Vintage on the Web – September 2016

Oh dear, I haven’t done a Vintage on the Web roundup for a while, have I? I keep getting distracted with other things, so my apologies. Anyway, I haven’t forgotten and here are all the wonderful vintagey things I’ve found on the internet during September.

1926 June fashions

1920’s Accessories: What’s Missing?

This post from Witness 2 Fashion is an absolute eye opener. It’s amazing how you look at clothes from a certain era and just take certain detailing for granted. This post explains the importance of vertical detailing in the 1920s and shows you what those loose dresses would look like without them. And it’s not just all about the long beaded necklace that’s stereotypical of 1920s!

Marianne Breslauer

Beautiful Tomboys of the 1930s

I’m a big fan of the androgynous look of the 1930s, so this post on the Messy Nessy blog  really gets my borrowing-from-the-boys passions going. Nessy, who writes this incredibly interesting blog (check out her other posts!), focuses very much on two names I’ve always been aware of but never really delved into, Marianne Breslauer and Annemarie Schwarzenbach.

Marianne photographed many women who embraced the tomboy look and Annemarie was her particular favourite muse. You’ll probably recognise several of the beautiful photos but probably don’t know much about the photographer. If so, I highly recommend you have a read of this post. Both ladies lived life to the full in a time that was extremely tough, not just for women, but also for those who lived a Bohemian lifestyle in a ever-growing Conservative Germany.

Corticelli crochet book

Antique Pattern Library

On my search for more free crochet patterns from the 1920s – 1950s I came across the Antique Pattern Library. This site contains a wonderful and vast collection of craft magazines, patterns and leaflets from the 1700s right up to the 1940s. It covers crafts such as crochet, embroidery, lacework, sewing, woodworking, cross-stitch and more. Many of these are available as free PDFs that are available straight away, however, there are a number of hardcopies you can actually purchase.

The one I fell totally head over heels in love with is the Corticelli Knitting and Crochet Book No. 18. from 1922. It has the most beautiful range of knitted and crocheted jumpers, cardigans, dresses and hats, all of which I desperately want to make. Maybe not just yet though, I’ve still got a lot to learn, but these beauties are definitely on my wish list.

Joan Crawford nails

A visual history of fingernail fashion

I always, always have my nails polished. I’ve been a big fan of all sorts of colours over the years and have a huge collection of really random ones, many that I never wear now but I can’t seem to part with. Therefore this fabulous history of fingernail fashion article on Mashable really appealed to me.

These days I’m very much a bright red or deep red, with an occasional dip into emerald green (the 1930s Bohemian colour), kind of girl. The shape is much more reminiscent of the 1940s than the 30s, mainly because I can’t cope with those sharp points at work! I’d love to have the white tips, and I have done in the past, but it takes so long to do. Just wiping some red polish over the entire nail is soooo much quicker.

The Dreamstress

Etiquette for costumers: how to behave when out and about

I absolutely love this post by Leimomi from The Dreamstress blog. Anyone who dresses in a vintage style or in historical clothes should read it. Every single one of us at some point has had comments made to us, positive and negative, about the way we dress. We’ve all experienced those odd looks and double takes and yes, it can be frustrating when you can’t even go to the supermarket without someone staring at you. However, we do belong to a wider community, made up of many different types of people all interested in different things, it’s just ours is on display all the time.

Leimomi focuses very much on what she calls the costumers, those who dress in historical costume but a lot of what she talks about is very much relatable to us vintage lovers. It’s also worth having a good read of all the comments at the bottom as there’s quite a lively discussion going on. And if you are feeling rather self-conscious about wearing all those gorgeous vintage pieces in your wardrobe, or are worried about receiving negative comments, I’d highly recommend Jessica’s (Chronically Vintage) fabulous YouTube video. I watched it at the weekend and instantly felt more confident!

Learning to sew

Learning How to Sew – The Ultimate Supplies Guide for Beginners

Okay, so I think it’s pretty obvious to anyone who looks at my posts that I can already sew. However, this post on The Petite Passions is a great help for any beginners. It lists many of the essential tools for getting started, such as a seam ripper or unpicker (vital!), several different scissors (majorly vital!) and the most obvious, a sewing machine, as well as many more.

There’s also a fabulous set of links, separated into particular aspects of sewing, of the best places to go for your bits and pieces. There’s also a great selection of blogs to go to where you can find all of that indispensable inspiration. Of course, it’s probably missing one very important blog! I can’t think why I wasn’t included ;). Hehehe!

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.

18 Comments

    • It’s fab, isn’t it? Looking at those photos really made me want to have short hair again! xx

  1. I’ll definitely be checking out the 1920s accessories link, and how fascinating to know the history of fingernail fashion! I will also bookmark the beginner’s guide to sewing, in case I ever get started. Thanks for sharing these, Cate. xxx

    • You’re welcome Ann and, if you do ever start sewing, you know where I am! xx

  2. The article about how to act when in costume was very interesting. There were many topics brought up that I truly never thought of. Never thought of seeing if there were rules when visiting a museum about dress. Never crossed my mind. Will 100% take that into consideration now.

    Thanks for sharing all these wonderful articles.

    • I know, there were things in there I hadn’t thought of before. However, it did make me think about how I react to people when they make comments, even nice ones. I do get annoyed when people say to me, ‘Oh, I love the 1940s style’ and in my head I’m seething, thinking ‘It’s 1930s!!’. I try my hardest to correct them politely! 🙂 xx

  3. Awesomely engaging, informative and enjoyable array of links. All but a couple are new to me and I’ve just enjoyed reading each of them (especially the history of fingernail fashion). Thank you ever so much, dear Cate, for the thoughtful inclusion of one of my YouTube videos here. I sincerely appreciate it and am touched to know that you found it beneficial.

    Many hugs & happy tail end of September wishes,
    ♥ Jessica

    • Aw, you’re very welcome! I really enjoyed having a good look at your videos. I’ve never really spent much time looking at vintage bloggers on YouTube but now I’m going to make sure I do it more often. xx

    • Oh I’m glad that helped! You know where I am if you need any other tips for sewing. xx

  4. Thanks for sharing these links! I particularly liked the article on fingernail fashion (though the stiletto nails give me the creeps:)) and the article on etiquette for costumers. Very interesting discussion going on there. In line with the comments of some of the respondents, I feel lucky to live in an era and a country that offer (quite) a lot of freedom of dress.

    • Yes, in the UK we’re very lucky that we can wear whatever we want. However, as I live in an area that literally doesn’t know what vintage is, I do tend to tailor what I wear depending on the situation. I just cannot stand all the stares as I just walk down the street to the supermarket. You’d would think I was an alien just landed from outer space with some of the looks I get in my village!

  5. I’ve downloaded a few things from the Antique Pattern Library, including the Corticelli book, though I’ve never made any of them. I can picture you in some of the ‘tuxedo’ cardigans.

    • Hehehe! Yes, I’d download a few now. If I feel brave enough I will give one of them a go. xx

  6. I’m off to find out more about fingernail fashion and to look at the Antiques Pattern Library. I found the Dreamstress article really interesting too.

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