt is perfect for swirling on the dance floor (and I guarantee that you'll be bombarded with requests to dance when you wear this dress.)

Stop by Blue Velvet Vintage and snap up a Honey dress for yourself!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

The Secrets of Matilda's Vintage Closet

Atomic Age Pictures visits Matilda's Vintage Closet and shows us the magic that goes on after hours!

We had a blast collaborating with friends Rose (co-owner of the shop), Veronica Kelly, and Lana Flynn for this one! Matilda's Vintage Closet is definitely a vintage lover's dream, with fabulous clothing and accessories from our favorite decades--you'll find all the things you are searching for along with plenty of items you didn't even know you needed!

A big thanks to Doug for doing such a wonderful job putting this together :-)

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Want to be noticed?

Able Grable has the frock for you!

The Naughty Lady, based on a *certain* femme fatale gown and showcased by Atomic Age Pictures here!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

The Goldfield Belle

I headed out to Goldfield Ghost Town last Saturday with my friend and photographer Matt Carson, as the weather promised to be perfect, and we decided a western shoot would be a fun shooting adventure. The weather certainly delivered—it was cool and overcast—and we had a blast there. I'd never been to Goldfield, a mining camp that began in 1892 and faded away in 1898 when the gold dried up; the town had a brief resurgence in the 1920s before finally dying in 1960s. Goldfield Ghost Town was created in the 1970s to give people a taste of what the Old West was like. We also stopped at the Superstition Springs Museum, which is home to the only two buildings that remain from Apacheland, a movie studio built in the 1960s that was sadly destroyed by a fire in 2004, and the Mining Camp Restaurant, which opened in 1961. I enjoyed our tour so much I brought my Sweetie there the next day to go horseback riding (sadly, I forgot my camera, but suffice it to say that I was probably the most dolled up trail rider they'd ever seen. I do think my horse Max appreciated my efforts, or at least the scratches I doled out!)

Anyway, I put together two glamorous western outfits befitting the Hollywood past of these locations--the first is one of my all-time best scores, a 1940s-50s corduroy bolero jacket and matching skirt embroidered with brown and tan 'flames' (I found the set at Buffalo Exchange on my lunch break one day, the two pieces had been separated and I nearly screamed out loud when I found the skirt and then the matching jacket.) The second is a colorful hand-painted and sequined Mexican skirt, paired with a red off-the-shoulder top by Bettie Page. I wore both with a trusty black cinch belt and my newest purchase, fab black suede 40s platforms from my dear friend Annie.

I supposed I've chattered enough, so on to the photos!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Pinafore Pretties

As the weather has turned colder here (finally, I might add; two weeks ago it was so disgustingly hot I didn't want to be outside for more than 30 seconds) I began to fancy adding a pinafore or suspender skirt to my wardrobe. I’ve always adored the style, and after modeling Jitterbuggin’s divine “Hawthorne” skirt, decided I *needed* one of my own. When I came across this delicious Hollywood pattern for an ultra-high waisted suspender skirt, I decided that must be a sign and set off in search of the perfect fabric. JoAnn’s happened to have a rich cocoa brown and teal plaid that mirrored the pattern view I’d fallen in love with, and Vee Vin Tag is now whipping up my skirt.

I’ll be picking up my finished skirt in a few days and look forward to sharing an OOTD designed around it! It finally feels like winter here, and I’m sure I’ll be getting plenty of wear out of this skirt all season long.

In the meantime, here are a few equally delightful options that are begging to be added to your closet:

Jitterbuggin’s Hawthorne skirt (in Navy and Green, both must haves!)

Vivien of Holloway’s Pinafore Skirt (gotta love plaid skirts, especially this version)

NudeeDudee’s Georgina Skirt (in springy sage green, oh my)


Time Machine Vintage’s Mandy and Mia Pinafores (I can't decide which version I like best)

The Black Pinafore's lovely creation (modeled by the stunning Riikka of Harlean's Heyday; The Black Pinafore is currently offering a giveaway to celebrate reaching 100 followers, which means you could win this wonderful skirt!)
xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Rockabilly Rules Phoenix

My Sweetie's band played at the Phoenix Rockabilly Rules weekender a couple of weekends ago, and since it was the day before Halloween, we decided to appear in costume as Lil Abner and Daisy Mae (Vee Vin Tage did a fabulous job on my outfit, Chris can make any outfit a girl could ever want!) Bill Garrett of Garrettero Custom Photography and Art took these fantastic pics; you'd never guess that it was positively sweltering that day! Of course, having the opportunity to have Bill snap a few pics was worth leaving the shade for a few minutes! I definitely hope to work with him again in the future.

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

It's a Heyday Giveaway!

To celebrate reaching 400 followers, the fabulous Shona of In the Heyday is offering an amazing giveaway of her Daisy Chain Fleur dress, along with a pair of earrings and a brooch to match! Check it out here--I don't know about you, but I'd love to have this dress in my wardrobe :-) Can't wait to see who the lucky winner is on November 7th!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee
:-)

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

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