Channelling Alice with The House of Foxy

For those of you who’ve been reading my blog for a while now will know that I was a massive fan of Channel 4’s 1930s period drama, Indian Summers and I particularly adored Alice Whelan’s beautiful wardrobe. The ivory blouse and turquoise ensemble in the clip above from series one is one of her many outfits that immediately caught my eye. I mean seriously, look at those stunning bishop sleeves.

So, imagine my excitement when The House of Foxy released the most stunning ivory bishop sleeve blouse a few weeks ago, especially as I’d made an Alice inspired turquoise skirt a while ago which hadn’t yet featured on the blog. Time for a channelling Alice outfit!

Indian Summers 1930s Outfit

This blouse really is the most exquisite reproduction piece with such a strong 1930s/40s vibe. The detailing of it has been really well thought out and the fabric is absolutely spot on. Made in a 100% rayon, it has a lovely textured weave to it, which gives it subtle interest. The fabric is incredibly soft, lightweight and floaty but isn’t too sheer. I did wear a nude camisole underneath it in these shots because it had barely reached 6 degrees that morning!

The House of Foxy 1930s Blouse

The big bishop sleeves are just stunning, they not only gather around the cuff, but also have a lovely big puff on the sleeve head. They’re beautifully voluminous and really give that sense of late 1930s/early 1940s glamour. In fact, Rita Hayworth wore a very similar blouse in You Were Never Lovelier from 1942, teamed with a super cute pinafore. You can see it in this clip on YouTube.

The House of Foxy late 1930s blouse

The House of Foxy late 1930s blouse

Both the front and back shoulders feature a full-width yoke and pleating detailing underneath. This gives it a lovely blouson effect around the bust, then it shapes nicely at the waist with delicate darting, so you don’t have a massive amount of fabric to tuck in.

You can also see in the detail photos above the pretty texture of the fabric. But as lovely as the fabric is, it does crease the second you take it off the hanger, as you can see in the photos. I’d literally got dressed, jumped in the car and driven to where we taking the photos and you can see how crumpled it’s got. It certainly doesn’t put me off wearing it though, it’s just too gorgeous for that!

The House of Foxy 1930s Blouse

The House of Foxy suggests sticking to your normal high street size when ordering, so I chose a size 10. As you can see it fits me absolutely perfectly, however, the only thing I changed was moving the cuff buttons slightly. I have really tiny wrists and as a result the cuffs were falling down onto my hands, meaning that the puffiness of the bottom of the sleeve was lost. By moving the button in a little bit then the cuffs sats in the right place.

Alice Whelan 1930s Outfit

The location we used was an old church that had been converted into a beautiful house that belonged to a friend of my mum’s, however, on the way home we spotted this fabulous old petrol pump so stopped for a few snaps!

My skirt is based on the 1930s white linen kick pleat skirt I designed a couple of years ago, however, this time I added a shaped yoke to the top section of the pattern. The shaping is the same at the front and back, but I forgot to get any photos of the back of the skirt!

It’s made in a lovely soft turquoise wool suiting that I had left over from my graduate collection from fashion college way back in the late 90s. I knew it would come in useful eventually! It was originally from a London based wool cloth supplier who also supplied the Queen’s tailor at the time. It was tucked away in a back street and just had a discreet door to go in, but then it opened up into one amazing factory. I bought several beautiful coloured wools from them, including purple and bright pink!

1930s blouse and skirt

I teamed the two pieces with a white leather belt I’d bought from eBay many years ago, my beautiful 1940s Cordé handbag and my Aris Allen 1930s reproduction shoes. The turquoise earrings were refashioned from a pair I already owned but didn’t like and match the skirt perfectly. I think they all tie together really well to create a beautiful Alice inspired outfit. It’s just a shame I couldn’t be in India during the summer in the 1930s to take the photos :).

1930s blouse and skirt

Outfit Details

1930s Ivory Rayon Blouse – The House of Foxy
1930s Turquoise Wool Skirt – Made by Me
Black 1940s Cordé Handbag – The Vintage Bazaar
Black & White 1930s Reproduction Shoes – Aris Allen
White Narrow Belt – eBay
Turquoise Drop Earrings – Made by Me

I was gifted this 40s Shirt Blouse from The House of Foxy in exchange for this review. However, all views expressed are my own and reflect my honest opinions.

Cate

Just a vintage gal suffering from the Golden Age syndrome. A lover of all things old, especially the 1930s, seamstress, crocheter, maker of hats and enjoys rummaging at flea markets.

24 Comments

  1. What an adorable blouse, and great with the skirt. And your shoes somehow bring the two pieces together even more perfectly! Kx

    • Thank you Karen! It really is the most beautiful blouse and it goes with everything xx

  2. Ha, it is indeed a shame that you couldn’t take these photos in India!! Ah well, you look utterly lovely. My heart did a little flutter too when HOF released that blouse, and it really pairs so well with your skirt. Better than Alice! x

    • Isn’t it? Could you imagine the stunning sceneries? Ah well, dank and dreary England in December will have to do! You really should get this blouse, I know you’ll love it. xx

  3. Oh that’s so pretty! The little pop of turquoise from the earrings is just lovely – it draws the colour up from the skirt somehow. The blouse is lovely. HOF pay such attention to detail.

    • They really do, don’t they? I definitely think they win over all the other well known reproduction companies. This blouse is just so spot on. xx

    • Thank you Kate! It really such a lovely turquoise colour, I’m so glad I kept the last bit of that fabric. xx

  4. A lovely blouse , the front detailing is great and love that it is more fitted to tuck in , I bet it feels lovely on . Fab colour on the skirt .

    • It does feel really lovely on, the fabric is really soft and you feel so glamorous in it with all the volumes of fabric. It’s such a beautiful blouse! xx

  5. That’s a truly lovely blouse, Cate, but I hear you on the creasing thing! I would have the same problem with the cuffs, I guess, as my wrists are tiny too. Your you-made skirt is absolutely stunning and I love the snaps where you’re posing next to that old petrol pump, the colour of which is complementing the turquoise of your skirt. xxx

    • Thanks Ann! We were so amazed we’d never spotted that petrol pump before as we’ve driven past it loads of times. I’m so glad we stopped though, it’s just so fab! xx

  6. This outfit is simply stunning! I’m not normally a blue fan, but this shade looks so great with your hair. I do have one House of Foxy skirt so I know the quality is always superb!

    • Thanks Nina! The quality is superb with HoF, they really do go the extra mile to make something so utterly authentic but completely beautiful and a joy to wear as well. xx

  7. Beautiful outfit! I love the details on both the blouse and your lovely skirt!

    • Thank you Tanith! Vintage detailing is so special isn’t it? xx

  8. goodmorning Cate,
    what a great post!
    what a nice photos! the location of the old church is very nice!
    what a fabulous,stunning,charming outfit of yours…an applause for You…cheers!
    happy festive season

  9. That is a very lovely blouse, such great shaped sleeves. The colour of the skirt is so vibrant and beautiful. The shop that you got it from sounds amazing! I can see this outfit being worn whilst wafting about in all those beautiful gardens we saw in Indian Summers.

    • Thanks Kate-Em! The sleeves are definitely the best part of this blouse, they’re just so glamorous xx

  10. You have got the look spot on! I love a nice, simple blouse, so versatile! I think I might just need to re-watch this series too!

  11. This is the really so comfort for you and you looking gorgeous pretty in this dresses…… and your indian summers drama period is so to good just enjoying….. your dresses so gorgeous

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