Lucite Purses - Popular Bags of the 1940s

When many ladies hear “Lucite handbags”, they stereotypically associate them with plastics (PVC), meaning low-price, cheap, economical, or low-integrity.

How far from the truth!

Created by Viryabo@Polyvore
During the prosperous years that followed the end of the 2nd World War, the boom years to be precise, a thermoplastic product was the rave. From interior and industrial design where plastics were used for furniture and geometric forms, to fashion and style where designers created fashion accessories like jewellery, handbags, clutch bags, and purses using strong and durable thermoplastics.

Vintage Lucite is sturdy and was a much better than Bakelite, an earlier plastic of the 1920s used in radios and jewellery.

Lucite bags became popular in the 1940s with purse lines which include:
  • Rialto
  • Maxim
  •  Shoreham
  • Tyrolean
  •  Llewelyn
  • Venzer
  • Charles Foster
  • Wilardy Originals

Lucite handbags and purses came in so many forms and variety including the trendy shell-shaped purse, the flashy rhinestone-studded birdcage bag, and the regal blue-beaded bag inspired by the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

There were also handbags with their casings pre-filled with anything from smooth pebbles, seashells, raffia and artificial flowers, to glitter, ribbons, and even pressed butterflies.

Some feature embroidery and hand-painted details, with embellishments like faux pearls, diamanté, beads, and metals. Many Lucite handbags had matching compacts and/or cigarette cases often mounted directly onto their lids but then in some way, these handbags originated from designs of women jewellery boxes created by Will Hardy, son of Wilardy founder.

According to the history of fashion, “After he designed a Lucite jewellery box for buyers at Saks Fifth Avenue, they recommended adding a strap to turn the box into a handbag. This led to Hardy’s entry into the world of plastic purses, and by 1951, the Wilardy business was producing 64 styles of Lucite bags in 14 different colours”.

Articles:
Vintage Inspired Box Handbags
Luxury Handbag Brands 
How to Look Vintage Chic in Everyday Clothes 


Women's T-Shirts with Vintage-Inspired Art Illustrations




From whimsical prints of the European circus to vintage poster art, famous 20th-century quotes, and fashion icon reproductions images, t-shirts with vintage-inspired art and illustrations are getting the attention of t-shirt aficionados.

If you are a baby boomer who loves keepsakes of, for instance, famous bands of the 1960s - Jimmy Hendrix or Paul McCartney, you will love band t-shirts. And if you are a Coco Chanel or Twiggy fan, you will admire tees with prints of your favourite fashion icons.

If you love vintage-inspired art and graphics illustrations, retro prints of vintage automobiles and motorbikes, and ritzy themes in sepia and black and white are a must-have.

Other Vintage-Inspired Features to Look Out For


If you seek t-shirts with classic 20th-century graphics, look out for the following:
  • Caricatures
  • Black and white prints
  • Sepia illustrations
  • Bold patterns.
  • Crazy characters
  • Classic quotes
  • Photographs of your favourite 20th-century silver screen actors.
And if you can’t find what you are looking for in the shops, you can make your own T-shirts online. The process is simple. You can even create your own special line if you believe that making t-shirts is a great business idea ((consider the fun aspect). For inspiring visuals, search for royalty-free antique or vintage graphics, inspirational quotes, old photographs, patterns, characters, and comic themes.


Further Reading:
T-Shirt Styles Inspired by the Vintage Era
Graphic Art and Illustrations of Vintage Fashion and Style

Box Handbags. Yesterday's Vintage-Inspired Bags Today

Box handbags are making a comeback. It’s easy to see why. They are timeless and sophisticated. They are structured, vintage-inspired accessories that add elegance and charm to a woman’s outfit.
Whether you wear a classic suit or a quirky full-circle skirt, paired with a boxy handbag, the ensemble transforms into uber-stylish.


Materials, Shapes, and Sizes


Known for their rigid, structured form, box bags come in various materials, including real and faux leather, canvas, wicker, denim, PU leather, and synthetic (PVC-based) materials. They come in different shapes: rectangular, square, cube, cylindrical, and treasure-chest-like. Additionally, their sizes vary from small clutch sizes and embellished mini bags to larger ones with adjustable and removable straps.

Faux Reptile Snakeskin Box Bag

Retro Revival: The Box Handbag Returns


It's the 21st Century, and box handbags, a trendy fashion accessory of the early 1900s, are back. Often associated with the flapper movement of the 1920s, they were small decorative evening bags embellished with beads, sequins, and intricate embroidery.

Over a hundred years after the first box handbag, the accessory has been spotted on fashion runways and embraced by celebrities like Alexa Chung and Taylor Swift, who pair them with everything from tailored outfits to casual denim looks.


Not Just Stylish


Box bags are versatile. They can transition seamlessly from day to night accessories. Pair a structured box bag with a formal outfit for an elegant evening look, or opt for a box bag with a strap for your casual daytime ensemble.


Embroidered Beaded Evening Box Purse


If you wish to add a box handbag to your collection, there are plenty of options available. From authentic vintage finds to modern interpretations, you can explore retailers like ModCloth, eBay, and Amazon to find the perfect piece that suits your style. Incorporating one into your wardrobe is a nod to timeless fashion, where you can blend the best of vintage with modern fashion styles.

Timeless Style: The Allure of Vintage-Inspired Luxury Handbags for Elegant Women

How to Dress Vintage Chic Style in Everyday Clothes

Will you like to always look stylish in your everyday clothes? Do you desire a change to your dressing style? Are you considering trying to create a sophisticated chic look? If your answers are yes or maybe, this article is for you and the vintage-inspired.

If you are an enthusiast of vintage fashion but don’t like the head-to-toe vintage appeal, you can create your fashion signature using everyday clothes in combination with authentic and vintage-inspired fashion pieces.

Classic Vintage Fashion Accessories

For a vintage-inspired look, you don't have to change your wardrobe. You do not require a huge budget to accomplish this either. The things you need are some choice basics that take care of the finer details – apparel finds, accessories, collectables, and other heirloom items.

One of the most important items to have to achieve a vintage-inspired look is fashion accessories. We know how accessorising can help dictate an era of fashion. These include shoes, costume jewellery, hats, handbags, belts, and purses. These are the finer fashion details that can give that lady-like charm characteristic of antique and vintage fashion.


Creating the Look


So, how can you create the look? How can you make yourself stand out from the crowd’s usual way of dressing? It’s simple. By adding the most unexpected details to your ordinary-looking outfits, you can give yourself that second-glance look every time.

Clothing

If you like to rummage through estate or garage sales findings, you will sometimes find the unusual item of clothing. It may be a 20s blouse, a retro skirt, or a halter top. Apparel made with classic fabrics like embroidered cotton, linen, tweed, silk, wool, and linen are good finds. Clothes made of these traditional fabrics give off timeless elegant flavours.

Don’t underestimate the clothing you already have in your closet. You can integrate and combine your clothes in many ways you didn’t think possible. Clothing with bold patterns, polka dots, and remarkably large prints are very vintage. They work well in combination with plain pieces. And neutral colours like black, white, cream, navy blue, emerald green, and grey are colours you can count on to create a stylish ensemble.

Your tailored and form-fitting dresses that show off your figure are typical of vintage clothing. If necessary, wear body-form shapewear to give you the required curves.

Typical Vintage Styles

The following type of clothing will give you that stylish vintage-chic look you aim for. You don't necessarily require every item listed, but you’ll get a general idea of what can work best for your new look.

Tailored pants:
Ankle length, slight boot cut, straight, skinny (pencil), flared, and wide-leg.

Informal pants:
Pedal pushers, culottes, jumpsuits, and knee-length shorts.

Skirts:
High-waist, pencil, midi, ballerina, full-circle, swing, flared, short-bustle, and wriggle skirts.

Dresses:
Swing, shift, peplum, coat, sheath dresses, ball gown, polo dress, shirt-waist dress, drop-waist dress, and flapper style dresses.

Tops:
Long, short, cap, and sleeveless blouses. These also include shirts with tiny buttons, cardigans, knit tops, puff-sleeve shirts, peasant tops and halter blouses.

Jackets and Coats:
Frock coats, blazers, faux-fur collar coats, short and long wool coats, swing coats, trench coats, hooded capes, and vintage tweed coats.

Vintage Clothing Features and Details

Vintage styles have certain identifying features which make them stand out. If (for instance) you are a sewing enthusiast or dressmaker, you can revive some of your old forgotten-in-the-closet clothes and turn them into something new. These features include:

Necklines:
Square cut
Sweetheart
Cowl
Scoop neckline
V-shape
Boat
Crew necklines

Collars:
Peter Pan
Embellished detachable
Classic
Portrait
Boat-neck collars

Traditional Cuffs:
White cuffs
French
Square
Mandarin
Double cuffs
High 3-button
Long and pointed


Classic Accessories


Nothing can throw off your new style than if you use the wrong fashion accessories. The shoes you wear, your cameo costume jewellery, or the headpiece you put on must serve as elegant round-ups to your entire ensemble.

The good-to-have accessories include scarves, retro sunglasses, hats, purses, perhaps a parasol (for some drama), and clutch bags. Have at least one of each in your wardrobe and consider them the finishing touches you need.

Jewellery

Simple traditional jewellery is good to wear with modern outfits if you want an understated but stylish appearance. But you can wear the more elaborate costume jewelry for an air of class and sophistication.

You can invest in affordable classic-style costume jewellery when you need to glam up your attires for that va-va-voom look. Traditional design costume pieces of jewellery are the easiest and most affordable items you need to create a vintage-inspired tasteful look. The following fashion accessories are great to have and wear with your everyday clothes.

Earrings
Small hoops, cameos, studs (faux pearl or Swarovski), and chandelier earrings.

Bracelets
Cuff bangles, cha-cha bracelets, tennis bracelets, and wristwatches with metal or leather straps. Name bracelets, charm bracelets, wrap, and clamper bracelets.

Necklaces
Long gold and silver chains. Elaborate faux gems pendants, pearls, birthstones, and cameo pendants, including diamond solitaire, lockets, and gold cross pendants. Choker necklaces and bib necklaces are also inspired pieces from a past fashion era.

Rings
Statement rings, rings with wide or thin bands, heirloom rings, Art deco rings, and cocktail rings.

Brooch and Pin
Whimsical and flirty pins, cameo brooches, personalised brooches, and gem-set pins.

Shoes

If you like classic styles, you will love shopping for affordable vintage-replicated shoes because good shoes make the best impression. Wear a nice suit with the wrong pair of shoes and you’ve made a fashion blunder.

Finding one or two fabulous pairs of vintage-inspired shoes is essential if you want to incorporate styles from another era with today’s trends. Vintage-reproduction shoes, also referred to as modern vintage shoes are quite affordable. Women's vintage shoe style reproductions to look out for are:

Espadrille wedges
Sling-backs
Lace-up Oxfords
T-straps
Mary Jane shoes
Saddle shoes
Peep toe shoes
Patent pumps
Lace-up boots
Ballet flats
Kitten heels (pumps or boots)
A pair of red shoes
Animal print flats
Stilettos
Moccasins

Handbags and purses

Traditional handbags and modern ones fashioned after vintage bags are popular and never go out of style and many die-hard vintage fashion enthusiasts have one in their closets. Reproductions now have special pockets for makeup, writing material, cell phones, and other modern devices. Owning one (or two) is a unique way to establish your fashion signature. Examples of vintage style bags that have been replicated to suit modern fashionistas are:

Retro bags
Lucite handbags
Beaded flapper purse
Floral bags
Coin purses
Sister Jane handbags

 

Sunglasses and frames for reading glasses

You can find inexpensive old-style eyewear like sunglasses and frames for reading glasses at street markets, on Amazon, and Etsy.

1950s cat-eye sunglasses
Brow-line sunglasses
1960s over-sized glasses
Retro square
1970s tinted lens
1980s aviator sunglasses
1990s round wire-framed

 

Scarves

When you think about vintage hair scarves, your mind brings up images of glamorous silver screen stars of Old Hollywood. Scarves are versatile and functional and you can wear them around the neck or over your head and tied under the chin, classic French style. Add some drama and playfulness with vintage-inspired scarves with floral, green foliage, polka dots, bold stripes, and paisley patterns, or in vibrant block colours.

Hats

Stylish hats are back in a big way and the best of the pick are the styles inspired by 20th-century hat designers. Designs range from the 1920s cloche and 1940s berets to the fifties pillbox hat, fascinators, and retro pagoda hats. Wear them for some oomph and charm and make them an essential part of your informal clothing. 




The vintage-chic style demands that the clothes and fashion accessories you wear are neat, clean, stylish, but simple. Clothing should be wrinkle-free and colour coordinated and it is important not to over-accessorize for a vintage-inspired look.

Graphic Art and Illustrations of Vintage Fashion and Style

If you love the charm of vintage fashion and appreciate the art of fashion design of a glorious era of close to a century ago, it is certain that like many of us boomers, you'll love graphic art and illustrations of classic clothing and accessories designs.

Pictures of fashion as far back as the very early 1900s (a century ago) up until the 1960s are delightful images to behold.
Created by Viryabo@Polyvore

Hardly comparable to photo art and digital images of the 21st century, vintage art has a unique quality of its own . . . could be the fact that a good number are in black and white, some in sepia ("a reddish-brown colour associated particularly with monochrome photographs of the 19th and early 20th centuries") while the majority are in colour, or as paper prints of sketches, including painted artwork.


There is royalty free vintage fashion graphic art you can find on Clip Art, Shutterstock, and Pixaby sites to mention a few. However, a majority of free sites only allow you use them for personal and not commercial use. So you can't really download such images, blow up the sizes, print them out and hang them on your walls!

You will also find (for sale) art illustrations of classic fashion and style that's not only unique and special but will make wonderful focal points in your living room, dining room, or hallway.


Prices of such beautiful art may range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars, depending on a number of factors like if they are on canvas, are posters, lithographs, rare photographs, vector art, or prints.

Size is another factor that may determine how cheap, affordable or expensive haute couture artwork is.
From Victorian fashion styles to the Great Gatsby look; 50s women's chic to the retro and indie style, graphic art illustrations of vintage fashion and accessories displayed in interior spaces not only look classy, they speak volumes of the stylish attributes and taste of its owner.


Further Reading:
Famous Fashion Designers of the 1920s
7 Famous Fashion Designers of the 1960s
History of T-Shirts: From Underwear to Fashion Statements
 

Dress Like a Silver Screen Goddess: Old Hollywood Style

Most of us know them on screen or have heard about them, the silver screen goddesses of the 20th Century and many will agree that these leading ladies of Old Hollywood helped shape and define fashion and style.

Not surprising because many movies of the early to mid-20th century were quite like fashion shows within a story.





Many of us who cherish classic styles all have some love for vintage-inspired clothing and accessories designs. This is hardly surprising as most of us grew up during the age of cinema visits and silver screen movies that not only gave us great stories to view but also showed us how glamorous men and women looked in their wonderful classic clothing designs.

If you ever watch classic movies, you’ll notice how well-groomed everyone looks. From the newspaper boy to the heiress, everyone looks so well dressed and stylish.

And the stars . . . Most times they look absolutely stunning, whether they wear casuals, day wear, office wear, or formal evening wears.


Screen Goddesses Who Were Fashion Icons



In the 20s and 30s, there were:

Louise Brooks - Of the 20s silent movies is an iconic symbol of the flapper style and for popularising the bobbed hairstyle.

Greta Garbo – A film actress from Sweden. Garbo was an international star and fashion icon in the 1920s and 1930s. She is best known for her acting career in both silent and talking movies

Joan Crawford - One of Hollywood’s greatest stars and a formidable legend who starred in the famous movie “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?”

Gloria Swanson - Actress and producer. She was a silent screen legend and the epitome of early Hollywood glamour. She was perhaps the most glittering silver screen goddess of Hollywood's golden youth in the twenties.

These old Hollywood screen goddesses acted some of their most memorable roles and films in elegant and gorgeous attire, casual, sporty, and formal wear.


Beautiful outfits of some of the glamorous Old Hollywood stars - 1920s to 1930s fashion.


In the 50s, there were:

Audrey Hepburn – She popularised the LBD (little black dress) and made it an item. Until this day, every woman wants an LBD in her wardrobe.

Marilyn Monroe - One of the greatest, most recognisable fashion and beauty icons of all time. She defined glamour for a generation when she sang “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend”






Grace Kelly – A silver screen actress who became a Princess. Kelly starred in movies such as “To Catch a Thief” and “Dial M for Murder”. Her screen outfits were some of the most talked-about in old Hollywood.






Sofia Loren – This glamorous vintage movie star virtually defined the post-war look of continental sexual appeal.





Lauren Bacall – She had such provocative glamour that it elevated her to fame in Hollywood's golden age. Her fashion style, distinctive voice and sultry looks made her a very popular actress of her time. Bacall was named the “20th greatest female star of Classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute”.





Every woman and girl wanted to look like their screen idol and wear the same hairstyles she wore. They wanted the same make-up and clothes that their favourite star, who seemingly belonged to a very modern advanced world, wore.

From their bikinis and IT bags to their full-circle swing dresses and Dior's ‘new look’, the 20s and 50s were without doubt fashion's favourite decades. Some of the elegant styles of the time still continue to be points of reference by fashion designers and fashionistas till this day.




Further Reading:
How to Dress Like Women of the Fifties
7 Famous Fashion Designers of the 1960s


Images created by Viryabo@Polyvore

7 Famous Fashion Designers of the 1920s

For the fashionable and fashion designers, it was the decade of the roaring 20s and the jazz age, with fashion apparel and accessories that included cloche hats, Art Deco evening dresses, high-heeled footwear, bobbed hairstyles, and exclusive casual clothes for women (leisurewear and sportswear).

There was a lot of drinking, smoking, and partying, and it was so because it was a wonderful relief to deviate from those years of voluminous Victorian-style clothes, petticoats, and ‘rib-cracking’ corsets.

Fashion and Style of the 1920s

In the twenties, fashion was finally becoming more relaxed with looser fitting clothes and defined by the camisole and chemise as undergarments, underwear that replaced the confining and tight-fitting corsets.

The famous fashion designers of the era include:
  1. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel
  2. Elsa Schiaparelli
  3. Jeanne Lanvin 
  4. Paul Poiret 
  5. Florrie Westwood
  6. Madeleine Vionnet
  7. Jean Patou
Of all these top fashion designers, illustrators, and couturiers, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, founder of the Chanel brand, has the most lasting legacy of them all, continuing to be popular even to this day, 45 years after her demise.

Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel


Coco Chanel was and still remains one of the biggest names in the fashion and beauty industry. After being unsuccessful in finding work as a singer, she finally went into the fashion industry by opening a boutique called ‘Chanel Modes ' in Paris.

Coco soon became a famed fashion designer as she revolutionised the way women wore clothes, paving a new way for the fashion brand. She was a fashion icon herself. Her simple but elegant style changed the course of fashion history.


Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel

Some of her popular styles include:

Trousers for women – Her choice to wear sailor pants made the style spread so quickly, with her die-hard fans emulating her almost instantly.

Little black dress (LBD) – Most women associate the little black dress with Audrey Hepburn because she wore it in the famous movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. However, it was first designed by Coco Chanel in 1926. A calf-length simple black sheath, it was labelled “a frock that all the world would wear”. The style has become a wardrobe essential for every woman ever since.

Suits for women – She created iconic suits for women, being inspired by menswear; specifically men’s suits. Jackets were collar-less with fitted sleeves, embellished buttons, and were cut stylishly boxy with an accompanying skirt that was slim-cut and trim. Chanel suits were very popular among famous celebrities like Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn.

Quilt-stitched handbags and ballet flats
– Not unlike the ballet flats of today, one of her popular styles in footwear is the two-toned ballet style shoes and the quilted bags with chain straps that both continue to remain staples in the fashion scene of today.

Coco Chanel was known to favour mostly black and white colour combinations, especially stripes. To date, some fashion designers of contemporary labels continue to introduce replications of her creations, fashion season after season.

Elsa Schiaparelli


She was an Italian fashion designer and a great rival of Coco Chanel. Regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the fashion scene between both World Wars, Schiaparelli's creations were influenced by surrealists like Salvador Dalí (a skilled draftsman and prominent Spanish painter), and Jean Cocteau (a French writer, filmmaker, designer, artist, and playwright).



Elsa Schiaparelli

The designer’s famed fashion styles include:

The wrap dress – Inspired by aprons, the design of the wrap dress was made to flatter the female silhouette. Originally conceived as women’s beachwear, the dress was popular as a design for everyday, easy-to-wear clothing.

The divided skirt – This style was really a forerunner of women's shorts, and it shocked the tennis world when worn by Lili de Alvarez at Wimbledon in 1931.

2-Piece evening wear - Evening gowns with matching jackets.

Speakeasy Soiree dress – Popular during the 20s to the 30s Prohibition era in the United States, the speakeasy dress was designed with a hidden pocket that was meant for a flask to conceal alcoholic beverages.

Clothing with visible zippers - Zippers (zips) were a key feature of her fashion designs. They were made of some form of plastic, bold and chunky, visibly clasping dress necklines and running down sleeves, dresses, and even skirts. She designed wardrobes for a good number of movie stars, including Zsa Zsa Gabor and Mae West.

Jeanne Lanvin


Born in Paris in 1867, Jeanne Lanvin, who founded the Lanvin brand, was a French Haute Couture fashion designer who was not only famous for fashion designing but was also the founder of Lanvin Parfums, a beauty company and perfumery. She is known to be the founder of the world’s oldest fashion house.

She started on the fashion scene by being a milliner (hat maker), but soon became a fashion designer and couturier.



Jeanne-Marie Lanvin

Jeanne Lanvin designed wonderful clothing for her daughter Marguerite, something that inspired her and was the actual driving force behind her design creations. The beautiful designs of the dresses she made for her daughter were so admired by women, there grew a demand for adult versions of such exquisite clothing. Lanvin soon after created clothing lines for women and young girls, becoming well known for her mother-and-daughter outfits.

Her famous designs include:
  • Empire-waist chemise dresses
  • Robe de Style - Bouffant style clothing for larger women (a design that became her signature piece)
She loved to work with expensive fabrics and embellishments like delicate trimmings, embroidery, exquisite beadwork, ribbons, ruffles, lace, mirrors, and flowers. Jeanne also used ornamentation such as appliqué, quilting, 'couching', pearls, corals, tiny shells, and sequins.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have a public/limelight image like her industry rival, Coco Chanel, who self-promoted her fashion designs. Karl Elberfeld once wrote about her . . . “Her image wasn’t as strong as that of Chanel because she was a nice old lady and not a fashion plate”.

The House of Lanvin is still very much alive today, going from strength to strength. Indeed, a wonderful legacy for a talented fashion designer.

Paul Poiret


Probably the most fashion-conscious of the early 20th-century fashion designers, Paul Poiret was particularly noted for his neoclassic and ‘oriental-ish’ creations with clothing designs that are cut along straight lines and rectangular motifs. The structured cuts represented the beginning of ‘modern fashion’, something quite welcomed, especially after the era of women's clothing that always required wearing voluminous dresses with constricting corsets.




He was actually more popular in the first decade of the 1900s, more than he was in the 1920s, when his popularity started to wane.

Poiret’s flamboyant designs, which generally came in brilliant colours – shades of red, blue, green, purple, and blue include:
  • Lampshade tunics
  • Hobble skirts
  • Harem pants
  • Turbans
  • Draped evening gowns
  • The Empire style
Poiret was particularly noted for reviving the empire style and advocating the replacement of corsets with the ‘modern’ bra. His clothing still features prominently in the collections of fashion museums worldwide.

Florrie Westwood


Relatively unknown but very talented, Florrie Westwood is what we can describe today as a fashion illustrator. As a London fashion designer who was very active in the early 1900s, not much is known about her apart from the fact that she created wonderful designs through her drawings, which were mainly elegant, high-end, conservative styles.

Westwood’s fashion drawing illustrations emphasised the new fashion of the time... the linear silhouette and ankle-length clothing. The coat designs also showed the new shape, a higher neck covering and greater shoulder coverage of fur collars and cuffs.

There were hundreds of now-anonymous dressmakers and designers like Florrie Westwood who existed in towns and cities across the country until the mid-20th-century when mass-produced ready-made (ready-to-wear) clothing came to dominate the fashion scene.


Madeleine Vionnet


Though Madeleine Vionnet was a popular name in the 1920s fashion industry, however, unlike Coco Chanel, who is still popular to this day, she is no longer a household name.


Illustration created by Viryabo@Polyvore

Born in 1876, Vionnet was a French fashion designer who got her training in London but returned to Paris to start her fashion house in 1912. After the First World War, she soon became one of the top French fashion designers of her time, up until the late 1930s.

Her signature creations showed a woman’s natural silhouette, unlike earlier fashion styles that, rather than flattering a woman’s body, distorted her shape.

Her elegant clothing designs, which literally floated freely around the body, were popularised by the:

Grecian style dresses – Popularly referred to as the "Queen of the bias cut" Vionnet is best known today for her elegant Greek-style dresses (she was inspired by ancient Greek art) and for popularising the bias cut.

As an expert couturier, Madeleine Vionnet designed her dresses with the bias cut, aiming to create sleek, body-flattering, body-skimming apparel that eventually revolutionised women's fashion, thus catapulting her to the top of the fashion world and making her one of the most famous fashion designers of the 1920s and 1930s.

She is credited with inspiring several of today’s fashion designers with this unique design feature.

She hardly changed her designs throughout her career as a fashion designer, but by the 30s, the last decade of her profession, her dress designs became a little more closely fitted to a woman’s body.

Vionnet passed on in 1975

Jean Patou


Patou was a perfumer, a debauchee, and a fashion designer. He is recognised as the one who invented the "designer tie" in the 1920s and his famous cubist cardigans with matching hats, scarves and gloves. These two creations were some of the most popular trends of the 1920s.

The designer tie is simply men's ties made in the same fabric as the women's dress collection. The style is still prominent among modern fashion designers like Timmy Everest (a bespoke tailor and designer from Wales), Paul Smith (a famous British fashion designer), and Louis Féraud (a French artist and fashion designer).



Patou marketed his clothes mostly to the rich, but with the stock market crash affecting the purses of the wealthy more than most, the House of Patou continued to survive through its perfume production.

He was the innovator of ready-to-wear clothing, which marked a new direction in 1920s couture and the concept of off-the-rack designer wear that we know today. His other creations include:
  • Knitted swimwear
  • Sportswear – In comfortable yet stylish designs that personified the fashionable "new woman”. Those who wanted to look stylishly sporty, even if they did not participate in any form of exercise.
  • Tennis skirt – Below the knee and knee-length skirts. He, notably, designed the then-daring sleeveless and knee-length cut tennis wear for Suzanne Lenglen, a famous French tennis player who won 31 Championship titles between 1914 and 1926
  • Cubist-inspired jumpers - An ultra-modern motif that was also applied to matching skirts, bags, and bathing costumes
  • Robes d’intérieur – Negligées
  • The triangular sports scarf – An accessory worn knotted at one shoulder
  • Bell-skirted, high-waist evening dresses - In 1929, he raised the waistline of the skirt and brought it back to its natural hemline, a style that Coco Chanel immediately followed.
His evening wear was usually made in Georgette crêpe and beaded, delicately embroidered, or embellished with fine lace.

In the mid-20s, Jean Patou started a perfume business that is still thriving and well-known even to this day, eighty years after his demise in 1936. His early death made him one of the most undervalued but famous fashion designers of all time.


Further Reading:

7 Famous Fashion Designers of the 1960s
Clothing Styles We Will Hate to See Come Back 

Art Deco-Inspired Fashion Rings

Art Deco style jewellery oozes glamour and sophistication. For women who love flashy and bold fashion accessories, nothing beats the beauty of Art Deco designs. Chic, bold, and at times sassy, jewelry designs of that era covers the early decades of the 20th Century; the 1920s to the 1930s.


The appeal for antique and vintage-inspired rings is not new. Fashion-conscious women have always been captivated by the distinctive style and charm of old-style accessories, especially of authentic rings and brooches of the 19th and 20th centuries. They possess a distinguishing character that is decidedly missing in modern-day fashion rings. Their stylish and elaborate details surpass the sometimes garish, and at best, glitzy bling you find on the market today rings devoid of uniqueness and the exceptional details of yesteryears.

Difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco Style


Although Art Nouveau (1890 – 1915) and Art Deco (the 1920s – 1930s) are two of the defining art movements of the 1900s, where the former consists of graceful curvaceous lines, with emphasis on plant and flower motifs, lacy flourishes, and feminine scrollwork, the latter features angles and sleek, streamlined, and bold geometric shapes crafted in silver tones, white gold, or platinum. While it is commonplace to confuse one for the other, the two styles are entirely different.

Art Deco Inspired Rings


Asides from diamonds (genuine or faux), and precious (or non-precious) metals in silver and gold tones, Art Deco ring designs often feature brightly coloured stones like ruby, sapphire, and emerald. Designs were heavily eclectic and daring and forms large with dramatic designs. You will often find rings with large rectangular/hexagonal/square centre-set gemstones with distinctive halos of uniquely set side stones. Asides from symmetrical patterns, other motifs are styles influenced by Egyptian, African, and Indian culture.

7 Popular Art Deco Jewelry Gemstones


Popular precious (and semi-precious) stones of the era include:

1. Ruby

2. Emerald

3. Sapphire

4. Onyx

5. Crystal

6. Ivory

7. Jade

Others are mother-of-pearl, corals, and colourful faux gems. They are set on metals such as silver, white gold, platinum, chrome, and marcasite. Many of the high-end pieces are accented with filigree and diamonds. Nothing typifies opulence and the Jazz Age lavishness more than sprays of tiny diamonds set on elaborate Art Deco-style rings. 

How to Clean Vintage Lingerie: Wash and Care Tips

Vintage lingerie addicts know that authentic undergarment finds generally come as used or deadstock items. Some even come well-worn. While many of these items are made of linen, silk, satin, and such delicate fabrics, how to clean them is always an issue, especially if you do not know how to go about it.




If you are a collector who simply finds pleasure in amassing vintage underwear, you will need to know how to care for and store it. You will need to know how to avoid damaging them as they are delicate and aged undergarments. Fabrics over half a century old need the ideal cleaning care to preserve them for a bit longer.

If, for instance, you find:

  • Your great-great-grandmother’s private peignoir sets.
  • Some old Vanity Fair nylon slips.
  • A bullet bra at an online vintage store.
  • Deadstock (unused) knickers from a local thrift shop
  • Bridal garters from the 50s,

... you will want to know how to keep them clean without damaging their delicate material.


Common Damages of Vintage Lingerie


Because old lingerie has been stored away for decades, many of them may have become soiled due to dust accumulation or trapped dirt within the garment folds. Also, the prolonged exposure to heat, light, dampness, and dust may have caused almost irrevocable damage. If cleaning is not done carefully and methodically, you’ll find that some of them may tear while being cleaned.


How to Clean Antique and Vintage Undergarments. What You Need


Caution must be applied when you clean vintage lingerie. It is a painstaking task to clean items like silk panties or satin brassieres, but it can be done. Before you begin, ensure you have a wide, flat surface (counter or tabletop). This is important. Lying out on a flat surface makes it easier to clean carefully.

To clean, you will require the following:

  1. A couple of soft sponges.
  2. 2 large towels.
  3. 1 soft hand towel.
  4. Mild detergent or soap flakes.
  5. Mild softener.
  6. White vinegar (distilled).

The cleaning steps are as follows:

  1. On the flat table or counter, lay out a large towel.
  2. Moisten the soft hand towel and rub it gently over the surface of the lingerie.
  3. Mix water, mild detergent and softener in one of the bowls – ratio 1/8 detergent to softener to 3 cups of clean water.
  4. Dip a soft sponge in the soapy solution, lightly squeeze out excess solution and gently rub the sponge on areas/spots you aim to clean.
  5. Go with the grain of the material while applying the gentle rub. For tiny spot stains, use cotton swabs instead of a sponge.
  6. Dip the 2nd sponge in a bowl of clean water, squeeze lightly, and gently blot the soapy residue from the vintage lingerie. Do not rub.
  7. Prepare a mix of water and the white vinegar - 4 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 cups of water.
  8. Dip the clean towel in this mix and use it to gently dab the lingerie. This will balance the alkalinity of the soap. It will help to preserve the underwear.

The drying steps are as follows:

  1. To dry the lingerie, lay a large dry towel on the table and place the undergarment on it. Fold the towel over it and press on it very gently, and then leave to air dry. Do not wring wet vintage materials!
  2. Iron them gently on a low iron setting to remove all wrinkles. Do not use steam.

Professional Cleaning and Restoration


If your vintage underwear is a cherished family heirloom, you may not want to clean it yourself. If you fear that you may cause some damage, you can always have them cleaned professionally. And, if there are minor damages, for a small fee, a vintage restoration expert can repair and restore.

History of T-Shirts: From Underwear to Fashion Statements


Created by Viryabo@Polyvore

The t-shirt has come a long way since the late 1800s when it first evolved from men’s undergarments. It was an invisible item of clothing that served more as the top half of long John-type underpants. It was an item of clothing used by mine and dock workers to wear for the hot and stuffy environments of coal mines and the deep recesses of ships. Soon after, they became popular with workers in various industries.

In the early 20th century (around 1913), t-shirts gained popularity through the US Navy. They were issued to be worn as undershirts. And when sailors arrived in the warmer regions, it became commonplace for the marines to wear their t-shirts as outerwear, without shirts or jackets, to their work, parties, or when they went out to town.
 
They were typically short-sleeved with round crew necks (the origin of the name), just like some of the t-shirt neck styles of today. The V-neck styles soon followed.

The Evolution of Modern T-Shirts 

  
Today, t-shirts are worn by everyone. Almost everybody owns a couple of t-shirts (at least) in their clothing collection. They have become the go-to fashionable and trendy outerwear and a modern-day medium for self-expression, individuality, sports loyalties, musical inclinations, souvenirs, and company advertising.
 
With any imaginable combination of words, art, doodles, photographs, and graphic illustrations painted or printed on them, tees have gradually evolved from that plain piece of underwear to something colourful, statement-making, highly sought, cross-culture item of clothing worn by all ages, sizes, genders. The t-shirt is an item of clothing that can be worn as casual wear, formal wear, and anything else in between.

Related article:

Ugly Vintage Clothing Styles We Will Hate to See Come Back

Fashion design and clothing styles come and go, moving in an almost cyclic manner where the old becomes the new and eventually fades away back into the past that will one day also be tagged as vintage clothing.

Many vintage-inspired styles we see today have appeared a number of times over the decades albeit modified to suit the trends of the time.

A silk dress, worn with the hobble skirt

While some of these clothing styles still maintain some detailing features, not many possess the meticulous attention to detail which made their designs great, and neither are they made with such gorgeous fabrics, common elements of the past. For those who absolutely love vintage-style clothing, they’ll find that such unique beauty and finery are rarely present in modern-day designs.

But then, fashion hasn’t always been that impressive and some were unbecoming. And though we might have thought that some of them were 'cool' styles during their era, in all honesty, many of them were not!


Clothing Styles We Hope Never Make a Reappearance 


So which styles were the worst of the ‘pack’ and what is the reason why we’d rather not see them in today’s fashion houses and shopping malls? Which fashion trends do we hope never ever make a re-appearance in our clothing collections?

Hobble skirts of the 1910sThis style was a terribly restrictive skirt with a narrow hem that seemed intentionally designed to impede a woman’s stride. Wearers actually walked funny, hobbling to and fro. Luckily, this item of clothing was a short-lived fashion trend.




Paper dresses of the 1960s – These were another short-lived clothing style of the 60s. Whoever first designed the paper dress must have wanted to create some awful marketing stunt that went awry. However, paper dresses, made completely out of paper, were short-lived.

Utterly quirky and often featuring eye-catching patterns and shapes, including Yellow Pages and newspaper-type prints, this trend never really took off, for practical and understandable reasons.

The paper dress style hardly took off before it disappeared from the fashion scene.

Go-Go boots of the 1960s – Adopted by teen dancers, go-go boots looked so plastic and really cheap! Presumed to have been named after a certain dance style (go-go dance), they were the perfect discotheque boots. Remember the TV program Top of the Pops? They were created by famous fashion designer André Courrèges and came in white, had low heels, were mid-calf-high, and were generally described as sexy boots.

Sailor dress - The sailor dress is a vintage dress style that is fashioned after a sailor’s suit, particularly its bodice and collar design. It not only looked childish, but it was also unbecoming and made women look like dressed-up little girls. Sailor dresses were popularly known as Peter Thomson dresses (the naval tailor credited with designing the style).

Hammer pants or parachute pants I used to have a couple of pairs of these styles and thought they were actually hot! Today, will I wear a recreated copy? Definitely not!

Certainly, this clothing style also referred to as Aladdin pants (or drop-crotch pants) has to take the cake in terms of absolute ugliness.

Come to think about it, I can’t remember getting any compliments whenever I wore those pants! Don’t they remind you of diapers on toddlers? Well, those certainly look cute on the little tots but not so good-looking on an adult woman.

Aladdin Pants also called parachute pants were one of the most unbecoming styles and a staple of the 1990s pop culture. It is said that these billowy pants had their roots in Switzerland's sanitariums.

Poke bonnets of the 1800s – Many variations of the poke bonnet existed through much of the 1800s but now, a couple of centuries after, why would any woman want to wear a reproduction of this fashion accessory? You’ll barely see a wearer's face, well, not unless you stand right bang in front of her or poke your head through, but even then, they are gross and such an inexcusable headpiece.

Poke Bonnet - French Satire "Les Invisibles en Tête-à-Tête"

Crinoline skirts of the 19th Century – This is a hoop skirt made from thread, steel, and horse hair and was worn as innerwear (underwear) beneath a dress or skirt to make it spread out like a cone. But this fashion trend can be aptly described as a ‘fashion death trap’ (if the 21st-century woman had to describe it).

Built like a cage of sorts, the crinoline skirt is narrow at the waist and extremely wide at the hem. Ladies had to lift them askew to pass through very wide doorways. If this vintage fashion trend has to make a comeback, it should be termed as a hazardous piece of clothing.


1860s women's ball gowns worn over crinoline skirts.

Cone bras of the 40sIt is a good thing that these did not last long in the fashion scene. Also referred to as conical bras, they were actually the rave when they were first made famous by the pin-up girls of the 1940s. So, contrary to general opinion, Madonna wasn’t the first woman to wear cone bras.

A terribly unflattering item of lingerie (in my opinion), I doubt if enough women of today will even give it a second glance if it resurfaces in the stores. A cone bra is not the same as a bullet bra. One thing about the cone bra is that it may look eye-catching if worn under a sweater, pointing forward like two arrows, but it certainly didn't look sexy. Far from it!
A silk corset with cone bra made by Jean-Paul Gaultier