My spectacles ~ how to find vintage frames to suit you!

~ *  Vintage 1950 advertisement for spectacles ~ I quite like pair number 4  * ~

Finding glasses frames that look good, suit your style, and don’t overwhelm your face is difficult at the best of times, but what do you do when you have a very distinct fashion style?   I am currently facing that problem ~ my script has changed {again!… } so I am shopping around for the perfect pair of vintage glasses to suit my look and my face.

The first place I went to look for glasses was Dead Men’s Spexs Vintage Eyewear.  You may have already heard of this site ~ they sell vintage frames that you can fill with your own prescription lenses. 

I couldn’t find a pair that I liked there, but I think that visiting their site is really handy.  You can use a “browse by period” feature to check out what style of frames where popular for the era that you prefer.

Now I tend to prefer to dress either 1940s or 50s, but I soon found out that I don’t really like either of the more common glasses frame styles from back then.  Before the 1950’s everything seems to be pretty much round ~ either thin gold frames, {which I could wear, except that I don’t like gold} or heavy black/tortoiseshell acetate.  Neither of those appeal to me ~ so onto the next era, 1950.

 

~ *  The classic pre-1940s/1940s spectacle shape.  The lenses rims can be gold, silver, tortoiseshell or black as seen here, and the arms can be either the same colour as the rims or a different colour like the picture above.  * ~

Everyone knows the classic 50’s look ~ cat's eye glasses!  I am not a real fan of the extremely pointy kind, although I have seen some vintage ladies looking absolutely fabulous in their sharp cats eye frames.  However, after searching around I decided that a nice deep cats eye frame, preferably two toned {dark on the top and light on the bottom} and in some shade of tortoiseshell or chocolaty brown would probably suit my style and my skin tone. 

So like these:

Or these:

At the end of a long hunt through all of the websites listed below I finally found a pair that I like, so we’ll will have to wait and see how they go when I get them!   I’ll show you the big reveal later…   Happy spectacle wearing!

Tips for purchasing vintage spectacles:

• Figure out which era you wear the most, or that suits your style the best.
• Look for frames that are similar in shape and colour to your favourite vintage pairs ~ you may be able to find a modern look-a-like for less.
• Try on styles at the optometrist to get a sense of what size/shape suits your face.
• If you have a complex script ~ bifocals or trifocals, buy the frames you like and get your optometrist to replace the lenses and don’t forget to ask your optometrist what size you need to get to fit your prescription.
• Shop around! There are many places to buy your perfect pair of frames, so if you can’t find the ‘just right’ pair, keep looking. 

Places to buy vintage eye glass frames:

• Ebay
• Etsy
• Dead Men’s Spex

Places to buy vintage reproduction/modern vintage look-a-likes:

• Bonlook – reproduction vintage glasses
• Zenni Optical – modern, but have some great vintage look-a-likes
  

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 2nd July Ed.

 

    

    

xox,

bonita

The Call of the Siren Suit

*Warning ~ picture heavy post ahead!*

Rose Dream Earrings & Brooch Set  ~  Diva   The Siren Suit  ~  eBay   Chequered Deluxe Top  ~   Tightrope   Celtic Cast Tights  ~  Target    Swingin’ Kitten Heels  ~   Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

M’dears, I am so totally excited to show you this outfit like you would not believe!  The darling two-piece wool suit I am sporting caught my eye on eBay and when I received it in the mail I was even more thrilled to find out that it was all it promised to be and more!! 

As you can see, it’s fully lined with a sweet red and black plaid taffeta fabric and the skirt has a cute little lace hem detail.  The skirt also has pockets, and the jacket with it’s black velvet collar and princess seams is to die for.   I love the cut of this suit ~ with the full skirt, combined with the puffed sleeves, it is the perfect blend between a 1940s style and a 1950s style which leads me to believe that it could be a ‘New Look’ suit!  *le gasp!*

Even better than that ~ I snapped it up for a mere $55.00 AUD…..   O_____o 

It literally was the bargain of a century ~ I’d been eyeing it on and off for two months or so, and was so excited to see a 50% off sale price that I didn’t even hesitate to click “Buy It Now”.  Seriously, it’s the epitome of the thrill of the hunt, and the ultimate ‘trophy’.

I really can’t tell if I am more excited about how perfect this suit suits me or about the astronomically fantastic price!  Either way, this is most definitely my favourite thing in my wardrobe at the moment!  I can’t wait to mix the pieces up and it’s just what I need to ward off the winter chill. 

Happy hunting to y’all!  

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ 1940’s Dress and Style Guide

Glamour Daze is a wonderful source of authentic vintage style inspiration.  I love their latest mini series on 1940s fashions, it’s chock full of fabulous original material.  Swing by and check out their style guide post for a full run down on how to achieve an authentic 1940s look. 

Easy Guide to a 1940′s Woman’s Dress and Style

I wouldn’t call it a costume, but this video still has some helpful tips to start off your 1940s style.

… First of all, before you go looking anywhere else, try your own wardrobe. The 1940s day suit is a little harder to create, so keep it simple and find a frock ! A calf length or knee length will do, preferably pleated, and buttoned up at the front, with a fitted waist. If you can’t find a dress with a fitted waist, then a nice belt with a bow tie, can cinch your waist quite adequately. Shoulders were padded or ruffled, so remember that…

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Bokehlicious Collection

    

    

xox,

bonita

A Step In Time

Back to Black Cloche Hat  ~ gifted from my mother!    Frosty Cardigan   ~  Thrifted   Basic Red Knit Top  ~  too old to remember    Pleats Button Me Up Skirt  ~  Thrifted    Threesome Brooches  ~ Jane flower brooch trio, Acorn & Will    Shutter Knee-Hi  ~  too old to remember   Saddle Shoes  ~  Amazon.com   Azure Atom Bag  ~  Oasap.com

~ * ♥ * ~

It’s interesting to me how I tend to reach for a stronger, bolder colour palette come winter ~ jewel tones like ruby red, or onyx tempered with a touch of pale cream seem to be my favourite mix at the moment. 

However, I really like the pop of blue that my purse provides to offset all the serious red and black, it’s nice and cheery on a cold winter’s day!  You might have seen this purse sneak into my Instagram ~ as I love the style of it.  But there are some downsides, which I am about to warn you of!

Oasap.com Product Review ~ The Three Pin Buckle Detail Makeup Case with Lace Trim to Flap

I am not happy with the quality of this bag. It is advertised as a makeup bag, so that may have something to do with the cheap feel, and the horrid plastic-y smell it had!  I could live with both of those facts, particularly now that the smell has dissipated somewhat, but I am not impressed with how quickly the bag has started to break.  : /   The front strap guards are starting to pull away, they don’t seem to be attached securely.  The worst damage is to the edging ~ the lace scallops around the edge of the bag flap have split and peeled, almost within the first week of carrying it. I had to mend the scallops with super glue and felt to stop them from breaking completely off! 

That’s not good in my books, especially considering that I paid the full $42.00 for the purse as the 20% discount I was supposed to get didn’t apply to the transaction.

I did email Oasap about it, but they basically told me that if I wanted the discount I’d buy something else from them to get it.  Er, no thanks!  If the discount didn’t work the first time, why the heck would I buy something the second time and risk it not working again?  Customer service fail if you ask me.

So long story short, although I love the look of my new bag, I am not sure I would buy it again if I had the choice.  It’s a poor quality make in my opinion, too expensive for what it is and I was less than impressed with the customer service of that site.  Sorry Osasp, but I am not buying from you again!

Have you guys had any experience with Oasap?  Was it good or bad?  Let me know in the comments, I want to be fair about this review.   : )

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ Easy Breezy Pillow Tutorial

I love Casey of Elegant Musings’s style ~ can we say girl crush much?  Her taste in vintage decor is every bit delightful as her wardrobe, so meander over to this little post to see how to make your own pillow slip covers.  You can also see what she has in store for her couch. Enjoy!
 

around the house: simple pillows

Happy Friday, friends! I’m excited I finally have a little DIY for you (hopefully soon there will be some garment sewing DIYs coming…) Remember my pep talk post recently about decorating and getting started on covering up those ugly, beige accent pillows? I finally did just that! I’ll show you the fruit of my labours first and then there is a mini how-to further down for those who might be curious about the process….

xox,

bonita

The thrill of the thrift

I was so excited to find these vintage items while I was out thrifting the other day ~  it was really a case of hidden treasure!  There aren’t big baskets of fabulous sewing notions, or the $1.00 Bakelite bangles casually hiding amongst the plastic junk ~ no, true vintage pickings in Aussie thrift store are very slim to say the least. 

Actually, I’ve noticed that this seems to becoming an rather alarming trend.  Less vintage & poorer quality items + inflated prices seems to be hitting other charity shops overseas, not just here on my home turf.  A couple of UK and American blogs I read have commented on the increasing difficulty in finding decent stuff for a reasonable price at the local thrift store.  I don’t know whether it’s all the vintage sellers to blame; are they scooping up anything and everything remotely saleable and leaving us with the scraps?  Or is it the vintage trend, meaning that more Jo Blowettes are shopping around leaving less merchandise to browse from?

Either way, it’s rather hard on those with vintage style aspirations and slender pocket books, and I really wish things would change, but I hardly think that that is going to happen anytime soon.  So in the mean time, I will enjoy what treasures I do manage to dig up. 

And to be fair, I suppose that’s part of the thrill of the chase!  It does make thrifting a lot more interesting when you never know if you are going to find anything good or not. 

What do you think m’dears?  Can you still discover good finds?  Any tricks for hunting down the best bargains?  I am always on the look out for a good thrift tip!

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 4th June Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

Frock Up Canberra ~ Depict This!’s first meet up & local vintage show!

  

Hello m’dears!  I am very excited to share this fabulous vintage fair coming along our way this weekend!  I hope it’s not too late, but I would love to do a meet up if anyone is interested. 

The details are:

Saturday, 1pm
Sorry lovelies, we have an emergency snowboarding situation; so let’s make it

10:00am, Sunday the 1st of July, near the front entrance of Albert Hall

~ wear your gorgeous glad rags and we can frock up for this event!

Tickets cost $14.00 at the door, or $12.00 if you print off the discount voucher on the website. 

I haven’t been to this fair before, so I am looking forwards to checking it out, and hopefully seeing some of your lovely smiling face there!  Please let me know in the comments if you are planning to come along, so that I have a vague idea of what to expect regarding numbers.

Further details {like how to get there!} and the like can be found on the Frock Up Canberra Winter Fair Site. 

xox,

bonita

Link Love ~ The Refashioned Boxy Blouse: One Size Fits All!

This super cute refashion from Sunni of A Fashionable Stitch looks like a darling 1950s blouse to me and even better ~ she give you instructions on how to make your own version!  This is a really simple project and looks great for beginners or someone who is short on time {*ahem*}.   Hop on over to the post and Sunni will breeze you through it in no time.   : D

the Button Up Refashion Swap

… I opted to make a box blouse, basically two rectangles sewn together with room left for your arms and head. Yup. It’s so easy, you might just chuckle. Seriously. Amy from Yellow Bird gave me the idea, which by the way, she’s made several and you should head on over to see them because then they’ll give you ideas for what to do if you want to make yourself one.

Now here’s the thing, I wanted to keep this simple. I wanted this project to be something you could really whip up in a jiffy and all without the use of a pattern. Something that WILL fit you, because box blouses fit everyone! Got it? Yeah. That’s exactly the idea. So let’s just start with the Box Blouse formula…

xox,

bonita

Clicky~Clack, my baby’s come back

Tortoiseshell Alice Band  ~  Sister gave it to me    Hearts for You Cardigan   ~  JayJays    Stitch Me Black Top ~ Thrifted   Red Red Beads  ~  Hong Kong, ‘08   Tie Up Belt  ~  Old fabric  Mad for Plaid Skirt  ~  Thrifted   Dotty-Spotty Tights  ~  Target   Deck Wedges  ~  Thrifted

~ * ♥ * ~

Golly, there’s an icy wind a’ blowing up from the south!  I had to forgo my coat for these pictures, but in reality, I really would have liked to be wearing it.  Still, my lovely thick tights helped to ward off the worst of the chill.

I found these the other day in Target and I was really stoked.  Most of the time the thicker, knit-type stockings are only in children's sizes; you don’t seem to find them much for women. These however, were full sized, plus had an added bonus of a cute dotted pattern.  This is a win for grey and gloomy winter days.  : )   It makes me happy.

What also makes me happy is the date planned for tonight with my ever handsome Husband!  I am excited as we are going to go to dinner and then to see ‘Brave’, the movie I mentioned I wanted to see.  He is so sweet as he planned this date, knowing I wanted to see it. I have the best man in the world! 
Love you sweetheart!  > 3 < ~ ♥ 

xox,

bonita

Wordless Wednesday ~ 3rd June Ed.

    

    

xox,

bonita

The Daily Diary ~ Pretty pieces and prose

First world blogger problems: when you have lots of little things to talk about, but nothing that is singularly post worthy?  What do you do dears? 

I am in this pickle, so what I have decided to do is start up a new feature called “The Daily Diary”.  This will not be a regular feature, but I plan on using it whenever the above situation occurs. 

I like to think of it like my diary on my blog ~ just a little conversation about daily happenings between you and me.

  …Starting with knitting!

    

I can’t believe I went out and spent $89.44AUD on wool for my next cardigan, but I did.  * _ *  I also find it hard to get over how expensive it is just to knit a cardigan!  Still, I reassure myself that I get a lot of fun out of knitting up my projects and while $90.00 is a lot of money, for a nice alpaca cardigan you’d pay about that much. 

Yup, you heard it correctly. the wool I am using is a 100% baby alpaca!  It’s so soft and I love how the creamy ivory colour allows the pretty cable detail to really shine.  I am making up the gorgeous pattern pictured below right ~ ‘The Sightseer’ from Clarks and Coat’s Bulky knits.  It’s so simple to do that I have knitted up 13 inches in three days!  w00t!  > u <

Next up in the list of lovelies floating through my house ~ this stunning giveaway prize that I won!  Remember I blogged about an awesome Pretty Broach Giveaway a while ago?   Well I was totally thrilled when I won; it’s a fabulous prize and it arrived on my doorstep just the other day. 

Sarah of Snövits äpple did a superb job handcrafting this darling little brooch for me and I love it!  Not to mention she included some lovely surprises for me ~ like the amazing vintage postcard {bottom left} that has a beautiful photograph of a girl and her horse on the front. 

Plus, I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was to see the precious box the brooch was sent in.  I am keeping my bobby pins in it right now.  Lastly, but definitely not least, the brooch was careful wrapped in a delicate lace~edge linen handkerchief.  What a truly delightful package to receive!  Thank you Sarah, thank you Elsa!  ♥

  

I also had to include a snapshot of the gorgeous new handbag I brought from Oasap, and a sneak peek of the shirtwaist dress that I been working on for oh, ages now!  It’s finally almost finished, and I am so happy with how it’s turned out. : 3

   

Until next time ~

xox,

bonita