Spring Greens

I found this material at the clearance section at my local Hobby Lobby over the fall and I immediately thought "ohhh, 50s frock!" You see, I am adding some new shapes to my wardrobe . . . I bought just enough for a full skirted look and I am glad I did because I think this Spring Green frock is just lovely . .  There seems to be a romantic quality to it and so fresh looking too. The pattern that I used was a 1949 Lutterloh pattern but I used it more as a base and altered the neckline and added a more circle looking skirt. So . . . . I'm not sure if this is an official 1949 Lutterloh make or not . .  I knew I wanted a more off the shoulder look so I simple carved away at the original pattern and took in the arm at the under arm seams for a more fitted look. Overall, there is really not too much to say about this frock and it was super easy to make! I think all said and done under an hour. What is nice about this simple dress is that I can dress it up or down and what more can one ask for in a spring dress in a green and cream cotton check?

 For this wearing, I chose white and brown accessories but I think red may be just amazing so I am thinking this summer this dress may make a few more appearances up here just because I think its such a simple dress with boundless opportunity for accessorizing. Here I chose my 40s white straw hat, pearl jewelry, and my spectators. To wrap up the look, I chose some posies to wear in the center of the neckline because the center does dip a bit low.

When I was wearing this dress, I felt a little bit like Scarlett O' Hara wearing here famous BBQ dress in the first big party of the film. I love that dress and would like to have a 50s version of it for myself but I think this does the trick.

A Suit for Easter

At last the weather is getting warmer, so warm in fact that it is a pleasant experience getting garment pictures outside. Today a suit that you have seen before but some jewelry that I know you have not! Today for my Easter outfit I chose my lip stick red suit and paired with light blue accessories for a unique combination. A reason I like vintage so much is the variety of fun and at times kooky combinations of colors. For this pairing, red and light blue . . . . Bluebell Blue to be precise but more on that in a bit.

Paired with this look is a vintage floral half hat from the 50s and then new to me is this Bluebelle Fakelite beaded necklace and bangle I bought from Splendette The necklace beads are kind of big for my liking  but they are growing on me quickly and I really like them. . . I bought one in the Poppy red too. Personally for 50s looks these are just too much fun.

When I was styling this suit, I knew I wanted to wear my new jewelry and I had to sort through my vintage collection to find the right pieces. When I realized I had this floral half hat and these gloves, I knew I had a winner. Its a different outfit for me but I'm really liking it as a whole. How lucky was I to have my new necklace,  new matching bangle, hat, and gloves to all match almost perfectly? I also added a yellow bangle which I found in a local antique mall. You may notice more bangles on this site here this summer . . . . I don't consider myself a bracelet person but I do like them! So I'm trying to wear more. . . .To complete the look, seamed stockings and a pair of original 40s pumps.

A Dressing Gown in Oriental Roses

Here is something different! Its a dressing gown in a soft dreamy satin with large oriental roses and floral sprays. When I was given the fabric as a thank you present for some sewing I was not sure what I was going to do with it until the giver suggested some PJs . . . . Then, that reminded me I wanted to make lounge wear for the longest time and this was the ideal place to start. To me vintage lounge wear is soft, satin, smooth, and drapey. . .This fabric was all of the above and the pattern was waiting in my stash (probably waiting for this material to come along who knows!). The pattern was a super simple and straight forward design with large collar and wide sweeping skirt. I was able to cut the skirt as all one large piece and did not have to fuss with any pattern matching in this area. Naturally my Mr. Harold was my assistant . . . What a good loyal helper . . . To keep the robe closed a large vintage button in pink..  . . can I mention ho nice it is to use up random buttons with projects like these? I had no other idea how to use this button.

Wearing this robe is so dreamy and its so soft and silky. I think later this summer when the weather finally warms up this robe will come in quite handy. The open sleeves and the overall cut of the gown makes this piece so easy to wear and make that I may just have to make a heavy winter one too, who knows!

The Second German Photo Album - Part 1 The First Wedding

Finally up here is my second German Photo Album. If you missed my first one you can catch that one here (its worth taking a look at if you are interested in German civilian attire). This time I have another album, my second one which is a larger one and covers a larger time span as well as more kinds of folks from moms to dads to aunts and uncles to children old and young. There are also a couple of uniformed men in here too. The years of the photographs range from the 30s (based on the clothing) to the war years but I'm note sure how late into the 40s they are going. Since this is such a BIG album I am breaking it up into parts so that you can really study and appreciate each image. As you have probably guessed by the title, there are two weddings in this album and here is the first one.

 To start, the album opens up with a wedding that, based on the clothing in the images, took place in the mid 30s I think. The skirts on the dresses are a longer hem going to about mid calf ( by the late 30s and 40s these hems would have risen a but getting closer to the knees). These images are really lovely and they give an idea of what an average family would have worn for such a formal event Here we are seeing people of all ages and stages of life all enjoying a very happy occasion. Doesn't the Bride look lovely? Here too note the bride's maids dresses, the attire of the Groom and his Grooms Men and all the wedding goers. I think the attire of the children is really sweet as well. There is so much to study in these images and I think I'm going to just let them speak for themselves here. Enjoy!

Cranberry Spring

This year spring has started off on such a cold note that even my daffodils are shivering to come out to play. With that said I've been dragging my feet on breaking out my spring and summer wardrobe and have instead been relying on my winter pieces. To add some festivity to my winter wardrobe I've added a new dress in rich cranberry red. I found this material in the clearance bin and how lucky was that?

The material had a nice texture to it and a good hand. It was also heavy enough for a cold weather dress but still has a nice dress weight drape. Over the weekend though, I had the perfect opportunity to get some great shots of this dress and knowing good ol' Michigan, this dress may be an excellent spring dress because it can get chilly.

I chose a 50s pattern that we have seen before here and I chose the notched neckline with the 3/4 sleeves. Instead of the skirt in the pattern, I chose a full circle skirt and I'm so glad that I did. I think this dress just oozes glamour.

 Best of all the options for accessories are almost endless from navy to black to tans to even greens and violet. For this wearing, I chose a dark tan purchased belt, a tan 50s hat with little qooky feathers (which I love), and gloves and a bag to match. It was cold earlier in the day so my hand multi era trench coat was a blessing to have. . . Partly because it is the only coat I have that works with my 50s full skirted looks. . . All my other coats are too narrow or too short.