This fine leather jacket is from the early 1960s. It is fully lined with a glossy acetate satin material. The tailoring is impeccable, made of high quality leather that lasts for decades. There is only one thing that is not original and that is the buttons. When I found it, one of its leather-covered buttons was missing, so I substituted vintage plastic buttons. Some other style, perhaps of wood or braided leather might look nice, too. That’s one reason that I keep a collection of vintage buttons at home.
What can I say – this classic style goes almost everywhere, with almost everything, at almost any time of year. I have several styles that I’ve found in my hunting expeditions and I love every one.
Use some leather conditioner once a year and basic good care (you know, hang it up properly and wipe off any spills right away) and it’ll be passed on to your grandchildren, or, whomever . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy
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Yes, we’re still in it (with temps in the “teens and winter storms) but these jackets start moving us toward Spring with winter white (a traditional late-winter color) and an unlined style.
Jacket #1 on the left is wool with a full lining. No labels remain. Look at the details! Clothing from the ’40s and ’50s had such interesting tailoring touches – every one I find is different in its own way. This one probably had a skirt that went with it at one time . . . . . .
Jacket #2 is lighter-weight and unlined. It does have a matching skirt and was made by the Lampl company. Worn as a cute little suit or as separates, it’s also a winner – looks like a fashion for a ’40s working girl. Neither of these jackets have the iconic huge shoulders of the 1940s, so I would place them toward the end of the decade or, possibly, in the early 1950s. No matter – I always do a little jump for joy when I discover one!
As posted yesterday, I had a FABULOUS day doing my undercover work. It looks like I’ll be able to post daily again, every day excepting Sunday (so that I can get some other things done!) I may skip another day here or there if I’m traveling or something else is happening. I’ll let you know if that comes up. Please join me again tomorrow!
Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy
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This beauty is one of my favorites. I really had an OMG experience when I found it because alligator skins had been outlawed in North America for decades. If I did see a purse in a shop that sold vintage it would be very expensive but, I was able to buy this one “for a song”, and with a song in my heart!
It shows it’s age a bit, but is entitled to. I like to think of Mata Hari carrying it while on one of her undercover missions. Lined in leather, the maker’s stamp in gold tells that it was made in Panama. Love the interesting clasp.
True vintage alligator, crocodile, lizard and snake skin purses are good any time of year and with almost any outfit because they are a classic. I always use a good leather conditioning product on my collection at least once a year . That will help to keep the skins supple and prevent cracking and drying
What a history these older items have! I wonder about all the places that this one had been during it’s life in some fashionable woman’s wardrobe. Did she buy it in Panama or some other tropical locale? What was she doing there (and who was she with)? You just never know . . . . . .
MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY
BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM
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It’s so frustrating not to be able to post a photo every day, but with traveling so much it’s difficult to take along enough pictures to cover the whole time that I’m away from my vintage closets. However, I never stop thinking about them and recently have been thinking more about ACCESSORIES.
Now that the heaviest coats are coming off and everyone is dreaming about spring outfits, more colors and lighter-weight clothing, accessories will show up and show off more, too. I think that women made more use of them in decades past than we do now, wearing hats, gloves and scarves with most ensembles and much more jewelry. Mens’ accessories also seemed to take more of a leading role than they do now, especially for day-to-day wear – remember the ever-present hat in the 1940s and ’50s.
Where do I begin? There are so many categories – handbags and purse accessories, wallets, luggage, belts, gloves, hats, headscarves, neck scarves, ties, handkerchiefs, watches and all types of jewelry and ornaments for clothing, bodies and hair, SHOES, slippers, stockings and tights, umbrellas and rain-gear, glasses and sunglasses – what else?. Any one of these items can make (or break) an ensemble all by itself. That’s why it’s so important and so much fun to collect well-selected items and investigate the ways to use them in your wardrobe. The creative variations are endless and deserve careful consideration, rather than just throwing things together.
I’ll be posting photos of my true vintage accessories in among the photos of clothing and sometimes will do a series of accessory photos to highlight a particular type. True vintage accessories are easy to find when you are looking in the right places and know what to look for. They tend to hide in obscure spots and sometimes in plain sight, often turning up when you least expect it. You just never know . . . . . .
Morgana Martin, the magicvintagespy
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