A little gem!

At my wedding rehearsal dinner my brothers, Tommy & Mike, read excerpts from Good Housekeeping's "The Good Wife," published in 1955. I think my brother's dry delivery of the hysterical lines was the highlight of the wedding - that and the relatives & friends who were smoking weed on the gorgeous patio of the stately & historical Chateau Laurier Hotel.  Check out these words of wisdom...

"Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed."

**Does Amy's Organic Spinach Pizza & a home made salad count as a "delicious meal?" My dinner specialties all involve un-packing cardboard boxes, which I always dutifully put in the recycling bin - does that win me any points?

"Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people."

**I usually look more weary than him. Lately I have been wearing his t-shirts with my paint stained American Apparel yoga pants around the house. But I do keep my skin nice and clean and fresh!

"Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it."

**I do sing many made-up show-tunes for him, which he seems to enjoy immensely

"Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables."

**Well, I love clutter and I have never met a surface that I didn't want to cover in old fashioned trinkets. Although I do make the bed in the morning - does that count for anything?

"Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours."

**Hmm, where do I even start with this one?

"Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him."

**I do always offer him a cold compress. It is my belief that a cold washcloth on the forehead can solve just about anything.

Although I have failed miserably at being a "good wife," I have a plan. I shall tackle one issue a week. This week I must banish my paint stained yoga pants and oversized tees. I need a stylish lounging outfit for around the house. It has come down to three bold options, two from Victoria Secret and one from Blue Velvet Vintage:

Lounge Lizard Goddess in Emilio Pucci, from the Blue Velvet Vintage website


Fabulous 1940's-ish silk wide leg pants from VC


Chic caftan from VC

"Thrift is the Spirit of Today!"

"Reckless spending is a thing of the past!" These gems are from a wonderful book I just checked out of the library, (how thrifty of me!), called "Everyday Fashions of the Thirties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs." The editor of the book is Stella Blum, a former curator from The Met's Costume Institute. She chose a wonderful collection of images that span 1930-39. The advertising copy is almost as good as the fashions: "Nine O'clock and all is Swell!" "You - Winsome and Desirable in Clouds of Rayon Net!" "Be Pert and Gay in this Young Looking Collar!" I am definitely ordering the whole series of these on amazon, they have them "used" and therefore cheaper, so I can be thrifty chic!

Another very cool thing, Sears sold "Semi-Made" ensembles: outfits where all the difficult tailoring and sewing was already done and all the woman had to do was sew a few seams, thereby allowing her to have a "custom fit" - genius! Love it! They also had movie starlettes like Loretta Young endorse some of their clothes, they called it "autographed fashion:" A dress would come with a tag with the star's name written out in cursive - "worn in Hollywood by Loretta Young." So all the stars out there now pimping their own "collections," this is where it all began - with a little autographed tag! My, how times have changed!

Mon Dieu! C'est Tres Chic!

Vintage Dame loves this witty, entertaining little book "Entre Nous." It celebrates French Women and provides many helpful hints on how to channel our inner French Gamine: "The French Girl doesn't dress to the trend, she dresses to her strengths." Having grown up speaking French in school, (Ottawa is a bilingual part of Canada), I've always felt a certain connection to mes soeurs francaises. My first and only, (sadly), time in France, was in 1998 when I visited Paris with my Aunt. Like many before me, I fell in love with Paris - the food, the architecture, the traditions, the style & the people.

As the book points out, French women shop differently than American women. As a general rule, they tend to buy less "cheap and chic" clothes, prefering instead to buy a few more expensive, well made, classic pieces, that they can wear for years. And of course we can't forget the scarves - French girls love their scarves and wear them with such panache! French women appreciate artistic looking pieces, love collecting jewelry and have an affinity for vintage. They wear less makeup, take expert care of their skin and are known for throwing together those perfect "just threw this on at the last minute but I look fabulous outfits."

Another book on French women is "Parisiennes: A Celebration of French Women." This is a Must Buy if you are a vintage lover. Stunning black and white photographs of French women from the last 100 years.


To celebrate French Chic here are a few lovely pieces, all available on www.shopbop.com.

Un foulard avec couleur


A modern version of the iconic striped sailor top


Enough space to toss in a baguette and fromage on your way home from work


La Nouvelle Trench - with detachable sleeves! C'est incroyble!


Les Bijoux Magnifique

Esmerelda's Paste Bracelet

Last February at The Santa Monica Vintage Fashion Expo, I bought a stunning paste bracelet from the 1930's:

The lovely vendor I bought it from explained to me how the wealthy ladies used to have all their favorite jewels replicated in "paste" and that many of them would never even wear their real jewels out in public, they kept them in safes. So even at some of the biggest parties & events, the ladies wore their paste jewelry, while their real diamonds sparkled & shined in velvet boxes.

When I buy a vintage piece, I always like to imagine what type of lady might have owned the piece before me. I imagined the woman who once owned this bracelet to be a stunning beauty named Esmerelda Thompsonian, (photo above), who looked like Greta Garbo's twin sister. She was one of New York City's high society ladies, married to Jefferson Thompsonian, one of the wealthiest developers in the country. After many years of putting up with her husband's philandering, she killed him, by sneaking poison into his favorite chocolate souffle.

Once he was dead, (The NY Times cited his bad heart as the reason for his untimely departure), Esmerelda gave away all her paste jewelry to the women who worked for her: her cook, her housekeeper & her dresser. She decided that life was too short for her not to wear her real jewels, so from that day on she sparkled and glittered everyday. She began a wonderful love affair with The Prince of Transylvania and they lived a long & happy life together.

Her beloved housekeeper, Penelope Persons, treasured the paste bracelet that I now own and kept it in a velvet box, only wearing it on very special occasions

Eye Candy

Vintage Dame loves the eye candy masterpiece that is Pillow Talk! Between Doris Day's awe inspiring apartment and her to die for wardrobe, the film is like a yummy bag of colorful sweets! But unlike candy, you can watch this movie over and over and never get sick!

Here are a few retro inspired pieces from J. Crew that I think Doris would have adored as much as I adore her!

A turquoise clutch for a night out with Rex, played by Rock Hudson

A bronze jacquard dress that Doris would no doubt have worn with a matching coat

A pearl cocktail ring to punch out the lying and scheming Rex!