Fashion's Political Power

Hello Everyone,

It's now 's the eve of the presidential race between President Barack Obama and challenger, Mitt Romney. The world is holding it's breath to see who will win and be the 45th U.S. President this Tuesday. 

I know...you're wondering how is this political race related to the fashion world, right?

Well, I'd like to present a brief overview of some of the inaugural first lady fashions worn in throughout the past centuries. 

Fashion offers every person a way to make statement and these first ladies strutted their gowns, jewelry and accessories while accompanying their husbands to their  presidential celebrations--except for Mrs. George Washington and a few other presidential wives. 

These ladies made their husbands look even better and rocked their individual looks to their time period:

18th Century
George Washington - First President of the United States of America

Martha Washington was a bit of a rebel in her time and refused to attend her husband's inauguration because she was thought he should not become the president.

19th Century
Abraham Lincoln - 16th President of the United States of America

Mary Todd-Lincoln, attended her husband's presidential inauguration on March 4, 1861 in a beautiful over-the shoulder, frilly floor length dress with layered print fabric.

Inaugural Address Excerpt - Abraham Lincoln
‘Fellow-Citizens of the United States: In compliance with a custom as old as the Government itself, I appear before you to address you briefly and to take in your presence the oath prescribed by the Constitution of the United States to be taken by the President “before he enters on the execution of this office.’

20th Century


Jacqueline Kennedy, wore a simple and elegant gown to her husband's inauguration. She always was a style icon!


John F. Kennedy - the 38th President of the United States of America. He was elected at 43, as the youngest president to serve in the oval office.

21st Century
Michelle Obama, wore a American-Chinese designer, Jason Wu silk, chiffon dress and was accessorized with Jimmy Choo metallic shoes.

Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America being sworn into office on January 20, 2009, with his wife by his side.


Until, next time, happy voting and shopping!
Barbara

Halloween Spirit and Pink Pumpkins For A Cause

Happy October and Halloween everybody!!!

This is my favorite month of the year! 
I love the energy and excitement in anticipation each year of the upcoming holidays - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah and finally New Year's Eve. The weather cools down here in Southern California and the brisk, cooler winds arrive and Daylight Savings Time ends.

Even while attending local yard sales people are pumped-up for Halloween by using a scary image to draw attention to their spooktacular stuff on display for potential buyers. Of course, there's the old saying of BUYER BEWARE!!!!

Right now, kids and adults alike are planning their costumes, which ones will be right for them and also this year's hot trend setting outfits. 
Yes, every year it seems like the costume stores out do themselves in offering us less material, with skimpy costumes for us girls for All Hallows Eve than the previous year. Watch out guys here we come to take your breath away!

And I really like the names they give these costumes, too - Dirty Cop, Devil De-Light Light Up, Sexy Chucky (which, I wouldn't be caught dead in costume) LOL. 

Last but not least, Mickey's Mistress costume. I'm sure that Walt Disney would be turning in his grave to see such an outfit that is not a wholesome family option.

Anyways, it's fun to think of all of the costume possibilities out there for ladies and the entire family. Of course there's still the ol' favorite costumes like witches, Dracula, princess', and cowboys.

I did find something new for Halloween at a place I didn't expect - Ralph's supermarket. 

I found a pink pumpkin that is a hybrid - aka 'Porcelain Doll Pumpkin,' which I've never seen before! 

They're kinda cool and different from your standard orange, or white pumpkins. Each one is pink on the outside and orange  inside:

Do you wonder how these pumpkins began? The story goes that five years ago, a Colorado pumpkin breeder found a pink pumpkin growing in his fields and then bred them from seeds. 

That farmer then worked with a marketing professional, which in turn helped to tie-in breast cancer awareness with them. 

Now, this year according to the Internet the American Pumpkin Growers will donate 25 cents from every pink pumpkin to breast cancer research. 

So everyone should do their part and get into the Halloween spirit and go out and purchase a pink pumpkin this year!!! 

For more details on where you may buy one of these unique, beautiful pumpkins visit: pinkpumpkin.org.

Place a couple of these pink pumpkins on your porch/entry way and see the great reaction you receive from your neighbors and trick-or-treaters!! Then you can explain to them how they can support breast cancer awareness.

Well, it's time to go. Until next time happy shopping!

Barbara

Walk Like An Egyptian

Hello Everyone,
I know it's been awhile since, my last blog. But, I'm back now and ready to talk about my recent visit to  "Cleopatra - The Exhibit', here at The California Science Center.

Wow! What an amazing woman Cleopatra was during her lifetime! A total trendsetter, with fashion, jewelry and make-up worn ages ago. Here are some of the jewelry items worn during that timeline:

Right now, it's fashionable for us ladies to wear eyeliner around our eyes that mimics the Egyptian/Cleopatra look.

Her legacy continues all of the way up into the 21 century--with her influences being captured by many people's imaginations through film, music and television. One example is Elizabeth Taylor starring in a movie in 1963, based Cleopatra's dramatic life.

And then in the eighties, the all-girl band, the Bangles produced the record with the hit song, "Walk Like An Egyptian."

Though, we will most likely never know what Cleopatra exactly looked like, because after her death the next ruling family had all of her images destroyed. She has provided countless generations, with the imagery of a strong, intelligent woman who ruled a country and the hearts of many a man.

Until next time. Happy Shopping!
Barbara

A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun...

Hi Everybody,

It was another very, hot weekend here in California--temperature and shopping wise day of yard/garage sales, yesterday! In 2012, colored jeans/pants are hot big time. Muy Caliente, right? So, when I saw a pair Vanilla Star 5- pocket, skinny jeans for $1 (Retail $19-$34), I jumped on the chance.

Looking forward to wearing them, soon, with a pair of nice heels. Also, at this yard sales were vintage, plastic toy guns from 1959-1969, some were actually, original in box and had never been used.

Moving on to the next yard sale, I located a nice black, thermal, 100% cotton, long-sleeved top, with a red heart surrounded by barbwire design by Skelanimals for $1 (Retails approx. $19). Once the weather cools down this will be a great top!

Again, I found something different at this yard sale--a beautiful Murano, Italian yellow, glass flower vase that hangs on the wall. I just fell in love with this piece. It just makes you smile and be happy to look at it--and for  $1 its way worth it. I checked Ebay for similar vases and they can range from $45-$175.

Who loves Escada shoes? Raise your hands!
Leather and mesh, peep toes, slingback heels in green by Italian shoe designer, Escada.

And last but not least, I found the ultimate designer handbag from Kate Spade made of satin...drum roll please!! For $1!! The owner said that it was authentic and not a fake, so I believe her. These bags new sell for $185.

See these are really great treasures and so easy to find each weekend in neighborhoods across the U.S.A.

Until next time, happy shopping!
Barbara

Marilyn, a Motorcycle and Snoopy...Oh My!

Happy August Everyone!

I want to talk about style in this blog. How certain people and things always remain classically cool and vintage and inspire new generations!

Today, during my weekly search for fashion and vintage odd and ends, I came across several Marilyn Monroe framed photos at a local yard sale.

Talk about a style icon, every medium (Movies, TV, books, songs and other merchandise) she was the complete memorable beauty and style package. She was way ahead of her time in securing national and worldwide attention! She remains after all of these decades, the role model for glamour!
Here are those photos:

Marilyn looked stunning in all types of clothes from a t-shirt and jeans, to summer dresses, and especially in evening wear! There are many fashion imitators out there, trying to steal away her fashion spotlight--but there will never be another Norma Jeane Mortenson!!!

On August 5th, the 50th anniversary of her death we pay tribute to a beautiful woman on the outside, and within--featuring a few of her many quotes:


“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” 


“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.” 


“We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets.” 



“Beneath the makeup and behind the smile I am just a girl who wishes for the world.” 
― Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn


In addition, I also came across a vintage, bright yellow, Yamaha motorcycle for sale:

It looked like a bike from the 70"s that was super cool to ride around the town. The design of the bike was simple, but classic and I could imagine this bike, today, being used in either print and/or online ads as a prop for Guess Jeans, or Lucky Brand jeans, or another designer company, with beautiful models gathered around.

And lastly, who doesn't love Snoopy? The squirrel bag is so, cute, too, right?

I found the most adorable vintage, country felt designed Snoopy bag at the same yard sale as the Marilyn Monroe photos. Even after more than 50 years this dog still shows us some new tricks!

So, you see you never know what you'll find each week. Here's to another great day of shopping the streets!

Have a great weekend!
Barbara

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

Hi Everyone,

Hope you're enjoying your Summer and finding some cool fashion buys out there! Can you believe that we're already half way through the Summer season? And real soon we'll be planning our Fall wardrobes.

As I mentioned in my last posting, one of the great things about attending yard/estate sales is the people you meet each week, locally. You just never know, if you might rub elbows with someone famous or purchase an item originally owned by a star.

Recently, I met Janice Liebhart, the back-up singer for eight years with the ultra famous music icon, Michael Bolton. She had a nice yard sale at her house and I bought a black, rayon tunic with metallic accents by designer, aziz for $1. Here's a photo of the shirt:

She told me that she wore the tunic, numerous times while they were on tour...so, now I own a piece of music history!  :) Yeah!

And many years ago, I even bought a decorative planter from a garage sale that was rumored to have been owned by television-great Merv Griffin. As I recall I paid just a couple of dollars for it.
Here's a photo of that image, even though it's not a piece of fashion. It's still pretty awesome and I love how it looks in my kitchen on my antique oak server.

Well, besides making these purchases there's the whole ambiance/environment behind attending yard/estate sales. Some of my most fondest memories include: the lady who baked homemade chocolate chip cookies and served tea and/or coffee to everyone free of charge. Then there's was the backyard sale with freshly, squeezed lemonade drinks prepared from her lemon trees for people wading through merchandise stuff.

Of course, these sales can't all be sunshine, lolipops and roses types of events...some professionally manged estate sales pretty much harass the potential customers by preventing anyone to bring in their purses/handbags into the sales.
They state that it prevents thieves from easily placing merchandise into bags. If a thief wants something that probably won't deter them, but I guess that you have play by the rules sometimes, right?

And last but not least... one of the least appropriate sale items I come across almost every week is people selling their used, lingerie (bras and panties).
Let me just say this...lingerie is to be bought new at the store!!!

There are plenty of discount retail stores, where you can find reasonably priced bras and panties--Ross Dress for Less is one great resource, as well as TJ Max and Marshall's. There should actually be a law against purchasing lingerie used, it's just plain disgusting and WRONG!!

In closing I wish you many happy hours of neighborhood shopping, finding lots of exciting fashions! And remember to always keep an eye out for those weekly, signs posted for yard/estate sales where you'll find 'one man's trash is another man's treasure.'

Until next week!
Barbara

It's a Fashion Jungle Out There!

Hi Everybody,

It's been another awesome Saturday of fashion finds and vintage stuff! It was a hot and humid day and there were many yard sales to be found. Yeah!!! :)
The only question was...which ones to choose from and which ones were 'drive-bys' (sales you look at from your car as you drive past them).
Yes, it seemed like a fashion jungle, I needed to get my imaginary machete knife,  to cut through all of the not so good looking clothing/accessories... just as if they were a huge jungle overgrowth found in the suburbs of the Valley.

Lots of tarp, covered driveways with clothing, as well as hanging clothes from the garage doors could be found.

This was the first sale I visited, and I bought a gray, cable-stitched, Mossimo Supply CO., cotton sweater bought for $1 ($24 retail) and a one, piece Sace, blue print romper outfit for $1 ($19 retail).

At another yard sale later, I actually received a pair of designer, cork wedge shoes by Bamboo for FREE!
Those shoes retail for about $40, and they had not been worn once. They only needed one buckle to be repaired. What a generous lady who gave me  those shoes!

While traveling through the neighborhoods, I came across a couple of middle-aged men selling mainly tools and guy stuff and noticed a large cardboard sign on their garage wall. Here's the photo of the sign that I saw:

Unfortunately, there's an ugly side of people holding yard/garage/estate sales and people stealing stuff from them. So, these homeowners gave all thieves the proper warning!

 See what was I telling you about it being a jungle out there, right? It's hard to think that there are people preying on others at their homes by bringing teams of people to distract the yard sale owners. Shame on those people stealing stuff!!! Hopefully, they'll get caught soon and face legal charges.

Oh well, for the most part, the weekly yard sales are a big adventure and add lots of happiness to people holding them and attending them. 

You just never know who you might meet at one of these sales..there's some interesting characters out there! In my next week's blog, I will describe some of the folks that I've meet through-out the years that were all part of the whole experience.

Until next week! Stay cool and happy shopping to all of you fashion bargain hunters!

Barbara

P.s. Here's an additional photo of a supposed 17th century- English cherry wood, chair for sale at $5,000. Just another example of some unusual items that you see in your journeys.

A New, Designer Wardrobe for Much, Much, Much Less!!!

Hi Everyone,

In today's blog I want to present some photo examples of prior estate, and/or yard sale fashion purchases--along with the cost to purchase at a retail store. You'll be amazed at what awesome fashion finds you can buy just in your local neighborhood!

Here's a Bebe 100%, silk, butterfly dress that I purchased for just $3 and found similar dresses selling by the designer for more than $100. There's also a faux, Chanel leather/chain handbag bought for $2 and those would go for over $60. Then last but, not least there are the Cathy Jean, white leather, strap sandals, I bought for $5, with retail about $40. They were probably worn only once--looked like brand new! So, the whole designer outfit cost me $10 total.  If bought new, for retail the cost about $200. With these savings, you look like a superstar, without the superstar credit card charges, right?

I've got another example of true 'fashionista' discount shopping:

How many girls love Guess/Marciano designer clothing? Nothing says beautiful, quality clothing better than them! I purchased this Marciano, cotton corset, print dress for $5 at a yard sale. And the black riding boots were purchased at Target through their clearance racks for $24.99. So, for $30 you have a great look that would have cost you retail around $120. Think what you can do with these savings?

And one more example:

Can we say designer super outfit? This playful set includes Steve Madden leather shoes, $2, a Kenneth Cole Reaction leather jacket, $3, a Betsy Johnson leather/lace/stud belt,$1, And Candy pug tank top, $1 and ruffled, mini skirt for $1. What a bargain for a cute around the town outfit! :) The retail price cost would be somewhere around $225. But, my cost was only $8!!!

See it really, does pay off to spend your time cruising through your local residential areas and selecting and purchasing fine designer clothes for almost nothing to create a new, exciting wardrobe. And you know what else-- you're being "Green" (ecological)  by recycling this great clothing and accessories by giving them a new life!

Until next time...happy shopping!!!
Barbara

Stayin' Real 4 Fashion

Hi and welcome to my blog!

It's during these tough economic times that us ladies need to keep it real! We want to find awesome clothing that keeps us fresh, with fashion trends and doesn't break our bank accounts. I'm here to tell you how to save big bucks $$$ on designer clothing, as well as your basic fashion pieces and accessories.

You can even look like a rock star and still have money left over to pay your monthly bills. Too, bad there isn't another way out there to cut your rent/mortgage, cable, phone and car payments, right?

I would like to introduce myself to you...I've been lovin' fashion, since I was a wee lil' girl! I think that I must have been born with high heels on, since I can't live without them for sure. I just can't get enough of fashion, it's always on my mind.
I learned about clothing through  attending The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) and have applied those concepts. Also, I read fashion magazines, view the Internet fashion articles and constantly watch TV and movies for inspiration.

Professionally, I was at one time a Visual Merchandiser for Loehmann's who created their store window designs. In addition, I worked as a Comparative Shopper monitoring clothing designs/pricing at many large department and discount retail stores. In between, all that I received a Bachelors of Art in Art (Graphic Design), which taught me much about color, visual elements and more!


Anyways, you know how the fashion trends are always changing frequently and so does my wardrobe. So, I started to add clothing from shopping many, many estate sales and yard/garage sales-- cutting my costs by something like 90%. 
It's basically a treasure hunt of sorts and sometimes you hit the mother load of clothing sales in your nearby neighborhood. By searching through racks, boxes and tables of clothing/rags at these sales you may find your own true fashion riches and save lots of money big time!


I also shop the local discount stores like Target, Old Navy, and even the $.99 Store and find fabulous buys to update my fashion collection in my closet. There's even great fashion buys at charities like Goodwill, the Salvation Army and other organizations, which go to good causes to train and employ workers.


In upcoming blogs, I will share with you some of the best clothing purchases I've made. I can show you how those inexpensive pieces fit together to create some 'hot' outfits for all types of everyday wear (work, dates, casual, vacations, etc.). 


Join me on a journey of frolicking through all kinds of fashion styles that are affordable to everyone. Stay-tuned for future blog updates!


Thanks for stopping-by, and happy shopping!
Barbara