Seal of Approval: Dancing with The Stars/Beth Ditto

I guess I'm a little late on this one, but Dancing With the Stars is kind of an amazing show. I always heard about it, and was like, "This is the most European concept ever," which it totally is. But it's kind of amazing because it, unlike every other show on TV, is so straightforward. All these "stars" (Aaron Carter!!! Wooooo!!!) have to learn a complex routine with another person, put on a ridiculous outfit, and dance their heart out. That's it. No one gets special treatment (well, the guys don't have to wear heels and wigs and dresses, but at least they have to wear high-waisted pants with a matador jacket and no shirt) and they all just seem, so, well, eager to please. Clearly this is the highest of high camp (especially that one supergay judge), but no one is acknowledging it because they're too busy dancing. It hearkens back to another, simpler celebrity era, when we expected our stars to be all-around entertainers who acted, sang, did impressions, told jokes, tap-danced and smoked a high-tar cigarette all with a smile on their face (That clip is so cool! There is a guy with peg-leg break-dancing for serious. Why is tap-dancing by far the best kind of dancing?)

It's like, what do celebrities really do these days (besides coke?) Nothing! But not on this show! Doesn't it kind of make sense that we expect these people to be skilled at something? And even though the people on DWTS aren't especially talented, at least they're trying. There's something so...humble about it!



I'm still rooting for Kelly Osbourne after all these years, too. Plus, she did do a dramatic dance to "Crazy Train" with crazy hair. And Ozzy came to watch her. I was touched. She seems pretty cool on that show! Apparently she's a crowd favorite!


Secondly, my second Seal of Approval is also kind of late, and goes to Beth Ditto, after I watched this style.com clip of her. Like many hipster feminist types, I first saw The Gossip way back in the early 2000s when I was but a teenager, and it was like, "Here's this fierce cute fat girl who takes her clothes off [in an aggressive/nonsexual way]! Wow!" (It was also like Wow! because we had just seen The Donnas. Remember them? They sucked.)

Kind of like seeing Kelly Osbourne on TV though on a far grander scale (Kelly Osborune was, after all, mostly pretty annoying), it was pretty mind blowing/empowering at the time, so the fact that Beth is actually Famous now is really cool because she is a completely, completely different role model from every other famous pop star today- describing yourself as a "fat feminist lesbian" who grew up "poor" and "butch" on a website owned by Vogue is the kind of thing we need a lot more of. She also seems to really love and appreciate fashion in the outsidery, all-encompassing way that it should be loved. And she is one of those rare people who is managing to affect (however small) amount of political change through art, music, fashion, etc., without being preachy or boring. She also seems to love novelty prints- just like ME!!!!

Should Beth Ditto go on a special episode of Dancing With the Stars? In a word, yes.

Gee, my posts have been so warm and fuzzy lately. Maybe I will go to Urban Outfitters today.

40s and 50s Novelty Print Swimsuits

Summer is sort of almost over, but vintage novelty print swimsuits are eternally wonderful. You may have already my many other novelty print themed posts, as they are some of my favorite things. Why novelty prints are no longer considered acceptable for nice clothing these days baffles me. Should prints of telephones or household items be relegated to pajama fabric? No, I say. They're capable of so much more.

This delightful swimsuit is decorated with that classic summertime pastime, the barbeque. I recently bought a set of glasses from the 50's with a very similar pattern.
Pretty fantasic!

This is for a young kid (see, we've always sexualized female children!) but the unusual shape and ruching is really what made me save this photo. I personally wouldn't categorize floral as a novelty print, unless the flowers had eyes.
This amazing swimsuit makes me think of hanging out in the Deco part of Miami in the 40s, wearing flowers in your hair and big platforms. Obviously it's weathered a few storms, but I think the detail on this suit is pretty amazing and unique, like the pink ripples the flamingos are standing in.

Yeah, that's right. This swimsuit has RECORDS all over it. The color combination and print almost looks 80s, but that's just because the 80's copied the 50's a lot. Also, unfortunately a kid's suit.
And lastly, this glorious suit, whose print you can't really see, but whatever. This had shooting stars all over it, and is pretty much the swimsuit I would have murdered somebody to get in high school. I did not win the auction, though I probably should have as this swimsuit is worth its weight in gold to me.

How I Wish I Was a Victorian Orphan

While regular vintage clothes are all well and good, there is a special place in my heart reserved for vintage children's clothes. No, not because they’re all wee and stuff and make me wish I had a baby to force into bonnets and pantaloons (as we all know, my official stance on this is "whatever"- though if I did have a kid I probably would force it to wear a tiny Victorian suit), but because I really wish they were my size. I have bought the occasional fat children’s dress on with mixed results- but I’m always hoping to find some dress overlooked because it was made for a twelve year old that I can squeeze into. Also, once I forgot to bid on this 50's girl's skirt with a Bambi print and I'm still upset even though it would have perished in the fire like all my worldly goods.

Anyway, vintage children’s clothes are amazing because they have the charm, fit, and quality of vintage but often with a little dash of crazy thrown in. Super-adorable novelty prints and details like big buttons or embroidered collars abound on vintage children’s clothing. PS: For more, check my flickr!

Wow, I can see Pippi Longstocking in these, which are probably pre-1920's.

I know this kind of looks like something a hipster would wear today, but it's a 1950's boy's shirt.

Chloe seriously ripped these off. Look how high they are in back! What design!

Though this appears to be a charming-enough Victorian little girl's dress, take a look at the close up:

That's right, it has skeleton keys all over it. Ohmygod I want to wear this dress, and probably deserve to, but it is unfortunately made for a child. It's just the gothest, most Secret Garden-y dress ever.

Cat Fancy

The pictures of this garment aren't very good, so if, you can't tell from the photos, I'll explain what's going on: this is a vintage, probably early 50's, bathing suit with little black cats printed all over it.

I love vintage bathing suits. They're cut in a much more flattering way than modern ones- all the ruching on this one shapes the bod in a much nicer way than those gross Victoria's Secret bodyshapers, and the higher waistlines and lower legs are great for those of us who feel many modern swimsuits are akin to wearing one's underwear in public. This suit would look fabulous on a variety of sizes and shapes.

But aside from all that, this has one of my most favorite vintage features, and that's a novelty print. Prints from the 40's and 50's were sometimes decorated with everything from fairy tale characters to pocket watches, making an already cute item (like this suit) that much quirkier and more unique. Novelty prints have had a bit of a resurgence lately, what with the heart covered t-shirts at Forever 21 or even a cardigan with cats on it I tried on at H&M that turned out to have hideously huge shoulders, but they rarely have the cute details or charmingly retro look of the novelty prints of yesteryear. If everyone was wearing a chair printed bikini at the beach instead of something like this, the world would clearly be a better place.