Out and About

Here's a post I intended to have up at the beginning of the year so here it is now!
Both events are from December 23, 2011


Valerie's Boulevard Vintage Clothing Sale

At the Valerie's Boulevard Vintage Sale & Shoot with:

Pin Up Model & Miss Uptown Whittier Robin, Myself, Pin Up Model & Burlesque Dancer Dottie Deville, Creator of Andy's Eye Candy and Retro Photographer Andy

Myself In front of the Cadillac and storefront

Beautiful Hood Ornament


It was quite the turnout with nearly everything in the store was on sale!! Girls were spending hundreds! And boy did they get a trunk full! There was a ton of beautiful items! Hats, dresses, aprons, crinolines, menswear and more!

Doing some shopping!

Racks and racks full of goodies!!

This is what I walked away with! My very first Vintage Playsuit! I only bought one thing, I was on a budget. It has a cute hibiscus  floral  print. I can't wait to wear it!!


What I love about Valerie's is you never no what you're going to find and it's all at a really great price! They have some pretty cute stuff and if you love 50's, especially anything really girly and 50's this shop is for you!

Valerie's Boulevard and Andy of Andy's Eye Candy now have blogs!!
Check these ladies and their businesses out!

(All photos by. Angel Rivera)

Strangelove and Sweet & Tender Hooligans

at the House Of Blues in Anaheim


Like the all time tribute show I've waited for!! My two favorite tribute bands performed together on the stage at the House of Blues in Downtown Disney for a sold out show!!! It was fantastic!! If you've never seen them, they're a must! Strangelove totally pumped up the crowd and I was thrilled to hear new songs added to their set list. I sang and danced the whole time! Sweet and Tender Hooligans were up next and they definitely put on a show! I always heard when they played the House of Blues in Anaheim it was a show not to be missed, and boy it wasn't! I sang along with the crowd and at one point I was serenaded with my head on a bare chested Mexican Morrissey! I had a great time, I met new people and I made great new friends as well as hanging out with old friends too!

Devotional Dave

Counterfeit Martin

Strangelove

Another shot of Devotional Dave

Jose of Sweet & Tender Hooligans

Sweet & Tender Hooligans

A Shirtless Mexican Morrissey

Counterfeit Martin, The Mexican Morrissey & Devotional Dave

With my lovely friends and members of Strangelove, Brent & Freddie

With the sweet Jose Maldonado of Sweet & Tender Hooligans

(All photos by. Victoria Inez Rivera)

Cheap and Chic

Check out my latest thrift shopping & sales rack finds!

I recently went on a little trip by myself a week before the holidays to my usual thrift store, but for some reason it was closed that day. So I decided to stop by this Goodwill around the block, I usually don't like anything they have and most of the time the stuff is just junk. But I found some good stuff surprisingly!

Chinese Parasol $5

I've been needing a new one, and this one is lovely and it's practically unused! 

Plastic Colorful Earrings $1
I saw them and they seemed very Carmen Miranda and you know if it's anything to do with Carmen I love it!!

1950's Vintage Black Saucer Hat $5

At first I saw it sitting on a shelf and thought nothing of it, but I then  realized it was a black vintage saucer hat!! I had to have it! It was a total steal!

1950's Cha -Cha & Mambo Record . 50 cents
Boy I was happy to find this! I love older cha-cha and mambos and the fact that it has some of my favorite songs even better!

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 The day after christmas a ton of retailers were having huge sales. I went for what people called Mega Monday. I went with my brother only to one store H&M. He wanted these coats and I just tagged along and look what I ended up leaving with!

Black  Fringe Cocktail Dress $10

Mini Straw Fedora and Red Flower Hat $5

Tutti Frutti December Cutie

Just a very recent outfit post. It's been over 80 degrees here in LA, even though it's still considered winter time!

I guess with all this warm weather I was in a very summery, tropical and oh soo Carmen Miranda Mood!!

Dress- used to be my mother's from the 70's

Purse- vintage hand me down

Head Scarf- old fabric scrap

Shoes- I don't know, I've had them for years
Belt- vintage thrifted $1

Earrings- thrifted Goodwill $1

Upcoming Events

It's been awhile but here are some events that I will surely be attending and I think you'll like to attend them too!

Friday December 23, 2011

Valerie's Boulevard Vintage Shop

Huge Store Sale

Come check out this relatively new cute vintage shop in Whittier, CA. They have great items and at amazing prices!! They specialize in 1950's but carry garments from the 1940's -1960's  for Women and Men. I've bought a lovely Sapphire Blue Taffeta Late 1950's dress from them that I wore for a very special event (I'll be talking about that soon), and I only got it for $25!! Many beauty queens and pin ups have flocked to this shop. So this sale should not be missed!! Who knows you may find that last minute Holiday or New Year's dress you've been waiting for!!

Sweet and Tender Hooligans & Strangelove Show

at The House of Blues in Anahiem 

A promotional video

 I've totally waited for something like this to happen, it's a match made in tribute band heaven!! My two very favorite and some of the most beloved tribute bands around are coming together for a show on Christmas Eve-Eve at the House of Blues in Anaheim located at Downtown Disney, near Disneyland!! The Sweet and Tender Hooligans are an amazing Smiths and Morrissey tribute band well Strangelove is a phenomenal Depeche Mode tribute band!! These boys put all the effort and talent into this to guarantee you an unforgettable show!! So if you're a Smiths and DM fan this is a show not to be missed! I'm super excited and I can't wait!! It's a perfect christmas gift to myself and a great way to end the year.
*Ticket's are going fast, and it's sure to sell out get them while you can!*

I'll see you there!

Cheap and Chic

My mom recently told me about this new thrift/ antique store in the neighborhood. So when I got out of school  the other day we went together to take a look. I ended up buying these:

My brand new, or like new stereo! Isn't it lovely and ohh so retro! I only payed $25 which I thought was a great deal. It has a AM/FM radio and a turntable. I needed a new record player, my 1970's/ early 1980's compact one was taking up a lot of space in my room and wasn't so easy to carry or pretty to look at.

I spotted this vintage hair comb and broach hidden in the display case. They're soo lovely. I don't know exactly what decade they're from, but you can tell those flowers were made by hand, and the colors are lovely! I purchased the both of them for only $3.

I also found just what I've been looking for! A straw boater hat with a black band and bow!! I wasn't even looking for it and voila! I can't wait to wear it! If it was the perfect one it would be slightly smaller, so I can perch it right at the top and tilt it over my forehead. But this is just as good and only $4!

I think this has become a new favorite place of mine, the shop is little and there isn't a lot of gems but I really like it. It's close to home and only about a five minute walk down the street. They had a couple of things I wanted, but had no room for like these:

I really wanted this teal colored antique mirror and vintage 1950's/ 1960's lime green (in practically new condition) separating sofas! If I had my own storage unit, I'd buy everything up and save it for when I finally have my own place, I wish!

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I found this very good, much needed, stress reducing  and life saving  Wolf Form dress form at a local furniture thrift store. I snagged it for only $200, and boy was that a deal considering the average price of a Wolf Form is over $600!! Also I needed it in a hurry at the time I was draping a dress and finishing at school was becoming hard. So now I finally have my own form and I brought that store some business! Because my friends got the remainder of the dress forms, haha!


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Also, about 2 months ago I did this school interview/survey thingy and to compensate for my time they gifted me with a $40 dollar gift card for Amazon. This is what I bought:

"Everyday Fashions of The Forties As Pictured in the Sears Catalog" and "Mad Men The Illustrated World". I've been dying to get my hands on that 40's Sears Catalog book since I checked one out at the library a couple of years ago, now it's mine! It's filled with tons of amazing Black and White photographs of every type of clothing you can think of from the 40's for Men, Women and Children they even include accessories!

The Mad Men book I first spotted in a book store a while back and I thought it was the cutest and funniest thing ever! And being a fan of the show (even though I haven't seen every season or episode) I just had to have it! It has tips on how to dress, office etiquette, how to make a cocktail and what to do incase of a nuclear attack! Oh and awesome paper dolls! The images are really cute!

This section will sure come in handy for my 21st birthday! haha

-Victoria

Magazine Mention : "Old Fashioned at 29"

The other day I was browsing through O Magazine, Oprah Winfrey's own publication and noticed a spread titled  "O, Yes You Can!" featuring different women at different ages showing off unexpected style choices at their age. I was soo thrilled this lovely women was featured. Embracing the Vintage/ Retro look! The woman featured is 29 year old Jennifer McClain who is a sales diector of the NYC based vintage store What Goes Around Comes Around. The article says not only does she wear the clothes, she lives the lifestyle: "My apartment is furnished with antiques, and I organize my closet by decade, I love playing dress up every day." There have been so many times when people and myself why do you dress like this especially at your age? Because I want too! haha Well I've received many more positives then  negatives. I have a friend at school who calls me Granny Goose because of my "granny" style and taste haha but I love my nickname! I think it really is wonderful that we have more people females and males who are embracing this classic style. I think it's much more accepted today then say maybe 20 years ago, even though the 1990's had a huge retro revival. With hit shows like Mad Men (which was a blessing), vintage becoming trendy, and today's vintage/ retro style and burlesque queen Dita Von Teese they all have helped I think bring more of an interest and acceptance of  vintage retro style. However there is a time and a place for everything regardless of age. I know if I was going to something like a serious job interview I wouldn't want to necessarily go like I completely stepped out of a time capsule, I might want to tone it down a little ( I know I have days were I look more contemporary then usual). Also I think age plays a factor how old should you be or allowed to dress like this? Well to each his own, if you want to more power too you. In fact I had a couple of friends tell me there was an episode of the tv show "What Not To Wear" were two stylists make over someone who's wardrobe is deemed horrible by friends and/ or family and our in desperate need of a makeover. I'm familiar with the show, and on this episode  they were making over a 47 year old woman who was a big vintage collector. Now I haven't seen this episode, but they did get rid of her wardrobe which is sad, however her ensembles she came up with were quite questionable. ( Frankly I think she looked much better after. I think that her age has a lot to do with it.)



It's like a love/ hate relationship with the show, sometimes they just take away peoples uniqueness, and I love that Oprah's magazine embraced it! Plus I love that they gave little tips if you want to hop on the retro bandwagon, which are very helpful:
"When looking to capture a specific era or style, the key is in the details, from the print on [McClain's] a dress to [her] carefully coordinated jewelry, hat, belt, gloves and shoes."


* Start with small doses. You can pair vintage costume jewelry with jeans and a tee. Gradually work up to more pieces, like a scarf, hat or skirt.


*Pay attention to fabrics. Clothes from the '20s were often made of thin silk and tend not to preserve well. Later decades incorporated synthetics like rayon, which drape nicely. (Ignore sizing- a 14 then might be a 6 now.)


"People think I dress like Mad Men characters. Nope, just my outfit today!"


 I love it! That's happened to me plenty of times, (funny thing one time I was on set of where Mad Men was shooting and one of the techie guys thought I was an extra haha) and I'm sure it's happened to you too!




-Victoria

4th Annual Latino Rockabilly Festival

This year's Rockabilly festival was just as big as last year's, but not as fun. I think it had something to do with the the weather, it was freezing outside! It seemed like there weren't as many vendors and bands, plus by the time I arrived the last rockabilly band was playing, so I kind of missed out. It wasn't as eventful as I was hoping it would be, but it was fun. They had a raffle and a car contest, but no other awards this year. I was really hoping to see some familiar faces, especially some lovely bloggers. No luck on the bloggers, (or maybe I didn't see you? lol) I did run into some friends. I also was anticipating to see some great outfits. Not happening, very few girls braved the cold and went with a skirt or dress, myself included. We were only a small percent in a sea of jeans, leopard prints, and ill fitting clothes. My poor brother complained, saying he didn't want to deal with this stupid rockabilly crap. So we didn't stay for very long. Hopefully next years will be much more fun, sunnier and warmer too! I'll see you there next year!

Jivers! 

A familiar face, that's the girl Darlene that I photographed at last years festival. Yet again her outfit and dancing were great!

The Wiseguys

A rat pack esque group from Montebello, California. They're very close to my neighborhood and often perform at nearby events. They're good, but they're not really one of my favorites.

Steven

I named him yet again best dressed guy at the festival. I took his photo and didn't even notice his eyes were closed (so sorry Steven). This guy is always dressed to impress, even though I only see him at the festival I'm curious to know what other great outfits he comes up with. I completely forgot to ask him if he would be interested in modeling for me for at my school's fashion show this year (I'll be showing my own work), I think it had to do with me being slightly nervous; he's a handsome guy. So if anyone knows this Steven or if this is you? Can you please contact me, the modeling offer is still open!

Tonya

Yay! A gal who's not wearing jeans! Tonya braved the cold and wore this cute floral retro dress, I love the aqua blue. And her hair do is amazing, a cluster of rolls with swirls of blonde. So cute.

I'm in love with this Chevy! 

Showing off my Backseams

 I ran into my two friends Jr. and Andre. We met at a friends birthday party last year, and were reunited at the festival! We were wondering if one another was that "person we talked to at the party" haha yeah It was, now we can finally keep in touch all because of the Rockabilly festival!

(All photos by. Angel Rivera & Victoria Inez Rivera)

-Victoria