A Very Russian Winter - 1950's Quilted Skirts & Ulyana Sergeenko

By now you all know that I am perpetually dreaming of being stuck in an Eastern European fairy-tale. I adore anything that reminds me of my childhood spent in remote Balkan villages inhabited by scarf wearing babushka's. Ulyana Sergeenko's designs definitely make my heart twinge with the fresh sting of nostalgia. I can't afford her designs, however, because she draws so much inspiration from decades past, it was relatively easy to replicate some of her signature looks. This beautiful 1950's quilted skirt was a steal at $14, and it is so much more substantial than many modern counterparts. It will definitely keep me toasty during the cold Winter months, especially with a pair of soft wool stockings underneath! 

Comrade Von Pussycat

September, Tea Times & Autumn Wishlists

Au naturel - fresh ginger tea with a dusting of powdered turmeric (look at that color!) Also chock full of health benefits by the way!

I know that there are still a few weeks left of Summer, but I couldn't resist posting a few of the items on my Autumn wishlist. I love Autumn fashion very much! Thick wool tweeds, fluffy Angora sweaters, glossy leather boots in dark chestnut or rich cognac, merlot-stained lips, cinnamon spiked latte's...what isn't delicious in the Autumn?

Pretty Foundation Garments - as I've mentioned before on this blog, I abhor ugly foundation garments (Spanx, I'm looking at you...). The frothy confections of the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's are such a far cry from the flesh colored sausage casing that you find everywhere today in modern stores, and although they are 70+ old, they still manage to be structurally sound due to the top-notch quality. I would love to add a few pieces in soft peach and pale champagne colors to my Autumn wardrobe. 

1940's dresses in dark chocolate rayon - I just love the versatility of chocolate, chestnut, and mink hues. Less severe than black, more depth than beige, and the color pair so well with furs! I especially would like to add more peplum dresses to my wardrobe...

Fur trimmed tilt hats & thick wool coats - once again, the 1940's aesthetic strikes again. 

Stockings and sweaters! I love everything about this photograph :)

That's all for now - but I assure you, there will be a ton more Autumn inspiration posts in the near future!

Comrade Von Pussycat

The Last Days Of Summer

The golden hills of California

This Summer has passed by so quickly, it seems that I blinked and now Autumn is just around the corner. I love Autumn - the moody weather, the burnt ochre and crunchy rust colored leaves underfoot, the cozy wool knits and seamed stockings! I love it all. I love the earthy taste of pumpkin (although I will be making my own PSL's, thank you very much!), and I will relish the return of hearty stews soaked up with crusty pieces of peasant bread and hot cups of peppermint tea before bedtime. 

Summer. 

This Summer wasn't particularly eventful - we didn't go on vacation because we made a trip earlier this year to the Bear's motherland. One of my favorite activities (year-round) is hiking. I am an avid outdoorswoman. I get nearly all of my exercise by hiking. I truly do not believe that we were made to exercise in a little cement box, suffocated by the stifling smell of perspiring bodies. I just can't do it. One of my favorite things to is to buy a rustic loaf of bread and layer charcuterie, red onion, fresh basil, cheese, and peperoncini to create a hearty lunch, pack a bottle of water (I use recycled glass bottles, no plastic), put on sunscreen, and head out into the gilded hills for a few hours. I usually do a six mile loop, half of which is uphill, so it really makes you work for your lunch! There are few things that are as satisfying as enjoying a meal out in the silence of nature. The fresh air, the sun, the birds singing...it is just magical. My personality needs a LOT of quiet time and solitude, so getting away from bustling city life is of the utmost importance to me. Often times I daydream of what it would be like to live alone in the woods, or to ride horseback through the hills and camp under the stars at night as my ancestors did. I've always been a country girl at heart. When I was a young girl I would come home at night with sap in my hair from climbing the top of pine trees all day. I could dive deeper into the lake than all of the neighbor boys, and once retrieved a huge rock from the bottom just to prove it. One time, when visiting a small village in Albania, I hopped onto a strange black horse and galloped, bareback, down the dirt road following Lake Prespa, just hanging on to its glossy dark mane and praying that I wouldn't fall off. I am often struck by the sting of nostalgia for those times. At least, for now, I can enjoy the languishing last days of summer.

1950's pale mint cotton dress with the sweetest bright white daisies! Shoes by B.A.I.T

Wild sunflowers

Triple digit heat - hence the soft makeup!

Gingham always reminds me of picnic tablecloths!

Chipped cherry-red nail polish and a nice cold beer

Summer fruits!

A bevy of blueberries

Smoothies for those hot summer nights

Comrade Von Pussycat

Style Inspiration: The Love Affair of Manolete & Lupe

Manolete y Lupe <3

Why is it that tragic love stories are so irresistible? Maybe it is because they make you feel something deeper. When it comes to the love story of the legendary Spanish matador Manolete (Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez) and his servant-turned-filmstar lover, Lupe Sino, I just can't get enough. There is something so magnetic about their tale of passion and Manolete's other mistress, Death. In fact, in bullfighting it is said that you have to be a little bit in love with death...

Religious art never fails to inspire me...

I adore Lana <3

I've always had a flair for the dramatic and even though I find myself in the throes of summer and face-melting triple digit weather - I can't wait to invest in a beautiful vintage mantilla comb and cathedral length black lace veil. Along with being deeply inspired by Spanish traditional dress, I also adore Diane Pernet, who never leaves the house without a black veil! A woman after my own heart. The older I get, the more I realize that being a sex symbol is not my priority - I value eccentric glamour more than anything. 

Food for thought!

I don't know about you, but I truly love to capture the vision of who I want to be on paper. I hadn't sketched for some time, so I poured myself a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, grabbed my sketching pad, sharpened my pencil, and just began putting down what came to me. I didn't have watercolors, so I figured a little wine couldn't hurt to give her a blush of color. I am pretty pleased with the end result! I present to you, my dear Lupe <3

Thank you, Mr. Cab Sav ;)

I know its blurry, but I liked the ethereal effect :)

Favorite things!

Comrade Von Pussycat

A Summer Wishlist: Egyptomania!

 Blame it on my inner romantic, but I am hopelessly drawn to any hint of exoticism. Lately I have been completely enchanted by vintage tourist mementos; particularly from the 1920's-1940's. There is something incredibly alluring about items that are tarnished, dusty, and well-worn. They show that they have a thousand stories to tell; that they have been well-loved. I have a gorgeous pair of 1940 peeptoe platforms in genuine alligator skin handcrafted in Havana, Cuba on my wishlist. I desperately want to add a 1920's Egyptian tooled leather travel bag to my collection. Anything to do with bullfights and matadors makes me swoon, and this summer I swear you will see me in nothing but flamenco inspired polka dot dresses, Spanish espadrilles, and blood red lipstick (Besame Noir Red I'm looking at you)! Here are a few droolworthy Egyptian revival items from my wishlist, because really, who isn't an Egyptophile?

This does not bode well for my hard earned $$$...

Comrade Von Pussycat

On Glamorous Undergarments & Seduction

I am a great proponent for a dose of daily glamour, although I realize that my own style may be uncomfortable for others. One thing I absolutely cannot understand, however, is the appeal of Spanx and similar shape wear, which in my opinion, is completely unglamorous and inexcusable. I realize that "girdle" has become an ugly and taboo term, and that the idea of having steel boning in your shape wear is frightening to a  lot of women. However, vintage shape wear is (in my opinion) infinitely more glamorous than its modern counterpart. Pretty colors, frothy fabrics, glamorous lace, and sensual silhouettes. Nothing kills the mood for seduction more quickly than a pair of plain beige biking shorts. For your own sake, even if no one even sees your shape wear, at least slip into something that makes you feel pretty and you aren't embarrassed to show off...should the occasion arise. You never know when and where a seduction will take place, why not be prepared and open to the possibility? The last thing I want is to be foiled by my unsightly undergarments. One thing I deeply believe in is that you should, on a daily basis, seduce yourself...a piece of dark chocolate, a sophisticated cocktail, a steamy bubble bath. This may sound narcissistic, but I assure you, when you feel good about yourself you can face anything. 

Comrade Von Pussycat

Glamorous and functional shape wear!

That Soft, Misty Glamour...

It's finally stocking and girdle weather!

Comrade Von Pussycat

From Russia With Love...

                                  My honeyed orbs under moonlight met,
                                  You, my exotic (erotic!) tiger pet,
                                  At the frail mercy of wicked time,
                                  We drank expiring summer wine,

                                  Voluptuous vampire...you left me!
                                  Your lust bitten, sex kitten.
                                  Tragic, you weren't equally as smitten.

                                  Yes! Hopeless, naturally amorous I!
                                  Rest your apple blossom cheek next to mine,
                                  Dampen my lips with lover's breath,
                                  Remember with fondness Ohrid's nymphet.

                                                Just one last time,
                                                Let's spill summer wine,
                                                Just one last time,
                                               Whisper to me this rhyme.

Because every fool loves (in) the summertime.

 

 Comrade Von Pussycat

"Quickly, Bring Me A Beaker Of Wine, So That I May Wet My Mind And Say Something Clever!"

Aristophanes, you took the words right out of my mouth. I love Anna Karina, and French New Wave films, fresh butter croissants consumed in bed with my lover, creamy cappuccino's in tiny stark white porcelain cups, Breton stripe boatnecks baring bronzed clavicles, pouty petal kisses in dimly lit alleyways, and most of all, a wine so darkly red, you would swear that it runs through your own fragile veins...

Comrade Von Pussycat