Vintage Nightgowns - The perfect gift!

Although they're quite sheer and frothy, when you're special someone gets a peek, you'll certainly be kept warm!

This week I'm parting with a portion of my lingerie collection. Long gowns, short babydoll nighties, and peignoirs from all the best makers, Lucie Ann, Vanity Fair, Van Raalte, Miss Elaine and more!

All are at auction for low starting prices and no reserve!

See BombshellShocked's Vintage Lingerie NOW!

Plus Size Vintage Dresses!

I just added some cute 1950s dresess to my ebay store. Not only are they head turners, they all have waists over 35 inches!

Wear them in the winter with a cute sweater over them, and then in the summer with nothing at all!

Shop BombshellShocked now

Another Fab Photo Shoot

I am absolutely exhausted! I spent this afternoon with Red Hot Annie taking a bunch of photos for upcoming ebay listings. How is it that one woman can look so amazing in so many different styles?

Now I'm just trying to organize the 50+ items, figure out a listing schedule, wrangle the toddler and try to talk myself into making it to an exercise class this evening. Somehow 105 degree yoga, doesn't sound like that much fun right now.

AMAZING Vintage - ALL LESS THAN $19.99

It is time to treat yourself... without clearing out your Pay Pal account! The Vintage Blow Out is going on NOW! Ebay's finest vintage sellers have listed hundreds and hundreds of vintage items, all for $19.99 or LESS! High quality vintage from the 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s and 80s at unbelievable prices.

Just search VBO on ebay!

VINTAGE BLOW OUT - Huge Sale - SHOP NOW

If you can tear yourself away from rehashing family drama over cocktails you NEED to check out ebay this weekend. It is time for VBO, that is short for VINTAGE BLOW OUT! As of this moment there are nearly 800 items listed and they are ALL UNDER $19.99.

I just scored this black and white beauty for only 18 Bucks!! Thanks Face-Cow!

If you've had your eye on anything in my store, check again. Many items have been discounted 50%! Some even more!

Just put VBO into the search box and prepare to find some fantastic vintage treasures!!

Stunning and Practical - The Perfect Winter Coat

Sadly, it is that time of year again. For us girls in the cold north, practicality starts to trump fashion. It seems like every girls wardrobe changes from the cutest bright colored little sundresses to lumpy layers of brown, black and gray.

It really hit me a few years ago at Midway Airport. It was February and I had just returned from a lovely trip to Southern California. In a few short hours I went from trees with green leaves, flowers blooming and exuberant California clothing to the drab sea of wool that is Chicago in the winter. It truly is amazing how little color you see on the streets in the coldest months. Heck, a light brown coat sticks out like a traffic cone.

Which brings me to why you need a brightly colored winter coat. Life is too short to spend 4 months blending into the asphalt.

The coat shown above is a real cutie. For one thing it is completely reversible! One side is a black and white checked tweed, and the other is a bright cherry red mohair. Quintessential 1950's styling, over sized buttons and 3/4 length sleeves.

And just think, if you accidentally brush the side of a car and end up covered in salt residue, you can just flip it inside out!

Available now on Ebay.

Vintage 1950s Reversible Red Tweed Mohair Coat M L XL

When you need to be formal but want to go swimming....

The perfect swimsuit for formal occasions! I am in love with this 1950's Limited Edition Rose Marie Reid. It has a layer of sheer black lace over a nude colored swimsuit.

It is truly a head turner. I can just imagine sipping a cocktail by the pool with lucite spring-o-lators lying next to my lounge chair, a huge black straw cartwheel hat shading my face and rhinestone cat eye sunglasses to avoid being recognized by the paparazzi . Unfortunately, I just can't imagine chasing after William at the public beach in this so it is up for grabs on ebay. Shop BombshellShocked

Driving for Obama! But lagging behind....

So yesterday I spent 12 hours volunteering for Obama's visit to Chicago. A job which I decided couldn't possibly be done without pantyhose and pearls (which I forgot to put on). I was assigned to drive for the motorcade (WTF?!?! Me?!!?) and I spent the morning driving out to the airport with the other volunteers and picking up a fleet of white rental vans. When it came time to hear are assignments I found that me answering "I Do" to the question of "Do you know your way around the city?" meant that I was assigned to the Straggler car. The Straggler stays behind at each stop for an additional 15-20 minutes just in case someone missed the motorcade. Although an important position (so I told myself) that meant that I was to miss everything exciting for the entire day. While others got to go onto the tarmac and watch Air Force One land....I lagged behind. Driving 60mph on the shoulder past bumper to bumper traffic....lagged behind. Everyone one else getting THEIR PICTURE TAKEN WITH THE PRESIDENT....I was circling outside.

I kept reminding myself that I was there to work and do whatever was needed and I felt I completed my job successfully. Meeting Barack would have been the gravy for the day, I had plain ol' potatoes!

All the sitting and circling still had a bit more excitement than my average day listing on ebay and I would do it again anytime. I have 7 more years to have the chance!

Out hunting for.....PANTYHOSE?!?! Big SECRET!

I'm in the process of packing up the kid for a day of retail shopping. Yes, there are some things I don't buy vintage.

On the top of the list is a pair of pantyhose. I can't even remember the last time I wore a pair of honest to goodness pantyhose. Tights, sure. Fishnets, absolutely. Stockings, occasionally.

I have big goings on tomorrow but I don't want to jinx anything yet. There is no question in my mind that such an occasion requires nude pantyhose. All will be revealed soon, but until then, keep your fingers crossed!

Am I the only one that doesn't like etsy?

I love the idea, I love the fee structure, I love seeing kooky handmade items that I've never seen before, I even love the little "heart" thing.

What I cannot get over is searching. It is useless! I stop by every once in a while to try to unearth a fun treasure and I get sick of it almost immediately. Sure the little square pictures are cute, but the titles are all cut off and people seem to use the 3 most useless words for the first words of their their titles. The whole "tags" things makes sense in theory, but many sellers use tags that seem to have nothing to do with the item.

I know many see it as the future of selling vintage clothing, if it annoys me this much as a buyer, I can't deal with it as a seller.

As much as ebay has wrong with it, it is soooo much easier to shop for something specific.

Am I missing something? Please educate me!

....photo above from last weeks photo shoot. I just wanted to give y'all a little eye candy for reading my pathetic rant!

Making Vintage Fashions Come Alive! Hooray for Models!

I'm so excited! This afternoon I had the pleasure of working with Red Hot Annie and Maria May I , members of the fantastic burlesque troop Vaudezilla.

I had a ball working with these vibrant women, getting to see my clothing on actual people, chatting and snapping lots of pictures!

There is too much to do this afternoon and not enough time so I'll just leave you with one more teaser picture. Tomorrow the listing begins!

The End of an Era - Saying Goodbye to the Lincoln

Sigh.....It truly is the end of an era. Our dear 1963 Lincoln Continental Convertible is now for sale. No matter how you look at it, a beautiful boat like this just isn't practical for a city family with a young child. Hell, the damn thing wasn't even built with seat belts, much less a LATCH system.

In this beautiful car we toured the most glamorous cities in this country: Milwaukee! Madison! Indianapolis! Kenosha! Villa Park! Hayti!

Back in 2000 when I first met Sean I found out that he was 30 years old and NEVER had a driver's license. Shocked, I asked him what car would make him get one. He quickly replied "The Kennedy Car". A couple of weeks later we drove by a parking lot with a 1963 Lincoln Continental with a For Sale sign. SOLD! We were young, in love and had a little money to burn! Although we're not quite as young now and the money bush in the yard has shriveled up and died, thankfully the love is still strong.

While cleaning it out I came across a fortune cookie fortune that read "Romance and travel go together now". I love my husband more today than when we were married, but I will admit that an old Lincoln is much more romantic than a late 90's Mercury and as far as "travel" goes, does running out to Walgreens count?

Chicago Classic Cars, Inc.

Where have I been? Stuck in the 80's!!

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted. Time is flying by so quickly! I have been in a bit of a funk so I spent more time shopping than I have listing. Things are looking up though, the sun is shining, the bulbs are blooming, my office is almost organized and I just put a ton of 80's items up for auction on ebay under my id BombshellShocked. Lots of jumpsuits, dresses and rompers all starting at $19.99 or less.

For the first time EVER I got myself a model and I'm pretty darn happy with the way things are progressing. Sure the photos have something to be desired, but I'm learning with every shot. Hopefully, my hard work will pay off.

Chic Chicago - Vintage Fashion Exhibit

I have no idea why I put of visiting the Chicago History Museum to see the Chic Chicago exhibit. Yesterday I decided that I was long overdue. I packed the kid up, hopped on the bus and headed for Lincoln Park. The plan was to let the kid run wild at the zoo and then I would run to the History Museum to enjoy the exhibit at my leisure. Someone must have been watching over me because everything went smoothly. William ran around "Africa" until he started acting a bit tipsy. I loaded him into the stroller and headed for the nearest restroom to change his diaper, but he couldn't even stay awake long enough to get there. He was PASSED OUT! HOORAY!

I didn't waste a moment getting to the museum. I poked my head into the gift shop to see if I could afford the book before I got my heart set on it. On the bright side I could afford it, on the down side it was only available in paper back. I resisted the urge to peek and hopped on the elevator to the second floor.

From the moment I walked in I was in heaven! A 1948 Dior New Look Dress! THREE 1920's Chanel dresses! An incredible 1937 Schiaparelli Evening Ensemble beaded with a Jean Cocteau design! A Charles James "Butterfly" ball gown from 1954! A 1924 Lanvin Wedding gown! Just to name a few.

What really took my breath away was the 1913 Paul Poiret "Sorbet" evening gown. One of only 3 known to exist this one is the only one that follows the original sketch!

Is it odd to get teary eyed while looking at dresses?

To make the exhibit even more interesting than it already was the stories of the women who wore the gowns were included in the display. It was a great lesson in fashion and Chicago history.

William slept through my very slow perusal of the gowns and I even had time to go take a peek at a couple of the permanent exhibits.

When he finally did wake up I rewarded him with playtime on the el car and the train engine.

If you have the ability come to Chicago and see this exhibit! It was absolutely breathtaking!

AUCTIONS!

I haven't run very many auctions lately but with Viva Las Vegas rapidly approaching I thought I'd put some out there. Please see my ebay auctions at BombshellShocked for some cute 1950's mens items and fabulous dresses!

My Name is Nicole, I am addicted to sweaters

My name is Nicole and I am addicted to sweaters. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I write that I probably have 60 in my dressers and closet right now. My two favorites are also the two newest. The first was purchased on ebay a couple of weeks ago. It was made by Dalton out of pink cashmere and has the fox fur collar dyed to match. PINK FOX FUR! Just thinking about it gets me slightly woozy. I have been searching for one for years and I still can't quite believe it is mine.

The second I picked up at a shop last week. It is navy blue with fruit beaded on it in white, red and lime green. I haven't quite decided what the fruit is. My first thought was grapes, but someone else guessed strawberries and now I'm almost thinking raspberries. Any way you slice it is more vibrant than any other beaded sweater that I have ever seen.

I love vintage swears. They look great over a fancy dress or a t-shirt and jeans. I'm always telling myself that I'll get rid of some, but it never really happens. Whenever I pick out a couple to sell, I end up realizing how much I like them and they go right back into the closet.

Hello Sailors!!

I could hardly believe my eyes when I came across this darling 1940's sailor outfit! It has everything you need in a summer outfit, high waisted shortie shorts, puffed sleeves and nautical style. Available now on ebay under my user ID BombshellShocked.

Dress Your Man!

I usually stay away from buying mens clothing because I just don't know enough about it. But it doesn't take a genius to see how amazing these pieces are! The first is a sport jacket that has a tiger novelty print, the second is a velvet jacket and the third is a atomic fleck shirt. All are on auction right now under my user name BombshellShocked.

Missing: One Armful of Bakelite....

For the life of me I can't find my butterscotch/green bakelite stash. I'm sure I stuck it somewhere but I can't for the life of me unearth it. I'm guessing that I came home with a couple of cocktails in me, took them off and put them in a place where I would be sure not to loose them.

Hmmmmm.....maybe I need to recreate the crime scene.

New Listings - lots of 50's

Here are just three of the items I listed yesterday on Ebay under my ID BombshellShocked. The first is a pair of 50s 60s metallic gold capri pants. The second is a darling striped 1950's full skirt day dress with a 25 inch waist. The third is a blue linen full skirt dress with matching wrap and a 25-26 waist.

I have so much more to list, I'll most likely be listing tomorrow too!

LORETTA LYNN - Pee My Pants Excited!!

OH MY GOODNESS OH MY GOODNESS!!

I just dropped one big chunk of change but I don't care! I'm going to see LORETTA LYNN. She's playing a benefit for The Old Town School of Folk Music and I just bought tickets!! I can't believe how small the venue is. According to the website no seat is more than 45 feet from the stage! One month from tomorrow I'll be applying my waterproof I makeup so I won't completely embarrass myself at the show. WHOOPEE!!!!

More Hockey Fashion

On Sunday we made a family trip down to the United Center to watch the Blackhawks get murdered by the worst team in hockey.

On the bright side, my best friend, Kati, was there with her DH and her darling daughter, Teagan. Since it was such a nice day, William "drove his car" (pictured here at Halloween dressed up as Burt Reynolds from Smokey and the Bandit) and because we walked to the stadium I was able to have a beer.....ok, a beer and a bit of whiskey...we were celebrating our Irish heritage and it tasted lovely. I really miss being able to have a drink whenever I want.

I wore a new (to me) 1950's black and white sundress with a full skirt, fitted bodice and shoulder ties (one of which had fallen into my cleavage). In my head I looked much cuter and in my defense I was holding 40 pounds of baby. The pic isn't so hot, but it just felt wonderful to be outside in a dress!

C'mon spring!!

Dresses! Dresses! Dresses!

I listed quite a few dresses on ebay this week and here are three of my favorites. The first has been dubbed "Heroin Chic" due to its abstract poppy pattern and has a 30 inch waist. The second is a 2 piece skirt and top made from super shiny polished cotton and accented with metallic silver piping and has a 26 inch waist. The third has the most darling novelty print of a gypsy caravan with dancers and a 35 inch waist.

I look forward to the day, hopefully very soon, when I can wear similar dresses not accessorized with thick tights, wool sweaters and a heavy wool coat.

How many airplanes do you think I could build today?

A couple of weekends ago I went to my first estate sale in years and SCORED on some vintage 1940's pants and 2 pairs of coveralls. I was practically shaking when I tried them on the next day, they fit perfectly!! Seriously, I felt like I re-bought my wardrobe from a previous life! Who knew there was another short, chunky girl out there with a waist!

Last Friday the weather was absolutely beautiful so I decided to dress up a bit for my errands. I threw on my denim coveralls, red white and blue heels & bakelite, wrapped a bandanna around my head and hopped on my 1942 Elgin bike. I felt great. I guess I'm not the only only one who thought I looked ok, I was practically chased down by a very handsome man in a pricy car who offered to take me out. Of course, I declined but it felt good to be noticed again.

I need to remind myself how much better I feel when I take a few extra minutes to get my self dresssed up. It is so hard in the winter when I really do NEED to wear my flannel lined jeans, but thankfully spring is on the way!

I have so much to do today, I went on a massive shopping spree last weekend and have some amazing items to list, lots of SUN DRESSES!

Why am I just learning about this now!?!

Ebay seller Fabgabsvintage just alerted me to the existence of Freddie's of Pinewood a UK company that makes fabulous reproduction jeans! The only problem seems to be that I can't decide which style/color I want! Even with our weak dollar, they're still cheaper than most mall jeans and a billion times cuter. I can't wait to buy them!

I'm not the only one wearing vintage...

Finding 1950's vintage boys clothes is pretty hard, but I have plenty of 1970's. I picked up this Heath Tex shirt last week, it reads "Little Cowboy".

I still can't seem to make heads or tails of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's ban on the sale of used children's clothing. I can't imagine a world were I can't thrift shop for my little guy. I was hoping to add the kids vintage that I have been hoarding to my ebay shop but I am waiting to see how the cards fall.

Vintage Hockey Sweater for the Blackhawks Game

On Sunday the whole family went to the Blackhawks game. We have season tickets but thanks to jr.'s schedule we haven't made too many this year.

Having committed to dressing better I decided not to wear jeans and a jersey and instead put on a shirtwaist dress and a Mary Maxim knit hockey sweater. Unfortunately, the picture definitely isn't one of our best shots and you can't see the dress at all, but I thought I would share it here anyway.

I like vintage Mary Maxim graph knitting patterns but I LOVE it when I can find them already knit up. I believe this one was meant for a child since it is quite slim fitting, but that is what I like about it.

Sunday was a special occasion, one of Sean's favorite players of all time, Bob Probert, was signing autographs. He was a great goon and is ranked 4th overall for penalty minutes. Only one item could be signed per person, Sean brought his jersey, I brought William's Levi's jean jacket and I just grabbed a random jersey for myself. Just before it was our turn, a 20-something guy came up to the line and was trying to get the people in front of us to take his jersey to be autographed. They all refused because of the item limit, but I had the guts to ask "What's it worth to you?" A few moments later he had a dedicated, autographed jersey and I have enough cash to get my hair done and my eyebrows waxed!

Hooray!

Dreaming of Summer....

Chicago got hit with more snow last night, as I type and sip tea Sean is shoveling all the walkways.

Summer just can't come fast enough! Yesterday I spent time photographing vintage swimsuits. I hoped it would put me in a better mood, but I think it actually did the opposite. Auctiva has been acting strangely and until it improves I'll leave you with what just may be my favorite swimuit of all time, which I have listed on ebay. Made by Cole of California, it is absolutely dripping with fringe.

A Little Introduction

As a very wise woman once said (Laura from Project Runway to be exact), “It is a slippery slope to sweatpants and a mini-van.” Thankfully, I have not yet made it to the bottom of that slope, but I can see it clearly from my kitchen window.

So what does a girl do when, after years of priding herself on her minty vintage frocks & Lucite box purses finds herself in jeans with a diaper bag over one shoulder and baby in tow?
Hence the name, BombshellShocked. I believe it a fitting name for a formerly cute rockabilly girl who looked in the mirror one morning and couldn’t figure out what the hell happened to her fashion sense.

Although the era of the 1950’s glorified motherhood, it did not embrace breastfeeding and clothing was not based upon comfort. I am determined to combine the rockabilly style with ease of movement, breast accessibility, and the ability to get fully dressed within my toddler’s attention span. It isn’t easy, but isn’t impossible either.

Yes, ladies, I am determined to have it all!