Spring is almost here! What vintage items will you be wearing?

[Paisley]

shoes

I thought these were cute as could be:

From talbots.com

 

[Pink Dahlia]

Lizzie, your skirt collection is fabulous! I adore those silly prints, particularly the 'funny face' one with the gendarme, thief and beatniks made me swoon!

I only have one novelty print skirt, it's postcards from Italy with tourist sight motifs and handwritten greetings in Italian on a black background. The print is allover, not border though.

I agree. I too am envious of your skirt collection!

 

[Shearer]

I'm so at a loss of what to wear during the summer, because I'm soooo not a pattern person. I like to buy solid colours and simple lines when I go true vintage (so I can mix and match), but it's hard with so many of the vintage day dresses in the 30s-50s having patterns on them.

The pattern skirts from the 50s I can deal with because I can just put it with a crisp white blouse (Lizzie, I absolutely adore your new B&W skirt!), but I find that I'm used to relying on pedal pushers, cuffed jeans and vintage blouses for the summer.

I turn into a total 50s hausfrau

Anyone else have this problem?

 

[Tough Cookie]

Here's a picture for you, I wish I could find a bigger one.

oh MY. I couldn't/wouldn't wear something like that *today*, much less back then. lol I guess it fits my character, I don't like to wear revealing swimsuits (especially on the bottom)...Crazy! I perform burlesque but I just could not wear that in public. LOL!

 

[ShrinkingViolet]

oh MY. I couldn't/wouldn't wear something like that *today*, much less back then. lol I guess it fits my character, I don't like to wear revealing swimsuits (especially on the bottom)...Crazy! I perform burlesque but I just could not wear that in public. LOL!

I have a fashion history book that has a different version of that bikini photo, where the girl has her back towards the camera, and well... let's just say that it doesn't provide the regular full bum coverage of the 50s! It's more like what you would call a brazilian brief today, it only has a little more coverage than a string. I don't think bikini bottoms like that were common sights on beaches before the 1980.

I'm a total prude when it comes to swimwear and sunbathing too. Guess it comes from seeing all those emancipated topless moms as a kid in the 1980s! Or that whole MTV body pumping slut thing.

 

[~landgirl~]

I am ok wearing a bikini - aslong as it is laying down throughout, sunbathing! lol

 

[RetroModelSari]

Lizzie I LOVE your novelity print skirts!!!!!! They are adorable!

 

[AllaboutEve]

I'm so at a loss of what to wear during the summer, because I'm soooo not a pattern person. I like to buy solid colours and simple lines when I go true vintage (so I can mix and match), but it's hard with so many of the vintage day dresses in the 30s-50s having patterns on them.

The pattern skirts from the 50s I can deal with because I can just put it with a crisp white blouse (Lizzie, I absolutely adore your new B&W skirt!), but I find that I'm used to relying on pedal pushers, cuffed jeans and vintage blouses for the summer.

I turn into a total 50s hausfrau

Anyone else have this problem?

I am starting to think more along these lines too.

I think the fact that I just turned 35 has something to do with it and I find wearing things that are too fussy or young in colour can actually make me look older!!
I am aiming at wearing some good light neutral pencil skirts with crisp blouses and very tidy hair!

Dress wise I don't have much vintage spring/summer stuff, I do have a gorgeous fitted blue and white 50's number this one.... (sorry about poor photo, hair in rollers, face mask on and no-one at home to help me, hence lack of head lol lol )

This is about as patterned and pastel as I go, these are also my favourite 50's shoes they go with everything ( but maybe it's just me that thinks so!!!! lol )

 

[AllaboutEve]

Speaking of bathing suits.........

My latest arrivals have lovely bathing suits. If only you could order them in my size!!!!!!

 

[Fleur De Guerre]

I have no nice spring or summer dresses really. Something i need to build on for this year. Nothing I had last year will fit me this summer anyway, so the little I do have is going to have to be replaced!

 

[Decobelle]

I'm in the same situation. I always plan to plan ahead for warm weather, but it sneaks up on me and I've got nothing. I did order some high waisted shorts from queenofheartz.com but have no tops and still nothing I can actually wear in public. So, right now my warm weather wardrobe is essentially the same as my summer wardrobe, only without a sweater!

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

All of my pretty spring/summer dresses are a size 2 or 4, I don't even think I could get one leg into them now So it looks like I'm really gonna have to start to learn how to sew, because I need a whole new wardrobe! But i usually stick with lightweight sundresses or other types of lighter weight dresses, for it can get pretty hot and sticky from the high humidity that we have.

 

[fuzzylizzie]

Thanks for all the kind words about my skirt collection! Very much appreciated.

Lizzie

 

[NicolettaRose]

Another I have begun to get into for spring/summer is the mod mini dresses from the 1960's. Just recently, I have really started to expand my collection from just being 1920's and 1930's, now its 1910s-1960's.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

I wear a lot of light crepe and chiffon dresses, and gravitate towards lighter colors and prints during the spring and summer. I also like to wear sheer blouses and skirt combinations, and I have a number of cotton sundresses that are nice for casual wear as well.

When the situation calls for it, I will wear one of my 1940s playsuits. I picked up a killer late 1930s-early 40s set in Long Beach last year--it consists of a jadeite green with white polka dot rayon 'blouse', white 'shorts', and a polka dot overskirt for street wear.

For shoes, I have a number of strappy 1940s platforms (I have a great pair in pastel blue shantung silk, with daisy chain accents that I have been itching to wear since I purchased them last fall) and wedges. I will probably pick up a pair of espadrilles this season, as those are great for a casual summer look.

 

[Shearer]

I am starting to think more along these lines too.

I think the fact that I just turned 35 has something to do with it and I find wearing things that are too fussy or young in colour can actually make me look older!!
I am aiming at wearing some good light neutral pencil skirts with crisp blouses and very tidy hair!

Dress wise I don't have much vintage spring/summer stuff, I do have a gorgeous fitted blue and white 50's number this one.... (sorry about poor photo, hair in rollers, face mask on and no-one at home to help me, hence lack of head lol lol )

This is about as patterned and pastel as I go, these are also my favourite 50's shoes they go with everything ( but maybe it's just me that thinks so!!!! lol )

Cute dress! I like the pattern on that... I was scouring eBay today trying to broaden my pattern horizon I figured out that part of my problem is that I don't look good in pastels and I'm not a "flowery" kind of girl. Blue, and even some pinks, I can do, but a lot of the dresses are a giant palette of colour. And I like small patterns, not big-scale stuff, if that makes sense.

Also, I figure if I'm going to pay as much as (or more) for vintage as I do for new stuff it's gonna have to match the stuff I already have so I can get more use out of it [huh]

PS- I love the shoes! Are they flats?

 

[AllaboutEve]

Thanks Shearer! The shoes are low heels about 2 1/2" they are pretty late 50's.

Like you say if you are going to buy vintage it's often pretty expensive and I too like to avoid buying things that I don't get any wear out of.
Things like pretty cardigans and light weight sweaters can team up with dresses and skirts and blouses that you already have. I am on the look out for a couple of those this spring.
It's too easy for me to end up with a wardrobe full of things that never see the light of day......something that I am luckily moving away from doing these days

 

[BeBopBaby]

I'm drooling over the novelty print skirts that were posted, they are a weakness of mine as well! :eusa_clap

Here are some of mine:

This one makes me want to sing "The Surry With the Fringe on Top."
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt6.jpg
(I need to finish hemming it - I got it deadstock and it had never been hemmed!)

Here's a hand painted Mexican tourist skirt from Acapulco. If you look closely, you can see cliff divers jumping off the cliffs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt5.jpg

Another Mexican tourist skirt with an Aztec design:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt4.jpg

This one is a repro, but I still love it:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt3.jpg

Another Mexican tourist skirt:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/Skirt2.jpg
(Can you tell I love Mexican tourist skirts?)

And an original version of the Mexican tourist skirt that everyone starting making knock-offs of:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/Skirt1.jpg

I heart my novelty print skirts!

 

[Pink Dahlia]

I'm drooling over the novelty print skirts that were posted, they are a weakness of mine as well! :eusa_clap

Here are some of mine:

This one makes me want to sing "The Surry With the Fringe on Top."
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt6.jpg
(I need to finish hemming it - I got it deadstock and it had never been hemmed!)

Here's a hand painted Mexican tourist skirt from Acapulco. If you look closely, you can see cliff divers jumping off the cliffs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt5.jpg

Another Mexican tourist skirt with an Aztec design:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt4.jpg

This one is a repro, but I still love it:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/skirt3.jpg

Another Mexican tourist skirt:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/Skirt2.jpg
(Can you tell I love Mexican tourist skirts?)

And an original version of the Mexican tourist skirt that everyone starting making knock-offs of:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/theitgirl/Skirt1.jpg

I heart my novelty print skirts!

Very cute! I really like the brown and white leafy one!

 

[BeBopBaby]

What do you gals like to wear with your spring skirts?

I like to wear the skirts pictured with peasant-style blouses or little short-sleeved vintage lightweight sweaters. I usually add an armfull of bakelite bangles, vintage wedges, and a vintage box purse (another weakness!) to my ensemble.

Pink Dahlia - Thank you for the kind words!

FuzzyLizzie - We need to have a novelty skirt convention where we can wear our swishy-est and most far-out skirts! I have a huge weakness for novelty prints - my favorite novelty possesion is a 40s dress with a turquoise match and pink flame pattern on an cobalt blue background.