Snow & Sew

It's been snowing on and off since Friday and now there is a biting wind too.



So I've been keeping indoors trying to finish off some sewing projects that have
been hanging around before I start my next dress.


Firstly a black taffeta skirt from this 1940s pattern so I can do my 40s hostess
look at Christmas.


Here it is with a 1990s green & black devoree blouse by Planet off ebay I think.
Worn with gold and silver Rayne platforms c1949.


Then this lovely 50s dolman sleeve dress which I made in an ikat print jersey


Fabulous warm dress for this horrible winter weather and incredibly heavy because
of the amount of fabric in the skirt. Worn with some Crocodile embossed leather
Rayne courts c1960.

Both patterns are now available at Wickedlady Collectables

Books for Christmas - Sewing & Thrifting

For your best, for yourself, for the planet.


The "Reader's Digest" Complete Guide to Sewing


Hats: Making Classic Hats and Headpieces in Fabric, Felt and Straw


Make Do & Mend


Sew & Save


Flea Market Style


Romantic Style: Create a Beautiful Home with a Romantic Vintage Look


Basic Patternmaking in Fashion


How to Use, Adapt and Design Sewing Patterns

1930s Knitted Step-ins Pattern

While looking through my vintage magazines for something completely different I came across this pattern for knitted cami-knicks. c1938. The Vintage Baroness had expressed an interest in these so I got scanning right away.

Ski Fashions 1938

There's snow on the ground here in Yorkshire which makes this 1938 skiwear post timely, though it's more or less by accident.
I particularly like the title of the fashion article, presumably chosen without any sense of irony.

Miss Rayne in the Smoke

Just back from a weekend in London to see a show and do some Christmas Shopping.

The Show - The Opium Den by Dita Von Teese


15 minutes of heaven, Dita wears a stunning swarowski kimono & corset trimmed with a red dragon.


Rose petal confetti from the show. Cute.

The Shopping - Covent Garden & Carnaby Street
I was severely tempted to buy everyone shoes for Christmas and then keep them myself...


Click for Big. Stuart Weitzman at Covent Garden


Carnaby Street, has a lovely Irregular Choice shop, hard to say whether I found more
shoes that I liked or my husband did.


Lanvin at H&M - the H&M stores had windows of the new collection due to be launched tomorrow  and there were projections of the frocks on Marble Arch, which was a bit weird as they kept getting lost in the archway. All the shops invited you to come in and enquire about the waiting list.

Party Shoes

Oh look, guess what I've been doing recently.....
What I bought (in black)


The ones that got away..... (too high, too dear, too divine)

Burlesque Style


Red Carpet Style


Walking On Velvet


Mad Men Style


Bargain Glam


Goth Glam

The Fashionable Woman as seen by Hardy Amies

This article appeared in the Ideal Home Book 1947-48 (An Annual). It is a fascinating read on the sea-change that occurred in 1947 after Dior introduced the 'New Look'. The end of the war had already seen a swing back towards femininity in dress, long dinner gowns and full skirted evening dresses were already been worn in England. Just  not on the scale that Dior introduced. The horror that greeted Dior's new line, in certain  English circles, was not about evening wear which was only worn by a small proportion of the population, but that he had lowered skirt lengths on day wear. Every woman in England wore day dresses, coats and skirts, where was the fabric to come from?


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Illustrated here are some English couturier designs from 1947-1948, most of which don't take much notice of the Dior line, and if they do it's because that was what English couturiers were doing anyway.


Suit by Hardy Amies 1948


Military influenced coat by Creed 1948


Satin evening gown by Hartnell 1948


Spectator Sports brown wool evening gown with gold lame dots 1948


Starke morning and afternoon dresses November 1947


Stiebel for Jacqmar youthful evening gown November 1947

Playboy of Paris

Can you 'Spot the Difference' in these 2 pictures?
Right first time a stonking great cocktail bar hidden by a wall of books.


Click for big. From Ideal Home magazine Dec 1940

Oh how I would love a cocktail bar like this. This delightful plaything belonged to a Frenchman living in Surrey in the 1930s.


Late 40s 'Woodmet' aluminium drinks trolley.

My little offering is actually a trolley rather than a bar which I have just been restocking for Christmas. I decided if I couldn't have a bar I wouldn't have a cabinet. But plans are afoot to build me a bar out of some left-over vitrolite from my 40s style kitchen.

Rib & Cable Twin Set 1944

From Weldon's Needlework Illustrated magazine Autumn 1944



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Platforms, Ankle Straps and Red Nylons 1948

This article from one of the Sunday Mirror newspapers of spring 1948 made me GREEN with envy. Red Nylons! In England in 1948 women were struggling to find ANY nylons at all but the Americans had RED. NYLONS. (sigh)


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In all my years as a vintage clothes dealer I have only ever come across one pair of 50s coloured nylon stockings, they are an apple green shade, though the packet mentions rose pink and light blue. There were also nude coloured stockings with coloured welts and stockings with flocked designs on the welt, of which I have had one pair.

Sewing Projects

You may recall that I decided to make up this pattern a couple of months ago.


The reason it has taken so long is that I wanted to finish this project first

A McCall's late 1930s panelled skirt and vogue wasitcoat pattern from 1951 in worsted. Worn with tan snakeskin Miss Rayne shoes and silk pussybow blouse.

But at last I've finished it and am rather pleased with the result.


Worn with black patent Rayne court shoes (one size too small) M&S black velvet 1980s skirt, lime green leather gloves, New Look Hat and 1950s silk parasol which are both available at Wickedlady Collectables.

Photos inspired by Jacques Fath pictures 1947


If you haven't tried making up a vintage pattern before, this is a very easy beginning particularly if you DON'T use plaids.