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

Motion Pinups - A Day in the Life

The next Motion Pinup installment takes you through a day in the life of a starlet. This is actually the first video Doug and I worked on, but we just finished it up just a couple of weeks ago. I hope you enjoy it!

xoxo
Amanda Lee

Thursday Tunes - Swing Fever

In keeping with our WWII theme, this week's tune is a clip from the 1944 film "Swing Fever". The song is called "One Girl and Two Boys" and is sung by Marilyn Maxwell, backed by Kay Kyser's band. I've always loved the dancing in this scene, and Jean Veloz is just too cute--isn't her nautical look wonderful? I don't know about you, but I would have had a tough time choosing between those two dashing gentlemen as well--both handsome and oh so smooth on the dance floor!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

A Night in the 40s Dance - USO Fashions

CAF's "A Night in the 40s" big band dance is coming up this Saturday, and so I thought it would be fun to post a few USO inspiration photos in preparation for the dance! There are always a mix of outfits at these dances--everything from cocktail and evening wear to more casual day frocks and uniforms.

This year I'll be wearing something special from V Vintage, here's a little hint of my outfit:

I'll be appearing as Betty Grable, and sitting in the O-Club section with my dear friend Rose (co-owner of Matilda's Vintage Closet.)

Will any of my local followers be attending this year? For those of you who live elsewhere, will you be attending any similar events? I'd love to hear all about them!

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Thursday Tunes - San Antonio Rose

Wow, I can't believe it's already Thursday! Where did this week go?

Today's Thursday Tune takes us to the western swing side of things with Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys "San Antonio Rose", sung by Tommy Duncan and the McKinney Sisters (aren't their cowgirl outfits absolutely darling?)

xoxo,
Amanda Lee

Thursday Tunes--Crazy People

Today's tune features the wonderful harmony of The Boswell Sisters, a trio that influenced many well-known singers including the Andrews Sisters (who started out as Boswell Sisters imitators) and Ella Fitzgerald (Ella idolized Connie, and patterned her singing style after hers.)

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

In Remembrance--Jane Russell

I was very sad to hear of Jane Russell's passing yesterday, at the age of 89. She was an amazing woman and will be sorely missed.