Shop Update: Marcasite and Whimsy

I recently acquired two very different lots of jewelry:

one full of marcasite and the other full of whimsy!

Classy VS Cute

  

 These marcasite pieces are stunning, circa 1920s - 1930s. 

Onxy Ring

Ruby Ring

Marcasite Necklace

These whimsical pieces are adorable! Circa 1940s - 1970s.

Watch Ring

Whistle Bracelet

Pocketwatch Necklace

All are listed in the shop. Hope you enjoy!

The Aristocrat of Knitted Wear

I found this amazing late 30s - 40s sweater dress and was charmed by

its tag: Marinette . . .  The Aristocrat of Knitted Wear:

It's stunning! Perfectly muted taupe, with intricate stitching and

a matching skinny belt.

When I looked up the maker, I found two newspapers  

featuring ads from Marinette: one from 1936 (above) 

and another from 1935 (below).

Not surprisingly, all their fashions (blouses, dresses, and skirts) 

are hand-knit. They also specialize in larger sizes. 

The first ad states Sizes: 14 to 20; and 

the following year's ad says Sizes 12 to 44.

This beauty is best suited for a modern day Medium - Large,

and the material has plenty of give to cling to your curves.

Fabrics and Flowers

Recently, I persuaded the lovely Kater to do a jewelry and handbag shoot with me just outside of Albany. We found a pretty little park out in Voorheesville, NY with a little bridge and lots of lush greenery! The weather was not entirely cooperative, but I was able to snag some pretty shots in between drizzles.

 

Red plaid fabric bag, $32.

Green Knitting Bag, sold.

Taupe cotton bag, coming soon!

Red and Mustard striped bag, coming soon!

harmonious garments

summer. cotton. straw. green. vintage. peter pan collar. mary janes. woven.

Dress.

Shoes.

Purse.

All available in my vintage shop!

The j-3 crew will be at the Etsy Handmade (+ Vintage) event in tomorrow
in Hudson, NY and hope to meet some of you there!

https://www.facebook.com/events/180989615354188/

a guest model + new equipment

So, I got a new camera! It's pretty great, and although I'm still learning, I wanted to share some of my first pictures with you! I'm very lucky that my friend and fellow vintage-enthusiast, Kater, was willing to be my guest model for this shoot. She looks amazing in everything, and for this shoot, we did mostly hats and jewelry so that I could work on my macro and portrait shots.

 Grabbed a little extra sunshine for this black hat since the satin was only a few 

shades darker than her brown locks.

(I've been nagging her to give us an eyeliner tutorial.)

All of these items will be in the shop shortly! Thanks to the lovely Kaitlin of AllThisHappiness for being the prettiest model around! She's wearing a vintage dress from her personal collection, her nail polish is June (a true coral) from Chanel, and her lips are Niagara by Nars. Stunning!

Dress Twins: 1940s - 1950s Dresses

I have some amazingly similar dresses in the shop right now!

This first set is from the same lady, who loved

 sailor collars, plum hues, and stripes. 

Which do you prefer: wool or cotton?

Busts: 36" - 38"

Waists: 27" - 30"

These two are from different lots. 

Full skirt or flat skirt?

Busts: 37" - 38"

Waists: 27" - 28"

These wool wiggle dresses were purchased from the 

same estate: Collar vs. Bow?

Busts: 34" - 36"

Waists: 26" - 27"

1940: Keep Trim ... Keep Slim ...

From the same source as my previous post (Life, September 1940), I'm sharing 

my favorite body image ads of the time. Although most of these are

targeted specifically at women, the above ad includes the entire family.

"Want Hollywood measurements? Then do as Hollywood does . . . ride a bike! Pedal your way to a slim, trim figure . . . to good looks and good health! Bicycling is good fun for everyone . . . the young, and all who want to stay young. Why not see your neighborhood dealer in bicycles at once? Buy a bike"

-Cycle Traders of America, NYC, 1940.

"I'm a smoothie if there ever was one . . . a band panty that blends my lines with yours. My silky-smooth texture defies all chafing for I'm made of Celanese rayon, guaranteed not to run, shrink, or sag. And my NO-BELT WAISTBAND, a miracle of comfort, actually breathes with you!"

-Blue Swan Mill, NYC, 1940.

Beauty naps are passe . . . Beauty rides the Vogue!

(with a fabulous comic, which ends with the father saying, "Say, Mother, since you started riding a bike a few weeks ago, I can hardly tell you from daughter.")

The Majorette by Venus came with a "free figure analysis" if you simply sent in your bust, waist and hip measurements, and included your length from waist to knee and weight. Yikes!

Munsingwear's Half-Pint Pants were found only at "better stores" and "nipped off fullness" with their unique blend of silk and rayon.

Which shall I upload for next week?

The liquor ads.

The cigarette ads.

The food ads.

1940: College Girls in Men's Clothing

Loved this article so much, I scanned it in for you to enjoy.

The above photo has this caption, "Jumper dresses are outstanding non-masculine style in fall college wardrobes. The one at left, however, retains a masculine affinity in fabric i.e., men's-wear gray flannel. Although all plaids are popular, newest are the plaids with white grounds."

My favorite photo of the bunch reads, "Visor cap resembles those worn by baseball players, is made of corduroy in numerous colors. Wood bracelet has a dangling penknife for carving dates, initials, etc."

These pictures are of a "mannish jacket . . . purposely loose-fitting," as well as men's moccasins 

and a man's raincoat. The red rubber boots are an adaption of boy's boots.

Left: Men's slacks, pictured on women who attend Eastern college.

Right: Men's jackets, the real thing, not tailored for women. Right buttoning, and first made news when worn by female students at the Smith College.

Here's my source: Life, September 1940.