Fashionable History: Gear Up For Valentine's Day

The commercialization of holidays is nothing new. Let's have a look at some wonderful Valentine's Day related products from old vintage ads. 

"The gift of dreams"! For the whole family!

" more pleasure" 

Love this. Mother daughter favorites. 

This is actually the best! Matching swim!

Of course, lingerie!

And we can't leave him out! 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! 

Fashionable History: Tennis, Anyone?

I don't play, but I've always loved vintage tennis wear.  Tis the season for the US Open, so let's have a look at some highlights of the women's tennis costume from the last century. 

Not sure how these ladies maneuvered the court but they look lovely! Turn of the century. 

A tennis date in 1910. Takes courting to a new level. (haha?)

These flappers have all the right accessories. 1920's. 

I love this knit! I would wear it to work. Really. 1930's. 

Jean Harlow glowing. 1930's. 

Ginger Rogers. Adorable. You may notice that skirts lengths are getting shorter. 1940's.

Rita Hayworth in what we would now call a sundress. 1940's. 

Mid-Century model. Prints! A variation from the typical white. 

Short and mod! Very Courréges or Pierre Cardin. 1960's. 

Too cute to sweat in. Fred Perry. 1960's. 

What look is your favorite? Can you imagine playing in any of these looks?

Images via pinterest. 

Fashionable History: The Bullet Bra

Did I ever tell you that I got the What Katie Did Bullet Bra that was On My Wish List? Well, I did plus a whole lot more! I got the Harlow Bra in Vintage Peach and I love it. It's pictured above with the complete set. I did get the padding too as recommended for my 32B's. This cone is a real cone so I need all of the help that I can get! I love it with my vintage dresses that were, quite frankly designed with this type of lingerie in mind. 

All of this fun, got me wondering about the history of the bullet bra so I did a little research: 

The Bullet Bra originated in the 40's. Since it was Wartime, the name makes sense. Brassiere makers were experimenting with different kind of stitching  and insets to give us girls a lift. Underwires won't be used for a couple decades later. 

A great example of creative stitching and shapes used to give an uplifted cone shape. My Harlow Bra is a near replica! 

Marilyn made the Bullet Bra popular in the 50's. Pin-ups and girl next door types a like loved the shape it gave them under sweaters. They were called "Sweater Girls". 

In the 60's the popularity wained as underwires were used and a more natural and smaller shape was desired. Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier brought it back in the early 90's where she wore the extreme cones as outerwear. 

If you're like me, you may have a hard time finding an authentic vintage one in your size. The modern manufacturer What Katie Did makes new ones as well as other retro inspired lingerie and swimwear to ease your hunt! I love this two tone one called the Marlene. It's next on my list! 

Fashionable History: Vogue Covers

 1940

 1941

 1950's 

 1941

1918

1919

Aren't these vintage Vogue Magazine covers amazing? I love how creative they are. An art form not seen in modern commercial magazines anymore. 

Several of these are available to purchase as prints from enjoyart.com. I might like to get the 1941 swimsuit one to have in my apartment. Which one is your favorite? 

Mid-Week Inspiration: Japan Fashion Now

If you are in NYC anytime between now and January 8, 2011 you must make a stop at theMuseum at FIT's current exhibit Japan Fashion Now. I was lucky to have time to stroll through the exhibit last week. It is filled with the cutting edge street fashions that are inspired by Victorian dress, anime, school uniforms, and punk rock. There is also a fantastic display of the 1980's Japanese "fashion revolution" with designs from Comme Des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake and more!

Photos via Museum at FIT Facebook Page

Mid-Week Inspiration: American Woman-Fashioning a National Identity

Last weekend I went to see the Costume Institutes exhibit at the Met called American Woman- Fashioning a National Identity. The collection was exquisite and extremely inspiring! If you are in the NYC area this is a must see! The exhibit takes us on a journey back in time to when American women were first starting to be recognized as fashionable by Europe in the late 1800's and early 1900's up through to Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1930's. It was so enjoyable that I really wished the exhibit kept going up to modern times. I could have spent all day there!

For those of you that can't go here are some photos from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's flickr page. Photography is not permitted at the exhibit. Keep in mind that even their own photos do not do these dresses justice. The fabrics and bead work must be seen in person!

The Society Ladies: 1900's. Evening gowns from The House of Worth.

The silks and laces were astonishingly beautiful!

Bohemian. 1910's. Gowns and robes by Weeks, Paul Poiret, Liberty of London.

The Flapper. 1920's. Jeanne Lanvin, Edward Molyneux.
The bead work on these dresses was incredible!

Screen Siren. 1930's. Madame Gres.

Screen Sirens. 1930's. Dresses by Jesse Franklin Turner, Chanel, Travis Banton, Jeanne Lanvin,
and Vionnet.

Yes that dragon dress by Travis Banton is the very one worn by Anna May Wong . That made my heart skip a beat!

Mid-Week Inspiration: 20th Century Fashion:100 Years of Apparel Ads

I love fashion history books and can't seem to get enough of them. I recently purchased the Taschen book 20th Century Fashion: 100 Years of Apparel Ads. It's a wonderful and informative way to explore fashions through the decades with over 400 advertisements.

You can purchase or leaf through the book online at taschen.com