Dancers: Hal & Betty Takier

A bit of history:

It seems as if Eleanor Powell was just too good for Fred Astaire, as he never wanted to be paired with her again.

He evidently was played down by her, but they were both great, and the likes of this will never be seen again.

The year: 1940 (69 years ago).   The narrator is Frank Sinatra.

It was filmed in ONE unedited camera shot.  Amazing!

It is considered by many as one of the best dance scenes ever filmed

Personally, I tend to like this clip from the same 1940 film (Broadway Melody):

The biggest question we get from the ladies is how to do their hair. Dawn has recently written a review of a new vintage hairstyle book. But you’re thinking “doesn’t vintage hair styles take forever to do?” Well, not necessarily. She’s also posted a video sent to us on how to do victory rolls in 5 minutes… and with the number of hits that page gets, it must be good advice. Speaking of videos, the wonders of YouTube can be a huge help with finding vintage hairstyle tutorials.

For the guys, you have it easy since men’s fashions don’t change much through the years. However, it can be tricky if you are going for the subtle differences that will set you apart as retro. Be sure to check local menswear shops for some cool wide leg pants. You can usually find these at urban menswear stores (think dressy hip-hop stores often found in malls). If you are going for casual, you can sometimes find stripey shirts and socks in stores like Target and Old Navy. If you are looking to dress vintage WWII military, well… that can be a hobby in and of itself. Uniforms can be rented, however, you may want to check eBay or your local Army/Navy surplus store.

Have a tip on dressing vintage? Post a comment and share!

As a tribute, here is Frankie (in overalls) dancing in 1941′s Hellzapoppin’.

In memory of Frankie Manning: May 26, 1914 – April 27, 2009

I got this book about 3-4 months ago and haven’t really had the time to do much with it other than look it over briefly. I finally sat down and started reading the instructions on how to do some of these great looking vintage do’s using modern tools and I must say, I’m eager to try some of these styles out! What I like about this book is that the author does a great job laying out everything you will need for the hairstyle. As with anything, practice makes perfect. But any help making techniques like pin curls more understandable and possible is a hit in my book. A description of the information in the book:

The book begins with the basic elements and works its way back to advanced techniques. Chapter one describes the tools and products used throughout. Chapter two offers detailed instructions on creating different curls, including the pin curl, the basis for many vintage hairstyles. Chapter three breaks down the proper way to comb the curls for the effect including creating fingerwaves, victory rolls, pompadours, and waves from pin curls. The fourth chapter of the book provides step-by-step start-to-finish detailed instructions for 25 different hairstyles created with different hair lengths and textures. The final 2 chapters provide ideas for hair accessories, makeup and nails to finish the look.

Read more…

I hope this gives you the skills you need to recreate the great vintage hairstyles that you have probably seen and wished you could do on yourself. All it takes is the willingness, determination, and patience to keep working at it. Before you know it, you’ll be able to whip your hair into a beautiful retro do (in 15 min. once you really get it down pat) that will have people oohhing and aahhhing :->