Pretty Link Roundup {September 13, 2009}

Cheerful Sunday greetings, my sweet dears, how is this lovely September weekend treating you all? I sincerely hope the answer is “splendidly”. On this end I’m glad to report that I’m feeling a teensy bit better than I have been for past two weeks.

On Friday I briefly left the house for the first time in about sixteen days (I simply was too ill to do so before then). It was just a quick trip to the grocery store and pharmacy, but it was still marvelous to run a couple of quick errands. I’ve been resting for most of the weekend otherwise, but as I'm trying to make more time for my beloved passion, photography, I indulged in taking photos for a spell late Saturday afternoon.


{The cover of this 1942 edition of Popular Photography magazine is nothing short of stunningly pretty! It has inspired me to find or make myself a dainty red, bowed headband to wear as a means of ensuring my hair is out of my eyes while shooting, on the double. Image via StevenM’s Flickr stream.}


Between many reasons too numerous (and, I’m quite sure of no interest to anyone else) to list, the summer seems to have slipped by without allowing me to squeeze in time to shoot off nearly as many photos as I would have liked. Yet no sense in fretting about what’s past, as I always try to tell myself! Instead I’m just going to try doubly hard to be able ensure that I get to spend time every week behind the lens this autumn.

Linkwise (entirely homemade word), there's been oodles of terrific posts recently (it must be said, the vintage blogsphere is filled with continually amazing sites that deliver no shortage of stellar posts). From a novel solution to what to do when you’re short on a dancer partner, to a modern fashion designer’s alluring and creative vintage spin on autumn and winter wear for men, these links are hot off the presses and full of wonderful inspiration!


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* The Decade in Shoes: 1940s: The lovely Miss Rayne of Vintage Chic highlights a slew of fabulous footwear styles from the forties via an array of beautiful vintage shoe advertisements (most of which are in colour, to boot!).


* Inspiration Vintage Interiors: Melding a sense of almost fairytale-like wonderment with antique and vintage inspired elements, the interiors highlighted in this richly pretty post are sure to set many a daydream into motion.


* The GPO Telephone No.322: An informative post on an iconic mid-century British telephone appeared recently on the blog The Fab 50s, which includes helpful pointers on what to look for when buying one of these once widely found, now classic, rotary phones.


* Taxi Dancers: Have you ever heard of a “Taxi Dancers” before? No? Neither had I until I read this great post on Some Like it Vintage, which inform readers that Taxi Dancers where not Broadway hopefuls who moonlighted as cabbies, they were in fact people who one could hire (from the 1920s onward) to go dancing with, if a suitable partner wasn’t readily available. Such people were, as this article points out, “dancers for hire”, which seems like such a fantastic idea – especially if your significant other isn’t keen on hitting the dance floor very often.


* Fall Fashion Delights: The ever-gorgeous Jitterbug Doll shares some of the vintage fashion images that are fuelling her autumn wardrobe fires this season.


* Modern Boots with Vintage Style: As someone to whom the universe was not exactly kind when doling out feet, I was born with an odd shaped (they’re thick from top to bottom, if that makes any sense) and uneven sized pair of dogs. Thus finding shoes (let alone pretty footwear) can be something of a challenge for me! My owe saving grace since childhood however, has been boots, which tend to be cut more generously then shoes or sandals. Being a vintage loving gal, I’m naturally a fan of old fashioned styled boots and always enjoy spying modern versions that have a delightful vintage feel to them, such as the pairs in this post from Here’s Looking Like You Kid.


* Beauty Shops are in the Army, Too!: The always wonderfully informative blog Beauty is a thing of the past, share two pages from a vintage magazine that depict photos of the sort of on-base beauty shop options enlisted (US) women and military wives had available to them during WW2.


* Let’s do a little porch sitting: While front porches seem to be going the way of the dinosaur when it comes to modern home design, thankfully many older homes include these once commonplace front-of-abode features, and what better way to adorn your porch, if you have one, than with a vintage porch swing! Here Millie Motts shares colour images of vintage porch swings which would also look amazing in a backyard or anywhere outdoors you could find to place one :)


* Dolores del Río: In the latest edition of an ongoing series of posts devoted to glamorous, gorgeous and skilled Hollywood starlets of the past, Poke Salad Annie of Loose Leaf Tigers brings us interesting facts and many wonderful images of the irrefutably stunning, tremendously talented actress Delores Del Rio.


* Alexander McQueen Mens F/W 08/09: While I truly appreciate the time and artistry that goes into the creation of high end designer wear and haute couture, it’s rare that a fashion show steals my breath away entirely (due in no small part I’m sure, to the fact that I know I could never in a million years afford the pieces up for offer) and leaves me seriously impressed by the designer’s current offerings. However, over at Swing Fashionista I spied Alexander McQueen’s recent menswear collection and just about toppled off of my chair. Having nothing short of a full-fledged love affair with gentlemanly and dandy-ish fashions for men, I instantly became enamoured with the timelessly spectacular vintage inspired suits and separates McQueen is offering up for chaps this season. Though some of the garments are a tad over-the-top, many of the pieces speak of a nearly forgotten era of refinement and class that is sorely missing from almost all modern day men’s wear, and which I wish I could dress my own gentleman in every day for the rest of time.


Numerous wonderful blogs that I follow are currently holding giveaways at the moment. As nearly everyone loves the chance to win a splendid prize for free (especially during these budget weary times we’re living in), I wanted to share the following contests with you all:

* ~Welcome to Deluxville~ is extending readers the chance to win a thoroughly fantastic 1950s clock radio;

* Lemondrop Vintage is giving away an eclectically fabulous vintage charm bracelet;

* GypsyFox The Glamorous Housewife has some adorably festive Christmas themed wine charms up for grabs;

* Wasp Waist and Wiggle Skirts has a beautiful 1940s dress pattern that she’s offering up to one lucky reader.

If you’re also currently holding a giveaway on your site, please feel free to let me know in the comment section and I’d be delighted to add you to this list as well.

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As many a magazine editor and fashionista alike would be quick to point out, there seems to be a certain undeniably, virtually inherent fashion mindset that French women are blessed with that seems to elude ladies from other nations the world over. As a lover of French style (in everything from clothing to decor, food to films), I was smitten with the site Le blog du Stéphanie the moment I saw it. Sweet and gentle, sparked onward by vintage style and filled with wildly inspiration images, this blog is a true joy to behold.



Stéphanie dear, I adore your site and your amazing French style, which comes through in all you that you wear and post. Please except this week’s Your Blog is an Inspiration award with my heartfelt thanks for creating the splendidly beautiful site that you do! Your ethereal and charming pages have made me long to visit France even more than ever! :)

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Glimmering in the video spotlight this week is clip depicting a strikingly gorgeous fashion show from 1938, featuring the spring collection of English designer Norman Hartnell. Not only are the fashions themselves resplendently elegant, but the clip is in colour, making each expertly crafted outfit even more breath-taking to behold.

{Making Fashion (1938)}



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Sunday has all but come to a close, however I don’t want to say good-bye to it just yet. I think I’ll stay up a little longer and pursue some of my favourite blogs, perhaps gathering a few links already for next week’s Pretty Link Roundup post.

I hope that you each had a wonderful and serene weekend – did anyone do anything exciting or memorable? And that the coming week with grace you all with happiness and, if you’re in need of it, the onset of autumnal temperatures!