Retro Styling

Mad Men is back on Sunday and I'm so ready for that distraction! In honor of the shows return I thought I'd share these photos from artist Alex Prager. I don't know much about her except that she's awesome—her fashion styling and set design and perspective is all so intriguing to me. Every image tells a story (and it's usually a little disturbing). These images of hers remind me of Alfred Hitchcock and the Valley of the Dolls and Mad Men...



And these stills from Beyonce's video "Why Don't You Love Me" fit so perfectly with Alex's aesthetic. (warning: the video is a little steamy).

This is my favorite era for fashion and makeup and hair—it's all so theatrical and put together. I could never pull it off (nor would I want to do all that work every day just to feather dust my Grammy's) but boy do I love to look at it! Can't wait until Sunday!

I Made You Something

Boy are you in for a treat today! I've made you a lovely visual mix tape and I couldn't be more excited to share it! I've been very lucky lately and some dear, dear friends of mine have gifted me with some new music. Most of which I'd never heard of. Even luckier—they really know me and the music is exactly my taste and it's really helped to soothe my Spring fever. First, take a look at their lovely faces. Then, click on the You Tube links at the bottom to hear and view these sweet treats.






Hard to believe there's so much beauty and talent in the world huh? You haven't even begun to experience this post yet. The artists are listed from top to bottom (the first two images are of the same band but the rest only have one image each. I have a girl crush on Chan Marshall so she gets two spots. Can you blame me?).

No. 1: Cat Power—Lived in Bars // No. 2: Josh Ritter—Change of Time
No. 3: The National— Terrible Love // No. 4: She + Him— In the Sun
No. 5: Beach House— Zebra // No. 6: The Tallest Man on Earth— I Won't be Found (+ more)
No. 7: Elvis Perkins— Shampoo // No. 8: The Wooden Birds— Anna Paula
No. 9: Chris Garneau— Hands on the Radio
No. 10: Sharon Jones + the Dap Kings— 100 Days, 100 Nights // No.11: The XX— Crystalised
No. 12: Scattered Trees: A Conversation About Death on New Year's Eve Note: You can download this AMAZING album for FREE here
No. 13: Thao + the Get Down Stay Down— When We Swam

I hope you feel the love I've sent you with this little mix tape. It's overflowing!

Photo credits:
Cat Power (left, right) // Josh Ritter // the National // She + Him // Beach House // the Tallest Man on Earth // Elvis Perkins // the Wooden Birds // Chris Garneau // Sharon Jones + the Dap Kings // the XX // Scattered Trees // Thao + the Get Down Stay Down

Beautiful Music Together

Show posters have always intrigued me. What the heck do they mean? Why would I relate fish jumping out of a bathtub with Wilco? Or Ray Lamontagne with a spooky house and a Sherlock Holmes look-a-like? Well, I wouldn't... Which is also why I love concert posters: the imagination of the designer is allowed to run wild.

(dan stiles) So often gig posters are printed with muted colors so it's nice to see the bold pink, red and blue. I think the little kid on the chair is hilarious—having his temper-tantrum until he gets what he wants.

(spike press) I adore that La Roux poster! I've recently become aware of this artist and her hair is such a prominent part of her image, so this poster is a great representation. The Decemberists print does a great job of relaying the romanticism and vintage feel of the band.

(the small stakes) Jason Munn has consistently been my favorite show poster designer. His designs have a delicate, understated quality to them, yet they're so expressive. The She + Him cassette tape is perfect in its minimalism and is so spot-on with the combo of plaid and retro floral design.

(my associate cornelius) The designs in this portfolio are so unabashedly retro: from the illustrations to the font choices to the overall feel of each piece. I'm particularly intrigued by the Andrew Bird/Tractor and St. Vincent/Projector poster. What a great idea! And you know what? That banjo playing donkey really looks like Ben Kweller... Ok, it's a bit of a stretch but the cheeks are definitely the same.

A (Lovely) Education

Have you seen An Education yet? It was really quite lovely to watch— the costumes, colors and set design was quite nice. The story was difficult to watch at times but I was always comforted by the beauty of the visuals. See what I mean? Her dress is like a painting and his tie clip and camera are just so darn dapper.

I love this shot of Carey Mulligan and that cutie Dominic Cooper doing a little dance - her cream dress with that pop of red on the shoulder is stunning. I love the ladies with the car too: Rosamund Pike's leopard coat and Ms. Mulligan's leopard hat is such a good idea!

The top left image (below) was used in the movie poster and you can definitely see why— it's breathtaking. Everything is so delicate: their expressions, the touching, the sweet red handkerchief on the stones. I love that so many of the fabric patterns from this era could've been made into a dress or upholstery or curtains— wouldn't her blue and green hydrangea dress make a gorgeous chair? Oh! And that shot of Carey in front of the pantry is so beautiful. The muted wallpaper and her school uniform to the right of that perfectly organized pantry is so charming.

(all images copyright Sony Pictures Classic via ace showbiz)
To wrap things up I thought I'd share some of the album covers from the soundtrack, just to give another glimpse of the time period. I love a good mix and this one doesn't disappoint. Be sure to listen to Mademoiselle Grecco while wearing your fake eyelashes and drinking a glass of wine.

(All albums and images from Amazon—the soundtrack can be found there too.)

Lady Sings the Blues

On my way into work yesterday morning I heard a great interview with Peter Wolf on NPR. He was the lead singer of the J. Geils Band for nearly a decade and has since had a successful solo career. To be honest, I wasn't super familiar with him but I was so intrigued by his stories. I love to hear musicians talk about their travels and the people they've met and their crazy, mixed-up backgrounds. It's as if they've lived three or four times over. That's one thing I love about NPR, their storytelling is so vivid that I feel like these memories are my own.
I particularly loved Peter's stories about his meeting Muddy Waters at a coffee shop in Boston. He was only 17 and yet somehow managed to not only hang out with the band one random afternoon but magically his apartment turned into a hang-out for not only Muddy Waters and the band but John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf. I can't even imagine how amazing that was! His description of how impeccably dressed these men were really got me thinking about that time and those beautiful men and women. Some of these images are from before Peter's time, but they are all of great Blues musicians.

Clockwise from top, far right: Howlin' Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Victoria Spivey, Lead Belly, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Turner, Buddy Guy, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles and BB King. Aren't they beautiful? Really take your time and look at these talents - their expressions and personal style and environments are so inspiring to me.

Want to get that bluesy sensibility for yourself? Here's some help:
For gentlemen:

(01): Plaid Blazer from Marc Jacobs (02): Honeycomb flask (03): Houndstooth patterned guitar strap (04): A nice Cuban cigar (05): Saddle Shoes from JCrew (06): Gorgeous guitar

For ladies:

(01): Sophisticated sheath from Donna Karen (02): Vintage Hat (03): Sweet pink Trumpet (04): Steel Grey Pumps with Charming Bows (05): Faux-Fur Collared Coat (06): Flower Hair Pins

In the Studio with Connie

You'd be surprised by how many Connie Francis songs you know: "Stupid Cupid", "Who's Sorry Now", "Lipstick on your Collar"... oh and, of course, "Where the Boys Are". Surprised? Well, maybe not, but you'd recognize it if you heard it. Her voice is soft and smooth and full of that atomic sensuality we all love. Think leopard print bikini (with an incredibly high bikini bottom) and a brunette bob and you've got Ms. Francis. One of the best things about her is that she had paper dolls fashioned after her! How fabulous do you have to be to have paper dolls created in your honor? Pretty darn fabulous. And the lovely lady has one amazing wardrobe!

There are even a few more pages of clothes you wish you had. Visit here to see them. Fingers crossed that I'll one day be a big enough deal that I'll get paper dolls made in my likeness. Or if not, that I'll at the very least be able to find that belted red dress in my size!