Vintage Hawaiian Dress In Blue

Scenes From Kona Village

Right view from my beach chair.

Left view from my beach chair.

My 'hale' (our room at Kona Village)

I think I got the dress on Ebay. Shoes are Coach and belt is Anthro.

Bracelets are made out of local Hawaiian wood including koa and macadamia. I got them years ago at Kona Village. Sunglasses are Oliver Peoples.

*Note about the dress: When I received it in the mail it was at least a size or two too big, so I had it taken in. It cost a lot because the zipper is on the side seam, but was totally worth it. I find I have to alter most of my vintage dresses in some way, but they just look 10 times better when tailored to my body. I figure I will be wearing these dresses for years, so I might as well look good in them!

Vintage Bathing Suit or Play Suit

This has to be my favorite set of photos ever. My sister was kind enough to take them and we had to keep stopping because we were laughing so hard. Apparently she was top of her photography class in high school so the photos are much more 'arty' then I am used to.

The outfit is from Ebay. It has an off white background with a sort of mid-century print in shades of bronze and black and is then sequined in gold. It even came with a funny little pointy cap- kind of like an old fashioned sleep cap. One of these days I am going to make it into a head scarf.

This is my favorite shot. How cool is the sun peeking out of the bushes?

The sandals are new and are from Steve Madden. I love thong sandals because they remind me so much of Diana Vreeland and Jackie O. For jewelry I wore black rose studs from MyBabyJo and the bracelet is from J.Crew. Oh, and if any of you are interested in the hair, I did a tutorial on it ages ago. Might be worth it to check it out because it is soooo easy and looks great. Enjoy!

Retro Red Dress

Hello my dear kittens! I am back from Hawaii and ready to post all the outfits I wore!

Every year my whole family- mom, two brothers with wives and kids, and my sister (plus my husband and kids) all go to Kona Village for spring break. Would you believe this will  be my 11th year in a row! I just adore it there- mainly because I don't have to cook or clean for 7 whole days. Well, that and the beautiful location with an amazing beach. We spend our time reading by the ocean or playing in the pool with the kids. Nights are reserved for drinking cocktails like midori sours or sloe gin fizzes. 

Unfortunately I only brought my iphone with me, so the pictures are not the best quality, but you can get the general idea. Here is the first dress:

The dress is from Anthropologie. My sister picked it out for me when we were shopping together in Austin and I just love it. Very vintage inspired.

The shoes are new and by Coach. I swear, I am in love with them. The nude color goes with everything!

You must click here and check out these amazing earrings by J.Crew. I practically wore them every day because they are just that awesome.

For the rest of the week I will show you the other outfits I wore. Hope you enjoy!

The Mad Hatter: Crazy Awesome Hats On Ebay

I've been looking for some new hats on Etsy and found some really interesting ones. You have to check them out below. To get more information, just click on the title under each photo. Enjoy!

Vintage Pink Showgirl Headpiece

Vintage Rose Hat

Yellow Lilac Cap

Colorful Tilt Hat

Schiaparelli Floral Hat

Dressed Up For Purim Part 2

Purim actually started on Saturday night, so I got a chance to wear not one but two costumes this weekend! I spent an hour trying to get my hair into victory rolls for a 1940's look, but I just couldn't get the left side to match the right. Both Fleur de Guerre and Super Kawaii Mama say they are working on a victory roll tutorial, so when they come out, maybe I will try again. Anyway, I ended up putting my hair in a chignon and adding a large late 1940's hat. I thought it kind of looked like this, so I added an outfit that tried to emulate the Dior new look.

I would also like to say that my 7 year old son took these pictures!

Dress: Anthropologie

Sweater: Nanette Lepore

Belt: Anthropologie

Tights: Target

Shoes: Betsy Johnson

Earrings: Gift

Bracelet: Vintage necklace that broke, so I turned it into a bracelet!

Hat: Ebay? Etsy? I cant remember

Dressed Up For Purim

Hi kittens, I'm back! And I have some outfit posts for you!

I am starting off with a costume I wore last night for Purim. Purim commemorates Queen Esther saving the Jewish people from the wicked Haman, who wanted to annihilate them. One of the ways we celebrate is by wearing costumes- similar to Halloween, but without all the death imagery.

The theme of the Purim party we were attending was 'Purim in Italy' so we were supposed to dress 'Italian'- whatever that means. My husband and I thought we would dress like we were in a Fellini film. So my husband dressed like a Shriner and I went as his wife from the 60s. Check it out:

(My son Buzz Lightyear always wants to be in the picture. I wonder where he gets it from?)

Dress: Thrifted

Hat: Ebay

Shoes: Oscar de la Renta

Necklace: Thrifted

Pin: Grandma's

Bracelet: J.Crew

Fall Asleep With Dita

Have you dolls seen this yet?

It is a limited edition sleep mask designed by Dita and manufactured by Moschino!

This glamorous housewife actually sleeps every night with a face mask, so I am tempted to buy. However, at $130, I wonder if I would actually use it or just keep it for fun?

You Heard It Here First!

(Drew Barrymore at a screening)

I would just like to say that I totally predicted this trend. (Smiles smugly to self)

Its King Tut Day!

It was on this day in 1922, Carter found King Tutankhamen's tomb virtually untouched! To celebrate, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some vintage Egyptian accessories. Of course, Elizabeth Taylor played Cleopatra, not King Tut, but she is just so divine, I had to have her picture for an Egyptian themed post, didn't I! Look how 'modern' her outfit is. I could totally see J.Lo rocking that look. Oh wait, I already have!





Ok, on to the accessories:



Vintage 1960s Egyptian Necklace


Vintage Tut Purse


Vintage Egyptian Themed Glasses


Antique Victorian REAL Scarab Beetle Bracelet!


King Tut Meets Steampunk Pendant

So what do you think? I think I like the scarab beetle bracelet and the glasses the best. Do you have any favorites? Or what about any Egyptian themed accessories at home you would like to tell me about?

Crazy Stockings

I am about due for an outfit post. I swear I look cute most of the time, but I am so tired of taking pictures at our rental house, so I have been skipping the photo.

Today I wore a black shift from Macys and a fun pair of white with black stockings. I am also wearing a new pair of shoes from Anthro and I LOVE them! They are very mod. I attempted a thicker liquid liner and a pale lip for makeup. It looks better in real life then in the photos. And then I accessorized with some chunky jewelry.







Dress: INC
Stockings: Tintoretta
Shoes: Argyle
Necklace: Anthropologie
Earrings: Anthropologie (In store only)

Glamorous Eccentric: Ivanka Trump

For the next installment of 'Glamorous Eccentric' I want to take a slightly different path. You may be wondering if I have gone completely mad to have Ivanka Trump in the same category as Lady Gaga and Isabella Blow, but hear me out.

I have admired Ivanka Trump for a while now. I think it started when I saw her in the documentary Born Rich. In this movie, Jamie Johnson (heir to the Johnson and Johnson fortune) interviewed a bunch of his peers on what it was like to grow up wealthy. Ivanka Trump was one of the few people he interviewed that came out looking tenacious, hard working, and intelligent. To be totally honest, I figured she was just a spoiled rich kid, but this movie changed my mind quickly.

The next time I was aware of Ivanka was on The Apprentice. I liked her style and presence and felt her image in the movie was NOT an anomaly- she was actually a strong business woman in her own right.

So needless to say, I was very excited when I found her new book:
Trump Card: Playing To Win In Work And Life.



In the book, Ivanka goes through her life and explains how she got to be Vice President in her father's company. She doesn't shy away from nepotism, but she also explains how she was raised by her father and mother to be the best at whatever she did.

The reason I decided to add Ivanka to my 'Glamorous Eccentric' list is because I think Ivanka is an excellent role model for women who might not want to be rock stars or actresses. She might not dress eccentrically, but the fact that she managed to get through her childhood without being spoiled is amazing. I also think it is wonderful that she decided to write a book to help other young people become the best in business- which is the majority of jobs out there.

And her taste in fashion is impeccable. Check her out:







What I like the best about her style is it is youthful without being slutty and refined without being dowdy. I would call it 'classic with a twist'. And this brings me to one of my favorite parts of her book- discussing her jewelry line.

Have you ever seen The Ivanka Trump Collection? It is pretty impressive. My sister and I have been lusting over a pair of her earrings (shown below).



These are exactly like Ivanka herself- classic with a twist. They seem to be normal diamond hoop earrings, but the twist is the myriad of cuts within the hoop itself. I have never seen anything quite like it before.

Ivanka mentions she and her jewelry business partner tossed the phrase, 'heirloom chic' around. Well, that is EXACTLY what I feel Tales Of A Retro Modern Housewife is about. It is like the perfect catch phrase! I feel the ladies who enjoy reading this blog are interested in the beauty of designs from the past with a fun modern twist. I use the term 'retro-modern' but heirloom chic works just as well.

Here are some other items from her jewelry line to help underline my point:





Aren't those pieces stunning! Of course, I am not buying diamonds anytime soon, but if I could, I would totally invest in Ivanka's line.

So if you think of Ivanka Trump as just being another spoiled rich kid who is hiding behind the success of her daddy, think again! And I highly recommend her book to anyone who is interested in business, especially if they are just starting out.



I would be remiss to not mention that Ivanka got married this weekend to business man Jared Kushner. Ivanka even converted to Judiasm for her beloved. So I want to wish the happy couple Mazel Tov and wecome Ivanka to the tribe.

Spotlight On: Peacocks

I've been kind of obsessing on feathers recently, and what is more beautiful then a peacock feather? To that end, I thought I would do a peacock themed post.



Peacock Wiggle Dress


Vintage Peacock Locket


Peacock Headband


Milly Peacock Shift Dress


Vintage Peacock Brooch

Vintage Peacock Purse


Peacock Plate


Peacock Wedding

I think my favorite item is the Milly dress. It is the most 'me' of the bunch. But I also like the idea of a peacock wedding. It would be a perfect theme for a fall or winter wedding without having to do a fall or winter theme. The colors of teal, green, and gold are just so magical.