Smock-frocks and Smock-aprons

When I was a little girl, my mother always wore an apron when she cleaned. It seemed so practical! Well here are a few forgotten practical smock-frocks and smock-aprons!

A smock-frock or smock is an outer garment traditionally worn by rural workers, especially shepherds in parts of England and Wales from the early eighteenth century. Today, the word smock refers to a loose overgarment worn to protect one's clothing, for instance by a painter.

The traditional smock-frock is made of heavy linen or wool and varies from thigh-length to mid-calf length. Characteristic features of the smock-frock are fullness across the back, breast, and sleeves folded into "tubes" (narrow unpressed pleats) held in place and decorated by smocking , a type of surface embroidery in a honeycomb pattern across the pleats that controls the fullness while allowing a degree of stretch. - Wikipedia

Here is a tutorial on how to sew a smock apron.

Summer is coming ! (well...eventually)

At the beach !



Different full bathing suits



From Glamoursurf.



From Glamoursurf.



From Glamoursurf.



From Glamoursurf.

How to clean gloves

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

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

I love hats!

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

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

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 ...

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 ?

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

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

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 !

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.