Fall Palette

I've been fabric shopping lately. Online mostly. Which can yield a few unusual surprises in color, texture and design once seen in person! Ostensibly I am shopping for fall fabrics, however in the back of my mind I want these pieces to fit into a versatile travel wardrobe. This should carry into mid-Spring.

You know about travel wardrobes: those ambiguous piles in suitcases that are supposed to come out wrinkle free and go with anything else you packed. So far, they've been something of a pipe dream for me. I always travel with an iron. Or steamer. Or both.

I love this Sing Me a Song dress from ModCloth.com Maybe I will pull out a vintage crochet book and start working on a collar.

So far I like Navy, Chartreuse, Grey/Steel/Silver, Blush Pink (nearly a neutral, nearly a peach), Coral-Orange. Maybe Seafoam and a Light Mud color, too. Black. It's a requirement.

Fabric-wise, I am in love with luxe textures. Velvet, velveteen, silk, silk charmeuse. For comfort I ordered some grey flannel (that looks curiously formal) for a soft jacket. A blouse in a flowy pink/peach would feel very feminine.

Accessories! I am finishing up my final skeins of glace yarn, making them into a sumptuous neck scarf. Have you seen these flowers from Anthropologie's wedding site, BHLDN.com? I'm thinking of making one into a brooch:

These are a steal at $10.oo

I have several silk scarves which I hope to pull out and wear more regularly this year. If you have spare time just laying around, I double dare you to search You Tube for scarf tying ideas. There went 20 minutes.

On the cold front, I have a red velveteen swing coat cut out. It has bracelet length sleeves with a slight bell. Currently, I have more coat patterns than fabric with which to make them.

Not on your life. Source.

Is it just me, or does travel make you want to feel more formal? Put together. Decisive. Something about visiting a place far away and exotic makes me more daring in my clothing choices. It also makes me want to slim down. But that's not really anything new :)

Vintage Pictures I Love

The thing about vintage style is that it will always be...stylish. Truly vintage; not 1980's vintage. I'm talking about a time when men and women dressed themselves more formally. Day gloves. Driving gloves. Hats. Suspenders. Nylons. Red lipstick. You see where I'm going.

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite retro images with you. I collect these pics in file folders on my hard drive - organized by decade. Which means I have no idea what the original sources were for most of these pics. Sorry.

The first four images come from the July, 1955 edition of Vogue magazine.

I especially enjoy the polka dots, plaid, and rows of buttons above.

No, but seriously. The placket of that shirt is amazing.

As My Mind Travels to Exotic Greece...

Image

The Hubs and I have bounced around the idea of a Grecian vacation for a long time. It's not happening this year, but I'm always grabbing bits of info from the travel channel, or Rick Steves, or my aimless walks around the internet.

On New Years, my family watched My Life in Ruins starring Nia Vardalos and Richard Dreyfuss. Have you seen this movie? It is funny and entertaining. The scenery is breathtaking.

I'm a couple of seasons behind, but this movie really inspired me to look at Grecian design. First off: Vardalos wears a stunning blue dress in the movie:

I wish I had a full length picture of the dress. The color is so vibrant. On closer inspection the sleeves seem a bit odd to me. She wears plenty of beautifully draped dresses throughout the film...I'll have to watch it again to pick out my favorites.

Some other beautifully draped designs:

(via afashionablelife.wordpress.com)

(from Etsy seller flowersun)

This dress above is my favorite. It looks carefree and comfortable, but it also ups the style quotient for an everyday knit dress.

(from Etsy seller MotherMidnight)

So anyway, I'm in Greece this morning. Mentally, at least.

Nancy Drew, or Fashion for the Bungalow

My daughter and I made our way through a 'gently used' bookstore last night. We found several first edition Nancy Drew books (Trixie Belden, too... but her style was not so developed). I had fun sharing my memories of Nancy, Bess, George and Ned. My daughter looked through the books with curious interest, holding each as though it were a foreign object from some long-forgotten past. Those moments make me smile.

Now, I'm only 29, so the first editions predated me. I still remember checking them out from the library. Those older stories gave me my first glimpse into the past. I learned fancy words for friends, cars and homes. I also saw how Carolyn Keene (the real person, not the pen name used during my day by several authors) described Nancy's smart outfits. That girl was always put together.

I've collected some of Ms. Drew's best vintage looks. Here, now, for your enjoyment and my daughter's awe:

Pretty blouse with bow tie and matching skirt. Set waves with side part. Perfect for solving crime.

Bess gets my vote for best dressed on the dock. That green frock and matching hat take the cake! All three ladies look so composed, so overdressed by today's standards. Note the bobbed hair; those forward thinking gals.

This is perfect to go riding in that awesome car daddy gave her. Cloche, scarf, riding gloves. Nance knew her way around the accessory counter.

Matching dress, belt and purse. I know the matchy-matchy look is dated now, but sometimes I think it still packs a punch.

Vivien Leigh

My sisters and I, as small children, possessed some inexplicable fascination with all things Gone With the Wind. By 7, I could probably quote the movie in its entirety. I'm not joking.

I've watched her screen tests, how they made those gorgeous costumes...the works. She's the reason I rented A Streetcar Named Desire in high school. Last week, I stuck That Hamilton Woman in my Netflix queue. Only because of Vivien Leigh (well, I also read that Winston Churchill held a screening of it for Roosevelt at the onset of WWII). So in my book, few actresses are more beautiful or talented than Vivien Leigh. Which is why I choose her for my first style study.

She could've made a paper sack look effortless and beautiful. Standing next to then husband Laurence Olivier completed any look.

I don't always understand the severe part in her hair. This two-toned foamy dress is magnificent, though. I love the sash.

She could pull of a smart hat and suit:

Wide-legged pants:

Summer halter dresses:

Um, holiday wear?

And that messy bed-head, I haven't eaten since this blasted war broke out, great balls of fire look:

That last distinction goes to her alone. No one else could pull of that bit of fluff that was Scarlet, also providing her character complexity and growth.