A Nautical Touch
Wow, I seem to be on a 40’s kick lately, judging by the outfits I have been wearing lately. This may or may not be directly related to the fact that I have been watching a decent amount of Foyle’s War lately. (The 2nd time around!) I love period films, and the costumes in that show are on point!
Do you ever do that? Match your clothing choices to whatever outside influences, such as films or books, that are inspiring you at the moment? Right now, for me, it’s the 1940’s war years. Before that, I was reading Sense and Sensibility and I wanted everything to be soft and romantic. Before that I was watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and I wanted to wear only silk, feather trimmed robes, coordinating cloche hats, beaded evening dresses and outrageous furs. (The fact that I do not own these things, made it a tad more difficult!)
I am so glad that I live in this era. I think we have it best: we can pretty much choose whatever style we want to wear, from any era, and incorporate it into our dress. Vintage dressing is, after all, just as varied as the people who lived before us. There is not, and never will be, only one particular way of dressing, because even within the fashion trends, style dictates the ability to wear it the way we want.
So regarding this outfit, I found this WWII sailor’s uniform in an army surplus store. They have the greatest things in old surplus stores! It’s in great condition, missing only one button, which I replaced, and it is great to wear in the winter as it is a very warm wool. What a great testament to quality, that a garment that is at least 70 years old, is still being worn today! I love the craftsmanship that was shown to even a mass produced item: the meticulously sewn white ribbon detail, the star embroidery on the back, the bound edge on the pocket, and the fact that it still has the manufacturing label intact, which makes it all a bit more exciting to realize that some young man was fighting for his country!
