powderkegcompacts

Bettie Page Clothing in San Diego

powderkegcompacts — Fri, 10 May 2013 00:19:18 +0000

When I walked in the store, I was thrilled. I loved the style and all the clothes.

And then I started trying things on.

Rita dress in rust

Sadly, the fabrics and sizing just didn’t work for me. A lot of the dresses I tried on were a thick polyester blend that made me itch. I may have had some kind of allergy to a component of the fabric. Everything they had in cotton was much too similar to something I already own for me to be able to justify it. Especially for the prices.

In addition, I’m halfway between sizes. The sleeves are too tight on the L, the bodice is too loose on the XL. Waist height was good though, which is normally a problem with my long torso. Some of the skirt lengths weren’t quite right for me either. Which I know I could fix…if that was the only thing that stood between me and a fabulous new dress. Alas, none of these made me feel fabulous. Mostly, they made me feel itchy. Occassionally, boxy. Which I am not.

Rear view.

Cute, right? Great color and style. Loved the way it looked. Until I actually wore it for say, two minutes and the fabric did this:

bunchy fabric.

Which is totally not selling me on this dress. Yes, I have gained weight since I stopped playing roller derby three years ago and my stomach is no longer perfectly flat, but I do not have a pot belly like that. Believe me, I know, because I scrutinize my body in the mirror daily. I am not fooling myself into thinking I have the body I used to…but this dress makes me look lumpier and dumpier than I really am.

The Captain dress in red flare.

I tried on a few other dresses with the pencil silhouette and quickly ruled them out.

So I switched over to swing dresses. Plenty of options there. Starting with the Captain dress in red, which I’ve been coveting online for ages. LOVE the color and the white piping – great details. But…the fabric was really stiff and heavy and scratchy.

When I looked again, the shoulders were bulky. And the skirt length didn’t feel right. Meh.

Potential, but…no.

On to the Alika Circle dress in green. It’s a lighter fabric than the Captain, which seemed promising. Sorry it’s bit blurry.

Cute neckline and sleeves. Great color.

The bust darts were in an unflattering location.

I liked this much better, even though the waist could have come in. But the fabric was still not working for me…The bustline bulged where the excess fabric from the neck folded over inside, doing odd things with my bra. You can see it a little in this picture. It was much more apparent and awkward when I moved my arms. In addition, the bust darts just didn’t look or feel right to me. While it may seem like I’m being overly picky, I honeslty believe that you should love your clothes and feel great when you wear them. Instead of feeling sexy, playful or glamorous, I felt awkward, itchy and self-conscious.

I’ve seen other women look completely AMAZING in BPC, so I’m not in any way saying don’t shop there…the current styles available just didn’t work out for me. The staff were all helpful and encouraging, without trying to force me into anything. This trip just didn’t pan out. I’m still planning to give the Vegas store a go when I’m at Ceasars Palace next month for work. Maybe I’ll have better luck.

Travel perks

powderkegcompacts — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:18:03 +0000

Next week, I’m heading to a conference in San Diego. I’ve never been to San Diego before, but I’ve heard good things about it. I was already looking forward to the trip, even though when I travel for business, the odds that I’ll get to explore anything outside the conference hotel are slim. Then I discovered that I get to go to an event on the USS Midway: a retired aircraft carrier that now serves as a floating naval aviation museum. She was in service from 1945 to 1992 – the longest run of any American aircraft carrier.

SO. EXCITED. I get to see something I’d have chosen to explore on my own if I had time.

Courtesy of the USS Midway Museum

Courtesy USS Midway Museum

I can’t wait. I plan to take loads of pictures.

Meet Bettina

powderkegcompacts — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:47:30 +0000

At the flea market on Sunday, I dropped $5 on this awesome vintage hair dryer:

Not that I ever really set my hair, because it’s completely curl-resistant and I feel like I look funny with curly or wavy hair, but something about this piece spoke to me.

It could be the great ostrich case…

I love the rich caramel color.

Or that she comes with a name…

Bettina, the Universal Hair Dryer

Or that there’s a nail dryer…

I’m not sure how you’re supposed to position your hand, but I’ll figure it out.

Or that she came from New Britain, Connecticut, near where I grew up…

Just in case she needs a tune-up….

Anyway, she lives with me now. Welcome home, Bettina.

Our friend Jack thought she was built in the mid-sixties based on the artwork. I found a newspaper ad from November 21, 1963 touting Bettina’s ”New ultra chic high-fashion styling with dramatic new gift case” on sale for $23.88 (regularly 29.95).

Bettina the hair dryer.

Once I take her out for a test-dry, I’ll report back on my ultra chic-ness. Stay tuned.

First flea market outing of 2013

powderkegcompacts — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:13:45 +0000

Yesterday Tim and I went to the Hollis Flea Market with our friend Jack Younger of Basement 247 & Watch City Studios. It was our first trip of the season, and there were more vendors than I’ve ever seen there before. That may have been fueled by the classic car show down the street…in Amherst, New Hampshire there’s a monthly car show, but Tim and I have never quite figured out the schedule, so we’ve never been.

Jack was on the lookout for rusty gears, which he uses in cool steam punk sculptural things around his studio. He and Tim are both always looking for recording gear, and I’m typically keeping an eye out for jewelry, lady head vases, purses, compacts, and pin-up art. All three of us left with treasures.

I liked this radio.

A closer look at the radio’s face.

Look at all that bakelite!

The woman with all the bakelite was really nice. She had a great variety of colors and widths and carved vs. uncarved pieces. Even though I loved some of the bangles and they fit me, I managed to resist. I may not pass them up if I encounter them again later in the season though! Then I’ll know they waited for me.

I love the carving in the red bangle and the colors in the butterscotch one.

I didn’t resist this:

Bettina the hair dryer.

Awesome name, gorgeous ostrich case and wonderful artwork. For FIVE DOLLARS. Yes, I broke the moratorium. But for five dollars, I couldn’t leave Bettina the hair dryer to languish at the flea market. She’ll get her own post with more photos later this week.

Jack found some cool large industrial gears and Tim found something for his studio. We wanted to check out the car show, but by the time we were done with the flea market, we were starving. We did see some great classic cars on our way to and from the flea market, though.

We saw this great truck.

And this beauty.

We saw tons of other gorgeous cars, but I just wasn’t fast enough with my camera. We’ll definitely have to hit the car show later this summer so I can drool over the stunning rides and take tons of pictures.

Progress report

powderkegcompacts — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:56:03 +0000

The moratorium is still on – I haven’t bought any clothes, shoes, make-up or accessories. I did pay for rock-climbing lessons with my friend Amy…I’m hoping to climb fairly regularly to get back into shape. I have three pencil skirts in my closet right now that I LOVE but can’t quite wear…they go on and they zip, but I can’t sit in them because they’re too tight. I want to be able to wear them again by the end of summer.

I even resisted yesterday’s 25% off at Bettie Page Clothing.

My mother came up for a visit over the weekend and we hit some antique stores. She knows about my shopping moratorium and decided to treat me to a few things we found…two lovely blue bangles from Antiques at Mayfair and a carryall from This Olde Stuff. The carryall needs a bit of TLC, but I’m confident that Tim can fix it for me. The lipstick tube has never been used, and it still has the puff and comb.

Two lovely blue bangles – the color is more vivid in person.

My carryall came in a red and silver striped box. Pretty!

The metal is in gorgeous condition.

Here’s where I need Tim’s help–reattaching the clasp for the cigarette case.

The mirror is in decent shape.

We saw some fun other things, but didn’t buy them. I’m saving money for Matilda, remember? I’m still on a quest for the perfect lady-head vase, which may be a reasonable exception to the spending moratorium, but since we didn’t see any I liked, no worries there. If only the weather would cooperate and warm up so I can pretend I’m wearing new clothes, even if they’re just things that have been in storage all winter.

shopping moratorium

powderkegcompacts — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:06:13 +0000

I am going to take a month-long break from buying clothes, shoes, and accessories. And make-up (unless I run out of something crucial like moisturizer and need to replace it). I’ve bought a decent number of new clothes lately, while getting rid of items that were worn out, ill-fitting, or just no longer suited me. But before I buy anything else, I want to get to know what’s in my closet. And hidden away in my warm-weather stash…I’m looking forward to pulling those clothes out of storage this weekend.

In the meantime, I’ll put the money I would have spent on clothes/shoes/lipstick into savings toward the 1940 Dodge.

1940 Dodge

Shoes will last a few seasons – or years, if I’m lucky. That car…that’s a lifetime relationship. Sign me up.

Spring melt

powderkegcompacts — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:05:07 +0000

Or, rather, spring meltdown. Yesterday a combination of an ill-fitting dress, allergies, and a difficult project at work sent me over the edge. I’ve had the dress for three or four years, and while I loved it when I bought it, I’ve gained weight since then and it just doesn’t work on me any more. It was squeezing my ribs and making me itchy. My allergies tend to manifest not just in nasal discomfort, but also in….itchy/hive-y skin and eyes. Add the twitchiness of a tight deadline working with marginally cooperative coworkers in a distant office where I can’t just corner them in hallways or by the coffee maker, and…something’s got to give.

I needed to feel like I was in control of something.

I took more allergy meds, sent some pointed emails to my remote coworkers, applied some lipstick and went shopping.

JC Penney was kind enough to send me a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more, and there’s a JCP in the mall I pass on the way home from work. I took that as a sign.

Those are stars, not dots. Super-light fabric, perfect for summer.

Cotton dress, perfect for spring.

Forgive the lousy iPhone dressing room photos. You still get the idea. What I love about the second dress: The top is lined and it has lingerie straps so my bra won’t peek out everywhere. IT WAS $35. Truly amazing, because similar styles from the online ppin-up places go for 2-3 times that. You know it. I plan to wear the dress today and will try to get photos of it with matching shoes and hair that hasn’t had clothing pulled on and off over it 85 times.

Now to tackle that nasty presentation…

Dress disappointment = blessing in disguise

powderkegcompacts — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:40:24 +0000

A few weeks ago, I ordered a dress from ModCloth:

Cute, right? Fun print, nice colors, would work with a cardigan before spring really gets here, I have multiple pairs of shoes that would look good with that style and print…I was excited. And then it showed up.

I LOVED the fabric. The dress felt great and had decent quality construction. But…

The shoulders were too narrow. The neck was way too high, concealing my entire collarbone and decolletage, which I rarely cover. The gathers under the bust made the middle of the dress somewhat bulky. It just didn’t work for my body.

Sigh. Back in the box for the postal carrier.

When Tim and I were hanging out with friends Saturday night, Bernadette said that she’d also ordered a dress that had to go back as it didn’t fit.

Then she asked if I wanted to try it on.

I love the color. It’s greener than it looks here.

It makes me feel like a pin-up.

Tim likes this view.

The dress came home with me. B still has to find another dress, but this one has found a loving home. Now I just need to manufacture reasons to wear it. Suggestions?

Adventures in New Jersey

powderkegcompacts — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 13:31:35 +0000

On Tuesday, I went to New Jersey to help my friend Carole move to a new apartment. Though the circumstances surrounding her move aren’t exactly cause for joy, I was really glad to get the chance to spend time with her. We’ve been friends since we met in seventh grade. Because adulthood gets messy, we’ve only seen each other two or three times in the last five years or so…but she’s one of those friends where no matter how long it’s been, we immediately pick up like we just saw each other yesterday. (In our case, that means lots of “your mom” jokes. Really.)

Carole’s a professional puppeteer and an wonderful seamstress. While she’s made countless puppets and performed in many different shows, I think this peacock marionette will always be my favorite. I love the attention to detail and how naturally the bird moves–the music is also really fun. So cool.

In addition to being fantastically resourceful and creative, Carole is a model housekeeper – everything is always perfectly organized, yet still welcoming, not austere. My space runs more toward the contained chaos end of the spectrum, much to Tim’s chagrin. But there’s hope for me yet–Carole gave me a great vintage housekeeping book: A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband With Bettina’s Best Recipes. It’s full of recipes and housekeeping tips, presented in vignettes about newlyweds Bettina and Bob and their friends.

The book has great illustrations.

A sample chapter and recipes

I’ll try some of the tips and recipes in the coming weeks and keep you posted on how they turn out. Bob and Bettina don’t seem to celebrate Easter, but I’m sure there are plenty of spring recipes to choose from for next weekend’s holiday dinner with Tim’s family. Stay tuned.

Vargas calender page

powderkegcompacts — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 12:44:25 +0000

A few weeks ago, my cousin Becky sent me this wonderful calendar page she found:

A page from a vintage calendar

It’s one of the illustrations Vargas created for Esquire, probably in 1945 or ’46. I love her hair and her tiki costume. I’m partial to redheads; Vargas frequently used a redheaded model named Jeanne Dean. I have a series of Petty calendar pages on display in my office; Vargas replaced Petty as the main artist for Esquire because publisher David Smart realized he could exploit Vargas for far less than he was paying Petty. I have no idea how the two artists felt about one another.

My three Petty girls – blonde, brunette, and redhead.

Wouldn’t my Vargas girl look nice with some friends? I certainly think so. Maybe I could even find another Vargas girl to make the display symmetrical. Any excuse to find more pinups!