Tag Archives: hat

TRUE VINTAGE 1950’S – 1960’S DESIGNER AND HIGH-QUALITY ACCESSORIES

Now that we’ve reached the Spring Equinox, let’s start off with a Calvin Klein Easter hat in Spring pastels. A continuous flat tube of fabric is woven into a toque shape, overlaid with netting. A Mod-ern take on a traditional style. A lucky woman could look like an ice cream cone.

Some dressier handbags continued to be made of traditional tapestry-design fabric. Both of these above are small, one with a rigid leather-covered handle,, leather trim and metal feet on a covered metal frame. The other is a soft bag with a decorative closure and snake chain handle, sold with it’s own protective cover.

Classic pumps for everyday evolved in the early – mid 1960’s to mid-heel height with a slightly rounded toe but stilettos were still more popular than chunky heels – a necessary Rockabilly accessory. A pair of white pumps was an essential part of Spring – Summer wardrobes, even though pastels to match outfits and classic neutrals, beige, gray, navy, black and brown, still held their places. Miss Wonderful was a fun, mid-priced brand.

This has been a fun review of some of the files since December. Guests have arrived and international travel is looming. Daily transmissions over this airwave will be suspended, though periodic bulletins may continue. Archived posts in the public domain will remain available. Over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE EARLY 1950’S DRESSY DAY-WEAR

Let’s start with this novel style by a famous French (undoubtedly Paris) designer. The knock-off pictured above was by Nelly Don, a well-known mid-century ladieswear label in the U.S. The belted sheath dress woven of substantial cotton or a blend has a wide detachable peplum which creates this avant garde silhouette. The French designer brought this luxury style out in 1952 and the mid-priced American version followed quickly.

A very pretty semi-sheer dress with a scarf neckline is unusual in an olive green and purple print which I love. Again, it’s belted and fitted as were most of the dresses of this time and follows a shirtdress style.

This green pencil skirt is made in a relatively briefly-used but popular fabric which consists of thin, rayon(?) ribbon that is coiled in a continuous design, appliqued onto another fabric base. Imagine it worn with a pretty, fitted blouse. I have a black skirt suit made in this fabric and a family member owned a short-sleeved dress in a gold color, back in the day.

The shirtwaist dress never lost it’s place and continued into the Fifties and beyond in fabrics which ranged from cotton and cotton blends to rayon and silk. The simplest daywear styles continued to be the housewife’s daily uniform. This one is a slightly upscaled version in a more complex print with embroidered trim and tucks.

This black and white dressed-up sundress would have been appropriate to go on a date, to the Ladies’ Club, Country Club or shopping in the city. It may have been custom-made, as women and professional tailors continued to use their skills this way though not as much out of necessity as during wartime. The Fifties were about being thrifty but also stylish and having more!

Shoe styles carried over from the 1940’s but with sleeker lines. Pumps were a bit more cutaway and more often had sling-backs. Soles and heels were slimmer. Peep toes continued, which I absolutely love. Hairstyles became smaller and neater again as did hats, which continued to be de rigueur for any well-dressed woman. Also, a pair of well-made gloves in a style which complemented your outfit and a short string of pearls with almost anything from casual to dressy outfits were considered to be necessities for elegant style. Handbags adopted many styles but here are a couple of semi-dressy designs that carry over the classic “tapestry” floral design and introduce the decorative metal frames and vinyl covering which began to be more popular.

Tomorrow we’ll stay in the same Forties to Fifties time-frame but focus on casual separates and trends. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE 1940’S LADIES COATS AND ACCESSORIES

Beautiful wool coats which called for lapel brooches. Umbrellas with handles made of wood, celluloid and other “new” plastics. As always, I love the pretty fabric patterns and bling alongside the tailored elegance of the coats and jackets.

You can see the wartime influence on the first coat with it’s simplicity and lack of detail while a nod to luxury has been made by the velvet collar. Military style influence is visible in the big padded shoulders and the shape of the fur hat. I can really picture Ingrid Bergman wearing a coat like the fitted one – similar to trenchcoat design a la the movie Casablanca. The pale blue version with big pink buttons is moving us toward the 1950’s.

More reasons why the 1940’s fashion decade is probably my favorite. However, the 1950’s are also a big competitor on my favorites list and we’ll travel into the early part of that decade tomorrow. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

WEIRD EARLY 1930’S – 1940’S LADIES’ HATS

The late 1930’s, coming out of the Depression, and early 1940’s were very strange times for hats. Little bowlers with chin straps and straw hats looked almost like women had raided their grandfathers’ closets. After that, hats became really odd and sometimes frankly ugly, in my opinion. Later in the Forties some beautiful hats were worn but, let me tell you, the one’s I’ve seen that have survived have generally been pretty strange. I have a photo of a relative in 1940 who wore a hat along with her wedding suit that looked like a battleship sitting across her head.

Above, we have grandpa’s hats, plus a pretty picture hat and an early wartime model that looks like a cross between a tam-o-shanter and a French beret that have been parts of Naval uniforms. I’m not quite sure how it was meant to be worn.

Later versions with veils and flowers or feathers are softer and more stylish – looking more like what we saw in the Post-war late ’40’s and early 1950’s period. In the meantime mid-’40’s came the fedora styles for women, which are my favorite. Very wearable, versatile and almost universally flattering (and perfect for any undercover agent) but not as interesting.

But, all the pre- and post-WWII fashion trends ARE very interesting and I’ll continue to delve into them. Stay tuned for fabulous wartime Utility Suits and post-war skirt suits plus 3 Prom dresses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE STYLES FROM THE SEVENTIES

The 1970’s was far from a stellar fashion decade, as far as I’m concerned, but it did include several signature trends. Seventies does Forties, Boho/Prairie, polyester knit pantsuits and dresses (including men’s leisure suits), long pointy collars and animal prints were the predominant ones. The garments shown above are all from the early part of the decade. Psychedelic prints still showed up. Flower power still had a moment. Disco glitz was queen in the late 1970’s. Virtually everything was made of polyester fabric.

Carly Simon wore a hat similar to the one above on her first album cover in 1971 or 2 and it became instantly trendy. 1940’s styles, especially the tailoring details and medium-size shoulder pads, became really popular. Look at the trims on the short sleeved blouses. They are very ’40’s-looking. See the high waist and full legs on the slacks – women’s pants of the 1940’s were mostly made this way. An exception was Western-wear slacks, which tended to be slimmer.

The most-worn styles included platform shoes and jumpsuits in a big way. Military personnel and working women made jumpsuit uniforms visible during wartime and they became part of trendy fashion. The example above is from the early 1970’s. I have found and enjoyed wearing all of these designs. There are many photos in the files, but I can’t display them all at once. Some 1940’s styles popped up again in the 1980’s and I’ll show a few tomorrow. Stay tuned . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

TRUE VINTAGE 1960’S TRENDS IN DRESSES, HOUSEDRESSES & ACCESSORIES – TO THE START OF MOD

Casual cotton and cotton blend housedresses and model’s coats became really popular as styles started to become less traditional. Some of these dresses would even be seen at the grocery store or for other casual errands in warm weather. The shirtwaist dress was still around, of course, but was starting to take a back seat for everyday. The culotte mini/play-dress was also a new take on the 1940’s/’50’s romper. Casual designs like those shown above were still very well-made, generally, and had cute and pretty prints and tailoring elements.

Dresses with little matching jackets became very popular for everyday wear when a step up the dressy scale was called for – an important appointment, special event or church. The shoes, purses and hats are examples of those which might have been worn with dresses like this. The blue & green example above was home-sewn in the color combo that defined popular design in 1963. The prints on the two blue dresses in center are a harbinger of the MOD trend that was just about to erupt.

Stay tuned for a trip to the mid-1960’s tomorrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

MORE TRUE VINTAGE HATS FOR MID-CENTURY ENSEMBLES

Aren’t these fun and beautiful! From the 1940’s to the early 1960’s, women would hardly leave the house without a hat. Straw, suede, velvet, synthetic mesh, wool felt and ribbon were all used frequently. Artificial flowers and real feathers were, too. The combinations and designs were almost limitless. Finding a hat that flattered you and accented your clothing was an epic quest.

Even though I’ve been told that numerous groundhogs predicted an early Spring this year (yay!), I’ll be leaving the Spring fashions for a bit while concentrating on some beloved and practical vintage wardrobe items that have kept women and men warm on frigid days like the one’s we’ve been living with. Stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

POST-WAR THREE-SEASON SKIRT SUIT & HAT & PUMPS

Imagine my THRILL at discovering this never-worn ladies’ suit from the late 1940’s to early 1950’s! Perfect condition, tags still on. Love the wasp waist and strong shoulders. The white trim is so stylish and perfect for Spring, though the medium weight of the fabric makes it wearable on cool Summer and Fall days, too. This beautiful hat could have been made to match, but was found completely separately. How perfect is the color and little round white button and white stripe on the brim?! Although the pumps are not a perfect color match and were made in the 1960’s or 1970’s, I include them because the Spectator style was very popular during this pre- and post-war time frame and is a perfect part of this ensemble.

It’s wonderful when evidence fits together in this way. It’s certain that a hat, some kind of hat, would have been worn with this suit because of the era when it was sold. But, finding the PERFECT hat in this way is rare, though never impossible. That’s one of the things that make the one-and-only Magicvintagespy’s craft so wonderful and unique. More to come – stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

True Vintage Hats: Another Stand-out Accessory That Belongs in Every True Vintage Wardrobe

In my book, the 1940’s through the 1960’s was the best era for ladies’ hats in the U.S. unless you’re into antiquities. Yes, every decade has had some great ones but most beautiful hats that are truly wearable come from the Mid-century. Here are some iconic examples from each of those decades: a Forties picture hat, Fifties toque & pillbox with veil and Sixties pastel cellophane/raffia hats.

Mainstream women from all three of these decades wore hats frequently, if not daily. (Classic films and old magazines are good documentation of this.) So, obviously, they were sold in every store which carried ladies’ fashions and most were affordable. Easy to wear, flattering and very collectable, so go for it. . . . . . and stay tuned . . . . . . . . . . . .

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM

A PRETTY MID-CENTURY ENSEMBLE FOR WARMER WEATHER

During the vetting process I found two bits of evidence that seem to go together well. The dress is an unfinished project which is no mystery as it was given to me by the mother of a friend, who was an exceptional tailor. She even passed on the original pattern, which could have sleeves or not. The best thing about this design is the interesting pockets. When finished, it would be a very smart day dress.

In which case, only a coordinating hat would do for a late 1950’s – early 1960’s ladies’ ensemble. Just right for a Spring or Summer day in the city.

MORGANA MARTIN, THE MAGICVINTAGESPY

BLOG: MAGICVINTAGESPY.COM