40's Style Silky Dress

Today was a pretty winter's day. So I felt like taking my camera and doing some photo shoot in my backyard. Because it has been so cold here in Florida, I haven't had a chance to wear short sleeve dresses in a while. So today was a perfect day to wear my silky black dress from JCPenny's!




One of the best features of this dress is the style and the cut. And although this dress is not vintage, it definitely has that 40's vintage flare, which I absolutely love!





To add a little sparkle to my ensemble, I added my silvery necklace and earrings that I got from Avon!






The best feature of this dress is the empire style top. Here you can appreciate the details of the design. Very couture chic don't you think?






I added my silvery bow belt to the dress. Not too bad looking.







To finish my photo shoot I did a swing. Then I came back inside my house because it started to get cold again.




Chao,



Carmen







True Fact: I used to love dancing to the fifties. When I was in my mid 20's I attended a friend's party and I started to dance to the twist. Then all of the sudden I twisted my knee out of the socket. That was the end of my twisting days. When I went to see my doctor he said that he used to see more patient with this problem way back in his days. Now I understand why so many middle age folks are having knee surgery.

Photos: Copyright © 2010 Carmen Johnson.

Hedy Lamarr Hair Inspiration!

Last year I wanted to get a new look, so I got a short haircut. After several days later I realized that it wasn't for me. First, I have a roundish face. Yeap, I was endowed with big rosy cheeks. So having long hair balances off my face. Second, having long hair I have more possibilities for more hairdo's, which is a must for any girl.

Here I parted my hair in the middle. I got my inspiration from the actress Hedy Lamarr. She always looked so sophisticated with this hair style! So when I tried it for myself, I knew that it was a keeper! Now that spring is approaching, I will picking up new flowers for my hair. I can't wait to smell the flowers in bloom again!


















I just love being a girl!




Chao,



Carmen

My Little Red Dress

Winter is finally here in the Sunshine state! And I am totally getting out my warm pretty dresses! Last Sunday when I decided to wear my little red dress, it was very cold. So I couldn't go out bare arm. That day I wore a wool gray jacket over my dress, and added my black fur.

The weather here in Florida changes drastically. One minute it is crispy cold, and then before you know it you are melting like a snow girl. For that reason, I make sure to layer with light and heavyweight clothing.

Here I am in my Paris room and modeling my little red mod dress. This sleeveless knitted dress makes me feel like little red riding hood. Going along with my mod theme, I did my bangs in a half way french twist, and left the rest of the hair loose. For accessories, I added a sterling silver pink earrings, my black sleek gloves, and a glittery belt with a black bow, that I found by the way at my favorite thrift store!



















In the last two pictures you can appreciate my glittery belt better. Because the dress was a bit short for me, I added a black lacy ribbon on the bottom seam of the dress, which I think added more character to the dress!


Enjoy your weekend!



Chao,



Carmen

In Vogue: The Illustrated History

The other day hubby and I went to the book store for some relaxation and inspiration. Yes, we both are book worm, though he more than me. We have this routine where we both get our different reading materials and then we meet in one of those comfy chairs. So I went to my favorite girly fashion and beauty isle, while he went to the history section. Then that is when I saw the new beautifully illustrated book, "In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine." I have been wanting to get my hands on this book since it's been out. And there it was right in front of my nose!

This book is a compilation of illustrations and fashion of Vogue magazine throughout history. My first impression: This book is dark, tall, and handsome!

The white and black photograph on the cover of the book caught my attention. I wanted to right away dive into it's pages. This book is as big as an encyclopedia! So when I tried to pick it up from the shelf, I realized that I needed man power. So I asked hubby to help me take it to my seat.

After I finally sat down and got cozy, and I opened the first few pages, I knew that this will be a book that many fashionistas would want to have. This book is filled with vintage pictures and illustrations that made Vogue famous. I especially loved the stories behind the scenes. You will get to learn the different takes and techniques that photographers had back many years ago. It's interesting to note how models and fashion have changed over the years. As a retrochic, I loved looking at the fashion photos of the 20's through the 60's.

For me this book is one of the most beautiful fashionpedia book that I have ever seen. If you like Vogue, fashion, and history of fashion this is the book for you!

I wish that I could have taken this book home. It is quite the price for my modest pocketbook. At the book store it cost $75. But don't worry, you can still buy it used for about half the price, which is worth every penny!


I just love fashion inspiration!



Chao,



Carmen

Winter Scarf & Hairdo

My black and white winter scarf is very precious to me, because it was given to me as a gift from a dear friend of mine. She has great talent when it comes to knitting and making unique things. I absolutely love how this scarf looks on me! I feel totally sophisticated and stylish!

Do you like my new hairdo? Well I got inspired when I saw the actress Hedy Lamarr in the movie Ziegfield Girls. In this movie she had her hair parted in the middle. So last night I parted my hair in the middle then I set my hair in pin curls. This morning I unwind the curls, and gently styled my hair and viola!


I love my new hairdo!







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Enjoy your day!



Chao,


Carmen

P.S. I found out that Hedy Lamarr lived in Orlando. Not far away from where I live. This is a small world after all!

The Blues Walked in

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...and met me.




Chao,



Carmen

Retro Biker Chic

I am totally excited because the weather is nice and cool. And that will mean that I could finally ride my bike!





I love feeling the cool wind on my face when I am riding my bike.






I believe that a girl should always look presentable no matter where she goes. When I go for a ride I always wear my sun glasses. Being that I live in Florida, it is very sunny and bright here. Also I love pulling my hair away from my face, so that way I could see where I am going. Here I am wearing a purplish and green scarf. I love these black sunglasses, there are so Jackie O.





I can't wait to start riding my three wheel bike. Oh, you thought that I was talking about riding a motorcycle. Oh no, I don't ride motorcycles. I like having safe fun, thanks.


I still like being called Retro Biker Chic, though.


Chao,



Carmen

Pretty in Pearls

Regardless of what is in fashion, pearls will never go out of style. I think every girl should own a pair of pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. A set of pearlies, completes any girl outfit.



Here I am posing with a one of my favorites red dress and wearing my pearls. Sometimes it is kind of hard to see what outfit work with pearls. But you will be amazed how pearls works well with most outfits. You can't go wrong when wearing pearls!




Today I pampered my self. I took a long refreshing shower. I then set my hair with curlers. While I was waiting my hair to dry, I started working on my makeup. One of the videos tutorials that I have on Time Warp Wives showed how to make curvy lips. And if it worked for Marilyn, it could work for anyone!






Red have always been one of my favorite colors. I think I look great in this red dress and wearing my pearls, don't you think?


I totally feel pretty in pearls!


Have a great weekend!


Chao,


Carmen

My Finger Waves

As I promised here is my first attempt of the famous finger waves! I wanted to have that 30's Hollywood hair style. So far I think that my new hairdo came out looking classy. Yes, as you have noticed I did indeed cut my hair. Two weeks or so ago when my sister was in town she wanted to treat me for a hair cut. She herself has a short hair cut and I absolutely loved it! So I went ahead for a shorter look. My sister's hair is naturally curly, so she pretty much can make her retro hairdo anytime without the need to pin-curl her hair.





Doing the finger waves right takes a great deal of skill. It took me several attempts when I started to make the S form on my bangs. Then when I finally got the right style, I made sure to pin it right away. Now the other side didn't come out the way I wanted. After I took out my bobby pins, that part looked like if I put my finger in a electrical socket! There were several reasons why that side might have not come out right. First, I couldn't figure out how to do the S form from a different angle. And second, my hair was not as damp as the other side was when I started my hairdo.





One thing for sure is that doing my finger waves was a lot of fun! Though if you want a professional finger wave look, you may want to have somebody do it for you. Especially when it comes to the hard to reach back part of the hair. Unless you have a bathroom full of mirrors, and flexible arms, your finger waves will end up looking like a tidal wave instead!


Even though my hairdo wasn't all totally finger waved, I still love how it came out!


My goal for this Summer will be to try to master this art.



Chao,



Carmen

Soft Hair and Makeup!

These are some close-up photo shoot that I took with my lacy slip dress. Whenever I wear something soft and feminine it makes me feel romantic! So I decided to add some soft waves to my hair, which I did by doing pin-curls. For my makeup, I wore a soft rosy-brown lipstick for my lips. And for my eyes I applied a golden-white eye shadow. And to complete the whole look, I delineated my eyes with liquid eye liner and extended an upper cat- eye tip.

And viola! A soft and romantic look, perfect for a diner date!











I just love being a girl!

Bows & Pin-Stripes

I have a great issue of a Bazaar Harper magazine that had Victorian girls wearing vertical stockings. I always wanted to see how a pair of vertical stockings would look on me. So I was excited when I received my stockings by mail, I just couldn't wait to try them right away!



As a petite woman, I am always trying to add some inches, either by wearing heels or a tall hairdo.



So when I first tried on my new pin-stripe stockings, I totally loved the effect! My legs looked lean and tall!



One of my favorite part of my pin-stripe stockings and my shoes are the satin bows! Aren't these cute? So Parisian!



My whole ensemble!

*Black dress ~ JCrew.
*Pin-stripe stockings~ Sock Dreams.
*Black & White t-strap shoes~ Newport.


Chao,


Carmen

Pigtails with a French Twist!

My hair is a bit long right now for this hot Summer weather. So what do I do to remedy this? Pigtails! I know that I am past the pigtails age. Though being that I love retro hairdo's, I wanted to give my pigtails a more sophisticated look. And I think I made it work!


What I did was that I first parted my hair on the side.


Then I got my bangs into a half high french twist. To keep it in place, I used bobby pins.


I then section my right and left hair towards behind my ears, and made two evenly pigtails.


And viola, you get a retro pigtails hairdo with a French twist!


What a great Summer hairdo!



I am loving it!

My Polka-Dots

Here is me in my Paris room and posing with my favorite wrapper polka-dot dress! I think every girl that loves to wear vintage should have a polka-dot dress. I personally love a black dress with white polka-dots. I think it is much more elegant than a white dress with black polka-dots.



The wrapper dress is so versatile and forgiving. No matter if you gain a few pounds here, or there, it will still fit your figure! Also my dress is made out of a silky material with a touch of spandex, which requires no ironing. Perfect for a busy girl!



To add a punch of color to my outfit, I wore my wine satin wrap three-inch heels. Now I am ready to go dancing!




My whole ensemble!

*Black & white polka-dot dress~ Newport News.
*Wine satin wrap shoes~ Bakers.
*Silky black long gloves~ Mall.
*White small pearl earrings~ My parents! So perfect!


Chao,


Carmen