Sneak Peeks

I thought you lovely readers might like to see a sneak peek of some awesome things (if I do say so myself) that will be going into my Etsy shop soon. So here they are:

40's hand-painted blouse

I've got to find a really good & careful dry-cleaners for this gorgeous shirt, and while it's being cleaned I need to do some research. Anyone out there know much about these blouses? I remember seeing a blog post (or something out there in the internets) about these recently, and now that I need it, I can't find it for the life of me.

Catalina playsuit

Look at this swimsuit/playsuit! The bottom has the craziest design...you sort of step into it (like a diaper, for lack of a better description) and then tie it around you. The good thing about the design is that it makes it very adjustable. Another funny thing is that the label (Catalina) actually lists the WEIGHT range they recommend, which is 115 to 130 lbs. instead of the more usual size. Isn't that odd? I'm guessing it didn't go over well...

Plummy 1940's handbag, suede

I love it when I find old things from a previous owner inside purses. Frequently I find handkerchiefs (clean, thankfully!) hairpins, and coins. This purse had two movie ticket stubs from the Selwyn Theatre, August, 1948. Sadly, it didn't say the name of the film or show, but it did say that the price was $1.35.

Summery striped dress, late 50's/early 60's

I love the vertical stripes on the dress. They really are flattering! This dress needs a bit of work...I have to replace the zipper and mend a little hole on the front.

high-waisted shorts with cute Asian-inspired print

I wish these shorts would fit me! Aren't they cute? The print looks like lots of pretty parasols. But alas, the waist is seriously the size of my thigh. Well, pretty close to it anyway ;-)
These beauties will all be going into the shop as soon as they're cleaned & fixed up!

Vintage Fashion Book Reviews

 For your enjoyment may I present three quickie book reviews:

I got all three of these books from my local library. I'm the biggest library nerd! Seriously, where can you find a better deal than the public library? Any book you want (generally) and you can (again, generally) keep it for weeks & weeks, for free! Anyway, these were fun to look over for a while. First up:

The Fashion File:  Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men
by Janie Bryant

A fun little book that's a little bit about the TV show Mad Men, and more about vintage fashion & style in general. Something I really enjoyed about this book were the lovely & whimsical watercolor illustrations by
Robert Best. This one shows a 50's circle skirt and how it might be incorporated into a modern look.

 Another nice bit was the section about "Icons & Inspirations"

Beautiful Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot

You'd think a book from the Mad Men lady would be about Mad Men style, lots of late 50's & early 60's, right? Not so much. Instead there's a lot of generic "10 Pieces Every Woman Should Have" and "Which Body Shape Are You?" kind of stuff that we've all seen a million times.
 In total, it's a lightweight, entry-level, but fun little book. I'm glad I didn't buy a copy at full pop. I really love those watercolor illustrations, though, so if I ever see this at a thrift store (which I may, once the Mad Men craze dies down) I will definitely add it to my personal library!

Next is a book I've actually checked out twice over the years:
Dressing Up Vintage by Tracy Tolkien

 This book covers vintage fashion by the decade, from the 50's through the 80's. Each decade is broken into key designers and styles.
One thing that's really weird about this book is that there are about two pages covering the 40's. As compared to the bajillion pages about the 70's & 80's, it's kind of a snub to my beloved 40's. I wonder why? I guess it's the author's prerogative. Maybe she thought it had already been done enough.
 The coverage of the 70's and 80's is pretty major, and as it comes from an English perspective, it's pretty fun and informative for me as an American reader.

Last but not least we have:
The Art of Vogue, Photographic Covers, Fifty Years of Fashion and Design.

I <3 Jean Patchett

Gorgeous 40's covers

I want this issue!

Twiggy lookin' fab

This book is pure eye-candy! I had a lot of fun going through my stash of vintage Vogues and seeing which ones were featured in the book. I especially love the pic on the cover...the iconic Jean Patchett!
The cover art of Vogue has been held to a beautifully high standard for decades and decades, and it's great fun to see how the cover styles have changed over the years!

Have lovely readers seen or read any good books about vintage fashion lately? I'd love to hear about them!