lace, wool, and "little women"

(Outfit: 1930s wool/ribbon hat; 1930s lace jabot; 1940s boy's blouse; 1950s Pendleton skirt; Vigoss oxfords)

A 1930s-meets-Edwaridan outfit I wore on Friday. We're having a good old fashioned Vermont spring, meaning very fickle weather: on Wednesday and Thursday I was in sundresses and espadrilles, and now I'm back in wool. I'm not complaining at all though; I'm quite a fickle dresser myself!

I went to my school's big, ugly, super modern library to check out and reread "Little Women", as my friend and I were chatting about it (as 18 year olds so often do, right?) and I realized I'd forgotten most of it. Well, imagine my surprise when I found this original 1886 copy on the shelf!! It even has beautiful illustration plates throughout, and an adorable inscription.

"From Marilla to Nellie Jo"... could their names get any cuter?

♥ Have a great weekend, all! ♥

PS: This is probably the last outfit post I will ever photograph in my dorm room, as I'm going back home for the summer a week from Monday... hooray! Plywood closet, iron bunk bed, and cold gray linoleum floor, I will not miss you in the slightest.

bangs!

One of the only issues I ever have with my bangs aesthetically is that they can be hard to incorporate into pre-1950s hairstyles. They are U-shaped, a milder version of the classic Bettie Page style; they look best curled and seem to scream "1950s!".

However, I need not despair when I'm in more of a 1930s or 1940s mood; I just need to look at some portraits of my girl Claudette for some golden era hair inspiration:

Some of my other favorite screen queens sporting fabulous fringes:

Whose hair do you idolize?

nifty thrifty finds

Show and tell time, featuring some of my incredibly cheap finds from Twice Upon A Time! I've managed to accumulate quite a batch over the past two weekends I spent at home; I'm always excited to find really good pieces, but I must say, at the rate I've been snapping 'em up, it's not much of a bargain anymore, haha. I got the BEST stuff though, take a gander:

((click any image to enlarge))

1950s prom dress for $10.00

I skipped high school prom (it was "too mainstream" for silly little adolescent me) but I soon came to regret that decision, as prom tends to be one of just a few occasions that allow you to buy an over-the-top fairytale dress. 'Til now!! I couldn't have dreamed up a more dramatic, fun gown. Yeah, it has a rather prominent stain on the skirt, but its charms make up for that. Now I just need someplace to wear it...

An early 20^th century devil costume for $5.00

It's a vintage kid's Halloween costume! The little devil picture on the back is pretty darn cute; too bad it's way too small for, or else I'd have my costume for next year (and I'm only half joking!). I know nothing about dating costumes, but I'm guessing 20s-40s on this? I bet it had a great mask originally too; it's such a weird, cool piece!

Dreamy white 1940s slip for $10.00

This taffeta slip is a little tragic in that I’m sure it once lined an even more fabulous gown (quite possibly a wedding dress). But I’ll take what part of it I can, and I think it will be a pretty summer dress.

Black 1920s slip for $8.00

This winter, I bought a beautiful 1920s sheer black flapper dress at this very antique store. I'm wondering if this slip I just found there originally went with the dress? It's the perfect length, same era, right shape underneath, plus the straps are whitish nude, so they wouldn't stand out beneath the sheer lace overlay on my dress' shoulders. Original or not, they're still a perfect match; I'm so happy!!!

1950s day dress for $10.00

Because I can never resist a pretty 50s cotton day dress! This one has a lovely scoop neckline, too.

Total cost: $43.00

So, dear readers, have you had any grand vintage hunting victories lately??

continued adventures in the cornflower frock

OK! I have no time to blog these days: two 5 page papers to write, final exams, the works. But just so the ol' blog doesn't get too dusty, here are the rest of my shots from the red abandoned cottage. Thankfully the stress will be lifted Friday, and I'll have a chance to catch up on all my favorite blogs! 'Til then, enjoy the week; I hope your weather is as pleasant as ours-- 70s all week!!

Oh yes, and whoever used to live at The Red Cottage (as it is now known) was an artist! The big red "disons" sign picture was taken in their studio. There were a lot of pieces of scrap wood covered in twisted nails and painted red. Perhaps a slightly disturbed artist? Then there was the nursery, with that broken wicker doll's carriage and even a very creepy child-sized plaster leg cast. But the dreamy wallpaper and sunny windows offset the eerie factor, fortunately.

(Having a bit of a Marchesa Casati moment... and yeah, this wallpaper is metallic!)

Later 'gators;

I must go study!

PS: How would you like $100 credit at one of the most delightful Etsy stores?

Well, head on over here to enter for a gift card giveaway!

the old country waltz

(Outfit: 1950s day dress; TUK ballerina flats)

Hooray, it’s gingham season!! Here are yet more photos from my voyage chez-moi the other weekend. Both my parents (they’re divorced, but good friends/live near each other) have extremely picturesque historic homes in extremely picturesque rural landscapes. I was about to say I was lucky, as they make good backgrounds for my vintage clothes, but I think it’s vice versa: my appreciation of old things sprang from where I was raised.

These pictures come from the barn behind my mom’s house; it was built in the 1830s, I think, and certainly showing its age; seriously, I risk life and limb climbing around in the hayloft. It’s full of weird old antique farming implements and containers; it's a fun place to spend rainy days. 

Thank you, rays of sunlight, for being so photogenic!

I hope your weekends were wonderful! I have a big basket of chocolate bunnies and Peeps to go through; it'll be a wonder if I can still fit into my little vintage frocks for a while, haha! 

Also hit up some antique stores and came home with loads of magical finds-- to be featured soon!

going to class, circa 1955

(Outfit: 1950s day dress; thrifted F21 cardigan; Howard's Leather Store belt; vintage men's brogues; thrifted pearls and basket purse)

I love short bobs; no question, ear-to-shoulder length hair is one of my favorite lengths aesthetically. But I love having long hair, too, for all the elaborate up-dos I can do, and just 'cause it's fun. Well, looks like I can have my cake and eat it too, thanks to the trusty ol' faux bob.

Also, I buttoned the neck of my dress up all the way to the neck today! It felt sort of dorky at first, but fortunately I'm not one to worry too much about looking odd ; ) Between the faux bob and the high-necked 50s dress, I was channeling a Louis Darling illustration today!

He was known for illustrating the books of one Beverly Clearly, including such heroines of my childhood as Ramona Quimby and Ellen Tebbits.

(click any image to enlarge, if you dare!)

Here's a [rather blurry] look at the side of my hair; to get this style, I simply wrapped my ponytail around a scarf. You can't tell at all, but this scarf is a chiffon 1950s number featuring rainbow stripes and rainbow zebras!

Have a lovely weekend, kiddos; I'll see you soon.

And have a happy Easter, if it applies to you!

Chocolate + baby animal motifs = my kind of holiday ; )

pretty polly

(outfit: Edwardian jacket; antique slip; Dr Marten boots)

Hello all! This little Edwardian silk jacket is my newest obsession; it's so pretty (very fragile, though...I have to wear it with care). These are some more pictures from my weekend trip home; just hangin' around at yet another abandoned house (this one is just down the street). Me, creepy? No!

It’s actually quite funny: the weather that day was in the 70s and all the little songbirds were singing. I swear the sky was blue earlier, too. I was having so much spring-ish fun taking these pictures at our neighborhood abandoned farm! Well, I then got home and uploaded my pictures only to see that the early April landscape had translated as a stark, gothic, even bleak world on film. I still like the pictures, they just make it seem more like late Autumn than the springtime. My black-and-white Victorian ensemble isn't exactly lightening the mood either; oh well. I assure you I haven't gone goth, and the bright colors will return shortly!

(Some candid facial expressions caught here, haha; I was watching my dog!)

Post title comes from this 1930s all-girl string band's ultra creepy version of the haunting folk murder ballad of Pretty Polly!

I would also like to thank you all for the tremendously kind comments on my "abandoned cottage" post; you're all such dolls! Welcome new followers, too! I get that disbelieving "they like me, they really like me!" feeling every time; thanks so much everyone! ♥

if this old house could talk

(Outfit: 1940s dress; J Crew blouse; vintage pearls; TUK pumps)

I took these pictures at a very enchanting abandoned cottage that's up a winding dirt road a few miles from my mom's house. I have asked some of the old timers in town about it, and apparently it's been empty for a really long time. It was a case of the elderly owner dying and leaving the place to indifferent heirs, a common story with abandoned houses and farms around here. It shows its neglect, tragically: there are holes in the roof, and the whole thing seems about ready to tumble down. The wallpaper inside is really divine though, and the furniture left behind is so ornate and splendid. It just breaks my heart that a lovely house like this is just slowly going to ruin, and will soon be a forgotten pile of rotten timber, leaving no trace as to the beauty that was once inside. If the owners don't want it, they should just hand the key over to me, I'll love it for them!

And let me talk about this dress! I have dresses that are much older, fancier, and just higher quality. However, for some reason, this little cornflower blue cotton frock is my favorite! I just love it, and I feel so happy every time I wear it. The cut is absolutely amazing; it fits me just perfectly. It's a late 40s dress, from the beginning of the New Look period. It was quite a bit longer when I got it; luckily I just tacked the hem up, so I may let it back down one of these days.

((click any image to enlarge on Flickr))

(^^ This daffodil wallpaper was my favorite!)

Check it out, the former owners plastered this wall with early 1940s newspaper-- from the fashion section! Smart people.

These are just a few of the pictures I took; I might post some more a bit later. It's hard to pick my favorites, as each room is so different and so amazing. So consider this Part I, if you will.

♥♥ Au revoir♥♥

Hope your weekend was swell!

the modern gibson girl

(Outfit: H&M blouse; thrifted "shorts"; Vigoss oxfords)

Hello! Like my skirt? ... well, surprise, they're actually shorts! Or perhaps culottes, or a skort, or capris. I'm not quite sure what to call it, really. I just know it was less than a dollar at The Garment District's Dollar-A-Pound, and as I can never resist anything high-waisted and nautical themed, I snatched it up. As you probably figured out from my post's title, I modeled this outfit after one of my favorite fashion icons, the lovely Gibson Girls!

Then in the summer, I think I'll pair it with a bright 1940s style blouse and espadrilles for a pin-up worthy seaside look.

And yes, oh my gosh, this outfit is entirely modern! And my hair is down and un-set! Of course, my 1940s wool coat and the antique lace scarf I tied in my hair before going out made it all better ; ) Much as I respect the girls who wear off-the-rack clothes and look fabulous, I suffer from acute vintage withdrawals if I dress in head-to-toe modern for too long, and have to run to my closet for a fix of faded calico and decaying silk, haha.

(Click any image for a larger/less blurry view)

(hahaha... I like how I have random vintage garments hanging everywhere; hey, it's like three outfits in one post! This blue sailor dress to my left is in line to get hemmed, and the Victorian bodice and 50s crinoline in the top pic are too delicate to stuff in my crowded closet)

♥ I'll see you Monday, with a tour of the pretty abandoned cottage I've been promising! ♥

(...and my outfit, of course-- a cornflower blue 1940s dress in this fabric:)