An introduction and Vintage Posters - The perfect life

An introduction and Vintage Posters - The perfect life

I'm always hoping to bring you guys a fresh perspective on the beautiful world of vintage paraphernalia but sometimes this is easier to say than do. So what better way to achieve this than to ask one of my lovely fellow vintage vixens to join us here? That's exactly what I've done, you can thank me later.

So without further ado, it's my pleasure to introduce our new guest blogger - Annie Ef! 

You either love them or hate them. There's no middle ground. They are explicit, sexist, racist, and just straightforward. Whenever I come upon one, I always imagine a white guy in a suit, smoking his cigar, drinking his whiskey, and coming up with marketing ideas. Political correctness? Pffff.

 If you look at the world through vintage ads goggles, things seem to be so… easy. You know exactly what the commercial is for, and the message it conveys. Don't believe me? Here, take a look:

A bottle of ketchup with a cork you can unscrew? *You mean a woman can open it?*

A commercial for Dormeyer electronics store? Just read through it, there's nothing to add.                                                                                                                                                                                   






It not only shows the store off, it gives you tips. Wives, cry just a little. Husbands, go buy what she wants before she starts to cry. It's that simple.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          The image painted by those ads is very clear. The man is independent, smart, strong, and handsome. He gets his women, and he does so thanks to our cigarettes!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             





                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 He then falls in love with the sweet girl next door. She, on the other hand, is pretty, a bit silly and clumsy, and she needs her men to protect her. She might not be too smart, and messes up sometimes, but he forgives her.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

They live in this paradise for a while, then a baby comes along. It's obvious that parents want their children to have a good start.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Your kid isn't doing that well in school, seems a bit slow? Get your medical advice from us! We take care of you 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Speaking of medical advice, did you know that more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarettes?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 However, your dentist recommends Viceroys.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Lucky Strikes on the other hand are good for weight loss. Take your pick!

Vintage ads took care of you. People who made them understood your problems, and wanted to help you with them. The product they tried to sell was the solution to your every day struggles. This might be the reason why they are so appealing. Yes, they are offensive, and yes they paint a sugary version of life. At the same time they are down to earth, they portray simple people with simple problems. It's easier to relate to a housewife trying to make her husband happy, than it is to a supermodel. The ad tells you how to fix your problem, promises you a better life, if you only buy what they are selling!

Now, I see why a lot of people don't like vintage commercials. They take harmful products, package them nicely, and sell as medicine. They show women as naive and completely dependant on men. Then again, when's the last time you turned your TV on? Were those ads that different from what we're used to now?
                                   

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Accessorize yourself (Part 1)

Accessorize yourself (Part 1)

Solene Percher by Stephen Plumb, hair bow by  Diablo Jo's

"You can't put a price tag on love, but you can on all its accessories" - Melanie Clark

         What do you look for when choosing accessories? Is it value for money, brand appeal, quality, design or a mixture of all four? 

I personally like to try and achieve a good balance of value for money, quality and design . I also like to try and buy locally and/or hand crafted items.

When I find something new and exciting (even if it's only new to me) I love to share it, and this is exactly what I'm going to do now. 

Obviously, there are many good accessories websites out there and that's without mentioning the abundance of creative and talented artists on Etsy but I want to concentrate on an incredibly talented lady, and her shop Diablo Jo's. This site is beautifully designed, so easy to navigate and has lots of lovely goodies for your perusal and buying pleasure.

I can't resist but to tote some on here (especially as my geographical location at the moment prevents me on buying any!).

Hawaiian Barkcloth Bow

This Hawaiian bow is first on my want list. I think it's so cute and would work well with any hairstyle and colour, I can't wait to get my hands on it and for only £3.50 it's a bargain!

Red and Gold Hawaii Fascinator

My next pick is the beautiful Red and Gold Hawaii Fascinator. How stunning would this look on luscious ebony locks or shimmering crimson tresses? Us redheads sometimes find it hard to match accessories to our hair that don't dull our colour or make it too coppery so this beaut is a definite must. At only £20 it's a worthy addition to your collection.





As you can tell I love Hawaii prints and hibiscus flowers but I promise not all of my recommendations are not based around this theme...instead the lovely Diablo Jo's also provides accessories to cover all tastes and obsessions...even my other one - cherries!

This headscarf is such a simple classic design, and by no means do
I mean this in a derogatory way. This is a perfect design and a necessary part of everyone's collection, whether it has cherries on it or not is up to you. The benefits of having a classic design like this is flexibility  you can match it with most outfits and it will definitely go well with any hair colour...literally any! Another steal at just £4.00


I'm going to now wrap up this article with one more precious piece from Diablo Jo's as I fear otherwise I will just end up adding the whole site here!

'Lil' Cherry' Scroll clip pack

So my last selection is to fit with the above headscarf, this lady has come up with a brilliant design of securing the item - matching hair clips! She has these for most of her headscarf designs so you don't have to have any boring or unsightly bobby pins popping out and ruining the whole ensemble. Just £10 to have this peace of mind.







I suggest you get your little fingers over to her site so you don't turn blue holding your breath from excitement!

Enjoy shopping ladies ;)

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