Vintage Repo/Inspired Shopping and the Curvy Woman

I cannot wait to rock this lil' number!

Today Ashley over at Lisa Freemont Street posted a great video on shopping online for vintage repro/inspired clothing.  Combine that with some great clothing posts I've seen lately and I felt like the universe was telling me I absolutely had to buy a pretty new dress today.  What I had forgotten was my curvy size was not that compatible with a lot of the vintage clothing out there.  After looking at a few of the sites I started to get a little frustrated at the sizing...and quite frankly a tad bit depressed.  Well, we couldn't have a frustrated and grumpy Jennifer today so I decided to dive straight in and research and create a list of vintage clothing websites (based off of Ashley's video) and the maximum sizes they offer...that way if any of you out there are like me you don't have to endure what I did.  (Falling in love with a dress to only find out that it would come to a dead stop trying to make it over one's lovely lady lumps).  While researching I did find a match made in heaven at Sourpuss Clothing...the Out to Sea dress, they may be one of the many reasons I have a fear of the sea...but yay for giant killer octopus' on dresses! (oh...and side note:  this is my first vintage repro clothing online purchase)


For the sizes listed below I based it on a dress that was listed on the site.  Often even on the same website sizes vary so please be sure to always check the sizing charts.  

Please let me know if you have any suggestions/changes that can be made to the list!

Daddy O's:  Most go up to 3X, sizing varies so check the size charts.  On average a 3X measures B46/W38.
Pin Up Girl Clothing:  Highest size is 2X, the site allows you to search by size which is nice, sizing varies so check the size charts.  On average a 2X measures B44.5-45/W36-37.5

My Baby Jo:  Highest size is 3X, but not as large of a selection as some of the other sites, sizing varies so check the size charts.  On average a 3X measures B44/W36/H46

Mode Merr: Everything comes in sizes up to 3X (B46/W38/H49)

Bernie Dexter Clothing:  Only goes up to XL (B40/W32/H42)

Bettie Page Clothing:  Highest size is 4X (4X sizing is not on the website, measurements for 3X are B42-45/W34-38.5/H46-49)

Heartbreaker Fashion:  Highest size is 2X (B46-48/W36-37/H48-50)

Miss Hussy:  Highest size is 3X, but its sizing is smaller (B45/W36/H48)

The Red Dolly (swimsuits):  Highest size is a large (B37-39/W28-30/H38-40)

Sourpuss Clothing:  Highest size is a 2X, sizing varies so check the size charts.  On average measurements for 2X are B40/W40-42.

Le Bomb Shop:  Highest size is a XL, sizing varies so check the size charts.  On average measurements for XL are B36-42/W28-38.

Vintage Suits by Mary (swimsuits & playsuits):  Highest size is XL, but custom sizing is available upon request (B40.5-43.5/W32.5-35.5/H43-46)

Vivien of Holloway:  Highest size is XL (B44-46/W36-38/H48-50)

Heyday Clothing:  Highest size is XL (B42-47/W34-38/H44-48)

Revamp Vintage:  Highest size is XL, but made to measure is available (B40/W32/H42)

Nicole Katherine Designs:  Some go up to 26W (B52/W44/H55)

Blue Velvet Vintage:  Some go up to XL (B42/W38/H46)

Candy Violet:  Highest size is 2X, they do custom orders as well (B42/W36/H45)

Big Beautiful Barbara Brown:  Highest measurements are B46/W38/H48

Freddies of Pinewood:  Highest measurements are W38/H48

Tara Starlet:  Highest size is 16 (B42/W33/H42)

Whirling Turban:  Highest waist size is a 42, they do custom made orders

Queen of Heartz:  Highest size is 3X (B44/W36/H46)

Tarantula Clothing:  Has a curvy gals section with sizes 1X to 5X (B54), don't get too excited they have only two items (very cute but again...only two)

Mod Cloth:  I’ve not seen higher than a 3X, sizing varies so check the size charts.  On average a 3X measures B46-57/W40/H50 (type plus in the search box to shift through the massive amount of dresses)

Shabby Apple:  Highest size is a XL (B41-42/W33-35/H43-45)


Can't wait for more?  Then check out my Weekly Blog:  Veggie Girl Eats Out for my review of Sweet Art in St. Louis, MO.  Click here to view Veggie Girl Eats Out! 

Have you purchased from any of these stores and if so, what was your experience?  Do you have a favorite dress?  Leave your response in the comment section below.

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Snood Hairstyle Tutorial: Bad Hair Day...Snood to the Rescue!

I love my snoods, they're great on bad hair days or after a hair experiment gone horribly wrong!  So I've gone and done it again...created a hair tutorial video!  I hope you all enjoy!

Can't wait for more?  Then check out my Weekly Blog:  Veggie Girl Eats Out for my review of Letizia's Fiore and find out if vegetarians should ever eat there.  Click here to view Veggie Girl Eats Out! 

What's your favorite fix for a bad hair day?  Leave your response in the comment section below.

If you'd like an email notification when new blogs are posted sign up for an e-mail subscription, which can be found to the left of this post.

The Winged Eye: Liquid or Pencil Liner Make-up Review

One of the fun aspects of wearing vintage is getting to play around with those great make-up looks.  One of my favorites is the winged eye or the cat-eye.  If you're unsure of how to create this look click here for a great tutorial from Lisa Freemont Street.  Creating this look can be a little tricky, but with the right product it can make the process much easier.  I've been trying out a lot of different liners lately to find one that works for me.  I tried the following liners:  Stila's smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in Stringray, Wet n Wild Mega Liner color 861, and Revlon ColorStay liquid liner in Blackest Black and this is what I've found (from most expensive to least):

Please note that all products I review are cruelty free.

• Stila:  I wanted to try a good traditional pencil eyeliner as the liquid ones can sometimes be a little hard to control.  For me to execute a great winged eye look I need to be able to easily do a flick and swish at the corner of the outer eye.  With a pencil I was not able to do this, it felt difficult and the result was messy and uneven.  Essentially I was like a kindergardener with a crayon...not a look I was going for.  As a regular liner for above/below the lashes it's great.  What I did like is I was able to wipe off any mistakes with a tissue, but yet it dried in a reasonable amount of time.  Overall it's a good product, but not for the look I was going for.
• Revlon:  Now I was back in the liquid liners, and spoiler alert...this one was my favorite!  The brush is firm with just a little bend which helped me keep control of my brush strokes.  It also was not bristles so you don't have to worry about a bristle going all cock-eyed and leaving little black trails everywhere.  It didn't dry too quickly so you were able to clean up the line with a tissue and it doesn't bleed onto your upper lid when you fully open your eye.  Overall great price and easy to use and control.
• Wet n Wild:  I liked that it was a liquid and brushed on smooth and easy, but after that things didn't go so well.  A little like a bad blind date...starts off good but the more they talk the worse things get.  This is where it went wrong:  a few of the bristles on the brush got kinked and started leaving little black dots all over my eyelid, often my hands get a little shaky when applying liner and with such a flexible brush I frequently found myself "coloring outside the lines", and when I fully opened my eyes I found that the liner bled onto my upper lid creating a slightly crazed look.  Overall myself and Wet n Wild where not a match made in heaven.

Can't wait for more?  Then check out my Weekly Blog:  Veggie Girl Eats Out for my review of Letizia's Fiore and find out if vegetarians should ever eat there.  Click here to view Veggie Girl Eats Out! 

Have you tried the winged eye look?  How did it work out for you?  Leave your response in the comment section below.

If you'd like an email notification when new blogs are posted sign up for an e-mail subscription, which can be found to the left of this post.

Je t'adore my new Hat!

Ever since I've started wearing the retro/vintage look I've wanted to find the perfect little hat to go along with the hair (still working on the clothes!).  Well, one day when I was happily reading down the blog trail I stumbled upon The Modern Day Flapper and I noticed all these great hats she was wearing...then...I noticed that she was actually the milliner of these fabulous creations so I immediately surfed over to her Etsy shop Jayjayamore and essentially drooled until payday.  Well, you can bet your last casino chip that when payday rolled around I ordered myself my very first vintage inspired hat, and boy was it difficult to choose which hat I liked best!

While at work, diligently working away, I received a package.  I was so excited thinking it was my new hat, but alas it was just stupid business cards...stupid unwearable non-hat business cards.  As the day drew to a close I realized it was too early to see my hat come through the mail, I had just ordered it on Sunday.  As I completed this thought Brian (my co-worker) walked around the corner with a hat shaped box in his hands and he was headed straight for me!  Bliss...my hat had arrived.  It was everything I expected and more.  The look and size was exactly what the website showed and the construction and materials where even better than I expected.  The material was so soft and the embellishments were just perfect.  I could not wait to run home and try it on!

Once home came the difficult decision...should I wear it on the right or left side?  What's great is the hat is really easy to attach (two duckbill clips on the underside), easy to adjust, and very stable...I don't think even a good Chicago wind could whip it off my head.  (it might possibly knock over me before the hat)  Here's some pictures of my new accoutrement, please forgive the hair and make-up...it was a long day at work.

So what do you think...right or left?  Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.  

Read my Latest Dining Out Review for Letizia's at Veggie Girl Eats Out:  http://veggiegirleatsout.blogspot.com/

Attempt #1 at the Happy Pompadour

A Closer Look at the Happy Pompadour

Weekends are made for trying out new hairstyles!  Since I knew I'd be spending Saturday with friends I decided to try a very 40's hairstyle...my genius mind knew I would get honest feedback on how well I did and if I could "pull it off".  So Friday night I casually flipped through my favorite hairstyling book, Vintage Hairstyling, to find just the right "do".  I decided to go with the book's cover look...the happy pompadour, it looks so fun and sassy I just had to try it!  This is such a fabulous book and I really want to support the author so I'm not going to walk through how I did the hairstyle, but I will tell you about the experience and how it turned out! :D  (I've also included an amazon link to the book if you're interested)

It's my "Shoooot" Facial Expression!

So I set my hair and covered it with a hair net...yes I know it's very cafeteria chic, but I can't sleep without wearing one.  I must fight zombies, or disco dance, or spin plates while I sleep because I wake with at least 2 or 3 rollers nearly unrolled...so the hair net has been a hair saver!  The next morning, in true Jennifer fashion, I woke up late so I did not have as much time to spend styling the look as I'd like but I think it worked out OK for my first stab at it.  I'll tell what really bugged this morning is that the hair in back didn't dry all the way (arguh...I think I didn't wait long enough after washing), you can tell by the lack of curls at the ends.

I Just Like This Picture :D

The steps in the book were really clear to follow, the most difficult part was getting the bangs just right.  You can see from the picture that I didn't quite master that yet, but I think it works.  btw...the picture is from much later in the day so I'm happy that the look was able to stand up to my daily activities and Chicago's wind.  The only other thing I'd like to work on with the look is the very top.  You can see the little white flowers on the top of my head...those are used to cover up the rubber band that's up there and I'm not in love with that look.  I think I'm going to try playing with either wrapping some hair around the band or doing a criss-cross with a small section of hair on top.  

One thing that I did play with was throwing in a cute little side pony tail and an extra flower...gotta have fun with it!  I definitely like the look and will try it out again...I think I'll even work it at work!

Not Sure why I Keep Making the Odd Faces?!

What are your weekends made for?  Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.  

You can also find me at  Veggie Girl Eats Out:  http://veggiegirleatsout.blogspot.com/

WebMD Needs to be Banned from my Reality!

I am a chronic googler, I freely admit this, in fact I'm proud of my quest for knowledge and thrilled that I can gain it with a few keystrokes.  There are times though that too much information is NOT a good thing, at least when it comes to me and googling a medical condition.  It starts off all innocent, "oh, I'm just curious on what exactly is the reason behind eye twitching", and ends up with me on WebMD convinced that my eye is going to fall out any second or that the constant twitching is going to short out my neural synapses leaving me drooling over a bowl of Captain Crunch, or something equally ridiculous and far removed from my actual issue.  Luckily this overblown panic is reserved to my own mind and voiced to a few good friends with excellent rational minds.  Today though...you almost got me WebMD...almost!  In fact...you almost gave me a heart attack by making me think I was having a heart attack!  


Today after lunch I had numbness and tingling in my left arm along with some other symptoms so I went googling to find some information on why and what I could do to alleviate the issue.  Well of course I ended up on that infernal, son of the devil WebMD and this is what they returned to me (my responses are in purple)...

Symptoms of a Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction or MI)

Symptoms of a heart attack can include:

• Discomfort, pressure, heaviness, or pain in the chest, arm, or below the breastbone
• Yes...yes I did have a slight pressure on my chest and I am finding my response to this discomforting
• Discomfort radiating to the back, jaw, throat, or arm
• Ummm...see above...why are you telling me again.  Why do you keep using discomfort, call it what it is PAIN!!!
• Fullness, indigestion, or choking feeling (may feel like heartburn)
• Yes...I am feeling too full (my logical side later realized that I just finished lunch)
• Sweating, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness
• "Gulp, Erp"...yes, I'm going to vomit right now!  (logical self:  you ate something last night that your stomach doesn't like...you expected to feel slightly off today)
• Extreme weakness, anxiety, or shortness of breath
• Well..yes, I have anxiety now since so many boxes have been ticked!
• Rapid or irregular heartbeats
• Yes WebMD you have now elevated my heartbeats from calm to rapid with your checklist of doom!

After about 20 minutes of panic I did realize that I wasn't having a heart attack, but rather I most likely slept on my arm wrong the night before, my IBS is kicking up again, and I'm tired from staying up late the night before.  It really had me convinced for a while that I was facing imminent death...it almost gave me a heart attack.  Now I do believe sites like this have a purpose and have helped people prepare for Doctor's appointments, and educated them on their diagnosed disease, but for those out there like me...it's a booby trap.  So...as of today I am imposing on myself a lifetime ban from WebMD and sites of that nature.  If I absolutely must know why my bellybutton feels like it's being stabbed with an icepick I will allow one of my sane friends to do the googling for me.  Friends...you have been warned!  :)

Tell me your WebMD horror story?  Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.  

You can also find me at  Veggie Girl Eats Out:  http://veggiegirleatsout.blogspot.com/

Have you met my Chicago? A Photographic Journey

My love affair with Chicago began when I was about 8 years old when my Mother and her best friend took me on the first of many trips into the city.  I was enamored immediately; from the enormous buildings I craned my head back to see, the women walking to work in their business suits and tennis shoes, the smell of dirt, sweat, and heat, and the speed at which everything took place.  I remember that I always came home with a headache because I spent the entire time trying to see, touch, and smell everything there was.  I want to give you a little sense of what I love about Chicago so myself and Caroline went out today armed with our cameras to try and capture it.

Under the "El" Tracks

An Alley is Never Just an Alley!

A Mystery...I'm Intrigued.

Even Bikes Need a Rest

They don't make Signs like this Anymore.

Trying to Disguise our Empty Lots

Love the Textures

Saved the Best for Last! 

Showing Flower Love: Making your own Floral Hair Accessory!

Makes me long for warm and sunny days!

I'm ready for Spring to be in the air, for nature to wake up, and flowers to bloom!  I adore flowers and nothing perks up a great vintage hairstyle better than a great flower.  There are a lot of great places to buy floral hair accessories from, but sometimes they don't have exactly what I'm looking for, plus often times it's more fun to make it yourself!  It's such a fun little project I wanted to share it with you guys, so I've created a step-by-step with some great pictures (ok some are great...some are a little fuzzy, but you all will be happy to know I found my missing tripod so the picture process should be getting easier soon).

What you Need.

Duck Billed Clips

• Shop around for some great silk flowers from your local hobby/craft store (there's some great deals out there, Joanne has most of theirs on sale for 50% off)
• Wire cutter (you don't want to cut the steams off with scissors since it will dull them pretty quickly)
• Scissors
• Duck billed clips (not sure what exactly these are called so I included a picture, plus I like the way the shot turned out)
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks (I used all-purpose glue sticks)
• Felt (works well as it doesn't absorb glue like a lot of other fabrics do)

Let's get Crafting!

Step 1:  Clip the steam off, as close to the flower as you can

Step 2:  If there is a plastic cap on the back of the flower you'll want to remove that by gently peeling it off, it will glue on better without the plastic and snip off any steam nub that remains.

Steps 1 (plastic cap visible here)

Step 3:  Cut out a piece of felt approximately the same size as the top of your duck billed clip 

Step 4:  Place glue along the lengthwise edges of the felt and place on top of clip, hold in place while glue cools - careful this can be hot (also open up the clip so that you don't accidentally glue it together)

Step 4 - Completed

Step 5 (Optional):  The flowers might look really cute with leaves as an added touch!  The leaves will come with plastic on the backside, which you will want to remove by peeling off.  Once that's done you'll just need to glue the leaves to the back of the flower, be sure to hold in place while the glue dries.

Step 5 - Removing the plastic

Step 6:  Spread glue on the felt on the duck billed clip then place the clip on the back of the flower, try to avoid placing it directly on the lump as it will not anchor as well, and hold in place to dry.

 Step 7:  Ta-da!!!  Your first custom made flower hair accessory.  Now go plan the perfect hairstyle to best show off your new creation.

This blog is now going to be updated 4 times per week instead of daily, it's so much fun but some other projects are falling behind...if only that full-time job wasn't so, well, full-time!  Next post will probably be Saturday or Sunday, but until then feel free to leave a comment! We love comments!

What craft projects are you most proud of?  If you make your own let me know how it went!  

You can also find me at  Veggie Girl Eats Out:  http://veggiegirleatsout.blogspot.com/

Exercise Disguised as Sweet, Sweet Dance Moves!

My biggest problem with exercise isn't the moving, the sweating, or even the bouncing.  It's the time!  By the time I've worked a full day, juggled family needs, ran errands, and done general housekeeping there are not many hours left in the day for the things I enjoy doing; like sewing, or writing, or even *gasp* relaxing by watching TV or gaming.  So the idea of using what little is left of my time to bounce around on a stair master is, well, quite frankly...not going to happen, which incidentally is probably why I am not shaped like a lollipop!  Part of my problem is that I can easily be distracted by things I think really need to be done immediately, such as:

• Examining the nuances of David Tennant's hair, honestly every girls day should contain a little Tennant gazing
• Going to every drink vendor in World of Warcraft and getting drunk on their beverages  
• Snake my drains, this would be after googling how exactly one goes about this
• Reorganizing my walk-in pantry (hummm...that actually really needs to be done)
• Quizzing myself with random trivia questions (hey, cash cab is now in Chicago...I have to be prepared) 

So as you can see I really need a way to almost trick myself into exercising.  So I sat and pondered the situation for a while...

...humm....

how about, no...

..........this is a tough one...

It was then I remembered a Wii game a co-worker told me about, Just Dance 2! I thought, "I could do that, I've been know to bust a move, I've done the electric slide...I've even conga'd a time or two!"  The basics are this:  you select from 3 main modes: Just Dance (select your dance and start shaking your groove thing), Dance Battle (play against others or alone in 6 different championship categories), or Just Sweat (select your level of sweat and start moving...I refuse to call it a workout).


Once you've selected your mode you get the fun task of choosing your song and dance.  What's nice is it shows you the level of dance move difficulty and level of sweat so you know exactly what you're getting yourself into.  My favorites so far are Monster Mash (easy), Proud Mary (medium) and Bollywood (hard).  I have yet to convince anyone to do the Bollywood duet with me...arguh!  Here's a link to a youtube video on this very duet, just so you can see how fun it would be http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13OX6lRyZ1k.  After watching that...who's ready to duet it!  


What makes this so easy is that 1.  you don't need a ton of space, 2. you don't need any special gym clothes, 3. no expensive special shoes needed, 4. no dance coordination necessary and 5. you'll be burning calories left and right...what with all the dancing and laughing!  Well I'm off to walk like an Egyptian...or is that dance like an Egyptian! ;-)  


Have a terrific day.


Can't wait until tomorrow for more?  Then check out my Weekly Blog:  Veggie Girl Eats Out for my review of Jameson's Charhouse and find out if vegetarians should ever eat there.  Click here to view:  http://veggiegirleatsout.blogspot.com/

Have you played Just Dance?  What's your favorite "this is really a workout?" workout?  Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!