You don’t have to be into vintage style to to enjoy vintage dancing but we thought we’d do a couple of features on how to acheive a vintage look for those who want to give it a go! We got in touch with Nina Elkin, Artistic Director of the Someday Sweethearts, to ask if she had any top tips to share. Her response: “Oh…I have more then one”
The Someday Sweethearts are a chorus line dance troupe based in San Francisco that perform routines inspired by 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. The group was started back in 2014 by Gaby Cook (and originally called the Sweet Sixteen). They are still going strong today. Part of their mission as a group is to promote all women in lindy hop and support the growth of female performers, community leaders and choreographers.
Signature Sweethearts Style
Their version of vintage style is about what looks good for performances rather than about being 100% historically accurate. Depending on what they are performing the Sweethearts have three general looks:
1920’s Flapper: Smoky Eye Makeup, darker red lip color in cupids bow, Finger Waves / Marcel Waves in the front.
1930’s Chorus Line: 1-3 Pin curls in the front. Bun, Gibson Tuck or Chignon in the back. Neutral earth tone eye makeup & red lip color with a hint of pink in it.
1940’s USO Show: Victory rolls in front, Bun, Gibson Tuck or Chignon in the back. Neutral earth tone eye makeup & bright fire engine / victory red lip color with full lip.
What do the Sweethearts keep in their hair styling kits?
- Bobby Pins
- Setting Lotion for Hot Iron
- Setting Lotion for wet set
- Curling Iron
- Hair / U-Pins
- Rat Tail Comb
- Bristle Brush (for smoothing)
- Hair Spray
- Pomade
- Marcel / Duck Clips : for 1920’s Marcel Waves / Finger Waves.
- Dry Shampoo (A must for extra texture & body)
Videos, books and other resources they recommend:
- Hair pins vs Bobby Pins
- Vintage Hair Dos and Don’ts
- Hair Inspiration Blog
- Vintage Hairstyling – Retro Styles with step-by-step techniques by Lauren Rennells
- Facebook Group: Vintage Updos for Modern Girls.
Top tips for Vintage Makeup:
For performance/vintage look the Sweethearts to go with earth tones for 30’s-40’s and smokey eye for 20’s. NO SPARKLES. Vintage make up was matte. They recommend this website for research: Vintage Makeup Guides
Their makeup bag includes:
- Matte Foundation
- Concealer
- Primer (for eyelids – Urban Decay Primer. The colorless one)
- Powder – loose (clinique)
- Blush – with bright pink / orange tones
- Matte eye shadow – e.g. Naked Basics by Urban Decay
- Eyeliner – (brush tip marker)
- Lipstick – Besame! Vintage makeup shop, LipSense in a red lip for a non-smear option
- Makeup Fixer (Mac Pro Fix Plus)
- Brush Set
Swing Dance Leeds 