"I never kept up with the fashions. I believe in wearing what I thought looked good on me."
~Bettie Page
RRC: Someplace I Have Never Been
A couple weeks ago, Alan and I, grabbed our cameras and got out of the house for the day, deciding to spend some time in the Haight/Ashbury district of San Francisco. There are some amazing murals all through the neighborhood, as well as the occasional bit of public art, which makes it very photogenic, but it's not just that which draws us in, it's the fun and spontaneous sights as well!
We have visited Haight/Ashbury quite often over the years, but it seems like it is never the same place twice! I thought about just posting pictures from around the neighborhood, but with the true spirit of this challenge in mind, "Someplace I Have Never Been," I decided to step into one of the marvelous, gitchy boutiques on Haight that has caught my eye many times, but I have never actually been inside!
"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."
~Coco Chanel
Welcome To The Betty Page Store...
Aren't the clothes amazing? Oh my goodness, how I love retro-chic! The first dress would be perfect for a night of swing dancing, don't you think? And the red dress with the cute little cropped jacket is just perfect for going out to lunch, but don't forget some little black gloves to go with it! Gosh, I could have bought all kinds of beautiful things that day, but I decided to put them on my Christmas list. Alan liked the fancy pink and blue dress the best, but I kept going back to the marvelous red one! LOL. What style! What glamor! I can remember pictures of my mother, when she was a young lady, rocking outfits just like those! Thank goodness for retro-chic! Don't you just love the black handbag with the pink bow? :)
Bettie Page was quite the curvaceous beauty, and the clothes in this store represent the styles of her era the 1940's and 50's perfectly! Lucy, Ethel, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and then there was Bettie Page. While she wasn't exactly known for a conventional modeling career, Bettie is better known for a life of twists and turns. She lived in San Francisco for a while, but as her career as a model went through it's paces, she moved about the country. She was known as not just a "pinup girl" but indeed the pinup girl of her time, and she was named "Centerfold Of The Month for Playboy's January 1955 edition. Her life took yet another turn later, when she became a Christian and she began working for the Reverend Billy Graham for a while. Unfortunately, while she achieved her own kind of stardom, she also experienced a good bit of tragedy as well. However turbulent her life might have been, one thing is for sure she left her mark on pop culture, and her style lives on! Katy Perry, Madonna, and many other performers have paid homage to her through their stage style.
While some may have not approved of her choices in life, one thing is for sure, she lived in a stylish time! A time when girls with curves were all the rage, and it was okay not to be a poster girl for stick figures. GO CURVES! I am always watching old movies from the 40's and 50's and admiring the style of white gloves on women, and hats on men! What a marvelous time for fashion! While Bettie Page is known mostly for her risque modeling, she also did a significant amount traditional fashion modeling as well! Good or bad, she was her own person, and I admire that!
How To Dress Like A Fashion Icon In The 50's.
1950's Vintage Fashion Trends Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn Fashion Icons
Bettie Page Store
Mod Cloth
Okay, you have seen my "Someplace I Have Never Been," so go see where everyone else has been! Just click the link at the top of this post to be redirected to the official Round Robin blog, where you can find all the information you need to play along, plus the link to all the participating Robin posts!
"Create your won style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others."
~Anna Wintour
Read more about the life of Bettie Page at Biography.com
Mood: Happy :)
~Me :)
1 comment:
Oh, wow. I'm glad there is such a place as the Betty Page Store, and that you got to visit it! I'd love to los enough weight to get away with wearing a few of those pieces, and I'm not at all a dress person! There was a charactor in the Rocketeer comic book that was modeled on Betty Page and even named after her. I've always really liked her look. My favorite is the blue-green dress next to the red one, but really, they're all terrific!
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