Vintage on the Streets: 1940s Hairstyles in London

You lovely lady with your vintage hair, I'll admire you from afar but would never be brave enough to let you know how greatly in awe I am of your style.


Oh, goodnes, and those collars... I really despise cold weather, but seeing photos of fabulously dressed women in vintage coats with fur collars, it makes me sort of wish I lived somewhere that warranted the wearing of a thick cozy coat.

Image Source: The Sartorialist

Vintage Sewing Pattern of the Day: 1940s Simplicity Blouse Pattern

What a darling vintage blouse pattern! I love how versatile this blouse can be for modern wear. You can pair it with a high waist skirt and a little jacket or cardi for something sweet and a bit dressy or wear it with skinny trousers for a more casual look.


"The blouse is softly gathered at the front neck edges and tucked at the waist. Style I is fashioned with a narrow neckband and tied at the neck. The long sleeves are gathered to a wrist band. Style II is the short-sleeved version. A Peter Pan collar trims the neck of Style III. The blouse front is fastened with snaps and trimmed with attractive buttons."

Where to Buy It: Sew Mrs. P on Etsy

Vintage Sewing Pattern: Casual Daywear in the 1930s & 1940s

Vintage patterns never fail to inspire or have me wishing more than ever that I knew how to sew. (Is it too late for me to learn, I wonder?) These vintage sewing pattern images are also terrific for seeing what styles of shoes, handbags, hats, and gloves women wore with their dresses! And once in awhile you see a bit of jewelry too!


These vintage patterns all look simple and chic, but upon a closer look we notice the pleated details on the bodice, the small darts on the shoulders, the gored skirt, the slightly puffed sleeves, the buttoned cuffs... so many little details.

Image credits: All of these vintage 1940s and 1930s sewing patterns can be purchased at New Vintage Lady

Vintage Streetstyle | Real Style + Fashions from the 1930s & 1940

These vintage photographs were selected specifically because the clothes the women are wearing don't appear too costume-y or out of reach. Sometimes I see many beautiful gorgeous vintage 30s and 40s dresses at online vintage shops or even at vintage fashion expos, but I always wonder when would I wear these? They will only gather dust in my closet. So, I always tend to gravitate towards casual daywear vintage clothing as opposed to formal wear.

And even though these lovely vintage gals are in their casual clothes, don't they look so dapper anyway? They would frown upon my casual "going for a bike ride" outfit of leggings, t-shirt, and sneakers!


Image Credits: Magnolia Blossoms (c) 1940, Three Lovely Ladies, Two Girls on a Bicycle (c) 1936, Bette & Midge, Showing some leg (c) 1942, Lounging in the Park, Borghese Bologna anni 30, Ladies in Stripes, On The Fence

Dressing Up Vintage: Vintage 1940s Fashion + Style Tips

Appropriate clothes gives us self-confidence and help us to make good impressions on other people.

Learn by discovering what are considered the proper costumes for typical occasions, by critically watching what other girls wear, and by dressing correctly every day. Learn what to wear to ball games, to parties, to church, and for travel. - from "Clothes for Girls" textbook written by Elizabeth Todd


These French girls are so chic, but of course!
What to Wear for Casual Wear for Street, Shops, Office, Business, & Travel
Dress - simple, conservative in color.
Shoes - Oxford or strap. Practical and low heel. Leather or reptile skins.
Hosiery- Sturdy cotton, rayon
Coats- simply cut and tailored.
Hat- Practical with brim
Gloves- Heavy leather, plain pull on.
Accessories- Leather purse, plain handkercief, only necessary jewelry.


Image Credits: 1.] French Women in the 1940s by Irene Adler, 2.] 1946 Mademoiselle by My Vintage Vogue, 3.] 1947 "Farmer's Market" Fashion by Silent Screen Queen, 4.] Vintage 1940s Accessories by Silent Screen Queen

Dating Vintage: Vintage Sweaters, Twin Sets, + Cardigans from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s

There is something about rainy cloudy days that makes me wish I had more sweaters in my closet. Particularly vintage sweaters and to get even more specific, vintage sweaters from the 1930s, 1940s, and the 1950s.

I never seem to spot them on my many vintage adventures, or perhaps it's because I am not really sure how a sweater prior to the 60s should look. So, to help me, and to help you I hope, here are some advertisements, vintage knitting patterns, and other wonderful images of vintage sweaters from the 1930s, 1940s, and the 1950s.

/// Vintage 1950s Sweaters


One of the things I noticed about sweaters in the 1950s are the popularity of dolman sleeves and towards the late 1950s into the 60s the shapes got a bit more boxy. (But that's another post!) Cardigans and twin sets were also very popular in the 1950s especially embellished styles with fur collars and sleeves or delicate embroidery or fancy beading.

/// Vintage 1940s Sweaters


Sweaters and knitwear in the 1940s were a lot more fitted usually with puff sleeved details and ribbed waistlines. Most of the advertisements and catalog images and knit patterns I have seen for 1940s sweaters they almost always are fitted at the waist and broader along the shoulders. Vintage 1940s sweaters also were cropped shorter in comparison to later versions. A popular sleeve length for 1940s sweaters appears to be right above the elbows.

/// Vintage 1930s Sweaters


One of the aspects I noticed about vintage sweaters from the 1930s was the looseness in shape along the bodice. Most of the knitting pattern images I found were more blouson in shape and there were definitely a lot of bow and sailor tie inspired details on the neckline (which I love love!)

Vintage Tunes | Rosemary Clooney "Mambo Italiano"

We dare you to watch this without singing along or smiling. Wasn't Rosemary Clooney such a doll? We love her twirly dress too.

HEY MAMBO!

Vintage Sewing Patterns | Understanding the 1940s Dress Silhouette

It is important to note the emphasis on the shoulders in the 1940s dress silhouette. Some costume historians say this trend came about because of the growing responsibilities of the average woman in the 1940s, especially during the war years. Many men were sent off to war and the women assumed their positions in their absence. Perhaps broader shoulders were associated with being stronger, more confident, perhaps evoking that "Can Do, Will Do" attitude.


The broader shoulders also extended to jackets, blazers, coats, and blouses. The 1940s silhoutte can best be described with broader shoulders, nipped in waists, and a-line skirts usually calf length to falling a bit below the knee.

The Most Beautiful Things: Vintage 1940s Apparel from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection

Is it odd that my second thought after seeing these photos (my first being "Why can't I own all of these?!?) was "I wish these were all available in my shop!" The product photography is quite sumptuous too, I might need to take up the AV product photo quality to "museum worthy" *hehe* One can dream!

Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Rare Footage of Judy Garland singing for WWII Troops

Judy Garland had one of my favorite singing voices, I loved even how she spoke. And you must remember, they were not able to digitally enhance singing voices back then. Absolute pure wonderful talent! I ♥ Judy Garland.

10 Vintage Sewing Patterns from the 1940s & 1950s by Simplicity

One way to date vintage clothing is to peruse old vintage sewing patterns. You can find many of them on sites such as Flickr or search for them on Etsy. You will have a better understanding of what real women wore in comparison to what the Hollywood starlets wore. You can also find out what the trends were for that year. So if you're trying to learn more about dating vintage clothes, be sure to research vintage patterns!

Simplicity vintage sewing patterns are the most helpful in my opinion only because each envelope was stamped with a date! I mostly view Simplicity patterns to get a better date range for a vintage dress or blouse.



Descriptions: 1.} Rockabilly Vintage Blouse Pattern circa 1957 2.} 1940s Skirt Pattern 3.} Vintage Teen Dress Sewing Pattern circa 1949 4.} Low Back Blouse circa 1954 5.} 1950s Sundress Bolero Playsuit 6.} 1953 V Neck Summer Dress Sewing Pattern 7.} Vintage Blouse Patter circa 1947 8.} Cocktail Dress Vintage Pattern circa 1956 9.} 1954 Vintage Skirt & Petticoat 10.} 1940s Pinup Front Knotted Midriff Top With Shorts & Skirt

Image credits: All patterns are from Flickr from the Vintage Patterns group

Vintage Clothing & Fashion in the Movies: "The Women" by George Cukor 1939

Fabulous vintage clothes, don't you think? Some of the costumes are so outlandish in the best sort of way! The "eyes" sweater for example... it's so interesting, I could easily see this being snapped up in a heart beat at a vintage shop.



Image screencap credits: Live Journal via Film Stills