Good morning! Eartha and I are about to brave the freezing rain to drive up to Ashland City for one of Family Tree's estate sales, so if you don't hear from us by Monday, expect that we are in some Oregon Trail type situation, except replace the Conestoga with a Honda, and replace fording the river with trying to figure out if the highway is covered in black ice or not. The things we do to hunt for vintage stuff!!!!
Anyway, before I hit the road, here's a quick post from a Flickr stream of color photos from 1947 (it's my new favorite year) of the user's parent's honeymoon. And aren't they just CAPITAL vacation snaps?
One, I love how the mom is dressed exactly as I would imagine Hepburn on vacation-- trim grey slacks, brown laceups, brown belt, white soft collared shirt, great color blocked sweater. And she's threatening to throw a snowball at us! That scamp!
This is the dad, somewhere in the Painted Desert. Their 1947 post-nuptials vacation seems to have mainly been in Arizona, but the first picture is from Colorado of that same year (even though the couple is from Minnesota). They got around the country that year! See the dad's gold wrist watch, high waisted pants, and great smile.
All the snaps from the canyon itself are amazing-- it's so interesting to see the timelessness of that backdrop even almost seventy years later. The mother's plaid skinny strapped day dress is ACTUALLY KILLING ME. It's funny, but I can't remember seeing a lot of so bare-at-the-top summer wear in actual candid, vernacular photographs-- on fashion models, yes, but here's a pretty newlywed in a spaghetti strapped dress out in public in the day time-- and think about how hot it must have been! I don't blame her. Do you see the cute little black leather handbag with its similarly thin straps?
The shoes! The embroidery on the shoes! The tiny, slight wedge!
In this picture, the sweater from the Hepburn picture joins the strappy dress at an elevation of twelve thousand feet! No wonder she needed additional warm garments. Doesn't the girl look like Ingrid Bergman in this picture (high praise in my book)?
SO. BEAUTIFUL. SO! BEAUTIFUL!
Hiking and for some reason carrying a wrapped present (?), our heroine dons a freakin' adorable cap, rolls up some perfect 1940's denim trousers, and exposes her light blue socks to the world. She makes it look easy to throw together an athletic outdoors outfit!
I really like the markings on this "Newspaper Rock" and am again struck by the timelessness...the same marking that were there in 1847 are there in 1947 and will be there again in 2047. Amazing. Do you see the weird mammal looking thing in the center near the sun? My favorite.
"Look westward, angel!"
Aaaah! I want to see the coffee AND the curios! I am curios curious! Cute snap and look at all the cars and the adobe like building.
Now this is just cruel-- what are the trees of mystery! I don't have time to look the up right now, but let me know if you know!
That's all for this week...wish us luck at the sales and I will see you Monday!!
Wow, the Oregon Trail...I should maybe pack some rations! Today is totally a no mascara type of day - but also a pack some canned beans day also. These photos! The one where her back is to the camera in that sundress and she is looking over the valley! Oh! My! Holy! Lord! Epic.
ReplyDeleteHaha, we lived! WE LIVED! I can't get over that one shot you described. I want it as a like a mural in my house. GOR.GEOUS.
DeleteOMG she's amazing!! She's totally the epitome of casual vintage style! Like Eartha I LOVE the one where she's looking at the canyon and you just see the back of her head!
ReplyDeleteRight? It's breathtaking. I'm also studying all the other pictures to take notes on how to make three pieces work for five different outfit. She's so casual chic!
DeleteOh man! That wedding picture! The spaghetti strap dress! The view of the canyon! The Trees of Mystery with the elegant hand pointing in their direction! I especially love the shot of her with the sweater over the dress because it is so perfectly everyday and ordinary, and that makes it even more lovely.
ReplyDeleteGood luck at the estate sale! I hope you both find all kinds of treasures. And then share them with us, of course!
Could you DIE? I couldn't get over it. The hair! THE VEIL! The whole shebang. I know it doesn't fit into this post, but I wanted to make sure I mentioned it so you guys could see it! Fabulous pictures.
DeleteYour good luck worked-- we got some good loot! I forgot to take pictures but will share later this week. :)
I need that plaid sundress!
ReplyDeleteAccording to my good friend Google, the Trees of Mystery is a "tourist trap" that houses the giant Paul Bunyan and Babe statues in Redwood National Park.
They had me at the "of Mystery" part. It's all in the name and the sign, right? But now that I know about the PB and Babe statues...oh, I HAVE to go someday.
DeleteLove the pictures! The Trees of Mystery are in Klammath, CA, near the Oregon border in the Redwood Forest. You take a self-guided tour of the redwood trees that are growing in strange ways, its fun. Also it has a huge gift shop, and in the parking lot there is a huge statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe his Blue Ox, Paul talks to people walking up, which is a little creepy, kinda startled me! I used to live near that area and went a few times in the 1980's and stayed at the motel across the street in the mid-90's when I was driving thru with my husband. There is a coffee shop next to the motel, it was all very vintage preserved at that time, hope it still is. You should visit if you have the time and are close by. Enjoy your sale, hope you get some goodies!
ReplyDeleteOh neat! Thanks for the info, that's so cool you've "seen the mystery" of the Trees of Mystery! :) The Paul Bunyan talking to you thing sounds creepy awesome, and I love the sound of that coffee shop. I hope I get to get out there someday and that it's still as you described! We got a lot of great stuff, as I said above, I'll have to share this week!
DeleteI love early color photographs! These are fantastic. How much fun they must have had! Casual wear from c. 1945-1955 is so much fun. I love Seventeen magazine from that time period for the plaid skirts, penny loafers and other adorable, sensible flats.
ReplyDeleteStay safe out in the freezing rain! If you get hungry, try not to eat each other.
We made it! Somehow! The freezing rain wasn't really that bad. I love penny loafers and flats, but I never know how to style them, especially with socks...this lady has got my mind whirring with ideas, now, though!
DeleteAmazing photos as always, such an inspiration to see what real people wore (ad not just what the catalog says!) of you get a chance you should look into Fred Harvey, he did some really strange and some really amazing things from allowing women freedom in work to preserving some native American culture an ways of life. Also there's an adorable 1946 Judy Garland movie about the Harvey Girls!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hot tip! I remember the movie but not the Fred Harvey founder guy, so I'll have to check that out. And I agree, it's so neat to see stuff that's not "strictly catalog" but still so stylish!
DeleteFabulous pictures! I love her sundress SO MUCH! And those high-waisted jeans remind me that I need to persist in my quest in finding a pair that do not look weird on me. And have fun in Ashland...there was a lot of books and vintage jewelry left! I chickened out on the flea market today. The freezing rain got the better of me and my love of junk.
ReplyDeleteI remember your post on high waisted jeans-- I'm telling you, I can't find old-timey jeans that don't make me look ridiculous to SAVE. MY LIFE. I've seen them on plenty of people and they look cute (including our Photo Friday woman!) but maybe my 21st c. figure is just made all wrong for them. :( Friday was so rotten for being outside, I don't blame you on passing on the flea market...you did end up going on Sat or Sun, though, right? You got such good finds in Ashland City, I'm curious to see what else the weekend held in store for you! :)
DeleteLove the pictures! Especially the one where she's wearing the present and where you see the newspaper rock!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THAT NEWSPAPER ROCK. Aren't the drawings on it amazing? I would have liked the picture enough just with her outfits, but such scenic backdrops!
Deletebeautiful! i love the pretty lady in front of the canyon shots. i know i wouldn't look nearly as glamourous there today.
ReplyDeleteHaha, even clothes aside, I kept thinking, "How is she not all sweaty and miserable?" Vintage people were made of hardier stuff than us, I always look a MESS at the top of any kind of hike/outdoors situation!
Delete