1940's Inspiration

Outfit Details:

Wine colored velvet swing dress
Brooch -Eisenberg 1940  (More on the bow brooch below)
Bracelets -Eisenberg
Earrings-Eisenberg
Shoes -1940's peep toe (the first pair of vintage shoes I've bought and also one of my first vintage purchases, fabulous shoes and I'm so glad I brought them out because it reminds me that I must condition them.  I've learned from other shoes that vintage leather still needs a good conditioning every once and a while.
Hat- ebay

Nails- I'm trying the gel nails in a retro color effect, I think they turned out quite well.  I've had gel nails once before and it is a pain to get off but it does last one-two weeks.  I'll keep you posted on the chip effect.  I can attest that if I would have done this regular nail polish it would have been chipped by now.  I've been doing a lot of work with my hands today and it still looks fresh.  The one thing I would have liked is more of an oval effect on the nails.  I guess my nails were either too short or I really need to stress this more in the future.

It's difficult to capture the true color of this velvet in photographs, sometimes it shows up as more of a black but this is a good idea of the color it's like a soft wine.

A little bit over exposed image so you can get an idea of the color.

Ad to Actual Vintage Ad Match


Doesn't this ad just speak 40's?  I agree with the word "Excitement".  I indeed think this when I see these gems.  The ladies hair style is fabulous.   I'd love each and every piece.  It is difficult to find the topaz in the Eisenberg line but I did happen to find the rhinestone bow and it sparkles and shines madly.   I'm thinking it's the same year as the ad but it is possible they also made it later on but the back of the brooch does say Eisenberg Original which could date it to around this time.  This ad is from the Vogue Christmas issue from 1940.  What a grand Christmas present to have?  Wouldn't the perfume be interesting to smell as well?

Which piece would you choose?

You know one other thing about these brooches is that they are heavy in the words of an ebay seller that was a seller of an Eisenberg brooch a few months back,  "This is a heavy buggar."   This makes me smile as these Eisenberg brooches can be quite heavy.  So, it has got me wondering what the vintage ladies did when they had material that may not be able to support such a brooch.  I shall have to research this and see if I can come up with anything.  If anyone has any ideas, let me know?  I'm thinking just a bit of extra material in the back to support the weight.  We all know how much rhinestones the Hollywood starlets wore.

I was planning a trip to the local stroll garden today.  The weather is not coorporating.  I am a bit saddened by this as I'd like to get there while things are still in bloom.  It's a rainy day today here in good ol'New York.

A Rock Star With Two Left Feet?

Here's a cute website to make your own 45...

Do you like my band name and song title? I'd love to see what all of you come up with and please feel free to post your version on your blogs too.  This could be fun!  I googled that the 45 first started making appearances around 1948.  I have a bunch of records that were from my father that I should really look at.  I just bought a conversion player so this will be a fun project.  I vaguely recall some obscure records like "Johnny and The Pineapples" and of course, I know there are tons of Beatles albums in the mix.  I think there might be a bunch of 50's records.  I do know there were tons of 80's as well.  I think I shall go on a quest for the illusive "Johnny and The Pineapples" record lol.

Can you dig my new shoes from Remix?  They are my prefect red wedge shoe. Only one slight problem, can you guess?   Yep, two left feet lol.  But, they are so awesome at Remix with customer service that another pair is on it's way and it's no problem for me just a big laugh.   I had to think to myself, if I was missing something and maybe it was the style. lol   I'm just happy they still had another pair to replace these.  

1951 And A Quilt Show

I woke up on Saturday and thought "Hey, shouldn't my local quilt show be coming soon?"   So, I looked on the internet and it started that day.  I'm glad I thought about this as it is interesting to see.  It was crazy busy though and I had my daughter with me so I just casually looked around.  You would be amazed at the amount of people who love fabric and love to quilt.   I was hoping to find some retro print (30's) fabrics for some future top or skirt I want to make but I didn't find anything like this.  I'm sure I'll have to do some internet scoping.  I used to make quilts but haven't made any in a few years but I still love to go and appreciate all the time these ladies (and men) put into their quilts.  Some of these quilts are handmade with the top being all hand appliqued like they did 100 + years ago, this amazes me the time involved in this.

Saturday's Outfit

Scarf -recently aquired with gold painted motif's  $9 ebay
Dress-  1951 Vintage Vertuosa  It's a thin type of rayon.
Shoes - Naturalizer
Bag- Etsy (I believe) got it quite cheap for a lucite bag.
Hair Clip  Orchid- The lovely Jessica nudged me on these. ebay  Love them.
For my pin, I used an odd screw back earring that didn't have a partner it came with a bunch of other misc jewelry.

Painted chiffon scarf

My daughter checking out all the quilts.

See you can find the retro vibe everywhere!  Check out these vintage quilted ladies a local quilter made.  Note to self:  see if I can find this fabric of these ladies.  I'm thinking Michael Miller he always has great vintage ladies fabrics.  Update:  Found it, it is indeed Michael Miller quite an old print 2002 "Glamour Girls" .  Very cute print with cadillacs, poodles, and  vintage ladies.  I think she may have also used another print for the apron ladies.

This quilt was huge!  It had a bunch of 30's reproduction fabrics in it.  It sure inspires me fabric wise on making a cotton top, skirt, or dress.  It truely was a spectacular quilt.  Look at all the stiching details.

A Bernie Dress

I bought my first Bernie dress on sale and I'm hooked.  I really like her dresses.  They are actually having a sale on some dresses and tops as we speak, so I decided to try out another dress too!    This dress is a cotton dress with a Parisian theme.  What's not to love about a Parisian theme?  The only thing better is to be there:)    When I first got it, I thought it was a bit too small but now I'm thinking it's just fine.


I'm also wearing some great 40's shoes.  The problem is the strap is wearing.  Since this picture, I've tried some great leather conditioner on the shoes which worked great to soften the leather but the straps have to be helped by adding some support.  I believe they can be fixed by the right cobbler.  The problem is there aren't too many around near where I live so I'll have to see if I can find a good one.  I'm hoping I can prevent breakage in the strap.  I hope I can as these are really great shoes and are worth the effort to fix up.   Have any of you lost your shoe straps of vintage shoes?  If so, what have you done?  Have you been able to save any of your brittle leather straps?  I'd really love to hear thoughts on this!  These shoes were barely worn but the straps are dry and some breakage has occurred but they are still hanging on.

I submitted a couple of photographs to Vintage Life (these pictures were taken on a different day), so I'm not sure if I'll make it to the readers page.   If one does, I'll be sure to clue you in.  Here are the two I submitted:

On a side note, I wanted to mention Debbie Reynolds has a shop with vintage Hollywood costumes for sale.  

A lot of amazing pieces.  

There is still a hot pink skirt designed for Betty Grable in "My Blue Heaven" available.

Image source from Debbie Reynolds Studio Store

A dress from Raintree County

Image source from Debbie Reynolds Studio Store

Or how about a suit designed for Grace Kelly?

Image source from Debbie Reynolds Studio Store

There is a lovely Adrian suit but it was worn by Katherine Hepburn making it quite expensive at $35,000 but maybe not so expensive for someone with a trust fund lol.  There is also an extra dress designed by Adrian for $750 that I can see being purchased soon by a collector.  Interesting website to visit.

A Little Bit of Vintage Bling

I love rhinestones and things that sparkle so it fits me well when I can wear 50's rhinestones.   Today I am wearing a Schiaparelli sweater that I picked up for probably less than half of what they normally go for. It's in great shape and I love all the sparkles.  The skirt comes from a black suit set that I got really cheap off of ebay.  Sometimes if you don't like a top or bottom of a suit set, you have to think about the practicality of the other parts and it can still make it worth it to buy a suit for either the top or skirt.  Of course, in this case, I love the whole suit but I also can use the skirt for other outfits.

The shoes are vintage 40's.  Earrings are Eisenberg clip ons.

I took a trip to the local cosmetics store and the lady did my make up for me and of course, I bought quite a few NARS things.  The one that I found the most interesting is the lipstick.  You sharpen it like you would a liner and I actually like it quite a bit, I find it doesn't come off too easy and you don't end up with lipstick teeth.  The brand I bought is called Cruella (image below).  It sounds so 101 Dalmatians lol.   I also bought some nifty eye shadows and a bronzer.  I've never used a bronzer before but they quite appeal to me.

I started with my hair down but decided I liked it up best.

NARS Lipstick.  It is called a lip pencil but it really acts like a lipstick.  It has got a thicker consistency to it.  Go check it out at your local NARS counter.

Sunday Blossoms

This Sunday we decided to take a walk at our local arboretum.  We were happily surprised with all the lovely blossom trees and flowers in bloom.  Also, I was amazed as we walked through one part of the park and could smell the fragrance of flowers in bloom.  I think I could have sat there all day.

I was having great difficulty finding a top to wear.  I think this is something I'm going to have to try and focus on, some summer cotton or knit tops.  I settled on a 50's blouse and just tried to keep it simple.  I also wore a pair of Juliana earrings.  I don't own any other pieces of Juliana but it is certainly a designer for the future.  Do any of you have any favorite vintage designers?


Sunglasses-vintage 40's Manhattan Vintage Show
Earrings- vintage Juliana
Blouse -vintage union label (thinking 50's)
Jeans-Freddies
Bracelet-vintage
Watch-vintage Elgin, love that it's wind up and still works

Lovely bright tulips!

Capturing some petals on the blossom trees:

Lovely Lilli, Lill Ann

Yes, faithful blog readers, it be that time again....Lilli Ann time..

Here is the 50s glam Lilli Ann suit I mentioned about here.    I've posted a couple of similar ads below that I think are from the same time period, maybe one day I'll find the exact ad.  It certainly is a pleasure to wear and it's actually perfect for the slightly chilly weather lately, although this may change daily.

You can see why I had to hit the sale button pretty fast on this beauty.  All the elements of Lilli Ann charm the nipped waist,  pelum edges to the jacket, and of course I need not mention the tailoring and the speckled wool detail is fabulous.  I love the skirt length.  This suit is in great condition and I don't think it was worn that much.   I'd love to know the history of who these ladies are that wore some of these garments.  I'd also love to hear from you if you are a Lilli Ann collector too.  I know there are quite a few of you out there since Lilli Ann's are high on the commodity list.  I was trying to decide with or without the scarf but I think my inclementation is to go with the scarf.

I thought you'd also get a kick out of this hat.  The feathers imbedded in the top are so interesting and grand, you only see it when you tilt down, pretty cool eh?  I'd say a total "New Look" hat.  I'm really impressed with the way they were able to mold and press these feathers into shape and think about how long it's held up too!

I've been reading The Thoughtful Dresser almost through this book too (still reading the Gloria Swanson autobiography).   Overall, I like the book and an interesting approach to how fashion is a cornerstone to a woman's character.   It's kind of sad how in the part of the book how the "New Look" was looked on as old school and confining by the next generation.  But, I get it as well as it was all about mini's and free flowing maxi dresses for the next generation.   It's also brings up the thought of the Gloria Swanson interview below.  She comes into the interview with a skirt about the length of mine in the pictures and is slammed by Janis Joplin and the Dick Cavatt (because it's the 70's and mini's and maxi's are in) for what she is wearing, watch the YouTube clip and let me know what you think.

Outfit details-
Lilli Ann Suit -50s (1954-55)
Scarf - Hattie Carnegie
Hat- 50's velvet cartwheel hat lined with feathers on the top, no label
Gloves- gifted from a lovely friend
Umbrella -50's Saks embellished with red roses
Earrings -Eisenberg
Shoes- 40's/50's slight peep toe bought as NOS through Etsy
Blouse-vintage shear pintuck

A similar but not quite the same ad from a Lilli Ann  ad 1954 originally listed at Dandelion Vintage.

Lilli Ann ad via Pinterest..

Gloria Swanson interview mentioned above...