Vintage Hairstyling and Retro Makeup are two vintage look guides I've admired for a while. The hair book is one of the most popular with vintage girls staring out with styling, as it breaks down techniques and styles with step by step photos and written instructions. I love how much is dedicated to pin curls, Lauren Rennells has extensive knowledge on wet sets and passes that on to the reader.
That being said, most of the styles in the book are achieved using hot rollers. Adjustments can be made for a wet set, but the styles are generally softer, focusing on more 1940s pin-up styles.
I would highly recommend this guidebook for anyone wanting to try out more vintage styles, or someone who needs a brush up. The only downside I found was that most of the styles called for collar bone length or longer hair, however I did experiment with a different pin curl technique than my usual, and liked the larger curls that resulted.
The makeup book is possibly my favorite, as it's full of historic background and facts on top of the actual tutorials. You can read about techniques, colors, tools, and the stories behind them. I'm not much of a makeup person, I generally do some eyeliner, blush, and red lipstick, so I decided to try something different.
I gave one of the 1950s looks a try and loved it, complete with false eyelashes and pink lipstick, both of which are something I wouldn't try without a little guidance.
I'm really happy with the book because I can achieve various eras pretty easily, the steps are very easy to follow.
Overall I would say these two books are my favorite of their kind on the market right now. They present these looks in a modern, clean cut way that's very easy to understand.
Books courtesy of HRST Books
My mother picked this vintage vanity up at a yard sale years ago for $2. I've been using it as an extra table here and there, for jewelry, as a bar, bookshelf, whatever was needed. When we moved earlier this year I decided to use it as my vanity, something simple, with one little drawer. But it needed a bit of work first.
I stripped the paint off, which took quite a while, there were a few layers of it. I also took off the knob and arms on the front, those are for attaching fabric for a vanity skirt. I wanted it open, so away they went. I then stained it a few times and left it at that for months.
Then this weekend I decided it was time to finish it. So I gave it a couple of coats of leftover paint from the bathroom, leaving select exposed wood areas for a more modern look.
I love the way it turned out, and the navy and brown compliment each other nicely.
{Photos by Rose Callahan}
I don't wear vintage nearly as much as I used to for a number of reasons: My style has evolved since staring this blog, it's become harder to find, and much of what appeals to me is rather delicate or on the verge of destruction. Lots of vintage wearers are fine with the last fact, and that's great, but for me its more about achieving the classic look, than wearing something authentic for the sake of being authentic.
That's why I was delighted to find out about Recollection.
Amazingly enough one woman, Sandra Murphy, is behind this label. She's based in New York, and uses vintage patterns, fashion magazines, and fabrics to inspire her designs. I love how timeless her style is, it's the kind of fresh, quality frocks that you could build a wardrobe around. The garments are made in New York, which is just another reason I love the label.
Below are photos from this years s/s collection, and the above photo is an exclusive of the upcoming f/w collection (which I'm totally in love with). Righ now Recollection is avialable in select New York stoes, but Sandra is working towards making her work available online.
Of course starting an online store takes a heavy amount of work and funds, which she's hoping you can help out with. Visit Indiegogo to contribute even a small amount to launch this label online. I'd love to see it take off, I think it's something that would be appreciated by modern and vintage lovers alike.
So explore the beautiful photos and deigns on Recollection for instant inspiration, and if you can, click here to contribute to making the f/w collection available online.
