2 Shops I Heart, and It Never Hurts to Smile

After much agonizing,I finally narrowed down my choices and decided to feature Missing Bird Vintage and DearGoldenVintage ! I'm a little behind in the picture taking because my Lover Man's been working late at the digital factory advising other plant workers on the correct way to screw on electronic toothpaste caps. Or something like that. I haven't had the heart to make him get off his ass and immortalize me, so that really helped the narrowing down process. ;-)

First, Missing Bird Vintage. Love the way her store is organized.Its done by size so you can just select your size and start shopping!  One of the things I noticed about her store was the versatility of the sizing. She's got  items for  Tiny waisted Tina's AND Curvy Connie's! The dress I purchased from her was only $45.00! Did you just die a little inside at the price because it was so reasonable?
                                                                              The Dress

I noticed that I have been featuring dresses in smaller sizes and I wanted to make sure I didn't leave anyone out so today's picks include a little something for every size. Also, I wanted to showcase items of different price ranges since not everyone's budget is a tight as mine! So I'm gonna work on that in this post and in the future.Don't be afraid to remind me, my memory is terrible!
The first  item featured is a 50'S Green Dream dress in plaid cotton voile. Its an XL kittens and let me just tell you that looking at it makes me yearn for some Bon bons so I can fill out my shape and sport this little honey.
Hello there Gracie. Bound for the train are you? Well be quick about it but watch for puddles.We wouldn't want to ruin a frock as nice as that now would we? $85.00
The Front

The Detailing at the Neckline

This next dress is Circa 1950 and is an XL to an XXL. Its a navy blue and grey  wool gabardine!  I  only thought one thing when I saw it. Lucy.Is this a Lucy dress or what? I could totally see her sitting on the terrace in this dress plotting and planning  with Ethel over how to get Cornell Wilde into her rooms at the BHH, cant you? Only $75.00!
The Front

The Neckline!

This next dress?  Circa 1940/1950 , though Id lean more towards the 50's if pressed. Its  in a Medium Size.I like to call  this dress Sara.
Sassy Sara will rush into a room, fill it with gay laughter, intrigue and expensive perfume. You hardly ever see her but every time you do, you wish you saw more of her. You promise to write more often  before she leaves and once she does, you find yourself thinking the same thing you think every time you see her. Where DID she get that outfit?!  $95.00

The last dress I am featuring I call Lauren because it reminded me of something Lauren Bacall would wear if she were  playing the part of a  spoiled yet steely socialite who is totally going to get her heart melted about 75 minutes into the movie by her nameless Star of the Moment costar Hunky McFoxy.

Its in Bronze Sharkskin taffeta!

The Front. It comes with a bronze jacket y'all.

Take the jacket off and? Tadow!

You totally did not expect that did you? Take a closer look why don't you?

This is a special dress ladies .Its not cheap but neither is it ridiculously priced at $145.00.Ive spent more at Bebe for a dress that everyone and their Mom is wearing and I cant ever wear now. Hmmm thinking of that dress I'm wondering if I might do a few give aways in the future. I donate like, 2 bags of clothes a month to Goodwill to make room in the closet for more shiz, maybe I can donate to you? Some of this shiz still has price tags on it! Its an idea anyway. A new way to recycle?
 I focused on the  more expensive pieces that I love  in this store but they have a treasure trove of lower priced  accouterments ! Check out the Store for more goodies!

The next shop I am featuring has the sweetest name DearGoldenVintage. It makes me think of treasured keepsakes locked away in a hope chest, up in an attic somewhere waiting for someone to happen upon it. Ive bought from this store more than once.In fact? I'm wearing a plaid jumper I bought from her today! I got so many compliments! Even the man at the 7-11 who speaks virtually no English and grunts at me every time he sees me said I looked smart.He actually said that. That I looked smart. I instinctively knew he did not mean intelligent. LOL If that isn't a rousing endorsement to click on the link to her shop? I don't know what is.
Some pics of this fabulous frock. Ive been going for a post war 40's look lately.Thanks to The Westmore Beauty Book !

Mk enough of me!Now its time to open the attic and unlock the chest . Get excited.

 The first item I'm featuring is a feminine pair of chocolate brown 50's heels.I named these shoes Sadie.Sadie is a good girl who loves to dance.She dances in the morning on her way to work, she dances through her filing for the day then  shimmies her way on home to rumba up some dinner. $75.00

 I think they'd also work with this 1940's ensemble in navy blue cotton in a LG, XL size from Golden's store. Sadie's Dress is always the best no? $104.00

Or, if you'd prefer a more 50's look (you could actually go 40's or 50's with this depending on your hair) for a dinner with the Boss.Even Sadie's got the be sensible once in a while. In a Medium size.$88.00

In this post I focused on my more higher priced vintage  loves but Dear Golden has a myriad of lower to mid priced items. There are skirts and bags and broaches, and dresses galore! Look through her hope chest ladies, you are bound to find something fantastic.

Now onto my boring musings. I'm going to talk about the art of the friendly smile.Will someone please tell me when it became cool to not smile? I know ,I know, you think you look sexier and more intimidating sans smile but you can also look sexy with a smile.A smile is one of the sexiest charms a woman can possess. And forget about sexy, what about  all the other types of smiles there are? There is the enigmatic smile. The perplexed "Who me?" smile. The coquette, the flirt and the plain ole friendly smile.

What ever happened to the friendly smile?When did we become afraid or unwilling to offer up a free big bright smile to a stranger?

 A smile is like a germ free handshake and I am all for bringing it back.

 People that don't smile freak me out. I'm already paranoid from listening to too much Johnny Dollar(incidentally, did I tell you we named our clown fish Johnny Dollar? No relation.) and think that people are secretly plotting to kill me anyway. I'm TOTALLY distrustful of people that don't smile.And don't get me started with people who look away or frown when you smile at them. I know I just committed cool people suicide but  can you please have the decency to not look embarrassed for me! Jeez. Its a smile, I did not just flash you.

I cant believe I am outing myself but its one of the reasons that I only went to Viva once. Don't get me wrong.I think Viva Las Vegas is an AWESOME event and I totally get the idea behind it.A bunch of like minded folks getting together to party down! Whats not to love about that? Nothing. But for me? The sheer number of people that walked around with frozen or dagger like expressions freaked me out yo. I love to meet new people and make new friends and Viva intimidated the hell out of me. No ones face said"Hi.Im nice, wanna play?"Dude. I love the same shiz you love! Why the Frowny McMeany face? We should all be so full of joy that the smiles are practically bursting forth from our lips!Or is it me? Maybe I am misinterpreting the dagger face. Maybe in that world that expression is like...your version of a "Howdy Do" and Ive been reading it wrong this entire time. Hey, it could happen.We live in world of mixed signals and minsunderstandings.Who know's, I might even give it a try again! Someday... Maybe when my skin is a little thicker?

Listen, all I'm saying is I am a nerd. I listen to Doo Wop and Swing,  I geek out over OTR and extravagant period movies. I own all 4 Seasons of The Venture Brothers.  I smile a lot and I think you, all of you, should smile back!  Lets bring back the smile!Or at least if you see someone throwing a smile your way? Look them in the eye and smile back! Or at the very least don't look away or frown.Don't take yourself so seriously! I'm super lucky that I have friends that will call me a douche to my face if they think I need it. If you don't have friends like that? Self monitor! Tell yourself once a week

 "I'm not that hard! I am a melty marshmallow slurped through a straw on a chilly evening.Smile Gorgeous!"

You ll live longer.

And do not even get me started on holding doors open for people.Which everyone should be doing because its the polite thing to do.I could write a book.Nobody would read it but goshdarnit toheck I could write one.

Tomorrows featured shops will be  Tiddlywink Vintage and Stylelog(from Japan). Im getting International y'all! Not sure what I'll be musing on yet but you can bet  your bottom dollar that you'll get some sort of two cents from yours truly. Wink gave me a few ideas. Musings on Old Hollywood perhaps?

Kisses!

Your VFG

PS: My BFF has a 45 waist so I'm always on the look out for goodies that would work for her.If you have something in your store or you know of larger sized vintage hit me up! I'm going to try to find items in her size and post them here in a sort of tribute to  both her and my larger sized Mamma's in the future!