Catching up with Rita: The Great Gatsby Inspired Wedding Edition

My mom took this "official" photo of us on our apartment stoop, 

because we fancy like that. 

As I sit down to write this post, I must ask myself: what have I been doing with my life during my most recent hiatus from Whoreders? Well, in addition to a whole lot of nothing, I got a promotion and a 17% raise at work (::waves tiny flag::), I got a root canal, I joined a gym and then managed to gain 5 pounds (how does that happen?), oh yes and I went to Iceland where I ate lots of Skyr (Icelandic yogurt. Get some at your local Whole Foods right now.) and came back engaged to light of my life, fire of my loins, my favorite manboy extraordinaire, Casey O. Oh and I just bought tickets to see New Order this summer. Overall, things are pretty darn good.

Despite the fact that the word fiancé still feels a little weird and that I made all the married women at work wince by wearing my engagement ring on my middle finger and on the wrong hand for a whole week before I finally had it resized, I am slowly settling into this engaged lady thing and that includes my fair share of searching on the internet for all that is vintage, lovely, and (off) white. And while I'm far from an expert on getting married fabulously and inexpensively, I sure do hope to be one day so today I will share some ideas for a Great Gatsby inspired affair on a not so Jay Gatsby budget! First off, if you haven’t seen this trailer yet, you must not have a television and/or the remains of a teenage obsession with Leonardo DiCaprio like I do and therefore are much cooler than me. Whatever the case, watch it now and you won't be sorry. I mean, how much celluloid gorgeousness can auteur after my own heart, Baz Luhrmann, cram into 3 minutes?

Très romantic, right? 

Sunny Days and Spring Frocks

It's warm again!

Time to garden, go on bike rides, visit the beach, and bust out those cute lil' Summer dresses!

I searched through Etsy to find you some new duds, all for $30 and under!

Etsy Treasury list: Spring Frocks



Images by Etsy sellers voguevintage, FashionGoRound, and TyneeTreasures

Vintage Spring Dresses for Lesses

I feel pretty, oh so pretty.

There is no better time of the year to rock a new vintage dress than Springtime, when bulky coats are a thing of the past but it's still cool enough to wear polyester and not sweat your brains out. Am I right or am I right? That's why my gal Heather and I put together this Etsy Treasury full of cheery frocks in all sizes and for around $25 or less. We also threw a romper in for only the most daring and fabulous ladies out there. Stripes, florals, polka dots, and nautical, oh my! 

Check out Vintage Spring Dresses for Lesses on Etsy.

 Top image: Westside Story

Cheap Thrills: Mad Men Style

After a very long hiatus, Mad Men is back! Even if you're not a fan of the show, you're probably aware of the effect it's had on pop culture and fashion. The style seen on the show has popularized the retro trend in the mainstream, and you can see its influence everywhere. Whether you want to go full on Mad Men retro, or just add touches of the look here and there, you can easily get what you need without doing major damage to your budget.

To celebrate the kick off of season 5, we're going to do some Man Men inspired looks for ladies this week on Cheap Thrills. Don't think it's all about one look either! We're focusing on three of the main female characters, each one with a style all her own. Settle back with your martinis and enjoy the show...

Easy and (Mad) Men Approved Hors D'oeuvres

Food from the 1960's gets a bad rap because, well, for the most part, it's just bad. We're talking overly wrought recipes made with bland, over processed ingredients (canned cocktail weenies, anyone?), strange combinations of foods that aren't popular anymore for a reason, and an ungodly ubiquitous little something called an aspic (shudder). So when I pondered what I wanted to to do for Mad Men week on this here blog (besides go out for a mid-week martini lunch), I was just a little cautious when I cracked open my vintage (copyright 1963) Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks. Despite exhaustingly hauling these books with my book collection move after move (sorry mom and dad and everyone else who has ever helped me move), I've never had a desire to make even one of the recipes. I figured it was time to give them another chance. As I remembered, lots of unsavory usual suspects were there: Limas and Franks, Surprise Meat Slices, Tomato Soup Dressing, and Baked Prune Whip - these are all very real recipes. On her good days, these are the dinners that pre-divorce Betty Draper was setting out for Don. Scary stuff, right?

Etsy Treasury: Mad (Men) House

I love the modern, almost sci-fi look of Mid Century interior design. Orbs, abstract shapes, earth tones, and atomic starbursts, ooo.

Here's another Etsy Treasury full of 1960s housewares and beauty accessories, all for $50 and under: Mad (Men) House

It's Mad Men Week at Whoreders!

Even if you don't watch the show, you have to admit... the fashion on Mad Men is top notch and drool-worthy. Classy, sleek lines, red lips, done up hair, and emphasis on the curves while still being lady-like. Sigh.

Season 5 of the show premieres on March 25th and we Whoreders decided to have a Mad Men inspired week - all things 1960s!

Let's get started with a new Etsy treasury list, Mad Men and Sexy "Skirts". All items are $40 and under!

Photo: Joan Holloway on Mad Men, AMC

My New Oldie but Goodie...and Butter

Like I'd imagine most women with blood in their veins, a pair of fallopian tubes, and atleast a moderate interest in food, I've always wanted a pretty new stand up mixer. Which part of this desire is practicality and which part pure girly consumerism, I can't be entirely sure. Whatever the case is, I have not yet been able to justify being able to bake enough from scratch to want to shell out $300 for one these housewive's wet dreams. However, wanting to get more creative in the kitchen, I recently picked up this girl from Ebay. She is a $20 and change (including shipping!) vintage 1940's Sunbeam mixer, complete with a few attachments and two very lovely original milk glass bowls (my favorite part). I'll admit, she isn't the most polished thing, but like me running late to work on a Monday morning, she sure gets the job done. I think I'll keep her.

Rag Curlin'

For my recent trip to the Edwardian Ball I wanted old-fashioned, natural looking curls. Curling irons are great, but the spirals are just too uniform for me and my straight hair doesn't like keeping the shape for very long. By using an old technique and letting it dry rolled up, my hair not only looked natural and amazinnnggg, but it held all the way through the next day! The additional pros are that it's cheap/free (you can use rags, cut up old shirts, nylons, socks, or even paper bags!) and doesn't damage your hair!

Flapper Frocks and the Future of Downton Abbey

Have you heard the word on the streets? Well, ok I guess there is really nothing "street" about the mind numbingly addicting PBS series Downton Abbey but rumour has it (among other things) that the third season, which enters the 1920s, will be jam packed with cocktails instead of cordials, flapper-riffic slang, hot jazz, and an overall roaring twenties good time. It may be a little early to start planning a season three premiere party for Fall 2012 but it's not too early to start pondering the Grantham ladies' new fashions, which will no doubt be deliciously more daring than demure and more tawdry than Titantic (while hopefully still keeping it Crawley-style classy).

Lady Crawley, is that you?