Brigitte Bardot...Sex Kitten Of The 50's & 60's

There were many female celebrities who sparked the 'women's movement' with their overt sense of sexuality and that was way before pop icon Madonna did  back in the 50's & 60's & Brigitte Bardot, was most definitely one of them!  Born in Paris, France, Brigitte was a voluptuous beauty who's body image had a major impact on fashion.  

  
A neckline style was even named after her...the 'Bardot' which is a wide open neck exposing both shoulders and a whole lot more!

Her early desire was to be a dancer but soon found fame in acting, becoming known world wide after starring in the sexy thriller 'And God Created Woman'.  The film pushed censorship boundaries but as usual..sex always sells however, I have to laugh at the idea of 'a torrid tropical dance' being considered as risque considering what we see on the screen nowadays, let alone at home on our own televisions!

Besides the neckline style, Bardot is said to have been solely responsible for the rise in the popularity of the bikini, as well as the vintage beehive hairstyle.  She was called 'bikini girl' because pretty much all of the movies she starred in from the beginning had her portraying naughty sex kittens who pranced around in hardly anything!  As her career progressed she flashed some B&B (boobs & bunns) quite often and even agreed to do a rape scene. 

In her elder years, Brigitte has been in the tabloids on both a positive and negative note.  Positive because she's an animal activist and negative because unfortunately this once beautiful woman is a profound racist who was convicted on June 10th 2004 for 'inciting racial hatred'.  A true example of how sometimes 'beauty is only skin deep'...

: mulherevida.com , toptenz.net , popcrunch.net , allposters.com , strangecosmos.com , direct-mail.com   upi.com 

Flippin' For Flops...Timeless Vintage Pop Culture Footwear

When the dog days of Summer roll around, you're always sure to see scads of people out strolling around in the perfect seasonal foot wear known as the  'flip flop'.  As of late, the versatility of the flop has become so diverse that we're even seeing young girls wearing them as an accompaniment to their Homecoming/Prom dresses.  I did a little research on the history/origin of the flop and here's what I found...

The 'flip flop' concept (thin rubber soles with a Y-strap) has been around since the 1930's but were originally woven soled and dating waaaay back prior to that.  They are the most primitive form of footwear going back to six thousand years around the stone age!   It wasn't until the mid fifties, during post war that these cheap rubber (usually made from recycled tires) flops became a part of pop culture. 


In the twentieth century, the vintage pop culture flip flop has become a part of dress wear just as much as jeans and a t-shirt have, and both teen girls and movie stars alike have popularized them by accessorizing their formal wear with them.

Over three decades, the most popular of all flip flops called Havaianas were originated & produced in Brazil, selling for around $3.00 per pair, mostly to peasants, housekeepers and other working class.  As the times, economy and styles changed, Havaianas became more of a fashion staple as designers were taking on the concept of embellishing them and experimenting with materials, colors and patterns. 


Juicy Couture

    
Havaianas

Coach

This simple form of footwear will always be a timeless piece of vintage pop culture... 


       
pics: inspirememine.tumblr.com, the-designer-sunglasses.com, thisnext.com, cgi.ebay.com, pollsb.com.












 

Rockabilly Roundup!

It's almost that time again as the city that never sleeps ushers in 

another year of the Viva Las Vegas Rocakabilly Weekender 

which will be going on this April 21-24th 2011!

Make sure you Shop Retro Threadz where you'll find a unique selection of full circle skirt/cocktail dresses to dance the night away in!!!

all in the shop here

winter wear

vintage winter fashions all in the shop now!