Retro Inspired



Me, Halloween 2010



Just looking at these pictures makes me happy. These are my grandparents, my mom's mom and dad, in the early 1930's. To me, the epitome of class and style, I can only imagine where the pair were headed decked out in such cool outfits. I'm sure they could have easily been going to church or out to dinner or visiting friends, who knows... it was normal back then to dress to the nines, no jeans or sneakers in sight. In the pic, above left, my grandmother was a mere 23 years old in her fantastic below the knee skirt with top belted precisely at the waist... the hat, cocked to the side framing her face just so. My grandfather looks dashing with his hat and three piece suit.

I love my grandma's strappy heels (in the picture to the above right)... if I could find such a pair right now, I'd buy them up in a second. Note the black Persian wool stole at her shoulders...

And to the right... my Halloween costume from 2010.

It's my attempt at recreating my grandma's style for a winning costume. I'm wearing the very same Persian wool stole she was wearing in the picture above right. The plum cloche, while very reminiscent of the 30's style, was found at Target for less than $15! The black sequined dress was found at Forever 21 a few years back. The belt was originally meant to be worn at the waist, but I tacked it down lower to mimic a retro drop waist look. The long black gloves and long pearl necklace were also vintage finds straight out of my grandmother's closet. The shoes (not pictured) are black Kenneth Cole Reaction t-strap patent pumps. I got great reactions from my friends, and even strangers that day, especially when I told them the whole outfit cost $18 (the hat and nude hose).  



30's Flapper inspired makeup to complete the look

                                                                         
I was happy to ditch my bronzer for the day to embrace my naturally fair skin. The foundation is by purminerals (4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup in Porcelain Ulta), which covers well and gives skin a matte finish.
On my cheeks, I wear a rose cream "rouge" as they called it (Stila Convertible Color in Lilium, Sephora )
Dramatic black kohl eyeliner was all the rage in the 30's, accompanied by thick black lashes. I opted for falsies to make my eyes really pop. Women wore shades like gray, but I blended a black/silver combo for this look. (L'Oreal HIP Metallic Shadow Duo in Platinum (Target).
Popular lip colors for the modern woman included berries and mauves, the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick I'm wearing here is Mauvy Night. Normally, I'm not a big lipstick fan, but the costume definitely required a traditional look.

Finally, for the hair, in order to mimic the spit-curled short styles of the 30's, I used a 1 inch curling iron and wound small sections of hair around the barrel of the iron. To set, I sprayed my curls with TIGI Bed Head hairspray  (my go to choice) and pinned my hair under the hat.

I had a blast paying homage to my grandparents while creating a totally unique and handmade costume. I was able to research the styles of the day on the internet, and my mom was a great help collecting my grandma's pieces to complete the outfit. In fact, I don't think this style needs to stay in costume territory! I would wear this to a party any day.