These posts are all about fashion, hair, sewing and collecting vintage clothing
~Some Girls, Some Hats And Hitler: Book Review with a Vintage Slant~ By Tam Francis The Synopsis Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler by Trudi Kanter (originally self published in 1984, republished by Virago Press 2012), is part love story, part Holocaust, and very much vintage fashion and lifestyle memoir. We follow Trudi, a half-Jewish milliner, […more…]
~ Politically Correct or Censorship? ~ by Tam Francis THE ALERT After posting a link to reddit (scary over there–talk about an odd form of censorship or bullying), it was brought to my attention that a song I had chosen for one of my chapter titles and listed on my Soundtrack page contained very offensive, racist lyrics. I […more…]
Remembering the First Camp Hollywood By Tam Francis In honor of this year’s Camp Hollywood, I go back in time, into the archives of Swivel: Vintage Living Magazine and tell you what is was like to be at Camp Hollywood that first year (1998)… The First Night Blinking lights beat the rhythm of the Hollywood […more…]
~ Making History Come Alive Through Vintage Sewing ~ by Tam Francis I recently had the honor of playing opposite my daughter in a charming period play called Chicago Gypsies, set in the early 1930s. Sometimes I wonder if they cast me because I know how to sew, but I was cast and given instructions […more…]
~ In Search of Sam Butera ~ by Steve Conrad edited by Tam Francis As I finish work on my ghost story collection I thought I would share an interview Steve Conrad did for my magazine Swivel: Vintage Living. Steve is a dance instructor, producer and deejay. He runs the successful Arizona Lindy Hop Society. […more…]
~ How to create a vintage swing wedding on a budget ~ When David and I got married we wanted to have a vintage wedding. I mistakenly picked up bride magazines, but found them filled with articles and […more…]
~ How To Spot Phony Vintage ~ by Tam Francis I thought we gals had it figured out, but the more I read and see lately, the more inaccurate information is being passed off as fact. Vintage shops, auctions (ebay, etsy and live auctions) and even […more…]
~ Bakelite The Queen of Plastic Jewelry ~ The Clink of Bakelite Bracelets This past Christmas and birthday I received my first Bakelite bracelets, a gift from my dear friend Lynnda. As a swing dancer I had never bothered to invest,(if I knew then, what I know now, I would have). Sure, I’d picked up […more…]