Showing posts with label 1940s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1940s. Show all posts

An Ode to Women in War, A Memorial Day Post

Monday, May 26, 2014


During the second World War, women really stepped up to the plate and did their part in the war effort. Not only did they step up to the plate, it was actually encouraged! More women served as pilots and nurses on the war front. Women at home supported the war by doing the jobs the men did like joining the Women's Land Army of America. Here are several vintage photos from the 1940s of women in war. Happy Memorial Day loves!


This last photo is a photo of women in the Woman's Land Army of America with their harvested crops.  I really love this photo for some reason, I think it is because I love the idea of women (or people in general) coming together to support a bigger cause.



Here are more great links if you're interested in learning more about women in the war effort back in the 1940s!

links: //

Fun Facts About Victory Gardens | http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/victory-gardens.html

War Era Food Posters | http://www.good-potato.com/beans_are_bullets/chapter7/ch7gallery13.html

All About Rosie the Riveter | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_the_Riveter

World War II Women's Uniforms | http://olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_clothing_ww2_usmc_women.php

Vintage Harper's Bazaar | September 1945

Friday, December 6, 2013

As a vintage clothing collector and owner of a vintage clothing store I always have my eyes and ears peeled and perked for new information regarding vintage clothing and just fun random trivia about all things vintage fashion history.

I recently came across several vintage Harper's Bazaar magazines from the 1930s and 1940s and one in particular had SO MANY advertisements for vintage dresses, coats, shoes, and handbags, I just had to share several of them along with the snappy copy from the editorials!

This issue I am speaking of is the September 1945 issue of Harper Bazaar which has in light blue script "Victory" on the front. I love this cover. Just absolutely LOVE it!


Harper's Bazaar Vintage Magazine Advertisement Selects

Dorothy Gray | American Design of Beauty
"Ah - the Right Look"

Fromm Bros | Startling New Fur Strains by Fromm
Silverblue Fox: Breathless beauty of blue, "half-quencht in mists of silver dew." Beloved of brides.

The Costume Room | Famous Barr Co. St. Louis Mo.
Romantic glimmer of sequins on a black and orchid rayon crepe cocktail dress by Nettie Rosenstein. Wear it with this fabulous hat by Reine.

Lord & Taylor
That little jewel of a black suit is the one you always end up by wearing. This one with the knowing touches is a Ben Reig original designed by Omar Kiam.

I. Magnin + Co
Beauty begets beauty/// In the grand tradition of I. Magnin + Co where beauty is a heritage we proudly present our winter collection of dinner clothes

Bonwit Teller of Philadelphia
Monte-Sano's mastery of line sings out in a superlative short coat for city, country, or campus. Trompe d'oeil for your figure, magnificent shoulders that lend a lissome look to waist and hips.

Kerr's Oklahoma City
"Quality wears this label."

Tussy | For That Young, Young Look
Darling, you're stealing the show with that heavenly lipstick. Tussy, no doubt?

Pandora Footwear
So pretty…yet so soft…like a serenade to your feet





Harper's Bazaar Magazine Editorial Selects

The Elliptical Line
An elliptical line is the smarter distance between any two points of the silhouette….your outline is one blown-out curve after another: from corns to forehead, from neck to elbow and neck to belt, from belt to hem. You are tiny only at the wrists, the neck, the waist.

Madam, Why Do You Bend?
…that natural physical perfection depends on six silhouettes: strength (vs. weakness), suppleness (vs. stiffness), speed (vs. slowness), equilibrium (vs lack of balance), endurance (vs. fatigue), skill (vs. clumsiness)

Ballet
It is Paris. It is night. At a street corner a young couple kiss, a clock strikes, a young man meets a woman, his destiny, his death.

A Spot of Scotch
Go on a highland fling this autumn…in tartan from top to toe, or a touch of tartan with last year's gray flannels or your old gabardine raincoat.




Fashion Frocks (Harford Frocks) Fabric Swatches

Thursday, October 17, 2013

I saw these vintage 1940s fashion illustrations floating about on Pinterest and I thought they were just catalog scans at first glance, but after clicking to the original source of these vintage fashion illustrations, I found out their true nature... these are sample fabric swatches for Fashion Frocks, a dress manufacturing company that had their home base in Ohio. There's a little bit of info about the building they occupied in the 1930s on wikipedia.

Not only are these vintage fashion drawings absolutely lovely, but the fact that these are ACTUAL fabric samples just makes me heart quicken a whole lot. I MUST have these!! The company was around since the 1920s and stopped producing clothing in the 1970s. Seriously, I MUST have these. I'm not really one to collect anything, but these are just an amazing piece of vintage fashion history!

These Fashion Frocks/Hardford Frocks sample pages are from Miss Amy on flickr.



Fashion Frocks was a company from Cincinnati, OH that employed housewives as salespeople to sell clothing to friends and neighbors "door-to-door" ... they would be armed with these wonderful sample sales cards for women to order from. It was a way of bypassing the retailers and selling directly to consumers, at better value-pricing. One of the company taglines is "It's fashion-wise to be thrifty." - from FASHION FROCKS flickr set











10 Vintage Summer Vacations We Wish We Got to Take

Saturday, September 7, 2013

As the summer is winding down we couldn't help but wish we went on a few more getaways. Well, what can ya do. Since we can't turn back time we decided to gather some of our favorite vintage vacation photos, and live vicariously through these summer travels at the beach, mountains, lake, and desert. (Oh hey, we did go to the desert!)

Do you have a dream summer vacation? Be sure to share it with us in the comments below!

Source
americana
Florida vacation 1960
Bathing beauties
NY Worlds Fair 1965
Gosselin's and Ringquist's at Tyler Lake
Vintage Vacation
Obsession
Distesa Estate
Young Lady With A Camera

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947

Vintage Montgomery Ward catalogs from the 1940s and the 1950s are my favorite vintage department store catalogs to collect. The photography, layout, typography...everything is just perfect and so relevant to the style and look I aim to achieve for Adored Vintage. I'm particularly smitten with these vintage catalogs because of the muted color hues (usually in the cream and grey family) they use for their cover images. The design is so minimalistic and just completely ahead of its time. Bravo catalog designer, whomever you may be!

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947

First up, we have some amazing vintage 1940s coats. The shapes are almost always a-line with broad shoulders. These coats are both simple and luxe looking made from thick wools and accented with fur. While I'm not particularly a personal fan of 1940s coats (my small frame just can't pull it off), I know several gals love these vintage coats and wear them with modern ease.

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947

Next let's move on to the dresses featured in this Montgomery Ward 1940s department store catalog. Most of the photos are in sepia tones, so I have no idea what the actual dress colors are (although the catalog descriptions do describe what colors the dress come in). I love the dresses directly below. Casual daywear for the 1940s and the row below them are dubbed "Brunch Coats". Isn't that fabulous? I'm going to dub one of my wrap dresses a Brunch Coat. Vintage 1940s day dresses like these periodically make their way into the Adored Vintage shop.

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947

Moving on to sweaters! Now, I may not be such a big fan of 1940s coats...but I do have a very soft spot for 1940s sweaters! I don't come across too many during my vintage hunting and gathering trips, but when I do, I mostly keep these knitted beauties for myself. These shown are terrific choices for a Holiday Party don't you think?

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947

This Montgomery Ward catalog also features several pages of beautiful vintage blouses, vintage skirts, and even "Work Clothes" for women! I love (absolutely adore!) these pantsuits and overalls as work clothes. I may have to look into hunting down a pair of these for myself someday!

The vintage blouses all have typical 1940s fashion trends such as extended shoulders, dolman sleeves, and neckline details. The first skirt (top left) I am just crazy over! All those buttons, the panel in front, those pockets! Maybe in someday this vintage gem of a skirt will find it's way to me.

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947

And lastly here are some vintage accessories from the 1940s! The catalog doesn't cover accessories too heavily and there are only a couple of pages of vintage hats, belts, and gloves. I absolutely love that all the shoes are either black or brown and complement the handbags! It would be so easy to play mix-n-match with these vintage shoes and vintage bags!

Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947 Vintage Montgomery Ward Catalog | Fall-Winter 1946-1947