The abc's of vintage fashion

A few months ago, the thoroughly lovely Mary of Out of My Front Door wrote a post called The Alphabet According to Me! in which she listed a different fact about herself for each and every letter of the alphabet. I thought this was a charmingly delightful idea and tucked it away to put my own spin on come September.





Why September, you may ask? Excellent question! The reason is that there's no other time of the year that I associate more with the alphabet than the early days of this month, when school returns to session once more and countless children the world over peer up at alphabets bordering their classrooms.

School days and the alphabet go hand-in-hand like chalkboards and erasers, and so today I'm going to run with Mary's idea, instead shifting the focus from myself and instead onto the world of vintage fashion.

I'm not the first person to whip up a vintage fashion alphabet (some people, such as Charlotte from Apple Menina, for example, have even turned their alphabets into 26 part series, devoting one post to each letter), and make no claims as such, but just because something's been done before is no reason not to give it a go yourself, too, and that's precisely what I'm going to do here.

While some letters of the alphabet have throngs of possible choices that could be assigned to represent them, when it comes to certain others (say, "x" or "z"), the pickings (in English at least) are considerably slimmer, so I decided that it would be best to select just one item for each letter of the alphabet (a choice that was also influenced by the fact that Mary stuck with one entry for each letter in her post, too).

The abc's of vintage fashion

A is for aprons: whether practical and hard working, stylish and all but for show, or somewhere in between, aprons have a been a fashion mainstay for countless generations, and were especially popular with mid-century ladies from all walks of life.




B is for bullet bras: Love or loath what they do to the shape of one's chest, bullet bras burst onto the scene in the 1940s, rising to the peak (both literally and figuratively!) of their popularity during the 1950s, when they were sported by glamorous Hollywood bombshells and real world ladies alike.




C is for crinoline: The history of crinolines stretches back for centuries, however when many people think of this classic undergarment, it is the circle and poodle skirt filled years of the 1950s that spring to mind first (and indeed, crinolines of varying lengths, thicknesses, designs and colours were frequently employed be girls and women of the era to help give their skirts and dresses extra volume).




D is for dickies: Though they still exist today, few people include dickies (a false shirt front garment worn under other another item of clothing, such as a sweater or dress) in their wardrobes (unless perhaps they're fan of vintage fashion). However back in the day (especially during the forties), they were a popular, often inexpensive way to help stretch your wardrobe.




E is for Elsa Schiaparelli and her whimsical, gorgeous fashions: Whether creating her own shade of shocking pink, adorning evening dresses with images of lobsters, or collaborating with Dalí, Elsa Schiaparelli was an incredibly creative, forward thinking, original, dynamic designer whose works will always stand out as some of the most unique, innovative, and beautiful of their time.




F is for furs: No matter your stance or fur (be it vintage or modern), there is no denying that the first half of the twentieth century was rife with the wearing of fur. Whether a glamorous full length mink coat or a wee touch of fur on one's cuffs, for example, very few women of the era didn't at least aspire to include a bit of genuine fur in her wardrobe.




G is for gloves: Gloves saw their last great hurrah as a wardrobe staple in the mid-twentieth century, during which time they were worn by almost every women, many of whom had extensive collections and enjoyed matching (or fashionably contrasting) their gloves with the rest of their ensemble. To this day, gloves remain one of the best ways to instantly inject a hearty dose of vintage style into one's yesteryear wardrobe.




H is for hoods: Be they to guard against the elements or merely as a chic fashion element, hoods have been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years, featuring into various mid-century styles in the process - two personal favourites of which are 1930s evening capes and 1930s/40s hooded beachwear.




I is for I. Magnin & Company: This once popular west coast chain of department stores (that specialized in high-end fashion) was founded in 1876 by a Mary Ann Magnin who named it after her husband Isaac. Popular with stylish ladies for decades, I. Magnin catered to a elegant, smartly attired, often well-to-do crowd and the fashions they sold during the mid-twentieth century exemplified this fact to a tee.




J is for for Jantzen: Launched in 1916, Jantzen quickly rose to popularity as one of the world's most beloved swimwear lines of all-time, with their ads a mainstay in scores of fashion and women's lifestyle magazines for decades. Though the brand dabbled in other garments (such as sweaters, too), they are without a doubt, best know for their wonderful swimsuits.




K is for Kerrybroke: If you've ever flipped from a Sears vintage catalog from the 30s, 40s or 50s, chances are you're familiar with this in-house brand, which included fashions for everyone from Juniors to "Graceful Ladies" (a diplomatic term the company used to appeal to their senior citizen demographic).




L is for Lucite: Whether used for handbag, shoe heels, umbrella handles, jewelry, buttons, sunglasses or myriad other purposes, Lucite was a very popular material all across the vintage fashion spectrum, and pieces made from (or including) this synthetic compound are highly collectable today.




M is for (hand) muffs: A winter wardrobe staple throughout much of the 19th and early to mid-20th century (in particular), muffs were a beautiful, functional way for ladies to keep their hands warm during the coldest days of the year (and indeed still are, should you happen to be lucky enough to find a vintage muff in good, wearable condition).




N is for (Dior's) New Look: A groundbreaking post-war style that shocked and outraged some, but more often than not found fans in women the world over. Dior's wildly iconic new look (often typified by his classic Bar Suit, pictured above) thrust women out of nearly a decade of garments made with moderate amounts of war rationed fabric into meter after meter of elegant, figure hugging style once more.




O is for overshoes: Much like gloves and muffs, overshoes aren't a modern fashion mainstay any more, but once just a few decades ago, they were a smart, stylish, thoroughly practical way to help keep your (less weatherproof) shoes safe from harsh elements like rain, snow and ice.



P is for Pendleton 49er Coats: If you close your eyes and envision a generously sized plaid coat, chances are you're thinking about a Pendleton 49. This cozy, fashionable coat entered the garment marketplace in 1949 and was an instant hit, with thousands upon thousands being purchased and worn to all manner of outdoors and casual events in the decade to come (and beyond).




Q is for quilted garments: During the 1950s in particular, quilted skirts and to a lesser extent other daywear garments (such as dresses, vests, and jackets) marched their way into vogue, with this stitchery technique appearing most often of all on circle skirts.




R is for rayon: With roots stretching back to the 1850s, rayon was one of the first successful semi-synthetic fabrics, and its use and popularity only continued to expand as time went, with a particular high point being during the 1940s, when it was called into duty to help make up for the shortages in various other (often natural) fabrics that were needed for the war effort (for more on the history of rayon, see this great article by Charlotte from Tuppence Ha'penny). If you're a collector (and wearer) of 1940s garments in particular, it's very likely you find yourself sporting all manner of wonderful 1940s rayon dresses, blouses, slips, gloves and other various other wardrobe staples.




S is for shirtwaist dresses: Loved as much today by vintage fashionistas the world over as they were back a few decades ago, the classic shirtwaist dress will always stand as one of the garments that best represents the 1940s and (especially) 50s.




T is for t-strap heels: Without a doubt one of the most iconic shoe styles of the 1920s and 30s, t-strap heels gained rapid popularity as it became more socially acceptable for women to expose their feet and ankles (and as such were an especially big hit with the flapper crowd, though the style was by no means limited to nightlife loving youngsters). While those years were the heyday of t-straps, once can easily find examples of this classic style from the 40s, 50s and every decade since as well.




U is for umbrellas: Vintage umbrellas were often terrifically lovely works of solidly constructed art, with ornate handles, feminine patterns, slender (when closed) silhouettes, and outfit making sophistication. Whether for show or function, a genuine vintage umbrella is the kind of accessory every mid-century loving gal should try to invest in at some point.




V is for (hats with) veils: Veils and veiling are an age old lady's accessory, whose popularity has waxed and waned over the course of time. During the years that spanned the 1930s-early 60s, veiled hats came back into vogue, with some toppers boasting just a wee hint of netting/veiling and other's fully cloaking the wearer's face in (usually) tulle, as well as hats featuring veils of every length in between. To this day they remain a gorgeous, endlessly chic way to inject sophistication into any vintage look.


W is for wedges: A truly beloved wardrobe staple amongst vintage fans the world over today, the wedge heel (or sandal) began its speedy rise to fame in the 1930s and it hasn't let up since, though certain decades (such as the 1940s and 70s) have seen a particular interest in this height elevating, often easy to walk in, warm weather staple.




X is for x-ray beauty contest: Ok, this is a bit of a creative stretch, but there are an exceedingly small number of vintage fashion related words beginning with the letter x. Without a doubt one of the most unique of vintage beauty contests, this 1950s Chiropractic sponsored competition saw participants being judged on the healthy appearance of their spines (as viewed in x-rays).




Y is for yachting and boating inspired fashion: Nautical inspired ladies wear was a big hit throughout much of the last century, though certain eras (i.e., 1910s, 1940s, 50s) really excelled at creating sweet, youthful, fantastic garments that channeled a sense of the boating life and all things seafaring related.





Z is for zippers: As you may recall from this post last autumn, the modern zipper was born in the last Edwardian era and quickly gained popularity with clothing manufactures everywhere (giving them a handy alternative, or addition, to buttons, ties, or other types of closures on a garment). Whenever I think of the words vintage fashion and zipper together at the same time, my mind flashes instantly to thoughts of charming 1940s and 50s house/day dresses, which often featured a long zipper running up their front.

{To learn more a specific image, please click on it to be taken to its respective source.}

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In most cases, I opted for the first old school fashion related word that sprang to mind when I thought of a particular letter, but for others I debated through several choices and went with whichever was my very favourite in that moment. Save perhaps for a few of those aforementioned uncommon letters, this really is the kind of exercise one could repeat every now and then, if they so wanted, using new vintage fashion words each time.

Though the days of learning my abc's are well behind me (and then some!), I'll never grow old of enjoying the alphabet and various ways of depicting and exploring it letter-by-letter.

I hope you had fun hopping through all twenty-six letters here today and that, who knows, perhaps just as Mary did for me, I'll inspire you to create your own alphabet related post this September.