Happy New Year everyone! Thought I’d share what has just gone into the Etsy store today with you and what will be coming up; 1940s Military Buddies sweetheart pin, 1950s silk men’s tie, 1960s sneakers, ladies coat and men’s tie and a 1930s velvet scarf. I a bunch of 60s gloves and ties to wardrobe for the US show ‘Vegas’. Keeping an eye out for those when I watch
And coming up in the next I will be adding a 1920s men’s evening scarf, a sheer 1930s evening gown, an unworn 1940s sateen bolero shirt and wide pants set and a puff sleeved 50s top. Enjoy!
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.
Hi vintage lovers! I have been busy putting more items into my Etsy store – – including some more 40s and 50s dresses, 40s rayon shirt, knitting patterns, vintage magazines and 4 pairs of 40s seamless stockings in mint condition and an amazing 30s wedding gown.
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 page.
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.
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.
Ginger is definitely one of my greatest idols, and her look in the 30s inspired me to go blonde myself. She had a long career, so her style (and hairstyles!) span the golden era of showbiz. Here are some of her looks that I love love love.
Well, I’m in Argentina right now, so Modcloth shopping is out of the question. Boooo. But you should all go buy some delicious shoes over at , so that I can live vicariously through you Send me photos! Here’s a danceable selection….
A divine book about a divine style icon, not just for the photos of Cary Grant in all his splendor, but a wonderful read as well. What a way to express fashion and style:
I’m talking about style, not only in the sense of how he wore his Savile Row suits, but style as a revelation of character, as a way of facing the world, a means by which all of life’s riches are embraced and celebrated.
Seriously, are those really their names? I’ve missed this whole Kardashian revolution and have no idea who the “Kardashian Sisters”, oh famed tabloid darlings, really are. What do they do exactly? How many are there? Do all their names start with a K? Well anyway, these two have a vintage noir, femme fatale look going strong in this shoot for LOVE Magazine, shot by Patrick Demarchelier. Enjoy!
This is a book I bought myself for Christmas. It covers fashion history from the 18th century to the 20th century, with glossy photographs of the collection held by the Kyoto Costume Institute in Japan. The book has been out for a while, but oh my, if you don’t own it yet, go out and buy it immediately! So much inspiration for any swing fashionista, the kind of clothes that are so beautiful it makes my chest ache. The Poiret, the Schiaparelli, the Chanel, oh god the Vionnet! The Vionnet, people! Now I want desperately to visit the Kyoto Costume Institute. A holiday to Japan anyone?
Seriously folks, this book is sheer fashion heaven. It is definitely now one of the favourites in my collection. You can buy it . Enjoy!
$500? Oh, why is this adorable vintage 40s/50s knit tee so expensive? Sob! This would look so cute with my high-waisted sailor jeans. Oh well. If you are feeling plush, go get it
As promised, the backstage hair and makeup shots from the ready-to-wear show. In a few shots you can see they used facelift tape to lift the models’ brows, just like they did in the couture show. And nice shots showing how they curled the models’ hair, and the false betty bangs. The colour match on most of the bangs is fantastic, only one or two of the blondes are a little mismatched, but I love the look. High pigment, bright block colours seem to be the go for eyeshadows this season. Lovely to see the black eyeliner kitten flicks over the top. Some nice colour inspiration here, perhaps I will branch out a little more. Galliano’s shows always inspire me to be more theatrical.
René Gruau was a fashion illustrator, most famous for his work in the 1940s and 1950s. He walked away from his father’s aristocratic heritage (his father was an Italian count), to pursue an artistic career in Paris in the twenties. As an illustrator his work was first published when he was only 14 years old, in the mid-1920s. He illustrated throughout the 1920s and 1930s, but during the Second World War, work was harder to find for artists, which is what led Gruau to illustrate for lesser known designers, including the then lesser-known Christian Dior. He became artistic director for advertising for Christian Dior in 1947. Gruau and Dior worked together to shape and market the New Look, and became close friends, hence why Gruau is most often associated with the house of Dior.
He didn’t only illustrate for Dior however, but for other designers and fashion houses including Pierre Balmain, Jacques Fath, Balenciaga, Elsa Schiaparelli, Rochas, Lanvin, Elizabeth Arden, and Hubert de Givenchy, and for many magazines including Marie-Claire, Femina, Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Flair, L’Officiel and Madame Figaro, not to mention those illustrations for The Moulin Rouge and Lido in Paris that you may recognise.
His illustrations shaped the path of Haute Couture, and influenced fashion itself, in a true life-imitating-art-imitating-life way. For me Gruau’s women are glamour and high-society, femininity and sensuality. When I see his illustrations I think of Paris, I think of Vogue, I think of champagne and the Moulin Rouge, and the French Riviera, of perfume and red lipstick. Gruau died at the age of 95 in 2004 – so recently! *sigh*
Send me photos! Here’s a danceable selection….
