Debutante Clothing :: The Deblog :: A vintage clothing and fashion blog for unconventional style where vintage, street and runway meet.

Tuesday, I posted a review of the new hairstyling book that all the vintage fashionistas are buzzing about - Vintage Hairstyling by Lauren Rennells. It is a gorgeous book that will help even the teasing comb challenged get an authentic vintage do.

And I have two special announcements:

If you would like to ask hair and makeup artist and author of Vintage Hairstyling a question, leave a comment and she'll be happy to answer it. Think of it - a free hair consultation!

And, one lucky winner will receive a brand-spankin new copy of the book (a $29.95) value. Here are the rules. Leave a comment and tell us your favorite hairstyle decade. The winner will be picked at random.

All comments need to be in by Sunday 5pm PST.

Good luck!

Flipping through a collector's magazine, I came across a book that I wish had been around in my 20s when I painted the town in vintage - head to toe.

Vintage Hairstyling: Retro Styles with Modern Techniques by Lauren Rennells is filling a void left by Daniela Turudich's now out of print series of vintage hairstyle books. Lauren is a hair and make-up artist who works in the photography and film industry. She freelances providing unique designs for advertisements, films and television. Her passion for vintage hairstyles led her to write her incredibly useful book.

From cover to cover, the book is full of beautiful photography of vintage hair styling tools such as pink dryers and jars of Lustre-Creme. But this book is not a fluffy, pretty art book full of hair related pictures. The book is more instructional without being boring.

The beginning of the book walks you step by step through the necessary tools you will need and basic curl techniques in order to create a true vintage hairstyle. Then, Rennells leads you into the techniques for combing out the curls. Finally, you get into the actual styling.

I'm a very visual person. I have to see someone do something in order to determine if I am doing it correctly. The step by step directions with accompanying images are the next best thing to having Lauren right next to you. The steps are clear and concise.

Of course looking at all of the gorgeous models in their gorgeous hair dos made me pine for long hair again. But Lauren does not let us shorties down. She includes many hairstyles that are specifically for shorter hair, such as the Page Boy and Tiki Lounge, and many of the other styles are made to give long hair a fake short look. Her book is so good, she can even show you how to get fake bangs.

In order to get a better education on how to recreate vintage hairstyles, you'd have to enroll in beauty school. Lauren Rennells has really brought hair from the past into the reach of the modern girl.

Stay tuned for a very exciting contest involving hair, reading, learning and winning. Enough hints for you?

I am so giddy to see that many lovely people are digging Debutante Clothing. But I just wanted to let you know that some of you that prefer vintage in your mail box are not verifying your subscription. Check your spam. I'd hate for you not to get vintage deliveries!

I just wanted to let you all know that my latest piece on vintage sunglasses is now live at Venuszine.com. I curated a collection of some of the cutest specs on the web. Hope you like it! Leave a comment too.

Wow! I have received so much positive response and emails about the ebook. Because of the direct response I have gotten, and because you all took the time to email me, everyone who contacted me will be getting the book at a special discount price of $19.

I know some people who aren't used to buying ebooks are probably not sure about that price, but let me assure you that is pretty low for an ebook, especially one with such a specialization. Plus, there are other important perks:

1. There are currently no online guides on how to start an online vintage store-print or otherwise.

2. Because of the nature of vintage, a simple how to guide on ecommerce just won't meet the same needs.

3. The ebook will be featuring tips from folks who have been in the business for a very long time.

4. The ebook will be full of online resources that have taken me years to accumulate.

I didn't share all this information before, and many of you still contacted me. So to be fair, I will be extending the offer for another week.

By the way, have you seen how many articles related to vintage fashion have appeared in news papers, magazines and fashion blogs? Thank you Sex and the City and the economy! The truth is, many people want to look good for less and vintage is the way to go. It's a good time for vintage sellers.

If you contact me by July 8, I will honor the special price. After July 8th, the price will go up!

Contact me at ebook (at) debutanteclothing (dot) com

I am having a moment of total humility here. This past week, I've been lamenting on how to get all of you lovely readers to comment. Is it me? Or am I not giving you what you like? I know there are many fashion blogs that don't get very many comments, but my subscriptions say you're reading, my stats say more and more are finding Debutante Clothing, yet, things are quiet around here. So, I would love to know more about you!

My other fear is that comments aren't making it through spam. After about 30 nasty comments, I had to pull out some heavy artillery to zap the spam.

Come out and play. And let me know what is working and what is not. Really -- I won't cry.

Photo: Alex Woo Little Question Mark necklace

It's no secret that the number of vintage clothing stores has grown by leaps and bounds. There are many talented photographers and stylists on eBay that are making bad 90s thrift store finds look like runway collections.

In talking with my professional vintage colleagues, and reading vintage clothing message boards, it is apparent that not all vintage is good vintage in this new wave of sellers. While intentions are good and consumers are eager to part with hard earned money even in a recession for hipster vintage looks, it seems not all vintage sellers are implementing ethical selling practices.

Switching designer tags? Claiming something is vintage when it is clearly not? These practices are happening daily on eBay! This hurts the unsuspecting buyer and vintage sellers who are honest and spend great deals of time and money on finding real vintage for customers.

So I have decided to write a little ebook for anyone interested in getting into the fun, treasure hunting world of vintage selling.

It will be available in 1 month. But if you sign up now, I will be giving a special discount. Offer ends July 1st!

Want to get ahead of the rest of the vintage fashionistas? Email me at ebook (at) debutanteclothing (dot) com

I am so excited to share with you this adorable collection of vintage playsuits I curated for Venus Magazine's website venuszine.com. I was lucky enough to find some of the best examples of cute play suits on the web, and sold by some top level vintage dealers.

I've also been given the green light by Venus Editor in Chief Amy Schroeder to share more vintage finds with Venus readers. If you have any suggestions for future features, please let me know. Email me or leave a comment.

Go check it out!

When I'm not searching for and writing about vintage, I'm flipping through fashion magazines and reading fashion blogs and waxing poetic on beautiful things that excite me.

I was able to share my love for Stop Staring! with the uber high fashion blogzine, JC Report. Check out my article on the flip side of my double fashion life.

Sunday, at brunch, I was telling the girls that lately I've been receiving emails from people asking me to help them pinpoint the era of beloved treasures - family photos, vintage accessories. Tink exclaimed, "You're a History Detective!". I had such a good time helping a gentleman figure out who the relatives were in a set of antique photographs. We were able to determine that the mystery family members were alive in the late 1800s due to their attire. He was able to determine who these folks were and what their relation was. He was so grateful and happy.

Just last week, a really nice woman named Monica contacted me from Italy and wanted to know about her Gucci medallion clutch. She was trying to decide if she should keep or sell her grandmother's bag. After I told her how much its current value is, she decided to keep the heirloom. The internet has really made it easy for people with specialized needs to connect with people who have specialized skills. It felt really good to help two people answer some questions that they may not have been able to answer if it weren't for the web.

In light of all this connecting, digging and detective work, I have decided to add a service to Debutante Clothing. If you have questions about a vintage item, especially if it involves fashion, please email me. The digging is what makes selling vintage fun!

Disclaimer: I am not a certified appraiser. I cannot give documentation establishing value for purposes of insuring. The only thing I can ethically (and probably legally) do is give you an estimate on how much the item has recently sold for or an approximate age and some background info, based on my years of experience and resources.

Debutante Clothing was featured on the Style News section of My Space! Check it out.

Since certain unnamed blogger awards fail to consider fashion blogs worthy of recognition (the fact that Conde Nast decision makers read fashion blogs means nothing to you?), a few noteworthy fashion bloggers have taken matters into their own hands and created the first ever fashion blog awards-the Fabbie.

And there are some big names involved: the Manolo, Fashiontribes, Glam and the it list goes on.

I am so honored and thrilled to be nominated for

Best Indie/Niche Blog

It's been pretty quiet around here. I was gone for two weeks on a family vacation in Mazatlan, Mexico. I know-tough life. However, it was much too cold for my jersey and cotton frocks and tees.

With no real great shopping around, I had to tough it out in a hoodie. But it was a cute hoodie-it was a Joie hoodie with a peplum. That kind of makes up for it right?

Manolo the shoe blogger is ready to expand again. And this time into the Spanish speaking world.

He will be launching a new Manolo blog in Spanish. And I am very happy to be working with him to make this happen. The blogs will focus on fashion, celebrities and of course, shoes! Please spread the word.

And we're looking for writers. If you or someone you know happens to write fluently in Spanish, love fashion, et. al, and your wit is razor sharp, please email me. I'd love to talk to you about writing opportunities.

I just wanted to let you all know that Debutante Clothing was mentioned on David Meerman Scott's blog Web Ink Now.

I am so excited about what is happening in fashion as web 2.0 becomes a widely used tool that levels the playing field for new, emerging designers.

Be sure to check out the blog post and leave a comment regarding your fashion blogging adventures.

So it's been a while since I last posted. Can I make it up to you?

How about some music icon mixed with a dash of fashion and a bit of fashion history. Check out Debbie Harry talk about her accidental fashion status, her personal stylist Stephen Sprouse and the fact she still looks like a hot punk rock/dance wonderment.

Just wanted to let you know that the Norman Norell coat I blogged about is on the Leslie Hindman site ready for your vintage loving and bidding pleasure...

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be interviewed by She Unlimited, a really cool site and blog about everything girly under the sun.

I've never done a podcast for someone other than friends, so it was a neat experience. Gary Connolly, the host of the She Pods, asked me questions about how I got started and good questions about vintage clothing and fashion. I was afraid to listen to it. I thought I would sound like a total doofus. But it wasn't bad.

Go take a listen and tell me what you think.

Are you a vintage/indie/super cool designer?

Do you use vintage remnants to create a new, one of a kind masterpiece?

I'd love to promote your work. Just send me a brief description and your URL and I'll get back to you if I think we're a good match.

Here's what you get:
• Close to 1000 hits per day on my blog
• Connected to top fashion blogger networks like Glam.com and Coutorture.com
• Targeted readers (vintage and unique fashion lovers)

What do I get?
• Cool stuff to talk about
• New friends
• The satisfaction that I am helping promote style not canned fashion

Contact me at

I am so proud to be part of the fabulous Glam Network. The site has reached to the number 1 spot on the comScore Media Matrix, beating out iVillage who has been number 1 for ten years!

17 MILLION GO GLAM Glam Media Ranked as Number One Women's Web Property by comScore

NEW YORK, June 18, 2007 - Glam Media today announced its new ranking as number one on the comScore Media Metrix Top 10 Women's Community Web Properties list and the fastest-growing 100 Web property year over year ending May 2007, according to May 2007 data. Overtaking long-time incumbent iVillage/NBC, Glam Media, with a reach of almost 10 percent of the total U.S. online audience and more than 17 million unique visitors a month, manages display and video brand advertising campaigns for hundreds of premium and luxury advertisers through Glam websites and its unique network of publishers.

comScore MediaMetrix Top 10 Women's Web Properties
Web Property May -07
1. Glam Media 17,299
2. iVillage.com: The Womens Network 17,116
3. Everyday Health 8,413
4. CondeNast Publications - CondeNet Network 6,935
5. Womensforum Sites 5,831
6. Disney Family Network 4,447
7. Sheknows 4,386
8. BabyCenter Network 4,183
9. The Knot 3,881
10. Better Home & Gardens (BHG.com) 3,673

Fastest-Growing Web 100 Properties
Web Property May -06 May -07 Growth
1. Glam Media 463 17,299 3,638%
2. Mezi Media Sites 1,992 8,988 351
3. Fox Interactive Media 21,498 82,260 283

I remember when Julieta Alvarado at Glam Media approached me to join. My blog was new and small, not that it is much bigger. I was so flattered. And I am still flattered to be part of such an amazing group of bloggers.

You go Glam!

IQONS*, the MySpace for fashion lovers, has deemed Debutante Clothing a " Uniquely voiced blogs and sites covering fashion, style and creativity". Check out the other amazing blogs listed on Iqonography, IQONS* IT List. Come join me at IQONS*.

The new issue of Fashiontribes is finally up at Moli.com. Be sure to check it out and leave me some feedback if you'd like.

The biggest story was She's a Betty's article on Fashion Copyright issues and the potential law suits against low end retailers and manufacturers knocking off designer fashions. It's a hot topic and worthy of debate.

I'm torn-on one hand I do feel guilty when I inadvertently purchase a designer knock off. For example, I bought a quilted, kiss lock, leopard print bag a little shop in the mall, and then I realized, after I brought it home, that it looked an awful lot like a modified Marc Jacobs Stam bag. It's still in my trunk. I feel sort of guilty.

But I get really annoyed that Diane Von Furstenburg thinks she can charge $300 for a dress that is made in China. If Forever 21 sees a huge hit in this dress, and they make their clothes in Asia also, what is the real difference in the dress? But in this case, DVF would probably win her case because it is a clear cut knock off.

Stephanie of Pretty Baby Vintage and I added our two cents about how vintage designs are always knocked off. Marc Jacobs and Zac Posen can attest to that.

This is one of the many reasons I wear vintage. There hasn't been innovative and beautiful design since the middle of the last century. Everyone knocks everyone off because we have lost what really matters: style!

What do you think? Are knock offs ok?

The new issue of Fashiontribes is finally up at Moli.com. Be sure to check it out and leave me some feedback if you'd like.

The biggest story was She's a Betty's article on Fashion Copyright issues and the potential law suits against low end retailers and manufacturers knocking off designer fashions. It's a hot topic and worthy of debate.

I'm torn-on one hand I do feel guilty when I inadvertently purchase a designer knock off. For example, I bought a quilted, kiss lock, leopard print bag a little shop in the mall, and then I realized, after I brought it home, that it looked an awful lot like a modified Marc Jacobs Stam bag. It's still in my trunk. I feel sort of guilty.

But I get really annoyed that Diane Von Furstenburg thinks she can charge $300 for a dress that is made in China. If Forever 21 sees a huge hit in this dress, and they make their clothes in Asia also, what is the real difference in the dress? But in this case, DVF would probably win her case because it is a clear cut knock off.

Stephanie of Pretty Baby Vintage and I added our two cents about how vintage designs are always knocked off. Marc Jacobs and Zac Posen can attest to that.

This is one of the many reasons I wear vintage. There hasn't been innovative and beautiful design since the middle of the last century. Everyone knocks everyone off because we have lost what really matters: style!

What do you think? Are knock offs ok?