Secrets of Summer Sexy

 

Did Marilyn really disrobe at bedtime?

Do you sleep in the nude, a la Marilyn Monroe, with perhaps a spritz of Chanel No. 5? Sexy, to be sure. Tempting, too, with summer upon us. Yet lingerie can be equally cool and infinitely more seductive. The right nightie, skimpy slip or barely there robe creates a mood for the boudoir and beyond. Sultry. Dreamy. At once innocent and knowing. In repose, you deserve this look, this feel, this sensation—and so does the special person you spend these private moments with.

It may seem that a woman has limited lingerie options nowadays: Either submit to dizzying high-end prices for fine imported pieces or settle for shoddy fare from a catalog that will stretch out and fall apart in no time. Ah, but there is an alternative in affordable vintage lingerie. 

Fluttery, buttery Vassarette Seventies gown

  Why get fully dressed?  

Design? Sublime! Attention to detail? Remarkable. And the fact that these intimate items still remain attests to its quality, much made right here in the USA. 


Seek, and you will find from bygone labels like Van Raalte, Henson Kickernick and Laros, as well as Vanity Fair (in business since 1899 and still at it!). Seek, and you will find everything from the sleek and simple to the unabashedly frilly to the deceptively demure.

Caveat emptor, of course. The way we smoked and drank back in the day, it's a miracle we didn't set more than a lover's heart aflame. A reputable seller, however, will disclose signs of wear, tear and the misbegotten cigarette hole in one's flowing chiffon. While the vintage aficionado appreciates mint condition, she also understands that flaws can be part of a garments charm.

Vanity Fair nightgown lavished with lace

Be pretty in sheer peach!

Make your summer more exciting, and don’t limit lingerie to the confines of the bedroom.  A sheer robe can be a beach cover up, a baby doll top makes a bold statement over jeans and a slip might just prove to be the sexiest dress you ever wore. Want more info on the pieces shown here? 
* Find the yellow gown here: 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seventies-True-Vintage-Vassarette-long-yellow-nylon-nightgown-/131207650715
*  Find the peach peignoir robe here: 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=131216896795&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123
* Find the Van Raalte slip here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=131216952448&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

Sweet dreams, my dears—and then some!

 

Seventies era "Freedom Front" keyhole-neck nightie

How to Pick the Perfect Summer Purse

SUMMERTIME, and the livin’ is easy. Supposedly. Ah, well, at the very least, it ought entitle you to give a rest to that enormous black thing you normally lug around. Yet picking a purse for summer can be tricky. You want it to reflect the  relaxed style attitude of the season while still serving as a convenient receptacle for essentials. Read on, then, to find the perfect purse to carry you through Labor Day.

Betcha can't pick just one!

Oh, but did I say the purse? As if one could possibly suit all you’re getting up to these long days and lush nights. Odds are, you’ll rely on three:

• A chic, cosmopolitan and well-constructed  pocketbook. Summer notwithstanding, you have work to do, appointments to keep, errands to run and impressions to make. 
• A miniscule evening bag—an envelope clutch, perhaps. You’re off the clock and will let nothing defy your carefree flow save your keys, mad money and lipstick. That’s right, dear—do leave the gadget behind so you can concentrate on the moment—the company you keep, as well as the music, laughter and scent of jasmine in the air.
• A quirky, swingy thing that’s all about fun to dangle from your arm while you stroll the boardwalk eating ice cream. Let your imagination guide you and think outside the bag. One summer, I relied on a straw sewing basket festooned with artificial cherries. Another, I made a bag from the derriere of a pair of faded blue jeans.
  
  

Lucky you, your eye for quality vintage will guide you to one-of-a-kind finds you can afford. So now, having categorized your purses’ purposes, consider the following factors:

• Color. Choose either light or bright. Yes, even in New York City. A black bag undermines a sundress and sandals, is overly formal with shorts or Capris and adds a needless hard edge to summer business attire. If you don’t care for white, choose cream, a pretty pastel or your favorite hot hue. 

• 

  Bright hot and just your size

  
  

  
  

• Size. Since your summer style statement is about lightening up, do strive to downsize to a smaller bag (except, of course, for your beach tote, which should be large enough for your towel and page-turner).
• Material. Suede says autumn to me, but leather (and its reasonable facsimile) feels seasonless and is a sturdy, dependable choice for day. Yet summer is historically the time for wicker, straw, canvas and other casual, flexible fabrics—experiment!
• Embellishment. I refuse to part with any of my precious Enid Collins purses, created by the Texas designer who favored adornment to the  extreme. 
  

  

  Mine! Mine! All mine!!!

  EC's sense of giggly gaudiness created the handbag equivalent of an amusement park but, granted, it's not for everyone. So why not use her as inspiration and indulge in the fanciful your way. Consider a purse strewn minimally or maximally with stones,  spangles, sequins, beads, pearls, et cetera — particularly for evening, when sparkle is de rigueur. Or try this:
  
  Tie a brightly colored scarf round the handle of a simple bag for instant charm. 

Have you got a handbag tip to share? Please do! And watch this space for upcoming missives on "How We Lost Our Vintage Virginity," "Seduction in Summer: Why It's Hot to Be Cool," "My Most Precious Piece" and "How To Find Your Thrifting Partner."

A Vintage Confession

Just a jumble of little delights

Please do call me Virna. A huntress and collectress of lovely things from eras past: handbags, baubles, shoes, scarves, lingerie, et al, as well as those items for the home that make setting a table, serving up cocktails or simply lounging about the boudoir such true pleasures.

40s-era alumesh bag with
a bakelite handle

A nightgown a la lemon sherbert

Now, a woman of a certain vintage myself — with, alas, no viable means of support — it’s time to begin divesting of my worldly goods. Worthy heirs? I have not a one! Yet it is my hope that you might come upon my treasures — discover them, desire them, want and wear and delight in them. You, who have an eye. You, who have an appreciation.

How? That's the irony! It should come as no surprise that a woman who respects the past would be somewhat dismissive of technology. Yet here I am, blogging! Not to mention tweeting, face-booking, pinning and dabbling in e-commerce. Life has an amusing way of biting one in the derriere.

Help me, won’t you? Follow me, friend me, fan me (or whatever the terms may be) to trounce my trepidation as I navigate these modern waters. In return I’ll offer in this space ruminations and expertise on our shared passion for the quality, design and je ne sais quois of decades gone by. In fact, consider these initial jottings an invitation to a forum. Share your obsessions, show off your purchases, ask questions, proffer opinions and revel in those of other like-minded aficionados (for I promise to feature guest posts by prominent figures in the vintage realm). 

An admirer's rendering, 
based on an old photo

As to my wares, I've come to understand that eBay allows people to bid on items—and may the best one win! That appeals to me, since I'd like nothing more than for my pieces to fall into the best possible hands, so that's where I've gone. I'm starting small:  Purses perfect for the season, nightgowns and slips for summer seduction (including the long and lovely yellow number pictured here) and kicky little skirts ideal for town, country and in between. Should you consider acquiring something from me, please do indulge for the only reason that matters: You absolutely adore it!