O! How Stylish

Nov9

Jackie Kennedy Onassis was one of the most stylish ladies and renowned for being at the forefront of fashion. Her style was copied by women around the world and still is today. She has remained an influential figure in the fashion industry. Her famous styles and renowned look is known as the Jackie O look.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Kennedy_Onassis

Jackie Lee Bouvier was born on July 28 1929, in New York. Jackie began riding horses at one year old and by eleven, she had won several national championships. While at school, she learnt ballet and French. She continued her studies at college where she studied history, literature, art and French. She completed studies in Paris too.

Jackie started her first job in 1951 as a photographer for a newspaper, where she met John F Kennedy. They married and she became the youngest ever First Lady.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jackie-kennedy-letters-shine-light-her-marriage-mourning-n104191

Jackie was renowned for wearing oversized glasses and these became her signature eye-ware. This famous style of glasses are often coming into fashion over and over again and are still known as Jackie O glasses.

https://www.smartbuyglasses.co.uk/blog/brand-spotlight/thats-so-jackie-o-statement-sunglasses.html

Another statement fashion item of Jackie’s was the pearl necklace.

Pearls were appropriate with any outfit!
According to Jackie

Many images of Jackie show her with either short pearls, or in the late 60s and 70s she would often wear long strands of pearls with mini dresses.

https://www.pearlsonly.com.au/blog/jackie-kennedy-wearing-a-triple-strand-pearl-necklace/

Jackie also popularised the pillbox hat. She usually wore a pillbox hat that matched her dresses and jackets.

https://www.popsugar.com.au/beauty/photo-gallery/46358023/image/46357999/Jackie-Kennedy-Fashion-Show-US-State-Department-1962

In 1964, Jackie purchased six Gucci handbags, known as The Constance. The bags instantly became a hit. These Gucci Bags later became known as the iconic Jackie handbag, as a tribute to Jackie Kennedy. This bag was considered the first boho or bohemian bag.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/t-magazine/gucci-jackie-1961-saddlebag.html

There was a new Jackie handbag introduced in 2009. Released by Gucci and created by Frida Giannini. It was again hugely popular.

https://www.icon-icon.com/en/the-jackie-by-gucci/

Jackie was also famous for wearing the Chanel suit. Her pink Chanel suit is her most famous outfit in history and remains her trademark. In the late 1950s and early 1960s the Chanel suit was a strong symbol of the modern woman of high society with political views, sophistication and independence. This is what Jackie represented. The colour pink was also an element of traditional feminist attributes!

Her pink suit was one of John F Kennedy’s favourites. The sad significance of the suit is that she was wearing it at her husband, John F Kennedy’s assassination. She attempted to protect her husband, leaving her suit blood stained. It is stored out of public viewing in the National Archives.

https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/110338259608536387/

For casual outings, Jackie would often look chic in a shift dress or matching top and skirt or pencil pants.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/6-new-season-trends-borrow-jackie-kennedy/

https://www.instyle.com/fashion/jackie-kennedy-style-lessons

https://www.dimplesandtangles.com/2014/06/fashion-inspired-by-jacqueline-kennedy.html

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/g1370/jackie-kennedy-onassis-style-0111/

Jackie O was often dressed by designers such as Oleg Cassini, Chanel, Christian Dior and Givenchy.

https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/news/fashion-designer-hubert-de-givenchy-dead-at-91-details/

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/g1370/jackie-kennedy-onassis-style-0111/

Jackie O captivated the world with her style, intelligence, beauty and grace. She is someone that I have admired over the years for her style, and in my eyes will always be a fashion icon.

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Ridiculously Retro Xx

Style Me Vintage

Jun19

If you were looking for some step-by-step instructions or some inspiration on how to recreate and achieve vintage looks in clothing, makeup, hair or accessories then I suggest Style Me Vintage! Style Me Vintage are an excellent range of books to guide and teach you how to achieve some great looks. There are also editions focused on recreating a vintage home and hosting a vintage tea party or wedding.

There are a variety of Style Me Vintage books to choose from:

10.

Inside each book you will find so many wonderful ideas! Here are my favourite examples from the five books that I have purchased:

1. Style Me Vintage Accessories…

If you need help to achieve your final polished authentically vintage look, this is the book for you! It provides a guide on how to correctly identify items to attain your look, in terms of sunglasses, jewellery, hats, gloves, scarves, bags and shoes. The book provides looks ranging from the 1920s right through to the 1980s.

2. Style Me Vintage Home…

This book is a fantastic guide to help you achieve the vintage home that you desire. It will guide you from the 1920s to the 1970s on what was the classic look of each era.

3. Style Me Vintage Clothes

This book has plenty of information on specific details of vintage clothing, from the 1920s to the 1980s, and how to recognise vintage labels. There is also some handy tips on how to repair and maintain vintage clothing, and some great tips on developing your own unique vintage style!

4. Style Me Vintage Hair

This book has some useful step-by-step easy guides on hair styles such as: finger waves, pin curls, 1940s waves, victory rolls, the poodle, and beehives. There are also great guides on how to incorporate accessories, such as headscarves.

5. Style Me Vintage Make-up

This book is FULL of fabulous tips to help you achieve your classic makeup look. It gives you the tools and step-by-step guides for all the classic makeup looks from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Whatever is your vintage style, I am sure that you will find the collection of Style Me Vintage books exceptionally useful as they are full of handy tips and information to guide you through. Let me know which Style Me Vintage books have helped you. I would love to hear!

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Ridiculously Retro Xx

1950’s Ladies Gloves

Mar7

In the early 1950’s, ladies were required to wear gloves as etiquette and as part of fashion. They wore gloves that match their shoes or their outfit, while some ladies wore traditional white gloves. Fashionable ladies would wear striped gloves or patterned with matching scarves. Not only fashionable, gloves were also worn to warm hands.

1950s Glove advertisement

The 1950’s glove etiquette for ladies was that gloves had to be worn in most public places, including the streets of cities and large towns, at church, to a luncheon or dinner, reception, a dance, theatre, restaurant, wedding and any official function. Smart ladies wore gloves on trains, buses and trams.

When wearing formal wear, ladies needed to wear elbow-length gloves. This made a person look fashionable and glamorous.

Everyday gloves were not fancy or piped or in contrasting colours. Ladies kept everyday gloves very simple, like all the basics in their wardrobe.

Brides had to keep their hands covered. A bride wearing short sleeves had to wear long gloves but had to slip her hand out easily for the wedding ring.

Bracelets could be worn over gloves but never rings.

Marilyn wearing bracelets over her gloves

Some ladies wore leather gloves. They could be deerskin or cowhide. For warmth some wore theirs lined with sheepskin but this meant the gloves looked bulkier.

Ladies wearing their gloves

A lady only removed her gloves before eating, drinking, smoking, playing cards or putting on makeup. Long gloves remained on at all times at dances. Gloves even remained on when shaking someones hands. At a restaurant, a lady removed her coat, then was seated and could only then remove her gloves.

To me, I think gloves are very stylish and I love to wear them at formal outings to match my vintage outfit. What do you think of gloves? Stylish or not? Let me know your thoughts.

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Ridiculously Retro Xx

Fashion Icons of the 1950s

Feb20

The 1950s saw a huge change in fashion. The transition from the 1940s post war fashion moved from the saloons to the streets. It was easy care fabrics with speedier manufacturing. This meant fashion was available for the masses! Designers such as Christian Dior, Givenchy and Chanel were influential designers in the 1950s.

1950s Fashion

Christian Dior nipped hourglass shapes which created a new era in women’s fashion. After years of fashion oppression and fabric rationing during the Second World War, the era of Womanliness was here.

1950s Dior

Designer Cue Hubert de Givenchy, a Parisian designer whose designs were worn by the likes of Audrey Hepburn. The most famous being the black dress worn by Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the famous gold embroiled gown worn in Sabrina.

1950s Givenchy

Coco Chanel was creating fashion since 1910 but in the 1950s she created the famous ‘Chanel Suit’ as we still know it now. It is a slim tweed jacket and skirt with contrasting bound edges. It is an elegant look.

1950s Chanel

Fashion icons of the 1950s were stars such as Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Sophia Loren, James Dean, Brigitte Bardot, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelley. They were the first to showcase the fashion.

Audrey Hepburn mainly wore Givenchy gowns. Audrey epitomised elegance and was an example of less is more. She always relied on her little black dress when out on the town. Her pixie haircut was her trademark.

1950s Fashion Icon – Audrey Hepburn

Marilyn Monroe was one of the greatest and most recognisable fashion icons of all time, she defined glamour for generations to come. She was famous for her platinum blonde hair, red lips and her beauty spot.

1950s Fashion Icon – Marilyn Monroe

Elvis Presley was the poster boy of the 1950s. He invented his own brand of preppy rockabilly. His style was biker chic, guyliner and high waisted trousers.

1959s Fashion Icon – Elvis

Sophia Loren made famous the fashion item eyeliner. Also her hourglass figure accentuated her feminine fashion style.

1950s Fashion Icon – Sophia Loren

James Dean was one of the most handsome and iconic men of the 1950s. Dean has an effortless fashion style with his leather jacket, blue denim jeans and collars always up.

1950s Fashion Icon – James Dean

Brigitte Bardot wearing a bikini in the Cannes Film Festival, 1953, stole the show. This secured the bikini as a must have fashion item.

1950s Fashion Icon – Brigitte Bardot

Elizabeth Taylor’s style was brave, admirable and inspirational. She loved elegant jewels. Elizabeth liked to push boundaries with fashion and start trends, with her plunging neck lines, fur wraps, feather boas and eye catching head pieces.

1950s Fashion Icon – Elizabeth Taylor

Grace Kelly both on screen and off screen outfits, were the most talked about and copied of the decade. Her wedding dress in 1956 was one of the most memorable and elegant wedding dresses of all time. Grace epitomised classic and timeless beauty with her wardrobe.

1950s Fashion Icon – Grace Kelly

1950s fashion was, without a doubt, one of the fashion industries favourite decades. What do you love about 1950s fashion? I would love to hear.

Featured image

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Ridiculously Retro Xx

1950s Lessons On Poise and Personality

Feb6

According to books from the 1950s, a woman’s deportment and posture are complimentary to a woman’s over-all look. Some ideas are quite questionable in today’s society.

Firstly, you should always stand with feet together and back straight. Breathe in, tuck in your arms and make sure no elbows stick out. This will make you look younger and more attractive. You can practice with books on your head.

Always walk with a bright, springy walk, like a ballerina. Don’t thump your feet.

The way you hold your handbag can put years on your age. Don’t hang it on your arm like a waiters napkin. Always carry it swinging by the handle in your hand.

When sitting, keep legs together with feet placed nicely side by side. Crossed legs are permissible nowadays if your skirt does not ride up. Keep hands restful on your lap, with your tummy in and shoulders straight. Now you look trim, alert and ladylike. Don’t flop into a chair, feel the seat with the back of your legs then slowly sit down and never moan even if your feet hurt. On rising, your hands should remain in front of you and step springily forward. Always smiling.

The tone of your voice and the manner in which you express yourself will be impressionable on those you meet. Mispronunciation of words or ignorance of the more complex rules of grammatical expressions need to be remedied immediately. You should be knowledgeable but never argue your opinions. Examine your voice for defects by taping it and listen to it back, then work on the necessary pitch, tone and improve your speech. Speak slowly and try to remove any slang.

In social situations you must always be interesting but also be a good listener. Never be a bore. It is noted that unless you are a raving beauty, strangers are not at all interested in you, unless you can prove that you are an interesting person (haha wow)!

Some of the above suggestions are quite questionable in today’s society and you certainly wouldn’t want to teach your daughter all these out-of-date guidelines but the 50s society was different than today. What do you think of these guidelines? I would love to hear.

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Ridiculously Retro Xx

The Secret to Women’s Exercise Routine in the 1950’s

Oct5

You don’t need big bucks to get fit! Women in the 1950’s proved this. Women did not strive to go to the gym to stay fit like we do today, as they walked the kids to school, walked to supermarkets, carried heavy vacuums and other household appliances and many other manual tasks. With our modern technology, women in the 1950’s spent a lot more time on their feet compared to us. All these strenuous duties was one way to get fit!

A 50s woman working hard

Research actually suggests that the average 50’s woman would burn 1000 calories a day, where as the modern woman only burns on average, around 556.

Exercise in the 1950s

In 1953, the first televised program for women’s exercise began. It was nationally televised in 1959, called the Jack LaLanne Show. It mainly consisted of calisthenics.

The Jack LaLanne Exercise Show

In the 50’s a work out consisted of calisthenics, hula hooping, yoga, bike riding or dancing.

Calisthenics

In the early 50’s, calisthenic exercises were published in books. Women would practice these exercises in their homes, often during the day, when alone. Later, classes began so women could attend them and meet friends. They became more popular due to Jack LaLanne’s TV Show.

In modern times, calisthenics is similar to what we call aerobics or pilates. Locate your closest gym and give an aerobics or pilates class a try. It is fun, energetic and a great socialising experience!

Calisthenics became popular in the 50s

2. Hula hooping is a great ab work out, and is really fun. Why not just pick up your kids hula hoop and give it a go, you’ll be surprised at how much fun it is!

Hula Hooping

3. Yoga is seen as a form of relaxation, toning the body, and increasing metabolism. Once control of the body has been completely mastered, the mind is ready for meditation. It was practiced at home, guided by a book.

Nowadays there a plenty of yoga studios you could try, and plenty of online yoga YouTube videos!

Yoga

4. Bike riding is great for exercising and is great for socialising! You could purchase a bicycle to ride around your town. Many councils have installed bicycle tracks around local communities. Alternatively, you could purchase an indoors exercise bike, or use one at your local gym. Exercise bikes still achieve great results, and are convenient in the comfort of your own home!

Bike Riding

5. Dancing in the 50’s was also great exercise… Be it rock ‘n’roll, swing, jitterbug, boogie-woogie or bop! All dancing is a great exercise and a great form of socialising. There are many schools today, that teach 50s dancing:

https://swingpatrol.com/

https://www.swingdancedownunder.org/schools/

https://www.allaboutswing.com.au/

http://simplyswing.com.au/

Try it out, you will love it! I have enrolled in classes to commence soon. I am so excited! I will tell you how I go.

Dancing in the 50s

Maybe we should take a few of these ideas from the 1950’s women and put them into practice in our modern busy lives. I love bike riding, yoga and I am about to learn some rock’n’roll dancing! More of that in my later blogs…

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Ridiculously Retro xx

Reference:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2176971/1950s-housewives-kept-slim-burning-calories-housework.html

Images: Reference photo, Cleaning image, yoga image from Woman’s World – M.A. White

DIY into Wonder Woman

Mar26

Wonder Woman is the most famous heroine of all time. Wonder Woman was known as Diana Prince and was created in 1941 and published on DC comics. She has super human strength and speed, also a bullet proof bracelet and a golden lasso of truth. She would spin to change her image to Wonder Woman. Her mission was to promote peace.

Early Image of Wonder Woman

Lynda Carter played Diana Prince, in the Wonder Woman series from November 1975 to September 1979. This TV version is what most people recognise as Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter’s performance portrayed the characters goodness.

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman

Over the years, the franchise of Wonder Woman was portrayed in comics, tv series and movies. There are dolls of Wonder Woman, as well as clothing.

My Wonder Woman Doll

I brought some jeans and a denim jacket and wanted to change them so I brought some Wonder Woman fabric from spotlight.

Denim jacket, jeans and Wonder Woman fabric

Wonder Woman fabric from Spotlight

Steps:

Firstly I turned the jeans into capris to get the rockabilly look
Then I cut out and pinned the fabric onto the jacket and hemmed the edges of the fabric. I chose to put a panel on the back of the jacket and 2 smaller ones on the top panels on the front of the jacket

3. Sew the material onto the jacket. Sew it slowly to make sure it is perfect.

4. Next pin the fabric onto the jeans. I did 2 panels to cover the back 2 pockets and 2 panels to cover the front 2 pockets, hemming the fabric under as I pinned it.

5. Slowly sew the panels onto the jeans

6. With the excess material I also made a 50s skirt, I will have a future blog showing step by step how to make a 50s skirt.

7. There was still excess material so I made a head band. I will also do a future blog showing step by step on how to make a headband.

Finished products

Top: Front and back of denim jacket

Middle: Front and back of jeans

Bottom: 50s skirt and headband

Have you ever revamped an outfit. I would love to see it! Send me photos of your revamped outfit.

Featured Image

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Ridiculously Retro Xx

International Women’s Day

Mar7

Women can do it

International Women’s Day is a celebration of…

Women
Girls
Anti-sexism
Anti- discrimination
Rights of females
Power of females
Friendships

The first Women’s Day was celebrated in New York on 28/02/1909, bit Ut was the International Women’s Conference in 1910, decided it should be celebrated on March 8th.

International Women’s Day

After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, it became a national holiday. The day was celebrated by the Socialist movement and Communist countries. It was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.

International Women’s Day is about many issues:

Gender Equality
Equal Opportunities
Stopping Violence against Women
Equal Pay
Equal access to education
Empowering Women
Transforming Women’s Lives

Fighting for Women’s natural human rights should be the intention of every woman. All females should be united.

vintage image of the future of women

All women are equal!

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