furry fashion

At Lucille's we take cuteness very seriously.  We spend a lot of time diligently scouring the internet, researching cute photos and videos of cats, dogs, sloths, and whatever other creature is doing something adorable.  Whenever that happens to intersect with vintage, or fashion in general, we are doubly delighted and feel like we've won at the internet (remember menswear dog?)

Well... imagine our delight when we came across this beauty:

TOMMY THE SQUIRREL!

Apparently, according to Life.com, in the early 1940s, a housewife in Washington D.C. adopted an orphaned baby squirrel and raised him as a pet.  A pet who wears costumes.

look at his maniacal little face! he's all "awww yisss I'm planning your demise"

His keeper, Mrs. Bullis, made a series of 30 costumes for him, for a whole slew of occasions.  Because a squirrel needs to be prepared for all sorts of situations, you see!

Like launching a career in nursing, of course!  And looking fantastic while doing so.

And here he is, sans costume, getting a little scrub.  Isn't he the best?  I love him.  Him and his blatant defiance of gender specific clothing... you go Tommy! Or was it Mrs. Bullis who was defying convention?  Hmmm. Regardless, he was a perfect little fluffy ball of fashion and I'm excited to have seen these photos.  

Hope you were too :)

xoxo,

Jess & Caiti

PS.  Have you seen the novelty twitter account @common_squirrel ?  For some reason, it never fails to make me laugh!

Menswear Dog!

In an effort to be on top of all things in the animal fashion world (see: pinup kittens), we wanted to let you know about the most fashionable pup we've ever seen.  Seriously, this pup is dressed to the nines, and maybe more stylish than most people that we've met.  Please meet.... Menswear Dog.  

According to his website, Menswear dog is: "a 3 year old shiba inu living in NYC with a panache for all things style. His interests include never washing his selvage denim, lurking around Soho for someone to notice his steez, and sniffing fine a$$ bitches."

this dog would fit in perfectly in Portland.

SO DAPPER!

Menswear Dog, (who I feel needs an actual name... maybe something like Sterling? or Benson? something that sounds way cool) can be found on his Tumblr.  I'm really hoping that the Tumblr gets updated a lot more, because the internet, nay, THE WORLD, needs to see more of this pooch.  It makes me want to start dressing like a gentleman... someone get me a puffy vest and a tie!

PS. Did you know that the word "doggy" is actually a synonym for dapper? Coincidence? I think not!

Boardwalk Empire state of mind

Both Caiti and I are totally addicted to Boardwalk Empire.  It seems that almost every time we're together our conversation eventually turns toward the wacky hijinks of those good ole Atlantic City rascals. By "hijinks" I mean "murders", and by "rascals" I mean "sort of bloodthirsty gangsters and generally unstable people".  

We also talk about their clothes.  I mean... COME ON:

But since we're both kind of dorks, we're also very into how the show is based off of some true life events.  I think it's really fascinating! Did you know that Nucky Johnson, the carnation sporting scoundrel, is inspired by a real person? 

The man who inspired the ringleader of the show is politician Enoch Johnson, also known as Nucky... because, really, who's going to go by Enoch all their life?  Like the character on the show, he was known for pinning a carnation on his suits (which I find to be quite dapper, personally. would it be wrong if I started doing that?).  He was also known as quite the boss in Atlantic City in the 1920s and '30s.  He had his hands all up in some Prohibition shenanigans, including but not limited to bootlegging & prostitution... although, Mr. Johnson wasn't known to engage in any sort of turf wars or other nonsense with organized crime.... and according to all known evidence, Enoch Johnson never killed anyone, nor ordered anyone to be killed.  Surely, the show wouldn't be nearly as exciting if they hadn't given him the extra flair he has now.  Oh Nucky, you and your old murdery tricks.  

And while I'm not sure that he was inspired by one particular man, there were lots of men who suffered a similar facial fate as Richard (who I am QUITE partial to): 

Is it strange that a socially withdrawn ex-sniper with clear issues is the most endearing character to me? Because he is.  I think he's a beautiful creature.

Due to the heavy artillery that was introduced during the First World War, soldiers were far more advanced than medical procedures were at the time.  They adapted to new situations as well as they could in order to make the soldiers' transition home as easy as possible.  For facial injuries like Richard's, they created prosthetic masks, usually made of a very thin layer of copper or sculpted from plaster.  It was generally secured on to the face via a pair of glasses, which Richard's character sports quite handsomely, if I do say so  myself. 

It's interesting to watch the show while comparing it to historical events.  And even if you aren't nerds like Caiti & I, you can at least enjoy the beautiful clothing, am I right?!

Are you watching Boardwalk? What do you think of it? 

Bee's Knees & lots of Malarky,

(we love 1920s slang, but that's a whole 'nother blog post)

Jess & Caiti

with your tangerine lalalalalala

According to Pantone, a self-described "world-renowned authority on color", the color of 2012 is Tangerine Tango.  And since Pantone has declared it so, thusly, the design world shall listen.  It's all over the runways (i kinda dug Nanette Lepore's take on it, personally... plus I just like saying Nanette Lepore), in magazines, and... I suspect roughly two million people will end up with a Tangerine Tango den that they'll regret in 5 years.

Personally, I love orange.  Whether it be tangerine, mandarin orange, navel orange, or any other variety of citrus fruit.  Heck, I've even been known to love some terra cotta here and there.  BUT, I shouldn't get sidetracked... we're all about the tangerine here, folks.

one more sidetrack: am I the only one who constantly has Tangerine Speedo stuck in my head while talking about this?  You know, that song. The weird one.

ANYWAYS.  Since Pantone was spoken, and I am several months late at reacting, I thought I'd check out Etsy to see what sort of Tangerine goodies I could find to enrich my year.

Love this orange phone, via AnnaLouVintage - reminds me of one we had when I was a kid. 

 Except this one is way cooler.

totally rad tangerine toy car via VintageAdorables

adorable brooch via RainwaterStudios

and, I gotta say... I'm basically dying over this swimsuit via FabGabs.  

The adorable lady and umbrella make it even cuter too, just sayin'.

this is a perfect mod dress in a perfect orange hue via vampofvintage

love the collar on this dress via LookAgainVintage

so! do we feel invigorated? like we're on trend? excellent! my job is done, then!

til next time :)