I love Halloween! I have to admit though, I never put that much effort into my Halloween costume. I think it's because I dress up every other day of the year, so I just don't have the energy when it comes to Halloween. I love it all though, the decorations, the pumpkins, costumes, parties, candy....I would love to find a vintage Halloween dress like the first 1930's photo. Can you imagine? Gorgeous!
I've been on a bit of a Jean Harlow kick lately! Anyhow, I thought I'd watch China Seas, as I hadn't seen it in awhile. Wow! I'd forgotten how stunning her wardrobe is in this film! I think this movie actually has some of the most gorgeous 1930's dresses and suits I've ever seen her in! It was no surprise when I looked up the costume designer for the film and saw that it was Adrian! No wonder! I posted photos of all the outfits I could find, but there were still more I couldn't find pics of. My favorite outfit is the fully striped dress with matching hat, pictured on the 2nd to last photo. I just wish I knew what colors it was! Did you know Jean Harlow wore a wig for this film, because her hair was so damaged from bleaching? All I have to say about that is, that's one gorgeous wig!
I thought I'd post these pics of gorgeous vintage purses. The first pic is from a 1952 magazine and the other two are from 1956. I think I love them all! Click on the photos for a larger view.
I love how these 1950's kitchen designs all have color themes! It's not just the cupboards, but the appliances too! I don't think I ever see colourful kitchens nowadays. It's either white or stainless steel, which is too boring for me. I'm a yellow kitchen kind of girl, it's such a happy color. Which one would you choose?
I posted some lipstick magazine advertisements from the 1920's to the 1960's. I especially love the 1930's ad showing a blonde, brunette and redhead. Maybe it was to show that the lipstick looked good with any hair color. Which ad is your favorite?
I know summer is over, but I just got a 1950's swimsuit and dress. I thought I would add them to my webstore anyways, because the sun is shining somewhere in the world! I like the 50's pink dress because it's casual but really pretty. The black 1950's bathing suit I love, because these type of swimsuits are so flattering on! I have an almost identical one to this, otherwise I would have kept it. I don't know if it's the boning in these 1950's swimsuits or the ruching, but they make your figure look amazing!
Lately I've been wondering about how women used to carry their cash. This came to my attention since I never seem to come across any vintage wallets. I do come across a lot of little change purses, and I have a few 1950's purses that come with attached coin purses. But wallets did exist, I guess women just held onto them until they wore out, so they're not as common to find now. I posted a 1950's advertisement for some cute his and hers wallets. I suppose without tons of credit cards and plastic, wallets weren't as much of a necessity and change purses did just fine!
The 1930's dresses in this film are pure Hollywood glamour. Then again, how can you not have glamour when Jean Harlow and Myrna Loy are in a film together? This movie displays some amazing 1930's gowns, furs and hats. My favourite is the wedding dress Jean Harlow wears at the beginning of the film. I couldn't find a full length photo of it, but I'm sure you can imagine. A long, creamy bias cut satin gown that looked absolutely stunning on her. I will keep searching for a picture!
Florals seem to be a timeless print for vintage and new dresses, and why shouldn't they be? They're pretty, colorful, feminine and there's endless unique designs. Here's the latest 1950's dress that I've added onto my website. It's a pretty rose print, and I know summer is over now, but wouldn't it be perfect for a garden party or picnic?
Angela Lansbury was born in London, England in 1925. Her family later moved to New York, and then Los Angeles where she started her film career. Did you know that Angela was nominated for an academy award for her very first film role in "Gaslight" in 1944? She was only 18 years old! I guess she chose the right profession. One of my favourite films of hers is "Samson and Delilah", she's so gorgeous, and in my opinion she steals the show from Hedy Lamarr. I think when you mention Angela Lansbury, a lot of people just think of her in the 1980's TV show "Murder She Wrote". So I posted a bunch of photos of her earlier in her career, most of them from the 1940's, and absolutely stunning.
In 1942, The British Board of Trade issued a Civilian Clothing Order forbidding the use of any extra detailing on garments. No fancy trimmings, no decorative stitching, no pleats, and no more than 3 buttons were allowed on a jacket. I posted a photo of a mid 1940's suit that went by these rules. I don't know about you, but decorative details or not, vintage suits always look glamorous to me! When you add on a gorgeous hat, gloves and purse, how drab can you really be?
I was doing some reading on vintage alligator shoes and purses, and came upon this article by Genevieve Dariaux. It is from her etiquette book, "A Guide to Elegance" published in 1964, and goes a little something like this: 
So I bought a 1920's dress yesterday! See 2nd photo. It's not in perfect condition and it will need a few repairs, but I got it for a good price. Plus, it will be a fun project to work on. I thought it would look really cute with vintage shawl, maybe a lace or silk one. Now if I could just find some shoes like the ones Clara Bow is wearing in the 1st photo!
Just added these two cute items to my web store. First is a 1940's pinafore dress in a cute novelty print of little houses and flowers. Pretty adorable. Then there's a pretty pink 1950's dress, which looks like it belongs at summer garden party. Still haven't found anything for myself though! I've been on the hunt for a new vintage dress for a few weeks now. I've found tons a gorgeous dresses, but none in my size. I guess the perfect dress will come along at the right time, I know it's out there somewhere!
"Barefoot in the Park" was made in 1967, and stars Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. Jane is adorable in this movie as a free spirited newlywed. I love her character's fashion choices in this film...casual but stylish, and always really cute.