Happy New Year!

My goodness and my apologies!  I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!  Much of it of course has to do with all of the winter holidays, which I hope were exceedingly grand for all of you!  The blog may have been a little quiet, but things were still bustling over on the facebook page.  Are you a fan yet? You certainly should be if you don't want to miss out on any of the action.  Special secret posts, exclusive previews, event ideas and your chance to give me feedback and input on new design ideas!  What's not to like?

So, in line with all of this, I thought I would create a post based on some of favorites from other blogs and pretty things to follow online. As much as I love having this venue for posting long-winded updates and photo stories, it has never been, nor will it ever likely be, a daily updated feast of information.  There are plenty of other online who do this and do it well! 

Let's start off with two of my major favorites in the lingerie world: The Lingerie Addict and the Frou Frou's Fashionista blog, shall we?

The former is run by the darling Ms. Treacle Tart, who gives wonderful personalized account of her views in the lingerie world.  I like her blog because she keeps things easy to read, for both lingerie beginners and enthusiasts alike, and loves to keep the dialog open with her readers!  Ms. Tart is a total independent voice, without a store or line or pre-existing tie to the industry, so she makes a point to focus on product reviews and cute little informative guides on wearing lingerie. She also seeks out guest posts for some of the most thoughtful and definitively expert advice (including the extra lovely What Should a Busty Lady Look for in a Bra? or a post on Boudoir photography session basics) and tends to feature small independent lingerie labels -- which you know we love!!

Case in point:  Ms. Tart makes it easy for us: instead of having to choose a favorite she has created a blog post highlighting the top 20 blog posts of 2010!  Gracious!)


Now, the latter comes from the grand luxury boutique in Los Angeles, Faire Frou Frou, (ohmygoodness, have you seen their chandelier and mirrors??) the blog takes the fabulous high end tastes of the store and brings it to another level with a plethora of posts on fashion magazine spreads, unique fluffy burlesque accessories to spoil yourself with, gift guides, and in-depth highlights on brands you might not have otherwise heard of.  Alison Rubke, one of the owners of this mother-daughter team, is a sweetheart and you can tell she is passionate about what she does and it shows through her carefully curated product choices! One of my favorite recent examples is this post highlighting a Madison Magazine spread on the lovely Ms. Dita Von Teese:

follow the links in the blog post for credits, more photos and Dita's interview link

 

Speaking of some awesome lingerie-rich high fashion magazine spreads, I've been really digging the heavy 60's vibe that's been popping up a lot this year.  Vintage styles are always coming around here and there, and I will be the first to admit and I am not one to care too much about fickle fashion trending.  But I've always been a fan of the smoldering 60's heavy eyeliner look, and I'm happy to see it being done well again and again:

Two case in points:

Kate Moss for Vogue Italia (via Fashion Gone Rouge):

As well as their post on Ellen Von Unweth, also from Vogue Italia:

And since we're on the topic of 60's style year-in-review, I have to mention two music videos.  I don't have much of an opinion on Beyonce normally, but I do love the styling to Why Don't You Love Me?

 

And though it doesn't actually include any lingerie, you have to love the vintage styling of CeeLo's video:

OK.  Now that I have my mainstream guilty pleasures out of the way.  Back to the bloggers. 

Being as this is a women's lingerie designer blog, at first thought, you may think a men's based following like The Selvedge Yard would be out of place.  But then you think a little more, and it of course makes sense.  Men love lingerie just as much as we do.  And this blog is such a treasure of vintage images and well-researched little history lessons of things you are actually interested in, like pin-up girls and the origin of everything from New Years to Sailor Jerry to every great film icon.  It is not exclusively for vintage things, but it is heavily inspired by such.

Just a few of the many reasons why Dottie's Delights fans would love a poke around The Selvedge Yard:

A wonderful post on Janyne Mansfield's Palace (oh, I'm not supposed to like the decorating in this place?  oops.)

Tough vintage roller derby gals:

The marvel that is Lillian La France, stunt rider:

"The Persuasive Power of the Pin-Up":

And of course, it simply wouldn't be complete without a grand post on Bettie Page and Bunny Yeager:

 Or a post (or two) on the Playboy girls:

Phew!  Alright folks.  Well, this was going to include a few more people (though gosh, I wouldn't even know where to begin with the general vintage women's fashion blogs...so many good ones!), but this seems to be long enough as is, so hopefully it will hold you over until next time!  Perhaps I will do a part two, if I can squeeze it in, but in the meantime, feel free to comment about any of your favorite blog reads or other ways to pass the online time!

XOXO