Friday, July 29, 2011

Retro Adverts..are you serious?!

So, after my last post on "Old school pearls of wisdom" a friend of mine sent me these retro adverts. 

Looking at the illustrations and graphics, I would say some go as far back as the Victorian era, and we all know how strange they were - afterall these are the same People that thought food was digested better in the dark, so a dining room in the basement was considered the best spot in which to eat. Really?  Another little thing to remember is that some of the best gothic novels were written during the Victorian era, namely, the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as Dracula. Enough said!



Anyway, back to the task at hand....as I was saying, besides some of the ads being from the early part of the 1900's others are very definitely from the 50's and even as late as the 70's.

Here are some of my favourites..make sure you read the fine print - sometimes that's the best part!! Enjoy and have a giggle!!














Unbelievable! Can you imagine printing and reading something like that in your new Cosmo Mag??!!!

Have a fab week-end everybody,

Till next time,



Friday, July 22, 2011

Photoshoots, pinup girls & hot rods

So last week Wed the Miss Happ girls bundled themselves up and braved the winter chill to join the folks from Garage Magazine - a super cool new hot rod and custom culture magazine that's going to be launched in SA in August.




With our suitcases bursting at their seams with fab brightly colour Miss Happ swing dresses in an array of colours and patterns and hair clips and a whole bunch of other girly goodies we proceeded to style up our super cute and oh so seeexy model, Miss Sarah Jane - yes! in the corner of a (working) garage called  Old Mill! We worked with Mishca from AnonaMiss Beauty emporium who did the awesome pinup hair and make-up for our model. 

Looking at the pics now Miss Samantha Jane really was the one that stood out - her with her blond hair and the rest of us being redheads :-) !!



We can't show you too many pics from the shoot as they haven't been published yet but here are some of the behind-the-scene ones. What I can tell you is that the car looked HOT and the pinup girl looked oh so 50's!  We had to much fun and yes, even though we were like walking zombies by the time we wrapped up at 11pm it's going to be so worth it!


Till next time!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS! Miss Happ Loves you!

ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS! Miss Happ Loves you!



Rock, Paper, Scissors is owned by ex-durbanite Jodi Meiring who has a fab little shop dedicated to all things retro. 



Rock, Paper, Scissors is owned by ex-durbanite Jodi Meiring who has a fab little shop dedicated to all things retro. She has awesome taste and manages to source some truly amazing vintage items from old school Mickey Mouse toys for kids to vintage 50's kids books. 



Look out for one of my fav kiddies labels SIX BUNNIES as well as LIQUER BRAND for the adults in accessories and bags. Also beautifully made corsets by TIN..hidden from view but do ask about them!


This cute little shop also happens to be one of my Miss Happ outlets. Go and take a peek and do some retail therapy :-)

120 Bree Street, Cape Town Central

Till next time!



Sunday, July 17, 2011

Old school pearl of wisdom

Over the years I have collected so many pretty cool books - all linked to my interest and fascination of times gone by.


 Some of these little treasures have great pearls of wisdom, and often I think it's a pity that in our modern, faster paced lives we forget these old school insights, advice, hints and tips that our grandparents, and their parents before them would have valued.

One of the ones that always make me chuckle is Advice on Courtship & Marriage by Emily Jessop (above in pink). The little book claims to be a reprint of a Victorian self-help book. 
  'Women too early married always remain small in stature, weak, pale, emaciated, and more or less miserable' Also a word of Caution!! ... 'Don't marry a man with view of reforming him. Thousands have tried and failed. Misery, Sorrow and a very hell on earth have been the consequences of too many such generous undertakings'

Have a read below at some of the more classic (and oh-so-serious) bits of advice...the modern girl certainly has moved on!!

GOOD BEHAVIOUR: A young lady should not permit her gentlemen friends to address her by her name. A gentleman should never use the term "Dear" or "My Dear" under any circumstances unless he knows it is perfectly acceptable or a long and friendly acquaintance justifies it.

RECEIVING CALLS:
A young lady who is not engaged may receive calls from unmarried gentlemen as she desires, and may accept an invitation to concerts, to theatres etc.
A lady never calls on a gentleman, unless it is a professional or official matter. It is positively improper to do so.

RECEIVING THE ATTENTIONS OF GENTLEMEN: No well-bred lady will too eagerly receive the attentions of a gentleman, no matter how much she admires him. However, she should not be so reserved as to altogether discourage him. A lady never demands attentions and favours from a gentleman, but always accepts them gratefully, graciously and with thanks.

Unmarried ladies should not accept presents from gentlemen to whom they are neither related nor engaged.

APPROPRIATE ATTIRE: Avoid the slouchy appearance of a half-unbuttoned vest and suspender-less pantaloons. That sort of dress is disgusting.

ESCORTING A LADY HOME:
When a gentleman escorts a lady home from a ball, she should not invite him to enter the house, and even if she does so, he should decline the invitation.

BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE: Marriage purifies the complexion, removes blotches from the skin, invigorates the body- and gives elasticity and firmness to the step. Statistics show married men live longer than bachelors. Child-bearing for women is linked to longevity.

THE HONEYMOON: A husband should remember that his bride cannot stand the same amount of tramping around and sightseeing that he can.

The female organs are so easily affected by excessive exercise of the limbs which support them and, as this is a critical period, it would be foolish and costly to drag a lady hurriedly around the country.

In many cases it lays the foundation for the wife's first and lifelong "backache".

A PERFECT MATCH: The best wife is the woman who has found the right husband, a husband who understands her. A man will have the best wife when he rates that wife as queen among women. 

I like that last one...a queen amoung woman..sounds fab to me!

Stay tuned for other great books...

Till next time!







Friday, July 15, 2011

Zombie's can love and interns can go :-(

So yesterday was the last day for my awesome intern Rienke, who has been doing her work experience here with me for the last two weeks. Rienke travelled all the way from Pretoria to spend time with us which was super fantastic and I must say I was very flattered! She did good and we were very sad to see her go.


But...with every down there's an up and Reinke gave me the most awesome little book of classic Zombie Love Songs. The book is entitled "Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime" and is super duper cool! 


With it's classic love songs aimed right at the rotting hearts of zombie romantics everywhere it's perfect for a cozy evening at home with an infected loved one! 


With timeless tunes such as "I Want To Eat Your Hand," "Tears of a Zombie Clown," and "That'll Be The Day (That I Make You Die)," you will certainly want to sing along, and with your blood pumping and the juices flowing even the most decayed zombies will enjoy this one!
The Illustrations are also super cool...
 So...with that...time to sing along to "You're the one that I chomp" Sung to the tune of “You're the One That I Want”







Him: In the Hills.




We're multiplyin'.


And have lost all losin 'control.


'Cause the virus


We're supplyin',


It's undeadafyin!



Her: I better eat up,


'Cause I need a brain


And my heart is set to chew.


You better wake up;


You better reanimate


For my heart it must be chewed.



Him: Nothin'left, nothin 'left for me to chew.


Both: You're the one that I chomp.


(You are the one I want), o,o, oo, Zombie.


The one that I chomp.


(You are the one I chomp, chomp), o,o,oo, Zombie.


The one that I chomp.


(You are the one I want want), o,o, ooooo,


My Zombie needs.


Oh, yes I bleed.



Her: If you're filled


With intestines,


You're too eager to slay


Reanimate in my direction.


Peel your way.



Him: I better eat up,


'Cause I need a brain


Her: I need a brain


That can keep me dead inside.


Him: I better eat up


If I'm gonna chew


You better chew


Love of brains is justified.



Him: Oh, I'm sure?


Both: Oh, I'm sure down deep inside.


You're the one that I chomp.


(You are the one I chomp chomp), o, o, oo, Zombie.


The one that I chomp.


(You are the one I chomp chomp), o,o,oo, Zombie.


The one that I chomp.


(You are the one I chomp),o, o, oo


The brains I need.


Oh, yes I'm freed





Have a yummy week end folks!





Till next time,










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