Viva...Friday :-)

Friday, my task upon waking was to get to a branch of Bank of the West. The night before our departure, I had left my bank card in the cash machine! Yes, when I am getting ready for a fabulous party, I will become all sorts of absent-minded just thinking of the fun I will have. Luckily, there was a branch just shy of two miles away, so I zipped over to withdraw some cash so I would not be begging people to buy me diet cokes all weekend.

Friday day was uneventful to my recollection, except for the discussion I had with the infamous Felicia. Actually, I take that back. I had the good fortune of meeting Cat from The Vintage Housewife . She was a dear and you can click the link to view photos of our meeting. I saw Holly, aka Tempermental Broad who I have gotten to know better this last Vegas. She is adorable and I want to put her in my pocket and take home with me every time I see her.

I picked up a gold confetti lucite yo-yo I had won on ebay for $12 and had shipped to the hotel. It matched my jewelry perfectly so I went upstairs to change after feeling quite sad in the vendors area because I couldn't buy anything. I want to save all my pennies for my UK trip next month.

I decided that Friday would be my "Gold Lame" night.

I didn't really get any good pics and no pics of my yo-yo!

 The top is a Suzy Perette, the skirt I had made with vintage fabric and I carried my gold confetti lucite purse that has seen better days.

The first band I snapped photos of was a great band from the UK, Jesse and the Orbits. I met the lead singer, Natasha, the night before and just loved her. I met quite a few young Londoners and thought they were all adorable and very sweet.

When the band was finished playing, a nice couple approached me and told me they read my blog and that they had followed my band recommendations and had not been disappointed yet! That made me feel quite good to know someone was benefiting from something I wrote.

I missed a couple bands I wanted to see because I was dealing with the situation following the incident with Felicia. "Situation" and "incident" were words that Dorian, Jess, Kim and I used together quite frequently to discuss shenanigans that we witnessed or partook in that weekend. 

The next band up was the Sureshots. I saw them at the second US Rave and enjoyed them. The Bombshells had been negotiating to book them, but it had fallen through. 

Gary from the Sureshots

 Joe from the Sureshots

I went upstairs to change and spent the rest of the night, into the wee hours of the morning at the record hop in the Big Easy. The Big Easy's dance floor was superb. Nice, slick hard wood. Perfect for jiving. 

When I was going back to my room, I came across a guy passed out in the hall. He had fallen asleep, outside his room, a pile of money next to one hand and his room key in his other. I wish I had taken a photo, but I was more concerned that his money would be stolen. I tried to wake him, but he was not opening his eyes. I shoved his money and key in his breast pocket and went back to my room. Sunday I saw him in the hall and told him it was me that put his money in his pocket. He promised to buy me a drink. 

Continuation of Viva Blogs...Thursday Night!

I think I left off with Frankie's Tiki Room...here's another couple photos from Frankies:

With Teresa an a man I totally LOVE, Patrick

 I ran into my friends, Aaron and Mel

After Frankie's we went back to the hotel where I changed for the beginnings of the festivities! Thursday was my "Hawaiian" day, so I changed into a dress that I had to trade a LOT of vintage for. It is a strapless sarong, rayon, with a bolero, that I LOVE. I was thrilled that my friend Renee, who is a dealer was willing to do a trade. 

With Renee, who has the most fabulous wardrobe!

I didn't get any photos of bands...Lil' Mo and the Dynoflos opened the show to a packed ballroom and put on a FANTASTIC show. I also enjoyed Los Straightjackets, Hi Qs and Modern Don Juans. I did get a few photos of the Hi Qs with Matt on vocals.

Here are some random photos from the night with Jessica, Dorian, and also Alex Vargas and my friend Real

One last photo from the night with Dollie aka The Rockabilly Socialite

  I was up until at least 5:30, closing down the hops that night/morning. While I was sitting out a song at the hop, my dear friend from Germany hugged me from behind and spilled a whole glass of whiskey on my dress! I think it will be fine after a cleaning, I want to bring it to England with me when I go to the Rave. I love her and have known her almost 10 years, so I wasn't mad. She was being cute and drunk and bought me a coke because she felt bad. I hope to see her in the UK without a drink! hehe...

This Saturday! The 13th Booze Broads and Hotrods

This is the club I belong to, the Bombshell's annual party. We love to have it the week after Viva, and it is the perfect cure for the post Viva Blues. For more information about hotels and our show, please visit our website: The Bombshells

Viva....Thursday Afternoon

I had to get up early Thursday morning to pick up my good friend Tanya and her husband, Woody at the airport. While waiting in line for my coffee, I ran into Lisa Fremont Street and had the opportunity to see her beautiful new baby girl. I wish I had my camera with me so I could have snapped a photo. I know I have said this before, and I will say this again, most likely, but I greatly need to remember to capture moments if I am going to blog about them.

The day kind of rushed by, and since I had plans to meet a bunch of people at Frankies, I hung out by the bars a bit. Jess, Dorian and I went up to the Bowling Alley to obtain the bowling pin spill proof cups. I was really surprised and disappointed that there was no "boot" this year.

Since it was the middle of the afternoon, we had to hit up Sweetpea's "Hooch 'N' Smooch" where we ran into the Rockabilly Socialite

We made name tags for ourselves using our "Trucker" names. Dorian is "Ginger Fox," Jess is "White Minx" and I'm "Black Bootie."

Next, I met up with the Swedes, Woody and Tanya and we headed over to Frankies...got a lot of cheeky photos while we were there with the well hung Tiki...

Viva tip 2....what should you bring?

As some veterans of Viva do, I shop for Viva all year long. I am always looking for a "WOW" dress that I call a "Viva Dress." I always have many contenders, and the choice is difficult. Despite what some people believe, you can wear the same dress twice at Viva, but I like to skip at least a year between wearing it again. Memorable dresses are that, memorable.

Now we are going to talk about packing and what you want to bring. For those flying, the baggage limits in place now make it harder to bring everything you want, so you have to economize. About a month before Viva I make a list of everything I want to bring, and having the philosophy that I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, I drove to Vegas last year.

Lets talk about the things you will need to bring with you, or the things I bring:
1. Day outfit for each day you will be there. This can be as casual as jeans or as dressy as a vintage sundress. Whatever you are comfortable in.
2. Cocktail dresses for each night. Saturday is traditionally the fanciest night, but I like to dress up every night and often don't decide which is the Saturday outfit until Friday or Saturday that I am there. If you want to buy a really special repro dress, check out this website: Whirlingturban. Whirlingturban makes custom fit vintage reproductions where you can pick your own fabric, or you can browse the pre-made dresses in the boutique. Of all the reproduction companies out there, Whirlingturban uses the most vintage like fabrics and techniques in the construction of their garments.
3. Bring at least 2 pairs of Jeans. I sometimes bring 3, since I change into them late at night to dance at the record hops.
4. T-shirts or casual tops. Rockabilly band shirts, striped t-shirts, custom car shop shirts and cute vintage blouses will go well with the jeans.
5. Something to sleep in, unless you are with your man and have kids and have the opportunity to sleep naked for once!
6. Undergarments, and I don't just mean panties and bras. Be sure that if you have some special dresses that you also have the proper foundation garments to go under them. I bring a Spanx, long line bra, strapless bra and open bottom girdle and stockings. Socks if you plan on wearing sneakers!
7. Shoes! I try to pack shoes that can be worn with more than one dress, but last year I failed at that and wore different shoes with each dress. Don't forget sneakers and some cute sandals to wear at the car show and with jeans.
8. It is good to bring one jacket if you plan on leaving the casino. Vegas in April is unpredictable. Sometimes very hot and sometimes cold at night.  If you plan on going to Frankie's bring something hawaiian to wear.
9. Swimsuit for the pool party. This year the pool party is every day, so you can bring more than one suit
10.We all need our cosmetics, I recommend bringing the basics and some extra flash you wouldn't normally wear, like falsh eyelashes.
11. Hair stuff...your hairbrush, good shampoo (you will be there for 4 nights, at least) hair pins, curling iron and if you drive like me, hot rollers. Bring some extra barrettes and ponytail holders. If you think you are going to do a wet set, put that out of your head. If you are going to wet set your hair while at Viva, you are doing it wrong and should give up your room at the Orleans for a someone who wants to have fun and be up all night dancing. Don't forget hairspray or any other styling products you use. There is a Target located a few blocks away, and you can always cab over if you forget anything.
12 Jewelry! Plan out the jewelry you are going to wear with your dresses. make sure you have something safe to carry it in and bring it in your carry-on. I wear almost all costume jewelry, but I still put it in my carry-on when I fly, just in case.
13. Purses. I bring a few evening bags to match my shoes. Something that will fit my cash, ID, credit card, phone, cigarettes and lighter.
14. Hair accessories. We all like a pretty flower in our hair. If you don't have a cute one for your outfits, you can make one quickly or buy one from the dozens of vendors who sell them.
15. Don't forget Sunscreen! It is essential at the car show.
16. Band-aids and pain reliever may come in handy. Also make-up remover.
17. Camera and extra memory card and the charger.
18. Safety pins for wardrobe malfunctions.
19. Extra dress our outfit in case your wardrobe malfunction can't be repaired with a safety pin. One year the zipper on my dress broke at the car show. I was very fortunate to have one extra outfit to put on so I didn't have to buy one and could still look cute in a dress at the car show.

Don't fret if you forget anything. There are over 100 vendors selling everything from vintage goods to corsets and pomade. Your man can get his hair cut at Rob's Chop Shop and they now have salons doing vintage hair-dos.

If you fly, try to have some extra room in your suitcase for the goodies you will pick up. I hope this has answered some questions to the Viva Virgins, and reminded Veterans not to forget anything.