Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Watching the Royals

Soon we will have the pleasure of watching another royal wedding. For me, an avid royal watcher, it will be a major eye candy event. Not only drooling over the sure-to-be exquisite wedding ensemble but the guests and their oh so royal millinery treats. For this blog I thought I would take a quick trip down memory lane to view some of my favorite royal weddings.

Norman Hartnell (1901-1979), known as the Master of the Royal Wardrobe, designed for the Royal Family throughout most of his career, starting in 1934 with Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott. His most famous commission was the wedding dress of then Princess Elizabeth and shortly afterwards her Coronation Dress. He continued to design for Queen Elizabeth until his death in 1979.


Princess Elizabeth’s 1947 wedding gown was styled with a sweetheart neckline, folding full skirt embroidered with 10,000 seed pearls and thousands of crystal beads in garlands of lilies and white York roses as was her train.

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Princess Margaret Rose of York, later to be titled Countess of Snowdon, was in my opinion, one of the most sophisticated, fashionable women of her time, always looking distinguished and elegant. Her first marriage was on May 6, 1960 to Antony Armstrong-Jones and of course her wedding gown was designed by Norman Hartnell. Styling was simple due to her petite frame, without embroidery, lace or over the top embellishments. Hartnell created one of the most beautiful wedding gowns and it was worn to perfection by one of the most beautiful women of the 60s. The Poltimore tiara she wore was created by Garrards in 1870. In 2006 it was sold at auction for $1.7 million.

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Due to her lack of fashion interest, Princess Anne has never been given proper credit for being one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family. She does work for approximately 200 charities and organizations, and makes at least 600 appearances per year.

In 1973 Princess Anne made a most exquisite bride, marrying Mark Phillips. Hartness designed an embroidered Tudor style gown, high collar with mediaeval sleeves, made of white silk and pintucked to show off her tiny waist.



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Of course there’s not much I can say about Princess Diana’s wedding gown that hasn’t been said a thousand times. So I’ll end this blog with a single picture of the People’s Princess.

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Next time the fashions of Wallis Simpson.....

Friday, November 26, 2010

Eye Candy Friday - November 30, 2010




EYE CANDY FRIDAY --

The members of the Reflections of Vintage seller's network are pleased to offer the following currently available in their shops.


Vintage 40s 50s Designer Emma Domb Strapless Ballgown Dress Embellished with 3-D Flower Appliques and Sequins - Rich Pink Satin - Size B36 - Small to Medium from CATSEYE VINTAGE


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Vintage 1960s Pillbox Cream Fur Hat by Alfreda from AFTER DARK VINTAGE


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Vintage 50s Heathered Wool Wiggle Pencil Dress, Small from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO


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Vintage 50s Black Taffeta Bubble Skirt Cocktail Party Dress Embellished with Velvet Bows -- Designer Nathan Strong - Size B35 -- Small from CATSEYE VINTAGE


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Vintage Reversible Fringed Knit Cape Western Style from ALLEY CATS VINTAGE


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Vintage Early 40s Tilt Hat, Fabulous Pink Ostrich Plume from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO


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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Exquisite Women's Skirt Suits - Circa 1940s through Early 1960s



Exquisite Women's Wool Skirt Suits - Circa 1940s through early 1960s.

The 1940s through the early 1960s was the heyday of beautifully tailored women's skirt suits, as sophisticated, and stylish now as they were back in the day.

Many of these suits were made of fine wool or silk fabric and featured exquisite details such as fur collars and lovely seaming and fit.

The Reflections of Vintage sellers network are pleased to present the following women's skirt suits currently available in their shops.


Vintage 40s 50s Designer Youthcraft Navy Blue Wool Garbardine Hourglass Peplum Jacket and Skirt Suit -- With Silver Mink Collar - Size Extra Small from CATSEYE VINTAGE


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Vintage 40s 50s Glenhaven Blue Tweed Town Suit Nipped Waist B34 Size Small from AFTER DARK VINTAGE


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Vintage 1940s 40s Ladies' Gabardine Skirt Suit, Large from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO


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Vintage 40s 50s Designer Handmacher Wool Gabardine Hourglass Chocolate Brown Jacket and Skirt Suit -- Size Small to Medium from CATSEYE VINTAGE


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Vintage 1960s Blue Wool Suit by Forstmann B42 W30 from AFTER DARK VINTAGE


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Vintage Designer Mad Men Pencil Skirt Suit, XS Sm from VINTAGE BAUBLES TOO


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Wednesday, November 17, 2010

A "Few of Our Favorite Things...."

We here at the Reflections of Vintage group love all things vintage--not just clothing! It's a passion with us, from apparel and accessories to housewares and furniture. When you view our listings or purchase something from us, you know there's someone on the "other end of that e-mail" who appreciates vintage in the same way you do. Today, we thought we'd share with you a few things that aren't in our online shops....

AlleyCats Vintage has this marvelous vintage kitchen cabinet chock full of beautiful vintage glassware, dinnerware, and more. We'd like to go shopping in her kitchen!
That pitcher is fabulous....

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You won't find Vintage Baubles out of the house without one of her vintage bags. I haven't carried a "new" bag in so long I can't remember when!

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From left: Small Coach sling bag perfect for traveling, plastic hand-beaded bag from Hong Kong for dressy occasions, brown everyday shoulder bag of buttery-soft Italian leather (doesn't look like much, but its quality is top notch).

We also enjoy our eclectic collection of furnishings and accessories, such as this antique treadle sewing-machine cabinet that serves as table for a mid-century ceramic lamp.

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And sharing space on our mantelpiece are unicorns, horses, and a steer along with a ceramic stein, cigarette lighter, and pottery planter--all vintage, of course!

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Starting this month, Catseye Vintage will be sharing a few of her favorite things, such as
vintage glassware, kitchenware, and women's accessories, at a space in the 57th Street Antiques in Sacramento, CA, the area's premier antiques mall. Stop by if you're in the area!

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There are lots of ways you can incorporate vintage into your home as well as your wardrobe. And don't be afraid to mix and match eras, styles, etc. Decorating and accessorizing with vintage is fun and gives you a style of your own!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Even as a child I loved magazines. Aunts and Uncles would bring me their old magazines and I would add them to my stash. Unfortunately my parents weren’t wild about my collection, so slowly while I was at school my piles got smaller. Didn’t matter to them that we had every issue of National Geographic on shelves in our basement....that belonged to them....Ladies Home Journal, McCalls, Seventeen, Vogue, and Glamour just wasn’t in the same league as National Geographic so my stash got tossed.
Vitality Shoes 1955 Journal
Today I continue searching for those vintage magazines I found so entertaining in my youth. I search flea markets and antique stores looking for that perfect issue to add to my collection. You can find rare issues in many online venues but nothing compares to the thrill of actually capturing them from estates and auctions.

Mountains of information can be gleamed from the pages, even if only for a chuckle. Mainly for me it takes me down memory lane when life was simple and often humorous. I especially love the ads. Does anyone remember: “Unguentine”? Did you know Greer Garson was a cook and created many recipes? And “You’ll feel lovelier with your ODO-RO-NO double circle of protection”? I’m not sure what you do with it exactly but I bet it worked wonderfully.

I’m much ridiculed about my old magazines but I find NO one comes to my house without picking one up and diligently studying each page and eventually screaming ‘my Mother had one of these’. My greatest compliment came from my husband when he asked if he could have one of my 1966 Consumer Guides to take to work for his friends to admire.

When you find them don’t pass them by. There’s a wealth of entertainment inside those pages. After all don’t we all want to know who Eddie Fisher dated after Liz dumped him?

Lately I’ve been collecting vintage clothing ads.
Van Raalt Slip 1955 McCallsRain Dears 1955 McCalls

Corsets and Lingerie 1920s
1930's Sears, Roebuck Catalog
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Miss Swank ad from 1949 McCall's Magazine
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Daniel Green 1949 McCall's Magazine
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Colorful Dresses from the 1956 Aldens Catalog
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Swirl ad from the 1960 McCall's Magazine
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J. C. Penney Co. Coats
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Lastly this little treasure was found at the bottom of a vintage hat box.

Please feel free to copy any of these ads. If you are looking for something special drop me an email and I"ll see if I can find it.

Here's a list of our network of sellers

My Vintage Cocktail on Etsy

Catseye Vintage on Ecrater

After Dark Vintage on Ruby Plaza

Vintage Baubles

Catseye Vintage on Etsy

Alley Cats Vintage on Etsy

Vintage Baubles Too on TIAS

Alley Cats Vintage on Ruby Lane