Category Archives: summer

TRUE VINTAGE CLASSIC COTTON SUMMER BLOUSE

IMG_1486 IMG_1487I’ve left the shirt un-ironed to show that it is 100% cotton, rather than poly or a blend.  And the feel of true vintage cotton – so soft and wonderful after being washed, worn and loved for a while!

The close-up shows some of the detail that covers the front, with tucks and crocheted lace.  A 1/2 inch ruffle goes all the way around the hem.  Few blouses made in the U.S. have this amount of gorgeous, high quality decoration – even the old ones!

For that reason, I wonder if this one was made in Europe where they routinely made glorious cotton garments like this one – maybe still do . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

ANOTHER 1950’S – EARLY 1960’S DRESS ENSEMBLE EXAMPLE – A STEP UP ON THE ELEGANCE LADDER

IMG_1412 IMG_1415 IMG_1416  What a gorgeous, tailored dress and jacket.  Glossy rayon fabric with a shantung – style weave.  The bodice treatment is so lovely.

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

MY TRUE VINTAGE 1940’S SHOULDER SEASON FROCK BY LORA LENNOX – FROM KANSAS CITY!

IMG_1441Such a smart-looking little day-dress by Lora Lennox.  Apparently, this was a dressmaker label that was common back in the day.  The polka dots and big buttons are a lot of fun – plus the vibrant salmon – orange color; not garish and softened just a bit by the pinkish undertone.

I ALWAYS love shoulder pads and the hem flounce is very saucy.  These are wonderful when you walk in them.

Doesn’t this dress look fabulous on Stella?  I love it.  And the fact that I found it in Kansas City – well, that conjures all kinds of possibilities in terms of it’s history . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

A TRUE VINTAGE LATE 1940’S – EARLY 1950’S SKIRT SUIT – JUST RIGHT FOR SHOULDER SEASON

IMG_1453IMG_1452Here’s another ensemble in that lovely salmon pink that keeps coming back every decade or so – more to come!  This suit was such a fun find – look, it still has the original store tags hanging on!

Although it was an ordinary item when it was originally sold – more or less a generic garment with no specific brand label – notice the nice design and cute tailoring details.  Even in lower-priced vintage clothing the attention to smart and careful tailoring was almost always there.

Wouldn’t this be a nice outfit to wear this season to a dressy occasion that calls for something a bit conservative?  Even though I rarely go to events like that, I always keep one or two things ready to go . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

BACK IN TIME AGAIN – 60 OR 70 YEARS. A COTTON HOME-SEWN TRUE VINTAGE FROCK – 1940’S/1950’S

IMG_1239An unusual dark plaid, but a shirtwaist style and definitely for warmish weather.  Notice the second layer of skirt, with a little ruffle at the top.  I wonder if the fabric she used was sold from a narrow bolt, so she had to piece the skirt for that reason???

It’s so much fun to try and unravel the mysteries that older garments, especially, can pose.  Unlike dresses made later, that usually buttoned lower down to make them easy to get into, these earlier ones often button only to the waist.  That’s why those side zippers were so necessary.

It also allowed the waist to be kept really tiny, rather than gathered in by the belt – just barely large enough to get shoulders through, with the help of that zipper opening.  Ahh, fashion . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

TRUE VINTAGE SPECTATOR PUMPS FROM THE 1970’S

IMG_0911A classic!  These are just a run-of-the-mill example, probably made in the Sixties or Seventies, but they just go to show how enduring this style is.  Spectators have been showing up in fashion since the early 1900’s, at least.

Although black/white and brown/white are the most common, true vintage styles have been made in all the basic colors, including red, tan,, navy and, probably, grey.  If you’re looking for a good city shoe, a pair of spectator pumps is an excellent choice.  A true vintage pair is a fabulous one!

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

TRUE VINTAGE KEDS FROM THE 1980’S OR 1990’S

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Basic canvas tennis shoes haven’t changed in major ways for decades and the Keds brand is still being made, but the older ones have an edge over what’s been sold more recently. The soles on the old ones, especially, last longer.

There are also slight differences in the silhouette of the older shoes and the design of the insoles.   Although 1950’s and 1960’s versions are still the best, as far as I’m concerned, so fun to find an ’80’s or ’90’s pair that may not ever have been worn!

A real classic and still my favorite . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE 1940’S/1950’S SHERBET-COLORED PEEP-TOE PLATFORM SANDALS

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These lovely sandals are very fine, in beautiful kid suede. They have tiny peep-toes – a favorite feature of mine – and sling-back heels.

What a fabulous addition to any 3-season dress or perky pants outfit!

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

CUTE LITTLE TRUE VINTAGE MINI – DRESS FROM THE LATE 1960’S

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An iconic Mod flower-power print, with sheer sleeves at the same time!  The dress material is a loosely-woven stuff that they used to call “hop sacking” in the mid-Sixties (but, of course, not real hop sacking, which is a different thing – sort of like the sugar and flour bag material that women used to make shirts and dresses from on the farms WAY long ago).

It fits Stella in a way that’s too short and tight to look the way it is supposed to, and would do better on a model a little bit smaller and not quite so tall.  But, anyway, oh so cute and DEFINITELY from about 1966.  Notice the Peter Pan collar.

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

 

A TIMELESS FIND FROM “DOWN UNDER” – TRUE VINTAGE CLASSIC WHITE BLOUSE

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA     This shirt joined my true vintage wardrobe when I was in Australia several years ago.  It’s of the most wonderful cotton/cotton-blend fabric! That was my first tip-off to its age.  I have another white blouse from the Forties with similar tailoring details, but this one is not quite so old.  Although it’s a timeless style, the little clues that it isn’t modern are all over.

With no label, its origin is a mystery.  It looks as though it was commercially-made, but not completely.  Sometimes custom-made garments from tailoring shops had that look.

Although the answers are elusive, it’s different and I know it.  Imagine my delight to discover this hiding among all the ho-hum modern things . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM