Photo Friday: Cavalcade of Fashion Edition

Good morning!

Hope you all survived another lovely holiday! It's almost the weekend, and you know what that means-- more vintage photos for your examination. This flickr set includes several itinerant-photographer-taken photos of this user's mom on the go in the forties' and early fifties'. The kicker? She made all these ensembles herself!

I know people say, oh, yes, my mother/grandmother/great-grandmother sewed, but I'm gonna get real with you-- my grandmother, yes she sewed, and yes she could stitch, seam, hem beautifully-- but all of her clothes were simple dresses or A-line skirts or shift tops. THIS lady, on the other hand, looks like she could have come out of the pages of Vogue dressed like that. EACH. OUTFIT. has some crazy natty, perfect detail that I'm just-now-noticing as I go back and look again. Wanna see?

Item one: The forties' fashion editor on her lunch break outfit:

• purposeful stride
• high brimmed, almost turban-ish, two-tone hat
• beautifully lapelled swing coat, worn arms-out, cape style, like some field general!
• black sack purse
• leather gloves
• fitted black dress. Do you see the little pleating detail on the abdomen. Why yes, and why YES, people.

Item two: The cool housewife on her errands outfit

• The sunglasses, the pearls, the earrings...just wow. You know she knew she was styling that day.
• The detailed-with-a-little-notch-at-the-front pumps. And her slim ankles and small feet! I finally have the former but will never have the latter. Some lives are marked by missed opportunities!
• The perfectly fitted, wide collared, pockets-at-the-hip dress. UM!
• The possibly-gold-metal purse. In my heart of hearts, I'm hoping it's something like this, though it might just be the light reflecting on a leather grain. 

Item three: The All American Beauty on her way to do some serious shopping outfit

• Playful, two tone composition of the dress with those BUTTONS, oh those buttons! What colors do you think this dress was?
• Freaking adorable high heel sandals.
• Another bag I wish I had right now, here with me, with my stuff in it.
• Look on her face like "Yes, why yes, I do look like a million dollars, cash. How nice of you to notice!"

Item four: The most stylish secretary from the fifty-second floor typists' pool outfit:

• The neat collar and sleeve cuffs, the mother of pearl buttons on her blouse
• The pleats in the skirt with the button detail, plus the cinched-but-not-too-cinched belt at the waist
• Those slingbacks are actual omg to die for.
• That purse isn't showing a lot of itself, but looks practical and cute.
• THE METAL NECKLACE TOPPER! Oh, the metal necklace at her throat is so GLAMOROUS. Look how even a "I'm going to work" outfit is all-the-way killing it!

Item Five: The movie star on her way to an opening downtown

• I think this is her cutest hair out of the bunch.
• She really knows how to accessorize! Note the bag, shoes, earrings and necklace are all turning up the volume on the coat and dress.
• Is this the way swing coats are meant to be worn? I always avoid (truth time, I always buy and then hoard instead of wearing) forties' and fifties' coats without closures (snaps, buttons, etc) because I feel like they look a little like an unbelted bathrobe (NO). Wearing one Diana Vreeland style as a kind of long cape with good shoulder-pads is something that had not occurred to me, but be sure that I'm going to try it out ASAP with a little Cain Sloan number I've been saving.

Item Six: The Wild Card outfit!

• Bet you didn't see this one coming! 
• The loudest of the bunch, this is also one of my favorites. I was re-reading...I think it was either Jackie Style or Audrey Style by Pamela Clarke Keogh (both of which are indispensable for the aspiring fashion icon, btw) a couple of months ago and the author advised against polka dots wider than a pencil eraser...while I still adhere to this as a rule, I think this woman's half dollar sized dots go really well with the unusual draping across the hip and bodice of the dress. All that loudness without the variation in shape would have been a little too much, but as is, I think she looks darling.
• Last thing: the belt matches, people! THE BELT MATCHES.

Which one of these woman-on-the-street clothing ensembles was your favorite? Don't you wish there were still men on the street to catch you in your Sunday best, on the fly, so you would have photos of you, in your prime, on your way to work to show your grand-kids? I sure do!

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you back here on Monday! Til then.