Category Archives: fall

TRUE VINTAGE MEN’S SHIRTS FROM THE 1950’S THAT I LOVE TO WEAR!

Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy's avatarMagicvintagespy

TRUE VINTAGE MEN'S SHIRTS FROM THE 1950'S THAT I LOVE TO WEAR!

These shirts are small men’s or large boys’ sizes that I can (just) wear and I LOVE THEM!!!! The fun stitching detail on the blue one and the fabulous print designs on the red ones are wonderful.

These were all commercially – made garments. The boys’ ones may have been sold in chain stores like J.C. Penney or Sears and Roebuck or Montgomery Ward – maybe elsewhere.

The boys’ shirts are made of a quite substantial cotton and the blue one, which is a man’s size, is lighter weight and might be a vintage rayon fabric, which is almost always really nice because of how it feels and fits.

Of course, these shirts don’t have a feminine fit, but still can look amazing on us girls and are so much fun to wear. A really nice edge-into-Fall element for your wardrobe, and I’ll be showing more . . . …

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A VERY PRETTY SHIRTWAIST DRESS FROM THE EARLY 1960’S

The classic elegance, neutral color tones and substantial cotton material of this day dress make it a 3-season frock!

Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy's avatarMagicvintagespy

A VERY PRETTY SHIRTWAIST DRESS FROM THE EARLY 1960'S

Here’s a very pretty cotton shirtwaist style – probably from the early ’60’s, but could be 1950’s. I especially like the fabric, colors and the cut of this one. Although I have lots of nice dresses of similar design, I get more compliments when I wear it.

The dress has a label (it was not custom – made) and a really attractive neckline, to me. The type and cut of the collar is especially flattering. It also has an artistic- shaped asymmetrical  belt buckle, rather than a plain rectangular one.

Just goes to show, vintage fashion never gets boring and elegance is never “plain”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

BOOK:  HOW TO FIND THE BEST IN VINTAGE FASHION – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM

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TRUE VINTAGE WORKING GIRL DRESS FROM 1960 – APPLE FOR THE TEACHER?

IMG_1504I love it when I can date a true vintage find to the exact year!  Although this frock is not hugely distinctive, it’s a great example of a specific vintage genre.  I’ve got another to show in a couple of days.

.     This lightweight knit dress (yes, ladies, you’ll need a slip!!) is breezy and practical, with an all-over apple print. Despite the long sleeves,  it’s sheer enough to comfortable in a cool office and would be perfect in a couple of months for the first day of school.  Very professional.

The style is so classic that it’s almost invisible; that is also a basis of elegance.  Skinny self-tie belts were really popular in the early sixties, and I’ve seen them mostly on styles that are classic and streamlined.  Day-wear from that time seems to have verged away from some of the fussy, though beautiful, detailed tailoring of the Forties & Fifties.

So, think old re-runs of popular sit-coms of that year and what the female leads were wearing though, at that time, they’d be mostly housewives . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

BOOK:  HOW TO FIND THE BEST IN VINTAGE FASHION – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.COM

SMART & CLASSIC TRUE VINTAGE LEATHER HANDBAG FROM THE ’50’S – EARLY ’60’S

SMART & CLASSIC TRUE VINTAGE LEATHER HANDBAG FROM THE '50'S – EARLY '60'S.

HERE’S ONE OF MY CIRCLE SKIRTS FROM THE 1950’S – IN AN ATOMIC PRINT

Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy's avatarMagicvintagespy

ANOTHER OF MY CIRCLE SKIRTS IN AN ATOMIC PRINT FROM THE 1950'S

Hanger by hanger, moving on through my closet, a true vintage atomic print skirt in a lightweight cotton, so it really moves. That’s an advantage of the circle cut, especially for dancing.

Nothing could be nicer on a hot summer day or any other time from Spring to Fall, with the right additions. The top shown with it is a nice faux linen thing but is not true vintage. I paired them because of the color match, which can be tricky with aqua.

It’s blue, green and black with little satellite-looking things on a white background. Side metal zipper and button closure, with a built-in side-seam pocket for convenience.
Embroidered label says “Nelly de Grab New York”.

This is one of the few items which I have found on the Internet. Online is not my first choice for shopping, because I love my feet-on-the-ground investigating, but it is certainly a…

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TRUE VINTAGE HANDCRAFTED EVENING PURSE – PROBABLY FROM THE 1960’s

BEAUTIFUL HAND-CRAFTED VINTAGE ACCESSORIES WERE ELEGANT AND CHERISHED ADDITIONS TO OUR GRANDMOTHERS’ WARDROBES

Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy's avatarMagicvintagespy

TRUE VINTAGE HANDCRAFTED EVENING PURSE - PROBABLY FROM THE 1960's

To change gears a bit today, here’s an example of a beautiful handcrafted item. It’s an evening purse made of black velvet and satin with metallic embroidery all over, front and back.

It was probably made in Hong Kong or Europe and took someone a long time to do by hand. These sorts of items were much more available back in the day. I suppose that you can still get them now, but only overseas or in very specialized shops.

Handiwork of this kind and exquisite workmanship used to be seen in fashion items that middle-income women could afford to buy, at least once in a while. Although it was generally done overseas, many of the major department stores sold it in their better departments. It’s difficult to find now. The hand-crafted items that are sold today generally can’t compare in terms of their quality.

Keep your eyes open for…

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HANDMADE TOOLED LEATHER PURSE FROM CANADA

A PERFECT HANDBAG FOR SPRING, SUMMER, FALL . . . . . . .

Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy's avatarMagicvintagespy

HANDMADE TOOLED LEATHER PURSE FROM CANADA

Another of my favorite things is vintage hand-tooled leather (in purses and belts, etc.). I have a ton of these, too. This one is a special example because of its unusual design.

The motif here is trillium flowers. They grow in the northern U.S., parts of Europe (I think – is that right?) and are a symbol in Canada. They are a beautiful white flower that blooms in the forest.

This purse came from Canada and, I’m sure, was made there. It doesn’t even seem to have been used. Is it true vintage? That I can’t tell you.  Some people are still quite skilled at doing this as a hobby.

Most commonly, at least here in the U.S., we see true vintage handbags with traditional motifs that were popular on Western-wear – even saddles and such. Many are floral, but not like this.

Some tooled leather purses from Mexico made…

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A CUTE LITTLE ’70’S NUMBER – ONE THAT’S ALMOST TOO SWEET

Traditional, classic lines keep coming back, decade after decade.

Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy's avatarMagicvintagespy

A CUTE LITTLE '70'S NUMBER - ANOTHER ONE THAT'S ALMOST TOO SWEET

I guess it’s just the high neckline. Lots of dresses from the early ’70’s (except the hippy/prairie/boho styles that were popular then) have a very innocent, girlish look about them. Have you seen the Prom dresses from that time? Watch the movie Footloose.

This one is unremarkable in its tailoring, but it was just that ’70’s cache’ that made me bring it home. I must admit, it is a very classic style and can be done beautifully if it’s with quality materials and exceptional workmanship. But this one just takes us on a daydream journey back 40 years.

It’s fun to watch old movies from that time (or That ’70s Show, I guess), just to see how awful some of the clothing was. Uh, oh – I’m going to get myself into some big trouble here.

But seriously, the dance scene from Footloose is a good tutorial on ’70’s Prom dresses…

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TRUE VINTAGE 1950’S PARTY DRESS – REMINDS ME OF GRACE KELLY

This will always be a favorite . . . . . .

Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy's avatarMagicvintagespy

TRUE VINTAGE 1950'S PARTY DRESS - REMINDS ME OF GRACE KELLY

This one was a FABulous surprise find! I always have my eyes open and my antennae up, but this blew me away!

A sheer layer over plain liner, and fitted drop-waist hourglass shape – the colors are for Fall but work beautifully in Spring and Summer for someone with the right coloring. It reminds me of a dress that Grace Kelly wore in the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rear Window. Just a fabulous film – highly recommended.

The style is a bit different and the colors are, too. The cris-cross neckline is something not usually seen. I love it – it’s so fun to find unusual items.

Watch that old movie if you can. It’s a great one and the clothing is wonderful. I have at least one other dress that was, in fact, modeled on one of the frocks that Grace wore in Rear Window. I’ll show it later on…

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MORGANA MANIFESTS MORE! TRUE VINTAGE FIFTIES FUR JACKET – ELEGANCE FOREVER

MORGANA MANIFESTS MORE! TRUE VINTAGE FIFTIES FUR JACKET – ELEGANCE FOREVER.