Carmine & Hayworth

This post is going to be heavy on the pictures since I've been updating my Instagram account  Hot Tramp! Vintage  pretty much every day and I've been neglecting my blog :/ Oops!  My three job rotation hasn't been working out so well on the down time front :) Any who, these are some things I've recently purchased and I would very much like to share :) Assorted Vintage Lingerie Collection :) 1950's Nude Pinup Model Playing Cards  1930'/1940's Beaded Wrap, Tassel Necklace 1950's  Lace Bra 1950's Grey Cotton Knit, Rhinestone embellished dress 1960's "Warner's" Bustier, Available in my  Etsy Shop 1950's Silk Taffeta dress by "Grace Taylor Originals" Purchased at my favorite vintage shop "Revolver" 1950's Sheer Green, Floral dress Purchased from Glamourland Vintage Lately, my obsession with collecting has hit a fever pitch.  As cheesy as this sounds, I was watching an episode of ...

I've been MIA on here for a hot minute, but I'm BACK! Sort of :) I'm currently rotating between three jobs and my ability to document my latest collection add-ons and fun new-to-me buys have been pushed to the back burner. I'm one of those people who NEVER relaxes.  I don't know what that word means.  Whenever I'm told to relax I get even more stressed out, which negates the purpose entirely.  This is why I decided to add another job, at a beauty store, to my plate and luckily all has gone well (knock on wood!). Anywho, I've been de-stressing by doing a little closet organization (again) and trying to take pictures as I go. Bustier: Vintage Late 1950's Circle Stick by "Hollywood Vassarette" Earrings: Dali Evil Eye Inspired by "The Pink Collar Life" I was really inspired by these new Evil Eye earrings and I really wanted to display them with my new-to-me Circle Stitch bustier that I scored on Ebay.  Dress: The Gilda Dress by...

I've been on a month long journey attempting to organize my closet aka the extra bedroom my boyfriend has to give up in order to store my hoards of clothing.  I decided a few years ago that I would start to catalog my vintage clothing/ decor for insurance purposes and the best way to do that, without losing interest, was to revive my Instagram account @hot_tramp_vintage .  I wanted to stick to my plan, but also do something fun that would keep my interest.  Flash forward to present time and I've turned into a full-fledged, vintage narcissist.... sort of. One of the things I love about posting my stuff on Instagram is that, as corny as it sounds, connects me to others who have the same interests.  Growing up, it was hard to find kids my age who would even go near an antique store let alone be near anything they deemed "too old".   Here are some of the clothing pieces I've recently posted :) I found this hooded cape at one of my favorite small ...

Life lately has been a little hectic. I recently picked up a third job since I'm obviously fully enamored with being exhausted ;) I've needed a bit of inspiration to keep me motivated the past couple of weeks, so I decided that everyday I was going to wear something that got me a bit out of my comfort zone aka wearing something with color. Here are my latest attempts :) Dress: "Frederick's of Hollywood" via RubyFayesVintage on Etsy Bustier: Vintage from BrideoftheFox on Etsy Top: Vintage from Butchwaxvintage on Etsy Pants: "Doris Pant" via Pinup Girl Clothing Fringe Jacket: JC Penney's  Dress: via VelveteenDollVintage on Etsy One would think that due to my Vibrant Red hair color, I would be comfortable with wearing vibrant clothing as well.  Not so much, sadly.  I get a lot of stares for just my hair and if I wear color, people usually think I'm in costume (actual story).  I'm constantly trying to push my comfort lev...

I don't know about you, but Tuesdays are major bummer days for me.  I find them to be sad, depressing and worthless.  Peachy, right? I needed a pick me up to put some piss in my veins and these three photos did just the trick :p Enjoy! Source via "Femme Fatale" on Pinterest First off, Dick Van Dyke looks drunk, second, this woman's costume is PERFECTION! Source via RetroSpace.org Source via Buzzfeed Happy (kind of) Tuesday!

The one thing I love, but don't always get, is a good story about a vintage item I've purchased.  If you are lucky, you are blessed with the knowledge of the life your vintage acquisition lived before it met you :) I purchased this bustier (pictured below) not expecting what I received.  This 1950's "Lily of France" bustier with a little Peek-A-Boo Peephole is just plain beautiful, so I would've been happy with just that.  The woman I purchased this piece from went above and beyond and wrote me such a lovely little card that read: "Courtney, Just a note to thank you so much for your purchase. This bustier belonged to a French expatriate who married a soldier she met in France during WWII.  She was so homesick that she spent her days shopping.... and rarely wore the things she bought." There was a bit more written, but the story was such a great add-on! That made this piece mean SO MUCH more! Bustier: Vintage from Mrs. Robinson's Affair...

Growing up, I was always a bit curvier than all of my friends which made it almost impossible to find ANY pair of pants that I felt: A) Confident in or B) That fit. I would always settle for pants that were too loose in the waist, saggy in the bum, or so baggy my  mom would have to hem them, thus making them look like impromptu harem pants.  Flash forward to now and you will RARELY ever see me wear pants.  NEVER.  I've built up this animosity and hatred towards them that cannot be matched.  If you take that feeling, plus the added stress of ordering clothing online, one could assume that pants would be the absolute, very last think I would EVER purchase online.   You would be surprisingly wrong. I've been eyeing a pair of Black, Crepe 1940's Style pants from Pinup Girl Clothing for awhile and I had to take the plunge and purchase them. It's extremely daunting ordering pants online, especially when, if you're like me, you gave up a long time ago.  I re...

My vintage obsessions change with every passing minute.  I fall in love with new pieces, styles and colors every time I blink!  One of my biggest downfalls starts with the best of intentions.  I scour every resource I have to find cool and interesting pieces for my Etsy Shop "Hot Tramp! Vintage".  I tell myself, " I will not keep this, I will NOT keep this".  Then when I see it I say, "I will try this on and if it doesn't fit, I won't keep it".  Once it fits I then tell myself, "Fuck it! It's mine!".  Not a very safe method :)  One such example is this early 1960's "Frederick's of Hollywood" Harem Costume: I look at this with such love <3 The pants even have built-in underwear! UGH I would be CRAZY to let this go! Don't even get me started on the sleeves! I'm not going to lie,  I would wear each of these pieces separately as an outfit this summer.  The pant would be UNBELIEVABLE at the lake or in t...

Every vintage collector has that one piece of vintage, in their minds, that they dream of and lust for. That one piece that is their own personal, Holy Grail of vintage treasures.  Last week, I found mine. I was shopping at a local antique mall when I came across a booth that I usually always skip, since I've become quite accustomed to my own booth pattern.  In a little crate, hidden around the corner, I found a treasure trove a vintage crowns! They appeared to be, what I thought, were beauty pageant crowns due to their height and rhinestones.  There were two that were Gold with Rainbow rhinestones, but looked to be around the 80's.  I then saw, to my EXTREME surprise THIS: It was that one moment where I got the cold sweats and I started to shake (dramatic, right? ;p).  My heart was pounding and I knew it HAD to be mine! The condition of the rhinestones date this to be around the early to mid-1950's, but the stars at the top are what were perplexing to me...

Have you ever had one of those weeks, where time felt like it stood still, yet flew by too fast? The past two weeks have been exactly that.  We all know the lovely world of adulthood where you live, eat, and breathe work, go to bed, and do it all over again the next day.  I rotate between a few different jobs ( I'm a crazy person who hate monotony) and the past two weeks have be one job after another.  I realize I do this to myself, but in the midst of all the adult hootenanny, I've become more motivated to do little projects, in my off time.  My biggest project was to tackle the hole that is my closet.  My loving and tolerant boyfriend lets me use our second bedroom as a closet and suffers through me using part of his for my store merchandise.  My goal was to clean out things to sell, throw or just plain organize. My first step was to clean off the hoards of clothing and lingerie I had collecting on my sofa. This is the place where my clothing goes t...

I don't know about you, but on Monday's, I need a little bit of extra inspiration to get me going in the mornings.  My life is in perpetual chaos, as of lately, due to the never-ending maintenance work being done on my apartment. Let me repeat APARTMENT! Seriously...  if this were a house it would be well worth it, but I live in an apartment, so instead of throwing money at something that will increase in value, I'm throwing money at a home where there's no return on it! I'm in full belief that my landlords order loads of maintenance for fun to piss us off.... Anyways, as I was saying :)  This particular Monday morning I wanted to go back to the one thing that never lets me down: Chartreuse. I collect a lot of chartreuse piece from decor, clothing, fabric, etc. but this dress is my HOLY GRAIL OF ALL CHARTREUSE EVERYTHING! I was randomly searching online, many moons ago, when I came across this dress. Dress: Off Broadway Vintage on Etsy! Lipstick: Kat Von D Ever...

My love and passion for the world that is "Vintage Lingerie" has hit full steam.  This past week, my boyfriend and I were evacuated from our apartment for a collapsed pipe, which led our apartment management to tear up our concrete floors throughout 30 feet from our kitchen to our storage room.... real fun amirite?!  Any who, I felt the need to justify a recent purchase of an early 1950's Dead-stock with tags "Lady Marlene" over wire bra that I CANNOT afford, especially after this apartment debacle. This was the PERFECT excuse since I was inches away from losing my damn mind! Again, let's take a moment to fully appreciate this.....that has now become my chosen phrase :) The pure craftsmanship and construction of this pieces is ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, FUCKING AMAZING!! Pardon my language, but SERIOUSLY! We don't give enough credit to these pieces for making the way for lingerie that doesn't aim to please a man, but to please the person wearing ...

I'm one of those people who have a very addictive personality.  This can lead to bad things, but, in my case, my addiction has led to that of the vintage kind.  I am a collector of many things, but vintage lingerie is my passion.  The pure brilliance of the construction in each piece is rivaled by none. I recently found this piece by "Edith Lance" online and I instantly fell in love! The beautiful Black lace ruffles and inky Black velvet trim is stunning beyond words! What makes this bustier even better is the nude nylon lining with Gold Lurex threaded in it.  I mean, really, how could it get much better?  Photos could NEVER do this bustier justice! What I love the most about vintage lingerie, bustiers in particular, are the over wires.  Any person who puts a TRUE vintage over wire bustier or bra on know is has trans-formative powers! My best advice is to get one of these babies and put one on when you're having a bad day, then you will see just h...

Okay, can we just take a little time to appreciate how GORGEOUS this Chartreuse blouse is from "Pinup Girl Clothing"?! I mean, SERIOUSLY! I will slowly slip into a Chartreuse coma from the beauty! Photos do not do this blouse justice! A redhead's best friend is a Chartreuse outfit! Not to mention that I fully appreciate that this blouse zips downwards... now I don't have to dislocate my arm trying to zip up a top by myself! ;/   Now while I'm on things that are part of my obsessions, let's talk about this pastel pink bustier: Bustier: Vintage "Sears Best" I was having a SUPER crap day yesterday and I was in desperate need of something to lift my spirits. I've shown this piece before, but I need to share it again! It's amazing how something so simple can be so stunning!  I've said it before and I'll say it again: Nothing can remedy a horrible day better than something that inspires you.   Chocolate, burgers, sex, etc. c...

Have you ever had one of those "Aha!" moments where life starts to make complete sense and you feel the most clarity of your path in life? Have you also experienced that moment of euphoria and let it get ripped away by your self-doubt and anxiety? Said "Yes" to both? Then we have a big thing in common! :) About two months ago, me and my boyfriend were sitting on the couch sketching, talking, you know, the typical Saturday morning.  He's one of those people that is so super humanly intelligent and talented, but, like me, experiences a lot of self-doubt and humbleness to the point of insanity! For our first Christmas together, he painted me these four little canvas prints of my favorite thing: Mid Century televisions. They are something that to him seemed insignificant, but to me were the best presents I could've received.  This was in 2012 and since then, I've begged him to make more.  Now flash forward to two month ago, we had the idea, "Why...

I like to start off every Monday with a little bit of inspiration to get my day going.  Julie Newmar usually does the trick :)

I must preface this post by first saying that I am NOT a Winter person. I only want it to snow the month of December for the holidays and then I never want to see Winter again.  Being that I live in North Dakota, this is simply not possible (at least for now).   In the Winter, I lose all of my motivation to dress like a human being and more like a mound of laundry.  It is not uncommon for me to put on 6 (yes I said SIX) layers of clothing before walking out the door.  Today, with wind chills, it is about -26 below zero and I'm pretty sure it's what death feels like.  With that being said, it take A LOT to get me into a dress this time of year, something which I usually NEVER have a problem with during the rest of the seasons.  I've never been much of a yoga pants or hoodie person, but when it's THIS cold, I make a HUGE exception :) Yesterday, in the mail, I received this STUNNING Cotton, late 1940's Floral dress I found on Etsy.  I've always bee...

Now a "Painted Lady" has some interesting meanings nowadays. This term is used to describe a colorful Victorian home and even a type of butterfly, but the meaning I'm most intrigued with is that of it describing a prostitute. Upon further reading, I found that this term to describe these women was most commonly used in the Wild West times.  Now without going into a history lesson, I'm must curious about how to wear makeup and dress "seductively" for that time one was labeled as "disgraceful" and as "soiled doves" (Legends of America).  My point is that whenever I put my makeup on in the morning and get dressed, I always think of this term and I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit fascinated by the use of "painted". While applying my eyeliner, I thought of the saying floating around social media of eyeliner being a woman's "War Paint" and that couldn't be more accurate! I feel like when I'm ...

Now I know it's not midnight or Halloween, but this outfit has quickly and obviously become my favorite! As I've said, there's something about the black lace and bell sleeves that really get my heart beating :) Blouse: Nasty Gal Bustier: Vintage "Lady Marlene" This blouse just SCREAMS Witchy Woman ;) I've also become quite fond of tinkering around with different photo filters (I live quite a wondrous life).  This past week has also brought forth one of my favorite pastimes: COLLECTING :)  While visiting my Great-Aunt in Denver every Summer, I'm always in awe of her collection of Gilner elves that she's accumulated since the early 1950's.  Since then, whenever I find anything from Gilner, I buy it!  One such set of pieces are a pair of Gilner Balinese Dancers that I acquired from a former boss.  For my birthday, this past Sunday, I received the mini versions of those dancers by Gilner as well. Not only are these UTTERLY ...

Okay, before I start off, can we please take a moment to admire the beauty in this photo? I've always been an admirer of burlesque mainly because I give MAJOR props to any performer and their INSANELY amazing performances! I find it extremely fascinating how they draw in the audience and truly mesmerize all those who are watching, men AND women.  This photo of the KILLER Burlesque Queen Tempest Storm proves my point.  There's no fluff, decoration or scenery in the background to distract... just her.  You're eye immediately divert to her without any care about her surrounding, or lack thereof.  The subtlety of her unzipping her gown to show part of her costume is hypnotizing!  Anywho, that distracted me from what my point was ;) Sex appeal and subtlety are two things I find EXTREMELY interesting, as I stated above.  I've found that when taking photos of myself, the ones I most appreciate and feel the most confident in are actually those that a...