Jazz Age Baby

Here's a litte photo (and shopping) inspiration for you this Wednesday morning.


The large photos are from either Harper's Bazaar or Vogue in the late 90s or early 2000s. As a teenager I ripped these pictures out of the magazine and after all these years, they still hold great visual appeal for me. The actress is a young Winona Ryder.


These gorgeous shoes (which are technically Edwardian in style, not Jazz age) are available for pre-order right now. They are from American Duchess. You should check out the shop and blog; the girl behind the brand is seriously fabulous-- and she sews! 


And finally, Behida Dolic handmakes beautiful hats. Definitely take a peek at the gallery in her Etsy shop and if one strikes your fancy, send her your measurements and she'll make you a custom hat. They're gorgeous (as is her model, Helena Bianca) and would smarten up any outfit. A girl can dream, right?

June 1940 Paper Doll with Clothes

Back in December, I posted Miss Carey's paper doll wardrobe (from April 1941).  Now, I'm back with clothes from Cousin Sally's June wedding.  I'd love to have her trousseau especially the day dress with the cargo pockets and the turban.

Jack and Jill Magazine, June 1940 (via The Paper Collector)

Vintage Holiday Labels

available here

I love these kitschy-retro labels that Heidi Kenney at My Paper Crane came up with.  She is not a fan of the ones available in the store, so she created her own.  They're free-- simply print on cardstock or sticker paper!

Mmmm... Italian Cashmere

The J. Crew Catalog came in the mail yesterday and I was instantly taken with this sweater.  How cute is that gathering into the yoke?  And the contrasting buttons!  Alas, the price is a little steep at $158.  But, soooo cute!

My first Homemade Vintage Dress

I cannot pinpoint when it was that I started loving vintage fashions.  Growing up, my sister and I loved watching AMC (American Movie Classics), and later, TCM (Turner Classic Movies).  I don't know how we got into that either (although my parents did consider an almost yearly watching of Gone With the Wind as an integral part of any good Southern upbringing), but afternoons after school were generally filled with the visages of Jimmy (Stewart), Cary (Grant), the Hepburns (Katherine and Audrey), Liz (Taylor), Paul (Newman), and others plastered on the television screen.  I can only imagine with so many beautiful clothes in the movies, designed by the likes of Edith Head and Adrian, that it is only natural that many of the styles sank into my subconscious.

I have been eyeing vintage patterns on eBay for some time, but decided to go with a current Butterick pattern.  It is a reissue of one from 1947 (B5209).  The great thing about buying these reissued patterns is that you know all the pattern pieces are there, the patterns are printed (many older pattern pieces don't have anything printed on them-- they're simply blank pieces of tissue paper), and the directions are modernized.  It really is the best of both worlds.

I wrote a review of the pattern on PatternReview.com, detailing what I changed about the pattern and my recommendations.  You can read it here.