HOT BIKINI GIRL: May 2013

We're Squished Sale at Couture Allure!

The move is complete and we're we're all unpacked. Our new digs are smaller than expected and we are desperate for some breathing room. All remaining spring and summer items on the Couture Allure website have been drastically marked down! There are 3 full pages of bargains in our Sale Room right now. Here is just a sample of the great deals you'll find on dresses you can wear right now!

1950s incredible party dress, now just $325!

1960s linen patio or evening dress, now just $125!

1950s lilac roses cotton dress, now just $95!

1960s silk floral dress, now just $95!

1950s cotton wrap dress, now just $85!

1960s Shannon Rodgers cotton maxi, now just $125!

Crinoline Petticoats, 1951

In August of 1951, Life magazine did a small article about the latest crinoline petticoats a woman needed to wear under the new full skirted fashions. The magazine featured fashions by Anne Fogarty and showed the crinolines she used for her fashion shows to give the latest bell shaped skirts the oomph they needed. I thought you might like to see those crinolines.

A quilted cotton dress worn over a black turtleneck sweater and with strappy sandals.

That heavy quilted fabric required a ruffled cotton petticoat or two. Over the petticoat, the model wears a very stiff lacquered net slip with a wide horsehair braid hem. The lacquered net crinoline provides the support needed for the heavy quilted fabric of the dress.

3 lighter weight dresses by Fogarty are shown with layers of petticoats underneath.

Prepping for a fashion show, the models don multiple ruffled cotton petticoats to wear under full skirted dresses. In the foreground, you can see how stiff those lacquered net slips are. They stand up on their own!

All photos by Nina Leen for Life Magazine, August 13, 1951.

We've Moved!

The move is complete! Thank you to everyone for your well wishes during this process. It has been a long and arduous task. The estate sale was a huge success with the help of a very dear friend and we managed to get rid of most everything we no longer need. The packing up of the business and house took days and days, boxes and boxes. Downsizing from a 2700 sq. ft. house to an 1100 sq. ft. one is very freeing though. We have pared our lives down to the essentials and I can't tell you how wonderful it is to go from the bedroom to the kitchen in a few simple steps instead of down 2 flights of stairs!

I'm still unpacking the business and trying to fit everything I need into a smaller space. It will take some clever space planning, but I'll get it done and hopefully I'll be back up to full speed within a few days. The best part is, unpacking boxes of vintage that were in storage is like finding the treasures all over again. I can't wait to show you!

Is Dressing Well a Thing of the Past?

Here's what I believe. It does no good to watch this and say, "I wish people would dress with more elegance." It has to start with each one of us. You and I need to set the example each and every day, just like Professor Przybyszewski. I'm not saying we need to wear gloves and hats. I am saying I will think each day about how I present myself to the world. Will you?

My friend Liza over at Better Dresses Vintage said it far better than I ever could.

My New Muse

I've been packing up my office for the last couple of days in anticipation of our move this weekend. What a job! In doing so, I came across a French magazine from 1988 that I had forgotten about. I flipped through it quickly and this image stopped me cold. The magazine gave credit to the clothing designer, the makeup artist, the hair stylist and the photographer, but gave no mention of who the model was. I posted the picture on my Facebook page, along with several others from the same photo shoot and an all day guessing game ensued about who she is. Guesses of Isabella Rossellini, Helena Bonham Carter, Geena Davis, and Nastassja Kinski all proved wrong. Then I got a private message with the answer. This is model Celia Forner, who hails from Spain. She had a brief career both in print and on the runway from 1987 to 1994. Isn't she beautiful?

Photo by Cynthia Hampton for L'Officiel, 1988.

Dots and Spots, 1959

Need I say more? Dress by Pat Premo, Spring 1959.

Ad in Harper's Bazaar, January 1959.

2013 Medium Short Hairstyles for Women

The benefit of getting medium short hairstyles is that one can make hairstyles for both short as well as medium hair lengths. Although there are many hairstyle for short medium hair but you need to choose the hairstyle carefully.

2013 Medium Short Hairstyles for Women

One of the 2013 medium short hairstyles includes layered haircut that is the best suited when cut with layers. No matter you have a haircut between medium and short you can try medium short hairstyles.

Blonde Short Hairstyles 2013

Blonde Short Hairstyles 2013

Blonde short hairstyles 2013 cover short length hair. The hair length covers hair just above the ears to slightly below the shoulders. You can get a layered cropped cut as your choice of short blonde hairstyles. You can blow dry the layers outwards.

Blonde Short Hairstyles 2013

This blonde short hairstyle is meant for women who want to have a punk like quality to their personality. You can add varying lengths bangs to these short blonde hairstyles too.

Blonde Short Hairstyles 2013

The side of this short blonde hairstyle can be just above the ears or slightly below the ears as well. The layers can end at your nape or below it depending on how long a neck you have.

Blonde Short Hairstyles 2013

Cool Short Hairstyles For Men 2013

Cool short hairstyles For Men

Cool short hairstyles For Men offer a big change in ones personality. One must choose the short hairstyle very carefully. There are many ways of choosing a short hairstyle and one need to learn them.

Cool short hairstyles For Men

Every short hairstyle is cut differently and suits some specific face shapes. You can ask the hair stylist to know what type of haircut can suit your face.

Cool short hairstyles For Men

You can use good hair products such as shampoos and conditioners to wash the hair. Once you have maintained good health of hair, you can opt for a number of short hairstyles.

Cool short hairstyles For Men

The first cool hairstyle for short hair is the pixie cut that is very trendy this year. There are many celebrities that have got pixie cut.

Where I Have Been....Where I Am Going and a Sale!

Over the past few months, you may have noticed that the pace of new vintage dresses coming to Couture Allure has slowed down considerably and that my posts on this blog have become erratic. There's a reason for that.

Winter. I can't do winter any more. You'll recall my road trips down south in January 2012 and 2013. In addition to shopping for vintage all along the way, my husband and I were also scouting for a new place to live during the winter months. And we've found it in delightful Dunedin, FL. We've both worked for years and years to get to this point and our dream is finally coming true.

In 2012, we made the decision to start working toward selling our home here in Massachusetts. It took us a year of hard labor making repairs and improvements, decluttering and staging the house to put it on the market. All that work at home has pulled me away from the business at times. We had a goal of getting the house on the market by April 1, 2013. We missed that goal by 9 days.

But we were very, very lucky as all our hard work paid off. The house sold in 5 days to a lovely family that is the perfect fit for it. In the past month, we've found a temporary home here in MA for the summer, we've been packing up and getting rid of things we no longer need. We're having a big estate sale this weekend to sell off most of our furniture and we're moving out of our house next week.

Does that stop me from finding fabulous new vintage for you? NO! But in the past month, all that new vintage has been piling up as I have no time to go to the office. There's too much to do at home!

This coming week, not only do we have to move out of our house, I also have to move my business closer to our new home. What that means for you is there will be no new vintage hitting the site for the next week or two, but starting June 1st I should be back up and running with loads of new beauties for you. It also means a SALE! The less I have to move, the easier that move will be. Starting right now through Saturday May 18, take 20% off your entire order at Couture Allure. Simply enter coupon code "move" at checkout and the discount will automatically be applied. The discount does not apply to previous orders or shipping costs. All orders will ship on Monday, May 20.

Nettie Rosenstein for I. Magnin - 1956

I love a rose print. Add a matching hat and I'm over the moon! I. Magnin featured this dress by Nettie Rosenstein in a full page ad from 1956. "we like the look of a rose on a stem...a big hat...a stem-slender dress by Nettie Rosenstein cut from rose-printed silk shantung, swept to the back and gently pleated...in our Magnin-exclusive Rosenstein collection." Perfection, pure and simple. If anyone can tell me what the illustrator's signature says, I would really appreciate it.

I. Magin ad for Harper's Bazaar, March 1956.

Travilla Dress - 1958

Travilla's version of the sack back dress from 1958. The dress is likely fitted to the body under the blouson that falls from the thin shoulder straps and tucks back in under the waistband. The magazine calls this a "cocktails-through-dawn" dress. I like that description. Sold for $125 in 1958 (about $1,007 in today's dollar.)

Photo by Louise Dahl-Wolfe for Harper's Bazaar.

Dan River Plaids - 1958

Plaid never looked so good. In this ad from 1958, the Dan River fabric company features 3 dresses made from its yarn dyed woven plaids. Started in 1882, Dan River was one of the most famous and prolific of the American textile companies, well known for their gingham fabrics. Sadly, the company fell victim to cheap overseas competition and declared bankruptcy in 2004. The company was purchased by firm in India in 2006 and all jobs were moved out of the US. The historic textile plant in Danville, VA was taken down in 2008.

Bob Cut Hairstyles

In today’s modern world everyone needs to look charming and attractive wearing fashionable clothes, trendy shoes, caring a stylish bag all go in vain when your hair are all messed up. Choosing the right hairstyle according to your face structure, texture of hairs and complexion is must. You also need to keep in mind your age. With right hairstyle you can take your personality further ahead to the next level. Last but not the least thing to do when choosing a hairstyle is to keep in mind the occasion. The bob cut hairstyles work for all age groups and all sectors of people whether you are a student or a teacher , a house wife or lady worker going for a day look or some fancy party. The few pluses of bob cut hairstyles includes its ease to manage and the comfort with which it stays at its place yet at the same time looking stylish as well.

Bob Cut Hairstyles

Bob cut hair styles now come in different length as opposed to previous when they where only considered to be short, people who are not willing to cut their hair short can have medium bobcat hair styles as well to suit their comfort level. Different varieties of bob cut hairstyles include layered bobcut hairstyle, angled bob cut hairstyle, wavy bobcat hairstyle, flipped out bobcat hairstyle (mostly preferred for weddings) and finally the classic bobcat hair style.

Bob Cut Hairstyles

The layered bob cut hairstyles have always remained very popular among celebrities. As it looks good on every one including children. They are cut equally at both sides un like the angled bob hairstyles.The angled bob cut hairstyles adds glamour and makes you fashion forward at the same time. The hairs need to be cut longer at one side than the other.The wavy or curly bob cut hairstyles are mostly preferred by women having natural curls in their hair as the bob cut makes it quite easy to handle and makes it look stylish at the same time but you can always use a curler to achieve that look. These wavy bob cut hairstyles are mostly adapted for a formal look party to wedding look.

The flipped out bob cut hairstyles are mostly used by those women who have natural straight hair as they look great on straight hair. More over if you have great facial features try the short flipped out bob cut hairstyle as it enhances the facial features.The classic bob cut hairstyle has all hair of same length if you are opting for a soft look this is the right bob cut hair style for you that will make you look innocent and edgy at the same time.

Popular Medium Bob Haircut Ideas For 2013

It’s about perfection. If women’s haircut is perfectly done, then it always looks fashionable and stylish. Today I’d like to share with you popular medium bob haircut ideas, that will update your appearance.

Medium Bob Haircut

That’s true, that these hair trend makes you feel updated and in style. I advise you to choose medium bob haircut and only when you see that shorter one will also suit you, then try to get it shorter. These haircuts will make you feel different and not monotony. The best ones are classic hair designs like the blunt and layered bob, lots of celebs and fashion models prefer it. Some hairdressers reinvent time-tested looks with a modern twist. That’s why the best solution for you is to get some inspirations from this review.

For the upcoming 2013 there are really cool ideas of high-class bob haircuts.

Perfect Hairstyles Haircuts

When it comes to hair, we are all a little reluctant to change so if there is something to say about is first... Make sure that knowing why you want to change and also consider the effects of it. If you are looking for a new job, a new love interest, needing to spice things in their relationship or go somewhere for a pleasant event, a new hairstyle is just what you are looking for.

Now where people go wrong when you go looking for a new haircut or hairstyle is not knowing what they want and go to the designer... If you're going to do something as important as change her hairstyle makes little sense that you have some idea of what you want to do with it.

Take some photos or judge people virtual hairstyle online tools, allowing you to actually see what the haircut is like going to see before going to do it take the guesswork out of which a new haircut. There are also a lot of books of hairstyles that you can see or even much surf galleries that can be found on different websites.