Pin ups

The word Pin up became synonymous in during the roaring 1920s and was introduced to the english language in 1941 however the practice is dated and documented all the way back to at least the 1890s. Aside from the traditional drawn pin up, many pin ups were photographs of actresses and models. Including one of the most popular early pin-up girls was Betty Grable, her poster hung from numerous lockers of G.I.s during World War II.

The term pin up would not be the same, if not for Alberto Vargas one of the most known pin up artists of all time. Born February 9, 1896 as the son of a renowned photographer, Max Vargas. Alberto Vargas studied art and had a foundness of the beauty of a women from an early age. It wasnt untill he left Europe beacause of the war and arrived in Ellis Island in october 1916 discovering the "beauty of american women".

An incredibly famous pin up and my biggest inspirations, Betty Page is one of the most photographed pin ups of all time. Aside from being a killer model she had the nerve to take some risque shots that other pin ups wouldnt dare. She will forever be a sex symbol and live through the photographs of her and the photographs inspired by her.

Cowboys but no indians

Cowboys were all the rage in the 1950s, from the big screen to fashion and perfect for advertising. Cowboys were extremely popular, and so was everything that became associated with them like Marlboro. Malboro is an excellent example of how a company managed to profit on popular trends just to increase sales. Today you wouldn't imagine it but originally Marlboro cigarettes were targeted to women back in 1924.

During the 1950s, Marlboro ditched its mommy slogans and baby ads and capitalized on the phenomenon of the cowboy. With the introduction of the new cowboy land known as "Marlboro Country" the company was able to increase sales by 5,000% within the campaign's first 8 months. Talk about smart advertising.

My Flickr of Retro ads

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

My x mas was amazing, the bf and I saw The Spirit which was an amazing movie. I hope your day was as merry as mine. xo

R I P Betty Page

Los Angeles, December 11, 2008 – Bettie Page, sweet-smiling legendary 1950s pin-up queen with the killer curves and coal-black bangs, died today of pneumonia at a Los Angeles area hospital. She was 85 years old. She suffered a heart attack one week ago and never regained consciousness. Her popularity as an underground, guilty pleasures phenomenon has continued to soar despite the fact that the reclusive Page disappeared almost a half century ago, leading many to believe that one of the most photographed individuals of the 20th century was already dead.
She is credited by many for jump starting the cultural sexual revolution that continued into the 1960's and 1970's. Her popularity was fueled by camera clubs and mail order picture magazines. She was featured in over 20,000 photos and became the "it-girl", her photos adorning the walls of army barracks, school lockers and oak dens across America.





Like so many pin ups, Betty Page has given me so much inspiration. I will dearly miss this legend. RIP Betty
text credit: Bettiepage.com

"I got it one piece at a time and it didn't cost me a dime"

"You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around."

I lovvvvve Johnny Cash

Unlike Mr.Cash I am talking about my hair, my best friend bleached to get the blakc out of my hair then dyed my hair this last friday and since she is in school it didnt cost me a dime. I did buy her lunch because she deserved a big tip but I didnt have any cash. My hair is now one step closer to my goal of red red hair.




This is my best friend cassie who did my hair, I did her make up!

Red Head

I naturally have light brown hair almost a dirty blonde. Since the summer before 10th grade fresh out of 9th I started dyeing my hair Black, I kept dyeing it black for about 5 years. I have been sick of it for awhile but I love it at the same time.

Here is a picture from a few months ago with my black hair, since not to long after this picture was taken I have stopped dyeing my hair. I have about 2.5 inches off roots and the rest of my hair is slowy fading. At the moment my hair is a dark brownish color with light brown roots and my goal is..........drum roll............red head! I am trying to get my hair as healthy as possible before I take the plunge and dye it. I dont really straighten it or curl it as much as I use to and I havent dyed it for months. My best friend Cassie is in Cosmo School so she is going to lighten my hair this sat to get me closer to my red head goal. Promise I will have pictures Mon.

This is my inspiration: Joan Holloway from Mad Men (the best show ever!)

Coca Cola Ad

This is one of my favorite photo shoots I have done so far, I just love how this looks like an old Coca Cola ad. Well it actually is an old Coca Cola ad and they photographer Michelle Elise photoshopped my image into the ad. Hope you enjoy the picture! xo Darla Deville

NEW Retro Refrigerators

I have found the most amazing refrigerators and they also have dishwashers and soon they will have stoves, they are new but they look so retro!

They are from Big Chill: http://bigchillfridge.com/

I love all the colors they come in and this is even all of them.

The best part of these is that they have the features of a new fridge but they look just like a fridge from 1952!

Riot! Throw up a bottle of beer

The Zoot Suit first gained popularity in Harlem jazz culture in the late 1930s where they were initially called "drapes". The zoot suit became very popular among young mexican americans, especially among those in LA who styled themselves as "pachucos", but the style first started in El Paso, Texas, where the original word "pachuco" came from, meaning if you were from El Paso nicknamed "El Chuco", and wore zoot suits, then you were called a "Pachuco". Many believe the name came because of a suit style called "sharpie", also named Zoot Suit because of a popular song. Here is a typical zoot suit

With World War II going on many disliked those who wore a Zoot suit, because of the amount of material and tailoring required to make the luxury items, so much so, that they were seen by some to be wasting materials that could be used for the war effort. Many youth mainly but not limited to latino rebeled, wearing there zoot suits proudly. Cops targeted zoot suiters for anything and everything even if they where innocent. Riots erupted in Los Angeles during World War II between sailors and Marines stationed throughout the city against youths sporting Zoot Suits, these are called The Zoot Suit Riots. The local press lauded the attacks by the servicemen, describing the assaults as having a "cleansing effect" that were ridding Los Angeles of "miscreants" and "hoodlums." It got so bad that the military had to act, the city of Los Angeles wasnt doing anything about this and the police system was punishing the victims not the real criminals. Military officials stepped in and enforced that Los Angeles was off limits.

1950s Vogue

This timeless look graced the covers of vogue in the 1950s.

Vogue as described by book critic Caroline Weber “Vogue is to our era what the idea of God was, in Voltaire’s famous parlance, to his: if it didn’t exist, we would have to invent it. Revered for its editorial excellence and its visual panache, the magazine has long functioned as a bible for anyone worshiping at the altar of luxury, celebrity and style. And while we perhaps take for granted the extent to which this trinity dominates consumer culture today, Vogue’s role in catalyzing its rise to pre-eminence cannot be underestimated."

J Holmes Photography

His work speaks for its self, I just adore the way he uses lighting its simply magic. I had the chance of recently shooting with him Ill post some photos from the shoot soon I promise. The shoot was a suprise to me I was actually working with another photographer and then she informed he was coming which was great news.

Yours truely is in this photo see if you can spot me, ill give you a hint I am the only one with a car in my photo.
http://www.jholmesphoto.com/

My Dodge Dart

Sadly I have to part with my 1969 Dodge Dart, his name is Jr. For quite some time he was my daily driver and got me where ever I needed to go. With his original blue paint and tons of character I am going to miss him so much. I havent found a buyer yet, a couple nibbles but no bites. I will miss you so much Jr.