The "Seinfeld" of Blogs

Here I sit with my laptop on my...well lap.  My mind is quite blank and I don't have any witty opinions to share with you.  This I fear might be the "Seinfeld" of blogs.  With your permission, I might just end up rambling about anything that is passing through my brain.  OK, vintage, vintage, vintage.  The hypnotic way in which I am repeating this word to myself isn't helping at all right now.  I've got the television on, my day is winding down and it's been a busy one as usual.  Life seems to be spinning faster and faster these days.  Why is that?  And why did I put myself on this rat race wheel?

OK, it's slowly coming to me like molasses pouring out of a squeeze bottle.  A germ of an idea.  No, it's gone.  The harder I try to conjure up a brilliant thought in my brain, the more it's screaming "uncle, uncle".  Some days it's just like that.  Why can't the mind be a blank slate those nights I have trouble sleeping?  Right now I'd love a gaggle of elephants to pass through my living room so I can say that something really phenomenal just happened.  Sipping an alcoholic beverage for the last hour hasn't loosened me up much.  Maybe I need to move onto some harder stuff.  No, this vice isn't the answer most experts would say.

Let's try expressing what has been going through my mind the last few days.  I'm still in a very romantic and mushy mood from the royal wedding.  I've been watching chick flicks as well.  Is this escapism or just side effects from too much royal coverage?

That is the beauty my beloved vintage and retro world.  I can escape and pay homage to the past at the same time.  I can believe in only the goodness of decades past and romanticize them the way I want.  Wow, I found a relevant angle.  I've always found that not trying is the best way to get words to screen.  What will I write about tomorrow?  Good question!


"...After all, tomorrow is another day" Scarlett said.  So true, so true.

 Vintage Navy Blue Leather Tulip Purse

Vintage 50s Cream Ruffled Tiered Gown

 Marble and Glass Necklace

Sea Green Couture, Silk Georgette Dress


 

Vintage Waltah Clarke Hawaiian Shirt

Time for a Luau

Luau. Isn't that a great word? The infamous Hawaiian feast featuring traditional music and hula. The favorite dish at these feasts is what gave the luau its name. Young and tender leaves of the taro plant were combined with chicken, baked in coconut milk and called luau.

If you are a purist, leis, Mai Tai's and a  poolside atmosphere would not be found anywhere near a traditional Luau. Originally eaten on the floor and without utensils, the luau took on a different vibe in the 50s and 60s. Often incorporating the Tiki theme, the cheese factor was increased - complete with retro hula girl. What would a Tiki themed bar be without her?

Perfectly retro.

Be inspired this summer and throw a Tiki party! Here are some outfits to help you - and feel free to have a Mai Tai! The purists will just have to deal with it.

All available from Woo Vintage Clothing.

Aren't these great! Loin cloth swim trunks for men!

Afred Shaheen - Aloha to an Innovator

Alfred Shaheen passed away just before Christmas. A textile manufacturer based in Honolulu, he raised the bar on the sometimes tacky tropical Hawaiian print. Elvis Presley wore a Shaheen-designed red aloha shirt on the album cover for "Blue Hawaii".

Linda Arthur, a professor of textiles and clothing at Washington State University who has written extensively about the Hawaiian fashion industry, said that "before Shaheen came along, there was no Hawaii garment industry."

Shaheen was born into the textile business in New Jersey. His family moved to Hawaii in 1938 where his parents operated a custom dress shop. In 1948 he opened Shaheen's of Honolulu with four seamstresses. Using equipment he built himself, Shaheen started a silk-screen printing plant 1952 where he hired local artists to design patterns inspired by Polynesian and Asian cultures.

Shaheen did not like bright or garish colors. Most of the patterns feature only three to five colors. "Artists in the Shaheen studio had more than 1,000 dye colors to choose from, including innovative metallic shades, and they consulted rare books, libraries and museum collections. Sometimes Shaheen sent the designers on field trips to Tahiti and other exotic locales to soak up the culture for future work. By 1959, according to company history, Shaheen employed 400 workers and grossed more than $4 million annually, dominating the local industry. The Hawaii garment industry overall had grown to roughly $15 million in sales from less than $1 million in 1947, according to the Honolulu Advertiser."

Shaheen retired in 1988 and shut down the factory. Vintage Shaheen shirts can sell for $1,000 or more and as Linda Arthur explained, a Shaheen garment "is like a piece of moving art."