Victory! ...rolls

This week I've had my dear friend Joyous to visit from Toronto, Canada. We tromped around every single antique store in the area, including one that isn't listed... because it's somebody's barn. We found lots of little treasures!

Joyous found a beaded coin purse, a sweet apron, a teacup and saucer, and several sets of cameo stud earrings. I had my eye on bigger quarry (as I do not have to lug it back to the north country) and came home with a lamp-slash-endtable, a teak letter-and-key holder, a small wooden recipe box, an embroidered table runner and a fabulous Pendleton Knockabouts jacket, complete with leather-patch elbows!

This week has been no less than victorious, not only in great vintage finds in our small town, but also in more hair experiments! First we thought we'd do pin curls for a mandolin concert this week, but time flew by and left us with too few hours to put it together. Instead - Victory Rolls!

As you can see, we made the most of it. We both have very straight hair, which I thought would prove more challenging than it actually did. Joy has lots of hair that's very fine, and I have thick hair but not as much of it. Soon I hope to post a video tutorial of how to do this particular hairstyle, but until then, here's what we did:

1. If you start with wet hair, throw in some mousse and blow dry. If you start with dry hair, hairspray the heck out of it and then brush it.
2. Take two vertical sections of hair from each side of your head and throw the rest in a ponytail.
3. Backcomb each of the four sections on the back side, using hairspray as necessary (we used quite a lot).
4. Use a 1"-barrel curling iron to curl one section towards the back. When it's sufficiently curled, use your hands to roll the section away from your face into the long rolls you see in our pictures.
5. Use two bobby pins to secure the roll at the top and the bottom. You can play with the roll to make it looser or tighter, depending on how much volume you want.
6. Do this for each of the four sections, pulling your bangs aside if you have them.
7. For those with said fringe, hold them straight up from your head, spray them, and curl them in a large curl towards the front. Leave it to cool, then backcomb the back side and roll them into a standing pin curl off to one side. Secure with a bobby pin.
8. Undo the ponytail you put up earlier. Curl the hair in sections - use hairspray to make sure the ends don't fall out immediately (it's not terribly important that they stay really curly).
9. Brush the curls and put your hair up in a high ponytail again. Split the hair on the top to make a pocket just above the elastic band, loosening the ponytail, and tuck the hair into it. Leave the last few inches of the ponytail untucked.
10. Curl the last few inches of the ponytail around the pocket of stuffed hair to hide it, and pin it with a bobby pin.
11. Spray, spray, spray! We took on wind and rain with this style, and nary a hair was out of place when we returned.

Cheers!
Marjorie

I'm a little teapot

I have been looking for the perfect teapot for years. Years. And just a few months ago, I found it - well, her. She was sitting on a corner table at the back of a newly-discovered antique store, and she commanded my full attention.

It's difficult to say what is so special about this perfect little teapot. Perhaps I just know deep down that if I were a teapot, I would be this little teapot. Maybe I saw her in a dream, or met one of her matching cups and saucers at an antique shop in my past. One thing I do know is that she spoke to me, and one should always buy, if one is able, the items that speak to one's soul.

This little teapot is named Angela for a cat-loving friend of mine who, when I think of her, always makes me want to curl up with my kitty and a cup of tea. My teapot does much the same thing, and it doesn't hurt that she has quite recently been clothed with a tea cozy of delicate design and delightful colors, making her all the more inviting. Many thanks to my wonderful Oma for the gift!

Another recent acquisition was this fanciful embroidered table runner, found for a few cents at an estate sale. Birdie and I have decided she needs a bosom, so I think I will attempt something innocently come-hitherish using my library embroidery books soon. I love her shoes, and I can only dream of bloomers with flounces like that!

Here are a few details of my lovely embroidered belle. Enjoy!

Antique expo excursion

After a few weeks of quietude from blogging (in which I moved forward on the novel, discovered an exciting new hobby in quilting, and acquired a surprise sewing machine), I have been revitalized by an escapade to Portland's Expo Center and a day spent with my favorite vintage blogger, Solanah of Vixen Vintage. 


Solanah, I was pleased to find, is wonderfully approachable and thrillingly knowledgeable when it comes to vintage clothing. I learned so much from her as we cavorted in heels for hours through the Expo, and was delighted to find a friend as well as a kindred spirit. 


We met quite a few people who also embodied the vintage spirit with fantastic vintagewear and hattery, including Janey of Atomic Redhead. My favorite, I must admit, was the muscle-bound, mustachioed man in the striped shirt! 


Enjoy these photos of the day's escapade! Soon to follow will be my own unique finds and ways to use them. 

Cheers!

Marjorie

The elements of style: collars and necklines

Literally my favorite element of vintage clothing. I could do at least five posts about collars and necklines without breaking a sweat. This one probably counts as two, at any rate.

 

Peter Pan

Large or small, this collar is unique and distinguishable by its rounded (rather than pointed) edges. I think of Peter Pan when I see this collar, but also of English nannies in the first half of the 20th century. And brooches. They look very nice with brooches, if you're going for that high-necked collar look.

 

Halter top
A summery look brought into style largely by Marilyn Monroe, this neckline is timeless and classic, and always alluring. Halters are sometimes backless, and sometimes high-necked with a cross-hatched back. This chic look was popular for dresses - formal and informal - and mostly it was worn with a jacket.

Shawl
I like it because it drapes, but not in the way a "draping neckline" drapes. It is like a shawl, and provides emphasis for the face and neck because it simplifies the shoulders. I particularly like this one by Doris Dodson - it is elegant and emphasizes the waist well. The pattern to the left is also lovely because it again frames the neck and takes emphasis away from the shoulders.

You can read about the history of the Doris Dodson label and of the rise of "Juniors" fashion here.

Draping

Very romantic in every version. Whether it's a heavily-draped cowl or draped delicately just below the neck, this neckline has an air of regality and elegance.

In the 1950s, this neckline (as you can see) was generally seen on dresses rather than blouses. A draped neckline on a blouse would be difficult to get into without the necessary buttons near the collar (either in the front or back, for which this style is not suited). Thus, a blouse with this neckline - although quite romantic in its own right - would look quite different.

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Sweetheart
My favorite! So feminine and interesting to look at. In a way, I think I like it because it draws attention to the neck, and also because it adds something to the whole hourglass figure - another hourglass at the top.

Sidenote: I love the dress in this picture not just for the neckline but also for the dropped waist. The hourglass shape is quite defined, but the waistline of the dress falls at the hips. *sigh* What I wouldn't do for a dress like this!

Off-shoulder
I always think this style is more provocative than strapless (but then, I think strapless tops of any kind are boring and a waste of worlds of creativity).

I often think of the 1978 movie Grease (set in the 1950s) when I see this neckline. It is, I think, most suited to evening gowns, but is famously seen on Sandy's blouse paired with cigarette pants.

Strapless
Perhaps the only strapless gowns I like are those seen in White Christmas, and that's probably because of the chiffon, not the cut. They were seen on rompers as well as gowns, as you can see. Strapless tops of any kind were very different than what we have today. First of all, there was this wonderful thing called boning that created the shape and kept it that way.

Girdles gained popularity during the 1950s because they were made with elastic and one didn't need help to get it on. However, Christian Dior's New Look of the 1940s and 50s did revive the corset in the form of a waist cincher, or waspie.

(Sleeveless) Square, Straight, and Round
These three have never been favorites with me, but with the ever-present hourglass shape in the 1950s, they were good simple options. Emphasis is a curious thing, and I think with these three necklines the hourglass was made more poignant because there wasn't a lot of excitement going on at the neck, so one paid more attention to a slender waist. Sometimes blouses like these weren't even darted or tailored - one had to rely on a belt to tuck it all together.

V-neck

A simple neckline full of possibilities, as you can see from these patterns. I love when blouses with this neckline are edged in lace or ribbon.

I also prefer this for gowns (tea- or floor-length) because it accentuates one's hourglass shape, widening the shoulder slightly to counterbalance the waist. This is a great option if you have an athletic build because it gives the impression of more sloping (rather than square) shoulders.

High-necked
Though this neckline has the potential to be really boring, I often like it because it allows you to focus on your accessories. I have several blouses with lace collars that make for a nice background for a brooch or string of beads. Accessories such as those are more difficult with the other necklines outlined here. And as you can see from the pictures, they don't have to be as boring as that at all. Some are quite creatively done.

I hope you enjoyed this expostulation of 1950s collars and necklines! I encourage you to add to your wardrobe with this element in mind, and as always, enjoy the process. Finding vintage garments can be a challenging task, especially for those of us not a size 0, and makes every piece a treasure. Tune in again for another style elemental soon!

gnocchi gnight!

I have moved up in the world. Not that you would know it, because I just deleted a beautiful post I was just about to offer you. Again.

In other news, I have advanced to wearing very nice blouses (which now inevitably smell of delicious food) whilst cooking tasty meals for two. And also wearing very vintage-looking apron given to me by my sweet sister Hyacinth, who finds me love of vintage housewifery amusing. (Fortunately her good taste helps me overlook the fact - thank you, dahling, for the Hollywood-red lipstick!)

This meal was phenomenal, though I must say that gnocchi-making is a long-preparation affair indeed, and rather labor-intensive. I encourage you to try it, though - it's delightful food, and can be frozen for future use. I plan to make it in huge batches in future. Hello, fifteen pounds of potatoes at a time!

I used this recipe (lemon-thyme sauce highly recommended!): Potato Gnocchi with Lemon-Thyme Sauce. And this recipe(s) offered some great insight and optional techniques: Italian dumplings with two sauces.

Here is me being fabulous making my lovely lemon-thyme-sauce gnocchi!