The Vintage Style Files

How to clean gloves

2012-01-18T16:23:00.004+01:00

Image from here.

This is an excerpt from an article from Queens of Vintage, a web magazine I highly recommend. They in turn received the article from Jennifer Knox were you can read the article in full on her blog - Young Jen in Spats

"...Our gloves should be sparkling clean! Cloth gloves (silk, cotton, wool) can be handled exactly as other clothing from this material: washed in lukewarm water, layed out on towels, and dried. When they’re damp they can be ironed under fabric with a warm iron.

Cleaning leather gloves, which are worn most often because their durability, is a little more difficult. Wash leather gloves, as their name implies, are resistant to water and can be washed without a second thought. One prepares a mild soap bath and separated into three bowls. Then one washes the gloves twice and rinses them in the last bath, to which a little pure oil or glycerine has been added. The gloves remain softer when they aren’t rinsed in clean water and the soap stays in the leather. Don’t rub the leather, but press only between the hands. Then blow into the gloves strongly, which gives them the correct form and press them dry. Then they should be hung up, or put them over a glove form. Rub the dry leather lightly with the hands or brush them with a clean brush a few times against and with the grain.

The original article

Suede can be handled exactly like this. With dyed gloves, you should try to prolong putting them in (water) and handle the gloves dry. One rubs dirty, shiny areas with glass paper and brushes them, but not with a hard brush. Also when they are dirty with gasoline or are soaked in stain remover, one must rub them with glass paper again. What is best is to put the gloves on your hands, then you can feel how far you can go with the glass paper.

With suede gloves you see light clouds when they are washed in a soap bath. You can avoid this when you press them dry between two towels and leave them in for a time while kneading and rubbing them with the hands. What’s even better is when you avoid washing them in water totally and wash them in a gasoline bath. Lay them in warm gasoline and press them well in it. You must never bring the gasoline in a room where there is fire: warm it by putting it in an open container,and putting the container in a bowl of hot water.

Glace kid gloves are prone to water damage, as they are tanned with water soluble agents. To clean them put them on your hands and rub them with a damp flannel cloth that has either been soaked in gasoline, or soaked in a soap-bath and wrung out, so that it doesn’t hold any more water. Then rub the gloves dry on the hand with a soft rag. Very dirty gloves can be cleaned in a gasoline bath, just as was recommended for suede. In this way they can also be cleaned inside.

Pig leather gloves must always be treated with gasoline and then rubbed shiny again. However, you can also, just like suede, clean them regularly. You only must be careful when you rub them, and dry them quickly so dark edges and stains don’t soak in."

The elegance of smoking

2011-11-05T00:35:00.005+01:00

When I was a little girl I would hold a pencil between my fingers pretending it was a cigarette. There is something so refined with the image of smoking... That is not to say that I would ever promote smoking. No, smoking is hopefully soon a thing of the past everywhere. Still, these images of yesteryear make me long to hold a long cigarette in one hand and a cocktail glass in the other.

Frances Farmer

Nobody, nobody smokes like Marlene Dietrich!

Rita Hayworth in Gilda.

This feels straight out of Mad Men. And the tag line says it all, no? ;)

Good Posture

2011-06-15T12:47:00.003+02:00

I love hats!

2011-03-09T22:20:00.002+01:00

This is from the blog Modern Vintage Girl.

"With my recent fascination and obsession with hats I’ve been looking at hat etiquette for both men and women. It’s actually quite different with men being expected to follow more rules...

A few sources have suggested that the difference is to due with the construction of the hats and how women’s hats where normally attached with hat pins and had more embellishments which made them harder to carry/take off.

Women are not required to take their hats off when going indoors, as they are a part of their outfits, however they can choose to do so.

Women can wear hats at formal teas, luncheons, and wedding ceremonies/receptions.

Women do not need to remove hats for the national anthem, unless they are men’s style caps, however they can choose to do so.

Women do not need to remove hats when in a restaurant, however they can choose to do so.

After 6pm cocktail/hats with small brims are appropriate. Examples of other appropriate head wear for evening are: fascinators, cocktail hats, Veils, combs, scarves as a headband.

Women are not required to remove hats in churches or other places of worship.

Lucille Ball

Women do NOT wear hats when:

Their hat might block someones view at the theatre.

When at work in an office.

Sweater Clips

2011-01-11T03:05:00.003+01:00

Woman on the photo has no sweater clips on.

How to wear Sweater Clip Guards and Pins?

The idea for the sweater clip was to hold a very light weight sweater in place when worn loose on the shoulders. Sweater clips were very popular in the 1950s. You clip the sweater clips to each side of the collar of the sweater or just below. The sweater clips themselves are normally alligator type clips like that of what you find on a tie clip. Some sweater clips have a foldover clip like what was on dress clips from long ago. If you need a clip that holds very tight and secure then you may want a cinch clip as the alligator clips on the sweater clips don't really hold as secure. They are very attractive and come in many designs and lengths. If you need longer faux pearls or chains or shorter just let me know and I can modify one for you. You can also wear sweater clips on your blouse or vest as a decoration. These are so timeless and attractive.

This information came from here.

Gloves makes a woman feel glamorous

2011-01-05T23:04:00.005+01:00

There is something about gloves that instantly makes everything so much more elegant!

A simple dress will immediately look opulent with long gloves.

This neat information on how to wear gloves is from the excellent : Couture Allure Vintage Fashion Blog :

HOW TO PUT ON GLOVES:

1. Slip your hand down the glove and gently ease it on by grasping the cuff.

2. If the gloves are snug, smooth the fingers on gently to avoid splitting the seams.

3. Never pull by the cuff, as this can stretch your glove. Instead smooth the glove with upward strokes from the fingers up the arm.

4. Never push between the fingers. Smooth the fingers with upward strokes until the glove is comfortable.

HOW TO REMOVE GLOVES:

1. Pull gently at the tip of each finger until you can hold the fingertips of the glove.

2. Grasp all the fingertips of the glove in the opposite hand and pull gently to ease your hand out.

3. Never grasp the cuff to pull your gloves off, as this will turn them inside out.

HOW TO HOLD YOUR GLOVES:

1. After removing your gloves, ease away any creases and reshape them.

2. Fold the thumb of each glove in and press the two gloves together, palms in, with fingertips and cuffs even.

3. With the cuff end facing out, fold the gloves over the side of your hand between the forefinger and thumb. Hold them in place with your thumb.

4. If the gloves are long, fold them in half lengthwise and place the folded part out, then hold between the forefinger and thumb.

Remember, a lady always wears both gloves, not just one.

A good pair of trousers ...

2010-06-10T00:03:00.002+02:00

Kate

I love a pair of trousers that fit well. And all the ladies of the 1940s seemed to have plenty of them in their closets. Some of them were even famous for wearing trousers like the exquisite Katerine Hepburn.

Marlene

Betty

Kate again

Lauren

Why have a bad hair day ?

2010-03-28T08:31:00.004+02:00

Turbans is such a cool way of covering your hair!

They can be decorated like these ones...

Or just plain and simple...

Flowers is always a great way to accentuate and get more drama.

And look at this fashionable and innovative way of "making do" ! :)

Ps This is an new layout. How is this working ?

Vintage Homes

2009-11-22T19:36:00.006+01:00

This is foto is from a present exebihition on vintage homes at
Nordiska Museumet Foto: Peter Segemark

But perhaps this a bit more how most homes really looked in
Sweden in the 1930-40s ...

A picture perfect magazine home

Another museum home - The Aviation Museum in Cape May, NJ
Image from here.

Modern products - Vintage look, part 1

2009-11-20T01:41:00.003+01:00

This is the delightful powder of Paul & Joe. They have several pretty make-up products with a vintage look. Especially their nail polishes and varnish bottles.

Perhaps some of you vintage lovers have other products you can recommend ?

This is probably the prettiest clutch I´ve ever seen ! Although new it has a distinct vintage look acquired by the attached vintage ornaments and would go beautifully with a black vintage 1940s dress like say this one below. An Adrian original from Dressing Vintage. This clutch and others can be found in a post by fellow blgger - Greetz from Tiz.

Heightening The Bathroom Experience !

2009-11-05T16:21:00.012+01:00

What makes a great bathroom experience ? Well for one it helps to have a bathtub... I know, I know its quicker to take a shower, but if you are like me a) need to relax after a stressful day b) constantly cold or c) just a plain little ole´luxury babe ;) Then there is nothing like a long warm bathtub soak ! And so, I dream of bathrooms worthy of a 1940s Hollywood star like this one...

Gorgeous ! Don´t you just love bathrooms !

The first time I realised that a bathroom could be so much more than just the place where you wash your face was when I rented a furnished apartments were its owner had decorated the whole bathroom in pink including several delightful plastic flamingos !

Or this one ! Both bathroom images are from here.

Ofcourse, not everyone can afford such a sumptuous room like this... Still, it is possible to invest in one truly magnificent piece ...

Me want ! ;)

Or this one ! This small ( but deep) one is great when you don´t have a lot of space ! :) Both bathtubs are from www.antiquebaths.com

And even if you have like, NO money (sort of like me at the moment ...) You can still find ways to add little luxury to your bathroom experience like taking a beautiful body powder puff ...
and dipping it in a gold tin ( both from www.rachelssupply.com )
filled with heavenly vanilla scented body powder and then, after a long soak in the tub, dusting your entire body. I guarantee that you will have a " heightened bathroom experience" no matter what budget your on ! Here is a "make it yourself" recipe from Rachel's supply.

Vanilla Dusting Powder Recipe Leaves a long lasting, pleasant vanilla fragrance on the skin. You will need:

1 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup tapioca starch
8 drops vanilla essential oil
30cc Pure Vanillin Powder

Combine powders and mix well. Add fragrance oil to absorbent cotton pad. Place pad with oil in container with powder, shake or stir well, allow to sit 24 hours, shake or stir again, allow to sit another 24 hours, shake or stir powder, remove pad and discard, place powder into containers, it is ready to use. Makes 2 cups powder

If you can´t be bothered with the whole mixing stuff and just want any easy "fix" Lush has this really nice body talk that you can buy online or in one of their many shops that you can put in any beautiful glass jar of your own choosing.

The shapes of the 1940s

2009-10-29T19:45:00.011+01:00

I found this rather amusing... Yet, it fits well with the fashion styles of the 1940s. From the "triangel" shape of the war years, to the hourglass figure of the late 40s ( New Look ) which would later evolve to the distinct very femine look of the 1950s

Snoods !

2009-08-25T23:04:00.005+02:00

The women of 1940s wore a lot of turbans, scarfs, bandannas and snoods as a way to relinquishing elegant and elaborate hairstyles for more simple ones thus supporting the war effort by not being wasteful and vain. They were also practical when working in the factories were women were replacing men on the line due to the war.

Some of these head gears however became quite elaborate as these beautiful pictures show where the every day snood has been made into a little work of art that could be worn with an evening dress ! The picture is from ca. 1940 The model standing is wearing a red silk crepe dress, with diamond and ruby jewel and the other, sitting,wears a royal blue silk jersey dress, matching snood, and sapphire and diamond jewels - Image by © Condé Nast Archive/CORBIS

If you have a talent for making things you may want to make your own snood. This is a pattern I found on knitting-crochet.com

From: FlossieB.

I have a snood pattern I made for my daughter 2 years ago. It is from a book I have written in the 1940"s. All of the patterns are from that time but I kind of remember what the one that Scarlet wore in "Gone with the Wind" looked like. I think this will work for you. Very simple and my daughter that has hair to her waist could get all of her hair in it. It is an open weave though. She had to use a pony tail holder and a few bobby pins on her hair to keep it neat.

Materials: (Medium size)
2 oz.4-py yarn (wool) I used acrylic
crochet hook :size 3 I think I used a "G"
1 yd. grosgrain ribbon.
22" round elastic
Gauge: 4 meshes = 3"

Ch 49.
Row 1: 1 long treble crochet (long tr.) in 12th st from hook, *ch 4, skip 4 st on ch . 1 long tr in next st; repeat from* ending ch 4, skip 1 st,. 1 long tr. in last st. Ch 9. Turn.

Row 2: 1 long tr in first long tr of Row below, * ch 4, 1 long tr. in next long tr; repeat from* ending ch 4, 1 long tr in 5th st of turning ch, ch 4, 1 long tr in same st as last long tr. Ch 9, turn.

Repeat last Row 6 times (23 meshes). Ch 9, turn.

Row 9: Skip ch 4, 1 long tr in next long tr., * ch 4, 1 long tr in next long tr; repeat from * ending ch 4, 1 long tr in 5th st of turning ch. (23 meshes). Ch 9, turn.

Repeat last Row 7 times, ending last Row ch 5 instead of 9.

Row 17: Skip ch 4, 1 long tr in next long tr, work even to within 2 meshes of end, ch 4; yarn over 3 times, insert hook in next long tr and draw up a loop, over, take off 2 loops 3 times in succession, wrap yarn over hook 3 times, insert hook in 5th st of turning ch and draw up a loop (6 loops on hook), over, take off 2 loops 3 times in succession, over, take off 3 loops (a decreasing long tr), ch 5 turn.

Row 18: Skip ch 4, 1 long tr in next long tr, work 18 meshes, ch 4, work a decreasing long tr in last 2 long tr. Ch 5, turn.

Decrease 1 mesh each side of each of next 6 rows as in last Row. Ch 1, do not turn.

BORDER: Sew ends of a 22 inch piece of round elastic together. Working around elastic, work 2 sc in each mesh on entire outer edge, join with a slip st to first sc. Fasten off.
Make a tailored tie of ribbon and sew to front of snood.

*** note*** Along treble (according to the book) can be made by yo (Yarn over) any number of times and still drawing through 2 loops at a time, until one loop remains on hook.
I think I just did a regular treble crochet (tr) except where it stated. I would have to make this again to really remember. Good luck with this.

If you, as I, have no inclination what so ever to crochet, knit or sew... ;) Then you should check out these pretty snoods at Arthelias attic on Etsy. They are only 9.99 USD.

Going away for a while...

2009-08-03T00:44:00.006+02:00

So I´m off to Africa and don´t know when my next post will be, but I´ll be back ! :)

I´ll leave you for now with this neat "receipe" for making your own nail polish.

How to Make Your Own Nail Polish Color

By Carly cooper

Are you tired of constantly seeing the same nail polish colors in store after store? Have you always wanted to purchase a specific color of nail polish, but never succeeded in finding it? Good news. Now, with just a few simple steps, you will be on your way to creating all sorts of different nail polish shades!

Here is what you will be needing:

1 regular sized index card 1 bottle of clear nail polish any color pigment (eye shadow colors work wonderfully) 1 mixing stick a paint brush

Directions:

What you're going to be doing first is to make sure you have an index card in front of you because this is where you will be doing all of your mixing. If you do not have an index card available, a paper plate works well also.

After you have got your index card in front of you, you are going to take your preferred color of pigment, or eye shadow color, and simply break away at the pieces, and let them fall on to the index card, plate, etc.

Once you have your desired color of pigment or eye shadow on your index card or plate, you will then take the bottle of clear nail polish and you will be pouring out just a tad bit more than you have of the eye shadow color. I suggest starting out with just a small sample of the eye shadow color and clear nail polish so that if you're not satisfied with the color, you won't be so wasteful.

After you have mixed the clear nail polish with the eye shadow pigments, you will then take your mixing stick (I like using manicure sticks), and you will carefully mix the nail polish and the pigments together until you start to see a new color appear. Keep mixing until the substance is milky. You do not want the nail polish color to be too gloppy or else your nails won't look so hot. Feel free to mix in a bit more of the clear nail polish if you notice that it's still too gloppy looking.

You should now have made your very own shade of nail polish color.

You can test it out on one of your nails to see whether or not you like the color. If you are not satisfied with the color you have made, simply find a new eye shadow color and repeat the same technique as stated above.

However, if you are content with the color, you will then take a new index card, and a nail polish bottle that contains clear polish inside. Now, you will fold the index card in the shape of a funnel, place the pointy end of the index card inside of the nail polish bottle, and pour the whole rest of the eye shadow pigments inside.

After you have done this, you will then shake up the nail polish bottle to make sure it mixes well. If you would like, you can also take an art paint brush, and mix in the pigments inside of the nail polish bottle by simply placing the paint brush inside of the bottle and stir in a circular motion.

Beauty has many colours..

2009-07-31T00:04:00.005+02:00

It´s been difficult to find vintage fashion pictures of women of colour. But there is always the exquisitely beautiful Lena Horne !

A transforming product - lipstick !

2009-07-30T22:37:00.018+02:00

Lipstick is a great invention ! :) It really can change your appearance !

Although I think Dita looks very

sweet without make up too !

MAC LIPSTICKS

A lot of vintage girls use Mac. I love Mac ( although I´ve recently discovered Bobby Brown ! ) Mac has a lot of pigments in their products which is why they have such a vivid colours. They also have a good range of matte lipsticks which is great, as they stay on longer. Then, if you want a little shine, you can simply do so by adding a litte lip gloss. Just dab a bit on the middle of your upper and lower lip for a nice "sexy "pout" ! ;)

Mac has two great "reds" - Ruby Woo (left) and Russian Red (right)

( the images does not do the two colours full justice )

I have Russian Red which is a great colour when you want a lipstick that has blues in it, yet works well with warm olive toned skin.

Here is a sweet 1940s tutorial on make up !

Make your own Cold Cream !

2009-07-30T00:26:00.007+02:00

The lovely Fleur de Guerre wrote a post about that most classical of creams - cold cream. This was such a staple ware in the the lives of the 1940s woman. She would use it to clean her face with or use it as a face mask in the evening. Read Fleurs post here.

For those of you vintage lovers that want to try making your own I found the below recipe. I made one little addition, some rose oil for fragrance. If any one of you ladies give it a go, please let me know how it went.

Also, if you like making your own skincare products, you might want to try the recipe for Floral Water that I posted on my other blog.

HOMEMADE COLD CREAM

1/4 teaspoon borax

1/4 cup distilled water

1/2 cup oil that is liquid at room temperature (Almond is nice)

1/2 ounce (by weight) grated beeswax ( about 2 tbs )

If possible work with glass containers as it can get a little messy.

1. Dissolve the borax in the water. Set aside.

2. Mix together the oil and beeswax.

3. Heat the oil/beeswax mix in a microwave until the beeswax is melted in and the mixture is clear. Or you can put the beeswax in a container that you then put in a pot of water. When the water starts boiling the wax will slowly melt.

4. Heat the borax/water mix in a microwave or on the stove for a minute - almost to boiling.

5. Slowly pour the borax/water mixture into the oil/beeswax mixture, using a stick blender to mix as you pour.

6. Beat very well with the stick blender until the mix is glossy white and slightly thick. If you wish you can put a few drops of essential rose oil into a little almond oil and mix in for fragrance.

7. Pour the (hot) cold cream into a jar with a lid and let it cool to room temperature.

NOTE: If you don't have a stick blender you can beat the cold cream with a whisk or in a regular blender, but the cleanup will be much more difficult.... By using glass containers and a stick blender you will be able to simply wipe most of the excess off with paper towels, then wash in hot soapy water. Cleaning plastic measuring cups, and a whisk or (worse yet) a blender of this wax-containing product is difficult and a pain in the neck....

How to refill a vintage powder compact

2009-07-29T17:00:00.005+02:00

Another great beauty recipe ! I have several compacts that it would be nice to be able to use.

You will need

A vintage compact

Some loose face powder

Rubbing alcohol

A small bowl and something to stir with

A spoon

1. Remove the net from the compact ( if there is one ), as well as any powder left inside.

2. Clean the compact with rubbing alcohol.

3. In a a small bowl, mix loose powder of your choice with a small amounts of alcohol, a little at a time. Stir to make a smooth creamy paste.

4. When your done, fill the base of your compact with the paste. You can use the back of an alcohol dipped spoon to smooth out the mixture. Or you can use something that will leave a fine imprint, like a piece of cloth.

5. Let the compact dry opened overnight. Then your´re ready to go !

Morning becomes me... ;)

2009-07-28T18:41:00.005+02:00

Ms Rosina Lee wrote a really neat post on gloves on her blog. It´s great - check it out ! Here is as promised, a picture of my vintage 1940s much loved dressing gown.

Sweet dreams are made of this ...

2009-07-27T22:19:00.003+02:00

I love a fabulous dressing gown. I have one myself that I bought (for far to much money... ) on eBay. Will post a pic. tomorrow. Goodnight ladies !

Housecoats - a modern days morning robe ?

2009-07-27T18:46:00.009+02:00

A housecoat or a duster, was worn when women in the 1940s were cleaning their house in order to protect what they were wearing for the day. Housecoats, long buttoned robes of light fabric ( but could also be made of warmer material ) became popular since they covered more than aprons or pinafores. A housecoat was an informal evening wear, usually roomy with buttons or a zip in front. Lengths were knee length or longer. Another way to use it was as robe over ones underwear, for instance when you needed to do hair or put on makeup.

Blouses of the 1940s

2009-07-27T08:33:00.003+02:00

Blouses in the 1940s were worn losely over shirts or tucked in.They could also be worn with a belt.

Sleeves could be long with wristbands or cuffs that were buttoned or they could be short & puffed at the shoulders.

To Dream about...

2009-07-25T08:20:00.013+02:00

What Katie did

I´ve wanted a corset for a long time, but feel I need to loose some weight first... On the other hand that IS the whole idea with a corset, I mean to hold in what you already have ;) My favourite shop is "What Katie did" - I LOVE everything I see there ! This pink corset is another little daydream of mine !

Here´s how you put on a corset correctly.

Perhaps I´m a little blog addicted, hm... ?

2009-07-24T22:37:00.002+02:00

I must admit I think I´ve been seriously bitten by "the blog bug"... :) No truly. I have far too much fun posting and collecting images. I´m afraid I am quite behind with everything else that I need to do...

So, I leave you now with this quote from the exquisitely beautiful Marlene Dietrich !

Pink Polyvore

2009-07-24T20:28:00.000+02:00

Roses anyone ? by divaabsoluta featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Have a very pink day by divaabsoluta featuring Forever21

Trashy Diva Shows The Way

2009-07-24T19:41:00.001+02:00

Trashy Diva

A New Moment in Time !

2009-07-24T15:47:00.001+02:00

This is an attempt to create a research blog where all who love vintage (especially the 1940s) can find inspiration and how and where to acquire modern items with a vintage look.

But I will also post links to, what I think, are some amazing vintage retailers where you may get lucky and find the dress of your dreams !

If you want to read my more about my own personal journey from "a modern to a more vintage lifestyle" please check out my other blog "Vintage Me".

With much love Diva