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?

Sheet Music Star Wreath

Last year I posted a couple of posts on making the Starbucks wreath.  I just spied this sheet music star wreath via the CRAFT Magazine blog and I'm definitely smitten.  The original post can be found here and the tutorial is here.


Isn't is lovely?

Wanted: Turn-of-the-Century looks

Last year while watching the film Heaven Can Wait, which stars the divine Gene Tierney, I took a few screen captures of her look in one of the scenes.

As the movie is set in the early twentieth century many of the looks are too costume-y to wear today, but this one, I thought, could still be pulled off (of course in an appropriate setting. I'd love to wear a look like this when I play in my orchestra concert next month.)

My mom got in the mail the other day a catalog from a company called The Pyramid Collection. The clothing in the catalog was definitely a bit quirky-- an odd combination of new-age skirts, steampunk- style jackets, and goth trinkets. And, even though I don't usually wear that sort of stuff, some of the pieces turned out to be quite cute. The velvet skirt below immediately made me think of Gene's outfit from the film.

Next up, finding a blouse. These pictures had me googling "heirloom sewing."  I'm definitely crushing on Gibson-girl blouses.

Oktoberfest Sneak Preview

The Oktoberfest Dress

This is a sneak preview of something I'm whipping up for this weekend's Oktoberfest festivities.  I used a vintage pattern (from my great aunt's collection) and turned it into a dirndl dress.  The yellow flower-print fabric comes from my mother's stash of fabric and is probably at least twenty years old.  I'm almost finished sewing the dress-- I need to adjust the hem and add a back zipper and then this dress will be ready for a spin on the town.

On another note, I'm sorry that I disappeared from the blog for a bit.  I was in Vermont for most of the summer taking German language classes at Middlebury College.  I had intended to keep the blog updated (although all of my entries would have had to be in German-- that's one of the conditions of the "Middlebury Pledge"), but I ended up being so busy going to classes and studying that I hardly had time for anything else.  With any luck, I'll be able to get some of my summer photos posted.  Vermont is seriously gorgeous!  Anyway, I've missed you guys.  I'm going to ease back into this blogging stuff, but I do hope to be more committed!

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)

Two Things at the Same Time

I don't really seem to be able to handle doing two things at the same time.  To wit, I've been posting semi-frequently on a different blog, The Great Vintage Sewalong of 2011, and have dropped off the face of the earth here at Dum Spiro Spero.


Here's what I've been busy working on:

Isn't it cute?  The dress is from 1941.  I'm making it out of a deep pink velvet.  And I'm hoping to have it completed by Valentine's Day.


I've sewn it up in muslin once, made some alterations, and sewed up the bodice part again in muslin.  This is how it looks:

I'm happy with my progress, so I'm ready to cut it out in the fashion fabric and to proceed.


It's a vintage dress party over at the other blog.  Do stop by and check out all the fun garments people are making!

1940s Paper Doll

I would love to "borrow" any of these from Miss Carey's closet.  I was going to list my favorites, but looking at it again, I realize that I love them all!  Images via The Paper Collector.

Jack and Jill Magazine, April 1941

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!

Oh Joy!!

This beauty came in the mail today:

I haven't counted it yet, but I think all the pattern pieces are present (unlike this playsuit pattern I bought off of eBay a while back).  I've been wanting to make a playsuit for a while.  I have the cutest picture of my grandma wearing one, and I want to make one similar to it.

My Golden Grams, on right-- isn't she stunning?

It's fall here now, with winter well on its way, so I may put the pattern aside for the time being, but it is going on my to do list!

XOXO,

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.

Abject Failure

Years have passed since I last touched a sewing machine. Well, strictly speaking, that is not exactly true, but after sewing every single day for four years in college (B.S. in apparel design from University of Delaware, thank you very much), I really needed a break, and pretty much didn't touch fabric or my sewing machine for years. Then my sister got married and asked me to make her wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses, and after that ordeal (just the pressure of sewing four dresses on a deadline), I once again retreated from the sewing world.



Enter July 2010, when I decided that I would make a dress to wear to my friend Lucia's wedding.  I pulled an out-of-print pattern (Vintage Vogue 2241) that I have in my stash and have never made and decided that this dress from 1931 would be "the one."  And, after days of pouring over it, drafting and re-drafting the pattern, sewing multiple muslin versions (the count is up to three now), I am beginning to think that the ban on sewing was probably a good idea.


One of my biggest problems was that my pattern was purchased in 2000, when I was definitely a size smaller.  The top seemed to be fine, but the hip area was way too small.  No worries, I thought, I'll just grade the pattern to a larger size.  Well, now the hips fit but the top is too big.


This problem is one big headache, because there are no side seams.  Laid flat, the pattern looks like one big rectangle, which is great in theory, but how many people's bodies are shaped like rectangles (meaning their hips and bust are the same size)?


The frustrating part is that I know patternmaking, and yet, I still don't know what to do next.  I'm ready to forget this dress and move on, but for some reason, I can't admit failure and move forward.  I won't get this finished in time for the wedding, but I may try to work on it some more once I'm back from the wedding.  Of course, then I won't have anywhere to wear this dress, but every girl should have a beautiful gown in her closet, right?


Sigh.  

XOXO,

Sainte-Chapelle (Paris)

My best friend, Corrie, is one of the coolest girls you'll ever meet.  She's really fun and outgoing with a huge personality and she's thoughtful and considerate to boot!

Look at this really cool postcard that she sent to me from Paris.  I love that she reused a vintage postcard!

She knows me too well :)  Look at the cute paper airplanes on the stamp!  (Can you believe it cost that much to mail a postcard?)

The postcard is of La Sainte-Chapelle, a beautiful chapel on a little island in the heart of Paris.  The stained glass is amazing, and if you stop by on a sunny day, it is like being inside a giant kaleidoscope!

I'll be hanging her postcard next to the one I bought there ten years ago (incidentally, the last time I was in Paris).

XOXO,

Vintage Berlin

Thanks so much for all the comment love I got on my last post-- you guys are so lovely! It's so nice to get positive feedback every now and again:) It's also nice to know that there are people out there who actually read what I write!

I know I posted about Berlin last time, but I'm not quite finished yet. I promise after this post, I'll stop living in the past and will write about what's going on in my current town, Dubai.

I'm a big fan of the "outfit post," although I haven't quite gotten the hang of it quite yet (see Liebemarlene, Strawberry Koi, Some Girls Wander..., Clever Nettle, Sally Jane Vintage, Casey's Elegant Musings, etc. for better examples). These girls have mastered the art of romantic settings (think train tracks, moss-covered trees, cemeteries, historic mansions), the lens flare, soft lighting... Truth be told, even if I could learn these techniques, I'm not usually wearing outfits that are really deserving of their own outfit post. I'm usually living out of a suitcase, which means my outfit/accessory/shoes choices are VERY limited.

Dress - Vintage, found in a Berlin vintage shop

Cardigan - borrowed from Corrie's closet
Tights - Hue
Boots - Madden Girl, bought at DSW last year
Scarf - (not pictured because it blew off in transit and is forever lost) Corrie's, CNC

I absolutely fell in love with the shops in Berlin. We got around on bicycle (something new to this American girl-- don't try that in our cities, unless you have a death wish!), which meant I had ample time to check out little shops-- and pull over and stop when time allowed! They have a plethora of shops just stocked to the brim with vintage dresses and shoes and what-not. I was in hog heaven, and without the prohibitive price tags, lack of suitcase space, and the flagging US dollar, I might have gone overboard!

Alas, I allowed myself only one item... and that was the creamy lace dress seen above (better picture at the top!). I had been looking for just such a dress for a while, and had even seen contenders at Modcloth and Ruche, but I'm glad I waited as this one is one-of-a-kind (it even appears to be homemade!). There was also something about wearing a dress while riding a bike that made me feel super cute:)

A parting picture of me and Corrie in the local neighborhood photobooth (seriously, it's on the corner outside Corrie's apartment-- shouldn't all neighborhoods have photobooths?!?) goofing off.

Okay, next time I'll tell you a little bit about life in Dubai. Promise.

XOXO,

Wir Fahren Nach Berlin!

"Berlin is the newest city I have come across. Even Chicago would appear old and gray in comparison."

~Mark Twain, Chicago Daily Tribune, 1892

"Berlin! Berlin! Wir fahren nach Berlin!" (Berlin! Berlin! We're going to Berlin!)

~A chant during the World Cup in 2006

I think I probably mentioned this already (did I?) but for those of you who don't know, I spent the end of September in Berlin visiting some very dear friends there. It all worked out perfectly-- I was able to join my brother and his band on their European tour, and then after the last show in Leipzig, Germany, I caught a train to Berlin. I realize that I've been a TERRIBLE blogger as of late. I sort of got out of the flow when my hard drive crashed, and then lately I've been feeling as if the bar has really been raised in the blogosphere. I mean, there are some AMAZING bloggers out there, and it's hard for me to put together posts that seem like they might be interesting to others.

I'm really trying to do better, but now I am in Dubai, where some of my favorite sites are blocked (Flickr, that means you), and the internet runs, well, really slowly.

That reminds me of a joke: "What did the snail on top of the turtle say?" Give up? "Wheeeeee!"

Just to make this clear, people, my internet abroad is that little snail saying "Wheeeeee!" I never realized how spoiled I was in the ole US of A until I left it. Internet speeds abroad always seem to be dismal compared to what I've got at home.

I digress. Here's a recap of how I passed the 12 or so days in Berlin:

• I took a bicycle tour of the touristy bits of Germany, given to me by a ridiculously tall German man.
• I got yelled at, in German, by various motorists for not knowing the rules of the road as a cyclist (Sorry!!! I'm new at this!)
• I ate yummy German food-- one of my favorite cuisines! (The red cabbage reminded me of what Grandma used to make!)
• I sniffled and coughed for about a week, wearing a permanent indentation into Matt and Corrie's couch.
• I got to see the church that I've been supporting on and off (more off than on, eeek!) for the past five or so years.
• I discovered Berlin vintage shops. Needless to say-- I NEED to stay out of those for the sake of my already anorexic wallet.
• Drank WAY TOO MUCH. When wine costs less than water, what's to stop you?
• Lost a VERY EXPENSIVE scarf that belonged to my best friend (and witnessed the grace of forgiveness as well. Thanks, Corrie!)
  
• Learned wee bits of German...
• Met some of the lovely people that I've been hearing about for years.
• Met new lovely people that I admire very much.
• Fell in love with cycling.
• Developed a MAJOR crush on a new city
• Discovered that I really LOVE black licorice
• Spent time with two of my favorite-ist people in the whole wide world!

Without further adieu, then,

MY TRIP IN PICTURES

Yes, I think it is fair to say that I fell in love with this lovely city. One day I shall be heading back, even if it is just to visit. Although, with any luck, one day I'll be able to say, alongside Marlene Dietrich, "Ich hab noch einen Koffer in Berlin." ("I still keep a suitcase in Berlin.")

XOXO,