Here’s a great find from the ’70’s – a black taffeta dress by Jessica McLintock from her Gunne Sax label.  It’s got netting, beading and button & loop detail around the neck and bodice in “old West” style.

Slim sleeves, puffy shoulders and a flouncy full-circle skirt. This would make a great Halloween costume and is just a very cool dress in itself. To the knees or a little below, with a wasp waist and puff sleeves.

I’ll be going out West again soon and I’m tempted to take it;  but it will be a fantastic disguise on October 31 – in my favorite color . . . . . . . . . . . .. .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

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Seventies shirts are always fun – polyester holds colors so vibrantly and the ’60’s & ’70’s were a time for great prints and designs.  Some of the graphics were kind of ugly, too, but that’s part of what makes them so fun to wear.  And some are really cute!

They’re good in cooler weather, but not for summer!  Polyester was one of the “miracle fabrics” in some ways, but it has its limitations.

These are recent finds which I have added to my everyday closet. Not haute couture by any means, but I enjoy these easy wear/easy care items. However, no matter how “ordinary”, never mistreat your vintage treasures!   I still care for them as if they were gold . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:  MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

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Here are a collection of my blouses in slightly heavier fabrics that will go 3 – 4 seasons. Perfect as the weather starts to get cooler.  They are all from the 1940’s and 1950’s.

#1 is a striped beauty from Mode ‘0 Day. I love the collar on this, especially, and the interesting red and grey stripe.

#2 is rayon with a fun print, from the ’40’s. I love these funny old fabrics and designs.

#3 is a Bobbie Brooks gingham, probably from the ’40’s, also. It has little decorative pockets on the front.

#4 is a cotton lovely classic, ending just at the waist.  A 1940’s or early 1950’s style.  Interesting possibilities to wear this one with skirts, slacks or shorts.

It’s such fun to find a separate like these.  I never pass them up – so intriguing . . . . . . ….

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

As you now know, I have a number of frocks in this style but this one is special – because I found it during my trip to New Orleans.  It’s very cute on and comes with sentimental value because I LOVE New Orleans and been there in a long time.

This day-dress is made of a lovely soft cotton (worn many times) in mocha with a coffee-colored print design.  Just the right shade for early Autumn days.  As with the some of the best, this one’s fabric-covered belt has a matching-color plastic buckle. These are always interesting, when buckles and buttons are dyed to match the fabric.

The clothing in New Orleans, I found, has fabulous stories associated with it and many of the shopkeepers can tell you some! The garments always seem to come from interesting people living in interesting places and with fascinating histories . . . . …

It’s hard for me to classify this dress. It’s kind of a hybrid style with an unclear purpose. Part boho prairie, part Victorian lady, part Prom dress, part hostess gown. Got me!

The prairie-style and long Victorian/Edwardian-style dresses became really popular again in the late Sixties and early Seventies; plus the construction and materials give lots of clues to it’s original era.

Made of a heavy nylon-feeling fabric and has an embroidered makers’ tag. Never seen anything quite like it, but I was intrigued.

Could even be a Halloween party dress! Good idea . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG:   MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

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

This cute little dress is just so back-to-school in it’s looks!  It’s a little small on Madge, so I’m guessing it was a girl’s, but the average woman was tiny by today’s standards. Almost every woman  wore something similar on a daily basis back in the day.

It’s a lovely cotton with woven-in plaid – maybe made at home.The style is typical shirtwaist, excepting for a ruffle that goes all the way around at hip level. Maybe this was someone’s idea of adding something original to their creation.

Or, maybe the piece of fabric was too short and the tailor wanted to dress up the seam that had to go there.  I have found many home-sewn garments that tell stories about shortage of materials or mistakes, especially from the times when the Depression or war was changing everyone’s lives .

Such a treat to find pretty vintage fashion that  also…

Another frock very similar to yesterday’s, but not from the same place – this ensemble was custom tailored in the mid-1960’s. Same bell sleeves and easy fit. The fabric is a swirly paisley print in aqua tones and it includes the  addition of a matching jacket to create an ensemble.

So many dresses in the ’50’s and ’60’s were made with matching jackets and even matching accessories. Though this is a fairly casual dress, it follows that lady-like trend and seems to teeter on the edge of the fashion divide between the rather prissy Fifties and early Sixties and the Mod and wild times just after. Looks like the dressmaker originally intended to make a sleeveless frock, then changed her mind.  As it is, we’ve got a day dress that Twiggy would look just fab in, photographed on some 1965 magazine cover.

What a luxury to have your own dressmaker…