the Million Dollar Mermaid

I thought I would to do a little post in honor of Esther Williams leaving this realm for the next earlier this week at the age of 91 (not a bad run).



Truth be told, I have become more of a fan in my adult life though I was vaguely aware of her as a child mostly due to clips of her swimming with Tom & Jerry in "Dangerous When Wet".

Now I am in awe of her gorgeous wardrobe and incredible grace and stamina. I also own a couple of her vintage inspired swimsuits - a favorite of mine! Here's another classic example of what Esther was all about - excuse me while I drool over these costumes...

RIP Esther ❤

back in time

I stumbled on these fun (and rare) color photos of a Vermont state fair in 1941 whilst looking for a live stream of the Olympics Opening Ceremony this morning (no easy task, as it turns out!). They are very reminiscent of these circus photos but I thought I would share them because I found them quite fascinating. I love seeing little snapshots of the past - especially ones in color - it makes it all the more real for me.

 

 

 

more here...

step right up! step right up!

I am a sucker for photos of vintage showgirls, ballerinas and the like... so... when I stumbled upon these incredible photos of circus performers from the 1940s and 50s, I basically shrieked with delight! Now I wanted to share them with you too...

 (the mini chihuahua caught my eye for obvious reasons! I suppose I take it for granted that they are a new invention - not so!)

Now if only I could get my paws on those unbelievable costumes!  I have a tiny collection of vintage stagewear (which someday I'll add to) but nothing this spectacular. I know some of these must exist out there in some old attic or crawlspace! 

Images are originally from this book  - photos found via how to be a retronaut

sun valley serenade

From the snow to the rain. Back in LA now enjoying my days off and gearing up for the new year. I'm trying to catch up with all of your lovely blogs and working on proper posts now that I have working internet (and power!).

have a lovely day!

vintage vogue :: part 2

I really wanted to share the photos of 1940s and 50s Vogue from myvintagevogue so I decided to do a second vintage Vogue post with my favorites from the next two decades...brace yourselves for greatness...  


1940s:

1950s:

 

Ah, the hats, head scarves and accessories in these old editorials, I want them all.  So very inspiring for fall & winter.  I really wish I had a stack of old 1940s Vogues in my library but for now I am more than thrilled that this site exists. Don't worry though, I think I may have gotten that out of my system now! so I'll spare you the 1960s :)