How I Put Together A Simple 1960's Look

April 27, 2015
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, 1960s Fashion, 1960s Inspired Fashion, Retro Fashion Blog, Vintage Fashion Blog

This past weekend I attending a really fun event that I will share with you in my next post but before we headed off to the event I decided to do a quick impromptu video of how I put together a really simple but cute 1960's inspired outfit.

That time of day was really sunny and so my husband who was recording didn't notice that there were shadows all over my face so I apologize beforehand for not being able to see my face as clearly as I would have liked but he did a great job irregardless.

I liked doing a video outside and if you would like to see more let me know what you would like to see videos of.


I hope you liked it and don't forget to subscribe to my channel HERE when you get the chance. Thanks!

A Vintage Nerd Book Club: Pretty In Pink

April 25, 2015
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Pretty In Pink, 80's Movies, Movie Tie-in Books, Pop Culture

Pretty in Pink. The iconic John Hughes film from 1986 about a girl who lives on the outskirts of preppytown, a boy who is living a privileged life, and her best friend named Duckie. It is about how Andie finds her footing in a world that deems her too different and too unique and the bonds she forms with those around her. It's really a magical tale.

For those of you who may have seen the film, did you know there was a book? Did you also know that the book contains the original ending of who Andi ends up with romantically? I have been wanting to read this and wanting to know the true ending for ages. I finally know and although I do recommend the book I know many of you would want to know how this tale was supposed to end.

Here it is:

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Pretty In Pink, 80's Movies, Movie Tie-in Books, Pop Culture
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Pretty In Pink, 80's Movies, Movie Tie-in Books, Pop Culture, Pretty In Pink Book
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Pretty In Pink, 80's Movies, Movie Tie-in Books, Pop Culture, Pretty In Pink Book
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Pretty In Pink, 80's Movies, Movie Tie-in Books, Pop Culture, Pretty In Pink Book
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Pretty In Pink, 80's Movies, Movie Tie-in Books, Pop Culture, Pretty In Pink Book

This book was written by H.B. Gilmour and it came out before the film but was based on the screenplay. Therefore, that is why it contains the original ending. The ending was changed because test audiences wanted Andie to be with Blane.

I've seen the films at different stages in my life but I can honestly say Molly Ringwald's portrayal of Andie was lacking the passion and creativity that the character was supposed to have. It may be due to the fact that Ringwald herself didn't want to do the role and she caved in as a favor for Hughes.

The original ending as you just read has Andie and Duckie embracing in a blur of pink. They end up together and they make so much more sense. Blane's world and life is just too far removed from hers and really, he was a punk. He had no guts, no courage to be himself, no passion at all which in my opinion made him a poor match for Andie. Duckie on the other hand was full of potential, drive, and a hunger for life that set him apart from Blane significantly.

In my humble opinion as much as I liked all the actors, Jon Cryer as Duckie is the only one that portrayed the character to its fullness. The others just leave you hanging a bit wondering, "is there more to them?"

What do you think about this little flash from the 80's past? Did you root for Duckie or for Blane? Have you read the book? If not, what did you think of the passages I just shared with you?

Easy Peasy 1960's Casual Day Look

April 22, 2015
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Hair Tutorial, Vintage Hair Inspiration, Creating a Vintage Look, Vintage Blog, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1960s Fashion Blog

Being a busy gal one needs some quick but cute ways that they can add some vintage into their daily outfits. Not everyone can or wants to walk out of their house looking as if they stepped off a time machine and not everyone has the time to dedicate the precision that it takes to create look from a specific decade.

So I wanted to show you how I created a simple and easy casual day look inspired from the 1960's. 

I started out by wearing a 60's inspired sweater from Boden called the Pamela sweater. Super comfy and super cute, I definitely want to get it in more colors. I paired it with my jeans for my casual look. I set my hair in hot rollers but you can also use steam rollers or large rollers overnight. I do plan to do a tutorial of my steam rollers soon so keep a look out for it.

I slapped on a headband and of course forgot my earrings for this little mini shoot but a pair of post earrings or hoop earrings would go great with the look. My makeup was minimal and I would like to think that women on an everyday basis didn't put on fake lashes and cat eye makeup. I did use liner and it was very thin. I think next time I will put it on a little thicker but I like the simplicity of it especially if I am going out with my family and running some errands.

I used MAC's liner, Benefit's mascara, a brow brush and brow pencil, and a white eye liner to help open my eyes up a bit. My eyes being the odd shape they are I think I could have used some eye shadow and maybe half of a false eyelash to give my eyes a little kick but I am staying away from false lashes at the moment. At least when it comes to casual day looks anyway. For my lips I used a coral shade from MAC. I just love the color coral lately. Don't you?

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Hair Tutorial, Vintage Hair Inspiration, Creating a Vintage Look, Vintage Blog, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1960s Fashion Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Hair Tutorial, Vintage Hair Inspiration, Creating a Vintage Look, Vintage Blog, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1960s Fashion Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Hair Tutorial, Vintage Hair Inspiration, Creating a Vintage Look, Vintage Blog, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1960s Fashion Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Hair Tutorial, Vintage Hair Inspiration, Creating a Vintage Look, Vintage Blog, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1960s Fashion Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Hair Tutorial, Vintage Hair Inspiration, Creating a Vintage Look, Vintage Blog, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1960s Fashion Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Hair Tutorial, Vintage Hair Inspiration, Creating a Vintage Look, Vintage Blog, Vintage Lifestyle Blog, 1960s Fashion Blog

How do you create a casual vintage look for the daytime? What elements of vintage fashion, hair, and makeup do you incorporate into your everyday look?

Special Cinema Spotlight: The Imitation Game

April 19, 2015
A Vintage Nerd, Period Films, The Imitation Game, Vintage Blog

The Imitation Game is one of those films that tells a story that everyone should hear. It is based on the life of Alan Turing who was a math prodigy and whose computer knowledge helped break the notorious German Enigma computer. This is said to have shortened WWI by two years and have countless lives. Needless to say, Turing was a Hero. A national one at that.

He was multi-talented, highly intelligent, seemingly descent fellow but in the years that would follow after WWII his life would change in a way that today most people deem an inhumane. Turing was charged with lewd behavior as until the 1960's in the UK, homosexuality was deemed an offense and one could serve prison time if caught. In 1952, he started a relationship with a much younger man, there was a burglary, Turing report the young man, and the truth came out. He was convicted with the charge of gross indecency under Section 11 and the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 and told he had a choice of prison (by which he wouldn't be able to continue his beloved work) or probation (by which he had endure injections of synthetic estrogen).

Turing's need to work and commitment to his work made him choose probation. The injections made him ill and one of the side effects was the growth of female breasts. This was done in the hopes that the homosexual urges would cease and he would be "cured".

Turing sadly died in June 1954 and the cause was cyanide poisoning. Some claim suicide, some claim exposure to his experiments, nevertheless it took until the year 2013 for Turing to be pardoned for his crime.

A Vintage Nerd, Period Films, The Imitation Game, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Period Films, The Imitation Game, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Period Films, The Imitation Game, Vintage Blog
A Vintage Nerd, Period Films, The Imitation Game, Vintage Blog

The film portrays his life almost like a poem. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Turing who narrates the film. In the beginning the viewer is told to pay attention and by the middle of the film you hear those same words being spoken to an officer as Turing explains who he is and what he has done.

The film goes back and forth between 1939, when he is working at Bletchley Park and 1952, when he has been arrested. The supporting cast constantly points out how different and difficult he was to be around but whether or not he really was the way Cumberbatch describes him as in his acting, you begin to empathize with this seemingly socially awkward yet kind hearted young man.

It reminded me that there are people who are acutely sensitive or so intelligent they don't know how to get one with "normal" social situations or who are incredibly introverted and shy. No matter how he really was in real life, the story of his life in this film is beautifully told.

At the end of the film you are basically asked, who do you think he is/was? He was a man, he was very intelligent, he was gay, and he was a long distance runner. He was many things as we all are. Should he be remembered for his crime, the way he died, or for the work he gave the world?

Today we basically have computer knowledge and technology because of him. I am writing this on a computer to you because of him. To me he was a hero and for everything he gave the world his story should always be remembered. And if you can see this film, I saw watch it closely and asked yourself who do you think he was.

If you would like to read more about Alan Turing or the people who worked with him, here are some links:




4 Tips On How To Spring Clean Your Vintage

April 17, 2015
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Organizing Vintage, Tips on Spring Cleaning, How To Organize, Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning can be so much fun. For me, its tough to start the process but once I do I cannot stop. I love the outcome of purging and sorting and tweaking things up a bit here and there. The best part of spring cleaning is that most of the steps you would use to clean out your makeup or your refrigerator are very much the same.

But when it comes to vintage I think it gets a tad bit tricky to maneuver.  Think about it. Vintage never goes out of style because its already dated. So how in the heck are we to find our way through all of our vintage items and decide what we will keep and what we won't? Most of us just tend to keep everything because of the "just in case" or the "you never know" factors. What happens then is we end up with piles and stashes of items that we don't use, never have used, really don't like, or even don't fit us properly.

One of the things I love about vintage dresses is how feminine and beautiful I feel when I am wearing them. But what if I have a dress that "sort of almost" fits me or that I love the color but not the decade its from? What is a girl to do?

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Blog, Organizing Vintage, Tips on Spring Cleaning, How To Organize, Spring Cleaning

Here are four easy tips that may help you spring clean your vintage:
  • Don't go through all of your collections all at once. Do them in parts. For example, your dresses then your shoes then your jewelry then you hats, etc. If not it will really be too overwhelming to be able to use your good judgement on what you will keep and what you won't.
  • Lay out everything you have from that particular collection. Lay out all your dresses so you can see everything you have. Don't forget to pull out the ones that you have in other places. You really want to take a good gander at what you have.
  • Ask yourself what fits amazing and what doesn't. Don't keep things that you know do not fit you well. You want what you wear to feel good on you and you want to feel fabulous so wearing something that is ill-fitted will just make you uncomfortable and rob you of that fabulousity.
  • Separate your pieces that you have worn many, many times. If you have worn a dress many times and many people have seen you in it, put it away somewhere else. Give that dress a rest and your other dresses a chance to be wore and shown off.
I hope these tips help you in decluttering your vintage a bit and bring more order to your stashes of goodies. What tips do you use when spring cleaning your vintage?

Vintage New York: 1946 Todd Webb Photographs

April 06, 2015
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Photography, Vintage Blog, 1940s New York, Vintage New York, Black and White Photography

The city that never sleeps. It's true to some extent or at least perhaps compared to smaller towns or to other cities, New York City always has the ON button switched to it. The neat thing about a city though is that because its always so busy and so many people coming in and out that there are always changes happening at a more rapid rate compared to a smaller area.

Todd Webb was an American photographer that photographed mainly architecture and every day life. These photos are a part of a collection of 15 photos taken when he was 40 years old.

I love seeing what New York City was like years ago. Goodness so many things have changed through the years like the piers where there used to be trading and cargo ships but today that is no longer in use.

Here are a few of Todd Webb's photos of New York City in 1946:

A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Photography, Vintage Blog, 1940s New York, Vintage New York, Black and White Photography
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Photography, Vintage Blog, 1940s New York, Vintage New York, Black and White Photography
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Photography, Vintage Blog, 1940s New York, Vintage New York, Black and White Photography
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Photography, Vintage Blog, 1940s New York, Vintage New York, Black and White Photography
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Photography, Vintage Blog, 1940s New York, Vintage New York, Black and White Photography
A Vintage Nerd, Vintage Photography, Vintage Blog, 1940s New York, Vintage New York, Black and White Photography

Aren't these amazing! He was such a talented photographer. I always enjoy looking at people in their everyday lives from the past, don't you? Which one did you like best?

**All photos are credited and owned by the Todd Webb Estate**

Must See TV: Agent Carter

April 03, 2015
A Vintage Nerd. Marvel Agent Carter, 1940s Period TV Show, Marvel Heroes Agent Carter

During Agents of SHIELD's mid season break tvland was introduced to a rare take on a female hero in the premier of the show, Agent Carter. I don't know how many of you read comics or watched the Captain America film but there is a character by the name of Agent Peggy Carter who during WWII served in the military. Carter ends up working with Captain America and we never know what happens to her after her service. The show gives us a taste of what Carter's life as an Agent was like after Captain America "died" and how she had to carry on after knowing him.

A Vintage Nerd. Marvel Agent Carter, 1940s Period TV Show, Marvel Heroes Agent Carter

The show is set in the 1940's after WWII in New York City with the lead being a woman. 1940's and a female heroine? Oh my is that too good to be true? I dare say Agent Carter is a-mazing! My husband is even hooked on the show!

It begins shortly after Carter learns of Captain America's disappearance and she has to carry on working as an Agent is a male dominated environment. She is beautiful and strong as well as smart and sweet. It's not easy for tvland to portray both a beautiful and smart woman on the small screen but in Agent Carter she has it all. She also displays physical strength, vulnerability, and bravey all the while wearing her fabulous red lipstick and victory rolls.

A Vintage Nerd. Marvel Agent Carter, 1940s Period TV Show, Marvel Heroes Agent Carter

I have to say that every episode gets better and each one to me seemed like I was watching a movie. It's really well done and so darn refreshing to watch a show that is set in the 1940's on American television as well as have a woman who is the hero of the story. She is perfect, she doesn't have super human strength or neat gadgets to get her out of jams but she does very well with what she has and you can't help but root for her the entire time.

A Vintage Nerd. Marvel Agent Carter, 1940s Period TV Show, Marvel Heroes Agent Carter

I love it and wonder if you have had a chance to check it out. Its currently on Hulu and hopefully will come back over the summer when Agents of SHIELD concludes their season. ABC has yet to announce if it has been canceled or renewed but having a female hero set in the 1940's is what girls these days need to see and I sure hope it gets renewed!

If you have seen it, what do you think? If you haven't, do you think this is a show you would watch?

AVN Winter Vintage Haul

April 02, 2015
A Vintage Nerd Vintage Blog Youtube Vintage Videos Vintage Haul


I think it's sort of neat to see what things people buy and what amazing scores they made. I have watched a few haul videos on YouTube but I never saw a vintage one. I decided to put together my first vintage haul video which includes the things I purchased over the winter.


Do you like haul videos? Would you like to see more of my vintage hauls? Which item did you like best? What vintage things did you score this past winter?
 
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