Photo Friday: Brooklyn Beauties Edition

Good morning!

Friday, Friday. I went to sleep last night at nine o'clock because I am 1,000 years old, and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to hit the ground running! Isn't it strange how the body functions much better with an adequate amount of sleep and a friendly cup of coffee of a morning. Wonders never cease. The Tennessee weather is fuh-reezing today so I bundled up in my persian lamb swing coat to catch the 8 o'clock parking shuttle, and am I glad I did! It's like wearing a heavy blanket, and the pockets are lined with some kind of wool for extra "why did you think thin mittens would be enough?" hand warmth.

I may have looked more stylish than usual to my fellow downtown commuters this morning, but boy, I wish I was half as stylish as some of the women in these photos! They're from this flickr user's extensive photostream (you may recognize him as the superman in converses from my Halloween post-- there's so much good stuff on this page), and represent groupings of his mother, her sister, and friends in Brooklyn, New York, sometime in the late forties' and early fifties'. These girls could dress and how!

On the left, you've got a simple but visually interesting crinolined dress with white gloves, hat, and small envelope purse. Look how the scallops on the trim and the way it goes from shoulder to hemline draw the eye to you, you, you as the wearer. I am always finding these sort of top-of-the-head hats and never able to competently wear them because they're too small (oh, to be petite! The grass is always greener!). In the middle picture, it may be hard to make out but the woman is wearing a long skirt, a vest, and a collared blouse, all three pieces of which I approve of. I just recently found a vintage velvet blouse I thought was gone with the wind but was actually just stowed deep in the recesses of my over-stuffed closet. Maybe I'll try it all together like this! On the right, a prim-as-pearls ensemble with CRAZY CUTE purse, crisp wool suit, hat, and fur stole collar detail. As always, I wish I knew what colors these dresses were.

Here's the trio dressed up maybe to go to church? Again, note the just-your-lipstick-and-compact-and-a-hankie box purses, hats, and rockin' outerwear. I'm getting to where the late forties'/early fifties' is my go-to time period for style emulation-- look at how these girls look elegant without looking too formal, and feminine without having to deal with a bunch of maribou trim and flounces. Look at the wood picket fence and the for-serious columns on that front porch.

Having these photos grouped in three is hard on my objectivity...I keep trying to decide which of the three is the cutest! Is it the almost-zebra print blouse of the first photo, the AAH, RUFFLES AND WHITE TRIM SKIRT of the second photo, or the tom boyish sassiness of the third photo? I say, let's choose not to choose and just wear one of these outfits three different days, as they are equally cute. How neat is it that she's in Brooklyn and the hat has a "B" for her hometown? I'm at a point right now (see: inability to find vest for several months despite it being close at hand) where I need to clear out a massive number of things-that-didn't-work or things-I-don't-wear from my closet just so I can get to the things that do work and that I do wear. When clothes hangers are snapping under the pressure from their sardined neighbor clothing, you know its time to thin the herd a little. I will use some of these as inspiration for future outfits, though, while I make the tearful but necessary cuts!!

Last ladies' grouping-- in the next set, Fran (the mom) gets married and a bunch of the photos from that time are more of little kids than high street style of the late forties'. And that's how it should be! Marriage, kids, the whole nine yards, the old photos are really neat. But let's take a last look at these bachelor girls in their great clothes. I want to a) learn how to set my hair but first b) get the guts to cut my hair into a short enough hairstyle that would facilitate setting.. Do you see the belled sleeves of the picture of Fran in the swing set?

So! What do you think? Cute or CUUUUTE? Which outfit do you want to steal? Do you have any photos of relatives of yours strutting their stuff in their Sunday best? What tips do you have for cutting down closet clutter and sticking to what-works in the wardrobe department? Let's talk!!

That's all for today but I'll catch you all back here Monday. Have a great weekend! Til then.