A few new items for the shop this month including an some amazing marcasite 1930s earrings in their original ceA few new items for the shop this month including an some amazing marcasite 1930s earrings in their original celluloid Art Deco box, a late 50s cotton day dress, 70s does 30s flutter gown, early 1940s black dress and some lovely 50s silver gloves.
For all my readers that are fans of Art Deco design and the fashion 1920s and 30s, I have several boards full of my favourite visual collections over at Pinterest that I add to on a daily basis. You are welcome to follow me there also. Enjoy
I stumbled across the site for The Prohibition Clothing Company the other day via my friend, the Vintage Baroness. A great online store for men who love to sport a classic look. The PCC have some very dapper accessories too, and I must say that it is refreshing to see more and more vintage-styled outlets popping up all over the world to offer something more than just mainstream fashion. Classic style never dates! Seems they also have a Made to order Service too and I like the web-page design. Here is what the owner has to say (taken form the site):
“The Original Prohibition Clothing Company was born out of my love for classic tailoring, the storied history of America during the 1930’s and 1940’s, and a desire to create timeless elements of style. Elegant and sporty, we offer a unique and individualized approach to dressing that is sophisticated, romantic and unusually appealing. Iconic vintage pieces are delicately reworked to be both modern and nostalgic. Unlike some fashion companies, who reinvent their aesthetic every year, we offer a consistent and compelling vision that allows our customer to build a wardrobe of enduring pieces. Through partnership with select factories and artisans, we strive to produce excellent products, with minimal waste and a high level of respect for all of our partners. These considered garments, inspired by our collective history, are perfect for making a little history of your own.”
They have hats and caps, back-belted jackets, trousers, plus-fours, shirts, vests, bow-ties and some great stuff like a leather book strap and vintage style tote bag. You can check out The Prohibition Clothing Company’s wares here:
Hi all! I have been busy putting more items into my Etsy store – – including 2 1950s suits, a men’s grooming kit, shoe trees, barkcloth dress, 60 ladies shoes and some gloves. I’ve featured a few items here so I hope you enjoy looking. If you would like to keep up to date with all the listings, join my VVE facebook page.
As most of you know, my favourite era is the 1930s, so this week I have scoured Etsy for 30s items that I like and posted them here for you all. From gowns to shoes and accessories, from sewing patterns to homewares. Some of these items are from a few of my fav fellow Etsy sellers such as , , and . Enjoy!
* All items linked back to their original Etsy source.
So, I thought I would do something fun and write a regular post every 2 weeks that focuses on a particular colour. I will also include pics showing all sorts of vintage fashion items that were produced in varying shades of that colour, hopefully to inspire some new outfit combinations in the future and some possible purchases.
Black and white: Yes, I’m generally a fan of darker colours like black and navy, so I’ve always been a fan of 1930s Coco Chanel. Even her home was decorated in black white tones, which at the time, was quite daring. Schiaparelli also used black and white very well in some of her clothing lines. Anyhoo, I love the contrast of black and white garments and the streamlining they give the body. Here are some lovely examples that I have found.
Released today, Charlotte Fiell’s … I need this in my bookshelf immediately! Here’s the blurb:
The 1930s are remembered largely as an era of economic insecurity and crisis in the US, political instability and heated rhetoric filling the airwaves in myriad corners of the globe. What better time than the present, then, to revisit and reassess the fashions and styles of that troubled era? Despite the tensions and perils of that long-ago decade, the fashions of the time were often achingly chic, with the insouciantly androgynous flapper styles of the 1920s replaced by sweeping bias-cut gowns with deep-cut backs, floral tea-dresses, tailored suits and draped furs for anybody who could afford them. The latest volume in a series of resources devoted to specific decades, Fashion Sourcebook 1930s collects the most unforgettable looks of the decade, documenting its season-by-season fashions and offering an extensive selection of original photographs, sketches and prints–some 600 images in all, the majority in color–that give a full sense of the opulence and elegance of the period. These images are given depth and context by an essay providing a summary of the major themes within the era’s fashion and presents its most notable designers. This is an essential handbook for fashion students as well as anyone interested in fashion or cultural history.
Elmer Fryer was another wonderful photographer of Hollywood stars and celebrities. When I think of vintage Hollywood – Fryer and Hurrell always come to mind instantly. Fryer joined Warner in 1929 and during the 1930s he took portraits of Bette Davis, Kay Francis, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy, Louise Brooks, Loretta Young, Ann Dvorak, James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Henry Fonda and many other Warner Brothers stars. Sadly, Fryer died young at age 46, only 3 years after he left Warner Brothers in 1941. But, he left us a wonderful legacy to share in his photography.
I love the way Fryer designed his shots by using poses to suit the subject and to enhance their beauty. He seemed to have an uncanny sense of style and there is such an elegance to his work, especially with his use of black and white props, clothing and deep shadows. I adore the shot of Errol Flynn as I think it captures his personality perfectly – the handsome, cheeky, Aussie larrikin.
* All pics are linked back to their original sources
I was pulling out some of my books on vintage photography today and was reminded of how much I love Edward Steichen. I adore his simple lines and the way uses shadow and light. Steichen’s photos of gowns designed by in the magazine Art et Décoration in 1911 are some of the very first modern fashion photographs and he helped define an era of glamour and elegance. Along with fashion work, he also photographed stunning portraits of movie stars and well-known faces of the day including Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, Anna May Wong, Pola Negri, Loretta Young, Lilian Gish, Amelia Earhart and Joan Crawford. Hope you enjoy these classic images.
So, I thought I would do something fun and write a regular post every 2 weeks that focuses on a particular colour. I will also include pics showing all sorts of vintage fashion items that were produced in varying shades of that colour, hopefully to inspire some new outfit combinations in the future and some possible purchases.
Yellow: I chose yellow today because I was inpsired by a superb pale buttery yellow, early 1940s dress in my collection, and funnily enough – a 40s handbag to match. Not a colour I would probably wear myself, but lovely nontheless.
In my mind, yellow clothing always screams warm weather and sunny days. So, since it is summer here in Perth, a yellow gathering of items it will be for this post And oh so many shades…from canary and lemon to mustard, pale yellow and daffodil! Have also included one modern item in this group…but it is very worthy of being here
* Please note that all photos are linked back to their original source.
Everyday men of the 1930s. Such wonderful shots of men relaxing, going about their everyday business and hanging out with friends. Even the casual clothing of the day never looks just ‘thrown together’. The various pieces of each ensemble always appear to be chosen with care. I LOVE the third pic from the top. Those chaps look like they are having a ball! Thanks to for the last 4 pics.
Just a wee note from me for the holidays. Look forward to writing more articles and sharing my love of all things vintage with you in 2012. Have a safe Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Just because it’s the festive season…and these are all so lovely. The 1st Carole Lombard pic (2nd row right) is simply stunning. Can you guess who the first lovely lady is? It’s Lucille Ball.
So, I thought I would do something fun and start writing a regular post every 2 weeks that focuses on a particular colour. I will also include pics showing all sorts of vintage fashion items that were produced in varying shades of that colour, hopefully to inspire some new outfit combinations in the future.
Burgundy. It’s rich, dark, sensual and one of my favourite clothing colours, along with darker greens, browns, rusts, reds, black and navy. I’m not much of ‘bright colour’ girl (much to my father’s disgust…he always comments that I ‘wear too much black’) and I tend to accessorise with brighter pieces or wear a bright shirt with darker skirt/trousers etc. Burgundy usually screams winter and autumn to me but I do have items in cottons and linens in lighter shades and funnily enough; a pair of vintage suede burgundy lace up oxford shoes! Hope you enjoy this collection.
As a lover of 1930s fashion, in my humble opinion one of the most stylish garments to emerge from the 20s and 30s were beach or ‘lounge’ pyjamas. They just ooze elegance and sophistication and are visually very iconic. Until the 1920s, pyjamas were pretty much only worn as sleepwear, then sometime in the 1920s they made their way outdoors as a cover-up over swimming costumes on the beaches of the French Riveria. When crepe pyjamas were first worn at the seaside, trouser wearing women were rare sight and still very much confined to beach and promenade areas.
The trend took off all over the globe (the photo above is from the UK) and beach pyjamas soon also became casual-wear for less formal outdoor events in the warmer months. Many women took to wearing them around the home as ‘lounging pyjamas’ when entertaining or just relaxing.
In the 1920s, beach or lounge pajamas were usually a top and trouser set with matching jacket. By the 1930s, one-piece, jumpsuit-style pajamas were very popular and many featured a very wide leg. Fabric like shantung, linen or cotton was accepted for the for beach and lounging pajamas, but as they became widely popular in the 1930s, many were also available in rayon. Pyjamas were made in an amazing array of bold colors and patterns, as you will see in some of pictures and old advertisements I have added here. Many of the patterns were influenced by Japanese and Chinese art which was seen as very exotic at that time.
With lounge pyjamas a new category of clothing emereged: resort wear. With it’s bright designs and lightweight fabrics, resort wear was all about relaxing and holidaying and even today, when viewing the elegant vintage posters advertising these garments, I immediately think of luxury yachts, beaches, boardwalks and sunny weather. I have a wonderful 1930s Australian travel poster advertising Bondi Beach and all the women illustrated wearing beach pyjamas. With our weather here in Oz – they must have a been a blessing back in the day
Stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford had a lot to do with making lounging pyjamas extremely popular worldwide as they donned them in several of their movies during the 1930s and women everywhere took notice.
I hope you enjoy some of my favourite images here. I regularly wear and own many pairs of high-waisted, flowy, wide legged trousers, which I find extremely flattering, so I’m a big fan of beach pyjamas. Which reminds me; I am still to make a pair from a (below) that I purchased early this year. My friend Lauren has done a wonderful job of putting this pattern together, so if you love lounging PJs, you can now indulge yoursel. Also, thanks to for her wonderful blog containing a collection of beautiful photos, vintage advertising, posters and patterns of beach and lounging PJs. It’s where I pilfered some of these pics from
Carl Erickson (1891 – 1958) was an American fashion and advertising illustrator from the 1910s through to the 1940s. At the peak of his career, he signed his work “Eric” and was known by this name. He worked a great deal for Vogue in the 1930s and 40s. He had a reputation for being obsessively hardworking. He only ever sketched from live models. For each illustration that appeared in a magazine, he had made dozens of studies. And he was known for bringing his sketchbook with him everywhere he went – to the restaurant, to the theatre – and capturing the elegance he saw around him.
