liebemarlene vintage

More oversized bows at fashion156.com

2008-07-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

To be honest I'm kind of lazy today, so I'm going to take the easy way out and direct you all over to the wonderful fashion156.com blog, where I'm doing a little guest blogging. My first post went up today, and I couldn't be more excited . . . Especially because their current issue is one of my favorites yet, celebrating big hair that looks like clouds. It's actually inspiring me to go out in the Atlanta humidity!

New this week . . .

2008-07-24T21:46:00.001-07:00

Lovely things that somehow found their way to my mailbox

2008-07-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

I hardly ever go to malls and aside from thrift stores of course, I probably end up buying most of my things online. It's fun getting packages in the mail, but sometimes I end up getting things that I've forgotten I ever paid for and I do end up feeling guilty. Especially now that I'm moving to the city, where everything is bound to be a bit more expensive.

Oh well . . . I can at least try to remind myself that I got good deals on everything, like the Farylrobin pumps above that were on sale plus an additional 25% off at the Shoefly summer sale. They remind me of '40s dancing shoes with their thick heels and little peep toes.

And this yarn was definitely a deal. Remember that '40s cardigan I said I was going to knit? I got the pattern book a few weeks ago and went straight out to a knitting store to get enough yarn to make it. Only it happened to be one of those chi chi little yarn stores that I absolutely hate--snobby workers, lots of fancy European knitting books filled with kind of cheesy patterns and plenty of high-end yarn to knit them with. It was all so expensive, and when I did the math in my head I realized that it would have cost me $80.00 to knit a tiny sweater.

So I went home and ordered yarn from Knitpicks instead, and ended up paying $22.00, including shipping, for pretty grey all-wool yarn. I've used Knitpicks yarn before and I really like it--I'm sure it's not as fancy as that knitting store's English yarns that cost $16.00 a skein, but it does the trick. I don't think I'm fancy enough to notice the difference. Plus when you think about it, ladies in the '40s who knit up the same cardigan I'm making didn't use fancy yarns. They used acrylic blends with funny names like Kwiltee and Moralon, and probably would have found Knitpicks yarns to be fancy.

The rest of my week is going to be filled with packing, and I'm determined not to buy anything else. Though if I come across the perfect buttons for my cardigan I'll let myself get them. I'm having the hardest time!

In the country

2008-07-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

Photos modified by Kumar!

Dress: H&M
Purse: Salvation Army
T-strap pumps: swap from The Snail and the Cyclops
Sunglasses: America's Thrift

Today after I finished taking pictures for this week's listings I drove off to the country to take some more pictures for the blog. And it was so lovely that it made me feel a little sad to know that I'm leaving Athens in just a week . . . I'm moving closer to Atlanta because it's just the logical thing to do, but in lots of ways I wish I could live somewhere pretty and quiet and far away from traffic and bad music-playing neighbors (mine play girl music and acoustic singer-songwriter nonsense).

Growing up in a small town in Illinois made me determined that I was going to move to the city as soon as I could. I always just assumed that I was a city person, and it took a few years of living in one to show me that I'm much happier in smaller towns. I suppose it's because it's what I'm used to. Now I think that the countryside is pretty, but when I was an angsty teenager in Illinois cornfields and old farms just used to depress me. Now I get more depressed by sidewalks filled with people and cars everywhere.

Oh well . . . at least I can still dress for the country even when I live in the city. This dress from H&M that I felt oh so guilty for buying a few weeks back is now one of my favorite summer dresses to wear. It's light and pretty, and everyone who sees it assumes that it's vintage. Of course Elizabeth Hawes would still disapprove and roll her eyes at me, but I like it.

Inspiration: Antebellum Southern Belles (or at least the 1930s film versions of them . . . )

2008-07-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

While visiting my family in Tennessee this weekend, we all went to a lovely little Southern town called Leiper's Fork to hear bluegrass music. And it was lots of fun, but as we were leaving we saw that a huge movie screen had been set up next door, and lots of people were sitting under the prettiest little arbor watching the '30s film Jezebel. And as much fun as I had watching bluegrass I kind of wished that I had been outside watching Bette Davis being bitchy instead.

Jezebel is one of those terrific fashion rebellion films, which makes it extra interesting to me. It's about the consequences of breaking fashion rules in strict times (well, ok, it's about a lot more than that too)--I guess this is a spoiler, but Bette chooses to wear a red dress over a white one to a ball and ends up losing her man because of it. Now I admire Bette for being a rebel, and I suppose that if I were going to a party where every girl was to be wearing white, I would go for something shocking too. (Actually Kumar and I stumbled upon an all-white wearing party in Memphis--it was so creepy that we didn't even want to crash it). But the white dress she's wearing above is so much prettier than the red one she wears . . .

Living in the south has made me suddenly interested in antebellum fashion--when I visited Belle Meade plantation with my family I would lean in close to paintings of rich southern women to see what they were wearing . . . it's so interesting to see all of the frills and sheer fabrics and pale colors that seem to have been absent from Northern fashions of the time. And I've never been much of a Gone With the Wind fan, but suddenly I almost want to watch the film again, just to get inspiration. And I think that going to the Margaret Mitchell museum and doing a blog post on it is a must. After all, when I move I'll be so close to it.

These two dresses are going in the store this week, but they have such a southern belle prettiness about them that I'm tempted to keep at least one. We'll see, though . . . I'm determined to get my closet smaller before I move. Plus I already have a southern belle pink dress from the '50s that I've been meaning to alter . . . I'll try to stop being lazy about it and get it done this week, I promise!

Top left photo can be found here. Be sure to read the back-story on it too!

2008-07-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to get this drawing from the lovely Ines (check out her blog to see more of her work!!!) She based it on an outfit photo of mine from a few weeks back, and sort of prettied it up, making me look cuter than I really am and so very, very calm! It's nice to look at, because at the moment I'm just nervous, still hunting for an apartment so I'll have a place to go when my lease runs out. So that explains my deadbeat posting lately. But once I find an apartment I promise I'll be a better blogger!

Shortened '30s Dresses and Weddings

2008-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks again for all your comments on my '30s dress post . . . even to the purists who disagreed with me! I did feel guilty about shortening the dress for a while, but some of you made such good points in the comments section . I especially loved the comment about how women in the '30s and '40s would have done the same thing, shortened an old dress to make it more modern and wearable.

Anyway I know I never would have worn the dress out in its original state, but I got to take it out last night in Memphis and ended up having a great time. I know, I kept complaining about this wedding, but it did turn out to be fun--I got to see lots of friends from the Midwest, and we danced to Beatles songs! Except I tap-danced, or tried to at least.

New this week . . .

2008-07-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

Please don't get mad, but . . .

2008-07-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

I shortened a '30s dress! Last night at around 3 AM while watching Joan Blondell movies . . . I promise that I set out to make it a bit longer, but when I stood in front of a mirror trying out different lengths on me I just realized that '30s dresses have such a funny straight shape and high waist that they need either an extra long length or extra short one to make them look proportionate. The knee-length placed hem I originally wanted to sew in would have looked all wrong.

So those are my excuses. Along with this one: I love '30s dresses and I have a few in my closet but I never wear them. They're just too long--wearing them out would make me feel like I was in costume. So I rationalized to myself that by making this dress shorter I'd be making it more wearable. And doesn't a dress with a perfect oversized bow and puffed sleeves deserve to be worn out a lot?

Actually I still feel really guilty. I like the dress on--it surprisingly works--but I feel a bit sad for changing it up so much. Well not as much as I should, I guess. I'm sort of just in a wedding-dreading mood. That's what I should really be feeling guilty about, how un-sentimental and un-romantic I am! It's terrible. I told my mom I was going to bring a book to this wedding, and she said, You're just like your father!

This week's listings . . .

2008-07-17T00:28:00.000-07:00

1960s Mary Janes
'60s yellow chain t-straps
Navy Ferragamo bow pumps
White leather oxfords

Here's a peek at just a couple of things that will be listed tomorrow evening. My apologies for the late listings again this week! I like Wednesdays better, but apartment hunting pushed my work back a bit this time. Hopefully I'll be back on track for next week. I'm also planning on listing a bunch of dresses from my closet to make packing a little easier, so there should be some familiar pieces for sale within the next few weeks.

Film Star Inspiration: Joan Blondell

2008-07-16T21:12:00.000-07:00

Stills from Gold Diggers of 1933 . . .

One of my favorite stars of pre-code Hollywood films is Joan Blondell, who had a reputation as a fast-talking, tough girl with a heart. She's actually kind of the opposite of a lot of the fragile-looking silent film stars I've been posting photos of . . . She didn't really play the tragic leading lady roles--she was better as the wise-cracking best friend or scheming gangster's mol. She could get away with risque (for the time) double entrees and blackmail schemes while still remaining absolutely likable . . . most of the time more so than the heroine, which probably wasn't intended, but oh well!

Joan is one of my favorites not just for her toughness but also for her wonderful on-screen wardrobes. I've probably watched three of her films this week, and I think it's to get inspiration for the '30s dress I'm planning on wearing to the wedding this week. I still haven't shortened it yet--I got kind of mixed reactions on that plan, so I think I might compromise and make it shorter, but not exactly a mini. I'm hoping it will turn out, because I don't have any other ideas!

I'll show it to you later this week. For now, here's Joan Blondell being Joan Blondell (and wearing a cute sailor outfit too!):

More blog inspiration: Casey's Musings

2008-07-15T21:59:00.000-07:00

It was funny, because tonight I was planning on doing a post on all of the wonderful images from 1940s Seventeen magazines that Casey has found and how they pretty much inspired the basis of my summer '08 wardrobe. And I wanted to write about the dresses she sews up from vintage patterns and how they make me want to learn to sew better, and also how I might steal one of her '40s hairstyle ideas for this weekend's wedding . . .

But then I saw that Casey listed me and my blog as an inspiration! Which is really quite an honor coming from a girl who's smart enough to appreciate Claire McCardell and silent film star frizzy hair!

Now I'm rotten at tag posts (in case you couldn't tell already) but I'd like to list a few blogs that inspire me with their fashion nerdiness (I mean this as the best kind of compliment, btw!) and also for going beyond standard fashion blog fare to include other passions and interests.

Apartment hunting

2008-07-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

'50s juniors dress: Etsy
Crinoline skirt: thrifted
Bow belt: thrifted
Necklace that says "carol": thrifted
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

This weekend I've been doing more apartment hunting than vintage clothing hunting, which is probably a good thing since I'm moving at the first of next month. It's the most scary, stressful thing ever, especially since I'm doing most of my hunting in the city, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not a city person.

Oh well. I'm bound to find something. And it was just fun spending today with Kumar wandering the Virginia Highlands part of town while being a little bit over-dressed in a '50s dress with a full skirt that made me want to twirl around like a little fool. I just got this dress in the mail last week and it's already one of my favorite dresses in my closet . . .. '50s dresses may hate my body type, but I've found that '50s junior's dresses work much better for me. Plus they're usually cuter than the adult versions, complete with all those bows and lace trimmings and other bells and whistles that I ought to hate but don't.

Elizabeth Hawes and H&M dresses . . .

2008-07-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today I had big plans to take the new '50s dress I just bought off of Etsy to some place pretty and do a Wardrobe Remix photo shoot, but it was raining so I wore something else and went shopping instead.

Now I'm not really sure why I even bother going shopping. Yesterday Kumar and I went to the (dance club!) mall and I bought nothing at all--the more I buy vintage the less I feel like buying from the stores I used to get most of my clothes from, like Urban Outfitters (Too hipster for my taste now) and Anthropologie (pretty but too expensive). I suppose my exception is H&M, which having been open here only a couple weeks, still has that novelty factor for me. So I braved the rain and the crowds and went there to "browse."

I say browse because when I really think about it I'd rather not buy from H&M. My reasons aren't noble ones, either. Mainly it's just the quality. Even though H&M might be inexpensive, I can spend less on something vintage and get better quality along with it. Now sometimes I find well-made pieces at H&M, such as the white floral skirt I bought a few weeks back. And I like their basics, too. But today I was sort of sad to see racks of crumpled up, wrinkled cotton dresses and thin jersey tops.

I probably just notice this more now because of the Elizabeth Hawes I'm reading and all of her tirades against mass-produced fashion. I think it's fascinating to read about her struggles in moonlighting as a designer of mass-produced dresses in the 1930s. From what it sounds like, the quality of $1.95 department store dresses back then wasn't too different from the $29.99 chain store dress of today:

"It's almost impossible for me to get into print what I feel when I look at a dress which is obviously made of a material that you could shoot peas through, that has no shape of any kind, but just a belt around the waist so the customer can pretend it fits there, the whole topped by some disgusting trimming which has been added without reference to the line of the dress, which doesn't exist in any case."

The part about trimmings is what really gets me. As a designer, Hawes was known for her simple dresses that were stylish rather than fashionable; even though it wasn't profitable for her, she wanted to sell women dresses they could wear for years without having to get a new one each season. She wasn't into trimmings like bows and what she thought were silly embellishments--to her these were just things American mass-producers stuck onto dresses and blouses to distract the buyer's eyes from the cheapness of the fabric.

Now this is what has been going through my head lately when I think of mass-produced clothing; yesterday at Urban Outfitters I'd run my fingers along little cotton dresses and think, "cheap!" But what did I buy today at H&M? A thin cotton day dress that looks like a cheap version of a 1940s one. With a cute vintage-style print and bow of all things. Elizabeth Hawes would turn over in her grave if she saw it. Terrible!

Things that make me happy . . .

2008-07-11T19:12:00.001-07:00

The adorable FashionFake tagged me with the "Tree of Happiness" so that I can list 6 things that make me happy. I'm usually pretty bad at responding to "tags" but this is one that's so nice that I have to do a post for it. So here goes . . .

1. Visiting my family and seeing my dog Scarlet . . . . I'm going to Memphis on Friday for that awful wedding (I'm not starting out very positively, I know--it's my best friend's so I should be nicer, but I don't think she reads this anyway, and if she did it'd be a good way to get a rise out of her), and then Kumar and I are going to Nashville to visit my parents, sister Lauren, and my lovely dog. I couldn't be more excited!

2. Coffee in the morning . . . I'm obsessed with coffee and drink it 3 times a day on average, but it's so especially wonderful in the morning. Lately I've been drinking iced coffee that I'll make the night before with a French Press, using this recipe, and being a lazy person, it's really the only thing that can get me out of bed.

3. Going to Borders with Kumar . . . I know I've mentioned it a lot already. One of my favorite things to do is to go to Borders or Barnes and Noble and sit for an hour or two with a coffee and a stack of foreign magazines. It's the best way to get inspiration, and it stops me from shelling out $20 a magazine on all those lovely ones I'm so tempted to buy.

4. Watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals . . . These are the most escapist movies in the world, and were meant to be so, with their fake big white art deco sets and elegant characters who aren't phased in the least by the great Depression. Whenever I'm sad all I want to do is watch Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

5. Going to antique malls . . . It seems like most of the things that make me happy do so because they calm me down. I hate stress--I love to be lazy and to have all the time in the world to do things like visit antique malls. To be honest, ever since starting my Ebay store thrift stores aren't quite as fun--I still love them, but I feel extra pressure to find good things for the store. But I can spend hours in antique malls along with all the old people, walking slowly and wasting lots of time. It's so much fun that I don't even mind not finding anything to buy.

6. Running on the treadmill . . . Well I don't really like the actual process of running, but something about it calms me down, and I get a little antsy and weird whenever the fitness center isn't open. Plus lately I've been running while reading my Elizabeth Hawes biography, and the time just flies by . . . More on Elizabeth Hawes later. I'm waiting until I finish "Fashion is Spinach" to do a decent book review on it. That book is lovely . . . it's probably the 7th thing that makes me happy.

Another rainy day

2008-07-10T21:39:00.000-07:00

'40s day dress: America's Thrift Store in Alabama

Purse: thrift store in IL

Belt: thrift store

Bow pin: Alabama fairgrounds flea market

Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

It's been raining all week and it's the worst, but I managed to get some pictures taken before tonight's storms. I'm going back to Athens tomorrow to send out this week's Ebay auctions . . . As for today I took advantage of being in Atlanta by doing some more shopping for the store and going with Kumar to Borders for inspiration.

New this week . . .

2008-07-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Presenting this week's auctions, mostly finds from Alabama. I'm especially excited about the navy 1940s day dress with the crocheted bow on the skirt!

Thanks to all of you who bid on tonight's auctions. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be shipping out items a few days late this week . . . Tonight in Athens we had a short-lived but crazy lightening storm that set my building on fire! I was terrified. As I was standing in the parking lot all I could think of was my rack of clothes for Ebay, so I snuck up to my apartment and rescued all the dresses for this week. Fortunately no one was hurt in the fire, and I guess I got lucky because my apartment was far at the end of the building where the least damage occurred. It still smells like smoke though. And I'm staying in Atlanta until it's safe to go back. So hopefully I'll get back to Athens tomorrow or Friday to ship out tonight's ended auction items. It kills me to wait so long to send out items that have been already paid for, but I promise I'll have them out in the mail by the end of the week! Thanks for your patience!

Etsy finds . . .

2008-07-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

These two dresses are some of the cutest things on Etsy at the moment, but sadly my crazily shaped body with its extra ribs would never put up with the tiny waist measurements.

It kills me to see both listings still up, so someone please buy them! Otherwise I just might buy them to hang up on my wall, and these dresses deserve to be worn on picnics and walks through the woods.

1950s Polka Dot dress from Thomasina.

'70s Floral Flutter dress from the lovely lebonbonmulticolore.

Vintage Knitting

2008-07-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever done a post here on my love of knitting. Probably because I haven't knit anything in a year--which is how old this blog is, I think (the poor old thing hit its one year birthday sometime last month without my even noticing). I learned how to knit in college but never really got into the habit of knitting wearable clothes until it finally hit me that I could knit up vintage patterns in new yarns. 2 years ago, in my most obsessive knitting phase ever, I couldn't get enough of patterns from the '30s. The sweaters above were made in that time when I used to knit for hours and hours every day while watching Busby Berkeley musicals. It got strange after a while so I gave it up and got out of the habit.

My yarn and needles are stored away somewhere at the back of my messy closet, but I think want to drag them out and start knitting again. And my inspiration, I kind of hate to admit, is a Sienna Miller movie! Film stills from The Edge of Love have been surfacing over the last few months in numerous fashion blogs, and they are making me want to pair little '40s dresses with cable cardigans.

Hopefully more Edge of Love stills will show up on the internet for inspiration, because I don't think I want to see the movie (looks so dramatic!), but who knows. This weird '40s clothing obsession I've had lately might make me go see it. Or at least rent it on dvd and put it on mute.

PS--here are a few sites offering lovely (and free!) knitting patterns:

Vintage Purls

'40s Patterns from the Victoria and Albert

Photos: Stills from The Edge of Love, cutest bobble cardigan in the world from the equally cute Cherry Blossom Girl, the (late '30s) cable knit cardigan I'll probably end up knitting.

Classic movie star inspiration: Madge Bellamy

2008-07-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the blurry photos--I took them of the TV with my camera, and its my new favorite pastime! (along with going to Wal Mart)

Last night I saw Madge Bellamy in the silent film "Lorna Doone" (according to Robert Osborne the new remastered version shown by TCM was produced by a 19 year old Atlanta kid! I want to be his friend!) and didn't care too much for the clothes, but fell in love with Madge's hairstyles. I think the reason I seem to favor silent film stars with long dark frizzy hair is because I've got long dark frizzy hair myself, and I get lots of inspiration from girls like Madge and Mabel Normand who'd never let a little Southern humidity bother them. In this case I ended up wanting to track down some white hair bows to pin in my hair a little messily.

The movie also made me want to find out more about Madge Bellamy, who I hardly knew anything about. She seems interesting--she looked innocent and usually played ingenue roles, but according to Wikipedia "had a reputation of being difficult to work with, led a lavish life, attending all night parties and events on a regular basis." And even better: "In 1943 she shot her lover, Stanwood Murphy, which generated much publicity at the time and finished her career. At the time of the shooting she was quoted as saying, "I only winged him, which is what I meant to do. Believe me, I'm a crack shot""

This really shouldn't make me like her more, but it does! Her autobiography is now on my reading wishlist.

This weekend's finds . . .

2008-07-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

I usually do a surprisingly decent job of parting with my vintage finds . . . but not this week. Alabama was as wonderful as I hoped it would be; It was my first time visiting Alabama in my life, and I was kind of surprised at how pretty it was compared to where I live in Georgia (Georgia's wonderful in places but I don't really live in a pretty section of it). There were so many hills and lovely old '20s skyscrapers in Birmingham, and lots of pretty buildings just sitting there empty.

So it wasn't surprising that the thrift stores there were great. At the very first America's Thrift store Kumar and I went to I found the '40s day dress above, in a specially marked "vintage" section! I've been looking for '40s cotton day dresses online lately and have had such a hard time finding one in my size, so I was shocked to find one at a thrift store.

It's probably going straight to my closet, along with the '30s navy polka dot dress. It was actually found tonight in Atlanta at an antique store. I hardly wear the two 1930s dresses I already have, but this one one so perfect with its puffed sleeves and oversized bow that I couldn't leave it behind. It reminds me too much of Joan Blondell and Ruby Keeler in all the Bugsby Berkeley musicals I've been so obsessed with lately. But to make this one a little more wearable I think I'm going to take the risk of upsetting vintage clothing purists and turn it into a mini dress. It's so long as it is . . . I'm in love with every thing about dresses from the '30s except for their dowdy, calf-hitting lengths, and I've always wanted to see a dress from the era turned into a '60s style mini but never had the nerve to do it myself.

I found this '50s John Romain bag at the same antique store. I still haven't decided whether or not I'll sell it--it would look so pretty in the store, but maybe just as pretty on display in my room. We'll see. Anyway to make another excuse I've been looking for a doctor's style bag for a long time, and this is the closest I've found to it. So there's a good chance I'll just keep it.

Sadly that flea market I bragged about going to turned out to be something of a bust. It wasn't the worst one I've been to at all (that honor goes to one--actually two--very close to Athens that sell mostly imported junk and stolen goods) but it was very small. Just around 7 booths all spread out in a giant stadium at the Alabama fairgrounds. Fortunately a few of them were good, and I managed to find the little bow pin and also a few pretty birthday cards from the '40s that will probably end up going into an inspiration book of some kind.

Of course I won't keep everything I've found this weekend, though. I found a wonderful navy day dress from the '40s, a pair of '60s mary janes, and lots of other things that will hopefully find their way to the store this week.

4th of July!

2008-07-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

Dress: thrift store in TN
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell
Locket: antique store
Purse: Value Village
Glasses: store in Athens

Photos and editing by Kumar!

We're having a little 4th of July party tonight and then tomorrow Kumar and I are off to Alabama for a thrift store/flea market adventure, partly inspired by Sally Jane Vintage and all the wonderful things she's found at Alabama thrift stores. I'm excited!

I really wanted to wear a pair of light grey tights with this but it's just too hot out for anything like that. And it kind of makes me jealous of girls who live in cooler places where the weather's unpredictable enough for layering and wearing tights. Even in Illinois last summer I can remember wearing jackets and cardigans sometimes, at least when it rained, and it just never rains here . . . . Oh well. I guess it gives me an excuse to buy more vintage sundresses that are cute enough to stand out by themselves. And this week alone I've bought two on Etsy and Ebay, so I think I might need to stop. Though I do have my eye on a '50s floral dress to wear to an obligatory wedding coming up . . . Can you tell I love going to weddings? I really don't. And to make it all worse this one happens to be scheduled for the same weekend I was going to go see Jarvis Cocker for the first time. I'm still sad!

Lucky!

2008-07-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

click on the photo to see it full-sized!

A few months ago I went on a spur-of-the-moment trip to New York and I promised I'd tell you all the reason eventually . . . I'm amazed I managed to keep it a secret--I was so excited, but maybe also half scared that it was all too good to be true and that nothing would ever come out of it.

But yesterday I got proof that it really is true: I'm in Lucky Magazine! A Lucky editor contacted me back in May about making an appearance as their Lucky Girl for August, and of course I said yes, so in a matter of weeks I was in New York being made up and styled and photographed.

I was so nervous that I didn't even think about asking if I could take photos of the studio for my blog. Fortunately Kumar was there and took secret photos of the shoot with his phone. Again he told me not to credit him, but I think it's silly for me not to. So thank you, Kumar, for the behind-the-scenes photos and also for photoshopping together the wonderful top image.

Back to the shoot . . . I've never been to a professional photo shoot or in a magazine setting of any kind, so it was interesting just to watch. It all took place in a big white studio with little sets and an area for hair and makeup and a little changing room with a rack to hang my dresses on. All the outfits I wore were my own--I brought about 6 of them along with me, and a stylist helped me pick out pieces to wear in different photos. I ended up wearing 4 outfits and being photographed for around 4 hours . . . By the end of it I was so tired that I wasn't even nervous any more.

Right after the shoot Kumar and I were back on our planes to Atlanta. And for the next couple months I had to manage to keep quiet about the whole thing on my blog. And in the meantime I answered some more interview questions for the story and also got to provide little quotes on the pieces the Lucky editors picked out. None of those items are really in my closet--if that $400 Nanette Lepore jacket was mine I'm sure you all would have seen it before. The pieces were just chosen because they more or less represented my style (the jacket and Moschino Cheap & Chic flats were my favorites though!).

I got my hands on the August issue yesterday at Barnes & Noble here in Athens and was absolutely nervous to see it. But I think it turned out well. My cheesy smiles remind me why I don't usually smile with my teeth in photos, but that's my own fault. The photographer did a lovely job and the whole feature looks so professional that I still can't believe I'm really in it!

New this week . . .

2008-07-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

More Silent Film Star Inspiration

2008-07-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

Dolores Costello

Louise Brooks

Doris Kenyon

Lya de Putti

Margaret Livingston

Betty Compson

Click on photos to see them in their Flickr photostreams . . .