From Only Yesterday, one of my favorite nonfiction books about the 1920s, written in 1931 before the full brunt of the Depression had been felt, but long enough after the stockmarket crash for the author and his audience to know things had irrevocably changed:

…one of the most conspicuous results of prosperity was the conquest of the whole country by urban tastes…and ways of living…Girls in the villages of New Hampshire and Wyoming wore the same brief skirts and used the same lipsticks as their sisters in New York…The possession of millions was a sign of success and success was worshiped the country over.

With the taste for strong liquors went a taste for strong language.  To one’s dinner party, the inevitable antithesis for ‘grand’ & ’swell’ had become ‘lousy.’  An unexpected ‘damn’ or ‘hell’ uttered on the New York stage was no longer a signal for the sudden sharp laughter of shocked surprise.

I started rereading this little book on a whim and forgot how I’d underlined my favorite passages.  If I’d gone to graduate school, I know my area of study would have been the literature and culture of this time period.

My favorite bit is perhaps the opening chapter, where comparisons are drawn between the beginning of the decade and just how different things were only 10 years earlier.

In 1919…[the average woman] wears low shoes now for spring has come, but all last winter she protected her ankles either with spats or…high laced walking boots…Her stockings are black…the idea of flesh-colored stockings would appall her…short-haired women, like long-haired men, are associated with radicalism, if not with free love…[she] has never heard of a vitamin…

I remembered thinking ‘low shoes’ meant flats as opposed to heels–not realizing the writer is referring to whether the average woman’s ankles were covered.

Thankfully Only Yesterday is not out of print–there are copies available everywhere.

Images from Shorpy and the Library of Congress.

& check out Me Melodia with the vintage Cute Overload.

I’m not sure how I missed posting about the little items that came out of my metalsmithing class last week.  While only the 2nd of the three classes I’ve had so far, it’s easily my favorite.

Taking any old shape, pasting a paper version or drawing it directly on a metal sheet, and then sawing it out, was by far the easiest lesson.  While labor intensive, it’s not supplies intensive–that is, I could do this at home with the right tools without having to worry about setting my hair on fire.

Even better, the Dremel I got for Christmas came in super handy for sanding out the rough edges.

The birds should end up in the shop as pendants–I’ve just been too busy sewing to get around to adding chain or beads.  The teapot is quite large but might end up as a pendant as well.

We shall see.

While I’ve never been 100% on board with the ruffle trend, it’s been impossible to escape for some time.  What finally won me over was a take on the look that wasn’t over-the-top feminine–and the realization that I could make my own version of it.

Because while I love the look of a little frill on a classic coat, I have never worn double breasted anything–and certainly not for $118.

There are always trench coats at thrift stores so I figured a quick search would turn up something suitably that I could hem to a shorter, spring appropriate length–and use the excess for the ruffle at the collar.

This coat was perfect–one of at least four or five I tried on.  Single breasted with a little more shape, it also was ridiculously long and bound to provide enough material to embellish the collar.  A few of the coats had removable linings, which would have made the hemming process easier but the structure of this one appealed to me more.

I hemmed it over the course of a few days, documented in my wardrobe_remix shots.  Then on to the collar.

I completely ripped out the outer seams of the 1970s collar and re-shaped it to less Brady-like dimensions.  I then unstitched the inner band where the collar was sewn in.

Using the remnant from the hem of the coat, I created a ruffled edge.  J. Crew’s version appears to have a hemmed edge but I just folded mine over.

I first pleated the fabric then basted the edge before pulling the threads tight to create the ruffled look.  I started out with a lot more fabric, perhaps 6 or 7 inches in width, than what ended up in the collar.  6 inches was a bit floppy and Elizabethan so I just kept trimming and basting until, after pinning into place, it looked how I wanted.

It’s difficult to see here but the large patch pockets made it impossible to make the coat the hip length I’d originally imagined.  But I’ve come around to liking the fun flare of the length.

I couldn’t wait to wear it.

And I’ll definitely wear it again today when we go out on our first house hunting foray.

Hope you had a great weekend.

I came across artist Thomas Meyer via Twitter of all places.

I love the high fashion feel.

& his wife’s work is pretty sweet, too.

Happy Friday.

I know I ended up at Rebecca’s blog due to clicking on a comment she’d made on another blog–I can’t remember which for the life of me.  Either way, I can’t really resist a blog named ‘Baby Sloth.’

In any case, I was admiring the various things she’d thrifted (to live in the south!) when I realized she had an Etsy shop selling said finds.

I had to have this skirt.

Had I not been so tired, the alteration to this 1970s trenchcoat would be posted already.  The finishing touches will have to wait for the weekend.

My love of platform beds, while not as oft-documented as my love of purple, capes, or the sailor trend, is just as long standing.  So you can imagine I just about died when I came across this picture on decor8.

Obviously the pet rabbit doesn’t hurt.

There’s drapey, fluid and Romanesque–

–and then there’s just utterly shapeless and sack-like.

Godammit I’m Mad pretty much captures why this person has a collection at all.

As someone who’s only recently discovered the myriad of domestic things you can find in antique malls and vintage shops, I was thrilled to see Robin at Fashion by Bowie starting a series ‘What is This Thing.’

Even when vintage things are immediately identifiable, like an apron, I’ve often wondered why you’d have one in chiffon with ruffles–only to find out that back in the day women had aprons to cook in, and aprons to host in.  I hope Robin keeps it up.

…..

I can’t remember how I came across Inhabitat but I’m glad I did.  It lacks the holier-than-thou tone that sometimes gets associated with the green movement with articles on everything from Alexander McQueen to tables made from recycled car parts.

Being from a city that was recycling long before the rest of the country, I’m always excited to see innovative and appealing uses of old things.

…..

In catching up on my reader, I noticed so many blogs celebrating anniversaries!  When I think back to how thrilled I’d be whenever I came across a site carrying content that I wanted to read, it blows my mind to think how I can’t even keep up with all of the amazing sites out there now.

So I laughed when I came across this post about the 10 types of internet comments.  Blogging feels like a way of life these days and this list definitely reinforces that.

…..

Finally, while you already may have seen this pint sized version of the Sartorialist on other sites, I had to share little Arlo Weiner here, too.  If only I’d been so stylish as a kid!

This article in Lucky inspired me to pair my bright blue chinos with a ribbed tank–a color combination I don’t think I’ve tried before.

Though my look is a lot less couture.

When we later went out for dinner, the boyfriend threw on something besides a t-shirt and unconsciously echoed the color scheme.

I guess we have to be one of those couples who matches every once in a while.

With the rain pouring down outside and temperatures finally creeping up, it seems all too appropriate to start thinking about other things associated with spring.

Though I have no green thumb myself (especially after years of apartment living), I had to smile at the cover of this pamphlet issued during World War II.  Don’t you wear shoulder pads when you’re tilling the soil?

Happy Friday.

I spent most of last Saturday sewing–and I think the Saturday before as well.  This is the result.

A couple of cozies in shades of red.  Apples & Gingham and Butterflies & Blooms.

A hand stitched flower in a rosette style I haven’t used before and am absolutely loving.

& one more yoke top from a men’s shirt, this time with a little embellishment.  This one will go in the shop as soon as I have time to list it.

I’m going to take pictures of the sewing I do this weekend with the plan of having a tutorial up next week.  It will be based around a jacket I’m coveting but think should be easy to replicate…I think…

Given that baby showers have taken the place of the bridal showers and bachelorette parties it seems like I was just attending, I’ve been browsing for items I’ve never really looked at before.

The creatures in Silly Turnips shop have me going ‘aw.’  Hand sewn from recycled fabrics, the fawns, pups and bunnies are too sweet for words.

Even better, they don’t have any buttons or other parts that would be a hazard to a little baby.

Altogether now, ‘Aw!’

I’m not alone in feeling like spring is in the air–despite the fact that snow fell in Seattle this past Sunday. As much as I was feeling the florals when spring was on it’s way last year, the ubiquitous nature of the trend has me a bit sick of flowers before the season for them has fully arrived.

It’s the fabric itself I’m focused on, diaphanous and lightweight like this wrap top from Free People.

Or the seersucker look of this Gap jacket. The wide open neckline & bracelet length sleeves don’t hurt either.

And vaguely utilitarian looking dresses, like these two from Obey and Built by Wendy.

I don’t know what I’ll do if it snows again.

I remain completely oblivious to certain elements in my community, despite having lived here my whole life.  That includes Pratt, a local arts center a 12 minute drive from my home.  A colleague let me know about their classes and it didn’t take me long to sign up for the next jewelry/metalsmithing workshop.

The first lesson was on forging, which included annealing and pickling.  I’ve learned roughly what these terms mean from haunting the Etsy forums but it was another thing entirely to be handling hammers, torches, and tongs myself.

We worked in copper given the cheapness of the material and the inexperience of the students.  Handling hammers helped us get familiar with the tools, though I still managed to bash my thumb.

The result of all of this playing around was a few banged up pieces that I’m strangely satisfied by.  I can’t wait for the next class.

& for those of you counting, this is #44.

Though it may sound hard to believe, the Time Life series chronicling each decade starts to lose my interest after the 1930s edition.  I realized it had been ages–perhaps even since I first bought the set off ebay–since I flipped through the 1940s volume.

Of course the roller derby pictures caught my attention.

The pictures regarding war-time rationing also gave me pause–if only because rompers seem to be making their way back into fashion.

Fabulous hats on ladies who lunch.

A Japanese family shortly before being sent to an internment camp.

And one more roller derby shot.  Just because.

Related reading:

1870-1900 :: 1900-1910 :: 1910-1920 :: 1920-1930

Web comic Kate Beaton has launched a new site featuring her incredible work.  As it relates to style, this might be my favorite:

But as a history & literature dork, Lord Byron, Benedict Arnold, Queen Elizabeth, or James Cook  are pretty awesome as well.

Happy Friday.

Despite the fact that there was snow and hail last week, the arrival of mid-March and daylight savings makes it feel as though spring really is on the way.  It made me realize I need to squeeze in wearing my boots and tights while I still can.

That also means thinking about which pairs have held up over the last couple of months and which ones will be heading into the garbage instead of storage once the warmer temparatures arrive for good.

These fishnets finally bit the dust yesterday but probably would have lasted longer if I hadn’t snagged them on a boot buckle when crossing my legs.  I bought them at least a year ago from a drug store for $5.00 or so; the cost per wear was definitely worth it.

The second pair that will be heading into the garbage are from Sock Dreams.  I’ve complained before about one size fits all over on flickr but these really were ridiculous from the start.  At this point, wearing them means pulling the waist band away from my body until I’ve got enough fabric to tie into a knot.  I do love all the things Sock Dreams carry but I wouldn’t buy these tights again.

The keepers include a pair from Forever 21, Target and Nordstrom Rack.

The Forever 21 pair are ace when it comes to fit.  The waist doesn’t rise past my belly button but I also don’t feel like a total sausage.  The toes did start to give way but a couple of stitches on the Pfaff took care of that.  & love the color.

The Target pair aren’t as fantastic but, unlike the two other pairs I bought at the same time, these didn’t get a hole after one wear.  The lack of give to the fabric makes me realize why those holes appeared–these fit more like pants than tights and stretching or pulling obviously puts strain on the fiber.  Not a great thing in tights.

Finally, these sweater tights were my stalwarts all winter.  Thick and comfortable, the only flaw is they have a foot shape that’s far larger than my own foot.  Unless I want a heel bulge, I have to wear these with boots.

If you have tights or other legwear recommendations, I’d love to hear them.

A copy of Sew Hip arrived a few weeks back courtesy of Suzanne over at Fieldy.  While I sat down upon stepping through the door of our place to flip through its every page at the time, I haven’t had time to write about it until now.

The articles on fabric designers (including the enviable Amy Butler) are interspersed among great projects.  This sweet blouse pattern should come in handy for all of my friends who are having kids.

& how cute is the model?  Now I just need to pick up some elastic and given my track record, might have a shirt or two done by next winter.

I’m also loving the little stuffed animals, especially the crazy little cat that is the perfect use for scraps.  Of course, mine would be in black and white.

As a maker of things that hold things, I love seeing a clever take on the whole idea.

You might recognize the wallet–it’s the same brand carried by MoMA, where my boyfriend got his own.  I can’t help coveting the camera case and am totally charmed by the needlepoint phone cozy.

Perhaps it’s just because I remember this look the first time it made an appearance.

But J.Crew trying to give instructions on how to peg your jeans just made me laugh.

& even if I hadn’t sported my pegged jeans with International News sweatshirts back in the day, I think I could figure it out without their help.