Category Archives: holiday

True Vintage early 1950’s Wasp – Waist Party Dress for Holiday Celebration

This RED beauty is pure 1950’s. The skirt is a full circle, or nearly, and could be worn with a crinoline. Love the boat neckline and 3/4 length sleeves. Simple elegance with no decoration – just fabulous fit and style. The fabric is substantial, but not a taffeta. It’s unlined and still allows for lots of movement in the skirt, especially if it is worn as in this photo without stiff undergarments. No label, so it might have been custom-tailored.

Just like Scarlett O’Hara’s entrance to Melanie’s party in Gone With the Wind, show up in this frock and you’d create a scandal. I wonder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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True Vintage 1940’s – early 1960’s Red Velveteen Party Dress for Christmas Holiday Celebrations

A fun little frock while the parties are still free-wheeling with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music and dancing. You could also bring it out again at St. Valentine’s Day. This dress is a pure home-sewn creation made or commissioned by some gal who was definitely in the party spirit and looking forward to a great time. Some clues date the dress as early as the 1940’s, but I suspect it’s not quite that old. That skirt is definitely styled for dancing, though.

The festive holiday clue is the sequin decoration on the bodice, which makes me think more of the 1950’s. No other clues to the details of the stories that it has to tell, but I’m sure we can invent quite a few . . . .. . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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Pretty Early 1940’s Gown; so Unusual and PINK

Pretty in pink for wartime Prom? Prom dresses I’ve found from that time were midi-length, so my guess is that this one was made for a different event. It’s a heavy synthetic material with 1940’s tailoring details: a peplum waistline with a point in the center front. It could almost be worn with either side in front if the fit allowed, but a back zipper makes it clear which side is supposed to be forward. The neckline was popular from 1940’s to 1950’s especially, but is very classic. Pretty clearly, this frock was custom-tailored.

It’s one of those garments that make you wonder what it’s story is. I’m sure there’s an interesting one!

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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Another 1940’s Gown, this time in Holiday Red

What beautiful fabric! It is substantial but soft and with tiny machine-embroidered diamond shapes all over, which was apparently a “thing” in some Forties material. This might have been a way of making up for the absence of natural fabrics like silk and many of the notions used to decorate clothing before and after WWII.

The style is very simple and I think, like the dress shown yesterday, that it was custom-made. The pattern wouldn’t have been difficult for a home-based seamstress. The neckline in back is a bit lower, but nothing dramatic. The most difficult aspect of the construction is the piecing below the waist and that’s still no big deal. What I like most about it is that it’s just very pretty and so festive and Christmas-y in that fantastic glossy red. I would have collected it for the yards of gorgeous fabric alone! More of that coming – stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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True Vintage 1940’s Bias – Cut Gown with Beading Decoration

What a wonderful find!! This gown was custom-made, possibly by a home-based seamstress, in this unusual style with 3/4 length sleeves. You can see the waist ties that would be fastened in back to nip the waistline. The bias cut glossy fabric, which gives a really slinky body-con fit is a hold-over from the 1930’s when it was very popular. I love the blue color which looks like a night-time sky and the peekaboo beading that resembles exploding stars. Very appropriate today, when the comet AiATLAS is closest to Earth.

This is another one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-seen-again frock. More to come – stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

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BACK TO LONG DRESSES FOR WINTER HOLIDAY PARTIES. LET’S START WITH A 1930’S RETRO FROCK.

Cold shoulder tailoring and drapey, body con fit was a VERY Deco style. This is a custom-made gown from the mid-century. I can tell from the fabric that this gorgeous dark green velvet didn’t come from the 1930’s. Probably 1960’s or 1970’s – true vintage retro! It’s still a beautiful and unusual dress . . wonder if it was made for a special event, as a glam hostess dress or a costume for a theater production? I’ll wear it in a heartbeat.

Jewel colors are super for winter fashions, as well as black and white. I’ll show more of these in the next few posts as we come forward through the decades. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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Angelic Pure White As Snow 1950’s Formal Frock

This formal gown looks as though it was styled for a young woman. No worries – there’s no stain here, just a shadow in the photo. Lacey bodice with fine netting straps and overskirt. Perfect for any holiday gala. As you’ll see with some dresses I’ll show soon, it could also have doubled as a Prom or wedding gown. I’ve settled operations at another safe location, so stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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Sweet 1960’s Formal Frock – White for Winter

In striking black and white, this dress is in a Junior size styled for teenage girls and young women back in the day. Quite modest but sophisticated in textured jacquard fabric with a floor-length empire sash. Formal dresses in the dead of winter often seem to stick mostly with the “Winter” color family of black, white and jewel tones with some metallic thrown in but there’s lots of variety. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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ANOTHER SLEEK AND ELEGANT VINTAGE COCKTAIL PARTY LBD – IN 1970’S ISLAND PATIO STYLE

A not-quite-as-little LBD from the 1970’s with casual vibes. I wasn’t going to show this frock until I got into the Snowbird vacation designs, but it’s such a great comparison to the dressier version from yesterday that it was time. Just as sleek, simple and elegant, but of Hawaiian origin with their wonderful cotton fabric. It’s up to the job in the afternoon as well as the evening.

This dress is a perfect example of functional true vintage wardrobe selection for traveling. One dress can do double or triple duty – from casual to sophisticated, even without accessories.

Semi-formal and Formal season are just starting, so back to those archives again next – stay tuned . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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Festive 1960’s Sweet Sixteen Formal Dress for the Holidays

Another “love that red” frock. I believe that his formal dress was made for a teenager in the 1960’s, when “Sweet Sixteen” celebrations were still a popular family event. Just my fantasy story – who knows. It’s a youthful but sophisticated style in a tiny size that would have been appropriate when age 16 was considered to be the boundary between childhood and young adulthood. Something Barbie dolls would have worn back in the day.

Velveteen bodice with beading trim, a wasp waistline and a fitted jacquard weave straight skirt. It goes from formal parties for the Christmas season through to Valentines Day. Modest scooped neckline front and back. So very early Sixties and more to come. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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