Retro-luxe Vampire-O-Rama!

Assuming that Retro-luxe has some Vampire Enthusiasts among it's readers (at least 1/2 of Retro-luxe is one) here is our Vampire-O-Rama post!

Do you like Rock and Roll? Keith Richards-- The original Rock and Roll Vampire:

Photo by Annie Liebowitz found here.

Fancy a chivalrous, Southern-gentleman Vampire? Then Vampire Bill Compton for you! Played by Stephen Moyer, from HBO's True Blood:

photo found here.

Photo found here.

Well-mannered, reluctant vampire not your thing? How 'bout Eric, the Manly Viking Vampire, from True Blood. Yes, please!



Photo found here.

Are you ready to just get down to serious Vampire business? Presenting the Vampire O'the Ages--Gary Oldman's as Vlad the Impaler in Coppola's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula:


Photo found here.

Photo found here.

I feel kinda faint...

Retro-luxe's 3 Genie Wishes...

If this half of Retro-luxe is every lucky enough to get 3 genie wishes, I'm not going to waste them on world peace or even the reduction of global warming. Those can be Miss America's genie wishes.

Here are mine:

1. Cigarette smoking doesn't cause lung cancer.
2. Cigarette smoking reverses the effects of aging and can make you immortal.
3. Cigarette smoking increases your libido.

Yup, it's been that kind of a hell of a week.



Look at these cats, dressed to kill, smoking cigarettes at the Stork Club like they haven't got a care in the world. Damn them!

Photo found here.

Happy Hour Friday: The New York Ginger

This week's happy hour post features a great drink from the now defunct Starlite Restaurant in Austin, Texas. This was always a nice cocktail. Here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 oz. Makers Mark
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
8 dashes bitters
gingerale

Fill a whiskey glass with ice, add bitters, vermouth, Makers Mark, and top with ginger ale. Stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
RIP Starlite!

Beauty and the Beast

Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast (La belle et la Bete) from 1946 is an exquisite cinematic experience. Josette Day may be the most beautiful woman who ever lived. The Baroque flourishes in the Beast's castle are enchanting. The Beast is hauntingly beautiful and lyrical. After seeing this movie, the great Greta Garbo reportedly quipped, "Give me back my Beast..."

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

Tropical lady cookie jar -- eat cookies out of her head!

West Elm parsons dining table.

Dual-level walnut coffee table.

Mid-century Steelcase sofa.

Incredible teak G-Plan sideboard. Other G-Plan items here and here, too.

Cute little magazine stand.

Several pieces of Broyhill Sculptra furniture, here.

Solid maple vintage bed.

Bamboo and wood chair/desk set, for your Tiki study!

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful...

Bitchez, after rearranging the boudoir this weekend, I ordered this luxurious tufted headboard online from Target. What a bargain! This photo is from a David Netto room featured in Domino from February 2007 (see more at David Netto Design).
Let's just hope that the color is closer to that champagne color in the above picture rather than the color on the Target website...

Next up...curtains!

The Vintage Owl

Friends, I think the owl is sufficiently spooky enough to feature this Halloween week. And there is no shortage of owl-themed vintage items on Etsy. Here you go:

1970s owl nightlight "lantern", here.

Owl coffee service with stand, here. (love this!)

Avon owl necklace, here. Also saw an owl brooch that opens to reveal solid perfume...remember the solid-perfume-disguised-in-jewelry trend?? That was awesome.

Owl box purse, here.

Owl coaster set, here.

Nesting owls necklace, here.

Happy Hour Friday: Mmmmm. Mezcal

Stephanie, who treated us to the Violet Fog last week, is back with a Mezcal post. ¡Qué cojones!


Mezcal!

So often misunderstood, mezcal is actually a relative to tequila, having a more intense flavor with a depth and complexity found in the finest of cognacs. Mezcal is produced by roasting the agave hearts in a pit for several days imparting it with a wonderfully smoky flavor. I myself am a sucker for anything roasted, smoked, charred, or even almost burnt. Naturally, I love mezcal.

Here is a cocktail I fell in love with at the Anvil bar in Houston. Not for the faint of heart, it is appropriately named The Brave. I started a new job this week and I need a drink, therefore I cannot think of a better spirit to promote than mezcal. It’s got cojones.

THE BRAVE

1.5 oz Del Maguey Chichicapa
.75 oz Averna Amaro
1 tsp Marie Brizard Orange Curacao
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Stir in a brandy snifter without ice and mist Angostura bitters on top. Flame an orange zest above the cocktail for garnish.

(Note: you need not “mist” the bitters on top, that’s just what the fancy bartender will do when you are paying $10 for it)

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

Have you seen the Ghost and Mr. Chicken lately? This Universal PIctures film from 1966 features the comedic genius of Don Knotts as Luther Heggs. Soundtrack by Vic Mizzy, who also composed the theme songs to the Addams Family and Green Acres. Halloween fun for the whole family!

Ambient Lighting for Your Ghoulish Gatherings

Retro-luxe friends, have you considered your the ambient lighting you'll need for your ghoulish gatherings next weekend?
Here are some possibilities...

Bleeding tapers found here.

Mortimer candle bust found here.

For you high rollers out there, try a Dorothy Draper inspired candelabra.

Crow Candles from that place everyone knows about...

Skull candle or Darth Vader? You decide!

And my personal favorite, the Little Joseph Candle. How I wish a loved one would purchase this for me!

A Few More...

It's a good week for Craigslist!!

Super-affordable 1950s dining set, found here.

Pink two-piece sofa (not a great pic, but I can tell it has potential!), found here.

Cool patterned retro formica-top table, found here.

(ATTN: Christine!) Lovely vintage rattan dining set, found here.

Mid-Week Mid-Century Roundup

Hi, friends.

This week I'm conducting an experiment, because science is cool! I decided to just post the photos, but no prices. What do you think?

Do you like the prices? Have you even noticed I was posting the prices? Do you think prices are evil? Do you practice your own version of a barter system, and therefore wish I would convert dollars to haircuts or loaves of banana bread or term-paper reading or some other form of currency?

Let me know. I care.

Love,

Jennie

Orange and white light fixture, found here.

Bamboo gossip bench/telephone table, found here.

I love these green lamps!!! Found here.

Retro swivel chair (love the cushion!), found here.

'50s side table, found here.

Drexel Declaration credenza, found here.

Danish tea trolley, found here.

Cool two-piece walnut bedroom set, found here.

Flickr Flavr O'the Week: Gothic Decor

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.

Found here.