Tartan, pencil, straight, A-line, tiered, crocheted, gathered, pleated, wrap – just about every option covered. Handmade, custom-tailored to famous maker, woven cotton to wool boucle’. The pictures say it all, pretty much. The 1950’s cotton skirt has been to quite a few state fairs and parties, but all the others seem to have spent lots of time hanging out in well-organized closets.

It’s groups like this that have many, many stories to tell. It’s always fun to look for the clues . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

It’s so easy to accumulate many, many accessory items in your wardrobe and that goes doubly for a true vintage collection! Once in a while, I have to go through the drawers, shelves and the closet to select a few to part with. It’s a painful process, because I love them all, but gotta be done.

Here are three near-perfect men’s hats from the mid-century which I do not wear, but couldn’t pass up when they appeared. Time to let them go and Autumn, with Halloween looming, is the best season. So stylish and well-made. These are the qualities I appreciate most.

Leather, crocheted and beaded purses from1940’s to the 1960’s or ’70’s also have to go. Handmade or made in British Hong Kong – don’t know the maker of the red leather bag, but she’s a beauty. Clean as a whistle and look at that suede leather interior with a little matching coin purse! The navy blue crocheted bag is also notable because the maker put stiffening inside to create 3 inside pockets. Very unusual for a bag of this kind.

So, that’s my sentimental story for today but I’m still vetting Headquarters. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

I just love going through my collections of true vintage fashion, even when it means sorting out some things to let go of. Big brooches are wonderful on a coat, purse, or whatever. The expandable construction of this red, white and blue cuff bracelet is genius. So hard to find anything this well-made now.

That also goes for the big lot I recently sold, pictured top left. It included a brooch and earring set from 1940 which had been made from actual geranium leaves, preserved and gilded with copper. Jewelry from that Depression/World War Two era was often quite unique and ingeniously made. It was a family piece which had the original owner’s notes written on the perfume box that she stored it in. Everything else in the bunch would have had an interesting story, too.

Anyway, I have to condense once in a while to the things I love best and have wardrobe items to wear them with. Practicality, pooh! Oh, well. I’ll continue to post items from my vetting efforts and you just never know, so stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

Here’s a classic long jacket style which used to be known by the names above, back in the day. Mid-thigh length, a hood and plaid lining was standard style for a “stadium coat”, just in time for being a spectator at Autumn football games. I love the wool fabric, Union-made construction, toggle closures, detachable hood and big patch pockets. Fashionbilt was an iconic coat manufacturer that could always be counted on to produce quality garments from its founding in the 1920’s until closure in 1993. I have had several Fashionbilt coats and particularly cherish a black swing coat with rhinestone buttons which was owned by my grandmother.

This version was made to those specifications in about the 1970’s. It’s survived this far with only some slight tarnish on the metal toggles. That’s superior for an everyday coat. I rest my case . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

Here’s Stella in a beautiful example of casual tailored coats of this mid-century era. Soft suede leather with a lightweight acetate or rayon liner. Perfect for early autumn. Popular coats of this era upped the elegance ante with a mink collar. I have several of those. Some collars were removeable, some convertible with a fur hook closure.

This more casual style is good with skirts or pants, dressed up or down with a scarf or jeans. Big hip pockets are practical and just a stylish look. The iconic element of this style is the bracelet-length of the sleeves, which makes a longer pair of gloves essential for the perfect chic and allows you to show off jewelry even before you take off your coat.

Jewelry – especially the costume type – was a really prominent element of mid-century style so showing off a statement bracelet over your gloves would be really fun and eye-catching. Too bad we rarely see these types of elegant design elements in mid-priced clothing now. One reason why wearing true vintage is the best! More to come – stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

Though I’m not a big fan of mid-quality repro fashion, I couldn’t pass up this frock when I saw it last winter. It’s about 40 years old now, so it qualifies as bonafide true vintage (sort of). The huge shoulder pads, draped peplum waist and the roll-able elbow length sleeves caught my attention. It’s faithful enough to 1940’s tailoring styles to make a good costume for theater or Halloween (Yes! It’s coming!!). I’m a sucker for vintage fashion fun, I confess.

Anyway, now that I could pull it out of storage it’s on eBay with 5 similar ’40’s – themed dresses. Can’t wear them all so this is a good time of year to let them go. Stay tuned for authentic true vintage posts!

Morgana Martin, the Magicvintagespy

Blog: Magicvintagespy.com

What a fun, kitschy find! Some guy (or his girl) thought this would be a great souvenir of his trip to the Canary Islands. It’s high-quality silk and looks as though it’s never been worn. Not surprising!

However, now that we’re not so buttoned-down in this new century, I’d wear it often if I were a man. A combination of quality and kitsch-appeal is the best of both worlds.

Now that I’m back at Headquarters for a while, there will be a few “new” things to post. I’m also doing some eBay clean-up so oldies but goodies are coming out of the closets, too. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

Look what just popped up when I was out and about recently – wasn’t investigating, but clues tend to appear when an agent is near. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dating from somewhere in the late 1930’s to the mid-1950’s, these accessories might have been used for an everyday or a dressy occasion. At a time when nice pearl necklaces were routinely worn by smartly dressed women whenever they went downtown and leather pocket accessories were carried by men and women alike, well-made and stylish items like these were common.

These “pearls” aren’t the real deal, but it always pays to notice because you just never know. I’ve discovered both real pearls and well-done imitations in unlikely places. This strand is heavy (as it should be, because real pearls are), with an iridescent pinky-beige finish that is pretty and looks very natural. There are only a few small scratches on some of the pearls near the clasp – natural wear after being worn for decades. Excellent for it’s age! The clasp is a fishhook push type in sculpted silver-tone metal set with a rhinestone that looks very diamond-like, which makes this necklace a good imposter that would fool many an admiring eye. The only feature which would improve the deception would be knots between the gems.

The tiny leather coin purse with a spring closure is deep black, rather than gray. These are very clever and are opened by putting pressure on the sides and snap closed again when you let go. It could have been a man’s or a woman’s and is made of fine, soft leather which I’ve seen several times in vintage men’s wallets and usually marked as “Moroccan Leather”. Worthy of any gentleman or lady. The spring closure comes from the mid-1950’s and before, in my experience. Very useful finds, and fun!

So, just a little update and reminder that it pays to “keep your eyes peeled”, because you just never know . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

A slinky peplum dress by Just In Thyme Ltd., a popular retro brand in the Eighties that is apparently still in production. I love this dress because it’s got the shoulder pads, 3/4 sleeves, peplum waist and midi-length while also having a slinky, fitted cut. So many of the mid-priced Eighties does Forties dresses were horribly frumpy-looking. Oh, yes, I have discovered quite a few which were not, but it’s always great to see another one!

This frock will look fabulous on Stella’s tall size 2 model’s figure (for those of you who haven’t followed me, Stella is my wonderful vintage mannequin – a 1950’s to early 1960’s size 10). A bit too big for me, but all the fun was in the find. When I eventually get it on Stella, I’ll re-post. In the meantime, there are always new investigations and more clues uncovered. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. .. . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

The beat goes on! Love, love, love these Eisenhauer/Kennedy – era cotton gloves that every woman wanted to wear whenever going to town. A fussy, troublesome accessory in some ways, yes, but so much a part of that time. Like hats were, there were times and places where a lady wouldn’t want to be caught dead not wearing them.

What makes these so fun and special is the decoration. In place of being printed on the fabric, you can see that each little polka-dot has been appliqued’ (stitched on) by hand. Hard to know whether they were sold this way since no label or brand name is present, as would usually be the case with best-quality makers; this leads me to wonder if the gloves were a more modestly-priced (though nicely-made) brand that a thrifty and crafty gal bought and used her skills to decorate by herself!

So many women, during this mid-century time, made their fashions and accessories at home for fun and frugality. This included costume jewelry. DIY at-home kits were very popular and were advertised in women’s magazines and in the women’s-interest pages of newspapers.

Of course, I couldn’t pass these up even with all the wrist-length gloves I have and have had. They’re unique, THEY FIT ME, and are great clues! Although they were uncovered in an unrelated location from the formal dresses shown recently, they’re artifacts from the same time. Essential evidence for the files. The case continues so, stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM