Sock Dreams

Socks are a critical part of every swing dancer’s wardrobe, regardless of gender. I stumbled upon this fantastic website devoted to socks, called Sock Dreams. I was specifically looking for striped socks for men, but I was delighted to see that this site does not differentiate its sock genders:

“What is it that makes a sock specifically a man’s sock? We’ve long wondered this and avoided the label for years, but here it is, our “Men’s socks” section. These are socks that our suppliers label as “Men’s” plus some others that fit the niche…”

It’s a free-for-all!

Socks for men and women – take your pick from their wide selection of excellent socks. Here are a few of my favorites:

A classic chevron sock that comes in an array of conservative and not-so-conservative colors.
Fairisle socks, multiple colors to choose from.
Stripes! More colors!
Circuit boards...certainly not in the vintage style, but I know enough techie Lindy Hoppers that this was a necessary post. They are also in classic two-tone.
Sock garters. These always make me think of old cartoons...
Argyle socks are the hotness! More colors on the website.
More argyle hotness!
Floral lace trouser socks, more colors on website.
Dotted diamond tights.
Zurich texture tights.

Guest blogger for Atomic Ball Room!

Lindy Shopper is doing a series of articles for Atomic Ball Room, based out of Irvine, California. Check out the Atomic Ball Room Blog for my first blog entry “Lindy Shopper 101,” which discusses how to build a good swing dance wardrobe foundation. Excited! I’d like to thank Kyle Smith for inviting me to be a guest blogger. 😀

Urban Outfitters, May 2010 Catalog

I got the Urban Outfitters catalog in the mail yesterday and was pleasantly surprised at the offerings. Lately I felt like Urban had gone astray, focusing on clothing items that look like something I could find at Goodwill and would never wear (as opposed to items I could find at Goodwill and would definitely wear) or it was just more of the same hipster garb I already had in my closet. However, they appear to be coming out of this sort of ratty, gross phase and are offering some really interesting pieces, including clothing and shoes that appear to be dance-worthy. I began dog-earring the pages of my catalog immediately and, upon closer inspection of the website there are even more pretty things for guys and gals, more than I am posting here. Here’s what I liked:

The catalog showed these shoes in black, with black fishnets and painted toes - very hot! They come in a hot pink, too. 😉
Chiffon lady dress - maybe to go with those pink t-straps? Also comes in blue and gray.
Loving all this chiffon - this one comes in a berry stripe, too!
Nice detailing on the puff sleeve - comes in several prints.

Chiffon drop waist dress. I love that they have the models twirling in some of these dresses to show off the fluid skirts!

Art Deco inspired tank
Tap shorts!
For the guys, I liked these sneakers with a sort of cross-hatch fabric.
An interesting take on the saddle shoe, for men.
Classic Bass saddle shoe
Stripey socks! They also have argyle and plaid.
Straw fedora, comes in four colors.

This week’s lovelies from eBay

Another bevy of beautiful garments, courtesy of my favorite shopping website:

Let's start things off with this lovely red and white striped 1940's blouse.
This yellow sleeveless 1940's dress is perfect for spring and, from the looks of it, that skirt has some twirl potential.
This confection in pale pink crepe not only has a peplum, brooch, and matching belt and buckle, but also comes with a blue jacket and matching pink stockings. This auction is loaded with goodies!
I am intrigued by this dress, as it somehow manages to be both girly and intimidating. Black + ruffles/rickrack = sinister pinup?
I love this 1940's coral color and the beading on the bodice of this dress is gorgeous.
A sweet 1930's linen dress.
I can't resist a gingham dress with pockets!

Anna Sui Deco Tree dress

Is there something about this dress, upon closer inspection…is that…is that a peplum? I believe it is. Anna Sui’s Deco Tree dress sports a retro print and a serious peplum that originates in the front in two pieces and continues to the back, cascading all the way to the hem. At $186, on sale at that, it’s out of the price range I like to post, but I couldn’t resist showing a modern peplum dress on the blog. My guess is the Forever 21 knockoff isn’t far behind…

Aris Allen black and silver oxford, size 11

Lindy Shopper Classified Ad – For sale by owner: A pair of lovely Aris Allen black and silver 1930’s style oxford heels, size 11, barely used, $50 or best offer. According to the seller, Julia Seymour, there are “two tiny scratches (from the heels hitting together) on the right shoe and a small indentation on the same shoe. I don’t know how much shipping would be so let’s say $55 total and I’ll pay the shipping (standard in the US). I can be reached by email to work out the details: juliaseymour.writer@gmail.com.”

Remix “Dara” shoe

This is my main shoe. If I could wear this shoe every day with a sundress, I would, and it would go with all of them. This shoe kept up with a pair of Chacos on a two week tour of Italy, all terrains and weather, and was just as comfortable as a pair of athletic sandals. You think your Remix heels are comfortable? Let me invite you to enjoy the bedroom slipper of the Remix line…

This pair of Dara shoes in pewter is on eBay for $140 or you can get them at the Remix site for $168. Unlike other Remix shoes, I’ve only seen this pair available on eBay twice, and I bought the first pair. 😉 Yes, this is spendy. No, I didn’t pay that much, I got my pair for an even lower price on eBay. But think about it – a shoe that goes with everything, can be worn under almost any conditions (except maybe hot lava), that is so comfortable, AND is adorable. I challenge you to find a more versatile pair of sandals!

I also found this pair in red in a size 6 for $118 on Amazon.com.

This shoe does not have a leather sole, but don’t discount it for dance purposes yet! For me, it serves as the ever critical arrival and departure shoes – you can’t mess up your suede soles, but you should still show up to the dance in a great pair of shoes! They are extra critical for the departure, as nothing feels better than a pair of cool, comfortable, ventilated flats on your hot, tired feet after a long night of dancing.

Old Woogies

This one is for the gents – while Old Woogies has some adorable women’s shoes, the focus of the company’s apparel, accessories, and footwear is men. Old Woogies is based out of Italy and sells men’s shoes, pants, suspenders, belts, jumpers (aka short sleeve sweaters), hats, jeans, caps, and other menswear items inspired by the swing era and the 1950’s. There’s much more on the website, but here are some of my faves (which may turn out like your mom dressing you…). 😉

Take a break from your white Aris Allens and sink your feet into these white lovelies.
Classic pant, wide leg, cuffs...yes, please.
Two tone in white and brown.
The website offers a variety of patterned suspenders in classic color palettes.
Mesh and leather...I'd like to see more of these on the dance floor.
Caps in many fabrics!
Some burly looking denim.

Miss Selfridge

From the UK purveyor of youthful fashion comes these lovely, danceable dresses, rompers, and accessories, available online through the Miss Selfridge website.

Red gingham dress! Love!

This cream tiered dress nods to the 1920's.
This striped dress sort of reminds me of vintage beachwear.
Gray and black polka dot dress with sweetheart neckline, belt optional.
Navy bow dress with an adorable collar.
Purple print dress with floaty sleeves and wrap dress detailing.
Black beaded headband

Beaded flower headband.

Red jumpsuit - who wants to waste time tucking their shirt into their shorts? ;)

Bodysuit - shirt and bloomers in one?

Esther Williams swimwear

Before we get too deep into bathing suit season, I thought it important to point out the most flattering bathing suit I have ever owned and will probably continue to own until I am old, gray, and fabulous, a la the designer of these suits. I am talking about Esther Williams, the synchronized swimmer turned movie goddess of the aquamusical, who has her own swimwear line of modern and vintage inspired bathing suits.

I bought her “Classic Sheath” in black last year, resigning myself to the fact that I needed a more practical, full coverage bathing suit that I would not feel self-conscious wearing, regardless of what kind of day I was having. I adored the vintage styling on Esther’s one piece bathing suits and hoped that this would be the solution to all my bathing suit woes. When the suit arrived, it was even better than imagined – not only did the bathing suit look adorable with the old-school ruching and low cut legs, but the bathing suit was well-made with great structure, cups, and durable fabric, it was ultimately flattering in all self-conscious areas, and I felt beautiful wearing it – that’s a first in my years of horrible dressing room experiences with bathing suits!

You can buy this style of bathing suit on other websites, but there’s something special about ordering a suit from Esther herself, as if some of that MGM musical magic will rub off on you when you wear it. Could you wear the bathing suits dancing? If you are planning on attending the Virginia Beach Lindy Exchange, that’s a yes, as the Sunday afternoon dance is on the beach. I also seem to recall status updates from friends about being poolside while attending Camp Hollywood…

Here are my favorite styles from the Esther Williams swimwear line:

Classic Sheath
2 Piece Classic
The Marilyn Swimdress
Classic Bandeau