Damn the Man, Save the Empire...

There is no easy way to phrase something like this... FOUND (A Vintage Shop) will be closing the doors of our beautiful shop on June 29th. It may come as a shock to most of you, and we apologize for it being so abrupt. We've been trying to hold on for as long as we could, but times are tough. Everyone has felt the financial pinch of the economy, our little shop included.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though. A big luminous, flashy, sunglasses required light! Its called Found-vintage.com! We will be selling our swanky vintage pieces online very soon. Please keep an eye out for our webstore by visiting the website often. It should be part of your daily routine! Wake up, walk dog, shower, eat hearty breakfast, check Found-vintage.com, read FOUND blog...you get the idea. Maybe get dressed at some point after you shower. Or don't. We won't judge. You can just wait around in the buff until you order your first magical piece of clothing from Found-vintage.com. We'll fix you right up!

Keep an ear to the ground for work on any open markets or festivals we will be participating in as well. Orlando has a bunch of great markets such as Audubon Park community market, and Grandma Party, where local food, art, vintage, and crafts can be found. Speaking of "found", don't forget to check Found-vintage.com often!

Thank you to all the friends we met at our shop. We appreciate your support, and hope you'll continue to rely on us to find unique adorable and affordable vintage for you.
Oh, and...
We want to see you at the Cherrybomb Ball, this Saturday the 27th, at 8pm.
Don't be a square, just be there.

Pinup of the Day...

Today I will pay tribute to the number 1 pinup girl during World War II, the beautiful Betty Grable. Betty like many talented kids, was propelled into into acting by her mother. She used a false identification to get her first film, and was later fired when her true identity was discovered. After that, her actual first role was the leading dance number in the film Whoopee! After small parts in over 50 Hollywood movies throughout the 1930s, Grable finally gained national attention on stage for her role in the Cole Porter Broadway smash Du Barry Was a Lady in 1939.
1940 kicked off her movie career, landing her a contract with 20th Century Fox making her their top star throughout the decade. Some of her best movies during this era include Down Argentine Way, Moon Over Miami, The Dolly Sisters, and Mother Wore Tights. By the end of the 1940's Betty was the highest paid female star in Hollywood.

It was also during the 40's that Betty posed for her famous pinup photo in her swimsuit for the GI's of WWII, making her the #1 pinup for American soldiers (even with competition like Rita Hayworth and Veronica Lake). She was recognized as having the best legs in Hollywood, and was known as "the girl with the million dollar legs" because of them being insured for $1,000,000 with Lloyds of London. Many photoshoots have her posing in positions that would best display her slender legs.

Betty was cast in several post-war musicals during the 1950's. Her last big film hit was 1955's How To Marry a Millionaire, which she starred in along with Lauren Bacall and Marilyn Monroe. At the time Marilyn was being groomed as the next Hollywood sex symbol to replace Betty. Instead of this turning into a feud, Grable was quoted saying to Monroe "Go and get yours honey, I've had mine".
In an interview in 2007 with Hugh Hefner, Hef admitted that Grable was his inspiration for founding the Playboy empire. Her vast career as a box-office bombshell continues to introduce Betty Grable to a whole new set of audiences generation after generation. She is the original pin-up girl, a Hollywood legend, and an American icon.

The Cherrybomb Ball is coming up on June 27th at 8pm. Be sure to put on your "best Betty" and come join the festivities! And as always, come visit us at FOUND (A Vintage Shop) to get a piece of history to wear to the Ball. We have many outfits that work for the Pinup era, with many of them being 50% off because of our fabulous Summer Sale going on right now!
Come in and shop!

Summer Sale!

Out with the old and in with the new! With Summer upon us in full force, and the economy putting the pinch on our wallets, it only makes sense for us to make our vintage affordable for everyone and have our first Summer Sale! All vintage clothing, shoes and boots are now 50% off our already low ticketed prices. The only exceptions to this fantastic discount are the Consignment pieces we have in stock, and our $10 Sale rack. Since only about 15% of our stock falls in the Consignment or Sale rack category, the other 85% of our clothing and shoes is fair game!

That means you can get...


This checkered scarf, baby blue polka dot top, cherry red skirt and wingtip heels for only $52.50! Normally this would cost $95, but with our Summer Sale, you can get more bang for you buck. Where else can you get a one-of-a-kind outfit for under $60?

For a limited time only...You can get our dresses for $20, with our longer dresses at $22.50. Now buying a beautiful dress for a gals night out, or a first date is easy on the eyes and the wallet! Check out our Foxy Brown dress for $20 instead of $40.


Mens apparel and shoes are included in the sale too! So fellas can get tops for $12.50 instead of $25, pants for $15 instead of $30, and jackets for $17.50! Really, quite a steal.

So come on into FOUND before the sale of a lifetime goes away, and don't forget to mark June 27th as the night to come see us at The Cherrybomb Ball!

The Art of the Pin Up...

The much anticipated Cherrybomb Ball is just around the corner, on June 27th. Part of the festivities for the ball include two Burlesque shows, and a Pin Up Contest with all the fixin's. The contest will have many beauties competing for the crown as well as an opportunity to interview with The Diamond Agency, and a photo session with Flirtini Photographer Vanessa Sotomayor to appear in the next issue of Renegade Magazine! Each contestant will have to strut her stuff with her representation of a 50's pin up model, and will be critiqued carefully by the three judges as well as the crowd.



So, what exactly does it take to put your best Pin Up foot forward...

Personality
Pin ups have a bubbling personality, are full of charm and grace. They are unconditionally expressive, with a smile that can make a man go broke, and engaging eyes that love the attention of the camera.

Hair/Make-Up
Make-up is used the enhance the natural beauty. Ruby red lips, rose stained cheeks, full lashes and liner to frame the shape of the eyes. Hair is full, set with curls or a soft wave. Victory rolls, pin curls, and pompadours are especially choice. Accessorize the hair with small hats, veils, bows or the favorite hair flower. Choose a flower that compliments the outfit like a rose for an hourglass black dress, or a hibiscus for a tiki print dress.

Outfit
The outfit is just as important as the model. It should emphasize the beautiful curves of the body, and allow for an expressive pose. It also needs to fit the decade. Many pin ups would dress in character. Sailor, Cowgirl, Bathing Beauties were some great alternative outfits to the svelte lingerie, gowns and dresses that were more commonly used in pin up art.

Picture Perfect Pose
A pin up pose is animated an yet smooth in form. The best parts of the body were amplified in a sexy appealing way. Long legs were stretched out above the body, backs arched to puff out the chest, or bent over body to show off the toosh. Show off what your mama gave you!

The history of the pin up dates back to the 1890's, but was more prominent in the late 30's through the 50's. They were used to give hope to the GI's during war, and were commonly plastered all over the lockers of the men. Betty Grable posed for her famous pin up photo in 1943 for all the men fighting in World War II. Other famous pin up models include Rita Hayworth, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Lili St. Cyr, Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jeane), Jayne Mansfield, Bettie Page, Lauren Bacall, Kim Novak...I could go on.
In addition to the famous models, there were a bevy of artists made famous for their pin up art. Watercolor, pastels, and airbrush were used to elegantly parade the models on the covers of campy magazines or calendars. Brown & Bigelow was an art company that published artists like Gil Elvgren, Rolf Armstrong and Norman Rockwell, and were one of the biggest calendar printers in the world during the late 40's. And artists like Alberto Vargas and George Petty grew famous for their centerfold art in Esquire magazine. Other personal favorites of mine include Billy Devorss, Edward Runci Pearl Frush, and Earl Moran. Look up their art if you get a chance!

We here at FOUND vintage are very knowledgeable about pin up history and can outfit you and your friends in our vintage to ensure you wow the room (and the camera). Come shop!

A window to the world......

How many times have you been driving or walking down a street and thought "That store looks cute, I want to stop in there...." If you're like me, this happens all too often. Whether we realize it or not, what we are reacting to, and connecting with, is a small story created by the store's external appearance. That story can be created in many ways; by the product being shown in the window, by the colors and lettering of the sign or even by overall atmosphere or vibe that exudes from the space. But most often, it is the window display that grabs us and provokes us to enter and shop- even if that wasn't our original intention.
Major retailers like Barneys, Neiman Marcus and Macy's are known for their over the top window displays- especially around the holidays. The budget and staff required for these displays would blow your mind and they are kept so under wraps that most city store retailers include blinds in their windows so that they may be set up under a shroud of mystery. When the window is complete, the blinds are dramatically raised and, if the job is well-done, the result can stop even the most hurried city dwellers in their tracks.

Here at 544 West Fairbanks, we are lucky enough to have a store window so large it could probably be used as a small studio apartment, if need be. But really, our huge window is our favorite part the store we take great pride in coming up with inventive scenes for each monthly change. Our goal is always to grab the attention of the traffic outside our store by providing them with a glimpse of the feeling we hope they have upon entering our doors. In doing so, we often set up the window to give the feeling of being transported to another place in time; just as Found itself takes you back in time. Filling such a large window and making it impactful can be tough on our shoestring budget, but we make the most of if it and have fun with it every time we change it. Here are just a few images of some of our past windows- for those of you that haven't been lucky enough to see them in person. ;) Anyone have a favorite? Or an idea or next month? We'd love some feedback and/or ideas of what you'd like to see... Just as they say that the eyes are the windows to the soul of a person, so our window is like a sneek-peek into the soul of our store. We just hope you like what you see!

Cherrybomb Ball

Aside from being the tourist capital of the entire galaxy, Orlando is a city that has something for everyone. Whether your interests lie in sipping sake while sketching your next work of art (Tatame Sake Lounge), boozing it up with St. Bernardus beer to discuss the latest documentary on French bike messengers (Stardust Video and Coffee), or watching your favorite band in an small intimate venue (The Social)...Orlando has it. We've got incredible local and independant coffee houses, restaurants, vintage shops (ahem, FOUND!), museums, dive bars, and farmers markets. Orlando's main flaw? All of these cultural treasures are spread out over the city.

If you have any interest in the fabulous 50's, or Rockabilly then finding something to fill your need is hard. There are a couple schools and dance halls that have swing dances a few times a month, some retro lounges, or you may get lucky and catch a Rockabilly band to watch. We need more options! Which leads me the next event FOUND vintage will be participating in...Its called THE CHERRYBOMB BALL! Flirtini Photography will be hosting this event that will encompass vendors for all the hepcats and betty's of Central Florida. FOUND vintage will be there selling our vintage beauties, and joining us will be multiple vendors who have retro handmade goods such as jewelry, tiny tophats, and hair flowers. Our pals from Mixed Media Baked Goods will also be there serving up the best Vegan cupcakes in town!

There will also be two different burlesque shows at the Cherrybomb Ball! One act Go Cat Go, features two amazing performers Lexi Katt and Minnie Vicious. The other burlesque act is out of Lakeland and they are called Moxie Le Femme! It won't be a ball if there is no dancing, so Lindy Hop and Swing lessons will be given as well.
The main gem of the ball will be the Pinup contest! Women will be showing off their best Pinup look, personality, and charm. The winner of the contest receives a 3 Look shoot with Vanessa Sotomayor of Flirtini Photography that will be featured in the next issue of Renegade magazine, as well as a sit down interview with The Diamond Agency. Pretty fancy, huh?
The Cherrybomb Ball is on June 27th at 8pm, and will be held at the Discount Music Center (3301 Gardenia Ave, Orlando, 32805). There is no cover charge, so bring all your friends for some good clean fifties fun!

And don't forget, if you don't have a stitch to wear to the ball, come visit us FOUND gals and we will take care of you! We have a great selection of 50's wear that is sure to turn some heads.
See you pinups and greaser guys soon!