Prints Charming Sunday: Is That A Swordfish In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Welcome back to a long overdue Prints Charming Sunday!





Sorry for the lapse in posting, friends! You can expect more weirdness like this off and on for the next couple months, with some regular ol' life changes going on (not like, menopause or anything, sheesh, I make it sound like a geriatric commercial or something), and I may not be around much (temporarily! only temporarily!), so please hang in there and bear with me!

Anyway, today's vintage novelty print is uber-perfecto for summer coming up! I'm sure it's been blogged about before elsewhere, but frankly my dears, I don't give a damn. It's charming! It's fun! It's seriously outta my price range!

May I present, this Vintage 40's Swordfish Novelty Print Rayon Pinup Swimsuit:

Prints Charming Sunday: Book To The Future

Welcome to a very late Prints Charming Sunday!




I apologize for the lateness of today's post- I've been slackified by reading all the live long day today-- on my new Look Book reader. I swore I would never, ever buy a Kindle or a Lookbook or any brand of e-reader for that matter. I'm not one who's easily impressed by technology or people who need to keep up with it. The Joneses can sprint right on past me with their high-tech gadgets, overpriced Starbucks and brand new SUVS. I've always, my entire life since about birth, had a 1940's "make do and mend" mentality instilled in me. The same goes for books. I love that instant vibe you get when you walk into a library and begin pacing the aisles until you see a crackly leather-bound calling your name. I love the feel of pages of brittle, yellowed, dry paper between my fingers and the musty "old book smell" that drifts out of it. And I ain't talking about a trip to Borders. The whole going-to-the-library process is tradition, spending rainy days sitting in old leather club chairs or sitting on the floorby the window can't ever be replaced. Call me a sentimental fool or a nostalgic sap, I don't mind. But when the opportunity to buy a brand spanking new Lookbook for 30 bucks came up, well, even *I* was dragged into the 21st century. (But I gotta tell you, pushing a button to turn a page just ain't doing it for me.)

So for today's vintage novelty print, I wanted to find something book-related for a theme, because themes are great! They're my raison d'etre. But alas, no book novelty prints. However, in the theme of all-things-nerdy, I did find a wonderfully geeky print...


Paper clips!



Vintage Green Paper Clip Novelty Print Cotton Jacket is currently available on Etsy from seller Bred Vintage.

Perfect for a walk to the library, isn't it?...

Prints Charming Sunday: It Came From The Beach

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!




Today's vintage novelty print pick makes me infinitely happy for no real reason, other than it's so summery cute it hurts. Or maybe because it looks like something that an Annette Funicello, Sandra Dee or any other generic Gidget-y character would wear in any generic, early 60's, non-Elvis, bad acting, highly unrealistic, low-grade beach movie. You know the plot: teen girl sings duets while learning valuable life lessons when she and her perfect nuclear family go to the beach for summer vacay and she of COURSE makes her Dad worried when she falls in love with the ONE random beatnik-ish surfer type (who's actually a pretty big weenie and would get his ass kicked on a daily basis by REAL beatnik-y surfer types, but for Disney's purpose he's "bad" enough) and oh yeah, throw in a screwball biker gang that hasn't ever committed any real crimes, other than perhaps jaywlking (gasp! not jaywalking!!) for some wacky hijinks involving a band, a bonfire and someone driving his bike off the pier and THAT, my friends, more or less sums up every awesomely bad 1960's beach movie ever made.

And THIS more or less looks like what any girl in that movie would wear:







Charming little Vintage 60's Novelty Beach Print Top is currently available on Etsy from seller Less Than Perfect Vintage.

Prints Charming Sunday: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!



Hot jumping jebus on a griddle, it's the first day of spring. Can you even stand it? I can't. I'm besides myself with jubilation and gid. Can you not tell? Seriously though, I'm just so glad snow and ice and flood-y basements are done and over with! Gone are overpriced shovels and cracked plastic ice scrapers and salty boots. Except... we have snow in the forecast here in the northeast for the week, so that sort of blows the whole shiny happy vibe to hell in a hand basket, doesn't it? But damn the snow, notwithstanding, it's spring nonetheless!*

To celebrate** this here first day-o-spring, I present to you this biblically fabulous Vintage 50's Garden of Eden Novelty Print Dress, currently available on Etsy from seller Revolving Styles:








It's not the greatest closeup, but can you see it's a scene of a nudie Adam & Eve with the snake lurking in the tree? Cute! Tree-hugging streakers and a suggestive, phallic reptile? Sounds about right. It must be spring.







* Side note, part 1: I've been wanting to drop schmancy words like "nonetheless" and "notwithstanding" on y'all for a while now. Impressed? I figured.


** Side note, part deux: who exactly literally celebrates the first day of spring? (Or the first day of anything for that matter.) Pagans? Ancestral witches? Ancient druids? Celtic warlocks? I must know who you season revelers are! I'll wait.

Prints Charming Sunday: Fox Trot

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!




Usually I pick out something more...what's the word...fashion-y (?)... for our weekly themes, but today's vintage novelty print is so charming I had to show you guys! It's this really cute Vintage 40's Dancing Foxes Novelty Print Silk Scarf, available on Etsy from seller Loulou's Vintage:





I like that they look slightly sinister, like they can't wait for the song to be over so they can get to sabotaging each other. I wish I knew how to properly rock a scarf, so I could be all over this. I bet it'd look equally as cool if it were framed though, don'tcha think? (Also: how, precisely, does one spell "don'tcha"? Because that looks incredibly stupid and wrong.)

Prints Charming Sunday: Cherub Me The Right Way

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!





I don't know if any of you guys remember this trend or can relate, but back in the early 90's I recall everyone (at least, everyone in my podunk neck of the woods) got crazy into collecting angels and cherubs. Angel candles, angel garden statues, angel jewelry, books about angles, all kinds of angel crap. Hell, you couldn't swing a bag of cats (huh?) without hitting a wall graced with a poster of Raphael's damn cherubs- remember these little scamps?:



Not that I have anything against angels or cherubs or anything celestial for that matter. It's just that when you see floating heads with wings all. the. damn. time., it doesn't take long before you're sick to death of it. Like your husband. Or those little people who keep calling you "mom." So way back then I swore no more angels, ever. None with wings or ones that sing, none with gossamer gowns or wearing crowns, none playing mandolins or violins or holding lutes or carrying flutes. (Suck on THAT, Dr. Seuss.)

So color me shocked! surprised! amused! that I found a pretty dandy vintage novelty print dress today of cherubs that doesn't make me wanna puke. (That's a compliment to the dress and seller, I assure you.)

And lo, the skies cleared and angels sang alleluia, allowing a single beam of sunlight to shine down upon this:





It's cute, right? I love the non-overly girlie colorway. Plus, little Rambo here looks seriously ticked off, like he's ready to bust a cap in yo' ass with his bow and arrow, so that pretty much rules.


Vintage 40's Cupid Novelty Print Rayon Dress is available on Etsy from seller The Vintage Studio.

Prints Charming Sunday: Tiny Dancer

Thanks for dropping by another fine Prints Charming Sunday!




You know, I was all set to try and find a sweet and romantic (albeit generic) rose print for today's theme. I know, I know, roses are hardly news-worthy OR that much of a novelty, but being as though it's Valentine's Day coming up and all (in case you forgot) I thought I'd go the cliche route and write about them. But then I found a print that rocked my socks off (whatever that means) because not only is it roses (aww sweet, blech) but it's also a novelty print (huzzah!). And what a combo at that! I give you:





Roses and...Mexican dancers? With fans? And sombreros, even? Perfecto! Not too syrup-y, not too wacky, not too...Valentine's Day-y...just right! Plus, it's not tiny!...unlike the dancers on the it. (Thank you! I'll be here all night!)




Vintage 40's Rayon Novelty Print Tiered Peplum Dress is available on Etsy from seller Club Vintage.

Prints Charming Sunday: Love, Exciting And New

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!




Did today's title get "the Love Boat" theme song stuck in your head? Ha! That is my gift to you. I've been thinking alot about Valentine's Day themed titles for blog posts, and the stinking freaking Love Boat won't leave my brain. Bah! Damn you stupid 1970's awesomely crappy tv shows. Now, normally I'm all about wacky novelty prints from the 40's and 50's. I don't generally "do" novelty prints from the 1970's (it just ain't my bag, baby) but then in an interesting twist of ironic irony, I came across a 1970's novelty print that's so very fitting to go with today's Love Boat era/valentines-y theme that I couldn't not show it off. (Did you enjoy that double negative that I dropped on you just there, grammar nazis? I thought you might.)




Ta-da! So polyester-y. So butterfly collar-y. So...70's. What's that Julie? I'm wanted on the Lido deck for cocktail hour with Captain Stubing and celebrity guest stars Charo and Tom Jones? Be right there! I'm just pulling on my tight-fitting polyester shirt then we'll party hardy until we pass out or dock in Puerto Vallarta, whichever comes first!

(Who me, watch too many classic TV reruns? Never.)


Vintage 70's "Love and Kisses" Novelty Print Shirt is offered by seller Wunderbar Vintage.

Prints Charming Sunday: Paint Life Grand

I'm baa-aack, after a very long week of snow, more snow, wind, down power lines, power loss and oh yeah, did I mention the friggin' snow?! Because we northeast types had a just a wee bit of it, in case you haven't heard. So I'm glad you've popped in to this here much-missed Prints Charming Sunday, bringing you the finest vintage novelty prints around!



I think we could use a happy little print to peep, don't you? Something to remind us that spring is indeed going to come soon enough, allowing us to put away the flannel and pain in the ass snow boots and break out cool vintage for warm weather, like this Vintage 60's Painter's Palette Print Skirt, available on Etsy from seller Lola Vintage:





Seriously, this print makes me so damn chipper, it's ridiculous. My inner art nerd is kvelling. Did I happen to mention it's a mere 18 bucks?! Because it is. 18 clams, my friends, 18 clamaroonies. If it wasn't too big for me, I'd be all over it like...something that's on something. Sorry. A clever response escapes me at the moment, because of this damn happy.

Prints Charming Sunday: Great Snowballs of Fire

Welcome to a very arctic Way-Out Wednesday!





If you're just about anywhere in the US right now, you're probably under an assault of snow and freeziness. Gross, I'm with you. (HOW much longer 'til spring? Sigh.) But today's vintage novelty print pick is almost cute enough to make you forget that outside feels like a meat locker! Almost. Except for the tiny fact that it's a skiing print. So I guess you can't forget about winter after all, can you? Damn. Nevermind.




At any rate, this Vintage 50's Ski Gear Novelty Print Skirt available on Etsy is still charming enough to cure what ails you, assuming of course that what ails you is anything but the cold. Then you're out of luck, my friend.

Behold the closeup of the cute:

Prints Charming Sunday: Luck You

Happy New Year and welcome to the first Prints Charming Sunday of 2011!




2011, good grief. It's weird writing "2011". It feels so wrong. All those ones make me uneasy, like computer nerd speak.

Nerd 1: "What did the 001101011011000100 say to the 111001011011101010?"
Nerd 2: "I dunno, what?"
Nerd 1: "2011."
Both nerds: "hahaha"

Whatever. But mostly what gets me is that it's gonna take me the next 6 months to stop writing "2010" on all my checks and just when I'm finally ready to accept it's 2011, it'll be 2012. And then the world will end so I guess I won't have to worry about screwing up any more checks. Well played, 2012! Well played.

Since it's the wee beginnings of the new year, I thought we could use a hearty dose of good luckery and positive mumbo jumbo, considering 2010 lacked sooo much of it. So while this vintage novelty print may be more suitable for, say, St. Patrick's Day, a good luck charm never hurt anybody. Unless you're the leprechaun from Lucky Charms. Poor guy had to live in constant fear of the hit out on him, with everyone always after his lucky charms. So unless you're a leprechaun from a cereal box, I suggest you behold this Vintage Vested Gentress 4 Leaf Clover Print Wrap Skirt, available on Etsy from seller Clovas:

Prints Charming Sunday: Cabin Fever

Welcome to a special, Christmas-y edition of Prints Charming Sunday!




Today's vintage novelty print pick is this charming Vintage 50's Winter Cabin Print Lanz Dress available on Etsy from seller Swing Kats Vintage:




It's so cute for Christmas and all of winter, even, with its quilty-ness and red & green-ness and pine tree/cabin-y print, um, -ness. Almost everything by Lanz is sure to be a winner, and this is no exception! Unless of course you have something against quilted things. Or red & green. Or cabins. Then you're out of luck, my friend.

A close-up of all of the "ness-es" of which I just spoke:

Prints Charming Sunday: Christmas Wrapping

Welcome to a Christmas-y edition of Prints Charming Sunday!



Today's vintage novelty print pick is not only spectacularly fantastic but it's also fantastically *perfect* for Christmas. Heck, the print could even work for my Hanukkah-celebrating peeps. Mazel tov, yo!





It's hard to make out, but it's actually a Vintage 40's Present Novelty Print Rayon Dress, available on Etsy from seller Mid Century Antiques.





Can you see? Red & green presents! Merry Christmas, bubalas!

Prints Charmning Sunday: Roxanne, You Don't Have To Put On The Red Light

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!





Today's vintage novelty print is utterly charming! (I know, it's super lame to call it that, considering today IS, after all, "Prints Charming Sunday", so it's not at all a creative description for it, but I'm telling you, it works. Behold, my good sirs and madams:




And now, let's discuss the print. Not being the fancy-pantsical or superbly well-versed in 19th century playwrights type, I'm not 100% certain but I'm assuming the print is based on "Cyrano de Bergerac"? It sure looks like the scene where the dude with the big-ass schnoz is wooing Roxanne, under the guise of being the hotty hotpants dude. Make sense? I thought not. See for thine selves:




Vintage 40's Rayon Novelty Print Dress currently available on Etsy from seller Vintageous Boutique.

Prints Charming Sunday: Leave It To Barbara

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!





I thought today's post should be done in honor of Barbara Billingsley, who I'm sure you all remember for her role as repressed housewife June Cleaver on the 1950's-'60s tv show Leave it to Beaver. R.I.P, Miss B. We'll miss you!

Barbara's fashion style on Leave it to Beaver was upper middle class, but not flashy or too "money" (she was "just" a housewife and mom, after all). She rocked smart, matching shirtdress and cardigan sets and the ubiquitous (and now cliche) pearls like nobody's business!





It wasn't an easy feat to find a classic shirtdress with a novelty print that wasn't *too* nutty or over the top for today's post, as her character never would've worn anything too bold, but I think I found just the thing (and how much it resembles her dress in the pic above is kinda cool), this Vintage 50's Butterfly and Pocket Watch Novelty Print Dress, available on Etsy from seller Our Tea Party, for a mere 40 bucks!:




I admit I never knew too much about Miss B and her acting career outside of Leave it to Beaver, though I recall her small but WAY sassy bit part on an episode of the tv show Roseanne in the '90s. But my favorite is, of course, her *ingenious* role as the jive talkin' old white broad on Airplane! ("Stewardess, I speak jive."). She was ahead of her time in those unexpected comedic roles, long before Betty White became, well, Betty White. And so I leave you with these final thoughts, immortalised by Miss Jive Talker herself: "Chump don' wan' no help, chump don' GET da help!"

Prints Charming Sunday: (Don't) Return To Sender

Welcome to another Prints Charming Sunday!



You know what I have zero of? Long-sleeved vintage dresses. Seriously. Not a one. I just never came across any cute frocks with long sleeves, I guess-- and not because I have especially long arms and legs, making it a feat against nature to find anything that doesn't make me look like I'm wearing a kindergartner's dress. (Ok, so maybe I do have that problem, but that's not the reason for no long sleeves, I swear.) So upon waking this morn to a particularly fall-ish day (cold, grey, rainy, blah-yet-ohmygawdilovethisweather), I decided to search for vintage long sleeves (in novelty prints, natch) and found this awesomeness, this Vintage 50's Letter Novelty Print Dress, available on Etsy from seller Sixsexsix (LOVE the shop name, btw!):






So, OK, it's technically only got 3/4-length sleeves, but oh well. That's a sacrifice I'd be willing to make with a fun print like that. Cold arms be damned!

Prints Charming Sunday: One, Two, Three O'Clock, Four O'Clock Rock!

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!






Oh, SNAP. Lookie lookie at this vintage novelty print:





Utter coolness, amiright?! You know what wasn't utter coolness? Me, in high school. I wish my teen years were like the wacky kids on this skirt. Hell, I'd settle for a day. But it never was like a supercheese episode of Happy Days for most of us, was it? (Ooh! Like the "Fonz-jumps-a-shark" episode! That would be a kickass day to have.) Unfortunately my Cool Kid Status didn't kick in until my 20's. Or 30's. OK, never. So I was always nerdy, so sue me. High school and teenagehood was a huge slice-o'lame cake with a side of boredom frosting and geek sprinkles. (Side note: must scout out- and possible kill for- cake. Now. Right now.) But whatevs. There's nothing like a healthy dose of repressing your feelings (and probably Miller High Life) that cures what ails ya, amiright?!


This totally incred Vintage 50's Rock & Roll Dancin' Teens & Records Print Skirt, on Etsy from seller Wear It Again:




If you need me, I'll be moping in my room listening to Wham! records and hoarding the Hubba Bubba. Lip Smackers and puffy unicorn stickers may be involved, it's gonna be a long night.

Prints Charming Sunday: It's A Mad Mad Mad Men World!

Welcome to Prints Charming Sunday!




For the 2.4 of you out there who aren't drawn into the Mad Men love affair, tonight is *finally* the season premiere! (No spoilers here so no worries, my international pals!) We were left hanging last season with many, well, cliffhangers (duh) and I personally can't wait to see who's gonna end up with who, who's gonna make it, who's gonna fail, and of course, who's doing who!

I spent a buttload of time this weekend looking for today's vintage novelty print that was apropos for a Mad Men theme. And let me just say: wow. Talk about a clusterfark of wrong. While there's alot of vintage out there that's properly keyworded, there's soooo much labeled with "Mad Men" that couldn't be LESS "Mad Men" if Don walked off the set personally and smacked it upside the head with a pack of Lucky Strikes. I'm in the "if you're doing it right, you don't need to rely on cheesy keywords" camp, but also the "what the hell do I care what other sellers do" camp. But seriously, people. 1970's polyester maxis? No! 1980s secretary dresses? Nein! Serving trays? What the hell?! For the love of all things Draper, let's stop the keyword bastardization and let a great dress be just a great dress and not clog up the internets with wrong labels! We'll be seeing polyester soon enough on the show, so all in good time, my pretties, all in good time.

I don't want you to think I'm a total negative nellie today, though! I did find many appropriate items that fit the Mad Men bill, and to you vintage sellers who "get it", I salute you. I could show you a ton of great wiggle dresses a la Joan, or dark suits & skinny ties a la Don, but it is Prints Charming Sunday, after all, so a print it must be! With a nod to Betty's upscale preppiness and fondness for riding horses, I give you today's pick:








This Vintage Equestrian Novelty Print Vested Gentress Skirt, currently available on Etsy from seller Vintage Stylez.