Style Scenario: Tiki Party

Hi! The Vintage Chanteuse here. Things are getting steamy here at 5th Street Vintage so this week are throwing ourselves a Tiki Party! Here is Yesterday's Lady's guide to the perfect Tiki Party Dress. All you need is a brightly colored flowered dress, some beach sandals and flower in your hair--and certainly don't forget your lei! It is so easy to achieve this look!

 

Now, for us at 5th Street Vintage we believe every dress has a story and here is the story of this gem from 1959!  Jeri from Geneva, Nebraska wore this 1959 Hawaiian Fishtail Muumuu to her wedding on a Hawaiian Beach.  She recalled dancing barefoot on the beach with her new husband with the ocean waves as their music. This dress is a classic. The royal blue and teal palm leave pattern is accented with ruffled sleeves and a fishtail train which is perfect for twirls!

These 1960's beach sandals, vintage plastic fruit necklace, and bamboo fan add that extra tropical flair to the outfit.

If a dress isn't your style, check-out this adorable 1940's cropped top and high-waist lounge pants in a Polynesian pattern. Just throw on some teak wood clog shoes and you will be the best dressed at the Tiki Lounge! Think Carmen Miranda!

In the mood for some hula dancing?! Try this 1960's grass skirt and bamboo hat on for size! All you need is a retro bikini and you are set for the beach!

Ready to set up your own Tiki Lounge? Here is some advice for creating your own Tiki space. Check out Our Tiki Lounge post!

Aloha!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Our Tiki Lounge

Aloha, Vintage-ista's! 

Here is how we do a tiki lounge at 5th Street Vintage! When my parents moved into their 8,000 sq/ft building very few spaces were livable. They spent several years restoring the building and it certainly was a "labor of love." However, there was one odd room they didn't know what to do with and it left them perplexed. The back of the Schmuck Building was once a mechanic's garage and was a very awkward space to say the least.  So, they came to the most probable solution...a Tiki Lounge! This entire room was created from things that have been donated, re-purposed, and scavenged. Here is a sneak peak into our South Pacific Tiki Lounge:

Any respectable tiki room needs a few key elements: good lighting, a bar from which to serve great cocktails, and comfortable seating! A 1960's wicker bar was transformed into our Tiki bar with a little paint and a straw canopy addition. We added brightly painted vintage bar stools and a retro picture of a Hawaiian Debbie Reynolds.
 

We've created a Tiki island feel with a dark green 1940's couch and matching chair. We re-purposed a 1940's bar cloth bedspread to create pillows and a blanket for a pop of color.

For the walls we used a 1950's map of South America which warms up the cold concrete walls as well as bamboo curtains to conceal the old garage door. We then inserted colorful fans for added color and vintage teak Hawaiian mask.

These photo cut-outs of vintage swimmers were hand painted by a friend and are a great way to start a party!

The true flair of the Tiki lounge comes from the details, such as retro Hawaiian scarves adorning the stairs, vintage inspired Caribbean Cruise Line and retro South Pacific Movie posters. Oh, and don't forget the palm trees...everywhere! 

Coconut candles, retro flamingos, and twinkle lights add that extra panache to our Tiki Lounge. Just don't forget the teak wood serving trays and you are set for the ultimate Tiki party!

The main purpose of your Tiki Lounge is create a space that gives you a feeling of being far, far from home. This space should be you're escape! I hope this gives you some inspiration for creating a space to throw your own tiki party--even if you are the only guest!

Aloha!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Thirsty Thursday: Hawaiian Sunset

Hello Vintage-istas!

The humidity has really rolled into the Midwest these last couple of weeks while we've been back visiting family, and boy we are feeling it. So much so, that its got us thinking, "if we have to put up with all of this humidity, we might as well be doing it sitting on the beach in paradise!" Keeping with our "paradise state of mind," this week's Thirsty Thursday installment features The Vintage Chanteuse's version of a mid-century cocktail titled the "Hawaiian Sunset."

We recently discovered this cocktail on a 1960's drink menu from a Hawaiian resort and immediately knew we had to share it with you all! If you search "Hawaiian Sunset cocktail" online you will find a mixture of versions based either in rum or vodka. We are going to use rum, based on the vintage menu we found. Rum is really a child of the Caribbean, but it was very common in the early days of airline travel to find rum used in drinks in Hawaii because it fit the American tourist's ideals of stereotypical "paradise." Also, this drink traditionally calls for orange juice and cherry juice, but we experimented with an orange and pineapple juice mixture with grenadine that we feel really gives this drink a tropical feel! With that in mind, let's take a look at our ingredients:

• 2 oz white rum
• 1 oz grenadine
• 2.5 oz orange & pineapple juice
• 1 oz club soda
• Maraschino cherry or pineapple (for garnish)

Preparation: First, begin by combining rum, grenadine, orange & pineapple juice, and grenadine in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until ice crystals begin to form around exterior of shaker. Then, strain over ice in Collins/cocktail glass, top off with club soda and garnish with either a maraschino cherry or pineapple wedge!

Recommended accompaniment:

For this drink's accompaniment, we recommend the title song from the classic 1961 film Gidget Goes Hawaiian, sung here by James Darren. So grab your sunnies, muumuu dress, and sun tan lotion and enjoy our version of the "Hawaiian Sunset."

Salut!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Weekly Playlist: Tiki Party

Hello Vintage-ista's!

A heatwave has hit the Midwest this week and the humidity is so high a haze is hanging over the buildings. So we've been thinking, if we are going to be putting up with all this heat it might at well be in a tropical paradise! This week is dedicated to Hawaii's favorite pastime....the tiki party! Yesterday's Lady and I will showing you how to take advantage of this perfectly tropical weather and host a vintage tiki party! Now, for starters here's a little steel guitar and ukelele to set the mood!

Aloha!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Classic 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!  One of my favorite things about coming back to the Midwest is the wonderful sense of quintessential Americana found in Nebraskan small towns.  Although I didn't grow up in Beatrice, my parents have found a special place in the community with our vintage clothing shop and museum.  Just down the street from their home in the upper levels of the Historic Schmuck Building is the Traubel's Popcorn Stand which was originally built in the 1930's.  Since then it has been rebuilt and now fills the downtown district with wonderful smells of popcorn! We took my nephew, Maxwell, and his paper hat to try popcorn for the first time!

Maxwell wore a 1950's little boy's dress shorts and white nylon shirt. Yesterday's Lady was adored with a 1950's sheer red and white polka dot dress.  As you can see Maxwell LOVED his popcorn!  If you find yourself near Beatrice, it is worth the stop at Traubel's Popcorn Stand.  The homemade caramel popcorn is to die for!  All of us at 5th Street Vintage hope you have a happy and safe Independence Day!

Salut!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Thirsty Thursday: American Beauty

Hello Vintage-istas!

Welcome to another installment of Thirsty Thursday! Keeping with our week-long Independence Day theme, we are going to show you how to make The Vintage Chanteuse's unique take on a truly "red, white, & blue" cocktail titled "The American Beauty."

 

If you search on the web for "American Beauty cocktail," you will actually find quite an array of different cocktails, with base spirits ranging from gin, vodka, and even brandy. The version we're sharing is steeped with a bit of irony, using London dry gin (from whom we gained our independence, of course!). This gives us our "white," and the "red and blue" comes from the muddled raspberries and blueberries! Let's take a look at our ingredients:

• 1.5 oz gin
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 3 raspberries
• 3 blueberries
• Mint leaves
• Splash of brut sparkling wine
• Berries for garnish

Preparation: Begin by muddling well the lemon juice, mint leaves and berries in bottom of shaker. Then, add ice and the remaining ingredients (save the sparkling wine) and shake well, until ice crystals form on exterior of shaker. Strain into a lowball filled with ice (ensuring the pulp from the berries makes it into the glass), top off with sparkling wine and garnish with a few extra berries skewed on a toothpick!

Accompaniment:

Mixing both our retro and Americana themes for this week's installment, we've chosen Ray Charles' timeless version of "America the Beautiful" as our recommended accompaniment. If you're like me, you grew up first hearing this song on the movie The Sandlot. Because of this, this version will forever be cemented in our minds as the quintessential 4th of July anthem. Until next week, stay safe and happy Independence Day!

Salut!

The Vintage Chanteuse

Vintage Newspaper Hats

My nephew has been spending the week with us at my parents in Beatrice, Nebraska and we have been playing non-stop! Our days are filled with his favorite things: Wagon rides and waving tiny American Flags at every person we pass. I adore my special time with Maxwell and we decided since it is 4th of July week what could make this even more American? Newspaper Hats! Vintage newspaper hats have been a favorite of adults and children since the early 20th Century.  Since then they have become a childhood staple.

Here's what you need:

• Half Sheet of Newspaper (Child Size Hat)
• Full Sheet of Newspaper (Adult Size Hat)
• Scissors
• Tape

Instructions:

1) Fold the newspaper in half

2) Fold the two top corners to make a triangle

3) Cut off the excess paper at the bottom of the triangle

4) Fold up the bottom edges

You can use newspaper, scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, or recycled bags for your hats. We decorated with our hats and added little American flags for added Americana.

Maxwell LOVED his hat and wore it to buy popcorn at Traubel's Popcorn Stand in downtown Beatrice.