For charity!

I can't get enough of signing up for things and this weekend was no different. Our friends bought and opened a bar in the neighborhood named Lizzy's, it's a great place for cheap eats and to meet the locals. Lizzy's regularly has events to bring together the local folk and this past weekend was no different. They hosted a double event to raise funds for the East End House, they raffled prizes and served hot dogs that were donated by Pearl Meats.

My boyfriend refused to participate in the Mano a Mano Wet T-shirt competition but I stepped up to the plate, literally, and entered the Woman vs. Food portion of the night.

My strategy?


Fork, knife, cocktail and a napkin.

In the end I ate two dogs AND saved my lipstick.

I love this town

Found on the streets of Cambridge, MA

The end of a legend

Sad news in Boston, the last bastion for vintage lovers has been sold to a new and hipper owner. Café Society has been my retail refuge for years, providing vintage clothing at reasonable prices without that annoying trendy hipster vibe felt in many new stores.



I discovered Café Society about four years ago when I changed my route to work and I have been a customer every few weeks since. Imagine my surprise when last Wednesday I drive past the shop and see in the window a moving sign. Anticipating my breakdown, Betsy sent me a note explaining the selling of the shop and that the new owner is changing locations but will keep the store name, but I know it will never be the same again. Knowing that this was my last chance to buy all of the items I had been eyeing before they double in price I grabbed the boyfriend and his wallet and spent several hours looking through the racks and just hanging out.


Betsy, Café Society's owner and Lindsay her shop assistant on the last open weekend.



Café Society was exactly what it said it was and nothing more and I will miss driving past the windows every morning scoping out the newest dress on the mannequin who I believe has been in the window since the store opened 30 years ago. The owner, Betsy, loved vintage clothing and when she opened in the early 80’s she was ahead of her time selling jewelry and authentic clothing dating back as far as the Victorian period.



I am so proud to have been part of Café Society’s history and to have known Betsy. I wish her the best on her next adventure. I plan to explore the new Café Society when it re-opens but I don’t expect to spend hours hanging out like I did with the wonderful people who worked at Café Society.

My Great Grand Pappy

Recently I obtained a membership to Ancestry.com and I can't say that I know what I'm doing since I am just running into my aunt's completed tree but I was ecstatic to run into some photos she uploaded of my great grandfather Frederick I. Robichaud. I'm kinda crushing on him.


Fred on a 1914 Harley Davidson Model Ten C, Single Cylinder

My eyes just popped out when I saw this! Grand Pappy Fred was an owner of one the the first Harley's created, not to mention his fantastic style in clothing.



Seriously, can this man get any more dashing?

Classic Cars and Classic Girls

This weekend at the Trade Center in Boston was the World of Wheels which is this huge car show. This year I was told there was a pin-up contest being held by the Bombshell Betty's. Hot diggity dog!

 

Yes, that is me on the far right. I put on one of my custom made by me dresses and sensible heals (should have put on some rocking kicks) grabbed my BF and headed off to motor land.

So terrifying, I discovered that I cannot model against a car and when interviewed on stage, I become even more of a babbling idiot. We are sent on stage to answer 3 questions, easy right?

First Question:
Host: What era describes your fashion and why?
Me: Well that would be the 40's and my influence is my late grandmother... enter the waterworks.

Second Question:
Host: What is your favorite car accessory?
Me: the break!
Host: And why is that
Me: Because I will run into someone without it.

Third Question:
Host: What inspired you to sign up for this contest?
Me: ...By this point I was just babbling and have no idea what I said.

Sad news, I didn't win, good news, I did get Fan Favorite which came with a cash prize and a pink sash! I think Fan Favorite is the nice way of saying "Miss Congeniality" or "Third". Whatever it means it doesn't matter, I had so much fun and the fellow contestants were so great, wish I had a group of girls like this in my circle of friends.

After the jump, gratuitous shots of shiny classic cars!

Favorite Reds

 Red lipstick is pretty much a staple in my cosmetic arsenal. I can't go without it and I can't be seen without it. I leave little red lips on all glasses and on my dog's head throughout the day. I even got in trouble for my red lips in middle school. An English teacher of mine tried to convince my parents that I was having trouble concentrating because my lipstick was too bright. Yeah, I thought she was full of it too.

 Anyway, I have compiled five of my favorites. These are my "I must buy two, one for the home, one for the purse and then one more in case it get's discontinued" lipsticks.

No. 1: Sephora Lip Stain #01

My absolute favorite lipstick at the moment is the Sephora brand cream lipstain. It has staying power and most important, is a matte shade. Top off with a dab of gloss if you are uncomfortable with the dry nature of matte lipstick and still look glamorous.

I love my town

Random, but only in Cambridge can this be found in a dog friendly park.

A Nightly Tradition

A warm slice of cherry pie after the rollers are set in my hair.

Another great ad campaign from the 20's

Marketing must have been tough in the 20's and 30's if they are shilling tapeworm eggs as a way to loose weight, did the miss the Luck Strike ad campaign?

Marketing for smokers

It's obvious nowadays that smoking is not good for ones health and smells bad and stains you fingers etc., but after looking at these advertisements from the 30's & 40's it is clear why so many people did smoke. With crackerjack medical science on your side, even tapeworms can be a good idea!



And my favorite:

Kestos, my bossom thanks you

It wasn't until the 1930's when that bras began to "lift and separate". Before this point a brassiere was either a corset or a bandeau. But Rosaline Kiln of the Kestos Corset Company revolutionized the bra creating the structure we see today. A simple concept, the design was an experiment in which Rosaline took handkerchiefs and added darts for shape and elastic banding that wrapped around the body and connected and Voila! Sweater puppies! In addition to the Bra being transformed into the modern marvel that it is today, the advertisements for the Kesto Bras are elegant art deco works of art, Seriously, Victoria's Secret should take some notes.

She wore an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny...

Ah, the bathing suit. Immediately you can envision yourself relaxing on the sand with the sound of the surf drowning out your thoughts while you bake under the hot sun. The bathing suit has gone through a drastic metamorphosis since the 19th century when they were basically gowns that covered all appendages and included a long skirt with weights. Thinking about this swim wear makes me feel claustrophobic, but at the turn of the century everything about the bathing suit began to shrink. Unfortunately by the time the 70's hit, the bathing suit shrank well past the point of being classy and made a bee-line for trashy. It was the window between 1930-1950 when the bathing suit was both functional and sexy. They modestly revealed the best parts of the female figure while disguising the "problem areas". Portrayed on the side of bomber planes in WWII and modeled by some of Hollywood's elite of the day, the bathing suit worked it's way into our hearts and onto our shores.

Images in Colour from 1939-1943

First off, I had no idea that colour photography existed pre-1950 but with this link forwarded to me by a friend that was found from Denver Post. These photos bring a sense of tangibility with the past and made them so real to me.


Chopping cotton on rented land near White Plains. White Plains, Greene County, Georgia, June 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.


Barker at the grounds at the state fair. Rutland, Vermont, September 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. Who hasn't seen Freaks and didn't become obsessed with the carnival?


Backstage at the "girlie" show at the state fair. Rutland, Vermont, September 1941. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. I LOVE the victory rolls.


Distributing surplus commodities. St. Johns, Arizona, October 1940. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Russell Lee. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. It's the stare of that woman that makes it hard for me to tear myself away.


Boy building a model airplane as girl watches. Robstown, Texas, January 1942. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Arthur Rothstein. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.


Boys fishing in a bayou. Schriever, Louisiana, June 1940. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. First thought, Huck Fin.


Women workers employed as wipers in the roundhouse having lunch in their rest room, Chicago and Northwest Railway Company. Clinton, Iowa, April 1943. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Jack Delano. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.


Woman is working on a "Vengeance" dive bomber Tennessee, February 1943. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Alfred T. Palmer. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress. The REAL Rosie the riveters.
To see all of the entire collection click here

Classy Coasters

The company to which I am employed has gone through some renovations and many people have been playing musical office so when our Prepress director moved I noticed he forgot a few things, one which is this set of coasters from AGFA. Noticing the quirky jazz era themed beer coasters had been abandoned, I quickly snatched them up knowing full well that I will never use them for the purpose they were intended.

The joy of apps.

If you can't go to the vintage, make the vintage come to you and let the laughter ensue. The app is called Old Booth and is for the iPhone. basically it works like those large cutouts on boardwalks and it places you face in a perfectly framed head.

Unfortunately I am not hip enough for an iPhone but and will simply sneak Engineer boyfriend's phone to take a few candid yesteryear photos.