Sunday, February 28, 2010

Vintage Rock T-Shirts

By Brock Timberman

Are you a huge fan of 70s and 80s Rock 'n' Roll? Was Led Zeppelin your favorite band? Did you tease your hair up really big in the 80s, or if you are a guy, did you have a mullet?

If so, you may still have a closet full of concert t-shirts from your favorite bands.If you do, and they are in good shape, they are worth some money. If you are looking to relive your glory days by finding vintage Guns n Roses shirt, than we can help you with your search.

Vintage and Retro are words that get tossed around quite a bit. There are sites on the internet that offer reproductions of these shirts, and others that offer the actual vintage shirt that someone wore to see Peter Frampton.

Obviously, right now vintage Michael Jackson shirts are extremely popular. Apparently something happened to Michael and his concert t-shirts and anything related to him have become very popular. Another good shirt from the 80s to have is a vintage RUN DMC shirt.

Obviously, the bigger the name you have, the more expensive the shirt is going to be. Vintage shirts from the 60s featuring Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and The Who are at a premium. From the 70s, it's Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones. It's almost impossible to go to a mall and not see a Ramones shirt or a CBGB tee, and these are available at Hot Topic. For the other stuff, you are going to have to dig a little deeper.

Reproduction shirts are easy to come by, but if you are looking for the real McCoy, you may have to head out to your local salvation army and any thrift store you can find. These places can yield untold treasures.
For more information and links to online stores, please visit Vintage Rock T-Shirts.

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The Music of the Sixties is Part of the Look of The Sixties

The music of the sixties was all about love, peace and, yeah, the occasional reference to the use of recreational drugs. Today, as that era of love beads, peace signs and old Volkswagen vans is undergoing a revival with today’s youth, more and more young people are tuning into old-school sixties rock and pop music, rocking out to bands ranging from the Beatles and the Doors, to the Mamas and the Papas.

If, like me, you were there for the real sixties, you might find this all a bit amusing and, if you are a parent, a little troubling. Still, since there is nothing new under the sun, I suppose we really should not be surprised that today’s kids are revisiting our youth.

Still, what do you do when your child suddenly wants to decorate his or her bedroom or dorm room the same way you had yours back then? You could opt for a repeat performance of your parent’s violent reaction to the very idea black lights and Beatles posters. Or do you take a deep breath and remember just how much good their indignation did them? Hey, if your parents were like mine, it only took a month or two of whining to get the stuff I wanted. So, why not choose to be the bigger parent? Cave in now and ensure that you keep some control in your hands by doing so.

Fortunately, for today’s moms, who are helping their “groovy” new hippies celebrate that era, there are lots of ways to give any room a bit of sixties style without having to go the entire route (no parent, after all, really wants to deal with purple walls). Many of today’s larger retail chains offer retro-style chairs, lamps, and other furnishings that would have fit right in back in those far-out, long-gone days. Plus you can find good posters of old-school rock bands and personalities at almost any local mall.

One store in the mall near my house specializes strictly in t-shirts, posters and other paraphernalia from the sixties. I bought my now twenty-something son a Grateful Dead t-shirt there just last Christmas and hummed along with a tune by Black Sabbath as I shopped. You can bet that made the store clerk look at me, as if I’d grown another head!

How about lighting to go with the music? You can pick up lava lamps and black lights at almost any store, including the “marts”. If you and your twenty-first century hippie want more authenticity, check out the local flea markets and thrift shops. You can always find cheap prices on rock albums in their colorful covers to decorate the walls, along with lots of other stuff that will bring back old memories for you and make new ones for them.

You can decorate any room in sixties style without going so far overboard it looks like the set of an Austin Powers movie. It just takes a bit of shopping around and the willingness to dig back into that memory chest you’d hoped to keep buried. Peace and love are still cool, but put the kibosh on the recreational drugs, okay?

Thursday, February 25, 2010

1960s Hippie Fashion

Hi everyone,

I've just come across a nice succinct exposition of 1960s hippie fashion. This clip includes interviews with Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane and Frank Zappa.

This is worth checking out as it has some really beautiful images.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGLVJ1FN74o

Enjoy!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Bell Bottoms: fashion of the 1960’s and 1970’s

Bell bottoms are pants that are designed to be wider downwards from below the knees. Other styles for bell bottoms are flares, boot cut trousers and loon pants. Bell bottoms became the reigning trouser style in the late 1960’s and 1970’s, affecting high fashion as well as popular hippie culture.

The origin of Bellbottoms is vague, and it was in the early 19th century that members of the US Navy were first observed to wear bell bottom pants. Among the first descriptions of sailor’s uniforms, an officer Stephen Decatur observed that in 1813, men in the frigates Macedonia and United States wore blue jackets and blue trousers with ‘bell bottoms’. 

Bell Bottoms became high fashion for European women in the 1960’s. It spread to North America in the late 1960’s and by the 1970’s it was fashionable for both sexes, especially as holiday wear, like in ski holidays.

By 1967, Bell Bottoms spread from the czars of high fashion towards the counter culture hippie movement in the 1960’s along with granny glasses, tie-dye shirts and love beads. They moved into the main stream, even getting a mention in the song, Bell Bottom Blues, sung by Blues-Rock superstars Derek and the Dominos.

Bell Bottoms were given media exposure in early 1964 in the film, T.A.M.I. show world by Toni Basil, who was a young go-go dancer at that time. Later, Sonny and Cher popularized Bell Bottoms in the USA by wearing the same on their television show.

Loon pants, shortened from balloon pants, were a form of Bell Bottoms. Their flare was extra from the knee than the typical bell bottom which flared from top to bottom. In 1966, the go-go dancers of the British show, "Ready, Steady, Go!" were seen wearing these. They were basically 1970’s fashion and initially could be bought only via catalogue from a British company, advertised in New Musical Express.

They were popularly worn with sandals and a Led Zeppelin T-shirt. This fashion was soon connected with Disco music. But the disco backlash started in the 1970’s and the Bell bottom started going out of fashion along with other items associated with Disco.

Elephant bells had a marked flare below the knee and often covered the wearer’s shoes. They became fashionable in the mid to late 1970’s and were akin to loon pants but were composed of denim.

Pants were gently flared in the 1960’s and reached wild bell bottoms by 1975. Popular fabrics included wool jersey knits, heavy crepes and Polyester fabric. Emerald Green, Bottle green and Apple green were favorite colors. Farah Fawcett and her colleague on Charlie’s Angles helped popularize bell bottoms.

In the fading 1980’s, Second Summer of Love began and bell bottoms became popular again in men and women’s fashion. They initially emerged as Boot Cut - flaring at the ankle to fit boots. The bell bottoms of the 60’s and 70’s can be distinguished from the boot cuts of the 1990’s by the tightness of the knee.

Today, the original men’s bell bottoms from the 1970’s are collector’s items. They are used by men to wear at retro themed disco parties and by retro revival bands.

1960s and 70s Inspired Handbags

Looking for the ideal piece to serve as a complement to your next special occasion? 1960s and 1970s inspired handbags are making a reappearance. Styles not seen since the Beatles first sang on the Ed Sullivan show are weaving their way back into the public consciousness, and just in time. These handbags are seriously stylish, and are perfect for parties both formal and more casual.

It’s easy to trace the beginning of the 1960s handbag movement. Just take a look at Jackie Kennedy’s wardrobe for inspiration. She embodied everything class, and her handbags follow that line of thought to a tee. Simple, graceful designs ruled the day, from some of the same famous designers that are currently popular.

Pull up an Internet search of Jackie, and you’ll see exactly what we’re talking about; she was almost never photographed without one of these distinctive handbags. What a coincidence then, that the buzzword in handbags at the moment is 'classic'. Not only does the recession mean that ladies want to buy something that'll last for more than one season, more formal, briefcase style handbags are replacing slouchy totes as the current must-haves. Look at designers such as Mulberry for these timeless beauties.

As the decade moved on, in the United States civil rights and the Vietnam War took center stage, evoking new styles in fashion right at the same time. This was also the era of Woodstock, and handbags took on the same, freestyle affectations of the music. Many of the purses from this era were handmade, completely unique pieces, so if you’re lucky enough to find one, it’s likely to be one of a kind. Materials were also quite different; rather than the standard leather or cloth fabric, you might encounter woven straw.

Match one of these handbags with a distinctive dress, and you have the makings of the perfect outfit for any occasion. If you can't find the right thing at your local vintage or second-hand store, there are still many styles on the High Street that can help you create the look - choose suede fringing, woven patterns and beaded embellishment as a nod to laid back, Woodstock cool.

Moving on to handbags from the 1970s, you’ll find pretty much what you expected to encounter: the funky designs that were inspired by the era of disco. This was a time to leave your cares at the door, and handbags were no exception. Handbags of the early to mid 1970s are full of crazy colors and designs that fit right in amidst the crazy atmosphere of a club like Studio 54 in New York. These supremely vintage pieces are found in all shapes and sizes; experiment for a bit and you’ll find the one that suits your personality perfectly.

Are you heading to a special occasion soon, and looking for the perfect handbag from the 1960s or 1970s? Start by selecting the dress that you’ll wear from your closet or a fashion shop, and then take it with you on your quest to find your ideal handbag. You don’t have to wear it; simply bring it along so that you can compare style and color. This way, you ensure that you don’t purchase two shades that clash when worn together, always a fashionista’s worst nightmare. Although 4 different shades of blue are never going to look good on anyone, don't been afraid of choosing acid bright colours or daring patterns - making a statement always looks great!

The 1960s and 1970s were decades that held their own special appeal when it comes to handbags. With a bit of effort, you can find a glorious handbag from this era that will be the perfect addition to your closet, ready to wow onlookers for any occasion.

The most important thing that you can take away from this article is that 60s and 70s inspired looks aren't only suitable for fancy-dress parties. Choosing one or two retro-inspired pieces, such as a handbag and scarf, belt or bangle, can bring a whole new feel to any old outfit. Be daring and try it this weekend!

The author of this article, guest blogger Pauline Goodman owns her own handbag business in the UK and writes articles on anything to do with fashion and accessories. In her spare time she's a doting Grandmother, and any free minutes in between are spent updating her Twitter feed at http://www.twitter.com/paulinegoodman

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Great Rock Band T Shirts - 5 Awesome Music Tee Shirts From the Seventies

By Dan Fresh

The seventies was a decade that was blessed with the greatest rock bands in history at the very peak of their powers. As well as producing the best music during this era, they also brought out some of the greatest rock band t shirts that have ever been made.

Music tee shirts from the seventies were usually based around either the band's distinctive logo, the newest album cover's artwork or a graphic that had been created to represent the latest world tour.

The following great rock band t shirts all have something in common. They are all iconic representations of a rock group at the very top of their game. Please enjoy these 5 awesome music tee shirts from the seventies.

Queen News Of The World Tour

As far as I am concerned, Queen were the best group of them all. They played better than anyone else, they looked better than anyone else, and in Freddie they had the best front-man that ever lived. The News Of The World Tour was at a time when Queen literally ruled the world of rock and man did they know it. The rock band t shirts that accompanied the tour were pretty awesome as well. Based on the News of the World album cover artwork, the design depicts a robot with one hand holding the bodies of the band members, while the other rips through the t-shirt. These are truly iconic music tee shirts.

Pink Floyd Prism T-Shirt

Many of the great rock band t shirts are based on album artwork and there are perhaps not many album covers as easily recognizable as Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon". This t-shirt is particularly distinctive in that the famous prism is placed on a very high quality pink tee shirt, which looks absolutely stunning with a pair of jeans.

Black Sabbath Tour

Some of the rock music tee shirts from this era simply show a line up of the band, as is the case with this cool Black Sabbath shirt. This is a black t-shirt with a vintage style picture of the band's faces. Which just rocks.

Led Zeppelin Japanese Poster

Occasionally the music tee shirts will be based around a cool looking poster that was perhaps used during a tour. This Led Zeppelin t-shirt is based on a Japanese poster and has the band featured on a blue colored shirt with a modified Japanese Rising Sun flag as a backdrop.

The Who Red White Blue Tie Dyed

I have saved my personal favorite rock band t shirts to the end. This is the type of t-shirt that is based around the band's logo and this has got to be one of the best known logos of any rock group out there. I am talking about The Who's Union Jack logo and these music tee shirts totally rule.

So where can you buy all of these awesome music tee shirts?

The Rock Band T Shirts section of the Lousy Tee Shirts website includes all of the music tee shirts featured in this article and more.

A Word Or Two About The Author

Dan Fresh regularly writes for the popular http://www.lousyteeshirts.com website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Fresh
http://EzineArticles.com/?Great-Rock-Band-T-Shirts---5-Awesome-Music-Tee-Shirts-From-the-Seventies&id=3710626

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Mad Men - Pure 60's Style

By Todd Denning

As I'm sitting here in between television seasons and feeling nostalgic for my favorite show, Mad Men, I may just have to dress up my family and friends and keep the plot rolling along in my own invented world.

If you've never seen Mad Men, you're crazy! This Golden Globe and Emmy winning television drama that airs on the AMC channel is part high-brow drama, part social commentary, and part uncanny kitschy fun. Set your Tivo for season four in 2010 if you're not afraid to dive into the issues of cigarette smoking, drinking, sexism, adultery, homophobia, anti-Semitism and racism that were prevalent in the 1960s.

One thing that you'll notice right away when watching Mad Men is the historical authenticity and visual style of the 60s costumes, sets and locations. Stylists spend painstaking time to recreate a snapshot of this bygone time, shopping thrift stores, hunting through antique markets, borrowing from private collections and creating replica clothing, furniture and props. With a little bit of ingenuity, a raid through a grandparent's closet and some good costume props, you can create a Mad Men costume of your choice.

Imagine the ultra-cool you exude when you walk into the room as Don Draper, one of the partners of the fictional NYC ad agency. You just need a dark suit and a thin black tie to pull of the classic and dashing silhouette of this central character. Add some hair pomade and be sure to carry a silver cigarette lighter and glass half-filled with scotch.

Ladies will feel all Grace Kelly to dress up as his stunning, but icy-cold wife Betty Draper. Pay tribute to her former days as a model by dressing up in a retro evening gown and elbow-length gloves (for a client dinner, of course) or go for her sportier Mad Men costume, an equestrienne outfit. Don a wig if you don't naturally have her coiffed, blonde hair.

Other Mad Men costumes for women include Peggy, the secretary turned copywriter with her own office (gasp!) who is known for her short brunette bangs and pony tail. To pull off her Mad Men costume, a plaid dress will give you the nice, conservative style she prefers. For the more va-va-va-voom ladies, dressing up as office manager, Joan Holloway, will help you make a very memorable entrance. Just wear a red wig and make sure your curvy figure is accentuated in all the right places!

Men can dress as agency big-wig and silver fox, Roger Sterling, motivated up-and-comer Pete Campbell, creative-type Paul Kinsey or several of the other guys in the office. The one common denominator is they all pretty much wear the same 60s suit in some color variation. Add horn-rim glasses, bow-ties, vests, briefcases and other accessories that give your Mad Men costume extra flair. Click Here

Todd Denning
http://www.costumemachine.com
Costume Machine is a costume search engine.

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Friday, February 5, 2010

The Hippie Way Of Dressing

It is strange to talk about the fashion of people that called themselves nonconformists. However, the truth is that while hippies, as a group, were nonconformists and countercultural, hippies, as individuals, had a distinct fashion statement to make – colorful, loose, and as different from the Wall Street preppy style as possible.

How Hippie Fashion Began in the 1960s

While the Second World War saw American patriotism and nationalism come of age, the continued war gaming in Korea and then in Vietnam finally overwhelmed the strained nerves of Americans. People wanted to rebel against a society they increasingly came to realize was a repressive, power hungry empire builder. They wanted to begin living in an alternate lifestyle and go back to nature. The fashion of the 60s reflects this mood.

The basic trend in hippie clothing was to wear loose, wear colorful, and wear fussy. Wear natural, too; cotton and hemp were in, synthetic was out. Men and women both kept long hair, and facial beard was big, too. However, contrary to the widely held belief, hippie style hair did not regularly harbor lice. The hair was well cared for, regularly shampooed and washed in holy water.

One item of great popularity was handmade clothing. Macramé was immensely popular, and tie dyeing one’s cloth in pretty colors was the favorite pastime of youths who in later decades spent their free time bombing Sunday schools.

Basic Looks of 1960s Hippie Fashion

A hippie wardrobe usually had an eclectic collection of rag-tag clothing; but some things were necessary. Everyone wore hip hugging bell-bottom jeans. These usually had fringes at the ankle and anywhere else a fringe could possibly be made, and flower patches were universal. People just loved their flowers and wore them in the hair with ribbons and things. A peace sign of some sort was a must. Skimpy halter tops which left little to imagination, not necessarily drug-induced, was the thing to wear in those days of sexual freedom.

The Skirt That Was A Health Hazard

In those days, breaking boundaries was the thing to do. Receding hemlines started riots, and shortening skirts became fashionable until there wasn’t anywhere more to go. So people took to naturism, the ultimate in 60s fashion. Hundreds of pretty hippie girls, wearing nothing but flowers. What days those were!

The Power Of The Flower

Flowers were worn by everyone in the hippie times. They represented peace, which was important to them; it also represented universal love, which somehow stood for free love as well. Floral designs were also universal, appearing in dresses, skirts, t-shirts and elsewhere. Mostly, they wore flowers in their hair and as garlands around their necks.

Lastly, we need to talk about leather sandals. This was a sort of compromise, because hippie principles only allowed for barefoot walking. But barefoot walking wasn't easy, and you tended to get your feet dirty and ... er ... stuff. So, leather sandals.

Nostalgia In The 70s - A Vintage Fashion Of Looking Back At More Vintage Fashion

The 1970s started the disco craze, shoulder length hair (remember that Bill Clinton facial hair picture?), polyester suits, and the ubiquitous smiley face. It was the decade that saw the hippie style, the 'streaker' and the romantic, and the strange fad of walking down the street naked!

But it was also a decade when people looked 40 years back into the 1920s and 30s and pined for what might have been. Those were some of the worst years in American history, with the Prohibition, the Great Depression and the Second World War. But the 70s had their Vietnam, and people just wanted to turn the clock back to times they felt might have been better. And they went for the 20s and 30s because they had visual representation of these years, unlike any other day or age, in the silent era movies.

This is the famous “Nostalgia” of the late 60s and the 70s.

When you look 40 years back to the days of your grandparents and parents, you ignore the pain and suffering they might have faced and just focus on the good times you "imagine" that they might have had. This is basic romanticism, and no other era saw this more manifest than in 1967 when Bonny and Clyde came out and Theodore Runkle did the clothes.

They were just sensational, and people just loved the trim, petite Bonnie Parker with the perfect beret and the long skirts. Who cared if she was the nastiest woman to come out of the 1920s with guns blazing that did some of the ugliest crimes of the century? She was sophisticated, she had fire and a good deal of ice; and she was from an era which people just loved to romanticize about.

A 1971 Life Magazine article summed up the mood of the era in a piece called "Nostalgia." The cover showed Rita Hayworth, Ruby Keeler, Paulette Duval, Myrna Loy, Joan Crawford, Betty Garble, 6 silent era actresses, in a heart shape. The article talked about the 1970s revival of the famous 1925 musical "No, No, Nanette," which was a Caesar-Harbach hit from the 1920s that saw 655 Broadway performances.

The 1971 Broadway revival was directed by Busby Berkeley, and legends like Ruby Keeler, Helen Gallagher and others came out of retirement and were featured in it. The musical sparked a great interest in the costume of the 20s and 30s, and almost single handedly produced the Vintage clothing market.

Boutiques like Mr. John revived old classics like the fedora. The hat was wildly popular in the 70s. There were cut-jersey gowns from Halston, like the ones movie stars used to wear in the 30s. These, too, became highly popular.
It was a wonderful era. People were throwing away the gloom of the wars, and trying out a mod approach.

But even while they were doing that, they were discovering inspiration in the fashion of days gone by. Bell bottoms, hot pants, gypsy dresses and t-shirts - the fashion statements of the 1970s - can all be traced back to this nostalgic view of the 1920s, and to some latter day adaptations of things our great grandmas would readily recognize as their own.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Rawkshop Industries - February Special, 10% off all Rock Music Merchandise and T-Shirts

Hi readers,

I have just come across a fantastic set of websites operated by Rawkshop Industries. Rawkshop owns and operates 10 established brands of classic rock band t-shirt companies. Their products are absolute magic - check them out here:

http://acdcshirt.com/
http://aerosmithshirt.com/
http://led-zeppelin-shirt.com/
http://beatles-shirt.com/
http://pink-floyd-shirt.com/
http://jimi-hendrix-shirt.com/
http://metallica-shirts.com/
http://bob-marley-shirts.com/
http://rollingstonesshirt.com/
http://nirvanashirt.com/

The coupon code for 10% off all of our sites is: valentine. The code is valid until March 1st. The coupon is themed for the month of February and the "love of music."

Unlike other companies who sell band t-shirts, Rawkshop Industries are really interested in re-invigorating the fan base of rock bands with fun and interactive social tools such as quizzes, widgets, flash games, and more, and they would love to share these things with you. Rawkshop are  more than just another t-shirt company. They care deeply about the music, which is why they only sell band tees for 10 different bands.

Check out the coupons in the right hand menu for all your rock t-shirt needs!

Readers, let me know if there is anything else we can do for you.

Cheers,

Dr Robert.