Nitty Gritty Vintage Navajo Inspired Fashions & Accessories

Get your true grit on this Spring because vintage inspired, Western Navajo accessories such as sandals and wide brimmed fedoras are taking the reins!  Embroidered leather totes, basket weave sandals and turquoise jewelry...  It's all about the bohemian rustic vibe as we roll into the dog days of Summer... 

Ralph Lauren's Spring 2011 collection showcased the wild west with a modern American prairies feel to his pieces that included giant belt buckles, suede choker necklaces and Navajo rug tote bags.
  

Fendi, Chloe & Emilio Pucci are in on the action this Spring strumming up some colorful Native American style shoes and hand bag...

I am truly fond of the vintage old West style, however I don't think of this fashion trend in terms of Summer wear because it doesn't have that light and airy appeal to me, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of this trend for Fall 2011.




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It's MOD Monday Baby!

It's MOD Monday here again at Retro Threadz and this week we're discussing the origin of the 'baby doll dress' since it was a fashion staple of the 60's.  The baby doll style started out as a sometimes sleeveless, comfortable, usually nylon fabric, short, loose fitting night gown that shortly thereafter migrated into a dress.

The name given for the garment style 'baby doll' was popularized by the movie of the same name in the late 50's which portrayed the title female character as a young and sexy nymphet and the whole idea of that set off the garments popularity amongst young women.

Both Twiggy and Goldie Hawn were most associated with the baby doll style of the 60's...

The style faded a bit through the late 70's and 80's but made a resurgence in the 90's when grunge goddess Courtney Love gave it a new spin and the birth of the punk rock style called 'kinderwhore' was born!  Basically it's a baby doll dress that has been torn, ripped up or cut low in the front paired with platform Mary Jane's.

     
The trend had died down again a bit but popped up in the 'here and now' as  designer Julien MacDonald fashioned up quite a variety of baby doll dresses circa 2011 as he showed his collection at the Spring Fashion week.  

If you notice, there hasn't been too much evolution regarding the shape of the style with the baby doll dress, just a lot more variety where color and textures are concerned.


pics: eliakazanmovies.blogspot.com, corbisimages.com, hubpages.com, fashiontheory.umwblogs.org, threndsandtreats.wordpress.com

Happy St. Patty's Day 2011! Check out our 'Vintage Spring Greens'!

                                    
      Stop by our shop to check out our cool digs and vintage Spring GREENS!

                            60's Pop Art Metallic swirl mini GoGo dress

                          1960's green Shamrock swirl beaded necklace

                       50's gingham ruffled cocktail dress full circle skirt

Vintage 50's Manchester uptown Blazer

Happy St. Patty's Day 2011!

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Hats Off To Spring!

Women have always been in love with hats as a fashion accessory.  In the 1920's the cloche hat was one of the first modern styles of the 20th century.  Cloche is the french word for 'bell' as these caps were form fitting to the head in that shape. These hats were considered 'sexy & mysterious' because the hat sat right above the wearers eyes...

In the 1930's there was a trend in the U.S. for wearing hats when Spring was in bloom and they often did so with a sense of rivalry involved as to whose hat was the biggest and the best! In the midst of the great depression, a new hat at Easter or a refurbished old one was a simple luxury for most women...

There's also a rich history of African-American women and hats, in that the act of covering your head during worship has its roots grounded in scripture.  It has since become a firm tradition for many women who want to show respect for God while adding pizzaz to their presence!

The 1950's saw a decrease in the popularity for hat wearing in general by women, and were no longer a 'must have' for every outfit but have since regained popularity in the 21st century since this is one of the most flexible times in fashion history and everyone is pretty much following their own impulses, especially when it comes to what they're topping off with.


Remember the floppy colorful shade hats in the 70's? We're starting to see them again... 

When talking about 'hats' you cannot forget to mention the huge hats women have been parading around in at the Kentucky Derby for ages. Styles of course have changed so much throughout the years that now the Derby event is more like a red carpet who's wearing who and what!

Just like everything...'what goes around comes back around' and hats of pretty much every style are being seen worn again these days.  Here at Retro Threadz, we pride ourselves in selecting only the most quality of vintage hats for you to choose from so make sure you stop by the shop regularly as we are always stocked with a variety of beautiful vintage styles ranging from the 1940's to the 1980's.

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Rated PG Sexy

What's sexy?  Is it true that 'less is more'?  Nowadays it seems quite the opposite as we are seeming to conform to the European standards of modesty on all media fronts and even more so in today's fashions. Case in point, naked models walked the runway at London Fashion Week for Charlie Le Mindu! Way to shop your hats!

The 1940's & 50's was supposed to be the eras of the pristine 'good girl' but they managed to sneak a little naughty in there for sure!  My mother said she remembers back in the day her mother wearing a black sheer button down blouse with just a black bra underneath.  How did they get away with that back then?!  Maybe grandma was just a rebel? Check out this sheer lace number Rita Hayworth wore in the 1942 musical comedy 'You Were Never Lovlier'.  This now vintage scandalous dress was definitely ahead of it's time!

My mom's story of my grandmother's risque fashion choice led me to do a little scoping out on sheers as a current day trend.  I've been reading a lot about the New York Fashion Week still as articles are still trickling in and continue to pop up in the style section of the news as well as in the fash mags.  I came across Proenza Schouler.  Never heard of them, but they are fairly new being that they've only been around since 2002.  Proenza Schouler is a New York based modern design label that focuses their inspirations primarily on women's wear & accessories.


I Google'd them and went looking to see what I could find and their spring 2011 collection at the New York Fashion week was 'sheer heaven'!  I really dig how they couple the aspect of maintaining modesty with the sheer and sexy vibe of the delicate fabrics leaving much to the imagination by accompanying the styles with appropriate under garments such as boy shorts and camis.  

Sheer is definitely 'in' for Spring/Summer 2011 so make sure you keep it classy and not trashy and wear it rated PG Sexy!


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