Swing Fashionista » swing

Modcloth: So many shoes, so little time…

Sharon — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:50:31 +0000

Well, I’m in Argentina right now, so Modcloth shopping is out of the question. Boooo. But you should all go buy some delicious shoes over at Modcloth.com, so that I can live vicariously through you Send me photos! Here’s a danceable selection….

Top Picks: Plasticland Shoes

Sharon — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:35:01 +0000

A Quebecois buddy of mine, Alisha Ruiss, just tortured me with two emails in quick succession, with links to online stores where I want to buy EVERYTHING!! Oh no, Alisha, how could you do this to me? The first was Plasticland, an old favourite of mine, but I haven’t visited for a while, and was rather unaware of the current shoe collection. Swoon! Here are my top picks, and they’re all available right now, in the range of US$54 – $72. These shoes are a steal. They stock a few Stop Staring dresses as well, and they have some cute pencil skirts…

My sudden panic…

Sharon — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:25:25 +0000

So I was procrastinating a few days ago, browsing vintage dresses on eBay with no intention of buying (no seriously, I went on a November shopping spree, so no more this year!). And I got to thinking about the photographs of vintage clothing for sale online. What a resource! When somebody sells a vintage dress online, they photograph the dress from all angles, with closeups of details and embellishments – they show more detail in those photos than most costume museum archives! It’s an amazing historic record. Plus, so many of these dresses are one of a kind, or at least, the last of their kind.

But the photos are online only as long as the item is for sale, and given that it’s changing hands to a new owner, it may never be seen again! Once the listing is deleted, that photographic record is lost to us! Sitting there, I had a terrible panic that we were losing a valuable resource, oh my word! And proceeded to nab as many photos of the 1920-1940s dresses listed as I could. So yeah, an hour later…

Anyway, what do you think? I’ve always liked to post the lovely vintage things I see on eBay and Etsy, here on SwingFashionista. That way, even if none of us get to buy them, we can still enjoy the pictures, get inspired by the style, and maybe even use them as a reference for making our own. And well after the original listing is gone and the item has headed on to its new owner. But now I feel like I’m on a mission!

What are your thoughts? Want to join my mission? Do you have that same photo-saving habit I do? Do you have a folder on your desktop, filled with photos of pretty things from the glorious internet? So why not start your own blog? Or send them to me and I’ll always post any gathered photos of original 1920s – 1950s fashions here on SwingFashionista. Drop a comment if you have a thought!

Oh yeah, and to satisfy, here are some of those photos

Swing Kids Los Angeles

Sharon — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:33:09 +0000

Some pics of the über cool LA swing crew, which I Facebook-swiped from Chandrae Roettig. I spy some buddies of ours, like Minn Vo, Nick Williams and Katie Anderson. Looking awesome, you guys!

Emelie & Rebecka bring 50s to Gotland, Sweden

Sharon — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:18:20 +0000

I have absolutely no idea what inspired my friends Emelie & Rebecka to do this fabulous photo shoot, but it popped up on Facebook and I just can’t help but post it up here. I’m sure many of you know these fabulous swing dancing ladies from Sweden, but maybe you haven’t seen them as Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn? They might kill me, but they look so glamorous in their fifties getup, in that crazy Swedish scenery! Hopefully they’ll forgive me for posting it up here!

Katja has gone black!

Sharon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:57:37 +0000

The best bob hairdo in Lindy Hop without a doubt goes to the drop-dead gorgeous Katja Hrastar from Slovenia, and I just noticed on Facebook today that she’s gone from fiery redhead to femme fatale ebony black. Ooh la la! Either way, still the best bob since the 1920s. Luckily for us, one of her best buddies happens to be the brilliant photographer Luka Dolenc, so there’s plenty of documentation of Katja’s uber fabulous hair!

Come to think of it, Katja is a pretty smashing photographer herself. Check out her website for more photos. Anyway, check out these 1920s illustrations and you’ll see just how spot-on that ‘do is:

And of course, I can’t go without mentioning Louise Brooks, the 1920s and 30s actress who made this kind of bob iconic:

Polyvore: Blousin’ Around

Sharon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:14:37 +0000

Polyvore, the ultimate fashion procrastination tool. Here’s a simple set of blouses I would totally wear…

Click here to visit this set on Polyvore

Items in this set include:
Alexander McQueen blouse, 1,275 GBP
Christian Dior blouse, 595 GBP
Birdla.com blouse, $455
Maruione.jp blouse, $224
Luella blouse, 215 GBP

Shoes on Amazon.com

Sharon — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:43:05 +0000

So, you will have noticed the new Best of Swing & Vintage on Amazon banner in the sidebar, and this is what I’ve been procrastinating with the last week, what fun! I’ve set up my very own Amazon store, with all – well the name says it all really – the best of swing and vintage to be found on Amazon.com. It’s so fun, like curating your own collection. Anyway, the best thing though is the shoes! I mean, we all think of Amazon for books, CDs, DVDs, but I had no idea there were so many shoes!! There’s loads of styles, but for example, here’s some of my favorite granny heels:

Yeah, on Amazon! Who would of thought….

What’s Hot: International Lindy Hop Championships 2009

Sharon — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:15:48 +0000

Thanks to Toni Duguid for uploading about a million photos from this year’s International Lindy Hop Championships to Flickr. Check them all out, they’re beautiful photos! Here’s some of SwingFashionista’s favourite looks…

Frankie 95 Festival, New York City May 2009

Sharon — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:43:55 +0000

I’ve finally got around to posting up some photos of well-dressed folks at Frankie Manning’s 95th Birthday celebrations in New York in May this year. Sorry for the delay, and remember, if you have any photos from this or any swing event, of swing girls OR guys looking fine, then email them through!