WTF?

Although, as a lady, I abhor cursing, I must introduce a new feature to the blog: WTF?  This is where I will be posting photos/ads/images of a retro nature which elicit a WTF? response from the average viewer.

Thus, I present to you,

"Grandma thinks showing their bare arms makes the twins look like whores."

Feel free to add your own captions in the comments.

Spring pick: The Shirtdress

As the weather grows warmer, my thoughts naturally turn to the most sacred of springtime joys: my spring closet.  The first pick for spring is the shirtdress.

I have four shirtdresses: green, blue, black, grey. The shirtdress looks so put together, but it's delightfully comfortable.  The cut is flattering on everyone, and you can accessorize it in many different ways: belts, scarves, heels, flats, jewelry, etc.  Love the belt on this example below:

As with so many good things, the shirtdress came of age in the 1950s:

Apparently, these ladies below are using a bouquet of flowers and some witty hand gestures to accessorize their shirtdresses.

Finally, I leave you with a bizarre photo.  Not sure what these crabby gals are up to, but I love the flipped collar on the shirtdress of the one in the middle:

The Parent Trap

This week I watched The Parent Trap.*  I love Maureen O'Hara.  

I love Brian Keith.  

I love that there was a time when people got dressed up to fly on planes.  

Ms. O'Hara's traveling suit.

Heard the term "traveling suit"?  No?  That's because we live in a society without civility!  In 1961 you wore a traveling suit on a plane and you were on your best behavior.  Granted, I can't be on my best behavior when I fly because I need three vodkas on ice and half a Benadryl just to get me on the damn plane...but I always wear something nice.

(*Don't ever speak to me about the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap.  That was a shameful time in movie-making history.)

Confession

I love vacuuming, dusting, doing laundry, wiping down counters, sweeping, and a myriad of other exceptionally satisfying household chores.  What keeps me from being the perfect homemaker is that I HATE IRONING.  There.  I said it aloud.  I hate it.  Mostly I hate it because I only do it when Mr. W needs something ironed and he usually waits five minutes before I plan on going to bed, and then says, "Oh hey, can you iron this shirt so I can wear it tomorrow?"  

I hate that even wrinkle-free shirts need to be ironed.  I hate that there are no short-cuts--if you iron a shirt in three minutes...it looks like you ironed the shirt in three minutes.  I hate that Mr. W can't iron his own shirts.  At least not very well.  

I will spend the rest of the week feeling shameful that I have not embraced this most basic of home tasks.  June Cleaver would be most disappointed in me.

I know, June, I'm shocked at my behavior, too.

The Maltese Falcon

This week I watched The Maltese Falcon.

I thought it was....umm....  I felt the movie lacked....eh....  Okay, in a word.  Boo.  Booooo!  This was supposed to be a caper film, but in the end, there was no treasure.  Turns out it was a caper of the heart, and Bogart's character finally finds a woman he can commit to, and she's a murderer.  And he turns her in.  But the good news is, she'll only serve 20 years of a life sentence, and he'll wait for her!  That is not a thrilling ending.

Also, can you believe how small the guns were back in the day?

 My final thoughts...Mary Astor is not the dish she's supposed to be.  Her eyebrows are drawn in and her hair is flat on one side, bouffant on the other.  WTF?

Also, Humphrey Bogart speaks like he has too many teeth in his mouth.  I find this oddly appealing.