Sourpuss in Rebelicious Magazine

We're excited to have a 3 new items featured as editor's picks in this months Rebelicious Magazine, the mag for girly girls in a brutal world (Click HERE to see the online version of the magazine). What made their list, you ask? Well they're fans of our Skull Banks in Black and Bone finishes and Skull Bowls, also in Black and Bone, perfect places to keep your loose change, keys, or just the perfect addition to any coffee table in any home.

Also Featured is the brand new sassy, stunning, nautical inspired Anchor and Polka Dotted Seafaring Dress. You'll be all set to sail the high seas in this black strapless dress with an all over white dot & pink anchor print and fitted bodice, figure flattering pink waistband, decorative bow & pink trim at bottom hem.

Mermaid Parade 2012

 It's that time of year again to dust off your mermaid scales & throw on your captain's gear, it's time to head to the beaches of Coney Island!

This year Coney Island celebrated it's 30 year anniversary of the Mermaid parade.  If you are unfamiliar with the New York's famous art parade, let me give you some background.  The Mermaid Parade, founded in 1983, pays homage to the forgotten Mari Gras of Coney Island- which lasted from 1903-1954.   It's honestly the perfect way to celebrate the start of the summer season, with the sand between your toes, the sweet salty air & mermaids waltzing down the boardwalk.
To start the day I woke up early for a Saturday to ensure parking when I reached my destination in Coney Island.  Leaving Philly at around 6:30 I arrived in Brooklyn around 8:30, with barricades for the parade already being set up for the 2:00 start time.

(Just a sidenote: If you are coming from out of town be sure to get there early, there will seriously be NO parking if you try and come into town after 9AM!).

Getting there early was definitely a smart thing and gave me time to relax and meet up with a few friends I have in the area.  We headed down to Surf Ave. at around 11ish and people were already beginning to line the streets hoping to get the best seat in the house for the parade with the occasional passing of a glittery mermaid. 

As the parade start time approached the crowds came, it was literally a sea of blue, green mermaids, mermen, pirates, men dressed like mermaids even a few burly sailors…you name it, someone was probably dressed like it.  Being it was so hot out we decided to set up in the Coney Island Freak Bar to have a few drinks before the parade started. There we chatted, browsed through Coney Island Gift shop & museum(I'm sure you all remember the museum from the last Sourpuss Catalog shoot) and watched the crowds grow outside & inside.
At 2:00 we perched ourselves up on the boardwalk to watch the lavish, quirky & some just out right ridiculous costumes go by.   It is definitely a sight that everyone needs to experience at least once, if not every year, of their life!

Words can only explain so much, so be sure to bring a camera.    Another sidenote if you're looking for some great pics, head to the end of the parade route.  There you can get one on one pictures of all of your favorites, it's not very crowded and you get to see some of these amazing costumes up close.

The parade started coming to a close around 4, but the party doesn't end there.  Every year there is  an after party down the street at the NYC aquarium.  Unfortunately, even though I had tickets in hand, I had to head back home for the evening. 

Even though I did not make the Ball this year it was an amazing time & highly recommended for everyone to make plans for this event next year.  No date for 2013 yet, but it is normally held around this time every year.  You can always check out www.coneyisland.com for more info too.

Rompin' Around this Summer

Looking for the perfect Summer outfit to romp around in on your super summer holidays? Well, you're in luck! Grab your beach towel, sunscreen and one of our new Rompers! It's time to lounge by the pool in these vintage, tattoo,  and nautical inspired rompers. Featuring a dark Blue Gingham with an anchor embroidery, a Black and White gingham with an embroidered sparrow, and an all over Cherry print, whatever your taste, we've got ya covered.

New And Restocked This Week:

We Just got In New Items Like these Sourpuss Tank Tops • Loungefly Sugar Skull Bags and Sugar Skull Wallets • Adorably Creepy Housewares from Uglydoll including Shakers and Picture Frames • Modern Fit Button Downs from Warrior • As well as restocked Items from: Sullen • Lucky 13 • Steady • Tripp • And more!

Free Shipping!

Now until July 10th, thru the USPS for all domestic, retail orders can get free shipping. Just enter the code INDEPENDENCE (in all CAPS) at checkout!

New Markdowns!

Make sure you check out the 'SALE' tab on the search bar on our site for a whole selection of newly sale priced items.

This Weekend's Event:

Are you near Flagstaff AZ? Have any interest in Car shows, Pinup Pageants, and Live, Rockabilly Music? Get ready to have a rockin’ time and don't miss this year's Rockabilly Royale, June 30, 2012. See all the details HERE.

Get the Dish on King Kerosin

  Let's get the dish on King Kerosin- I had a chance to catch up with Richard, who runs things here in the US for King Kerosin...All those burning questions can be answered right here..

Sourpuss (SP): What is the difference between King Kerosin and Timeless Co?

King Kerosin (KK):That’s a good question King Kerosin is our Men’s Brand and Timeless Clothing USA is our distribution company name  

(SP): King Kerosin has a strong presence in Germany and Switzerland, is there a connection?  

(KK):We have a strong presence in Europe with offices currently in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. We also have 2 Timeless Pilot Shops in Germany. I was in Germany working on building the brand from 2000-2006 and then came back to the States to launch our USA Office.

(SP):We received in new girls styles called "Queen Kerosin", what's with the change- is this a new line? 

(KK):We felt that the time is right to branch off the women’s collection into its own brand, Queen Kerosin, after all what’s a King without a Queen ;-)

(SP):What is your favorite new design this season?

(KK):For my personal taste from the King Kerosin Collection I would have to go with either Zombie or Flying Spades. Queen Kerosin Collection: Endless Pain and Fairytale Gone Bad are very popular with the ladies

(SP):Most of your designs are based on hotrod kulture- do you have a vintage ride for yourself?

(KK):At the moment I am without wheels (I know and summer is upon us) in Germany we just picked up a fun little street rod (See photo, that’s Ralf driving he runs Europe) and yes it does about 75mph, it’s a fun little toy!! We also build a couple of King Kerosin choppers a year.

  (SP):Tell us what you do at King Kerosin day to day.

(KK):I’m kind of a jack of all trades. Most of my time goes into product development for the upcoming season, working on cool marketing ideas, and making sure orders get out the door in a timely fashion.

(SP):So when Saturday comes what are your favorite things to do on the weekend?

(KK):Go to a local show, or just take it slow and have a beer with good friends. When I get the chance love being on the open road feeling the wind in my face!!

(SP):We like to hear the dirt- tell us one crazy thing about yourself that very few people would know

(KK):Sorry my attorney has advised me that’s not a good idea.

(SP):What have you been playing on your I-Pod the most this month?  

(KK):I’d have to say The Memphis Morticians, Guana Batz, and The Dropkick Murphys

(SP):Tell us about one of your guilty pleasures

(KK):Where to begin ;-)

(SP):Anything new and exciting you would like to share regarding the future of King Kerosin?

(KK):Lots of fun and exciting clothes in the final stages for the Fall/Winter Collection stay tuned as we will definitely be taking our collections to the next level

Ohana; The Luau at the Lake

This past weekend we had the pleasure to sponsor and attend "Ohana, Luau at the Lake". Lake George is located in the Adirondack mountains in New York. It's a small vacation town with this amazing tiki resort. The perfect little getaway for those of us on the east coast. We arrived on

Thursday night, it was too late for us to sign up for the steamboat trip. But peeking out of our motel window our first impression was a group of about 50 people walking up the driveway wearing fez hats! Oh man, we had no idea what was in store for the rest of the weekend!

Friday was our official check in- We were greeted at the door with unlimited rum drinks and spam sandwiches. We received a tote bag full of swag and we were happy to see the Sourpuss tumblers stacked high for all to grab! After a little catch up we headed to the pool- endless rum and ginger beer drinks were pouring.

After running out for dinner we came back to the hotel lounge and we were transported to another time- Bamboo Saxotica a tiki/exotica band playing fun songs like the theme to Hawaii 5-0 and other classic retro tunes. We wrapped up the evening with room crawls- tasting (you guessed it) more rum!

 Saturday was packed full of things to do, there was a vendor tent filled with tiki, kitsch and vintage items for sale.

 Unfortunately a storm rolled in and cut that end of things a little short- but within a few hours the sun came back out again. While the outside was drying up, we did get a chance to check out Velveteen Lounge ( www.velveteenloungekitsch-en.comwww.velveteenloungekitsch-en.com ): Which was amazing! She was also involved with creating kitschy treats through out the weekend- remember those spam sandwiches I mentioned? Oh, they were delish!

The night was wrapped up with a pig roast, Polynesian dinner show and Drive in movie, you really can't ask for much more! 

Ohana 2013 is planned for the weekend of June 30th. Book it early to be a part of the action!

Get All Tied Up in our New Retro Tops!

Look simply darling in the All Tied Up top! This figure flattering, jersey cotton top has an all over bow & dot print, black lace trim & decorative bow on the neckline. Available in multiple, classic colorways including Rose, Turquoise, and Gray.

Were Having A Sale! 
All Tripp NYC is on sale for 25% off now (June 21) thru June 29th!


New and Restocked This Week:
New Vintage and Horror Inspired Dresses • Vintage Creepy Insect Earrings with Centipede, Tarantula, Japanese Beetle, and Snake Prints • New Guys Tees from Felon, Rocking Bones, Cocksparrer, etc. • New Pins and Patches from Lucky 13  and bands like Anti Nowhere League the Koffin Kats • And Restocks from Steady, Lucky 13, Dickies, Fred, and More.


This Weekends Events!
 •Cupcake Fest: Come eat some delicious cupcake creations as a benefit for the Bloomfield Animal Shelter and the NJ SPCA. See all the details here: www.Cupcakefest.com

•Ohana Luau at the Lake: Looking for the most action-packed, fun filled, value packed biggest little event in TIki? Check out the Luau at the Lake in Lake George, NY. See all the details Here: www.fraternalorderofmoai.org/ohana

13 Facts You Didn't Know About The Man in Black

Did you know... ?

1. The Masons rejected Cash's membership application based "on moral grounds".
2. Cash learned how to hypnotize himself thanks to the help of fellow country star, Johnny Horton (hypnotizing himself helped him remember song lyrics).
3. Cash's signature all-black wardrobe was all about superstition. He considered the style good luck after he wore a black t-shirt & black jeans during his very first performance.
4. Cash became the only person ever successfully sued by the USA for starting a forest fire. After an oil leak in Cash's Dodge camper (named Jesse James) set fire to Los Padres National Wildlife Refuge, acres of trees were burned down & the majority of their endangered condor population (approx. 49) were killed off.
5. An ostrich attack left Cash with five broken ribs and internal bleeding (I think the ostrich heard about the condors).
6. His "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" introduction debuted at Folsom State Prison.
7. During a tour in the 1950s, Cash brought 500 baby chickens to a hotel and let 100 of them loose on each floor.
8. He also flushed cherry bombs down the toilet of a hotel and blew out the plumbing.
9. Johnny Cash knew how to count. I, on the other hand, do not (and therefore, originally missed #9!).

10. Oh yeah, and he stabbed a reproduction of the Mona Lisa in a hotel because it didn't "meet his standards". Johnny Cash = Art Aficionado.
11. In the Air Force, Cash wrote stories under the name Johnny Dollar.
12. The musical inspiration for Walk the Line came from accidentally listening to Bavarian guitar music backwards.
13. In 1984, when he felt that his record label was ignoring him, he recorded an album called Chicken in Black. The lead song off the album was about Cash's brain being transplanted onto the body of a chicken. Really. I highly recommend that you click on that "Chicken in Black" link, by the way.

Now you're all set for Johnny Cash quizzo night!

Need more Johnny Cash in your life? Here are a few of my favorite Johnny Cash items currently available at SourpussClothing.com. Click on the images to get the lowdown!

 

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Sourpuss' Top 10 for Summer!

Keep your Summer Sizzlin' with our top 10 must haves for the season!
So pull out the baby pool, grab a lawn chair & start up the grill! 

1. Pink Lawn Flamingos: What's a good ole' fashioned bbq without a few pink flamingos in the front lawn?  Choose from Devil, Skela, or Pink flamingos.

2. Cheeseburger Socks: Watch out for hungry guests at your next BBQ, your legs will look good enough to eat!

3. BBQ Buddies Fancy Foil: If you actually have leftovers, wrap them up in this fancy foil.

4. Bacon Koozie: If you love bacon & keepin' your brew cold, then you have no other choice but to get yourself this sizzlin' koozie.

5. BBQ Heavy Metal Guitar Spatula: You're friends will flip when they see shreddin' & grillin'.

6. Gin & Titonic Ice Cube Tray:  It's always important to keep your guests happy with ice cold  drinks, and it's easy with these ice cubes, straight ahead.

7. Slicey the Pig Serving Tray: Serve your pals a delicious grilled feast on this quirky serving tray. And if you love the slicey pig, check out his bobblehead!

8. Spitfire Girl BBQ Postcard:  Invite friends to your next BBQ the old fashioned way, with a pen & wooden postcard.

9.  Hula Pinup Girls Glasses Set:  Spice up your drink with this set of 4 hula girl glasses!

10. BBQ Heavy Metal Fork:  Here's a heavy metal fork for your heavy metal grillin'!

Your Favorite Sourpuss Items Back In Stock!

We just got in a HUGE shipment of some of your (and our) favorite Sourpuss items. Everything from summer time stylin tubetops, to rompers, to cutout gals T's and sassy sailor inspired dresses we've got you covered! The styles we got in include: 

• Tattooed Tubetops and Cardigans • Drop Dead Skull Cardigans • Nocturnal Tubetop with offcenter Bat print • Green Tiki Dresses • Skipper Dresses • Doll Baby Dress in Octopus, X-Ray, and Dots and Bows • Kool Yer Jets Dresses • Cherry, Leopard, Sparrow, and Anchor Rompers • Polly Tubetops and Dresses • Dainty Dresses and Tops • True Love Tattoo Dresses and Tops • And More!

NEW MARKDOWNS!

On some of the best looking stuff from: Living Dead Souls • Merc • Pinup Couture Shoes • Attempt 

EVENTS HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND!

Another busy weekend! So much happening all over the place, so, if you're in any of these areas, be sure to get out there and check out these awesome events.

Pittsburgh Vintage Scooter Club's Band Camp Rally.

June 15th - 17th • Pittsburgh • The 13th installment of everyone’s favorite scooter camping rally! This year’s rally is themed “More Bond than Vegas” See the details: HERE.

Johnny Cash Roadshow Revival.

June 16th • Ventura Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA • A day of performances in tribute to the original man in black himself, Johnny Cash. See all the details on this year's revival: HERE.

Scarlett Fever East.
June 16th • Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ • Not to be missed! A car show, bands, art auction, raffles, door prizes and more at this benefit to help support Scarlett and Rett Syndrome Awareness. More Details: HERE.

East Coast Classic Scooter Rally

 Get the dish from Andria on the Philly area's vintage Vespa scooter rally- The East Coast Classic. Read on for details....

Sourpuss Clothing (SPC): How did you come up with this event?
East Coast Classic (ECC):In 2010, the planners of various city rallies in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast region joined together to form a new planning group for the rally that would become known as the East Coast Classic. At that time and for many years prior to that, we were all throwing our own "city rallies" in our respective locales. However, calendars fill up quickly which affects rally attendance. So the original idea behind ECC was that instead of throwing 5, 6, 7 rallies on as many weekends, we would combine to throw one big one together.
Additionally, we wanted to develop an event that was emphasized as more of a vintage-centric rally, which our city rallies for the most part were not. While ECC does not exclude modern scooters, vintage or "classic" bikes are our focus, and we wanted to bring that aspect to the forefront.

Photograph: Mark Zimin.

(SPC): How long have you been organizing the East Coast Classic?

(ECC): This was the second year for the event, although the initial planning started in the summer of 2010. The first ECC was held in 2011, now 2012. We have held both year's events on the first weekend in June.

(SPC): Why is the ECC a unique rally and different from other scooter rallies.
(ECC): ECC is unique in several ways. 1st, for the past 2 years ECC has been held in Wildwood, NJ, a location which in and of itself is quite unique. From the preserved 50's and 60's beach town architecture, to the lime rickeys and boardwalk "culture," amusement parks, & the beach itself, there's a whole lot to see and do in Wildwood, even outside of scootering. 

So, as you can see, holding the event at the beach is another thing that it distinguishes it from other rallies, that are either held at campsites or within cities (with the exception of the Cocoa Beach rally held in Florida).Also, whereas the most common trend for rallies is for the the planning group to come from the same geographic location, while ours is disparate. Currently, we are from Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and New Haven. And our host city for both years so far, is foreign to all of us!

(SPC): Where are most of your participants coming from?
(ECC): We draw a conglomeration of scooterists spread out over the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and even the South and Mid-West, rather than from just one geographic location. We've had attendees from as far as Atlanta, St. Louis, Columbus, and Boston.

(SPC): What is the furthest someone rode a scooter to get to ECC?
(ECC): So far, Boston is our record!

Photograph: Mark Zimin.

The Cruise Down Memory Lane

This past weekend was the 21st annual Cruise Down Memory Lane in Vineland, NJ. This is the largest cruise in the tri-state region, and since this also happened to be the first year that they allowed rat rods & beaters into the mix, I made sure I was armed with my trusty camera!

Vineland, NJ is the largest city in NJ and it's filled with history. Going down the main drag, Landis Avenue, you'll notice that a lot of their buildings haven't changed since the 1950/60s. For instance, the stand alone Sears & Roebucks store is still a fully functioning department store (if only it was still filled with all of those old housewares & apparel that fills the 1950/60s Sears & Roebucks catalogs!), and the Art Deco-styled Landis Theater, that used to host Vaudeville acts in the 1930s, still functions as a movie theater today.

Take a peek at a few of my favorites that were out that day:

   
   
 

(Click on any of the images for a closer look)

Want more? Check out the Flickr gallery below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikscarlett/sets/72157630115548874/

If you're in the area next year, put on your walking shoes and check out this event! I'm personally already looking forward to seeing even more rat rods & project cars turn out in the mix next year.

Featured Sourpuss Retailer: Cats Like Us

Sourpuss(SP):  

Give us a little background on Cats Like Us.

  

Cats Like Us (CLU):

Well the Cats Like Us background starts with my background. I grew up loving rockabilly before I knew what it was.  I was a little girl obsessed with big puffy skirts and saddle shoes as a result of being raised on Happy Days and Shanana.  I couldn’t understand why everyday people didn’t wear the fabulous outfits found on these TV shows.

Everyday was Halloween and dressing in theme was my new passion.  Some days I wanted to be Bettie Page, some days Marlene Dietrich, maybe a 60s go-go dancer, or June Cleaver, it just depended on the mood I was in.  As a hobby, I would rummage through the thrift store to find the saddest looking vintage garment I could, and visualize what it was like in it’s heyday.  I would lovingly take it home and recreate all of it’s splendor with a dye job and new buttons. Ta da fabulous new clothes!

My husband, Andrew, and I enjoy dressing in vintage and retro clothes to go out swing dancing, to car shows, to tiki bars and concerts and have long been fans of vintage and retro clothing.  A few years ago we had the opportunity to attend the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender in Las Vegas -- basically the Lollapalooza of the rockabilly / pin-up / classic car culture world.  We had such a great time that on the plane home we started talking about creating our own store to bring those fashions to Western New York.  After doing some research and realizing there are no other similar stores in Western New York, we pursued the idea and made it a reality.

Lots of times people ask about the name, here’s the short of it… funny story, the name was one of the hardest parts of opening up our store.  We had a running list of possibilities ranging from “Shindig” (which I still like) to “The Black Cat”, but none of them seemed right.  We wanted something Kitschy and vintage-cool but nothing really came to us. Until one day we were listening to Cats Like Us by the Hillbilly Hellcats, one of our favorite bands, and the lyrics described what we want our store to be about.  Then we thought what a great name for our store, and it was settled.  The Hillbilly Hellcats know about Cats Like Us, the retro clothing store, and we met Chuck H. the singer, and he was really gracious about it. They haven’t been to our store yet, but  hopefully someday they’ll stop by.

 

(SP): Is it just the 2 of you? How are the daily duties split?

(CLU):Yes, it’s just the two of us. I do all the customer service, answering the phone, emails. Run the store on a daily basis, opening, closing, cashing out, deposits. Monthly accounting. Modeling for the online store. Packing and shipping web orders. Buying new merchandise, receiving merchandise, descriptions for merchandise, tagging, displays, folding or hanging and steaming merchandise. Creating purchase orders and receiving vouchers. Restocking merchandise. Making facebook, twitter and pinterest posts. Coming up with monthly in store events and marketing them. Working with local designers on exclusive products. Being the street team and going to related retro events.

Andrew maintains catslikeus.com and fixes any glitches that come along. He designs all the ads both print and banner. Is in charge of sponsorships and marketing. Can run the store, pack and ship orders, and also makes posts. He is always looking for new ways to be more efficient and save time and money while keeping up on technology and can do practically everything I do as well.

We are dedicated and believe in real customer service.  That's retro right?  Our small size allows us to be very proactive in terms of customer service.  In our store customers are greeted at the door and get our full attention.  On-line orders are usually fulfilled and shipped

the same day.  We answer the phone and return emails the same day.  We're real people and like to help customers.

My business experience and Andrew’s marketing and web experience have allowed us to do almost everything needed to run Cats Like Us.  All we need to do now is continue our winning formula and grow.

Hit the Break to read more of the Interview and see more Photos!