Wednesday, September 29, 2010

When Bad 80s Hair Accessories Happen to Good People




So surely you're heard by now about last week's international incident involving Hillary Clinton, a cheap plastic jaw clip and what must be the warring brain cells of a few right wing pundits with very little actual work to do. As the photos above suggest, Our Lady of the Unfortunate Pantsuit (i.e., Hillary Clinton) didn't make the wisest executive decision when she pulled her hair into a formal mullet for her appearance at the U.N. earlier this month, but whether that styling error warranted the excessive scrutiny that ultimately befell it is an entirely different matter. We here at Huzzah! have a loose moratorium on posts discussing the fashion of female political figures for reasons noted here, but we are curious to know your thoughts on ClipGate '10.

Was this fashion faux pas politically egregious enough to merit mention in the press, or did it merely help highlight just how much more work has yet to be done if men and women are to ever truly be equal--within and beyond politics?



Pictured Above: A little reminder that male politicians are not immune to public scrutiny of their appearance. Nixon is said to have lost the televised 1960 presidential debate with John F. Kennedy Jr. because of his excessive sweating and tired appearance--a fate avoided by Kennedy thanks to pancake makeup that made him appear rested, youthful and calm on camera. By the 1968 presidential election, Nixon had learned his lesson and was caking it on like a drag queen at a MAC counter.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Make Ours A Double




. . . because, in the words of Julia Child, it's hotter than a stiff cock today.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Raleigh Vintage Giveaway! (CLOSED)




********************************************************* THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED! Please see our current giveaway HERE!

This week's super ace giveaway comes to us courtesy of Andi of Raleigh Vintage, a dreamy online vintage clothing boutique with a seriously delicious collection of mid-century frocks, shoes and accessories (including this current Huzzah! fave). Andi is generously offering one lucky winner the chance to brighten up her wardrobe with a $40 gift card good toward the purchase of anything in the shop! Whoa!

To Enter The Giveaway: Simply visit Raleigh Vintage and leave a comment (along with your email address) indicating your favorite item from the shop before Sunday, Oct. 3 at 11:00 p.m. PST. The randomly selected winner will be announced on Monday, Oct. 4 and contacted privately with additional details. Good luck, and thank you for entering!

For up to 3 additional entries & opportunities to win:
Tweet about this giveaway & leave one additional comment
• Become a fan of Raleigh Vintage on Facebook & leave one additional comment
• Blog about the giveaway & leave one additional comment

(No purchase necessary to win. Giveaway contest open to readers worldwide. One winner will be selected from among qualifying entries at random by Huzzah! Vintage at close of giveaway on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 11:00 p.m. PST.)

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Elaine, lucky commenter no. 21! We'll be in touch soon with details ~ xo, Team Huzzah!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Fantasy Vintage Shopping Spree With Our Sponsors




1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Have you ever wondered what our personal closet looks like? What's that you say? No?! Well, were you to peek inside you'd see a collection of vintage that is at once irreverent and demure, bold yet unassuming. Hard to envision? Then check out the beautifully-edited collections at Mother Midnight Vintage and Raleigh Vintage where all of these sensibilities come together with the ease of a passing day and the grace of a Bieber hair flip.



1 | 2 | 3

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

What In Fresh Harem Pant Hell....?!




We can only imagine what the poor sweatshop workers must have been thinking as they stitched up the poopy rise on these dreadful 'heathered' sweatpants for Forever 21. Certainly they couldn't have been thinking that they'd be paired with a garish rhinestone bangle and a pair of cheap do-me pumps. We suspect this styling decision was also something of a surprise to the photographer since s/he clearly just gives up in the photo on the right. Sadly, at a mere $15, it's only a matter of time before these fast fashion abortions start offending us at the supermarket. The good news is, like most F21 products, this one will likely disintegrate upon impact with a washer agitator. One can only hope that our lust for cheaply cannibalized Occidental fashion will disappear right along with it.

Sidenote: One has to wonder whether F21's marketing people understand the term 'harem' beyond its contemporary associations with an ugly pant...



...because this is what 'modern harem' summons in our pop culture-addled mind (and who wants to pay even $1 for that??):



Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Training the 1950s Tween in the Ways of Erotic Objectification



We don't recall ever having a 'training bra,' or a 'psychological need' that went unsatisfied for one, but then again, we never enjoyed cinematic, half-clothed embraces near the window with our mother as 'beTweenagers,' either. In spite of this, we somehow learned the importance of eroticizing our breasts by pushing them up into perfectly rotund and symmetrical masses on our chest. And THANK GOD, too, because otherwise we might look like the unfortunate slob pictured below sans Titzling.


Sunday, September 19, 2010

Beta Boutique Vintage Giveaway! (CLOSED)




********************************************************* THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED! Please see our current giveaway HERE!

This week's soopa cool giveaway comes to us courtesy of Beta of Beta Boutique, a fab online vintage clothing store with everything from classic 1950s frocks (like this current Huzzah! fave) to au courant 1990s revival-wear. Beta is generously offering one lucky winner the chance to kick start her new Fall wardrobe with a $30 gift card good toward the purchase of anything in her shop! Hurrah!

To Enter The Giveaway: Simply visit Beta Boutique and leave a comment here (w/ your email address) indicating your favorite item from the shop before Sunday, Sept. 26 at 11:30 p.m. PST. The randomly selected winner will be announced on Monday, Sept. 27 and contacted privately with additional details. Good luck, and thanks for entering!

For up to 3 additional entries & opportunities to win:
+ Tweet about this giveaway & leave one additional comment
+ Follow Beta Boutique on Twitter & leave one additional comment
+ Follow this blog & leave one additional comment

(No purchase necessary to win. Giveaway contest open to readers worldwide. One winner will be selected from among qualifying entries at random by Huzzah! Vintage at close of giveaway on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 11:30 p.m. PST.)

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Arianna, lucky commenter no. 3! We'll be in touch soon with details ~ xo, Team Huzzah!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Surveillance Chic




This clever piece of art-cum-limited edition consumer purchasable won't actually record your roommate dipping into your weed supply or your nanny punching your croupy baby while you're at work, but it will illuminate a room so that you can comfortably read Discipline and Punish with a supremely smug expression on your face. Way cooler than our ramshackle petticoat chandelier, to be sure.



Monday, September 13, 2010

Mother Midnight Vintage Giveaway! (CLOSED)




********************************************************* THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED! Please see our current giveaway HERE!

This week's groovy giveaway comes to us courtesy of Lisa of Mother Midnight Vintage, a slammin' online vintage shop with fab finds for every member of the family (including this current Huzzah! fave). Lisa is generously offering one lucky winner a $40 gift card good toward the purchase of anything in the shop! Hooray! (Beyond one of those sardonic farm animal masks pictured above, what more could you want!!??!)

To Enter The Giveaway: Simply visit Mother Midnight Vintage and leave a comment here (w/ your email address) indicating your favorite item from the shop before Sunday, Sept. 19 at 11:30 p.m. PST. The randomly selected winner will be announced on Monday, Sept. 20 and contacted privately with additional details. Good luck, and thanks for entering!

For up to 3 additional entries & opportunities to win:
+ Tweet about this giveaway & leave one additional comment
+ Follow the Mother Midnight blog & leave one additional comment
+ Follow this blog & leave one additional comment

(No purchase necessary to win. Giveaway contest open to readers worldwide. One winner will be selected from among qualifying entries at random by Huzzah! Vintage at close of giveaway on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 11:30 p.m. PST.)

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Gigi, lucky commenter no. 13! We'll be in touch soon with details ~ xo, Team Huzzah!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Happy 3rd Birthday Sassy Mae!




Live it up, Girlfriend! mwah!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Top Five Places To Find A Fashion Blogger


5. The Forest


4. Empty Streets


3. Stairwells


2. Near Cool Bikes


1. Amidst Urban Decay


Friday, September 10, 2010

Crappy Creative Reuse: Part Deux




We love miniatures, dioramas, and creative reuse projects of the scatological variety, so naturally, we love this toilet paper roll series from Parisian artist Anastassia Elias. We're almost inspired to try our hand at one, but this little reminder of our creative shortcomings reminds us that our time is probably better spent writing and planning next week's lecture on gender in American postwar television.

Pro Tip: Photography was invented a full 40 years before toilet paper. Bananas, right!?!

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Fantasy Vintage Shopping Spree With Our Sponsors



1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Bess Georgette and Jean Jean may be separated by several thousands of miles, but they do share at least two things in common: a sharp eye for classic, sophisticated vintage finery and a readiness to offer it at generous prices. Were we not awash in debilitating student loan debt, we'd have snatched up much of their respective inventories long ago.



5 | 6 | 7

Monday, September 06, 2010

Swimsuit Contests Then And Now


Then:

Now:


Then:


Now:


Then:


Now:


(And here we thought Ludacris preferred 'a lady in the streets...')

Monday, September 06, 2010

Verseau Vintage Giveaway! (CLOSED)




********************************************************* THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED! Please see our current giveaway HERE!

This week's most excellent giveaway comes to us courtesy of Theresa of Verseau Vintage, which features a well-edited collection of forward-looking vintage clothing and accessories (including this current Huzzah! fave) for ladies who like to look nice. Theresa is generously offering one lucky winner the gorgeous late 1950s - early 1960s Hong Kong-beaded envelope clutch pictured above. The hand-beaded purse is gold and petite and waiting to upstage whatever dress you elect to pair it with. Huzzah!

To Enter The Giveaway: Simply visit Verseau Vintage and leave a comment here (w/ your email address) indicating your favorite item from the shop before Sunday, Sept. 12 at 10:00 p.m. PST. The randomly selected winner will be announced on Monday, Sept. 13 and contacted privately with additional details. Good luck, and thanks for entering!

For up to 3 additional entries & opportunities to win:
+ Tweet about this giveaway & leave one additional comment
+ Become Verseau Vintage's friend on Twitter & leave one additional comment
+ Stumble this giveaway & leave one additional comment

(No purchase necessary to win. Giveaway contest open to readers worldwide. One winner will be selected from among qualifying entries at random by Huzzah! Vintage at close of giveaway on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 10:00 p.m. PST.)

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Lily, lucky commenter no. 63! We'll be in touch soon with details ~ xo, Team Huzzah!

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Another Reason To Hate Free People: Fake, Obscenely Overpriced Vintage




To be perfectly blunt, we've always thought Free People was a particularly pretentious, particularly over-priced clothing chain trading in particularly horrid sweatshop-made fast fashion of the boho ilk, but now we really loathe this store.

Last month, the company rolled out a specialty 'vintage' collection available exclusively online. In addition to being scandalously over-priced, the compilation is peppered with contemporary pieces being passed off as vintage and actual vintage impressively mis-dated despite labels, content tags and other basic clues to the garments' ages. In perhaps the most egregious example (see above) of faux vintage and daft dating, the curator claims that a reproduction gentleman's shirt currently selling for $65 on the maker's website (and $228 on the Free People site) dates to the 19th century! Ooops! And there are two more such shirts available, coincidentally. Ooops again!

And perhaps we're just cranky, but $212 for what may or may not be a mid-century dress with unhemmed sleeves is bananas. (As is the fact that a customer had to ask about fabric content, label, construction and approximate era on a 60s skirt boldly priced at $212.) We appreciate that vintage dating is not a precise art, and we recognize that Free People's price point is going to be higher than other vintage shops by virtue of its higher operating costs, but this vintage collection seems, to us, to rely and prey on the fact that the average Free People shopper is not particularly educated about vintage or the marketplace within which it circulates. Though it's certainly not FP's job to mentor them, it would be nice--and more consistent with the store's hippie 'fantasy' theme--if they didn't totally exploit this knowledge gap, too.