January Wedding

Yesterday I attended a wedding. I'm going to be honest and say that it was probably the worst wedding I'd ever been to. The fact that it was in January was a huge factor to why it was so horrible, but the second biggest factor was the fact that it was my cousin's wedding and I had lost touch with him, his brother, and their parents (my Aunt and Uncle) over the past couple of years. I haven't spoken to any of them in close to 3 or 4 years. There are many reasons as to why I lost touch with them, but I was extremely surprised as to why they even invited me. After going to the wedding yesterday, I am still confused as to why they invited my Mom, sister and I. I should probably also mention that it was a shotgun wedding, and my cousin really should have had a wedding next year (they only got engaged two months or three prier to the wedding).

I really wasn't expecting much from this wedding, and I was most certainly right. The room that both the wedding ceremony and reception was in, was FREEZING. You'd think that with it being January, and minus degree weather, that they'd have the heat on? The ceremony was probably the strangest one I'd ever seen...it really didn't make any sense. I had absolutely no idea who anyone was there except for my two cousins, Aunt, Uncle and my Uncle's friend so it was very uncomfortable for the first two hours. There wasn't much food to choose from (it was a buffet), but I didn't mind it. Soon after having dinner, the bride and groom cut the cake; now, maybe I haven't been to a wedding in a long time but doesn't the cutting of the cake happen later in the evening? And the dancing/music happen sporadically throughout the evening? The wedding cake literally came right after dinner - I couldn't digest my dinner before soon enough they're shoving cake down your throat. There was no music throughout dinner or half of the evening for that matter, which was a complete bummer. I always look forward to the music at a wedding...what are they gonna play...am I going to be able to request a song? Nope. Music and dancing happened towards the end of the wedding when half the people started to leave to go home. Another thing that was extremely bothersome were these attendants or workers at the place; not long after eating and having coffee, drinks, ect...they were up at your table trying to take your glasses/cups away from you. Um, I'm sorry but I might still be using that glass....I didn't even get the chance to have a cup of coffee. Everything was so backwards and just way too rushed.

Towards the beginning of January, I asked my followers on Instagram to help me choose a dress to wear to this wedding. I got so much feedback from all my followers, it was awesome. A lot of them who choose their favorite dress out of the four, were saying either #2 or #4...I decided to go with #2. It was definitely the one I loved the most, and would feel more comfortable in (which I did).

Prior to the wedding, I set my hair in my usual foam roller set, two days before. Yesterday, when I took them out, I was really disappointed with the way my hair was coming out of the rollers, and then when I brushed it out, I really hated it. No matter what I did with it; it just wasn't working for me. I didn't think I'd be able to stand it for the rest of the evening. So last minute, my sister decided to put it up for me...and even after that I still wasn't sure it I liked the way it looked. 

I wanted to keep the look simple, elegant, classic.

I paired this look with gold accessories with red accents. Almost everything you see here, belonged to my great grandmother. My dress was hers, the long black gloves were hers, the bracelet that I am wearing was hers from the 30's, the gold purse was hers, and the brooch I'm wearing (which I apologize for not getting a better picture of; but it's a monkey with ruby's for eyes) was also her's. My shoes, as I've said before are from Wal-Mart. 

These aren't the best pictures, but this was my makeup and hair. I still wasn't happy with the way my hair turned out, but it was better than what it looked like before. To be honest, I'm not even sure why I worried about my hair so much when the majority of people that were there at the wedding barely did anything to make themselves look at least the slightest bit presentable. Do people not dress up for weddings anymore? Is it a thing of the past? You wonder how you can be related to some people. 

I am actually really sorry that I even bothered attending this wedding. I've never been really close with this side of my family - I'm much more closer to my family in the States. This wedding just showed me that my Canadian family really could care less about my side of the families well being. Although my Mum, sister and I stood out, out of the all the guests there, I felt invisible. It was quite upsetting. 

Oh, and did I mention the fact that my cousin (the groom), never once came up to my Mum, sister or myself to talk to either of us. Well, neither him nor his new wife came to say, "Thanks for coming!"...nothing. Not even a glance - no eye contact at all. I might be old fashioned, but I thought that it was etiquette at a wedding for the bride and groom to go up to your table and thank you for attending? I mean, we were sitting with his parents...and were in plain site....not to mention the fact that both him and his bride walked past our table (or us for that matter), several - numerous times. 

Goes to show that you can't pick your family. Thank God for my family in the States.

Sincerely, Miss. Voodoo.

Vintage Lingerie

Hello lovelies! On this post I wanted to share some of my lingerie pieces, such as night gowns, bed jackets, robes, slips, etc. I also had recently bought and received some new vintage pieces. Like I said in my previous post, vintage lingerie is my favorite vintage pieces to find. Lingerie is just not made as well as they use to be. Many people have things they enjoy collecting/finding, I just happen to enjoy collecting lingerie from the 1960's 'n older. So here are some of my favorites that I own:

Here is a silk under shirt, with a matching silk skirt slip from the 1950's-1960's. I use these two pieces often, underneath various shirt/skirt combo's. I believe that I paid maximum $4 for both together.

So here I am wearing the same shirt as the one above, but the under shorts are probably one of my favorite singular lingerie pieces to have found. These silk under shorts are from the 1940's, given the fact that silk shorts like these were used in the 40's as underwear (if you've ever seen the show Bomb Girls, you'd understand what I mean)...I'd never use these as underwear per say, but they work just as good underneath a skirt or dress. The shorts were maximum $3. 

Again, same top, but different slip skirt. This is baby blue (hard to see from the lighting in the picture), with a beautiful floral detailing on the bottom. The first thing that caught my eye with this piece is of course, the detailing. From the late 50's early 60's, and I probably got this for $2. 

Same top, but this red slip is a recent find. The color is beautiful, and it's what caught my eye. The fact that the length of this slip skirt is a tad longer than the majority of my slips is also a bonus. I don't have any bright colored slips which also made me want it even more. From the 1950's, and I paid about $1.50 for this. 

In the first picture, is one of my favorite slips, and I'll be using this slip to show you my bed jackets. This baby blue bed jacket was drawn to me by it's detail (the detailing always gets me). From the late 1950's to early 1960's, the slip was around $4, and from the 60's, the bed jacket was around $2 or $3.

This light pink bed jacket is somewhat similar to the one above, and it's probably the one I wear most often. From the 1960's, and this was around $2.

Another light pink bed jacket, that is simple in detail, but absolutely beautiful. I really love the detailing and softness of this particular one. From the 1950's/1960's, and I paid about $3 for this one. 

On with the night gowns. This is a recent buy, and I believe it's from the 1930's. My reasons being the style of it - it's extremely long in length, the color, fabric, and design of the dress tell me that it's either from the 30's or 40's. The back of this dress has a cut in the shape of a very thin oval, and has a hook 'n eye. The hook is of older metal, and the string used for the eye is a piece of old material. I can see right away that this was hand made. Again, another thing done often in those time periods. I paid $3.50 for this gown. 

Another recent buy. I adore this one. I want to say it's from the 1970's because of the design in the back and front. It's fairly long in length, but the top is my favorite part. I didn't get a close up on the detailing in the front but it's see-through lace in the downward triangle following from underneath the breasts down to the belly button. This one was $2.

This particular night gown I wear all the time. It's comfy and fits me the way I want it to. Also, I feel like Wendy from Peter Pan every time I wear it. I actually think one year I may go as Wendy for Halloween. I'd say this gown is from the 1960's and I paid $3.

This gown was passed down to me from my Mother, which belonged to her grandmother. It's from the 1930's, is light pink, and is a mixture of a silk/satin blend. It's long in length (which is a major give away of it being from the 30's). What I love most about this gown is that it makes me feel like a movie star from the 1930's...like Joan Crawford or Jean Harlow. The embroidered bow in the front is another favorite part to this gown. All in all this is a beautiful article of clothing and I paid nothing.

I wanted to save the best for last. Both these pieces are recent buys. The first picture of this neutral colored slip is very fitting to my body, and I love that about it. But what I love more than anything is this light pink robe from the early 1960's. I almost fell to the floor when I saw this. I'd never seen a more beautiful robe in my entire life. I feel like Elizabeth Montgomery from Bewitched in this damn robe. The lace at the bottom added a little something more to it. I paid $6 for it, and it was worth every penny. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this post, and I also hope I'm not the only person who enjoys collecting things such as this. I just wanted to share my vintage lingerie pieces because these are not only article's of clothing, but they are really works of art. The detail and love put into every single one is remarkable. So I hope you find something remarkable to collect. 

Sincerely, Miss Voodoo.

Tips and Tricks

Hello lovelies! For my first post of 2015, I wanted to do something special. Something that will benefit all you youngster's out there who are itching to find the perfect vintage pieces, without having to pay too much. Therefore, on that note I am going to show you my tips and tricks for finding the perfect 1930's, 40's, 50's, and 60's garments!

First things first; RESEARCH! You must learn the history of fashion, and be aware of what you want to look for in your vintage pieces. When I started looking for those perfect pieces, I most certainly did my homework. You have to be aware of what women or men wore back in those specific era's (or whatever era you plan to emulate for that matter). I don't mean, look these things up on the internet; no sirree, make it fun...watch some films, look at some photographs of what people wore back then, if you have the channel TCM - watch it...that's your homework. Now, I am the type of person that doesn't dress the same all the time. I love all kinds of fashion, from the 1930's to the 1980's, and I'm always dressing up as something different every day. It's never the same with me. But my true era is the 1950's. I love the bright, and bold statements of the 1950's fashion. The big, beautiful dresses, unique hairstyles, and fabulous accessories. I always have more fun finding and putting together clothing from that decade, or at least try and emulate it with modern pieces that still have that 1950's feel.
When you feel that you've done your research and know what you want to look for, try finding a local thrift or antique store in your town, or town that is closest. In my town I have three major places that I like to get my things from and I go to them every week if not every two weeks. They always have something new, and you gotta keep your eyes out! It's all about luck in some of these situations.

Now, back in the summer when I was staying with a close friend, she gave me this box of patterns from from the 1930's - 1950's. I have a fascination in collecting old patterns, so I was more than happy to take them. I wanted to share them with you, because they can give you a feel for what you may need to look for.

Look closely to the pattern of the dresses, analyze them. 

It's important to understand the color, texture and style of the pieces.

Now, I'd like to show you some of my pieces that I have purchased at my stores within the past year. I want you to know what to look for and what not to look for. Tips and tricks on what may or may not make it vintage. I'm going to start off with a shirt that is one of my favorite vintage finds. It's a white knitted short sleeved shirt that is perfect to pare with just about anything. 

Now, here's how I have depicted the fact that this shirt is vintage: One, the design. The detail in the embroidering is a very unique and classic pattern, but the design itself shows that it's vintage - the boxed shoulder, where it just goes straight across the collar bone to the shoulders, shows that it's a 1950's design, as shown in one of the clothing patterns above. Two, the fact that there was no tag on it can also detect that is from this era. Many people in the 1950's and older made their clothing more often than usual (hence, no clothing brand tag), whereas today you barely see anyone who makes their own clothing. My grandmother made her own clothing back in the day, and some designs similar to this one. Three, my final detection is the tie at the bottom of the shirt. The knitted string that is attached to the shirt is meant to emphasize the waist. As you can see in the patterns above from the 50's...it was all about the waist, and making your waist shown. Clothing today just doesn't really emphasize that part of your body, which I find sad, being that your waist is really a best feature of the body (in my opinion). I now will show you what this shirt looks like on me. Bare with me, this is an old photo, and it was my first time wearing this shirt since I purchased it. 

As you can see it sits at my waist. And if I tightened the string more then it would emphasize my waist even better.

Now, onto a jacket/blazer piece that was handed down to me from my Mom, from her grandmother. This red jacket/blazer has one big button at the top and then flares out the rest of the way down. It's from either the 1930's or 1940's, and is in perfect condition. I don't get all my vintage pieces from a thrift store, a lot of the time it's just passed down to me. I guess it's a perk of having a very stylish Momma (or stylish family for that matter). I've sadly never worn this blazer, but to get an idea on what it would look like, there is a jacket in one of the patterns above that is almost exactly what it would look like on. 

When it comes to the tags in these vintage pieces, look at how tattered it is. The material used for the tag, and the design of the tag. There are a lot of materials that were used for brand tags back in the day, but in today's world you get a weird itchy or paper-like tag that's just not that nice.

One of my favorite things to look for in thrift's are cardigans. I'm going to show you two different cardigans that I have purchased at probably the same store. The first one you'll see, is a yellow cardigan. Again, this cardigan has no tag. The design, material, and pattern used are indicators that it's a vintage piece. The second one is a baby blue cardigan that has very delicate and unique material, that really isn't something used for cardigans today. 

The detailing on this cardigan alone made me jump at it. Cardigan's are just not made like this anymore. Also the cut, material and color give me that indication that it is a vintage piece. This sweater does not have a tag, which also gives me an indication. 

This cardigan was something that I needed when I first laid eyes on it. When I saw the tag as well, I knew right away that it was a vintage cardigan. If you ever find a piece that has an tag on it and looks something like this Winkelman's tag, try looking it up...you might find out some very interesting information. 

Now, for my absolute favorite pieces to find...lingerie. I have this one little thrift store in town that I love to visit because they have a section in the back that is filled with vintage slips, nightgowns, bed jackets, and more. I'm going to show you two pieces, one of my favorite nightgowns and one of my favorite bed jackets. 

This mint green nightgown screams vintage. The material: delicate, soft, and cool to the touch. It just so happens to have pockets, and the detailing on the sleeves and neck collar are a dead giveaway of it being vintage. As well as the stitching on the inside, can be a way of telling that it's vintage. 

Closeup on detailing.

This soft pink bed jacket is probably my favorite bed jacket that I own (and I own quite a bit). The soft, delicate material is lovely. The detailing around the collar, sleeves, and all around the jacket is a piece of artwork. Again, the tattered and vintage tag says it all. 

When it comes to skirts, and dresses I find it a lot harder to come by. I usually find modern pieces of clothing that have a vintage-style to it. For example, I have this beige pencil skirt that I wear often. It's tight in the waist (again, a must have!), has a high waist, and is long enough to go past the knees (another must have for the authentic 1950's look).  I have some pictures from a photo shoot I did this past summer and I was wearing this specific skirt. It's much easier to visualize when seen on. 

Photographer: Kristi Fox.

When it comes to accessorizing such as hats, belts, shoes, and jewelry, it's simple. For hats, you want to look for those Jackie Kennedy box hats...but to be honest, if you do your research you'll be able to tell what hats are vintage and what hats are modern - believe me. For belts, I keep it simple, tiny and thin, opera belts are also a go-to belt as they were popular in the 50's. For shoes, it's very very hard to find an authentic shoe from the 1930's, 40's, or 50's, because women had such tiny feet back then and I have never once found a shoe from either of those era's. I'm a size 9 or 10, depending on the shoe, sometimes an 11. So yeah, I have huge feet. I get all my shoes for low prices at Wal-Mart because, why not? They have cute shoes for affordable prices! Or you can go to a Payless Shoe Store or any 'ole shoe store, and look in their discount section. For the type of style of shoe, if you want a high heel, look for a rounded toe heel, not a pointed one (I don't think I've ever seen a photograph of a woman wearing a pointed toed shoe in the 1950's or older). Maybe a heel with a tiny bow on it, or even an open toed shoe (like in the photograph above), with an ankle strap. You could also go for a simple black flat, or tennis shoes, or even a nice boot with a thick heel. I'd love a pair of saddle shoes, but I've never found a pair in my size. Finally for jewelry, look when it comes to the 1950's, you can wear a lot of bracelets or very little, or a thin strapped watch, or a thick metal bracelet. Never over do it. You want it simple and chic. Rings are simple, just a gold band with a few ruby's in it would be fine. Earrings, go with something small, and light - just a pearl earring or something to that effect would be fine, I never really worry about them anyway. My favorite piece of jewelry to wear are brooches - I cannot leave the house without one on me. You can find all kinds of neat brooches online and at an antique store. 

It's really all about finding that perfect piece...search, search, search!!! I also find that lady luck has a little something to do with it. But once you find that perfect vintage article of clothing or accessory, well you feel like a winner. I know I do. Sometimes I even feel like I won the lottery. I hope some of you out there who have read this, have found this to help you out a bit and are eager to go searching for your perfect vintage piece. 

If any of you are having trouble or I didn't cover something that you'd like to know more about, or just have any questions at all, feel free to comment below! I'd love to answer and help you out with anything. 

Sincerely, Miss Voodoo.

How To Tie A Headscarf

So, I am sure there are some of you lovely ladies who are new to the 'pin up' look, or vintage look, and were curious as to how some can achieve the perfect vintage style headscarf. Tying headscarf's are insanely easy. Since I'am a perfectionist when it comes to certain things, it can be frustrating for me if it doesn't look good enough; but all in all, it takes no more than a minute and a half.

Headscarf's are perfect for bad hair days when you just don't want to bother doing anything to your head but still want to have that vintage look. They're also used (and probably used more often) to wrap up pin curls or foam rollers in. I wore headscarf''s a lot in the summer, it was like my outfit must have; so I got pretty good at all sorts of scarf tying. 

One thing I have not done before is a head turban, used from a vintage template. It was surprisingly super easy, but I would like to have another (longer and better) scarf to use for next time I decide to do this style again.

What I have come up with is a step by step, using pictures on how I tied my turban in my last outfit post. I also added a second tutorial picture, step by step on how I would regularly tie my headscarf. 

To begin, with my 'vintage style turban', you need to have a long scarf that is quite thick in width. Any old scarf will do, as I used just a scarf I'd use around my neck. 

Here's what it will look like: 

Step One: Find a long scarf.

Step Two: Position scarf.

Step Three: Place it to your liking.

Step Four: Take two ends and wrap around the back, having them crossover each other.

Step Five: Bring the two ends in the back and place them in the front. Crossover again.

Step Six: Twist ends together.

Step Seven: Tuck ends into the sides.

Step Eight: Finished! You can always add an accessory like a big brooch.

Here's my second way to tie a headscarf. How I usually do it.

Step One: Get a scarf, but a scarf that is square. Then fold it into a triangle. Its okay if you keep half the scarf like this, and not completely even. This makes the scarf larger and covers your entire head. You don't need to do this if you have a large scarf.

Step Two: Flip it around, and put it on the back of your head, ending just above the neck. Make sure the pointed end it in your face, like this.

Step Three: Take the two ends, lift them up.

Step Four: Tie knot over pointed end to secure in place.

Step Five: Take triangle and lift it over the knot from before.

Step Six: Tie another knot over that, to secure.

Step Seven: Take ends, and tuck them into the sections on the side. Now, at this point you could also take ends and make it into a bow, but this particular scarf was not long enough to do that.

Step Eight: Finished! You can also add an accessory, but I'd suggest only doing that if your scarf is a simple color and has no design on it already.

Hope you enjoyed these step by step tutorials, and help you to create your vintage-styled head piece! Comment below if any of these helped, or if you'd like to see any other headscarf tutorials in the future. I'd also like to point out that when I was first starting out with these headscarf's, I watched this tutorial on YouTube, and it helped me out a lot. It's easy to follow, and has many unique looks.