My Own Vintage Clothing Fashion Magazine ,July ,"Island Inspiration and a Bloggyland Guest Star"!

------------------------------------ Aloha! ----------------------------------------
I have collected Hawaiian vintage bark cloth dressses or muumuus forever.In my single days(daze),I would snap them up at the thrift store ,immediately hack them off into a mini ,pair with cowboy boots,and thus set out to get my boogie toe on!Our bloggy land guest star today would probably find my flippant actions highly irreverant,NOOOOO,not for shaking my boogie toe!For slicing and dicing this classic island dress!Crooked Halo is shown above in an early fave of mine I still wear(only no longer as a mini,thank goodness for skinny jeans!).
I'm sure most of you know the delightfully funny and artistic site that is Miz Smoochie Lips !Ah... but please take a look at the gorgeous creature herself as we explore this honest to goodness real-life island girls vintage passion!
TIA :Here we go.... (checking the mirror to make sure there's not broccoli stuck in my two front teeth).
JDP 1)You have an amazing and beautiful collection of muumuus. is there a particular reason for your love of the classic island dress?

TIA:I am an island girl, born in the South Pacific Island of Ponape (Pohnpei) - sounded out like Pawn-uh-pay - and was fortunate to be adopted by Americans when I was a toddler. As the saying goes, you can leave the islands, but the islands never leave you.
This is so true... I have a fondness for all things tropical... but the clothing - ohhhh so comfortable and glamorous and colorful - all in one!
JDP 2)Where did you find all of them ?

TIA :I've been fortunate to find most of them on Ebay, some in local thrift stores, and I have a couple skirts made in my home island which are custom day wear for the ladies. The skirts are sometimes worn up around the breasts (sometimes covering them, sometimes not!!) like you'd wear a sundress... If you need to be more modest, you might wear a tshirt underneath.

It's quite comfortable, actually, and I wear this out of the shower, or even on hot hot day.... it's amazing how un-constricting a skirt is on a hot day.
(worn as a skirt)
(detail of the beautiful cutwork)
(worn as a dress)
editors note:I gotta get me one of these!
JDP 3)Have you worn all of them and where do you wear them?

TIA :Yes! I wear them!!! Quite often. However, I've found that vintage sizes do not run true to today's sizes... so a few mistakes led me to buying ones that are too tiny for my fluffy waistline. I keep them just the same because you never know who will need to borrow one!

I've worn them out to dinner, I've worn them to a formal ball, I wear them when entertaining during the holidays and even just to lounge around the house. I've even worn them shopping out and about...

(adjustment ties for "fluffy waistlines")
JDP 4)How do you accessorize them?

TIA :They really don't need much accessories thanks to their color and fabulous designs. Normally I throw my hair up and pop a flower (the larger the better!) in my updo, or I tuck one behind my ear and wear my hair down. Sometimes I twist it into a chignon and slip a flower to one side of it also. So basically, all it needs is a flower in your hair.

Depending on how dressy or how casual the muumuu is, I'll either wear strappy sandals or just flipflops! Never with nylons. Muumuus and nylons are just taboo....


JDP 5)Which one is your favorite?

TIA:I have 2 favorites. The first one I paid a pretty mint for on Ebay, but I fell in love with the design of the piece with the mermaid skirt and the beautiful sleeve and bust detail...



TIA :The second one is so glam with the neckline and the color coordination - and the huge bright flowers...
...this is the one I also wore to my husband's ball last year.

JDP 6)Thank you sooo much for sharing with us it has been such fun getting to know you and your vintage passion better,is there any other special thoughts ,stories or collecting tips,you would like to share?

TIA :I've run across people who don't collect things because they'll just collect dust. I say, collect USEFUL things or something dear to your heart... maybe something that invokes a memory, or something that speaks to you. Instead of running to Target and purchasing a sugar dish for 14 dollars, check out your thrift, antique or garage sales until you find one that brings a bit of nostalgia into your kitchen! I've noticed that most of the things I hoard...er, collect... have become conversation starters, conjured up great memories for my friends, and even inspired some of them to take on the thrill of the hunt on the road to collecting!
JDP :Smoochie Dahlink,I couldn't agree more with you!So do you all think being the hoarder...er,collector(thanx for the distinction Tia!)that Smoochie and I might possibly have one of the same garments?
You bet your sweet Plumeria blossom we do!Naturally I have altered it with a bit of re-styling (sounds much less irreverant than hacking the hem off,huh?),this time the excess was used as a baby dress(made by my amazing mother) for my babes, a kind of mommy and me dress.I know "wheres the pic of the baby dress?",its... um...well ,okay, its HOARDED back...um...somewhere.

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...............and now for some PAGODA-FIED ALOHA...........................

For our family trip to Hawaii last November,my goal was for all of us girls to wear vintage Aloha-wear.My favorite look for walking around was,the Hawaiian Cowgirl.
Natuarally I have incuded this months"floor collection".I recently acquired this red dress from Buffalo Exchange in trade for some clothes I was tired of!For me this is your basic,run to the thrift or grocery store,"doing errands" kind of look. It is a version of the Hawaiian Cowgirl. I get a formula I like,and I tend to stick with it!
Tia is right,the bold prints of these garments do not need much in the way of accessories,but I simply could not resist adding the stone tiki bracelet(click image to enlarge),and the straw vintage bag!
Leggings and skinny jeans have crtainly allowed me to bring back my Hawaiian mini dresses. On those unusual childless outings I bring out my tropical Mexican bags just for extra punch!
A wee peek at that collection.
...and speaking of "wee",some aloha shirts for the wee-ones!
This amazing vintage boys shirt has little tiki masks on the sleeves!
This one has 2 island beauties on it. You will find all 3 of these on sale in my Etsy Shop!
Thank you again for sharing with us Tia,if you would like to see more of her collection check this link out!

Aloha dear vintage lovers! I will catch up with you when I get back from NYC and Boston!

Vintage Inspiration from Vintage Seventeen Magazines

Though I believe it was the 60's that actually discovered wearing vintage clothes as a fashion statement, it was the 70's that rushed in and decided to claim that particular brand of shopping as thier own badge of individuality. By the mid-seventies it was even ubiquitous enough to nab a place in advertising.
This 1974 ad from the makeup Cornsilk(click to enlarge and read)was even clever enough to write a little story about the type of unique girl with a knack for finding the perfect accessory at the thrift store ,to enhance her distinctive style.
Wait a minute, did I just write about a girl who had an uncanny knack to shop at thrift stores? Thats it! Thats why I love theses seventies mags. I love all things vintage and these magazines write about vintage! ...follow me...ITS A VINTAGE PERSPECTIVE ON HOW TO DRESS VINTAGE !!!
What really catches my eye about this wonderful girls sense of style,is that art nouveau belt buckle she found at the thrift. It even moved me to search online for something similar. Little did I know that the bounty yielded by her 70's thriftventure would now cost 450 dollars and up!
...and then I began thinking...wait a miute where have I seen that face before? Okay,so its not a cool belt buckle,but a cool neclace is even better,right?If you have been reading JDP for awhile you have probably already seen this neclace. I have had it for many years and I can still remember the way my heart pounded and my breath quickened ,when I first saw it in the thrift store jewelry case. I very unusually do not remember what I paid for it,but I guarantee it was under 5 dollars. I have certain rules about thrift store prices after all.

Here is another amazing example of the art nouveau lady.You will notice these 1st two examples are pins.
...but I was able to find these adorable cherub belt buckles.
I love them too.
Her neclace also caught my eye. I found this comparable beauty online.
...and heres the Pagoda version.A chain of silver roses snapped up for a dollar at an antique mall last fall.
I fell absolutely in love with this silver leaves neclace...
....but I think it was just because it reminded me of one that I already owned. This one came from my favorite vintage clothing store,Ahab Bowen.
I find it very interesting,as a devout silver jewelry lover, how I have come to covet certain gold pieces.This enameled locket reminds me of....
...this Marie Antoinette-ish locket inherited from my grandmother.
Another similar enameled piece from Grandma.

These little cherubs have a mirror on the opposite side (another Grandma piece).
This last inherited piece combines silver and gold in its double strands and mirrored locket.
Looking a bit like this watch fob.
I can imagine our fictional style heroine in ALL of these pieces paired with delecate vintage lace , lucious velvet dresses,or with her simple and spare denim.I tend to be quite susceptible to advertising so I am sure I would have been a Cornsilk girl.
I love how my vintage Seventeen magazines are inspiring me !
Check out this inspirational vintage jewelry site!
Coming soon... My Own Vintage Clothing Fashion Magazine....with a special bloggy land guest!

...and now back to our regularly scheduled posting!

So hows your summer going? Mine is busy,busy,busy!....and thus I took a little unexpected bloggy break!
Crooked Halo is playing Bagheera ,in Disney's The Jungle Book,shown here with King Louis.It was quite exciting because my oldest baby had one of the leads,and quite a bit of dialogue. She was in a word ,GRRRRRRREAT!
Naturally, I designed the make-up and acted as make-up artist/theatre vampire all week.I love how Shere Khans tiger makeup turned out. Shown here,celebrating after the show,you may click to enlarge any pic.
Have I shared my latest e-bay obsession with you? I have been snapping up vintage Seventeen magazines from the 70's lately. Sure the 60's had better design,but there is just something about these mid-70's tomes,that is completely capturing my imagination .

Perhaps its their anybody can wear this "Look what we found " feature found in every issue.This is a special little section,where the editors find funky fabulous goodies. Maybe its a Woolworth shopping spree,or perhaps its....
a visit to wonderfully quirky New York City boutique!Just look at these skirts!
Embellished denim? Makes my heart pitter-pat,and how about those shoes.
Look what JDP found! The same shoes! This time by Dollhouse and snapped up for less than fifteen dolllars at Ross!

I am loving the clever styling for these skirts(click,enlarge and read). These skirts are giving me such inspiration.
Do you know what my secret fantasy ambition is?
To be a childrens clothing designer!
So during my bloggy break I set about to make it happen.
Introducing.... my ETSY shop Jungle Dream Pagoda!
I call this little girls skirt "Hattie".
The back has wonderful vintage fabric.
The front has a vintage apron worked into recycled jeans.
This is "Amaryllis".
The back has the same vintage baby blue lace as the patch.
Heres "Calliope".
Shes made from recycled jeans thrifted lace appliques a vintage apron and...
...a crocheted doily.
"Delilah" is a baby girl jumper,made from a rough and already tumbled in denim ,a vintage hankie ,and vintage embroidery.
I will also feature childrens vintage. This little boys 70's jacket will certainly make that casual but hip statement we moms love.
Right now ,I want to focus on a childrens shop,including fun vintage toys and decor. Although,from time to time I just might throw something in for the big kids.
Any special requests of things you would like to see in my ETSY shop?