caftan pattern

Holiday Greeting: Advertisement from 1944

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2OsIAxflUJpvGVY-FFzSfqK5zb9lZYrNXP-FfTj4CqXtlYA01ahTDJQo3WEe2mWFl5BkJKWM2wNOK64DHBPzAUHAWcTXFueywYBseTYrBBTtL7Cf-DKY4vjpHTO2zVRyI_QxHc_nKtr-/s1600/IMG_2932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2OsIAxflUJpvGVY-FFzSfqK5zb9lZYrNXP-FfTj4CqXtlYA01ahTDJQo3WEe2mWFl5BkJKWM2wNOK64DHBPzAUHAWcTXFueywYBseTYrBBTtL7Cf-DKY4vjpHTO2zVRyI_QxHc_nKtr-/s640/IMG_2932.JPG" width="540" /></a></div><br /><br />Have a wonderful holiday season! <br /><br />December, 1944 advertisement: <i>Claussner Hosiery Company, "Kleer Sheer Exquisite Hosiery" "Wear Sealed for those who like the finest" "Claussner Rayon Hose will come out this year in your letter to Santa.  Their lustrous loveliness lingers long after the last carol has been sung, to brighten your wardrobe during the new year" Paducah, KY</i>

Holiday Greeting: Advertisement from 1944

Have a wonderful holiday season! December, 1944 advertisement: Claussner Hosiery Company, "Kleer Sheer Exquisite Hosiery" "We...

9:39 PM

Pointy Toe Boots: Poulaines are Alive & Worn Once More!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoFugbJ0zN23K-j_wzc4nu4HD6gUsiPV63T3_Gdhw01rml84tJQxTrq5r9ooq4QpiVFYNZ2jJwLZaa_QOduwaVTUsZJ-a0_IP1a6sdBpvQehYOlI2K0_D21Ru-LxM-NcXiidEx8bB0abn/s1600/DS20040621210037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjoFugbJ0zN23K-j_wzc4nu4HD6gUsiPV63T3_Gdhw01rml84tJQxTrq5r9ooq4QpiVFYNZ2jJwLZaa_QOduwaVTUsZJ-a0_IP1a6sdBpvQehYOlI2K0_D21Ru-LxM-NcXiidEx8bB0abn/s400/DS20040621210037.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />Poulaines are those long pointed shoes that can be seen on fashionable young men in works of art from the Gothic period.  I was amazed to find out that this look is alive and well in a craze from Mexico that centers around super long pointed toes on cowboy boots.  These fantastical boots are worn in dance competitions by young peacocks, not unlike the posing young men in those scenes from merry old Europe. <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/veQkt4tS0Tc" width="560"></iframe>  <br /><br />While the old costumer in me is glad she isn't trying to modify some boots into this style, I am hoping to run across a pair sometime soon to see them in action! <br /><br />

Pointy Toe Boots: Poulaines are Alive & Worn Once More!

Poulaines are those long pointed shoes that can be seen on fashionable young men in works of art from the Gothic period. I was amazed to fi...

9:03 AM

55 Thousand Dresses: When Just One Dress Won't Do

<br /> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluYzEhkTU4Tdgnfdk_MrHxivZvzWU64kZnG_Uc0NRUReBLP6ARqxGZ8ryap1ulkaMjJuYBEcmry0mZdTq7Z6k_szHlt4yiVKpvlBmkl8GuDSexKds4EyAih7tqEmDat70usgkrQtX34A/s1600/Dresses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhluYzEhkTU4Tdgnfdk_MrHxivZvzWU64kZnG_Uc0NRUReBLP6ARqxGZ8ryap1ulkaMjJuYBEcmry0mZdTq7Z6k_szHlt4yiVKpvlBmkl8GuDSexKds4EyAih7tqEmDat70usgkrQtX34A/s400/Dresses.jpg" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is just a short story about a guy from Germany who loves ball gowns and prom dresses, not for himself, but rather for his wife to wear when they go out dancing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>This doesn't seem unreasonable, until we learn that over a lifetime he amassed a collection that will out win anything you or I can put together--with all of our friends included!  The mythical collection came in at 55 thousand gowns when the count was finally tabulated earlier this year.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Now retired, this couple has a dress collection that must be sold off.  And they are doing it one-by-one or by bulk.  Where is this collection now?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span>It's located in Los Angeles, and has been scheduled with open warehouse sales since last August.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br /><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The next sale is scheduled for December 21, 2013, 10AM to 3PM, $5 cover charge, location: 13208 Estrella Avenue Suite C, Gardena, CA 90248.   For Wholesale purchases bring your wholesale license.  They ask that wholesale buyers should call for a private appointment.  Further information: Elodia at (310) 525-4515. </span><br /><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">There are more deails on their website: </span><a href="http://55thousanddresses.com./"><b>55ThousandDresses.com</b>.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />Read the details about this amazing couple:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Article: <a href="http://www.laweekly.com/2013-08-01/news/cocktail-dresses-sale/" target="_blank"><b>LA Weekly</b></a><br />Article: <b><a href="http://55thousanddresses.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Article-Daily-Breeze.pdf" target="_blank">The Daily Breeze</a> </b></div>

55 Thousand Dresses: When Just One Dress Won't Do

This is just a short story about a guy from Germany who loves ball gowns and prom dresses, not for himself, but rather for his wife to wear...

5:00 AM

1938 High School Year Book: the Senior's Story

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_7693_zps8a67fc4f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_7693_zps8a67fc4f.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>1938 School Yearbook for Long Beach, CA</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77221_zpscfdc16f1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77221_zpscfdc16f1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>Poly High Schhol's new campus built following the great Long Beach earthquake a few years earlier</i><br /><br />This summer I came across an old yearbook in the stacks at a thrift store.  Yearbooks have value for dating apparel, hairstyles and noting trends for a certain time.  In this case, I was more than interested because it was from the Long Beach, CA school district, published for the Class of 1938, a time when the entire city published one annual for all schools, including junior high with high school.  I am guessing this was an economic measure, in part because 1938 was still the "Great Depression" and this book needed to be affordable to all. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/8fe38744-d12b-41b7-a7be-369802dbf0ec_zpsbf634b13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/8fe38744-d12b-41b7-a7be-369802dbf0ec_zpsbf634b13.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />In 1938, seniors were probably born about 1920, a few years following the First World War.  They would have been the fore-runners of the big baby boom that surged the US population during the 1920's, following the return of soldiers from the war.  Unfortunately for this group, life wouldn't be easy for them.  When they were nine, the economy crashed, leaving many homeless and often without money for food, let alone clothing.   <br /><br />This annual dates from nine years into that era of hard living.  These kids knew nothing else.  Long Beach had been a mecca for hope during the 1920's, when during the mid-decade new house starts were historically high, as palm lined avenues were paved and the sunny beach city grew out into the fields behind the bay with Mediterranean style bungalows and apartment buildings. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/f169542c-7ec3-44db-b0d4-34fc3dff1add_zpsd704cf32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/f169542c-7ec3-44db-b0d4-34fc3dff1add_zpsd704cf32.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/d38a0aa6-b24e-432f-81a1-064f07180912_zps4f3cd532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/d38a0aa6-b24e-432f-81a1-064f07180912_zps4f3cd532.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />Only a few years after the big crash, something worse happened: the largest earthquake since San Francisco fell at the turn of the century rocked this seaport city, tumbling homes, businesses and setting the surrounding hillside oil derricks aflame.  The population fled inland and up into Los Angeles for safety.  Many left town while others stayed to rebuild it. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77071_zpsbc86688a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77071_zpsbc86688a.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_7721cropped_zps33b74926.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_7721cropped_zps33b74926.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />The high schoolers we see here probably owned only the shoes that you see them wearing.  Many of the girls wear dark skirts, which may have been hand-me-downs from a sister or cousin. These basics could be worn with several blouses to make up their school wardrobe.  Yet there is a diversity in style and personality that shows how creative they could be on a very limited budget.   <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77111_zps443b2341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77111_zps443b2341.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77091_zps54da78e8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_77091_zps54da78e8.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />Sports programs for young women were in full swing, with modern uniforms often 'checked out' to each girls by the PE department.  It's also easy to see that these students are enjoying themselves, and seem to be happy.  In our own time, when shopping is recreational and having more than we can use is so common, it's a reminder how unimportant owning things can be. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_76961_zpsf5bc9971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg217/pintucks/Studio%20Blog%20Pix/IMG_76961_zpsf5bc9971.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br />In looking at this yearbook, I also had another treasure to dig for within its pages.  I knew someone who would have been there, and I was hoping to find her.  In the roster of senior photos, there she was, known as "Midge", Mary Ellen Hill lived a block from the great new high school, leaving for UCLA after graduation.  There she enjoyed a degree in music and the company of her sorority sisters before joining the military and serving on the east coast.   <br /><br />Like everyone else in these photos, within a few years the second great war would encompass their lives, changing their directions and re-orienting their viewpoints from the secure world of high school as we see it depicted here. (Doing a bit of quick math, these students are about 93 years old now, and it's amazing how many are still here to tell us their stories, if we want to hear them.) <br /><br />

1938 High School Year Book: the Senior's Story

1938 School Yearbook for Long Beach, CA Poly High Schhol's new campus built following the great Long Beach earthquake a few years earlie...

5:00 AM

1944 RBW Fashion Illustration: Davidow Suits

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hxjfmtwM2nIPEK84hBtrLN-mE6paeoyXBHsNPHCJKBQOaCT5fKM22zwul4n7A5fb_VMn3TQfoeLeHCuVi3KMzfNccf3ozjaSUcV9GoskLiMfLzPVB6vrfWnrRj4Aj9m6WJ0qa2Dwj_kz/s1600/IMG_2962.edited.+Davidow+suits,+12.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hxjfmtwM2nIPEK84hBtrLN-mE6paeoyXBHsNPHCJKBQOaCT5fKM22zwul4n7A5fb_VMn3TQfoeLeHCuVi3KMzfNccf3ozjaSUcV9GoskLiMfLzPVB6vrfWnrRj4Aj9m6WJ0qa2Dwj_kz/s640/IMG_2962.edited.+Davidow+suits,+12.44.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><br /><br />This ink wash fashion illustration is by RBW and shows Davidow suits for winter, 1944.  The signature Davidow soft tailoring is already in evidence by the soft belting and shirt-style jackets pictured here. <br /><br />I include this Davidow set to reference earlier designs from this label (<a href="http://pintuckstyle.blogspot.com/2013/11/davidow-early-1960s-couture-suits.html"><b>see previous Davidow post HERE)</b></a>.  I also have an earlier post on RBW, the sign-off for Count Rene Bouet-Wilaumez, whose illustrations during the 1930's through 1950's were a signature look for "Vogue" magazine, <a href="http://pintuckstyle.blogspot.com/2012/02/fashion-illustration-by-rbw-late-1930s.html"><b>HERE</b></a>.  On Pinterest I am building a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pintuckstyle/davidow-suits/"><b>Davidow board</b></a> with both advertisements and garment photos. <br /><br />Elsewhere online you can find Davidow posts at "The Vintage Traveler" <a href="http://thevintagetraveler.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/1960s-suit-by-davidow/"><b>HERE</b></a> and at "Past Perfect Vintage" <a href="http://pastperfectvintage.blogspot.com/2009/06/bouquet-of-davidow.html"><b>HERE</b></a>.

1944 RBW Fashion Illustration: Davidow Suits

This ink wash fashion illustration is by RBW and shows Davidow suits for winter, 1944. The signature Davidow soft tailoring is already in e...

5:00 AM

18th Century Hair Fashion & A Story of Changing Portraits

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxEDgvkQpEqiresXw_tt2HLaPW0Ekem-Ou7vWac2U9uWAIy7mjCgm-fxRnc1nsj7uMW1Uvr4bH-KW3nWsRh8qeRqJThP54h3hswjfSD6kzvslXpfAhkoJYD3FLesd7EoaTELy1Ffjub5e/s1600/1770s+hairstyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxEDgvkQpEqiresXw_tt2HLaPW0Ekem-Ou7vWac2U9uWAIy7mjCgm-fxRnc1nsj7uMW1Uvr4bH-KW3nWsRh8qeRqJThP54h3hswjfSD6kzvslXpfAhkoJYD3FLesd7EoaTELy1Ffjub5e/s400/1770s+hairstyle.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />The Huntington Library in San Marino, CA, has a wealth of artwork dating from the 1700's. From this collection, a recent article discussed how these paintings depict women's hairstyles from the 1700's, and that these silhouettes are known for becoming more fanciful and extreme as the years progressed.  Starting with a close fitting hair silhouette at mid-century, hairstyles gained height over the years, becoming the topic of conversation, jokes and public outrage.  Feathers, ornaments and hats topped these towering structures.   <br><br>A unique viewpoint on this topic is brought up in the recent article <a href="http://www.huntington.org/uploadedFiles/Files/PDFs/fw2013Frontiers.pdf" target="_blank"><b>"Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow"</b></a> by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, "Huntington Frontiers", Fall/Winter 2013.  In this study, the author shows how hairstyles changed during this time, mentioning the influences of both British and French trendsetters of that era.  She notes how hair fashion was transforming more quickly than apparel fashion. Of most importance was that the trending hair silhouettes became a problem when it came to portraits.  While the artist may have painted the subject in the height of fashion, these portraits were usually out-dated only a few years later by the inclusion of an extreme hair style. <br><br>The out-dated paintings were brought up to date with more current hairstyles when possible.  Ideally, the original artist painted over the earlier hairstyle, transforming it into a more acceptable silhouette.  The range of success in this technique varied.  Today these alterations can be seen using modern technology that allows us to rediscover the original layers. <br><br>"Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" is fascinating reading for both the costumer as well as the general fashion buff.  It sheds light on past styles and how fashion trends moved quickly, even in the late 1700's. <br><br>

18th Century Hair Fashion & A Story of Changing Portraits

The Huntington Library in San Marino, CA, has a wealth of artwork dating from the 1700's. From this collection, a recent article discuss...

5:00 AM

caftan pattern

Holiday Greeting: Advertisement from 1944

Pointy Toe Boots: Poulaines are Alive & Worn Once More!

55 Thousand Dresses: When Just One Dress Won't Do

1938 High School Year Book: the Senior's Story

1944 RBW Fashion Illustration: Davidow Suits

18th Century Hair Fashion & A Story of Changing Portraits

Popular Posts

Blog Archive