ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL 1940’S COCKTAIL FROCK FROM URUGUAY

This semi-formal dress uses sheer material to emphasize the design rather than heavy ornamentation like the decorated frock shown yesterday. In my experience, sheer fabric with embroidered designs was popular in the 1940’s. It’s fun to see how dressmakers used it.

On the shoulders, these are augmented by gathered puffs at the shoulder seams and letting the body shine through rather than sewing shoulder pads in. It’s a nice balancing effect without the military look. Sheer fabric on the bodice is something I’ve seen before, too, but here it is backed by flesh-tone fabric, mimicking a plunging decollete’. The sheer fabric, though not with any embroidery, continues to be used for the long cuffed sleeves and as an over-dress with a long peplum over an opaque base layer.

So, the final result is dressy and sexy but also conservative. Clever design though a bit simpler than the one shown yesterday.This dress was at least partly hand-tailored. It has covered buttons on the cuffs and a long center zipper in back, which was a transition from side zippers that, in my experience, began to take place in the Forties.

Again, I was so intrigued and wondered about the original owner of this dress and where she wore it. Stay tuned for yet more 1940’s fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE POST-WAR 1940’S BEADED COCKTAIL DRESS

During a South American investigation, this frock was discovered in the beautiful and historic city of Montevideo, Uruguay. During WW 2, well-to-do Uruguayan women still had beautiful dresses made for them and did some trade in clothing and accessories from France. This dress has the label of a small tailoring shop, is exquisitely made by hand and was obviously owned by a woman from the upper class who would wear it to dinner or any semi-formal festive gathering.

Style-wise, the augmented shoulders, funky ruching on the hips and sleeves plus the midi hem point directly to the late 1940’s. Heavy decoration with beads and sequins is all done by hand, as is the finishing. Look at all the small buttons in back, each with it’s own fabric loop closure. Stay tuned for more from the 1940’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

FUN TRUE VINTAGE 1940’S POST-WAR NIGHTCLUB DANCE DRESS

I’m back in black today, but more color coming. I really loved discovering this frock in Texas. Sold by an upscale privately-owned clothing company that had it’s own label. The trim is black velvet tube ribbon and the skirt is made for swingin’ and swayin’. Perfect for wearing to any dance hall or vibrant party, and we know that Texans love to party!

It’s got ruching on the sleeves, which was a favorite ’40’s tailoring feature. Nipped waist and wide skirt plus a midi hem puts in firmly in the post-war time frame. So much fun to discover – a fun dress from a very jubilant time in history. More Forties fashion coming, but dressing it up with an international twist. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

BEAUTIFUL RAYON DRESSY DAY-DRESS FROM THE POST-WAR 1940’S

Taking a short break from the LBDs and going for a little color. This beautiful navy blue fitted rayon dress is a perfect example of the late 1940’s return to more luxurious day wear after the restrictions of rationing were ended. The label is Loma Leads, from a dress company that was organized in the late 1920’s and operated in New York and Paris. It had several departments and was around in one form or another at least into the early 1960’s. A very uptown classic ladies dress from the time when there was more fabric available again, so hemlines came back down and extra tailoring details like the peplum and bodice tucks were again possible. Women had been SO waiting for this! The exuberance of big rhinestone buttons on a day dress speaks to the attitude of a return to extravagance in fashion. The big skirts of Christian Dior’s New Look at this time is another example.

This style, however, is very buttoned-up and, to my mind, underlines the haughty, elegant and “rich” look intended here. After all the restrictions and deprivations of the “make do and mend” wartime years, luxury and affluence were the beckoning horizon for the United States and Canada while Europe was more intent on surviving and rebuilding after all the extensive damage to their infrastructure and land. But, Paris had always led the world of couture and design so fashion bounced back there, too, as Dior and other designers met the challenges and optimism of the new era and resumed their lead.

It is so fascinating to untangle the ways that fashion trends dovetail with historical events. The clues are everywhere and a good sleuth always looks for them. A completely different example from this time tomorrow – stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM . . . . . .

1940’S WARTIME – EARLY POST-WAR ERA DRESSY FROCK

This pretty dress is made of rayon material with a BIG velvet bow and inverted front pleat for added interest. I love the scalloped overlay and the shaping on the cuffs of the short sleeves, which is SO Forties! This dress is labeled as having been made by a company or maker that was nationalized during the years surrounding and following WW2 when many, if not most, fabrics and notions available to garment-makers before the war and the Depression were unavailable to manufacturers and home-tailors because of rationing. Women still wanted pretty fashions and our government helped to make that possible and affordable.

Despite having no lining or buttons, there are very nice tailoring details. It is, unusually for that time, quite a large size but is so well-cut that belting it on my size 6 mannequin (thank you, Madge!) still looks amazing. That is an advantage of any well-made garment and especially in the case of most true vintage clothing. Stay tuned for more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE ’50’S – EARLY ’60’S COCKTAIL BLOUSE FROM DOWN UNDER

What a wonderful, unique and chic mid-century piece! Discovered during an investigation in Australia, this pretty top made in Britain (or by a British company) is made from semi-sheer fabric that has a woven-in contrasting pattern. It buttons up the back and has the distinctive feature of 3/4 length sleeves with fur cuffs. Great fit and gorgeous over a black skirt or dressy pants. Casual, but elegant.

Women’s semi-formal clothes were especially fabulous between the 1920’s and 1960’s. Although many dresses, skirts and blouses had lovely decoration in the years before, styles were too buttoned-up for my taste. After the 1960’s quality, creativity and elegance really seemed to take a dive. Give me styles from the Prohibition speakeasys, film noir and revolutionary Sixties any day. The Seventies had too much polyester, the Eighties had some great Forties retro and avante guarde New Wave but were overall too gaudy and the Nineties had an overabundance of black. Of course, great pieces were made during all these decades but seemed to be the exception. Just my opinion – you decide.

Thank goodness that modern faux fur and animal skin alternatives have become almost indistinguishable from real ones which, in my opinion, are an abomination. This also includes silk, tortoise shell, horn, coral, pearls and ivory. True vintage pieces made from these materials decades ago are an important part of fashion history and can be fun to collect and wear but I ask my viewers NEVER to support the market for these products by buying modern items made from them. This is how we can block the profit from breeding and slaughtering these wonderful creatures and stop it. If you are looking for clothing and accessories made from any of these, check at a secondhand thrift or antique store. Thank you and stay tuned for that 1940’s series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

ELEGANT MOD TRUE VINTAGE 1960’S LBD

From the early to mid-1960’s, a sleek, sleeveless classic sheath style cocktail dress with a boat neckline, which I love. It’s knee to bottom-of-knee length, which is a very flattering hemline on most women and was common at that time right before almost everything had an above-the-knee or mini length. It’s so hard to get good detail on black clothing in photos, but this one is easier because the only decoration is a medium-width band of black beading at the waistline. Very well-tailored in a light-medium weight knit fabric with a very nice drape. This one factor takes it over the line from a Summer dress to one for Fall. Good quality, good fit – the signature features of well-made true vintage clothing.

I have more examples in the files of 1960’s LBDs but, in my images file, I ran across a large number of dresses of this type from the 1940’s. I’ll probably break the timeline to put these in the next posts before resuming to LBD’s from the more recent decades. I am traveling back to Headquarters as of tomorrow, so there may be a few days pause while I reorganize. Won’t be long so stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE 1960’S DRESSY FROCK – ANOTHER FINELY HAND -TAILORED GARMENT FROM BRITISH HONG KONG

This dress is such a treat! I was so thrilled to uncover it. Look at the marvelous tailoring details and ingenious construction – A basic sheath style, with a heavily-decorated blouson top that appears to be separate, but is attached at the shoulders and fully-lined with a white silk under-blouse. Both layers close with a metal zipper. Hooks and eyes secure the neckline for good fit. The shoulders have strap-holders sewn in. The acetate skirt is also lined with black rayon and has a wide hem allowance plus a walking vent in the rear seam. Hand-finished all over.

In the ’50’s and 1960’s a woman of moderate means could save for the occasional purchase of clothing made this way and more prosperous women had closets full of nothing else. These were the standards of better-made garments during the mid-century. Now even very expensive clothing is sometimes constructed poorly and hardly ever as well as this dress is. The attention to detail and hand-done stitching made clothing fit better look more polished.

Tomorrow I’ll show you another frock from this decade. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

1950’S – EARLY 1960’S BEADED TOPS GO ELEGANT TO DRESS-UP

Here are two examples of the most iconic cocktail fashions of this era, which could be dressed down for a home-based cocktail party or dressed up with a well-styled skirt for a more formal type of party or event. The best were made in British Hong Kong – sweaters were made of fine lambswool or cashmere and shell blouses of rayon or silk. They would always be lined and have tiny sewn-in labels showing the bust measurement. Finer pieces had cloth labels from fine tailoring shops. These two are beautiful, but not the nicest I have discovered.

Although many tops similar to this were made in the ’80’s and ’90’s when retro “vintage” fashions became really hot, I never saw any as well-made as these are. There was a great variety of designs and types of beads; sequins, seed beads, jewels and, ribbon were all used. Like these, most were monochromatic but there were some with contrasting designs. Usually, the design was also on the back side and required some care when worn but that was not considered to be a hardship for women in the 1900’s.

Tomorrow I’ll start showing some dresses. This is a category of true vintage fashion that is a very big one! Stay tuned . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

START OF A SERIES: TRUE VINTAGE PIECES FOR COOL, DRESSY EVENINGS

We’re now heading into the season for indoor parties, special occasions and events after the long, lovely summer; Cocktail parties, dinners, dances, recitals, holiday galas – you name it. I’ll be starting a series of posts of pretty, dressy and semi-formal garments in my collection from the 1950’s – 1990’s which will take us into the Fall and even Winter. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM