Tag Archives: tips

Portland Vintage Guide

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Over the time that I’ve had this blog, I’ve received multiple e-mails asking where one should go for vintage shopping while visiting the City of Roses.  And often I find myself having to actually take the time to create a list instead of just being able to pull one out of my pocket.  I’ve decided to change that routine…So here is the Atomic Redhead’s Guide to Portland!

Please note that I have not included every vintage shop or antique mall in Portland.  I have selected ones I enjoy shopping at.  However, I have also included a handful of other shops that I don’t often visit, but those seeking very high-end vintage garments or furniture may wish to visit. Additionally, I have listed some other Portland places you may want to visit, as well as places to grab a bite to eat or a drink.

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Maintaining Your Vintage Wardrobe

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Vintage is many things. On one side we love vintage because it’s unique, more flattering and of better quality than the majority of contemporary clothing on the store racks today.  However, vintage isn’t without its problems.  How many of us have suffered a stain or tear or lost a tap? Part of wearing vintage is maintaining your clothing to continue their longevity. So here are a few tips to help you keep that fantastic closet of yours looking good for years to come.

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Traveling Vintage

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When vintage is all you own, traveling can be a bit of a burden in a way. Between getting folds in garments, worrying about damage on the road, not to mention all of the other travel anxieties, it can get a little hectic.

Your Suitcase

I travel using vintage luggage.  This is for a handful of reasons.  First they look awesome.  Secondly, if you are flying and you check your luggage, your suitcase will be much easier to spot when it comes out onto the carousel.  Additionally, hard suitcases prevent any extra pressure put on your clothes (causing more wrinkling) by other people’s bags being placed on top of your suitcases in travel.  And if you’re fearful of bed bugs, you really may want to travel with a vintage suitcase.  Bed bugs may find a new home for themselves (and thus possibly follow you home) in the crevasses of an upholstered suitcase, where as they will not with a hard suitcase.  I currently own a medium sized suitcase (which fits the carry-on size restrictions), a small day suitcase, a round hatbox and a train case.  However, for most trips I only take the medium sized suitcase and the train case.

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Manly Mondays: Shaving

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Let’s face it most guys hate shaving. I used to. It’s irritating and the razors cost an arm and a leg.

Around 8 months ago I started shaving with single bladed safety razor, and all the annoyances of keeping clean shaven have went away. If you haven’t shaven with a real razor before I highly suggest you try it out. Using a single bladed razor, shaving mug, a block of soap and a brush is one of the best things I have done to my morning shave. And here’s why…

Less Irritation and a Closer Shave

The biggest difference from moving from a five-blade razor to a very nice single blade razor is that my skin is much less irritated after my shaves. Five-bladed cartridge razors would leave my whole neck red, irritated and dry feeling for the whole day. In contrast the single bladed razor leaves almost no irritation.

This is because when you shave with a fave-blade cartridge you are actually shaving your face 5 times! When I used cartridge razors I would usually go over everything twice which meant that at the end of my shaves my whole face would have been exposed to 10 razor blades. With a single bladed razor, I can get a close shave with only 2 passes, which means much less exposure to the blade and much less irritation.

The fastest way to a close shave is to shave against the grain of your whiskers. This is tricky with a longer and more unwieldy cartridge razor and which is also light weight meaning you have to apply more pressure (increasing irritation) to get the same close shave.  In contrast my single bladed razor is very short and quite heavy meaning I have more maneuverability and can apply less pressure and get a good against the grain shave with less work.

If all of that doesn’t convince you, Janey thinks that I get a much closer shave with the single blade then my old Gillette cartridge razor. Which is really the only metric that matters.

Costs Less Per Month

In addition to the irritation, I also was tired of spending an arm and a leg on new razor blades. When I started out shaving I bought everything at The Art Of Shaving so I am using their prices here.

  • Pre-Shave Oil: $25 – Lasts about 3 months
  • Shaving Soap: $30 – Lasts 3-4 months
  • Aftershave: $40 – Still haven’t run out after nearly 10 months
  • Razors: $1 each – These are sold in packs of 12 and I use 1 a month

You can get loads of different soaps and pre-shave/aftershaves for about half of these prices online. A good source is  Classic Shaving which has a pretty complete inventory.

There is a fairly high upfront cost to starting to shave this way. You will need a nice badger hair brush, which will run at least $40-$50 (trust me it’s worth it) and a good razor. I use the Merkur HD 34C which runs about $50 on Amazon and everywhere else.

Once you get over the upfront investment the month to month cost if quite low, and for the quality of shave it’s really excellent.

How To

There are lots of good tutorials and videos out there on the internet on how to do a good shave so I’ll give you a few links and then a quick step by step. Put This On has a great video and Art Of Manliness has a good article with links and another step by step guide.

  1. Get a hot very wet wash cloth and warm up your face. This opens up your pores and gives you a close shave with less irritation.
  2. Apply your pre-shave oil to stand up and soften your whiskers
  3. Wet your shaving brush (using hot water) and put a tiny bit of hot water in your mug and build up a lather.
  4. Lather your face up this should go on thick, not watery
  5. Shave using short strokes with very little pressure with the blade about 30 degrees to your face go with the grain or you beard for the first pass
  6. Repeat 3-5 one or two more times going against or across the grain
  7. Wash your face with cold water. This will close your pores and redice irritation.
  8. Pat your face dry and apply your aftershave.

Tips & Techniques

If you are coming from shaving with a regular cartridge razor here are a few good things to keep in mind.

  • Keep the blade of you safety razor at about 30 degrees to your face.
  • Use short strokes with light pressure. Using too much pressure was the #1 reason I cut myself early on.  The razor has just the right weight and balance you need to get a close shave. Trust it.
  • Don’t shave it all in one go. It takes 2-3 passes (lathering between each) to get the best shave go slow and don’t worry about getting it perfect the first time.
  • An Alum Block is your best friend. When you do cut yourself (not if) this handy block an aluminum sulfate is a natural way to stop the bleeding fast. Buy one from Art of Shaving.

Shopping List

  • Brush - Whatever you do don’t get a boar hair brush. Stick with badger hair (about $50) or splurge an get silver tipped badger (about $150)
  • Razor - Look for something with good weight.  The Merkur HD 34C is generally regarded as one of the best you can buy
  • Pre-Shave Oil – This helps soften and standup your whiskers
  • Shaving Soap – Look for something that is all natural and has a good scent (or no scent)
  • Aftershave – Helps cool down your face after you shave
  • Alum Block – Closes up cuts and stops irritation

Downsides

There are a few downsides to shaving this way. My biggest complaint so far is that the FAA doesn’t allow these kinds of blades in your carry-on bags, meaning if you want to shave this way on the go you are checking a bag.

The other is that is much, much easier to cut yourself. The blade is much more exposed to your face and the wrong angle or too much pressure will make you cut yourself. Although it doesn’t take to long to learn the right way to avoid cuts.

Common Vintage Misconceptions

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Wearing vintage day-to-day can create a lot of questions and comments from various people…friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers. I tell people where I shop, and there is often a flurry of comments regarding such places and vintage clothing itself, many of which are simply untrue…

Vintage Smells

Many people think that because something is old it automatically smells funky.  Not so.  It can depend on where you shop.  Most thrift stores have that…well…thrift store smell.  I can’t deny it.  But not all of the garments in the store smell that way. However high-end vintage shops often have garments cleaned before putting them out for sale.  But you wash your new clothes, you can often do the same with most vintage, although some vintage does require a proper dry-cleaner.

Are You Going to a Costume Party?

Okay, this one could be an entry in itself.  Wearing vintage can go one of two ways.  You can wear vintage because you simply like it, and then pair it with newer accessories to make it look like a modern piece.  I’ve noticed many contemporary clothing that has hints of vintage – just look at what the First Lady wears.  Many of her dresses have a mid-60s vibe to them.  Or you can go all the way and look like you just stepped out of a certain decade.  It all depends on what you do in addition to the vintage garment.  I personally like the whole period look, so I roll with it 24/7.  But you don’t have to.  If you really love the period, you’ll get used to the comments and questions, or learn to simply ignore them.

Vintage Looks like Hand-Me-Downs or It’s Always Damaged

Not all vintage looks worn-out or like you got it used.  There are still many garments in tip-top shape.  You just have to inspect the garment before purchasing.  But becoming familiar with a needle and thread, if not a sewing machine, will be very beneficial to adding to your closet.  Just remember not to throw out vintage just because a seam popped.  It is worth fixing!

Vintage is Fragile, Isn’t It?

Some vintage is, mostly items from the 1920s or earlier (which I consider “antique”), but for the most part, vintage is of way better quality than most of the clothing out there.  In my days before going totally vintage, I had new garments not last five wearings before something went gone wrong.  Most vintage clothing was made in the US and of fabric that is stronger and sturdier than that of today – which is cheap and made to make as many garments as fast as possible.  I have seen new garments fall apart after a few wearings or washings, but vintage has stood up for decades!

The Sizing is All Weird! Or It’s All Tiny!

So is today’s sizing.  Before going all-in with vintage I had everything in my closet from an XS to an XL and from a size zero to a size ten.  Modern sizing depends heavily upon the brand.  The more expensive a garment, the smaller the sizes tend to be so they can “make you feel good about yourself” and you can say “Oh, I’m a size two!” when you shop at that certain store.  Vintage is less about size numbers and more about garment measurements, especially because 99.9% of vintage does not contain spandex or even elastic.  Size is relative, but measurements never lie.  When you shop vintage, you learn to ignore labels and whip out a tape measure to check the bust and waist before trying on.  I am soooo tired of hearing that all vintage is tiny. It’s not.  Lately I have run across more larger size vintage garments than I have super teeny ones.  They are out there!

Vintage Costs More

Not really… At Buffalo Exchange you can buy a vintage dress for around $25 and bets are that it is of superior quality, most likely made in the US, and under better labor standards than that $40 dress from Target or even Nordstorm, that was probably made in Bangladesh or China.  Sure, the price may go up when you go to a high-end vintage shop, but you can be sure the garment is of way better quality.  Plus you are recycling and supporting your local economy.

I Have to Shop at Strange Stores or I Don’t Like Thrift Stores

Sure, many vintage shops have their little quirks, but that is what makes them charming. They are often eclectic, some are even on the eccentric side, and you’ll see lots of stuff that you may not be into, but doesn’t that happen when you go to the mall too?  I mean you may like Forever 21 and be creeped out by Hot Topic – shopping vintage is the same.  There are some stores that I love to death, and others that I rarely step into.  You just have to be adventurous until you find your favorite selection of shops.  With thrift stores, you don’t have to shop at them unless you want a screaming deal.  No one is forcing you into Goodwill or a charity shop, however if you like the thrill of the hunt, you’ll have fun and find great prices!

How To: Remove Sticky Residue

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Lately it seems the price tag stickers from thrift stores have become, well, more sticky, leaving behind annoying sticky goo after removing the price tag. So, I’m here to tell you how to quickly remove such annoying goo with one of my favorite products: WD-40.

I learned about WD-40 from my dad, who, like many gearheads, used it on old cars.  It acts as a lubricant and loosens up nearly anything that has rust on it, but it can also be used to remove annoy adhesive residue left behind from stickers.  WD-40 can be found in the automotive aisle at stores.  I have used WD-40 on paper items, such as record sleeves and comic books, however it has left behind faint oil like stains on occasion.  I have not used it on clothing (that is to say dresses, skirts, etc. but it works wonders on shoes, purses, and other accessories).

You Will Need

-An item with a sticker on it
-A can of WD-40
-A rag

Step 1:

Peel off the sticker.  If the sticker is super stubborn, you can spray WD-40 directly on the sticker and it will slowly eat away at the adhesive, then lift it up.

Step 2:

Spray WD-40 onto a rag.  You can spray directly on the spot where the sticker was, however that can result in getting WD-40 all over your item.  Spraying on a rag creates more control.

Step 3:

Rub the sticky spot with the area of the rag that you sprayed with WD-40.  This lifts up and removes the sticky residue.

Step 4

Wipe down the area with a clean part of your rag, then rub your fingers over the area to make sure you removed all the stickiness.  WD-40 feels oily (it contains petroleum distillates) so it is very important to really wipe it away after you have cleaned the area for a satisfying feel.  If you haven’t removed all the stickiness, repeat steps two and three.

And there you have it! A clean, non-sticky surface!

Vintage Beauty: Exercises

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Today I’m sharing with you what I’ve been calling my “Pin-Up Work Out Routine”.  For many years I struggled on a very severe level with body image issues.  This past has made me tentative about working out, since I fear falling back into a state I care not to revisit.  Additionally, many of the work outs illustrated in contemporary magazines and practiced in today’s gyms produce super trim bodies that I do not find attractive, and also would work against wearing vintage clothing.  Let’s face it, the 1940s and 1950s encouraged a shapely figure for women, while today, it seems women encouraged to have no curves to speak of.  This is why I found these pages so interesting and helpful.  Not only do they keep me simply fit, but they would also support the figure that I desire.

  

  

These pages come from the same book that many other of my vintage beauty tips have come from, Ern and Bud Westmore’s Beauty, Glamour and Personality from 1947.

I enjoy doing the following exercises to fun and upbeat music, especially big band or numbers from the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

In addition to these pages, I also hula hoop.  While I can’t do anything fancy, the traditional hula hooping is a great work out as well, burning 60-100 calories in just ten minutes time, while also increasing your back’s flexibility.  I also enjoy it because you can read or watch television while hula hooping!

More from Beauty, Glamour and Personality
Introduction
Make-Up for Various Face Shapes
Hair Styling for Various Face Shapes
Posture