Making a Case for Vintage Lingerie

Good day!

Today's post is not really about underwear (sorry). What it is about is restraint, mystery, and the art of concealment. Yes, sit back and relax and enjoy another rambling bunch of words from Lisa O'Brien.

The outfit I'm wearing for this post seems fairly simple. Lacy skirt, sheer top, necklace. But if you look more closely, you'll see that this outfit was made possible thanks to a gorgeous 1940s full slip. The slip is the reason I am able to wear this filmy see-through top without getting arrested, and it also adds a beautiful extra layer to my skirt. I like to wear my skirts a bit longer, so adding slips for length is something I do often.

Vintage lingerie, especially slips, offer a classy bit of sweetness that has been lost in the modern progression of fashion. You can wear a pretty vintage slip under your conservative work clothing and walk around smiling, knowing that you are wearing something special underneath, and it's all for you. But the really wonderful thing about these garments is that they offer another layer of mystery. They're secretive and sometimes they peek out from your clothing, just a little bit. They're sexy. But not in the in-your-face way that much modern fashion is. Super short skirts or shorts or tank tops or tight leggings have their place, but they don't leave much to the imagination. They don't quietly send a message of confidence or romanticism. They're more "HEY! LOOK AT THESE LEGS RIGHT HERE, SEE? SEE? SEEEEEEEEE?!" Not so subtle. I am a fan of subtlety in some areas. This is not to say that "Ladies should be or do A. B. or C." No way! I am just saying that a little subtlety can go a long way. And taking a tiny bit of extra time to get ready in the morning - and not revealing everythin' ya got to everyone else - can be great.

Onward to your closets!

Dreams About Phones. Also, Hair Lessons.

Last night, I slept very poorly, and part of the reason I slept poorly was because these phone accessories kept popping into my dreams and insisting I tell you all about them. I'm not kidding. I literally dreamt, over and over, about this sterling silver phone covering. Just the image of it. It was really annoying. Anyway, the phone accessories are lovely and fancy and they make your retro phone look even lovelier and fancier than usual. They're available here at the shop and hopefully the set will stay out of my dreams tonight.

Today's outfit is a retro-inspired slim-fitting velveteen skirt, a thrift shop gray sweater, that cute crown vest again, and a 1950s silk scarf tucked into the vest. The vest is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. It makes me want to say (to the vest) OH YOU CUTIE FACE BABY HEAD I'M GONNA HUG YOU AND YOU CAN'T GET AWAY HAHA! That is how I talk to my cats, too.

I included an extra picture to try to show my hair. I am getting worse at taking pictures, somehow. Today's and yesterday's hair styles were created by doing reverse victory rolls and then pinning and tucking the rolls into place. I gently twisted sections of my hair, then rolled the sections under, rather than up. Many bobbi pins required. My hair is very long, but this style can be accomplished with various hair lengths.

Ok! Now you know all about UnderWired's phone accessories! Use your knowledge for good, not evil!

Super Duper Hair

Today, I decided to make my hair look super-duper. I twisted and rolled it until it looked the way I wanted it to, then I sprayed the hell out of it.

I wore my simple, flattering 1940s skirt today, along with a sheer white 50s top under a black long-sleeved shirt. I wore my cinch belt because I love cinch belts. I included two pictures. The first is a picture depicting what I would look like if I were trying to sell you a leather cigarette case, while not condoning smoking. I'm like this: "Hey look at this thing. You can put your business cards in here or candy or tissues or cookie crumbs or spaghetti sauce." In the second picture I'm like this: "Seriously. Just buy it."

I do have some lovely cigarette cases in the shop, and they ARE great for storing business cards and other things that are not cigarettes.

It's chilly today and the roads are being constructed upon in this part of town, but it's nice and warm and friendly in the businesses on South Side. Pay us a visit!

Hanging out at Home

I am sitting around the house today, holding ceramic objects. It's what I do on my day off. I hold things.

Today's outifit is brought to you by the letter B and contains the following: a 1940s black half-slip over a white 1950s half-slip, a black turtleneck sweater, and my colorful 1960s striped hat. The knee-high socks are not vintage, but they are cute and I like them, so they made the final cut!

Today's post ends with a question. What do you think about your community? Do you feel like businesses and residents work together to create a sustainable environment to live and work in, and how? If not, why? Let me know what your thoughts are at underwiredvintage@gmail.com. I wanna know what you think because I'm nosy.

More Cat Mom Antics

underwiredvintage@gmail.com is the address you need to send your retro Mother's Day photos to, if ya wanna win an UnderWired gift certificate. I have spoken.

Meet Kitty! She's my baby, and sometimes, if I hug her hard enough, she smiles, like in this picture. She's smiling.

Sorry about the lack of fashion stuff in this post. I am wearing vintage clothing, but I am more interested in hugging cats than I am in posing for pictures today. I got some cool new jewelry for the shop to bring in this week, though! I hope you like that news!

Talk to you again tomorrow, my Super Vintage Fun Pals!

Mannequin...no, Ghost...no, Mannequin...

I wasn't sure if I wanted to dress up as a mannequin or a ghost today, so I did both, as you can see in the photos. These photos have a story, and the story is call "Once on a Rainy Day." The story goes like this:

Once, on a rainy day, a room of many colors magically filled with wondrous clothing from another time. In the room, eerie music filled the air because Lisa the Vintage Lady wouldn't stop listening to her old Saddy McGothyPants CD collection from the 90s.

That's it. The story ends there. Sorry. Writer's block. But if you want to choose your own adventure, you can send your addition to the story to me at underwiredvintage@gmail.com or post it on Facebook. And don't forget to send me your Mother's Day contest entries!

Today's outfit is my fake 40s dress over vintage cotton slip, over navy blue pants. Antique Sean O'Brien Sweetheart Locket. Big curly hair pinned in random places on my head. A fairly romantic and cute result, overall. FYI, The song I am listening to right now just said "I know I'll never be lovable." Whine whine whine, and I have no more wine.

See ya!

Spring on 4th! What's on 3rd?

Chili cook-off, sales, smiley people...you have to come out and participate! The South Side is GLOWING with splendidness today. You can see the glow in today's picture...that glowing area in the bottom right corner is from the South Side Happy Glow. Come join us! I am offering 20% off any item on the sale rack outside. There are some pretty great things out there! Vintage Levi's corduroys, men's shirts, ladies' tops, dresses, and skirts! And I brought some lovely new things in today: shoes, secretary tops, lightweight sweaters, vintage makeup compacts, and some gorgeous 1940s slips!

Today's outfit is a black polyester dress with my cute yellow spring sweater over top. I am wearing a super duper sassy 1940s peach slip underneath. You can't see it very well in the photo, but it can see you. 1960s up-do for the hair. Photoshop blush again today. I can't stop.

Get over here!

Happy Hours (plural)

Today, from 4:30 - 7:00 p.m., visit the shop for HAPPY HOURses (TM) <--not really trademarked. Red wine goes well with shopping because red is the color of love and you love vintage clothing and I love you so it's perfect. Tomorrow, I will introduce a bunch of great new clothing and accessories to the shop, plus, select items will be 20% off during Spring on 4th, What on 3rd! Donate clothing at Home Base, and receive discount vouchers as well! Click HERE for details.

Today's outfit:

1950s skirt, 1970s t-shirt, and pink "blush" to predict my one-glass-of-wine-complexion. The second picture shows my emergency shirt. I'm wearing it because I'm a little chilly. The glasses were added to make me look serious. Seriously awesome, that is! Yeah.

Have a great day today, and I'll see ya here! We can whine over some wine or dine with a vine or use a fork with a broken tine. It'll be great.

Happy Earth Day!

Today, to celebrate Earth Day, you can stop by UnderWired for a glass of wine to enjoy while perusing our Earth-friendly fashions! Buying vintage gives new life to previously-owned items and keeps clothing, accessories, home decor, books, and more out of landfills. Can you imagine throwing beautiful, well-made clothing like this away? I can't. That is why I repair and clean each individual piece that comes into the shop, so that every item can be appreciated for its unique charm. And the books! Good stuff - you need to come see the Betty Crocker Hostess Cookbook.

I have included two pictures of my outfit today. The first is to demonstrate what my face will look after after one glass of wine. The second is to show the actual clothing. Gray wool pencil skirt with black button-down top. 1940s white silk and lace full slip underneath, peaking out just a bit for charmingness and other made-up words.

One more thing: last night's craft night was wonderful! Thank you to Danielle Schmidt for sharing her paper art skills, and thank you to all those who attended. Wednesday, May 5 is knitting night, from 6:30 - 8:00. Bring your knitting, crochet, or embroidery and join us for good company, tasty snacks, and creative fun!

Great Fabric Print, Two Hairstyles, Fabulous Shoes

Once upon a time, Lisa wore a beautiful 1940s dress and took some pictures of herself. Lisa looked a little drunk in the pictures, but she didn't mind.

I wore this dress in a previous post, with my hair pulled back in a scarf. The gorgeous weather made me want to wear it again! This time, I wore pigtails, but then took them out because I am indecisive about everything today. Check out the cool shoes! They are not vintage, but they look retro and I love them! Notice the wonderful print on this dress. This garment is a work of art, as far as I'm concerned!

Today's fashion homework: Make yourself a t-shirt that says Trends, but the word is inside a red circle with a line through it. Like the Ghostbusters symbol. I love Ghostbusters! That's your other assignment. Watch Ghostbusters.

I Say Stuff!

Here's today's outfit, sort of...blue 1980s spring top under 50s black cardigan. I am also wearing jeans, but you'll just have to take my word for it.

See you tomorrow at craft night and this weekend for Spring on 4th! What's on 3rd?, right?! RIGHT?! :) I like you a lot. I hug you!

Gotta go!

Cat Mom

Today's post is about Mother's Day, sort of. I am reminding you all that the deadline is coming up for the Mother's Day contest - email me at underwiredvintage@gmail.com with vintage pictures of female family members looking retro-cool/awesome/sassy/fashiony/great/neat. Three winners will be chosen, and their pics will be posted in this blog, the day after Mother's Day. AND, each winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to UnderWired!

I wore a vintage apron for this post, though you can barely see it. Vintage cat moms wear aprons in my world. I am holding my cat, Riddick, like a baby, because vintage cat moms in aprons are out of their minds and want the world to know it. In the second photo, I am putting my face as closely smooshed up against Riddick's face as I can to show him how much I WUV HIM SO MUCH YES I DO. On another note, do you have any idea how much fun it is to cook while wearing a vintage apron? Way fun, you should try it. Just don't wear the one you just hugged your cat with when cooking, unless you like furry food.

This Sunday is for People who Love Fall Weather

Today is great! Nice and cool and gray. I like it, I can't help it. Weather like this means I get to wear a sweater and wool if I want...so I did. I am wearing that 1950s casual shirt again, but this time it is underneath a gray thrift shop sweater. The sweater matches the sky. We planned it that way. I am also wearing my old stand-by beige wool skirt. It looks good any time, if I do say so myself.

Today's hair is a half-up half-down creation featuring one million bobbi pins, a hairband, and 300 liters of hairspray. I parted my hair to one side, pulled the top back into a bun at the back of my head, then tied the remaining hair into an off-center ponytail to fall over my shoulder. I like it because I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear my hair up or down, so I did both.

I included a photo of this shop mannequin because we're friends and we hang out.

The 1930s, Plus Secret Armpits!

I've been listening to the Boswell Sisters a lot lately, and today, I decided to give a 1930s-ish vibe to my outfit. I am wearing a vintage cotton white slip over jeans, with this cute-as-a-button vest with crown print on top. Vintage rose necklace. Scarf in hair, as usual. I could not, try as I may, get a good picture of the outfit. All the pictures seemed to showcase my armpits for some reason, so I Photoshopped one of the pictures for your safety and comfort.

Green and Black

I wore green and black today. My friend, Jeff, told me to, so I did. thanks Jeff!

Vintage Spring Sweaters Rule!

You may not be able to tell by my skill-less photography, but I am wearing a super cute vintage sweater over my dress today. It's light yellow wool with colorful embroidered details, and it's short, so it looks really good over this Empire waist dress. The dress is modern, and I wore it once this winter, with a different sweater.

Pigtails again today. I like pigtails because "pig" is in the word. Pigs are smart.

I have the door open at the shop, and it is just the greatest thing ever. Sunny warm air flooding the room, and visits from friendly people. Hugs all around!

Mad Men, a Crazy Lady, and a Whole Store Full of Vintage

Today, I decided to channel Joan Holloway from Mad Men. I created my own "business casual" version of the character: 60s style cotton brown dress over cuffed jeans, black vintage cardigan, and, instead of Joan's trademark pen around the neck, I wore my Sean O'Brien Sweetheart Locket. Mostly because I wanted to say "Sean O'Brien Sweetheart Locket" again.

Hair in an up-do, tiny gold bow, and fake secretary pose- It's all here!

When I first heard about the show Mad Men, I was jealous and thought that someone should have asked me to be on it, even though I have no acting experience and other obvious reasons. Then I saw the show and became very glad that I get to watch Christina Hendricks play Joan Holloway/Harris - awesome. And, um, Jon Hamm, thank you very much. Wink wink!

Don't forget - this Saturday is UnderWired's first Sneak Preview Day - one-day-only customer discounts on new items! And...email underwiredvintage@gmail.com with retro pics of female family members looking stylishly glam for the Mother's Day blog contest!

Things to do on a Rainy Day

Time to murder some apples and eat their guts! Be sure to do it in style, though. Black baby doll style high-waisted dress, vintage 1950s black cardigan, vintage rose necklace, and lipstick. I love lipstick almost as much as I love apples.

This apple's last wish was for me to tell you that an apple a day keeps the doctor away AND an apple a day kills one apple a day. It's ok though, because apples don't have brains.

Monday, Monday, Monday!

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today is another mix and match outfit lesson. I am wearing a 1970s t-shirt, and the same skirt that I wore earlier this week, but the last time I wore it, I wore a black cardigan and scarf. Totally different outfit, some of the same pieces. Voila! I created some real works of art for you to look at today. I hope you like them. Each photo contains important messages which should be taken very seriously.

Guess what...I am awarding gift certificates in the amount of $10 to the top three winners of my Mother's Day contest. Now I'll tell you about the contest:

Send me a retro photo of a female family member looking awesome (from any time period up until the 80s). I and my motley crew of judges will choose the three winners on the day before Mother's Day, and the winners' photos will be posted on this blog on Monday, May 10. All entries must be received by May 7.

See ya!

Mix and Match

Basic black dresses are great because you can wear them in a hundred different ways and never get tired of them. I've worn this dress several times over the past few months, in many ways. I've worn it as a shirt, I've worn it with sweaters, with jeans, with crinolines underneath, and the list goes on. Today, I am wearing it with black tights, a 1950s half-slip, a cinch belt to lower the waistline a tad, and a pretty, blue silk and lace scarf. You can't see them in the photo, but I am also wearing my standard black thrift shop heels. The dress is not vintage, but it goes to show, once again, that new and old can coexist peacefully together and look super cool! That's right. I just said that I look super cool. Today is Compliment Yourself Day at UnderWired. If you come in and say something nice about yourself, you win free self esteem. Hooray!

Lotsa Stuff To Say

Hi there. I've missed you. I was thinking about you this morning and decided to tell you about a new cool thing happening in the shop. Beginning next Saturday, UnderWired will have "clothing unveiling days." What the H does that mean? It means that, rather than bringing in new items bit by bit, I will deliver all new weekly items on Saturdays. And if you shop the store on a Saturday, you get the special sneak-preview discount of the day. It could be a coupon, a gift certificate, or a percentage discount on new items. Saturdays are special at UnderWired. I might even make you cookies or steal candy from some babies to give to you. Now, please look at my outfit...

In addition, Danielle Schmidt will teach us how to make decorative paper gift boxes on Wednesday, April 21, from 6:30 - 8:00, in the shop.

And, check out http://heartofsteelcity.wordpress.com/ - another fantastic blog by Jaime K. about the wonderful things happening in the Lehigh Vlaley!

I will leave you with the following photograph. This mystery woman came in and bought the silk Diane Von Furstenberg scarf she's wearing in the photo. She came in and said "I am a mystery. Take my picture." I did, and here she is! Looks great, doesn't she?

Green Shirt

I am wearing a green shirt today. I normally avoid this shade of green because there was a time when I just didn't like it. Now I do though, and I couldn't resist the charm of this sweet little top. Ah, vintage. The skirt is not vintage, but was a gift from my mother-in-law, and is adorable. Antique locket: check. 50s scarf in the hair: check. Retro hairstyle: check.

Happy Friday! Anyone who quacks like a duck in the shop today will receive 10% off their entire vintage purchase. QUACK.