1940s/50s brown felt + feather hat: Christmas gift from my parents
Red plastic rose stud earrings: Claire's
Red 1980s does 1950s necklace: Gift with online purchase years ago
Floral print blouse: Thrifted
Vintage Candi Jones floral embroidered denim jacket: Secondhand Wonderland
1940s/50s cream ruched gloves: Unknown, had for years (probably eBay or Etsy)
Yellow plastic rose stretch bracelet: Thrifted (Value Village)
Brown faux leather skinny belt: eBay
Red mid-century vintage skirt: Thrifty Vintage Kitten
Green faux leather cross body bag: eBay
Brown textured tights: Ardene
Lip colour: MAC Russian Red
Photography by Tony Cangiano
♥ ♥ ♥
Vintage fashion inspiration can come from a huge - one might even argue, endless - range of sources, people, and places. While scores of vintage magazines have help fuelled my looks, gotten my sartorial fashion juices flowing, or introduced me to a previously unknown styling trick, it wasn't until this fall that a vintage newspaper clipping got its turn to shine on that front, too.
As I blogged about here two days ago, my dear friend Emily from Emily's Vintage Visions is currently holding a very exciting vintage fall fashion contest, for which I'm honoured to be one of the judges and suppliers of the prizes that the winner and runner up will each receive.
The fabulously unique factor of this vintage fall fashion contest is that participants take their styling cues from two 1940s newspaper articles that Emily has provided (in the contest details post on her blog).
One doesn't have to interpret what is written in those fashion pieces to the absolute letter, but they should use them a general jumping off point. Emily thought that it would be oodles of fun for the three of us who are judging the contest (the wonderful Lauren from Wearing History is the third judge) to each put together a look based on the newspaper descriptions as well and the photos that you see here in today's post are my spin on things.
Interestingly, while I do own a fair number of types of garments mentioned in each of the two newspaper clippings with their swoon worthy early 40s fashion write ups, I don't have many in the precise colours described (which actually surprised me a fair bit) and as such opted for a somewhat more liberal interpretation of the general styles, lines, and colours mentioned within. I noticed that brown was touched on numerous times through out, so I opted for some brown pieces, layers, a 40s silhouette, and other colours (like blue, red and green) that also appeared within the newspaper clippings.
Emily's own inspiration look, which she shared in this recent blog post, also starred brown, so clearly we were on the same stylish wavelength there (we didn't discuss the particulars of our own looks beforehand).
I'm all about embracing fall's colour palette and dressing for this season, so I enjoyed putting together my own look big time - especially since it gave me a chance to sport this fabulously pretty vintage denim (1970s does 1940s) jacket on camera for the first time. It's a piece I purchased a few months ago from Secondhand Wonderland on Etsy and which I've been utterly dying to wear the moment the temperatures dipped a bit.
Denim is one of my favourite fabrics ever and I absolutely adore it when I can weave such into a mid-century look. It doesn't happen every day, especially since outside of jeans, overalls, and strongly western influenced garments, denim wasn't the most common fabric for women's fashions in the 1940s and 50s, but when it does, I get seriously happy about it!
From the cross stitch style embroidery on the lapels to the fitted princess coat-esque lines, there isn't a single thing that I don't madly adore about this beautiful vintage denim coat and love that Emily's fall fashion challenge gave me a chance to debut it - ditto with this wonderful c. 1940s brown felt hat that was an awesome Christmas gift a couple of years ago from my parents.
There's a fair bit of colour going on in this outfit, but I grounded it all by using brown throughout my look (hat, belt, tights) and really liked how everything came together here. I might not have dreamed up this exact 1940s inspired look were it not for Emily's great vintage fall fashion contest, so I thank her all the more that she suggested us judges try our hand at creating a look (to help inspire participants with their own styling - we're obviously not taking part in the contest as judges ourselves :)).
This might be the first vintage outfit I've put together based on a mid-century newspaper clipping, but I hope it won't be the last and love how doing so was a marvelous way to think outside of the box and interpret some early 1940s styling ideas in my own individual way - just as all those who take part in Emily's vintage fall fashion contest will do with their own beautiful looks as well.
Yay, I was hoping to see a post like this! I love this look, Jessica, it's so colourful and playful. And we're on the same page about loving denim - one of my favourites too! I've never seen a jacket like this one though and I love how you've styled it here. Such a unique and gorgeous vintage look :) x
ReplyDeleteIsn't it just out of this world? I'd been hunting for a vintage, fitted, longer length denim jacket for, gosh, many years at the least now and was so elated to find this one a few months ago on Etsy. The price was right, the sizing was right, and it was even better than what I'd been imagining in my head, so I couldn't rush through the checkout process fast enough. I'm glad that it fits well in person and love that I have a new early fall (and all spring long) coat.
DeleteThank you very much for your absolutely lovely comment, honey. Tons of hugs!
♥ Jessica
I adore that coat. What a treasure!
ReplyDeleteThank you sweetly, dear lady. This is pretty much my dream mild weather vintage coat. I'm sure it will pop up here again from time-to-time on the ol' blog. It's too lovely to only share once. :)
DeleteHave a beautiful week.
♥ Jessica
You look splendid in that great jacket! I love how well it goes with everything else in the outfit!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, sweet Inky. Colour coordination is kind of a huge deal for me and I really, really aim for it with nearly all of my outfits - this one very much included. :)
DeleteBig hugs & happy Wednesday wishes,
♥ Jessica
I am completely in love with this look Jessica!! The colors are so vibrant and cheerful, yet still capture the essence of the season. I can't get over how perfectly lovely that jacket is !!!! The embroidery, tailoring, and styles I utterly breathtaking. Thank you for the colorful inspiration:)
ReplyDeletexo
-Madison
www.1minniemuse.blogspot.com
You're so very welcome, lovely Madison. Thank you for your immensely sweet comment and compliments. I swear, I fell even more in love with this awesome vintage denim jacket once I saw it (on me) on camera. It's amongst my very favourite garments I currently own now and I'm sure it will pop up here on my blog again as time goes on. I'll be wearing it too frequently for it not to! :)
DeleteTons of hugs,
♥ Jessica
You're so gorgeous, Jessica!! And your outfit is so perfectly put together. I can totally see the newspaper article inspiration in all of it! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely!!
You are beyond sweet, dear Esther. Thank you very, very much!
DeleteHuge hugs,
♥ Jessica
Beautiful outfit! That coat is amazing! I also love the tights.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, lovely Lisa. I usually shy away from textured or patterned tights, as I don't have the most slender of gams, but these ones are just on the cusp of what I'm okay with (in terms of how I think they look on me, I mean) and as they matches this outfit so nicely and the weather was a bit nippy that day, I went with them and I am glad I did.
DeleteBig hugs & happy October wishes,
♥ Jessica
What a wonderful outfit. I love it from the hat to the little toe! The 60s-70s denim coat totally hits the nail. Perfect fun 40s style!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you, my sweet friend!!! I'm smitten with the blend of colours of (pieces from different) decades at work here. I feel like this outfit sums up my vintage style to an absolute tee.
DeleteMany hugs & joyful fall time wishes,
♥ Jessica
I read the rules of the contest carefully, but unfortunately I don't think I can re-create the atmosphere in those terms :( But OK, I wish luck to the contestants, this will be fun and I am curious to know who will win! I was going to say that the moment you don't want this denim long blazer, pass/sell to me, but you are thinner, so I can't wear it anyway! But I loooved it, and the cross-stitch detail is so sweet! I also loved your skirt and shoes with it, and if you find a similar piece, please tell me!!! I know you visit vintage related sites more than me, so if you see it, and don't want the piece, please tell me :) You look really stunning with this outfit, dear Jessica!!! Hugs and kisses!
ReplyDeleteDenisesPlanet.com
Oh no! You could always email Emily directly so see if you could take part. Things do not have to be to the exact letter, my dear friend, and perhaps she will say that you can participate even with a more liberal, so to speak, interpretation of the rules. It's worth a shot! :)
DeleteI most certainly let you know if I ever find a similar denim coat. This one took me several years to track down (I did so a few months ago on Etsy) and I bet there's a great one akin to it out there for you as well, dear Denise. I promise to keep my eyes peeled for you and will email you right away if I spot anything that might be a good option for you.
Tons of hugs, thanks & happy mid-week wishes!
♥ Jessica
Yes, Denise! Please let me know if I can answer any questions about the contest! You are more then welcome to participate.
Delete-Emily
Gosh this outfit is amazing. I am not usually a denim fan but love this look. You look so beautiful
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, sweet Samantha. I think this jacket drives home a really interesting point: we need to see more squarely vintage style (repro) garments in authentic styles done up in denim. I think they'd be very popular, especially given the rugged nature of denim. A few brands, like Freddies of Pinewood (natch! :)) have some, but they're few and far between usually.
DeleteMany thanks again & have a terrific week,
♥ Jessica
While I would not say that denim combined with red is particularly autumn-like, I totally love the red-blue colour combination for all seasons! It depends so much what kind of garments and accessories you wear. Denim can be so versatile, and I'm in love with the jacket that is almost a coat. The embroidered rose is the cherry on top! I already try to wrap my brain round the idea of recreating such coat for myself... Thanks so much for the wonderful inspiration! You look so adorable!
ReplyDeleteSame here! I think that as a base, they're fairly seasonally neutral (I think of summer perhaps more than any other when it comes to denim + red), but as you said, it really comes down to how you style them to make them work for a given portion of the year. With pastels, they'd sing for spring. With other punchy hues and perhaps white, they'd be super summery, and with black, grey or navy blue, they'd suit winter wonderfully.
DeleteOoohh, I just love that this coat has helped inspire you. I hope that you're able to come up with something similar that you adore every much as I do this awesome 1970s dos 40s stunner.
Big hugs, many thanks & happy autumn wishes!
♥ Jessica
Love the colours, so bright and cheerful! As always, another great look happening here!
ReplyDeleteYou're so wonderfully sweet, dear Holly, thank you very much. I truly appreciate your beautiful compliments.
DeleteHave a fantastic week,
♥ Jessica
The coat is stunning! Love the details on it! You know me.. stitches crazy!
ReplyDeleteHow did you get the idea actually do do your eyebrows in this designs? They look great! You should have a blogpost about coz vintage ladies spend a lot of time creating beautiful eyebrows shapes and styles!
http://inkandlacedesigns.blogspot.com.au/
*Blush* Thank you very much, sweet Lorena. I can't begin to tell you how much your kind compliments about my eyebrows mean to me. I used to do a more exaggerated, very 1950s high fashion model-esque style brow, but between shifts in my own style and some rather harsh comments about them, I gradually softened the arch and have been doing them like this for around 2.5 years (if not more) now.
DeleteI'm touched that you'd like to see a post on them. They're dead simple (I used use one product), but perhaps I could do a video or photo series about them one of these days. Thank you for the great suggestion!
Big hugs,
♥ Jessica
Yay! The denim coat is one of the most spectacular garments I've ever seen, lucky you!! And then oh the red...and what is that bright pop of yellow? how charming, and may i even say not a little unlike the pages of a vintage comic book, where the fashionable ladies in the background striding down the street or the heroine or gal needing saving is dressed in bright and eye catching colors. Well done!
ReplyDeleteThat is such a fabulously cool comparison, thank you, sweet Abigail! I don't think I've ever been told that my look called to mind a vintage comic book before. Consider my day more than made! :)
DeleteTons of hugs,
♥ Jessica
I am so excited to admire all of the entries for this contest as the styling suggestions were so inspiring! If I finish making my tweed suiting jacket in time I may throw an entry together myself! This outfit is beautiful and highlights the kind of accessorizing tips from the vintage descriptions very well! Really fun hat, I love pheasant feathers!
ReplyDeleteOoohh, it would be awesome to have you take part, dear Bianca. You have an incredible eye for colour coordination and accessorizing alike and I just know that you would knock it out of the ballpark with this fun vintage fashion contest.
DeleteMany hugs & happy midweek wishes,
♥ Jessica
Thank you very much, lovely Dawn. I absolutely, flat out love this coat, too. I'd been hunting for a vintage or repro denim one in just this sort of style for several years now and was over-the-moon happy to hit upon this 1970s does 1940s gem a few months ago. It's one of my favourite garments I own now.
ReplyDeleteBig hugs & joyful October wishes,
♥ Jessica
This is such a lovely idea/way to collaborate with your fellow bloggers and friends. And a wonderful way to get inspiration for putting an outfit together - I've never done it from reading a description before. Certainly from seeing images of other girl's outfits though, but never like this! Such a great idea and it's so open to interpretation in terms of what you have in your wardrobe and filling in the gaps that weren't described.
ReplyDeleteAlso Russian Red looks so beautiful on you! It's such a perfect red, isn't it? xx
jessica - littlehenrylee.com
It truly is! Russian Red is my be all to end all on the crimson lippy front. The moment I struck on it several years ago now, I was home, so to speak. It's the most flattering red I've ever found and so long as they keep making it, I'll be a loyal customer.
DeleteIt really is a splendid idea and I so applaud Emily's creativity and desire to bring the community together around it.
Big hugs & many thanks for your wonderfully nice comment,
♥ Jessica
Hello there, you gorgeous gal!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you have chose to participate in the contest - it's always fun to see your take on era-appropriate fashions. You are the one to flaunt the fashion, since you have spoken a lot about it, and wrote about it.. say I just had an idea (that I have mentioned earlier)
..how about writing an e-book about decades of fashion?
That shouldn't be hard.. just "snip and paste" parts of this blog and form it into a book... gosh, that would be fantastic.. imagine the relieve on the faces of all those gals that are just starting to venture into this magnificent world of fashion from days gone by...
Two thumbs up for choosing decorative tights.
Marija
That's a truly lovely thought for sure. Perhaps one day - though a print book would be my ultimate. My blog and Etsy shop take up the bulk of my time these days, but writing a book (there are various topics I'd be thrilled to cover, though naturally vintage is a biggie there!) is a life goal of mine for sure and one that I really hope to have happen at some (amazing!) point in time. I love to know that you're behind the idea of me penning one pertaining to vintage fashion. That is genuinely so encouraging and touching to hear.
DeleteTons of hugs, oodles of sincere thanks & happy second week of October wishes!
♥ Jessica
High Fives to once again, nailing that look spot on! Good Job Jessica!
ReplyDeleteLiz :)
*Blush* Thank you very much, my lovely friend. Looking at these photos now, I can't help but love how Thanksgiving-ly (homemade word :)) hued that hat and those tights in particular seem to me here. Unplanned in terms of the timing, but a happy coincidence all the same. :)
DeleteBig hugs & happy countdown to Thanksgiving wishes!
♥ Jessica
That embroidered denim jacket is a beautiful statement piece… I can only wonder if all buttoned up and with tights, it could be worn as a dress.
ReplyDeleteIt could - and can - be worn as a dress for sure and it looks sensational as such, especially with a belt over top. I'll have to do just that - perhaps come springtime - and share how it looks here with everyone.
DeleteTons of hugs!
♥ Jessica
I'm really excited to see the entries for the contest, although I don't think I have the right pieces to enter myself. As much as I like 40s styles, I just don't own many things in that genre. We'll see, though - there's still a little time to dig something up and see if I can figure it out.
ReplyDeleteLove the look that you've dreamed up here. That coat is absolute perfection, I see why you love it so much! Beautiful details, as always. I think you've done a lovely job interpreting the theme and making it your own.
Same here! There is so much glorious individuality in the vintage fashion realm and it will be a treat and joy to see how each person puts their own unique stamp on this fun outfit challenge. It would be awesome if you took part - I'm sure outfit would be gorgeous and all kinds of chic!
DeleteMany hugs,
♥ Jessica
cute outfit once again! I like the red and blue accents
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, lovely lady. I really like that colour pairing as well. It's a great all-season duet that can be tailored to suit each chapter of year wonderfully depending on what you pair with it (as well, sometimes, as the hues of these colours themselves - brick red and navy blue for example would be straight up autumnal :)).
DeleteBig hugs,
♥ Jessica
What a lovely outfit! Love the embroidered coat!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, sweet Anthea. I had a feeling that it would be a bit hit with many of my readers who are sewers. I'm not, for all intents, one myself, but I have been cross stitching and embroidering since I was about five years old, so this coat really taps into that love for me.
DeleteI hope that you're doing well and having a beautiful start of autumn.
Big hugs,
♥ Jessica
Looovvvvvvee! This look is amazing! I don't know if my favorite part is the jacket or the awesome red skirt!!!!! So pretty!!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, sweet dear! I love this skirt as well. I'd say this is probably about the third or forth time its appeared here over the years and in real life, it gets worn easily as often as my navy blue, black or grey pencil/a-line skirts (sometimes even more so). It's a like neutral unto itself and I love finding new outfits to weave it into. :)
DeleteBig hugs & happy Friday wishes!
♥ Jessica
What a lovely and colourful outfit. I can tell you a secret, I don't like denim. Neither the colour, nor the structure of the fabric. I suppose it is because I was a child in the seventies and everybody wore denim, except me. But seeing you wearing this lovely denim coat might change my mind. I always admire how you use colours. I am a lover of colours myself, but you seem to take it one step further. This is such a nice idea for an outfit contest. Wishing you a lovely weekend, dear. :) PS: I LOVE your stockings! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, sweet Sanne. I'm touched to know that even thought denim isn't your cup of tea usually, you liked seeing this coat (which, I should mention, can easily be worn us a dress as well, when fully buttons up). I'm the opposite. I utterly love denim and wish there were my vintage/repro pieces in it that would work well for my 40s - 50s wardrobe. This coat is a huge boon there and I have been absolute living in it this fall.
DeleteI hope that you're doing well and having a great week! We're launching in (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend here and I'm pleased as punch about that. Anytime fall + holidays or special occasions combine, I am one seriously happy fall loving lady. :)
Tons of hugs & joyful weekend wishes,
♥ Jessica
Wow that jacket is stunning! Such a fun outfit, great accessories too! x
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, darling gal - I completely agree. It's my favourite denim jacket/coat I've ever owned by a long and one of my favourite coats point blank. I'm sure it will appear here again as time goes on. It's my new mild weather go-to, so it would be hard to avoid not having it on camera. :D
DeleteBig hugs & happy weekend wishes,
♥ Jessica
Oh that coat! I absolutely adore everything about it, particularly the cross stitch embroidery on the lapels. I love the fact that you've teamed it with a red skirt and red jewellery, it really brings out the red in the buttons and embroidery. What an amazing find!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, dear Cate. It really is a stellar coat, I agree. I'd been trying to find one that looked like this general shape for years, but to no avail. To then score this beaut with embroidered lapels really felt like a reward for my patience (and a nod to my passion for cross stitch, which I've been doing since I was about five years old). I'm really looking forward to making it a part of some future outfit posts here as well, as it's such a versatile styling piece.
DeleteWishing you a fantastic weekend!
♥ Jessica
I'm starting to like denim, because through my teenage years I didn't like pretty much everything I saw on stores - and didn't found jeans that fitted me - because I usually only liked 50's inspired denim pieces and regular stores didn't have this style. Your shoes are super lovely, it's awesome when a basic shoes looks good in an outfit like this :) Once again, your hat <333
ReplyDeleteAww, why thank you! I love this hat. My parents got it for me on a weekend trip they took to the States and tucked it away until Christmas Day two years ago. It's a truly comfy, classic, elegant chapeau that I wear often, but this is its first blog debut, best I can recall.
DeleteTons of hugs,
♥ Jessica
You look wonderful as always. I LOVE your coat, it´s so cheerful. I always find it impressive how well you mix colours. As if it was the easiest thing in the world!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, sweet Katrin. That is such an incredibly lovely - and very touching compliment. Colour matching and coordination is truly one of my biggest passions when it comes to fashion (and home decor, art - okay, a lot of areas! :)), so it means all the more to me when some notices my efforts on that front.
DeleteTons of hugs & happy mid-October wishes,
♥ Jessica
Oh wow, that coat is spectacular! The cut is so feminine and the pretty detailing is wonderful. But my favourite part? The bright red buttons! I adore anything with stand-out buttons and that coat is no exception.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan, too, especially when the standout element is in a colour, like red, that I wear often. In general fun/big/colourful buttons never fail to delight me. They're a touch of whimsy, and elegance, too, that we just don't see that often in the modern fashion world.
DeleteBig hugs & happy mid-October wishes,
♥ Jessica
My, but that stunning jacket is something else! I love to wear denim on a day to day basis, but tend feel that it's not very vintage appropriate. I guess you've shown us a fabulous way to style it, though that jacket is definitely one of kind. Gorgeous look Jessica, what lovely inspiration! ❤
ReplyDeletexox,
bonita of Lavender & Twill
Aww, what a splendidly sweet compliment, dear Bonita. Thank you so much!!! I think that some (more) of the repro/vintage inspired companies would do well to issue thoroughly traditional vintage styles in denim (blue and otherwise). So many of us adore this classic fabric, but find it lacking (save for jeans and overalls/dungarees) in the vintage word, especially in a pre-50s context. I am convinced there's be a market for more denim skirts, dresses, coats, perhaps even hats and bags in mid-century styles made in this sturdy material as well.
DeleteHuge hugs & happy wishes for this lovely new week,
♥ Jessica
A beautiful outfit. The coat and hat are absolute stars. My mum is a keen cross stitcher so that embroidery would always make me think of her - and her rather doomed efforts to get a young me to learn! Meanwhile the colours and style of the hat are so perfectly autumnal. I think pheasant feathers are such an autumn touch!
ReplyDeleteI ADORE this outfit to no end! The red and the blue are just gorgeous together, and that COAT! My goodness! What a unique and adorable item! I'm also in love with your tights!
ReplyDeletexoxo
-Janey
Thank you very much across the board, sweet Janey. I usually shy away from textured/patterned tights, as I don't have the thinnest of legs by any means, but these brown ones are so pretty and timeless that I can't help but slip them on sometimes (and they're kinder to me than most pairs on that front).
DeleteThank you again immensely for all of your wonderful blog comments to day. I truly appreciate them!
Big hugs,
♥ Jessica
Your hat is fabulous, that was a great present! Such fun, bright pops of colour in your outfit! I am looking forward to seeing all the entries for the competition as there were some lovely outfits in the last one. I bet it will be quite tricky to choose a winner but will be so much fun being a judge!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, my dear.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
♥ Jessica