Young _ Nostalgia: 1940's: The Golden Age

Oh how I love the 40's. Pin-up girls, Rosie the Riveter, red lips, Betty Grable, vintage wear, work suits and that classically beautiful curled hair. Although much of the 40's was a time of practicality in fashion, brought about by WWII, women found time to dress up after work...enter: the evening gown. I first feel in love with the 1940's look after watching Rachel McAdams in "The Notebook." Those costumes were absolutely stunning, and much of that look is coming back today. In fact I was shopping online at Urban Outfitters last week and noticed their entire site was a 1940's theme! Not only was fashion a huge frontier for women during this time, but music was at its all time best...Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, to name a few.

"We can do it!" — Rosie the Riveter

♡Hair classic 40's styled hair as shown here on Megan Fox.

♡The Notebook Rachel McAdams wears to-die-for outfits all with a very forties feel.

♡Dita Von Teese the ex Mrs. Marilyn Manson, is a famous burlesque dancer and known for her fascination with 1940s cinema and classic retro style, heavily influenced by her mother at a young age.

♡Rosie the Riveter a cultural (and feminist) icon of the U.S., Rosie represents the American women who worked in the factories during WWII. Seen here as modeled by actress Alexis Bledel.

♡ Betty Grable one of the first pin-up girls to exist, Betty was a sex symbol of the forties with her infamous poster hung in every G.I.s locker during WWII (hence the term "pin-up").

♡Modern Pin-up Girl this look has had a major resurgence in the last 5 or so years, often associated with tattoos and a more "dirtied"appearance than the pin-ups of the 40s. The look is classified by well-defined eyebrows, heavy cat-liner, styled curls, bandanas, and red lips.

♡ Bathing Suits during the 1940s corset manufacturers saw a gap in the market, so they applied the idea of the corset to women's bathing suits. Suit were designed to hid faults in a woman's shape, by adding a stretch tummy control panels to hold in the stomach, and bra cups/boning to give the bust structure. During this time the bathing suit was still considered risqué and best suited to film stars and exotic dancers. Check out some great 40s-inspired suits by Betsey Johnson.

♡High-waisted Shorts these pin-up girl inspired shorts are something we aren't necessarily seeing a lot of yet, except in bathing suits. I hope these will become popular this summer, because no pair of shorts make your legs look longer!

In other news...

RIP Alexander McQueen

♡A Legend is Lost I was devastated to hear of Alexander McQueen's death this past week. He was truly a genius who mixed art and fashion into unconventional designs, which won him four "British Designer of the Year" awards. His designs were most recently seen on Lady Gaga, who wore the infamous 'Armadillo' shoes (shown above) in her music video "Bad Romance." Many celebrities took to the catwalk this week, wearing McQeen designs during a New York Fashion Week charity gala to remember the designer. As Anna Wintour said: "In such a short career, Alexander McQueen's influence was astonishing—from street style to music culture and the world's museums. His passing marks an insurmountable loss."

L.A.M.B. Fall 2010 Ready-to-wear Collection

♡Gwen Stefani didn't let a little last minute emergency stop the show— as in half her fall collection getting stuck in transit due to the blizzard on the East Coast. It just forced her to be more creative, like creating a "vest" out of leather belts. She describes her theme this fall as "vintage, boudoir, military, 50s, sexy, and futuristic." Sounds like quite the mash-up of styles, but like always, she made it work.

Alexandra's: Consignment Shopping

♡Seattle, WA located in downtown Seattle, this large boutique is a shopaholic's dream. My boss told me about this hidden gem and I was in shock when I walked in...designer everything!! Prada, Gucci, Marc Jacobs— you name it they have it. The best part is it's not ridiculously over-priced. Consignment shopping has become my new love...if you search around enough, you can find great deals on designer clothes that not one of your friends will have.

Lady Gaga Barbie

♡Goo Goo Gaga as if there hasn't been enough of Lady Gaga in the news lately, they are making a doll of her various crazed outfits! I am not totally sure what to think...although admittedly she always puts on a good show and hasn't let us down yet, I think there has been too much goo goo for gaga lately. Have you ever noticed how we root for the underdog, and then once they are at the top we can't wait to see them topple? Just look at Britney Spears.

Here are some links to videos for how to do 1940's inspired make-up and hair by my favorite make-up guru, Kandee!

Fashionably yours ❤Lindsay

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