Recent events have me thinking about male leads and sweating, specifically how leads deal with keeping themselves dry during dances so their partner doesn’t have to get into closed position with Swamp Thing. I see several methods in play: changing tee shirts multiple times during the night, athletic shirts that are supposed to wick the sweat away from your skin, and men dressing in layers with an undershirt, dress shirt, and sport coat. Of these three methods, the most effective that I have noticed is the man wearing layers. The sport shirts always feel damp even though they aren’t wet and the tee shirts, depending on the wearer, can have a pretty short life span before the lead is drenched again. Every lead I’ve danced with wearing a sportcoat feels dry, at least from the outside. And I thank them for that.
I found an article called “Why You Should Wear an Undershirt at All Times.” It certainly made for an interesting read and I wonder how many of you employ an undershirt as a tactic for dryness. There’s even an entire website devoted to undershirts, The Undershirt Guy, with reviews of undershirt brands and debates on comfort and dryness.
This is less of an informative post and more of a musing – I’d like to hear your thoughts on this topic, as what works for one may not work for others. How do you stay dry? I might know some leads that need your help…
Raleigh Vintage on Etsy has delivered another winner, this time in the form of these gorgeous 1940’s shoes with a blue swirl/wave across the toes. This is such a unique pair of shoes that they almost look too modern – but for the shape of the shoes I’d claim they were a remnant of Miu Miu’s 2008 suede shoe collection. Estimated at a size 6.5/7, but check the listing for actual measurements. If they were in my size I would plan an entire outfit around them…
April 21 marks one whole year of blogging as Lindy Shopper – has it been that long already? It’s been a wonderful year and your growing support encourages me to continue writing this blog. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough material after a few months, but wonderful things keep coming my way, in part because of the large network of Lindy Hoppers worldwide who talk about products they love or sell themselves. More great content came from Lindy Dandy, whose insight into menswear and dressing well is universally applicable while maintaining Mr. Dandy’s own personal sense of style. Thank you all!
How many people read Lindy Shopper? It’s hard to say, but we are averaging 132 page views per day right now and are just shy of 30,000 views for the year. I am fascinated by the stats and probably spend more time following stats when I should be checking my posts for spelling and grammatical errors. 😉
Some more stats:
The most page views in one day, 234, occurred on April 4, 2011, when I wrote a post about My Heinies. Clearly, there is a need for bloomers in the swing dance community!
The most popular post of the year, with the most views of all time, was the post on Leluxe Clothing Co., maker of gorgeous 1920’s beaded reproduction dresses and Lindy Shopper’s first “supporter.” Leluxe also has the most “clicks,” the number of people clicking on a link to a particular site.
The most frequent search terms people have used to find Lindy Shopper (other than “Lindy Shopper”) are “bettie page clothing,” “reed shirtdress,” and “saddle shoe sneakers.”
Are you looking for that perfect vintage-looking cap, one that’s less Kangol and more newsboy circa 1932? Look no further than the eBay store ZaSu Caps, a treasure trove of vintage style hats and caps, including newsboy caps, alpine caps, railroad engineer caps, a pith helmet, and some WWII reproductions.
The maker of these hats, Ralf Reynolds, is also one of the Reynolds Brothers, a trad jazz duo from that packs a mean, swinging punch. Further, “Ralf has the distinction of being the only person ever to have a 30 year career as a professional washboard player.” Check their website – how adorable are these guys?
From Peter Loggins, via Facebook (who tipped me off about the hats): “These are the cats that seriously influenced my dancing, practicing every day to their Futuristic Junglism CD, songs like Pigmeat stomp. Fun, down to earth, historical knowledge, John Reynolds also played in Mora’s Modern Rhythmists, and is a hell of artist, and Ralf Reynolds makes the hats I wear!!! Zasu Caps…I remember the night I first met Ralph, he had just moved back to California, and went to the Derby, with a duffel bag full of hats. I can’t remember how many I bought, but it was every one that fit me…”
Find ZaSu Caps on Facebook and become a fan! Watch the video below, and you’ll become a fan of the Reynolds Brothers as well. 🙂
Continuing with the shoe theme and the pink theme, I’m posting this eBay auction for a pair of Remix Open Toe Spectator Wedges in pink and black, size 7-8. I’ve never seen this color combination before, but I like it. The shoes are a size 8, but the seller says she wears a 7 1/2 wide and that the size felt more like a 7 to her. Starting price is $20, but the buy-it-now is $50! $50 for a pair of Remix shoes? You know what to do.
I love vintage with a story – these pink satin 1920’s shoes were an adventure to find. If you’d like to own these beauties (approximately a size 5N, 9 inches long inside, 2.5 inches wide), they are yours for the cost of shipping.
So here’s the story: Raleigh/Durham dancer and advertising whiz kid Jamie Foehl invited the local dancers to be in a commercial set in the 1920’s for her job. On a very cold morning this past March we set out in cloches and derby hats for a farm in Chapel Hill, which would be the site of the commercial. I can’t reveal too many details about the commercial, but the farm itself was an interesting backdrop, with beautiful scenery, a lake, a giant catapult, a miniature horse, and enough horse poop to make walking around in Remix shoes very challenging. The owner of the farm came over to a group of us in vintage clothing and said “I’ve got some old clothes and jewelry from my husband’s aunt in the house that we’ve been trying to get rid of. Would you be interested?”
The answer is always YES, even if it turns out to be a bust.
This time, yes meant coming inside to a fire in the fireplace and a downstairs closet with hidden treasures. She pulled out the jewelry first, which was mostly 1960’s and 70’s stuff, but I did snag some MCM cufflinks for the Boy. I think the pink shoes were next and they were carefully boxed and preserved, in all their pink glossy glory. Next came the fur muffs (there were two), so Jamie and I each got one of those to take home. Finally, a WWII army nurse’s cape made its way out of the closet and into my arms. Now, I just have to find the rest of the uniform. 😉 There were also hats, but apparently the hats were in a closet in a bedroom where someone was sleeping (Jamie, any follow up on that?). Needless to say, it was a very successful day that ended with pizza for lunch and a bowling ball being catapulted across the field.
And that’s how we got these pink shoes…but what to do with them? They need a very special home, so I’m hoping someone reading this blog has tiny feet.
I’m heading up to DCLX this weekend, but before I abandon the blog for another dance weekend (you understand, right?) I’ll leave you with these two dresses. Red with green, green with red, but the real detail here is the contrast – most dresses try to match buttons, but I love these solid dresses with contrasting buttons. It really makes the buttons pop and becomes even more of a decorative detail than a functional necessity. This is definitely something I’d like to see more of (paging ModCloth, Anthropologie, Trashy Diva…).
Further, check out the neck detail on the green dress – it’s two dresses in one, with a keyhole neckline or a v-neckline. So in love…I was definitely one of the losing bidders on this auction.
This pair of 1940’s gold heels is about as glamorous as it gets – seller FrauleinMarlene has restocked her shop to include this amazing specimen of vintage footwear. Now that we’ve seen the sparkle, consider the practicality of such a pair of heels – gold is a metallic neutral so it can go with many things, and the mesh insets on the outside of the foot allow for breatheability and a little give on the side for your pinkie toes. I bet that gold leather is super soft…and the price? This gold will only set you back $59. I’d have snatched them up myself, but I already own a similar pair. That said, if you don’t snatch them up, I may reconsider. 😉
It’s back to reality, post-Experiment, but while I was away I did have a chance to chat with instructor Bobby White about some of his impeccable garments. He directed me to Magnoli Clothiers as a great source for vintage reproduction three piece suits. I must agree with Mr. Whi-te on this one, as the tailoring and fabrics look spot on.
Magnoli Clothiers is more than just menswear, it “is dedicated to the reproduction of vintage clothing, historic garments and popular film costumes. These reproductions, however, are not costume pieces, but tailor-made, high-quality clothing…any piece of mens clothing that you can provide images of can be reproduced. We can copy a garment you already own, or, by analyzing various images, we can reproduce any article from photograph or film stills.” The sky is the limit, or you can choose from their impeccable sample suits, pants, leather jackets, sport coats, shirts, vests, shoes, hats, and accessories.
The prices are no bargain, but for custom pieces…consider this an investment in looking awesome. Reasonably priced vintage repro menswear is hard for Lindy Shopper to find, but I am on a reproduction kick right now so I thought it best to share. Did I mention shipping is included in the price? That helps a bit.
Here are some of the great pieces you might want to own:
Cagney suitDillinger suitFairbanks suitMarshall suit - more awesome belt-back actionPrinceton tweed suitBoardwalk linen blazerMcCoy jacket - with pockets and belted back for maximum sportinessHighway jacket - because the Rocketeer is HOTTTHughes jacketJoker vestHollywood pantsOxford Bags
If you are wearing a dress at a dance, chances are, at some point in the evening, your hoo-ha will be in someone’s line of sight, be it upside down in an aerial or while being dipped by your dance partner. With modern hemlines sky high, the need for coverage is even more pressing. But where to get good coverage? Or better yet, where to get pretty coverage?
Enter My Heinies, “the original ‘pretty’ dance pant.” My Heinies is the brainchild of Carol Fraser, a dancer and choreographer from New York, has been dancing for her entire life and was inspired by her experience sitting on the floor at All Balboa Weekend and looking at the competitors, who had nothing necessarily pretty going on under their skirts during competitions. Necessity is the mother of invention and Carol took it upon herself to create this line of dance and athletic-specific bloomers that were made to go under clothing and provide the type of coverage we are looking for, but with a bit of flair for color and pattern.
The Shannon
From the website: “My Heinies addresses many concerns of dancers and athletes in all genres. All pants have the triangular crotch design which reduces the inner thigh from riding up and also eliminates “the front wedgie.” Additionally, all short inseam pants are 1 inch lower in the back to maintain maximum cheek coverage. There is no elastic on the low and mid rise pants thus eliminating bulges and allowing for more movement. And the high waisted pant offers a new option to current lingerie style trends.
In addition to new technology, My Heinies brings to the market modern prints and patterns in many styles as well as materials that perform. It allows dancers of all genres – contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, salsa, swing, ballroom, tango – as well as all athletes in yoga, running, gymnastics or cheer to add a little “pretty” to their attire.”
The Caroline
My Heinies is currently offering 9 styles of dance pants, with variations on waist height and length. The critical detail here with the shortest leg length is that the backside is lower, so when you kick or lift your leg, the dance pant will not ride up, leaving you with a bit of cheek hanging out (Carol noted that the guys will probably hate her for this 😉 ). With the highest waist model, any dress that does not have a defined waist/belt can have a smoother appearance, rather than seeing the waistband of the bloomers through the fabric of the dress. Taking that even further, you could incorporate the high waist into the layers of your outfit – spokes-model Carla Heiney wore the high waisted model with a regular skirt and tucked her shirt into the My Heinies dance pants, offering a new and interesting way to display her Heinies while keeping her shirt securely tucked in.
Carol also noted that the fabric stretches 4 ways, while most stretch fabrics only stretch 2 ways – the 4 way stretch allows for maximum movement and prevents the fabric from riding up. The fabric is very smooth and can function similarly to a slip, in the sense that the smoothness prevents the bunching of your dress fabric against the fabric of your undergarments and also creates a smoother line under your clothing.
The Lisa
To clarify, these are not Spanx. I detest Spanx and any other sort of nouveau-girdle. These are athletic/dance pants to wear under your clothing for comfort, modesty, style, and athleticism. We are athletes and it’s time for a product to withstand our intensity while looking immensely put-together!
In addition to bloomers, My Heinies will be selling some really hot/sexy/fancy hosiery by Leg Avenue – fishnets, seams, patterns, faux garters, bows, FANCY. When your skirt flies up, there will be plenty of pretty to see!
As if things couldn’t get prettier, Hy Heinies will also be selling lovely hair flowers, of the traditional silk kind as well as real orchids from Thailand that are dipped in resin to preserve them. You can have a real, one of a kind hair flower in your hair that’s frozen in time. Brilliant!
Carol is currently in talks with Arika Nerguiz, maker of some of the most divine tango shoes on the planet, to make shoes for the swing dance community. I am very excited about this development, as I have been drooling over Arika Nerguiz shoes for years.
I am at the Balboa Experiment with Carol this week (we are roomies) and her excitement about the possibilities for this company is infectious. I love to see one of our own creating a new business that enhances our community and is driven by someone who knows dance, dance clothing construction, and our own unique sub-culture so well. She is diligently working to make sure these products live up to their intended function.
I look forward to seeing you and your Heinies on the dance floor!
The SylviaThe LauraThe CourtneyThe SherryThe Linda
Tomorrow I will drive 3 hours east, to a beach house on the coast of North Carolina, to participate in week 1 of The Balboa Experiment. I am excited at the prospect of what awaits – an entire week off from work to dance Balboa by the sea. I have no idea what our schedule will be like, so I may be on hiatus for a week (although I have been assured that there is wi-fi). When I am able to write, look forward to at least one vendor report, via one of the participants. 🙂