1940's Fashion on Film - It's a Wonderful Life

Another great Christmas film filled with fabulous vintage clothing. It's funny, I never think of clothes when I think of this movie, but when I looked a little closer I couldn't believe what I had missed! I especially love the wardrobe of Gloria Grahames character Violet. Lots of gorgeous 1940's dresses, hats and suits!

1940's Fashion on Film - Gilda

I love Glen Ford, but this movie is worth watching for Rita Hayworth's costumes alone! Columbia pictures spent $60,000 on Ritas wardrobe for "Gilda", which in todays world would be close to a million dollars. So you can bet on some amazing 1940's dresses. There are so many costume changes in film, I couln't find pictures of them all, but here are a few of my favorites.

1940's Dresses and Accessories

After looking at these pictures of 1940's fashion, I realized that the accessories are what makes the outfit. Without the hats, gloves, furs and jewelry almost all the glamour is gone. Of course this is probably obvious to most, but I've never been a big accessorizer - especially when I should be, like when wearing a nice vintage dress. So, I've decided to put in some effort, for the sake of vintage fashion. I have a wedding to go to in about 2 weeks. I plan on wearing a long 1940's gown, and usually that would be it. But I'm going to see what I can find. Hopefully at least some vintage gloves and jewelry!

1940's Fashion on Film - Moon Over Miami

Even if you're not into musical comedies, Betty Grable and the amazing fashion in this film make it worth watching! Made in 1941, "Moon Over Miami" captures the fun and glamour of early 1940's fashion. It would have been a great distraction from thinking about WWII. Betty Grable and Carole Landis start off as singing waitresses in cute cowgirl costumes. They then move on to find rich men at a Miami resort, where they showcase an endless selection of beautiful 1940's dresses. My favorite is the white dress Betty wears with the butterfly designs. Gorgeous.

Happy Vintage New Year!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas & New Years! I got some fabulous vintage clothing & retro items over the holidays. But best of all was a ton of photos my dad gave me of my grandmother and her friends in the 40's and 50's. There's some great 1940's dresses and other vintage clothing shown in the pics. I just wish I had all her old clothes! Who knows what happened to it over the years, and sadly I never had a chance to ask. I wish I could go back in time and try on all the amazing vintage clothes that were around back then! Anyhow, I will try and post all the pics in the next little while!

Vintage Holiday Dresses

Here's some beautiful 1930's and 1940's dresses that would turn heads this holiday season. My favorite vintage dress is the lilac colored satin one in middle. I also love Barbara Stanwyck's little fuzzy bolero jacket worn with her long black gown. The picture is from "Christmas in Connecticut". Has anyone seen it? I haven't, but I would love to. It sounds pretty cute. I actually bought the dvd for my sister for Christmas this year. I was hoping I could somehow unwrap it, watch it, and then seal it back up, but I don't think that's gonna work. Too bad. Last but not least that gorgeous velvet dress. I'm picturing it in a deep red, but you can pretty much picture it in whatever color you want. :)

Lovely Vintage Clothing Sets

I seem to be able to find 1940's dresses now and then. They're rare, but not impossible to find. However, I never seem to be able to find a 40's sweater and skirt set. I love the outfit on the right, but where are these clothes hidden? I did find a skirt on it's own, but no luck in the vintage sweater department. I guess it's not that easy to find sets of vintage clothing that haven't been separated over the years. I won't give up though!

Vintage Clothing Deals

So there's this really expensive vintage store that I like to frequent. They have an incredible selection of gorgeous items, but they're anything but cheap.
Anyhow, they have a bunch of sections. You know, one section of 1940's dresses, one of 1950's dresses, 1960's and so on. Of course the older the garment, the higher the price. It makes sense.
I notice that every so often, some of the clothing gets mixed up. For instance, once in awhile I'll find a 50's dress in the 70's section, which means it's marked at the 70's clothing price. I don't know how they get them mixed up, but they do.
So when I got there this weekend, I headed right for the 1970's section. After flipping through about 50 polyester dresses, I see it. A long velvet gown with a floral design and sweetheart neckline. I knew right away that this was no 70's dress. It was very similar to the gown pictured, except it was black and red. I examined it further, and concluded that it was from the 40's. Price? $45. It was after all on the seventies rack. The 40's rack averages around $100-$300. Obviously I was going to buy the dress either way, but what made it even better is that it actually fit. When I brought it up to the register to pay, I asked the sales girl how old the dress was. She looked at it and confirmed that it was forties, and then said "you better buy this right away, it was in the wrong section!". That made my weekend for sure. She then told me how she went to this thrift shop not long ago, and found an authentic flapper dress for 3.99! Anyone else found amazing deals on vintage clothes?