Fresh off our VMP DRAG FASHION FLAUNT at this year’s Vintage Marketplace, we can’t stop thinking about how incredible drag queens are, especially those of the {PAST} who paved the way for the {PRESENT} culture and creativity and will continue to invoke its {FUTURE}.
We know everyone who is anyone keeps up with RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the past season’s ALL STARS edition featured a wickedly hilarious Snatch Game that had Brooklyn babe AJA take on one of Herstory’s most legendary queens – founder of the House of LaBeija, and star of the cult 1968 documentary “The Queen”, Crystal LaBeija!
And she took her on with gusto and glamour, and also delivered this beautiful spirit back into the forum of the mainstream…much in the way Jinx Monsoon brought us Little Edie of “Grey Gardens”, and Sasha Velour took on Marlene Dietrich; keeping these divinities alive for younger generations is absolutely key!
How sad it is when you hear a young man or woman denote they have no idea who these iconic legends are . . . stay educated, kids!
“The Queen” is a fabulous film directed by Frank Simon, and provides an up close and candid look at the behind of the scenes of the 1967 All-America Camp Beauty Contest in New York City. It is a wonderful portrait of a time gone by. . . New York City is rough and tough, and men from all around America shack up in tiny hotel rooms in anticipation of the pageant discussing the difficulties of being gay in America. They are all fabulous, and its wonderful to see their final transformations from the male versions of them you see in rehearsals. This transformation truly proves the power of style and image to invoke strength from within.
Illustrated herstory by Laurel Lynn-Leake
By far, the most fabulous moment has to be Crystal’s freak out when she is named fourth place storms out and then rips everyone a new one backstage. Absolutely ICONIC…you are going to have to see it to believe it! And if you are a fan of Drag Race, you will really appreciate what Aja brought to the table even more.
We stumbled upon a full version of the film on Youtube, so check it out below and enjoy!
+Look out for Andy Warhol’s cameo (he was a judge in the pageant)+
We love moments like this in pop culture where the {PAST} races into the {PRESENT} and ultimately shapes our {FUTURE}. . . rebel queens like Crystal LaBeija will live on far past those who chose not to be the truest, most incredible versions of themselves.
I don’t need you to tell me I’m beautiful! I KNOW I’M BEAUTIFUL!!!
And really, we should all fell this way! Screw the haters- you rock!
Listen to that spirit within you, and let it free…
Had a lot of fun posting “Shy-Guy” yesterday, so thought we’d continue showcasing some of these awesome and entertaining vintage educational films. They sure were worried about the self-esteem of teenagers.
This one shows how feelings of self-consciousness keep a high school boy from doing his classwork well or making friends easily. Poor dude feels so out of whack ALL THE TIME, until he realizes everyone else feels self-conscious too and if you learn to remind yourself of this, you will be fine!
And when he realizes this watching his buddy totally goof at ping pong after just being so dashing in a tuxedo, he should have realized that of course he felt better wearing a tux! Who doesn’t feel bad ass in a tux?!
Again, a great collection of classic American style from the early 1950s which still has that timeless 40s vibe lingering. This is a look that seems to be really permeating in the fashion world more and more lately. . .
Especially couldn’t take my eye off a wicked panther graphic sweater one of the featured students wears while yacking on the phone with confidence…check it out! The panther motif is a super bad ass graphic that was quite popular, and today, a very rare vintage find.
Love anyone bringing vintage styles to the masses, but its always good to know your shit and see the influences in the world around us. This is how the {PAST} helps inspire the {PRESENT} and shape our {FUTURE}.
Well enough ado. Thanks OLD TIME TV for uploading this and all the other wicked vintage content you post on your channel!
Please enjoy and let us know what you thought in the COMMENTS BELOW!
Take a look at some of the pieces waiting in our {SHOP} to be brought back to life on the streets that channel the “Self-Conscious Guy” vibe!
There must have been a really urgent calling to help young men who suffered from social anxiety during the Post War period, because this is just one of dozens of educational films distributed to schools throughout America dealing with this.
This one is one of the best called “SHY GUY” and stars Dick York who played the first Darrin Stephens in the cult classic “Bewitched”!
Its quite entertaining, and on top of that, the classic vintage styles of these high school students are on fleek! Special shout out to the many wicked graphic sweaters that the “popular” kids are ALL rocking.
“Whats he got that makes people like him so much?”
attitude.
I think its best to be yourself, but this boy trades out his dapper suit and ties for the more relaxed cool kid vibe of some trousers and a graphic sweater, but sure enough it works, so what do I know?! So many cool jackets and bombers, and then there’s the classic hair!!!
They don’t make them like they used to! Enough hype, watch the video below courtesy of Old Time TV on Youtube!
BEST ADVICE FROM DAD: Just observe what people are doing then imitate them (well, essentially that’s what he says)….thanks Dad! Sociopath much?! As always, I say be yourself and the rest will follow.
“…you don’t know how to get people to like you and you end up holding a grudge against them…”
Life can be so hard for your average teen!
We have some pieces in the {SHOP} we thought reminded us of the “SHY GUY” vibe!
Visit our {SHOP} for more details on these and more time traveled vintage finds…
When it comes to achieving that legendary Ivy Style, one shouldn’t have to think too much at all.
When we came across this simple spread from 1955 we were struck with the straight forwardness of the editorial, as well as the run-down on how to achieve that Ivy Look.
The article was so fascinating and perfect, we had no choice but to share and feature it with our readers here at The Eye. Knowing the ins and outs of the Ivy Look is essential for any style enthusiast, so it was only right we help educate and relate!
The key really is having those classic and timeless pieces in your wardrobe so that you’re not really having to worry so much about how it’s all coming together. You take your hand, and you touch that sports coat or shirt and all the sudden it is fused to your being for the day.
Sometimes it just feels right. The best part about it is, you can see that it’s not necessarily about being some kind of perfect specimen, at all. In fact, it is much more about pairing the unexpected, and contrasting patterns and textures in curious ways to make those around you take that second look and say “Whoa! That guy has got it together!”
At that, my friends, will make you feel damn good.
So, what’s that acronym again they are always saying? K.I.S.S….You don’t have to do much but be yourself, be comfortable, and show off a little.
‘Concision in Style, Precision in Thought, Decision in Life”
You may have noticed those immortal words when browsing through our ABOUT US page, although the phrase is more like this:
+ CONCISIONEM STYLO, ACCURATIUS CORDE, IUDICARI VITA +
Since our inception, these words have helped build the foundations for creating The Eye of Faith, and we never forgot them along the way.
Wise words from an icon in his own right, Victor Hugo (and I’m not too sure if he would be one for musicals ) . . . but none the less, his “concision in style, precision in thought, and decision in life”, have made him and his work relevant to this very day!
It’s quite wild how the past comes and goes, and is brought back to life again. Inspiration finds it’s way through the cracks of your mind to infiltrate your thoughts and create something special. This comes into play every time you make your way into your own wardrobe, for example. You stare at your clothes and an idea might come to your mind, and thus a new look, and a new you is born!
While our motto CONCISIONEM STYLO, ACCURATIUS CORDE, IUDICARI VITA (it just sounds so F***ing good in Latin) has carried us far the past year, most mysterious 2014, we have a few new thoughts for the year ahead, and some new virtues we want to inherit and inspire for 2015.
+KNOWLEDGE+
+KNOWLEDGE+ has always been an important piece of the puzzle here at The Eye, and for our frequent followers and visitors, you have come to expect in our approach an appreciation for history and all it’s secrets and quirks. We love to expose the {PAST} and examine where it fits into the {PRESENT} and hopefully, using our age defying wisdom, we can summarize a likely {FUTURE}.
Much like the alchemists and sorcerers of the past, the gaining and collecting of knowledge, every little bit no matter how esoteric, is a vital aspect of one’s true power, for when the time comes and all you are left to is you and you alone, you can count on yourself to follow through! Whether we’re talking life or fashion, no one is ever going to blame you for knowing too much.
We hope to continue in this vein, and bring you more and more vintage memories and musings that can both inspire and inform.
+INTEGRITY+
Since we began creating The Eye of Faith, we have been told a million and one things we should be doing instead. Everyone and their mother has had an opinion on our vision, without even asking what that vision may be!
We came into this game knowing full well who we were, and what we intended to accomplish. You don’t see another site quite like The Eye of Faith online, and that is a good thing. We are not trying to fall into place behind other fashion blogs (most of which look the same) who recycle content from site to site, but we wanted to be true innovators on the scene. This dedication to our vision, and always standing by it without changing it to appease naysayers is why we have ruled +INTEGRITY+ as a continuing priority here at The Eye of Faith.
The Eye of Faith was conceived as a portal to the past with many seemingly disparate items, articles, and stories coming together to create a well-rounded vision of how little things have changed, and how cool the past really was! This will continue NOT to change.
We will also not be picking any random articles of vintage clothing to add to the collection. Nothing is arbitrary, and each piece speaks to a certain story or style we are aiming to incorporate into the vision of the collection as a whole. Believe us, it’s not as easy as it sounds! It’s called +INTEGRITY+
+COURAGE+
The Spirit of Contemplation (1901) by Albert Toft {1862 – 1949}
+COURAGE+ has always been our silent leader when it came to creating The Eye of Faith. In fact, the whole idea of the The Eye of Faith encapsulates this virtue entirely.
The Eye of Faith is an age old symbol of +COURAGE+, and by the pure belief in matters at hand, and some proper insight, one may be given sight to see the way to get to one’s destiny. It’s a silent pathway, but a strong one, and without proper reinforcement your trail could just wither into the wind before your eyes and you would be left to find your way without the guidance of the fates. . .
The latter is a path many of choose in life, but since we are beings with a choice, we definitely chose to trust that The Eye of Faith will get us where we belong.
It took a lot of +COURAGE+ to stand up and tell those we know and love our belief in it, but it definitely seems to be paying off, with everyday us getting stronger and stronger.
+STRENGTH+
+STRENGTH+ comes in many forms. We need it constantly; in the physical sense, to keep up the hustle of getting our pieces from one place to another, and even more so in the emotional and spiritual sense, when it seems like you’ll never figure it all out.
Truth is, you’re never going to figure it all out, so best stop wasting your energy on that one . . .
Having +STRENGTH+ of mind is more powerful than any fist when it comes to life. Creeping deep down into oneself and building +STRENGTH+ from within is your best start. From there, everything else will seem like a cinch!
+IMAGINATION+
I once read somewhere that +IMAGINATION+ is more important than +KNOWLEDGE+
But I don’t think that is quite true, as much as learning to utilize both to one’s advantage can be the most powerful tool of all.
+IMAGINATION+ is quite literally the God-Sense in all of us. If you seek the divine in the everyday all you need do is open a pad of paper and sketch, or write for an hour about any old thing, even messing about your wardrobe will suffice. It is simply that beautiful magical moment where your brain has decided to create something new, and completely you.
You are a well of ideas and inspirations, and once you are able to tap into that spring, you might find your true self overflowing!
+ + +
So there you have it!
Our five newly anointed principles that can be used not just for your style sensibilities, but use them in life, as well. If you use them right, the transformations will happen almost immediately.
Feel free to adapt our Rules to fit your own life, or simply come up with a few of your own.
What means most to you? In the end, that’s all that matters. We know what we need to do to survive, and we’re going to definitely be making it happen! So hopefully some of our words of wisdom have rubbed off a bit, and we can all make things happen together!
We say it a lot here at The Eye of Faith, but one of the most important lessons you can learn in life is being yourself. It doesn’t matter the trends that are out there, or the way everyone says life should be. Trust me, trends die and originality survives.
We are currently on the hunt for the world’s most exciting fashionistos and fashionistas and the secret knowledge for style they possess! Here at E.O.F. we admire the brave, the daring, the shocking, the extreme, the original, the odd – and everything in between (but of course you know that).
We want to know it all! It’s a mad world out there, but somehow the wild world of style always seems to keep us on track. So if you’re who we’re looking for, or know that person, send us a line at the.eye.of.faith@gmail.com and let us know!
Being on top of your own brand of style can be a major advantage in all aspects of your life. From your love-life to the workplace, the invention of you is a key ingredient to success. If you have any questions regarding finding yourself, check out this article from Everyguyed, as it is sure to answer any questions or problems you might be facing!
Also, check out PostMasculine for some really grounded and honest advice for men from men! This is a great site because it knocks down typical male stereotypes and focuses on developing a more grounded, compassionate, and fearless masculinity. Lots of great reading!
So kids, what’s the moral of the story?
The world is full of so many pressures today, and it seems like everyday the numbers are growing, so the last thing you need is adding yourself to the equation! JUST DO YOU!
Find what makes you happy, and what sets you apart, then just let the freak flags fly. For two thousand years we have been obsessed with being unhappy with ourselves, and it’s about time we start to change that!
