Viva Las Vegas 21

In April I had the pleasure of attending Viva 21 and it lived up to everything I had imagined!  It was five days of non-stop music, shows, pinups, fashion and fun!  I tried to take everyone's advice and wear the right shoes, but I ended up with blisters by the first day.  That was my only complaint the whole time. As I sit here and recall all of the highlights, it really is worth the trip if you have never gone.  I told myself and my husband from the beginning that I didn't want to plan every minute and I really wanted to enjoy the music and people watching.  I would have to say that was the right thing to do, as it's impossible to see everything anyway.  I made a list of my must do's and the rest we played by ear.  We were able to catch some amazing bands and watch swing dancers twice our age that put us to shame.  We laughed at ourselves every night as we struggled to keep up with sleep and they were dancing like crazy.  It was so fun to see though!  Some of my favorite bands and performers were the Starjays, Delta Bombers (amazing!), Danny McVey (so good!), Little Lesley & the Bloodshots (love her!) and Matt & the Peabody Ducks.  Those are just a few that stand out in my memory, but let's talk about the headliners at the car show.  We saw the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis and he put on a great show!  It was an honor to see him perform. The Stray Cats were fantastic, just as I had expected.  That is one of the bands that I grew up listening to and to see them as an adult was really a nostalgic feeling!  Speaking of the car show, there were hundreds of gorgeous cars to look at.  It was cool to see more of the west coast style that we don't see here often.  Shopping was definitely happening at the car show too!  There were tons of vendors and it was so exciting meeting some of the owners of companies that I have worked with over the years.  One of my favorites is Bow and Crossbones and I was able to meet Cam the amazing boss lady there!  She was a sweetheart for sure. The pinup contest was on my list of course, so it was one of the highlights of Saturday.  I admire them for being so confident in front of so many people!  During one of the meet ups, I was able to meet Miss Victory Violet.  She is an inspiration for many, so beautiful and kind!  I ran into The Ginger Pinup several times, she lives in Atlanta too, so it was nice to have another local lady there! Her true vintage style is gorgeous.

Style and fashion is a huge part of the event too, with everyone going all out for their looks.  The fashion show on Friday afternoon was great.  The designers put so much love into their work it was fun to see it put to life with models and music.  I would have to say Ains & Elke Stylehaus doing a Disney theme was memorable and gorgeous to watch.  The Swearing Parrot was really fun too and our friends from Indiana, The Dirty Greaser and Michelle were in the show.  Retro-Verte had some beautiful designs too!  I planned all of my outfits weeks ahead of time and it was fun to finally wear them.  I didn't change five times a day like some though!  I did a day and evening look for the most part.  I wore designs from Ticci Rockabilly, Hearts and Found, Gatsbylady London, Vivien of Holloway, Karina Dresses, My Vintage Look and Trashy Diva.  While I was there I did some promoting for Trashy Diva and me and Joey wore a matching outfit!  It was fun and a big hit!  He also repped Grease Inc. in one of the embroidered shop shirts.  The pool party Sunday was another great time and fun for people watching and meeting people.  The drinks were delicious too!  Some of the vintage swimsuits were amazing!

We also took some time for sightseeing in Vegas and took a couple of trips to the Arts District for antiquing and checking out local bars.  ReBar is one that stood out where you can buy anything they have on display.  It was a unique bar!  We also caught a burlesque show at the theater in the backyard there.

I think if you have never been to a Viva, put it on your bucket list!  I hope to make it back one day. I wouldn't change a thing from this trip.