Sunday Style: Easter Bonnet

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Easter Sunday dawned with clear blue skies, a bright shining sun, and a cool breeze, and it was perfect: as we couldn’t very well have bad weather on Easter Sunday, could we? It was a perfect chance for the “sundresses” I keep wanting to wear, we didn’t even wear coats, and had to wear sunglasses as it was so bright!

I made this dress from a Vogue 1044 reproduction pattern. I love how so many of the pattern companies have reissued their vintage patterns, as it is an easy way to get an authentic vintage look without having actual vintage- although, half of this dress was actually made from vintage material.

This dress might just squeak in under the “make do” section of “make do and mend”. The bodice and skirt of this dress were made of different fabrics, although they match so closely it would seem they were made to go together! The bodice is made of a pinstriped remnant of fabric my mom had left over from the 70’s, and the skirt is made of new eyelet material I purchased several years ago. I (foolishly) didn’t purchase enough of the material to do much of anything with, but was just able to squeeze the bodice pattern on the other remnant, and then use the entire piece of the new material for the skirt. It turned out well, and made a great Easter Sunday dress, paired with my off-white straw hat and thrifted rattan purse.

Sunday Style: Peacock Plumage and a Velvet Bow

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Just in time for Spring I recently acquired three winter hats. Of course, even though they are now out of season, I had to wear at least one of them before I put them away for the winter! I am getting a little tired of wearing my cold weather clothes, as that is pretty much all I’ve been wearing for the last few months, but now that I’ve got these new hats I want to wear them all! Sigh. I think that this hat will be a good winter staple, as it is a simple shape made of wool, adorned with just a nice soft velvet bow. I guess I’ll just have to wait until next year! Patience. . . This will be the last cold weather outfit I’ll wear until fall, even though it’s always a bit tricky to wear spring appropriate outfits when the weather doesn’t seem to cooperate very well- I will persevere! The cold and snow will not stop me!

I wore the hat on Sunday, and paired it with my vintage peacock plumage patterned pleated wool skirt, (wow that is a tongue twister if I ever heard one!) and black velvet blazer. Sparkly earrings and a fish brooch dressed it up a bit, and my favourite mary jane’s completed the look.

Happy Spring

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Happy First Day of Spring! Although the weather may not realize what season it is, knowing that Winter is officially over makes all the difference don’t you think?

And now it is time for the sundresses! Which I am very glad about, as my winter wardrobe was starting to feel stretched a little thin (“like butter scraped over too much bread”- as Bilbo would say).

This is a great dress I found in a thrift store last year. That was a lucky day- it was like a vintage blogger had just cleared out their closet, there were so many wonderful dresses. Not all of them fit, but I found this lovely gem, which fit as perfectly as if it had been made for me.

Paired with some black tights, boots, and a white faux leather jacket- it was a perfect ensemble for a warm day we had last week.

Hopefully it is starting to feel like Spring wherever you are- and you are able to enjoy the coming season!

A Nautical Touch

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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!