Miss Meadows' Vintage Pearls

Saints Of Los Angeles Part 1

2012-02-28T22:11:00.000-08:00

For me it feels like this cold, grey, slushy time between New Years and spring is just a long wait for warmer weather and flowers starting sticking up from the ground. So I felt this would be the perfect time to share some of my own holiday pictures from 2010, when me and my sister Christine went to Los Angeles! Since I hadn't started this blog at that time I haven't written about it yet, but this whole trip was a really big thing for me, because it was the first time I was able to leave Sweden after my broken-dancer-chronic-pain-in-hell-years! We actually flew there on the day I turned 30, so because of the time change, I turned 30 three times! So, here we go!

The first day we spent in Santa Monica, on the famous pier, and then just strolling around on the beach walk. The blue dress is from the 80s and used to belong to my mom. It's perfect for hot summer days!

In the subway heading towards Hollywood!

My gluten intolerant sister probably managed to eat some gluten, started feeling bad, and fell asleep outside the Chinese Theatre. I sat beside her, watching all the tourists watching us...

...and realizes Johnny Depp has bigger feet than me...

My favorite day in LA was when we went to Universal Studios!

Entering "House of Horrors". Why are those two men following me?!!!

Inside this scary place I met...

...Count Dracula!!!

Outside Marilyn Monroe did a little show number. I want that car!!!

We were also attacked by Norman Bates. But with a well aimed kick form one of my pretty shoes the danger was averted! Kind of...

Yummy mummy!!!

After that meeting I needed some cool lemonade...

While I rode off into the sunset with my mummy, my sister chose someone with a bigger moustache...

If you're bored with my holiday photos you might not want to read this blog tomorrow, cause that will be the second part of this post!

Bukowskis Instagramed!

2012-02-27T23:44:00.000-08:00

As I told you in this post before I'm working as a stylist for Bukowskis right now, in preparation for their Vintage and Jewelry auction, that will take place on March 12th! I get to see, and work with, a lot of goodies at this place, so I've instagramed quite a few things during the week I've spent there. The ones of you following me on Instagram or Twitter (MissC_Meadows) might already have seen these photos, but for the ones of you that hasn't, here they come!

Hermès tie with little teddy bears!

Close up of one of the chandeliers for sale.

A Hermès Kelly bag!!! If you buy a completely new one of these bags you'll have to pay around 17,000-19,000 USD! (Over 100,000 SEK)! At the upcoming auction it might me sold for about one third of that price, so if you want it, March 12th is the day to shop! And yes, you can bid from other countries than Sweden too!

Guess who's coffee cup!

This is a big, heavy Louis Vuitton travel case from the turn of the 19th/20th century.

Here is photographer Fabulous Fabio fixing the f...f...f***k! There ended that lovely alliteration! Anyway. This is the the same travel case as in the picture above, but now open. Pretty ain't it?!

Here is another Louis Vuitton travel case, from the same era as the one above. This one is empty inside though. I felt a bit tired and tried to hide for a moment, but Fabio always finds me with that camera of his...

One of the days happened to be the official "Semla-day", so we all got creamy buns to devour!

A dress by Swedish designer Lars Wallin.

Close up!

One day four of these "Liberace" couches arrived. A matching armchair and four mirrors also exist!

Close up of the "diamonds" in the backrest. These won't be sold at the auction, but you can still buy them at Bukowskis Market!

Another Market item - a banana penis made out of one dollar bills! It sparkles a bit too, and was made by Barton Lidice in 1986.

Here's Jenny, another photographer I'm styling for. In this picture she's wearing matching tennis shoes and bag from Chanel.

They have been worn by the wife of Swedish tennis legend Björn Borg...

This I call "Gucci Still life"!

Here's me in my super heroine outfit - Louis Vuitton helmet and Chanel clips as pasties! The fishing rod is only there because of the string used for secret reasons...

In this photo I'm trying on a little necklace consisting of 630 brilliant-cut diamonds!!! All in all 11,0 ct!!! The reason I look a bitt "dull" in the picture is because I was in a state of chock...My pain-demon was bothering me a bit this day, but the diamonds made the pain so much better!

Then all by a sudden I noticed I had acquired a green Louis Vuitton tail...Ok. It was attached to the bag on my shoulder. But when carried like this the tail ends up in the right position...

On Thursday and Friday I will help styling the showroom before the auction. People who are interested in the objects for sale can then come look at it all from March 8th to March 11th, before the actual auction on March 12th! This Wednesday the catalog should also be ready for viewing!

Christian Louboutin Capsule Collection

2012-02-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the brand "Christian Louboutin", a special collection - the "Capsule Collection" - has been designed! The collection consists of twenty shoes and six handbags - all reinterpretations of classic Louboutin styles. Here follows my favorites from the collection!

Shoes

The Bow Bow

The Armadillo Bride

The Pluminette

The Icone A Clous

The Alta Dentelle

The Neuron

Bags

Newspaper

Artemis Plumes

Artemis Shoemania

Artemis Paris

I've heard the expression "To carry the world on one's shoulders", and with this last bag you can at least start by carrying Paris on your shoulder! I love how these bags would become so much a part of the whole outfit when carried!

The rest of the collection can be seen on the Christian Louboutin Facebook page!

Fabergé Friday

2012-02-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

Imperial Easter Egg number twenty two is the "Cuckoo Egg", or "Cockerel Egg" from 1900!

This egg is made of dull yellow, green and red gold, and enameled opalescent white and translucent violet on a zigzag guilloche field, and set with pearls and rose-cut diamonds. The pearl-encirceled dial is enameled with translucent emerald green trefoils, and the numerals, written out with rose-cut diamonds, are set on pale greenish white opalescent enamel within opaque white enamel rings.

The base is set with three large rose-cut diamonds, and supports the egg with three struts, enameled opalescent white.

When a button on the back of the egg is pressed the surprise - a cockerel plumed with natural feathers, cabochon ruby eyes, and gold legs - rises, crowing, on a gold platform when the circular pierced gold grill opens at the top of the egg. It's beak and wings move authentically, and when the crowing stops, the cockerel once again returns down into the egg. This happens at the stroke of every hour! On top of the grille the year 1900 is inscribed beneath a diamond.

With every year Fabergé's techniques got better and better, and some of the world's best examples of handcrafted automata are hidden inside these Imperial Easter Eggs!

The "Cuckoo Egg" can now be seen in Viktor Vekselberg's collection in Moscow.

Funny Vintage Photos

2012-02-22T23:54:00.000-08:00

It's not that often you see vintage photos - especially really old ones - that have been taken just for the sake of humor. I found some on the "Daily Dawdle" though, and here they come!

My favorite is probably the soldier with the black kitten on his helmet. For some reason I really like the child with a cigaret, sitting beside that hen too. It's just disturbing how comfortable that little child seems to be with the cigaret...And then there's the last pin up picture of course. Sexy panties...

Dondoca

2012-02-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

At an event during Stockholm Fashion Week I met a man who makes the world a better place...He sells shoes!!! His name is Stefan Printz, and the name of his store is "Dondoca". They sell both shoes, clothes and bags from brands like Gianmarco Lorenzi, GUESS, D&G, Roberta Biagi and Flavio Castellani.

This post will be about the luxurious Italian shoes from Gianmarco Lorenzi - but if you want to check out what else Dondoca has to offer you can always take a peek at their international web shop here, and their blog here!

All Gianmarco Lorenzi (GML) shoes are made in Italy, and are of the highest quality! Since I'm a shoe-oholic I have tried on a lot of shoes through the years, and what I've noticed is that Italian-made shoes are the most comfortable ones. They really know how to make shoes in that country! As most brands Gianmarco Lorenzi has a F/W and a S/S collection, and here follows a few pictures from the S/S 2012 collection:

And my favorite from this collection - the "Butterfly Sandal"! WANT!!!!

Except from these two yearly collections though, GML also has something called the "Black Label". This collection consists of limited edition, Swarovski embellished shoes. Get ready to drool, because here comes a few pictures from that collection!

Gianmarco Lorenzi's shoes has been spotted on the feet of people like Beyonce...

...Kate Moss...

...Katy Perry...

...Kim Kardashian...

...Mariah Carey...

...Rihanna...

...Lady Gaga...

...and many more!

Here in Sweden Dondoca has sponsored the recent Miss Sweden - Ronnia Fornstedt - with GML shoes, and has been featured in magazines such as "Lifestyle Wellness" and "Lifestyle Wedding", together with a number of TV shows.

Right now Dondoca is the only store in Scandinavia who sells GML shoes. Except for the international web shop, they have a physical store in Malmö, in the south of Sweden. But when I talked to Stefan Printz at that event he told me they have big plans of opening a store in Stockholm! As a person who likes to try on shoes before I buy them - and because of that very seldom order shoes online - I'm seriously excited about this!

This is how all shoes should be displayed! Wish I had a huge room full of lit glass casings I could keep my shoes in! Nice to look at when I just want to admire my collection, and easier to find the shoes I want for a certain occasion...Wish that Dondoca store would open in Stockholm now!!!

Interning at Bukowskis

2012-02-19T21:46:00.001-08:00

Last Wednesday my hunny Fanny called me and asked if I could take over an internship as a stylist at Bukowskis - one of Sweden's two biggest auction firms - because she had been engaged elsewhere and needed a stand-in. The internship was to start the next day, so I panicked for about two minutes, and then agreed to do it!

My job is to style clothes and accessories for photo shoots in preparation for Bukowskis' Vintage and Jewelry auction March 12, and help setting up the showroom before the auction.

The first two days Fanny was able to be there though, and it was fun working together! Here she is, making a vintage dress fit the mannequin perfectly.

When Martin - one of Bukowskis' photographers - met this mannequin, it was love at first sight! They're now planning on moving to Florida and starting a crocodile farm...

There are lots of stuff to shoot! All vintage from known designers!

This Balenciaga bal gown from the 60s is my favorite so far! It's covered in black tulle spangled with tiny black velvet dots!

I'm not so fond of wearing yellow, but I still like this dress, with matching cape. They both have labels from Marshall Field & Company in them, but they are said to be original Dior pieces!

Cocktail dress from Dolce & Gabbana in a lovely red color, that doesn't really come out in this photo.

Sparkling shoes from Louis Vuitton. If you walk into a room wearing these you'll probably get noticed!

Fell a bit in love with these Yves Saint Laurent shoes...I mean, who doesn't want shoes with sparkly cherries on them?! Alas, they were too big for me...F***k!

On my second day at Bukowskis I helped photographer Jenny shooting accessories. This is just a few of the things we shot that day - and will continue shooting this week!

Here's me in action, trying to make a Louis Vuitton bag sit exactly the way I want before Jenny directs her camera towards it.

Jenny shooting a Chanel bag.

These Chanel shoes I liked too! But they were also too big for both me and Jenny. The danger of working with things like these is you might find things you want for yourself, but you still have to wait for the auction to get them. And even then someone else might walk away with "your" things anyway...

Except for vintage clothes and accessories, jewels will also be sold at this auction. Martin is the one shooting these pretty things. He works just beside Jenny and me, so we could see what he was doing all the time. I have to admit I made his job a lot harder than usual this day - stealing the pretty rings he was working with, and forcing him to take pictures on them on my own hands...

Here I'm wearing an orange sapphire of 6.3 ct, surrounded by diamonds.

Here we have an amethyst of 13.48 ct!!! Also surrounded by diamonds...

Last ring picture of the day - 1 ct of diamonds! After this day I'm starting to understand what Gollum really felt like! My preciousssss....

More Bukowskis posts might appear in the future. If I find something there worth taking pictures of. He, he...

Fabergé Friday

2012-02-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

And so we have reached Imperial Easter Egg number twenty one - the "Trans-Siberian Railway Egg", from the year 1900!

This egg is made of gold, covered in translucent green enamel. The whole egg is then surrounded with a silver map, on which the route of the Trans-Siberian railway, which ran from St. Petersburg to Vladivostock, has been engraved. It is decorated with blue and orange enamel, and bears the inscription "The route of the Grand Siberian Railway in the year 1900". Each station is marked by a precious stone.

The egg sits on an onyx base, on which stands three Romanov Griffins cast in gold-plated silver, each brandishing a sword and a shield. The hinged top of the egg is covered in green enamel, and is decorated with inlaid acanthus leaves. Surmounting everything is a three-headed eagle in gold, bearing the Imperial Crown.

The lid opens up to reveal the surprise, hidden i three sections - a one foot long, working, miniature of the Trans-Siberian Express. The train is built up of a platinum and gold locomotive and tender, and of five gold coaches with windows of rock crystal. The coaches are individually named "mail", "for ladies only", "smoking" and "non-smoking", and a "restaurant" car. The last coach is labeled "chapel", just as on the real Imperial train. The headlights are diamonds, and it's rear lights rubies. When the three parts are put together the two back parts run along with the locomotive when it's clockwork is wound up with it's golden key.

In 1900 the Trans-Siberian Railway - the railway that would link European Russia with the Pacific coast - was almost finished. Tsar Nicholas II was very pleased with this accomplishment, supported by his whole country, although the building of it had cost a lot both in resources and in human lives. This egg was made to celebrate this new wondrous way of traveling. It is now held in the Kremlin Armory Museum in Moscow.

50s Home Making

2012-02-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

In a place called "Borås" here in Sweden lives a man named Henrik. He has an amazing apartment! After spending a lot of time searching through antique fairs, retro stores, and such, he has decorated his whole apartment the way they did it in the 50s! I just had to show this to the world - or at least the ones who read this blog - so here it comes!

Kitchen

Living room

Bathroom

Hallway

Bedroom

Christmas

Cool! N'est pas?! If you're not satisfied with these pictures, and want to see more of Henrik's apartment you can find more photos on "StyleRoom", and read his blog (in Swedish) here! Plus points if you can find the cats hidden in some of the pictures above!

Vanity Fair - The Hollywood Issues

2012-02-14T03:56:00.000-08:00

Today we'll skip down memory lane, and look at what the covers of Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issues have looked like through the years! Starting with:

1995

Hollywood Highest - the class of 2000

1996

Boys Town

1997

The Next Wave

1998

The Hot Next Wave

1999

New Kids On The Block

2000

Splender in the Grass

2001

Master Class

2002

Rhapsody in Blue

2003

Alpha List

2004

Send In the Gowns

2005

Not So Desperate Housewives

2006

Ford's Foundation

2007

Men in Black

2008

Fresh Faces

2010

It's Showtime

2011

Black Tie and Tales

2012

I felt we needed some closeups on the latest one. With it's cool, yet sexy elegance this might actually be my favorite. It's just like stepping into the stars' boudoir in the 20s or 30s! Though I really like the "Master Class", "Ford's Foundation" and "Men in Black" too! Which on is your favorite?

Paulina Otylie Surys

2012-02-13T01:03:00.000-08:00

One day the lovely Timbarika Von Doll, who writes the blog "The Dainty Doll's House", twittered about a photographer named Paulina Otylie Surys. I clicked on the link posted in the tweet, and was immediately struck by the dark beauty of the photos a saw!

Paulina Otylie Surys was born in Poland 1979, but now works in London, UK. She is a fine arts and fashion photographer who mostly uses vintage cameras in her work. Her analog pictures are hand painted using a mixture of toners, chemicals, inks, and dry dyes. Her photos are usually described as outerworldly, and have a strong relationship with classic photography and painting.

Here follows a series of photos named "Peccavi":

Wish she would shoot me too...

Stockholm Fashion Week - The Maria Montazami Collection

2012-02-11T01:05:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I went to the second Stockholm Fashion Week event I had been invited to - an evening to showcase Maria Montazami's collection of bags and jewelry!

The event took place in a luxurious suite at Hotel Stureplan in the center of Stockholm. There were big beautiful chandeliers in every room, all decorated with tassels - something Maria is very fond of!

Sparkling close up!

There were tassels everywhere! Even around the soap container in the bathroom!

Another thing Mrs Montazami is very fond of is Swedish Cheez Doodles, which don't exist in LA where she lives now. So except for an abundance of tassels, the whole bathtub had been filled with bags of these yellow Doodles.

I worked at an event for Maria's collection a few weeks ago, so some of you have seen these bags before on my blog. But for the ones of you who hasn't, voilà! My favorite is the black velvet clutch in the front!

More bags!

And yet more bags - together with Maria's book!

I wore a plum colored dress from "Bettie Page Clothing", and shoes from "Miss L Fire". The boring part about going to events when it's -10 C (14 F) and lots of snow outside is that you can't wear pretty pumps. They would just get ruined, and you'd end up with freeze damages on your toes. But these boots work well with a dress!

There were macarons to eat, and wine, and bubbles to drink!

In the open fireplace I found a heart made of burning candles!

Of course the lovely, and extremely lovable Maria Montazami was there herself, spending almost two whole hours getting photographed, until her eyesight started to go bad because of all the camera flashes, as she said. She's a very tall woman...

I also met the gorgeous Peter Englund from the drag show "Diamond Dogs". He's a very tall woman...Check out the spiky ring on his left hand!!! If I had put on a blond wig and stood between Peter and Maria, I'd probably have looked like their little child...The reason my face looks a bit flushed in this picture is because I had been crawling around in a huge bed just before this photo was taken. This is the truth...

Simon Leisjö and Patrik Bergfeldt

Even though I was a guest at the event I had promised Patrik Bergfeldt from "Communicate PR" - who was in charge of the event, and whom I have worked with earlier - that I would help him if he needed me. So he put me in the position of goodie bag transmitter! The goodie bags were the heaviest ones I have ever put my hands on, and they were placed on a kingsize bed. To reach them all I literary had to crawl around in that bed, dragging those heavy bags around. This type of exercise equals a red face!

Here is the goodie bag bed before...

...And after!

Two more pictures of Maria Montazami! In the bottom one she's holding my favorite bag from her collection. This shows you the size of it. Small enough to look good as an evening bag, but still big enough to fit all the necessities! I'm seriously thinking of getting one of these. The prices are really good too!

Lars Wallin

I talked a little bit with the renowned Swedish designer Lars Wallin too. He makes dresses to die for, and he whispered something about an upcoming jewelry collection. Romantic silver pieces...Stay tuned for more info in a few months...

All in all I had a fabulous evening, with lots of bubbly, interesting people, a lovely scene for the event, and new acquaintances!

Fabergé Friday

2012-02-10T00:54:00.000-08:00

We still have many eggs left in line, and here comes Imperial Easter Egg number twenty - The "Pansy Egg", from 1899!

This egg was formerly known as the "Spinach Jade Egg", and is made of nephrite, gold, diamonds, and white, red, green, and opaque violet enamel. It rests on a bouquet of twisted gold leaves, from which grows five flowers and five buds of pansies, enameled in various nuances of violet and set with diamonds.

The top of the egg can be removed, to reveal the surprise - a gold tripod on which sits a heart decorated with diamonds, strawberry and white enamel, and mother of pearl!

The heart is surmounted with the Imperial crown, and carries eleven scarlet medallions decorated with the monograms of the members of the Imperial family. By pressing a button the tiny medallions opens up to reveal portraits of the ones the monograms belong to.

The miniatures portray, first row:

Tsarevich George Alexandrovich, younger brother of the Tsar.
Grand Duke Alexander Michailovich, husband of the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, the Tsar's sister.

Second row:

Tsar Nicholas II.
Princess Irina, daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Michailovich and Grand Duchess Xenia.

Third row:

Grand Duchess Olga Nicolaievna, the first daughter of the Tsar and Tsarina.
Grand Duchess Tatiana Nicolaievna, their second daughter.
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, the youngest brother of the Tsar.

Fourth row:

The Tsarina Alexandra.
Prince Andrew Alexandrovich, brother of Princess Irina.

Fifth row:

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, sister of the Tsar.
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, also sister of the Tsar.

The "Pansy Egg" is one of few Imperial Easter Eggs that still remains in a private collection. In 1947 it was bought from the Hammer Galleries by Matilda Geddings Grey, an oil heiress from New Orleans, Louisiana. The egg was then given to her niece Mrs Matilda Gray Stream as a wedding anniversary present.

Stockholm Fashion Week - The Rookie Room

2012-02-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

Here in Sweden we're in the middle of Stockholm Fashion Week right now, and I was invited to mingle at The Rookie Room, where newcomers in the world of fashion can show their stuff! So last Tuesday I did some victory rolls and headed out to mingle!

Lot's of people came. There were DJs playing music, beer, rosé wine...and very bad lighting for taking pictures...Since this is a show room where the designers want their work to be seen, and photographed you'd think the light would be better. Especially since a lot of the invited bloggers (like me) take the photos with their iPhones. Well, well. I did get some at leas half-good pictures. So here they come!

The main reason I went to The Rookie Room was to see a Swedish brand named "Lobra". I've been interested in their products - shoes and bags - ever since they started not too long ago. So to see the products and actually get to "smell the leather" so to say, was great!

The creator and designer of Lobra herself - Louise Bramstedt! A lovely, energetic woman I was glad to finally meet! On a decadent red satin duvet, decorated with black tassels, Lobra's F/W 2012 collection - "Club Silencio/Red Velvet Hotel" was on display. Do I need to say I fell for it completely?! Don't think so...

These red ones were my favorites. And I got to try them on!!!

Everything in Lobra's collection is produced in Italy. Italians knows how to make comfortable shoes! That's all I have to say about that! If these shoes hadn't been one size too big for me, I might have ran away with them!

This picture really shows how I felt with those shoes on my feet - in a warm, happy, fuzzy state of mind...

I really had a hard time dragging myself from Louise and the Lobra stand. But there were other designers there too! You can find out more about Lobra here!

Just next to Lobra I found someone I recognized - Marika Smith - and her lovely hats!

The hats she makes are vintage inspired, and they lay scattered over a table covered in black fabric like colorful pieces of pastry! My own photo of the whole table sucked, so I stole this one from Marika's Facebook page...

Closeup of one of the hats! It's difficult to see, but among the red feathers lies a red sparkling bird! I bought one of Marika's hats a long time ago, but now I want more!!! She sells her hats in a few stores in Stockholm, but also makes custom made hats after her clients wishes. You can find her home page here!

Another brand showcasing was "Voluptuous Morality".

I really liked this knitted sweater!

It had mother of pearl buttons going up the back!

Then there was "Bedazzled", with jewelry made of buttons...

...And a nose-necklace!

I found this lovely coat by "C Kummelstedt" too. Unfortunately the collar was real raccoon. As I've said before I'm ok with vintage fur, and I'm sure they could have found a lovely vintage raccoon collar to fasten on this coat if they had looked a bit...

All in all I had a lovely evening! More Stockholm Fashion Week mingling might pop up on this blog later! Soon I'm gonna go to bed though, and dream about those red Lobra shoes...

Funny ads

2012-02-08T00:58:00.000-08:00

And now we pause for some commercials. It's time for some more funny vintage ads! You can see the former posts on this subject here and here.

For all the vampires out there...

...And a little something for those of you who worship the horned one! "...instant-acting 666 - start getting blessed relief...". Hm...

I guess this pill might work for both of the previous mentioned types of clients...

I don't know about you, but I know at least I would get a bit suspicious about a vibrator that is supposed to be able to make my hair soft and glossy...

"Super Shaper Buns Briefs is available with a snap-in fly front endowment pad...Specially designed and contoured to show off your manhood in the most exciting detail.".

There is padding for everyone!!!

Good tips for anyone thinking about a singing career - start smoking!..

But if you don't like cigarets I guess there's always the good old cocaine! I don't speak Spanish, but I do understand it says in this ad that cocaine cures throat problems, just like the Lucky Strikes above! Now I understand why so many rock stars do so much drugs - it's to keep their voices in shape of course!

It also cures toothache! What a miracle medicine! Why have I never tried this?!...

Cigarets and cocaine won't protect you against everything though! A good sun shield might be good to invest in too!

"Laboratory tests over the last few years have proven that babies who start drinking soda during that early formative period have a much higher chance of gaining acceptance and "fitting in" during those awkward pre-teen and teen years. So do yourself a favor. Do your child a favour. Start them on a strict regimen of sodas and other sugary carbonated beverages right now, for a lifetime of guaranteed happiness.". This must be why I was the outsider in school - my parents didn't put me on the soda-regiment when I was a baby! I guess I might as well forget about that "lifetime of guaranteed happiness" too then...

Douching isn't anything we do here in Sweden. In fact, most women in this country doesn't even know what this is. But for you who like going through this procedure - I hope you use "Lysol". Otherwise your stench might make your husbands leave you...

...and start playing video games all to himself!

See what I mean?...

Full moon

2012-02-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

Finally the moon is a perfect round again! As I told you in my last full moon post I dream extremely real dreams the nights around the full moon, and this morning I had to sort out last night's dream again, to make it clear to myself whether it actually was just a dream, or something I had experienced in real life...

Photo from "Full Moon Jacket"

But since the moon is capable of effecting the ebb and tide, and our human bodies contains lots of water, I don't know why we shouldn't feel the effect of this shining globe too, just like the great oceans...

Today's full moon music comes from "Lamb". The song is called "Gabriel":

Pin Up Shoot!

2012-02-06T01:10:00.000-08:00

My dear photographer-sister, Christine Engström, took some pin up pictures of me a few weeks ago. So here comes the result from that shoot! The red "Nell Robe" comes from "Betty Blue's Loungerie", bra and panties are "Undiz", and shoes "Minna Parikka"!

Fabergé Friday

2012-02-03T00:55:00.000-08:00

We have now reached egg number nineteen - the "Bouquet of Lilies Clock Egg", or "Madonna Lily Egg", from 1899!

This four colored gold egg shaped clock and it's pedestal are decorated with translucent yellow enamel on a guilloche background. The body of the clock is divided into twelve parts, outlined with diamond-studded stripes. The belt of the dial is enameled opaque white, with twelve diamond-set Roman numerals. This belt revolves around the egg, and the time is indicated by the head of an arrow in a drawn bow. A gold key was used to wind the mechanism.

The pedestal is decorated with rosettes and the year of it's creation set in diamonds.

On top of the egg sits a delicate bouquet of Madonna lilies, carved from onyx. The pistils of the flowers are set with three small rose-cut diamonds, and the leaves and stems are of tinted gold. The flowers sits in a vase decorated with gold roses. During this era the language of flowers was well known. The roses are symbols of love, and the lilies stand for purity and innocence.

The surprise from this egg is currently missing, but from contemporary photographs it is known to have been a ruby pendant with rose-cut diamonds.

The "Bouquet of Lilies Clock Egg" is one of few Imperial Easter Eggs that never left Russia. It was never sold, but transferred to the Moscow Armory Museum in 1927, where it is still kept.

PS. I got an anonymous comment on my post about the "Rosebud Egg". He/she stated that that egg is now in Christian Thomas Lee's art collection, with the small rose necklace inside! I'm so glad to hear some of the missing pieces from these eggs are found now and then! Maybe one day all the missing eggs are brought into public view again...

Original Style

2012-02-02T00:43:00.000-08:00

For those of you who happen to be in Stockholm this weekend, here comes a little announcement! This Saturday the first of four "Original Style" markets will take place in Skrapan!

The other three dates are March 3rd, April 7th, and May 5th. It's Fanny Kellerman from Kellerman Vintage who has put the whole thing together!

There will be vintage clothes, accessories, music, a small art show, and coffeeeeee!!!!! No entrance fee!

Except for Kellerman Vintage, Flying A Vintage, Less Is More, Old Touch, De Å Sånt, and other private sellers will be there selling their goodies.

Tifa DeLeone will also be there, selling the second number of her magazine "Min boudoir". Finally!!! I loved the first number, and have been waiting for the second one to come out ever since!

As I have to work (as usual when something fun happens), I can't be there this Saturday. But lucky enough for me, I will probably be able to attend one of the other three times!

The Golden Cape

2012-02-01T01:05:00.000-08:00

When I was little I used to imagine what a dress made out of spiderweb would look like. In my mind it was a vision of shimmering gossamer fabric...Then, just the other day, I actually found a cape made of the silk produced by Golden Orb Weaver spiders from Madagascar! Voilà!:

It took the silk from 1.2 million of these spiders, and eight years to create!

The hand-woven textiles are naturally golden in color, and the cape was made by Simon Peers, an Englishman who has lived in Madagascar for more than twenty years, and Nicholas Godley, an American who has also worked for many years in Madagascar.

Inspired by 19th century accounts and illustrations, these two men started experimenting with spider silk in 2004 to see if they could revive this forgotten art, which hasn't been used in more than a century.

To create the textiles, spiders are collected each morning and harnessed in specially conceived silking contraptions. Trained handlers extract the silk from 24 spiders at a time. The spiders are then returned to the wild at the end of each day.

It took 80 people to collect all the silk from the 1.2 million spiders to create the brocade textile.

After silking, the silk was taken on cones to a silk weaving workshop where skilled weavers have mastered the special tensile properties of the silk. In the silk, the main weave is of 96 strands, the lining 48 strands, and a large part of the embroidery is made using unspun 24 strand silk.

On average, 23,000 spiders yield around one ounce of silk. So it's understandable how rare and precious these textiles are, and I love how they paid homage to the spiders by embroidering them on the cape!

The Golden Orb spider! I can't say I'm so fond of these animals myself, at least not when it comes to handling them, when one needs to be taken out of the house for example...But if you take away the creepiness the way they look produces in so many people (including me) I find spiders so fascinating! It's amazing what they can do! And I could never kill one on purpose! If I find one inside, I take it outside - unharmed...Or, actually, I usually ask someone else to do this for me. But still...

Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Bea Szenfeld

2012-01-31T01:28:00.000-08:00

We have a young, very talented designer here in Sweden, called Bea Szenfeld. The cool thing with this girl is that she often makes her creations out of paper! I like the way it mixes art and fashion, and here I'm going to show you her "haute papier" collection "Sur la Plage".

On Bea's web site it states that this collection "contains 12 outfits, each and every one manufactured by hand and out of paper. In the hands of Bea Szenfeld the paper undergoes a complete metamorphosis. The compact cardboard is cut and fold into tiny architectural concoctions, which are assembled together by hand into incredible creations that leads your mind to Jules Vernes (sic) fictitious sea demons.

Among the rolling waves and uninhabited islands appears also the mythological folklore of the seamen. It is a male dominated existence with water sprits (sic) and sea nymphs that fascinates and seduces the men and drags them into the deep seas and rivers. With this simple resources as paper (sic) Bea has created a beautiful and delicate collection of garments. Dreamlike textures and elaborately layered wisps, precise paper cuts and expressive forms. Everything is pleated, stuck, sewed, and glued by hand.

Are these garments wearable? No.

Washable? No.

Strangely exquisite? Yes!"

I don't know about you, but I would gladly wear one of these creations to a beach party! If I could sit in the shade of course. I don't think getting sweaty in the sun would be such a good idea if you happen to be wearing something made of paper...

Prada SS12 Shoes And Bags

2012-01-30T00:50:00.000-08:00

Some of you might already have seen what Prada did to their SS12 shoes. But for those of you who haven't, you seriously must to see this!!! Of all the places designers look for inspiration, Prada found theirs in cars from the 50s! The result is shoes decked out with car parts like spoilers, wings, lights, chrome accents, and flames. Look, wonder, and drool!

And there are bags to go with them too!

As you can see, these are all very craveable stuff!

"Dear Prada, I happen to be a shoe-oholic. If you're considering making donations to the poor people suffering from this affliction, I just wanted to tell you I'm here, and I would be very grateful for a donation."

Sincerely,

Miss Meadows

Coffee Time!

2012-01-28T01:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I met my dear friend Jens for coffee. As a true gentleman he brought a present for me! When I unwrapped the brown paper package...

...decorated with tassels! I found this:

The book consisting of Marilyn's own diary entries, poems and letters. It will be a joy to read!

During our conversation Jens said something very wise! He said that our feet feel best if they change shoes a lot. So we should all have at least seven different pairs of shoes - one pair for each day of the week. I think we should have one pair for each day of the month! To make our feet stay healthy of course. He also mentioned something about rose petal marmalade...

Fabergé Friday

2012-01-27T01:12:00.000-08:00

Imperial Egg number eighteen: The "Dowager Egg", or "Imperial Pelican Egg"!

This is one of the few eggs that isn't covered in enamel. Instead it is made of red gold, engraved with motifs of the Arts and Sciences, and the inscription "Visit our vineyards, O Lord, and we shall dwell in thee". On top of the egg sits a pelican in opalescent grey, blue and pink enamel and diamonds. As a symbol of maternal care, the pelican is feeding her young in the nest. The egg is then supported by a four-legged stand of varicolored gold.

This egg was made for the centennial celebration of the patronage of charitable institutions by the Dowager Empress of Russia, and this can be seen when the surprise unfurls. When taken off it's stand the whole egg opens up and unfolds into eight oval panels, each rimmed in pearls.

On the panels are tiny miniatures, painted by Johannes Zehngraf. All these paintings depict the institutions of which the Dowager Empress was patroness, founded principally for the education of young girls. On the back of the miniatures the names of the institutions have been engraved.

This egg can now be seen as part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Art's European Decorative Arts collection.

New Shoes

2012-01-26T03:55:00.000-08:00

Guess what! I just bought a new pair of shoes. Surprise!!!...Well, I did have a good excuse to get these. Not that a girl ever needs an excuse to buy new shoes, but anyways...

They come from "Miss L Fire", and are called "Tartaruga". The reason I simply had to buy these shoes right now, is because "Miss L Fire" is having a total sell out on their site, to prepare for the upcomming spring/summer collection. They won't restock the ones they sell out (at very good prices I might add), and I've had my eye on the "Tartarugas" for some time now. So you see, there was simply no way I could not buy them!

At got them in black, with the heels wrapped in leopard print vinyl/plastic, and bows in the same material on the vamps.

They have that perfect vintage shape with both rounded heal and toe!

Just like the other two pairs of "Miss L Fire" shoes I have, these are really comfortable. The white things at the inside of the heels are just heel grippers I put in myself. I got the same size I usually order from them, but I needed to fill out these pairs a little bit to make them fit perfectly!

Here is a picture of the lovely Bernie Dexter wearing the shoes. The sale has been going on for quite some time now, so if you want to pay half of what you usually do for "Miss L Fire" shoes, I suggest you hurry up!

Black Lace Dress

2012-01-25T01:03:00.000-08:00

In December I told you about a pattern had bought from "What-I-Found", and that I was going to make it in black lace.

The pattern! Finding the time to actually sew it took a while. But when I started sewing it went really fast!

This is the result! The reason it went so fast is because I wanted to leave all the edges - neckline, sleeve edges, and hem - raw. So all I did was sew the pieces together and put in a zipper. Done!

Since it is transparent I wear my black slip from the 40s underneath. The good thing about this dress is that it can be varied a lot by using other-colored slips underneath the black lace for variation. Or why not just some nice lingerie...

The belt I did of the same fabric, in four layers.

I couldn't find a fitting buckle for it though. And one day when I was visiting Fanny and told her about my little problem, she quickly pulled out this lovely "ring-thing" from one of her treasure troves at "Kellerman Vintage". We're not sure what it was used for in the beginning, but she gave it to me. With the help of three snap buttons I made it hold the belt together. If I breathe too much while wearing it, it pops open though, so I might have to change the buckle in the future. Far now though it works!

Event At So Stockholm

2012-01-24T00:24:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I worked/interned at an event at So Stockholm for the "Maria Montazami Collection", "Fairy Tale", and "Hold Me".

The first thing they did when I arrived at So Stockholm in the morning, was to rip my clothes off, and put me in a white, transparent dress from "Fairy Tale", and a corset-belt from "Hold Me". Not really my style, but it worked. I was wearing a slip (vintage, from the 40s) underneath the dress I arrived in, which got to stay on underneath the transparent dress. What a shame! I bet my "What Katie Did" black garter belt and seamed stockings would have looked great through that gauzy fabric! Oh well...

A few girls showed up later to mingle with the guests, all clad in "Fairy Tale", with Maria Montazami bags.

As Maria Montzami is known for her love of tassels, these could be found on all of her bags!

This clutch - also from Maria Montazami - I wanted to bring with me home. But alas, it didn't happen...

Leather bracelets form the "Maria Montazami Collection".

"Hold Me" is a company that makes corset-belts for people with back/shoulder problems. They can be worn underneath or on top of your clothes, and as I was walking around in one all day long I can assure you they give really good support to your posture!

Here is another belt from "Hold Me". This one has a sparkly zipper, just like the one I was wearing. The small bracelet is to be used if you have wrist problems. They come in a variety of sizes - from XXS to XXL, and I really wanted to bring home the one I was wearing (but in XXS). But, alas - again - this didn't happen either...

The guests were treated to gourmet snacks and bubbles. Unfortunately I didn't get to taste these little hors d'oeuvres - they disappeared fast - but I did get to savor the cheese dipped in cherry syrup! Nom, nom!

The guests mingled...

...Louise and Annica got hand injuries from opening too many champagne bottles...

...and I greeted the guests. For a while I got some help from non other than "The Amazing Knicker Kittens'" Donna Delight!

"Goldwell" had sponsored the event with goodie bags. The only problem was that they had managed to come up with sixty goodie bags - to 150 guests...I have to say this annoyed me to a great extent! I didn't know the story behind how this came to be - something about too little time I think. But if I was creating an event I would never let this happen! A lot of people come for the sole reason of getting that bag of goodies. Grown up people become like children when it comes to free stuff, and these bags are more important at an event then you might think. If I didn't have enough for all the guests, I wouldn't have put them out at all! Or, maybe written on the invitation that the first sixty people get a goodie bag or something, so everyone knew about it beforehand, and no one had to get disappointed. Since I was the one greeting all the guests, and saying goodbye when they left, I was the one that had to take all the shit and complains concerning this little mishap, trying to explain something I didn't even know anything about, having the guests getting angry at me! Usually I wouldn't have bothered about something so silly as this, but I was there for ten hours as an unpaid intern, because it's good to be able to write these things on your CV. Lot's of bloggers and reporters came to this event, people I might work with later in my career, so to stand there having all those people getting annoyed at me because Goldwell hadn't produced enough goodie bags felt more like a breaker then a maker when it comes to getting into the world of PR. Thank you Goldwell! Had I at least gotten something for my work there it would have felt a bit better, especially since I pretty much did it because I knew they needed help (I do like working with these people who created the event), and because no one else wanted to...It was actually said I wouldn't walk away from there empty handed though - which is what happened anyway...Or, no, I'm sorry I forgot. I did get some Brie cheese...

Oh, well...The event turned out really well anyway, and afterwards me, Annica, Louise, and Patrik headed to T.G.I Friday for some food and well needed drinks!

The crappy photos are my iPhone pics. The good photos were taken by Andreas Hillerborg & Tommy Andersson Perfect Pix.

My Top Ten Beauty Products

2012-01-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

A few of us vintage bloggers, who met for afternoon tea a while ago, decided to do a synchronized blog-day and all do posts on our individual top ten beauty products. This synchronized blog-day happened yesterday...As for some reason Miss Meadows didn't get the date that was written out on Facebook (seriously Facebook, this is important stuff, stop messing up!), I will do this post today instead! So here comes my ten favorite beauty products!

1. Helosan - This skin cream was from the beginning developed to be used on cows udders, to keep the teats soft after the cow had been milked. Now it's sold everywhere! At least in Sweden. The cream is re-fattening, softening, and has antiseptic qualities. I put it on my hands every night before I go to bed, and I think it's the best hand cream I've ever used! Since it's re-fattening it takes a while before it sinks into the skin, and feels a bit sticky, but it keeps your skin soft as a baby's, and quickens the healing of wounds. I have even used it on my face sometimes when it's felt a too dry for my liking!

2. Victoria's Secret Bombshell Luminous Body Powder - There are many products out there that makes your skin sparkle. The reason I like this one from Victoria's Secret better than the other ones is because it isn't as scented as others might be. I'm very particular when it comes to find scents I actually want to put on myself, and I have found a perfume I love to use. I hate to blend different smelly products though, so usually I end up using only my perfume and nothing else. This body powder has been scented with purple passion fruit, Shangri-la yellow peony and vanilla orchid, but it's so subtle and evanescent I can still use my perfume together with it, without ending up stinking like a perfume store!

3. Estée Lauder Perfume "Beyond Paradise" - And here is my perfume of choice! Top notes: Eden's Mist, Blue Hyacinth, Orange Flower Templar, Jabuticaba Fruit. Middle notes: Laelia Orchid, Crepe Jasmin, Mahonia Japonica, Pink Honeysuckle. Base notes: Natal Plum Blossoms, Ambrette Seed, Zebrano Wood, Golden Melaleuca Bark. I've had this perfume for a long time, and I plan to keep using it longer! It fits me!

4. Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2 in 1 - This is what I wash my face with! I have semi big pores, and my skin gets shiny pretty fast. This product keeps it looking clear though. It can be used as a normal wash, or as a mask if you just put it on your face and leave it on for a while - which I do about once a week!

5. Tommy Guns "Leave Me In" Conditioner and Styling Creme - Every time I wash my hair I make sure to use a good conditioner, otherwise my long, thin-haired, hair will be impossible to untangle. After rinsing out the conditioner and towel-drying my hair I put some of this stuff in it too, before combing it out. The untangling-proces gets easier, and it gives some texture to my super-glidy hair, which makes it easier to style afterwards. It also has UV and thermal protection in it to protect your hair from heat and environmental damage.

6. Dior Diorshow Extase Mascara - When this mascara came out - with promises of making your lashes look fabulously enhanced, like most other mascaras - I thought "yeah right!". But since I used, and loved, Dior's Blackout mascara I decided to try out the new one. The rest is, as they say, "history". It actually holds what it promises, and I will never use another mascara! I think...

7. Make Up Store's "Devil" Lipstick - This lipstick stays on forever! It's a bit gluey, and gets stuck on your teeth easily, but once you've put it on and carefully removed what ended up on the inside of your lips it's worth the extra time it might take to make it look good! Sometimes after I've eaten it still looks almost as good as when I put it on! A good tip to make it not end up on your teeth is to stick a finger into your mouth, close your lips around it, and pull the finger out. With this lipstick I do it three or four times after applying it to get away the excess on the inside of my lips. The lipstick exists in many colors, but the "Devil" is - at least according to me - the perfect red shade!

8. Kat von D Autograph Eyeliner - Most of you probably know Kat von D as the amazing tattoo artist from "LA Ink". What not everyone knows though, is that she has a makeup line too. I use her "Autograph Eyeliner" in black. It's liquid and has a sharply tipped little brush that makes those vintage eyeliner wings - not easy - but at least easier, to create. It stays on really well to, and exists in several colors.

9. Visine Advanced Relief - My eyes easily gets a bit red. Especially if I stare at a computer screen too long, or when I fly. These drops help keep your eyes moisturized, and quickly takes the red out!

10. L'Oréal Revitalift - I use both the night cream, day cream, and eye cream in this series. They work perfectly with my skin. I don't really like giving tips about face creams, their effects differ so much from person to person, and what kind of skin type you have. But since this is a list of my favorite beauty products, I had to put it up here. Some day creams I've tried really makes my skin look shiny after a while, but with this one it doesn't get shinier than normal. I've tried many other creams, but this is the one I always go back to!

So, there you have it! My ten favorite beauty products - at least right now...The other vintage bloggers who took place in this synchronized beauty-blog-posting (or at least said they would) are:

http://www.kellermanvintage.blogspot.com/

http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/

http://vidmittskrivbord.blogg.se/

http://dahlingitsvintagy.blogspot.com/

http://www.onedreamycloset.se/

http://tifadeleone.blogg.se/

http://frokenpimpinell.blogspot.com/

A Few Tips From Dita von Teese

2012-01-21T01:29:00.000-08:00

Even though I sometimes give you tips on things like beauty and cooking, there are other people out there who has equally good opinions about stuff that I do! One of them is Dita von Teese, so today she will be the one giving you a few good tips, while Miss Meadows takes a break - and goes to work instead...

Friday Fabergé

2012-01-20T00:41:00.000-08:00

The next Imperial Easter Egg in line - the "Mauve Egg" - is yet again one of the lost ones. But it is described as a mauve enamel egg with three miniatures, and was given by Tsar Nicholas II to the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in 1897.

It's surprise, which still exists though, is a heart shaped photo frame, made of strawberry red, green and white enamel, rose-cut diamonds, pearls, and watercolor on ivy.

It opened as a three-leafed clover with each leaf containing the pictures of Nicholas II, his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and their first child, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna.

The seventeenth egg still exists though, and I think this might actually be my favorite, just because I love lilies-of-the-valley so much. The name of this egg is - as it should be - the "Lilies of the Valley Egg"!

This Art Nouveau egg is made of pink enamel covered gold, with gold-stemmed pearl lilies-of-the-valleys, set with diamonds and rubies, and surrounded by green enamel leaves. It is supported on four dull green gold cabriole legs, composed by overlapping leaves veined with rose-cut diamonds. On top of the egg sits an Imperial Crown, covered in rose-cut diamonds and a cabochon ruby.

When lightly depressed the crown generates a mechanical device inside the egg, that raise the surprise out of the top. This surprise is a fan of three tiny miniatures painted by Johannes Zehngraf. The miniatures depict the Tsar Nicholas II, and his first two daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana. These are framed by rose-cut diamonds and backed with gold panels, engraved with the presentation date - April 5, 1898. A turn in the opposite direction automatically folds and returns the miniatures back into the egg.

Fabergé tried to learn something about the private lives of his most important clients, so he knew the Empress' favorite color was pink, pearls were her favorite gems, and her favorite flower was the liliy-of-the-valley, so this egg must have fitted her mind perfectly! Every spring, Alexandra would fill the palaces with bouquets of these lovely flowers. Walking through those rooms must have scented amazing...

The "Lilies of the Valley Egg" now exists in the collection of Viktor Vekselberg.

New York in the 50s

2012-01-18T01:16:00.000-08:00

In 2007 a young eBay entrepreneur and real estate agent, called John Maloof, bought a box full of negatives for 400 dollars at a local thrift auction house in Chicago. He thought he was buying pictures of Chigago's Portage Park neighborhood, but soon realized he had found something else...The negatives turned out to have been taken by a woman whom "The New York Times" calls "one of America's more insightful street photographers". Her name was Vivian Maier. She was born i 1926 in New York, lived in France, and then returned, in 1951, to live in her city of birth for five years, before moving to Chicago. She used to wander the streets, taking photos - usually with her Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera - wherever she went.

Maier left behind her over 100,000 negatives, and hundreds of undeveloped rolls of film. She didn't share her photos with anyone else, so I'm glad John Maloof accidentally bought that box of negatives, so we can enjoy her work now. The pictures below were all taken by Maier in New York in the 50s, and I found them all on "My Modern Met". Looking at them makes me which I could travel through time...

Wilfredo Rosado

2012-01-17T01:04:00.000-08:00

A while ago I found an amazing jewelry designer on Twitter - Wilfredo Rosado!

This man was mentored by Giorgio Armani, and a protégé of Andy Warhol. He has worked with different luxury brands, including Versace, and has now his own jewelry line, of which he says: "Launching fine jewelry had always been a secret ambition of mine. There's something very appealing to me about taking the idea of something precious, like diamonds, and creating something sexy and streetwise and different.". His jewelry is all handcrafted in Paris and Italy. So let's take a look at what this man can do!

The Feather Collection:

"Pink/Black Array" - 18k rhodium yellow gold feather cuff bracelet with 8ct white diamonds.

"Flight Of Fancy" - 18k white gold feather brooch with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and spinels. The brooch can also be worn as a pendant.

"Large Lariat" - 18k white gold feather lariat with single south sea pear, Tahitian pearls, mabe pearls and 1.21ct diamonds. The feather flower is removable and can be worn as a brooch. The pearl pendants can also be worn separately, so can also the white gold chain and the pearl chain. In all these feather pieces the feathers are interchangeable and color can be custom ordered.

The Factory Collection:

"Cog Necklace" - 18k white gold multi-cog necklace with 15.5ct diamonds.

"Cog Ring" - 18k white gold cog ring 2.82ct diamonds.

The Cage Collection:

"Cage Ring" - 18k rose gold and and pavé diamond ring with 6.83ct turmaline.

"Treasure Chest Ring" - 18k white gold pavé and diamond ring with 3.02 floating diamond.

"Large Cage Pendant" - 18k yellow gold pendant with pavé diamonds and a heart shaped charm in ruby pavé on handmade gold chain.

The Fringe Collection:

"Fringe Cuff Bracelet" - 18k yellow gold fringe bracelet. Handmade chains with 16.5 bezel set round diamonds.

"Fringe Necklace" - 18k yellow gold fringe lariat. Handmade chains with 9.92 bezel set round diamonds surrounding a polish rock crystal.

The Branches Collection:

"Branch Pendant" - 18k white gold branch pendant with 9.68ct pear shaped diamonds and pavé diamonds.

The Cameo Collection:

"Sexy Lady Cameo Pendant" - Hand carved shell cameo pendant with 18k hammered yellow gold, diamonds and a pink sapphire.

"Lips Pendant" - Hand carved shell cameo pendant with 18k hammered yellow gold and diamonds.

"Hard Lace Earrings" - Hand carved shell cameo earrings with 18k white gold and diamonds.

The Blackamoor Collection:

"Urban Prince Ring" - Ring with hand carved blackamoor set with 18k yellow gold, diamonds and colored stones.

"Urban Prince Pendant With Mesh Tank" - Hand carved ebony wood blackamoor pendant with 18k white gold, diamonds and colored stones.

"Urban Prince Pendant With Rope Chain" - Hand carved ebony wood blackamoor pendant with 18k yellow gold, diamonds and colored stones.

I have shown you quite a few pieces from these jewelry collections, but if you want to see it all check out Wilfredo Rosado's website!

My favorite collection is the "Cage Collection". I would just love to let the "Treasure Chest Ring" sparkle on my finger on a full moon lit night...

Cooking Tips With Miss Meadows!

2012-01-15T23:41:00.000-08:00

It's time for some more tips with Miss Meadows, to help you all deal with life's difficult tasks. Today we will learn about cooking! But first things first...

...Before you even think about cooking, put on some good music and open a bottle of wine! I hope you all remember what I said about red wine in my last tips post - ANTIOXIDANTS!!! There. Now we can start concentrating on the food!

Start by putting on a apron, so you don't sully your outfit, which probably need to be hand washed or dry cleaned, while an apron easily can be thrown into the washing machine! The apron I'm wearing used to be my grandma's. A cooking book might help. We (me and my sister) didn't use one this evening though. The cooking book I'm holding was just for the picture!

If you're short like me - 162 cm (5.3 ft) - a pair of high heals might make things in the kitchen a lot easier!

See how much easier I can reach the top shelf in the cupboard when I'm wearing these shoes! They come from "Milan Fashion Freaks" by the way. When you've come this far into the cooking process, it's time to take out a knife!

I'm sorry. Let's try that again...

Take out a KNIFE!!! The bigger the better!

Now comes the easy part. Chop up some things you like. There's no sense in cooking stuff you don't like. Me and sis were making a Christmasy risotto (these pictures were taken just before the holidays), so we used an orange, raisins, pecan nuts, and figs.

Then we blended it together with the rice, saffron and cinnamon. Tadaaaa! It's as easy as that!

But whatever you do after dinner, don't forget to end it with a piece of chocolate! It speeds up the digestion! Here you can see my sisters arm stretching out to grab some dessert, while showcasing her latest tattoo, made with Nirvana's "Heart shaped Box" as inspiration.

That was all for now! I hope it helped...

Fabergé Friday

2012-01-13T01:31:00.000-08:00

As the next Imperial Easter Egg in line - the "Alexander III Portraits egg" - is missing, we'll jump right to egg number fifteen instead - the "Coronation egg" - from 1897!

This egg was made to commemorate 1896 coronation of Tsar Nicholas III and his wife, and given by him to his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.

The egg is made of gold, covered with translucent lime yellow enamel on a guilloché field of starbursts, inspired from the cloth-of-gold robe worn by the Empress at the coronation. Over the whole egg there is then a trellis work of greenish gold laurel leaves, with an Imperial double-headded eagle, enameled opaque black and with a rose cut diamond on it's chest, at each intersection. On top sits a large portrait diamond within a cluster of ten brilliant diamonds. Through this stone the monogram of the Empress can be seen. At the bottom of the egg there is also a diamond-surrounded portrait diamond, through which can be seen the date of it's making.

Inside a velvet-lined compartment sits the surprise - a precise replica, four inches long, of the eighteenth-century Imperial coach that carried Alexandra to her coronation. Enameled in the coache's original colors, the little replica is then surmounted by the Imperial Crown in rose cut diamonds and six double-headed eagles on the roof. The windows are made of rock crystal, and the platinum tyres decorated with a diamond-set trellis in gold. On either door there sits an Imperial eagle in diamonds. The miniature is complete with moving wheels, opening doors, actual C-spring shock absorbers and a tiny folding step-stair. Missing from the replica is an emerald or diamond pendant that hung inside the coach, and a glass-enclosed jadeite stand for the display of the carriage, as well as a stand made of silver-gilt wire.

When the Hermitage undertook to refurbish the original coach some years ago, they actually used the tiny replica to work from. That's how well it was copied!

The "Coronation egg" has been shown in temporary exhibits at different museums around the world. Currently it is owned by one of the Russian oligarchs - Viktor Vekselberg.

Snoot Shoot

2012-01-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

As I've told you before, my sister - Christine Engström - is a photographer, in the beginning of her carrier. And every time she gets a new idea, or some new photo equipment, she uses me as her lab rat. A few months ago she wanted to try out her new snoot - a sort of a tube that is placed over the studio light or the flash, and helps the photographer control the light more. I think she has some real talent, and the pictures below are the result of this snoot shoot. My sister decided how she wanted me to look, so most of the clothes are her's.

Isn't she good?!! She was even nice enough to censor me! I love my sister...

Boudoir Photos

2012-01-10T23:34:00.000-08:00

If you've ever wanted to have boudoir photos taken of yourself, or someone else - as a gift to someone you love, or for yourself, or maybe as a fun thing to do on a bachelorette party, for example - I have some news for you! At least if you live in Sweden... Photographer Alicia Swedenborg and hair stylist and florist Madelin Downey have teemed up together to offer this experience to anyone who wants it!

While you sip on some bubbly, you'll get the whole treatment; professional makeup and a classic hair style, help to chose an outfit and accessories that make you feel beautiful. In a wonderful daylight studio Alicia will then photograph you from your most flattering angles. The thirty best images will then be delivered to you in a lovely box!

The whole thing normally costs 5,500 SEK, but right now there's a special, limited winter offer that gives you the whole package for 4,500 SEK!

All photos are taken by Alicia Swedenborg, and are examples of what the result of one of these boudoir shoots may look.

Afternoon Tea

2012-01-10T00:21:00.000-08:00

There are so many good vintage bloggers in the world, and I which we could all get together and party some day! But to start on a smaller scale, me, Elsa, and Fanny decided to invite all vintage bloggers in the Stockholm area for some afternoon tea at Lady Hamilton Hotel in the Old Town. Unfortunately Fanny couldn't join us on the day though...

Outside Lady Hamilton. Altogether we were eleven people, dressed in lovely vintage dresses, hats, and well done hair that gathered in the foyer.

Because we were so many, we got a room down in the old vaults completely to our selves!

The red tablecloth was decorated with candles, rose petals and napkins folded like water lilies. On it was set baskets of sandwiches and scones, and a variety of marmalades and jams.

To the side of our table was the tea stand, with a samovar on it. Here Tifa shows how the samovar works. Very complicated...

I chose a tea flavored with Champagne and cream. Nom nom!

When we thought we were finished eating, two waitresses - dressed in old fashioned black dresses and white aprons - came down and told us not to forget about the cake and cookies buffet upstairs...We hadn't been informed about this, but as the good girls we are we filled our plates again, and continued stuffing our faces!

We sat there for hours, discussing important things like hats, sewing, blogs, pasties, and how to take over the world...

The whole gang! Which were:

http://missmeadowsvintagepearls.blogspot.com/
http://grandmotherspearls.blogspot.com/
http://dahlingitsvintagy.blogspot.com/
http://vidmittskrivbord.blogg.se/
http://tifadeleone.blogg.se/
http://damernasvarld.se/emma/
http://frokenpimpinell.blogspot.com/
http://www.onedreamycloset.se/
http://pimpinett.wordpress.com/
http://blog.johannaost.com/
http://www.mormorhadestil.se/

If anyone who reads this is a vintage blogger in Stockholm, and feels left out - we're sorry! It's not easy finding everyone. But you can always contact me (mail address can be found in my profile) so I can add you to the list. We all thought this little get-together was so nice there will probably be more of these meetings!

Full moon

2012-01-09T00:54:00.000-08:00

It's full moon time again! I don't have trouble sleeping the night of the full moon, like some people have. But around three nights before, and three nights after the moon is full, I dream so much! And those dreams are so real I sometimes have difficulties separating them from reality. At least when it comes to conversations I have with people I know in those dreams. Sometimes I have to ask someone if I have already told him/her something I'm about to say, or not - if I just said it it my dream. Can be a bit confusing sometimes...

Photo: Michi Lauke

This month's full moon-music comes from The Cure - "Bloodflowers". I love the drums in it!!!

Just A Picture...

2012-01-07T01:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a very visual person, and sometimes I find things I just can't stop looking at! Yesterday it happened again when I was reading the blog "Pinupmania", and found the beautiful, sensual, seductive picture below. It's painted by Alberto Vargas, and I just felt I had to share it with my readers. I want to frame it and put it on the wall in my boudoir!

Fabergé Friday

2012-01-06T01:09:00.000-08:00

This year's first Imperial Easter Egg is number thirteen - the "Rock Crystal Egg" or "Revolving Miniatures Egg", from 1896!

The outer shell of the egg is rock crystal, with a band of emerald-green enameled gold studded with diamonds holding the two halves together. Crowning the egg is a 27 carat Siberian emerald, supported by an emerald-green enameled gold mount. This emerald is one of the largest gems Fabergé used in any of the Imperial eggs! The egg sits on a plinth of rock crystal, on top of which is a colorful base made of enameled gold and rose-cut diamonds. Circling this base are the the two monograms of Alexandra Feodorovna; the one she had as Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, and the new one she got when she became Empress of Russia.

Inside the egg are twelve miniature paintings framed in gold. The miniatures have been painted by Johannes Zehngraf, and depict different palaces and residents that had been part of Alexandra's life.

The surprise of this egg is that when you press the big emerald on top, it engages a mechanism that rotates the miniatures inside the egg. A hook moves down and folds the framed pictures back - like the pages in a book - so two paintings can be fully sen at one time.

After being seized by the Kerensky Provisional Government, and then - in the 30s - sold to the Hammer Galleries in New York, this egg then became the last of five Imperial Easter Eggs bought by Lillian Thomas Pratt, in 1945. When she died the egg was willed to Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, and can still be seen on display there.

You Can Stand Under My Umbrella

2012-01-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a post about umbrellas. But not about the random ones you can find anywhere. No, this will be a post about the umbrellas created by Guy de Jean! I first learned about this company on Madeleine Miranda's lovely blog "Le Cabinet de Curiosités de Madeleine Miranda", when she had a competition to win one of these wonders!

In 1920 Guy de Jean's ant Agathe created umbrellas and parasols by hand, using age old techniques, in her Paris boutique. Twenty years later Guy de Jean and his wife Christiane created the label and the style of Guy de Jean. In 1990 Mr Pierra de Jean took over the business and brought it out internationally. What made me like these umbrellas so much was that they all look so elegant - new, but still like they would have come from past eras - sometimes with a hint of burlesque! Here now follows a cavalcade of pictures of Guy de Jean umbrellas and parasols:

Parisiennes Poodles Umbrella

Chantal Thomass Clock Umblella

Chantal Thomass Pinstripe Umbrella

Can Can Pink Parasol

Can Can Pink Full Umbrella

Minet Minette Sun Parasol

Pin Up Umbrella

Marie Antoinette Umbrella

Aurora Borealis Umbrella

Corset Umbrella, for Jean Paul Gaultier

Multi Flowers Umbrella, for Jean Paul Gaultier

Umbrellas created for Chantal Thomass

Courtoisie Umbrella

Beauty Tips With Miss Meadows!

2012-01-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

To help my lovely readers with things here in life that may be a bit difficult, I will sometimes offer you some tips here on my little bloggywogg, to make everything so much easier. Today we will start with some beauty tips! Cause we all wanna look our best. Right?!

Well, in the jungle of face creams, makeup and-I-don't-know-what, there are a few basic things we all need to stay pretty:

1. Drink lots of red wine! Red wine is full of antioxidants, which protect your cells against free radicals, help prevent cancer and heart disease, and prevents aging. Some of these antioxidants purify your skin and helps maintain the natural glow it has.

2. Eat lots of chocolates! Preferably dark chocolates. In addition to substances like iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium, and B- and E-vitamines, cocoa also contains:

Fluorine and phosphates: These substances prevents plaque from building up on your teeth and strengthens the enamel. The cocoa fat also protects the teeth from caries, by covering them with a thin film. The cocoa fat also belongs to the good fats.
Antioxidants: Cocoa contains a rare antioxidant called "polyphenol", which has the power of slowing down the aging process! Just like red wine, cocoa is also good for your heart!
Phenylethylamine: This is a substance that resembles amphetamine, and which the body produces by itself when we're in love!
Theobromine: Gives a similar effect to caffeine.
Serotonin and dopamine: Makes us feel good!

3. Get lots of sleep! Getting your "beauty sleep" isn't just an expression - it's science! Researches has been made that proves people who suffers from sleep depravation actually look less healthy and attractive...

4. Vampires might not really exist, but still they are right about one thing: Stay out of the sun!!! Because, yes, it might actually kill you! We're all aware of skin cancer I suppose...Of course a reasonable amount of sunlight is pretty healthy - if you use sun block. Skin-wise the rays of the sun makes you red, gives you wrinkles and dark spots, and eventually makes it's softness turn more leather-like. A spray tan might be more healthy, but might make you end up looking like a carrot - as shown by some celebrities. No names mentioned, but one of them is named after the capital of France...

So, here we have it:

1. Drink lots of red wine.

2. Eat lots of dark chocolates.

3. Get your beauty sleep.

4. Stay away from the sun.

Let's all try this for a few months and see how beautiful and healthy we get! You can thank me later...

Ladurée Les Merveilleuses

2012-01-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

There is a French deluxe tea salon and pastry maker called "Ladurée". In February they will release a makeup line called "Ladurée Les Merveilleuses". It will first be released in Japan, before expanding to Europe, the US and Asia.

I found some info about it on "Rouge Deluxe", that states the name on the makeup line was inspired by the Merveilleuses of 18th century France, with those people's love of glamour and decadence - in their turn inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans.

In an interview with Ladurée's Image/Communications Marketing Director, Safia Thomass Bendali, she talks about the long time Ladurée has spent carefully developing this makeup line, to make sure it isn't just beautiful, but also has quality. Lot's of emphasis is placed on blushes - since during the age of the Merveilleuses the cheeks were seen as the main area for playing up ones feminine allure. These blushes will come in three different shapes (the prices have been converted form Japanese Yen to USD by "Rouge Deluxe"):

Face Color Rose Ladurée: Available in three shades. Run the brush over the petals and apply to your cheeks. 74 dollars for the refill. 41 dollars for the case.

Cream Cheek Base: Comes in five shades. About 56 dollars.

Pressed Cheek Color: Available in 20 shades. 50 dollars for the color. 20 dollars for the case and brush.

Facial Powder: Comes in four shades, and cost 113 dollars.

There will also be:

Concealers: 51 dollars

Color Control and Smoothing Base: 51 dollars

Cheek Brush: 82 dollars

Fluid Fondation: Three different shades, 79 dollars

Hand Mirror: 48 dollars

As these products doesn't come so very cheap, I guess I now need to get a new - well payed - job, for I feel they would look marvelous on my antique vanity table!...That I guess I need to find and buy first then...And place it right next to my red velvet covered divan - which I don't own either...YET!!!