Friday, January 30, 2009

Favorite Things Roundup: January 2009


  1. Corset liners by Amy Crowder (Wasp Creations)
Any regular tightlacer knows how important corset liners are. They're often overlooked, partially because they're completely unglamorous and not meant to be seen, but they can't be ignored. Corset liners help protect your skin against chafing and absorb some of your perspiration and natural body oils that can damage the corset itself and shorten its lifespan. (And there's no getting around the fact that you do have to fork over the dough for specialized corset liners, as anyone who has ever tried to use a thin tank top as a corset liner will tell you.) However, important though they are, I have found exactly one corset liner that I like, made by Amy Crowder at Wasp Creations. For a while, I only had one of her corset liners and wore it constantly, and went into denial when it eventually failed to serve its purpose. So you can imagine my joy when my guy put two of the liners in my Christmas stocking!

Like many other corset liners, hers are custom-made with your measurements, but my favorite thing about them is that they are long. Some corset liners are cut to cover just the section of skin under your corset, but this isn't enough. Over the course of a day, corset liners have a tendency to move around a little, inching their way up to your waistline, and that sucks. Amy's don't do that because there is length to spare, but also because of the ribbing she puts around the top and bottom of her liners which help them stay put. She also adds some red stitching to the side of the corset that is meant to be worn on the inside touching your skin. Really, it doesn't get easier than that. (For the record, her corsets are pretty incredible too, and among my favorites.)


2. Pin curls

I won't claim to have mastered them yet, but I've certainly improved with the help of my pin curl book and duckbill clips. One of the secrets is to have the patience to wind hair in appropriately small sections; it's tempting to take too much hair for one curl. The other secret is the aforementioned duckbill clip. Bobby pins make unsightly creases in the curls, but duckbills lie flat across your hair. Plus, they're easier to remove than bobby pins, since they're bigger. The look that comes out with proper pin curling is one that looks natural and holds better than any set of rollers I've ever used, be they foam, plastic or velcro hot rollers. Yes, it's a bit of extra work, but trust me--it's worth it!

3. Aretha Franklin's hat

I may be going out on a limb with this one, but I have to say I liked it. She's gotten some teasing about it, but on the flip side there has been a rush of orders to the milliner who made it. I think it was at once both bold yet appropriate for the occassion. Opting for a blue-grey color was subdued enough for the inauguration, and I love that the hat was not much more than a pillbox with an oversized bow, and a border of rhinestones to catch the afternoon sun. Being Aretha Franklin, she could have shown up wearing a giant-brimmed rainbow job teeming with feathers and pulled it off, because after all, the inauguration was a joyful event well worth celebrating. She toned it down from what she might usually wear onstage, but stayed true to herself and kept some of her bravado in style, all while evoking the big-hat style found in many black congregations--for this was a holy occassion in many ways. And may I say that standing on the Mall listening to her sing, I felt there could be no compromising of her style regardless of her clothing.

4. Puppy Bowl

Okay, I know it's not at all related to pin-ups, and technically it takes place in February this year, but Puppy Bowl has to be added to this list. Watching puppies roll around and play in a playpen tricked out like a football stadium is so much more enjoyable to me than football. And then they have the kitty half-time show, and the parrot singing the National Anthem to open the whole thing, and I'm gone. As in, I'm trying to convince my man that we need to adopt more puppies and kittens immediately. Watching it makes me happy, which is more than I can say for most things on TV.

7 comments:

Elina said...

I's also practicing my pin curls every now and then, a little tricky but I believe that when I get that special "touch" it will be quite easy. And the curls lasts so much better then any other curlingmethod!

Thursday's Child said...

Another Puppy Bowl fan! Yay!
I actually only get to watch it in drips and drabs because on Super Bowl Sunday, our home is filled with football loving men, but I have gotten everyone addicted to the kitty halftime show!

Allison said...

oh.. I'm in love with these puppies! I have a feeling that I'm going to be spending some quality time in front of the TV watching them romp around!

Allison said...

I was fortunate enough to read your post the morning of the super bowl and i hope you will be happy to hear that I spent at least an hour and a half of contented time in front of the TV watching puppies sproinking all over the place. I ooh and ahhed over each adorable one that came down the little ramp into the 'football stadium'.
It was a short and peaceful time of bliss before I escaped off to my room, while the living room filled with loud, cheering football fans for the rest of the evening.

Kitty du Vert said...

Elina--keep practicing! trust me, i'm all thumbs...if I can do it, you can do it!

Thursday and Marie--which puppies were your favorites? I loved Mac, Bella, Madeline, Eli and poor little Schroder who just wanted to sleep. And the weimereiner mixes were just too sweet. waaaay cuter than any football player!

Allison said...

Do I have to have a favorite? :D I loved all of them, but i guess the brown Australian Shepard stole my heart. He was sooo cute with those big blue eyes. I agree, much better than the football guys.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE THE PUPPY BOWL!!!!!!!!

 
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