vintage fashion moments

all posts that feature vintage fashion magazines, books and other vintage fashion images

A Fashion Moment With McCall’s Treasury Of Needlecraft: Cardigans

Vintage buttoned 1950's sweater with an emblem design

We are back today with some more beautiful fashion pictures from the McCall’s Treasury of Needlecraft…after a three year absence!

My goal/ task this year is to go through my external hard drive and sort every file and folder…yes this is a year long task, because it is an absolute mess. Computers that crashed and all of the files dumped on there in a jumble, then I started to blog but didn’t have a system in place for how to organize the photos, then I was lazy and didn’t go through the photos I had taken and cull the blurry ones etc….resulting in a complete disaster! So, I’ve been slowly going through that, and I came across a folder with pictures from the Treasury that I had never posted. Here we are today with the first batch, a collection of knitted and crocheted cardigans, and I’ve got two more posts for the future. Hopefully I won’t let three years pass before posting them again! Enjoy!

a boxy open vintage cardigan

a open lace patterned top under a dark blazer

This would be a really pretty and classic workwear look. It would be a nice way to add a vintage touch to a more modern office setting.

a vintage style ski sweater with buttons, at the slopes

Not only is this one fabulous- but look at her entire ensemble! So much classier than sportswear of today, although her goggles are hilarious.

a vintage boxy coat/cardigan for a day out shopping

This Warm Knitted Topper looks like the perfect thing to wear come Fall, when the days are crisp, but not quite cold enough for a jacket.

Vintage twinset with an embellished detail along the front opening

Such a pretty way of elevating a simple twinset.

fitted cardigan with a checkerboard pattern

a gingham checked buttoned vintage cardigan

a boxy open cardigan with a foldover collar and a pocket

I like the pattern in this one; it adds a nice bit of texture.

a vintage 1950's style bolero

Also the texture of this one is really nice! I love how this is boxy, but ends at the waist so it doesn’t obscure the waist. Boxy sweaters are nice, but can often drown.

a casual bomber style knitted sweater

I like the bomber/army style shape of this sweater. Again, the waist definition is nice and keeps it from being too big overall.

a batwing sleeved asian inspired vintage bolero

Lastly is this bolero- I’m not sure that I like the shaping seams/details on the shoulders, but I do like the overall shape. Maybe in a softer yarn would be better though…

What do you think? Which is your favourite?

(Ps. In the past, I have had people ask if I would be willing to share the patterns for these, and the answer is yes! If you’d like the pattern for any of these cardigans, just send me an email and I will gladly send it to you!)

Vintage Beauty Advertisements: A Fashion Moment with Canadian Home Journal 1941

Vintage 1941 Cutex ad

I think it is about time we took another look into this April 1941 edition on the Canadian Home Journal, don’t you think? The last time we took a look inside was back in March, with a spread about Easter fashions. This time I am sharing a collection of the beauty advertisements!

There are quite a lot of ads for face creams and “cocktails”, several advertisements featuring movie stars, and of course all of the ads showing the ideal 1940’s look! Interestingly, unlike other beauty ads I’ve seen, none of these mention the war, even though they were right in the midst of it in 1941. There are quite a few pictures today, (a lot of which are Woodbury ads!) but as I was flipping through it again, I realized that I missed a few, so I think that those will make another post sometime in the future!

Vintage 1941 Campana ad
Vintage 1941 Elizabeth Arden ad
Vintage 1941 Evan Willams Shampoo ad
Vintage 1941 Ingram's Milkweed Cream advertisement
Vintage 1941 Lady Esther advertisement
Vintage 1941 Loretta Young Lux soap advertisement
Vintage 1941 Palmolive ad
Vintage 1941 Woodbury powder ad
Vintage 1941 Woodbury Loretta Young ad
Vintage 1941 Woodbury facial cocktail advertisement

I love this last ad- I wish that my powder came in containers this pretty! Modern makeup just doesn’t come anywhere near as close in elegance!

Vintage 1941 Yardley makeup ad

What the Grahams Wore on Easter Sunday: A Fashion Moment with Canadian Home Journal 1941

What the Grahams Wore on Easter Sunday, Canadian Home Journal 1941, the artyologist

Just what will the Grahams wear for Easter Sunday? Why, I’m so glad you asked . . . because I just happen to have a three page spread showing just that!

what the grahams will wear, Canadian Home Journal 1941 the artyologist

My brother gave me this Canadian Home Journal from April of 1941, this past Christmas, and I’ve been eagerly waiting to share it with you all, because there is an entire section in the magazine featuring Singer sewing machines, and Butterick patterns! I haven’t figured out yet what I am going to wear this Easter Sunday, but any of these patterns would be delightful, don’t you think? It’s too bad I won’t be able to make any of these lovely dresses, but at least we can enjoy looking at them, right?

The article on the right page talks about how Mrs. S. Armstrong, of Montreal, wanted to have “more pretty clothes- for much less money”, and so she decided to sew them herself. However, there was just one problem- she didn’t know how to sew! But, no problem, she just went to her nearest Singer Sewing Centre, and enrolled in their Three Free Lessons. “There the obliging sewing instructress showed her how easy and simple it is to sew- and save- the Singer way.” Now Mrs. Armstrong has become “quite the expert” and “does all her own sewing- on the modern Singer electric Mr. Armstrong gave her for her birthday”. Furthermore, “the Singer Sewing Centre in your town is always ready to help you. Go there for wardrobe ideas, for advice on a sewing problem, or for “short course” lessons in dressmaking or home decorating. All these services are free!” Well, I just want to pop over my local vintage Singer Sewing Centre now, don’t you?

what-mrs-graham-taught, canadian home journal 1941, the artyologist

This dress, above, is just perfection!

striped-blouse, canadian home journal 1941, butterick 1419 and butterick 1440, the artyologist

I love this striped blouse and suit from Butterick 1440.

what-they-will-wear, canadian home journal 1941, the artyologist

Here is what Margaret, Ailsa, Dorothy, and Peg Graham will wear.

orange-dress, canadian home journal 1941, butterick 1444 and 1451, the artyologist

Dorothy likes the “high surplice neckline” of Butterick 1444 and the “wide midriff belt” of 1451, above.

wardrobe spice, canadian home journal 1941, butterick 1407 and 1453, the artyologist

Ailsa “likes the shirred pockets” in this Butterick 1407 suit. Also pictured is Butterick 1453. On the other page, we are shown how to add some “spice’ to your outfit!

wardrobe-spice, canadian home journal, the artyologist

There will be “many pleasant uses for these important additions to the Spring costumes they are planning”.

butterick dresses, canadian home journal, butterick 1462 and butterick 1160, the artyologist

Margaret likes the “saddle shoulders in both the dress and the coat of this ensemble because they give a broad shoulder line”. Broad shoulders were definitely the thing in the 40’s! Butterick 1462 includes both the coat and the dress. And Peg, on the right, likes the “slim lines of this reefer which buttons up to a high collar” Butterick 1160 and 1465.

cape, canadian home journal 1941, butterick 1456, the artyologist

And lastly, my favourite is this ensemble with Butterick 1456. I love everything about this: the cape, the handbag, the cool folded hat. . .  the officer (haha just kidding!)

Which of the patterns from this issue of Canadian Home Journal do you like the best? Don’t you wish you could still order things from old magazines and catalogues, when you browse through them? Have you ever seen an issue of Canadian Home Journal before? And, have you picked out what you are going to wear for Easter yet?

A Fashion Moment with McCall’s Treasury of Needlecraft: Pullovers

fashion-moment-with mccalls treasury of needlecraft, pullovers

It is high time that I share some more treasures from the Mccall’s Treasury of Needlecraft, don’t you think? I took all these photos last year, shared some here on the blog (hats, dressy sweaters and dresses), and then forgot that I had the rest of these! They were a bit out of season, but now that we’ve got snow on the ground, or at lease chillier climes headed our way in the Northern Hemisphere, sweaters are just what are needed. So, today I am sharing a few lovely vintage pullover sweaters from the book.

Above: I love her belt over the top and also how her scarf loops through her collar- such a lovely classic look! Also, note that she has a zipper on the front of her skirt, which I think is rather unusual for that era? 

chevron-vintage-sweater mccalls treasury of needlecraft

ski-sweater mccalls treasury of needlecraft

Pretty vintage ski attire- if only sports attire looked as nice today. Yes, I know that it’s all about “performance” but as someone who really couldn’t care less about sports, I just want everything to look nice 😉

cable-stitched-middy mccalls treasury of needlecraft

This is a really nice “college girl” look. Again, I love her scarf- I think I need to adopt scarves into my outfits more often!

vintage-pullover- mccalls treasury of needlecraft

Nothing like posing for a photo while eating an apple? But just look how wholesome this sweater is because it is in an orchard. Style-wise, I don’t really like the boxy fit. It would probably be comfortable, but not as elegant for sure.

simple crocheted sweater mccalls treasury of needlecraft

A “simple crocheted” sweater. Love the batwing silhouette. And, the statement necklace is really interesting too- usually models wore more understated jewellery such as pearls and chains.

Which sweater is your favourite?

Well, that’s rather a small collection for today, but as it is late and I still have many things to do before the end of the day (I’m selling at a craft sale tomorrow, and there’s much to be done before then) so. . .  I’ll sign off for now!

 

My Vintage Cover Begins Today!

Happy First Day of August- and on that note- also the first day of the My Vintage Cover challenge!

I can’t believe that August is already here (really, where did July go?!) but I am so excited that My Vintage Cover is starting. To get you in the mood, here are some covers I have come across in my image searches, which I think might just be “easy” to replicate. And, if you have no idea what I am talking about, you can read all of the details here or scroll to the end of this post, for an abbreviated version of events!

This cover basically relies on a large amount of flowers. And they could be any flowers too- it’s the impact and vast quantity that makes this cover recognizable.

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Such an artistic and striking pose. Do you have a large hat? You could probably recreate this one!

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This one relies mainly on the blue makeup, a turned up collar and a simple hat.

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Blue eyeshadow and a beehive. If you do any of these two things, you are halfway there to recreating a look from the 60’s!

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This iconic cover would actually be really great to recreate, because it is black and white and you wouldn’t need to worry about colour matching your clothing! It’s all about the silhouette.

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Those of you with bakelite collections could probably pull this one off fairly easily. I thought about doing this one, but I don’t own any colourful bracelets!

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Some covers rely mainly on the creative makeup, like this one.

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Again, I think that this one could be easy to recreate, as long as you have a platter hat. It mostly relies on the pose.

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Another cover with striking makeup and hair, this time from the 70’s. You don’t have to pick a really old cover to recreate.

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A relatively simple cover with not too many exotic items or difficult poses.

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Recreating an illustration could be kind of fun. This one from the 1920’s features a relatively simple outfit- simple compared to most of the fantastical covers of the era!

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Two very similar covers, one from the 30’s and one from the 50’s, which consist mainly of swathing ones self in a fur.

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This cover from the 1980’s had Grace Coddington as creative director, and it is so simple yet striking.image source

Again this relies heavily on the makeup and hair. I think that my sister and I are going to try this one- she’ll do the makeup, and I’ll be the model!

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This one relies completely on the 50’s makeup. This is one of my favourite covers because it’s so artistic.

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Got a wicker basket? You can do this! 😉 haha!

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If you just happen to have a red ballgown, tall gloves and a fan lying around, recreate this one now because I want to see it.

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Do you have a bird? (I don’t even know what bird that is) If you do, then please feel free to recreate this one.

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Do you have access to a butterfly sanctuary? If so, then this might be a good one for you to recreate. 😉

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Well, I hope that these covers give you some inspiration and ideas- especially the last three 🙂 Tanith has also been sharing some covers, so if none of these seem to fit, hop over and check her post out. And if you’d like to see the covers I have done in the past, you can find them here.

Even if you aren’t planning on taking part in the My Vintage Cover challenge- I hope you enjoyed seeing all these great magazine covers!

Again, here is the condensed version of the My Vintage Cover challenge, being hosted by Tanith and I.

-Running August 1- 31, 2017.

-This is a non-competitive event; we just want people to have fun! 

-Tag your recreations with #myvintagecover on Instagram or post them on your blog.

-We may post a few “round-ups” depending on how many people participate

-You can recreate a vintage magazine cover (such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar or McCall’s) or an editorial vintage fashion image. Images with distinctive poses, or styles that are iconic to a specific era are great options.

-Repost & share your inspiration image, or link to it, so everyone can compare the recreations and originals

-Recreate as many images as you would like! There is no limit!