lifestyle leader: VINTAGE FASHION OF THE DAY

Sunday, January 24, 2010

VINTAGE FASHION OF THE DAY

This was one of my favorite childhood movies as well as one of my favorite books. I always admired the lovely Victorian dresses and winter wear worn by Mary Lennox.

----------------------------------------It is no secret how much I adore Zooey Deschanel and her lovely vintage inspired style, so for today's post, a multitude of some of my favorite pictures of the dearly delightful Zooey Deschanel.

Happy Friday! ----------------------------------------------

My replacement camera has finally arrived and it's back to updating the shop again!
In the mix we have a couple leather handbags, beaded framed purses, and my personal favorite, the floral tapestry bag. It's so Granny/Mary-Poppins (which I love).

Most of these vintage purses are under $30! With the exception of the tapestry bag and the candy colored beaded frame purse. ($48.99 and $42.99)

--------------------------------------Broderie Anglaise ("English Embroidery") is a type of whitework needlework that usually features eyelets and buttonhole stitches. (Whitework means white thread on white, blackwork means black stitching on white).

I always confused eyelet with broderie anglaise (it is a common mistake as broderie anglaise HAS eyelet holes in it) but broderie anglaise is more elaborate and much more time consuming and often features floral patterns.

It became popular in the 19th century in England and may have come or been inspired from the delicate and ornate Ayrshire needlework (Scotland). Broderie anglaise was mostly used on linens, undergarments, and christening gowns.

----------------------------------------------vintage store mostly because the price tags on most of these pieces are more than the average take home paycheck.

But, no harm in looking, eh? So, here are few designer vintage pieces I am currently lusting over.

-----------------------------------------Here is a brief look into the 1930s fashion silhouettes and styles. The 1930s we saw the return of the female form. Remember, the decade prior straight cut drop-waist flapper dresses were the height of fashion...the waist had disappeared! In the 30s, the waistline was popular once again, a natural waist on all dresses, skirts, and pants.

Clothing was neat and tidy and most of all practical. In the 1930s the emergence of "sports wear" (now we refer to it as "ready to wear") became popular. Women became much busier and worked more than before therefore the need for clothing that allowed easy movement throughout the day was much needed.

Glamour was reserved for the evenings. Gowns with a low cut back were very popular. (Think Keira Knightley's green dress in 'Atonement') Fabrics that were popular included chiffon, silk, crepe-de-chines, and satin cut across the fabric to create gentle fluidity in the garments.

-----------------------------------------------I am so smitten by the Built By Wendy Fall collection. Also love the Fall LOOKBOOK pictures photographed by Annabel Mehran

The clothing evokes a bit of that 60s innocence, the raised waist dresses and sheaths paired with tights. I simply adore it!

-----------------------------------------Loosely based on real life events, The Edge of Love stars Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller in a love triangle plot set in the 1940s.

The clothes are both feminine and sporty with Lands End inspired cable knit sweaters and wellies paired with floral dresses and patterned blouses.

Look for vintage or vintage inspired floral tea dresses, blouses with feminine details such as embroidery, appliqué, and peter pan collars. Menswear inspired cardigans and sweaters in thick cable knit, stripes, or fair isle patterns.

Pictures from "The Edge of Love" movie

--------------------------------------------Vintage dresses from the 60s and 70s have just been added in the shop. I can picture Zooey Deschanel wearing the 60s little frocks with their sweet Peter Pan style collars.

----------------------------------------------------What is a Peter Pan Collar?
A Peter Pan collar is a specific type of shirt collar, usually found on women's and girl's clothing. The shape and name of the Peter Pan collar appear to have originated in the mid-twentieth century. The design became very popular for school uniforms, and began to spill over into popular culture. Despite being named after a masculine character, the Peter Pan collar is associated primarily with feminine wear, and rarely appears in men's fashion.
Credit: Wise Geek

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I feel like I've really stepped out of my element lately, and in a good way. Usually I am a fanatic for anything bright, boldly patterned, and to be a honest, a bit on the fussy mussy side.

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I adore the Liza Claiborne sandals and the snakeskin and suede loafers so very much! These rich blue hues would add a bit of punch to your wardrobe.

And just for fun... another cobalt blue inspiration...

Lady in Cobalt Blue (Autumn/Winter 07/08)

--------------------------------------------I dearly love simple sketch drawings that are softly colored in a bit outside the lines. And I also love Fairy Tales. So it wasn't much of a surprise that I would like the work of Horst Lemke. A current favorite, Horst Lemke was a German illustrator and commercial artist born in Berlin in 1922.

Tom Thumb

The Frog King (Iron Heinrich)

The Goose Girl (Die Gänsemagd)

One Eyes, Two Eyes, and Three Eyes (Einäuglein, Zweiäuglein und Dreiäuglein)

Brother & Sister (Brüderchen und Schwesterchen)
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So...my chorus has a talent show we like to call "Coffee House" where everyone gets dressed up, eats dessert and sings for each other. I was REALLY looking for an excuse to buy this dress. :-)

----------------------------------------SNIP! SNIPPITY! SNIP! I am making a hair appointment next week so I can finally stop being a chicken and go for a short do.

My two biggest hair inspirations at the moment are Alexa Chung and Keira Knightley. Both have more square/strong jawlines (which I have) and both seem to have naturally wavy hair (which I also have) so let's hope this cut works with my hair texture *crosses fingers*

----------------------------------------There is nothing sweeter in the world than a kiss. A kiss from your beloved, a child, a friend. I'm quite an affectionate person and usually upon meeting you will give you a hug. My Grandmother always said hugs and kisses were very special and should be given out often.

So for today's "Saturday Vintage Inspiration", a series of old photographs of just that. X's and O's!

Photo courtesy of ATypicalArt

Photo courtesy of Striderv

Photo courtesy of Lutherblissett71

Photo courtesy of Wookie

---------------------------------------------My daily uniform seems to consist of a dress and a cardigan, but recently I have branched out into wearing skirts and a cardigan (I know, what a little daredevil!)

I wanted to post some vintage photos of women from the 40s, 50s, and 60s wearing skirts. I get so happy looking at how lady-like they always looked. I love the skirt, blouse, and cardigan look. It's just so sweet and easy.

And for Shop News... I've added a bunch of new skirts in the shop (dating from the 50s, 60s, and 70s) I will be adding more throughout the week, so visit the shop again!

--------------------------------------------One of my favorite magazines, LULA has posted new short films on their website.

I really loved this short film called "Spells". All the dreamy and flowing clothes, the long pre-Raphaelite inspired hair, and the wreaths of flowers atop their pretty heads.

There is also a charming film of Miranda July in a sculpture garden wearing the sweetest vintage floral dress that just made me smile.--------------------------------

This is what i wore last Sunday. I wanted to channel some of my recent fleamarket finds alltogether:

umbrella: from the 1950s, fleamarket find
scarf: H&M
vintage suede jacket: fleamarket find
vintage tapestry bag: fleamarket find
dress: had it for ages
leggings: H&M
Vintage boots: Ebay

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Oh goodness the past couple days have been tiring (and a bit of fun). Yesterday I spent about 2 hrs driving around L.A. to go a total of 13 miles? (Maybe it was 15 miles...)

I am not loving the traffic in this city. LOL. Tried to go to Target to grab some shower hooks and spent 10 mins trying to find a spot to park (I'm not the best parallel parker so I will drive around to find a convenient spot!)

The good news is I've got a few new vintage items I'll be putting up later this evening. And I'll finally be getting to shipping out some orders!

---------------------------------------------I love perusing through Polyvore for vintage inspired outfits. Here are a few of my recent favorites.

Rachel McAdams by Dαrα ♥ [On Vacation] on Polyvore.com

Chictopia by MarianaBrazil featuring Jil Sander shoes

*678 by Natacha* featuring Adorevintage Dress

----------------------------------------------------Here are some lovely vintage 1950s sewing patterns for various tops and blouses. I meant to post these earlier and even had witty commentary but it's crunch time for packing and witty commentary has to sit on the back burner. ^_^