"Welcome to Cloth World"- Our Mega Vintage Pattern Find

 

This month, we inherited some awesome vintage patterns. This is what happens when a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend is getting rid of her grandma's patterns! We were super excited to look through all of them and get them cataloged. I even started to sew up one of them!

Each box was stuffed full of them! We still haven't counted yet...

 The majority of them are from the 1960s, a handful from the 1950s and the rest 1970s-80s, with the exception of the Hollywood Pattern. I was suprised to find one of our favorite stars on our first Hollywood Pattern--Olivia deHavilland!

 

I have heard similar stories in the blog world about others getting a huge amount at one time, but I never thought it would happen to us! I think pattern lovers have dreams that they come across someone's lifetime collection and it becomes theirs-whether at an estate sale, flea market, as a gift, or rescued before getting trash.

What are some of your unbelievably great finds?

 

--Viola



Pick a Pretty Petticoat....or Crinoline??

 

 

This post was fueled by curiosity--I had to do some research on the difference between a petticoat and a crinoline. On the Internet I have seen these two terms used interchanged with each other and became a little confused. After a brief look-up, I quickly realized that historically a crinoline is cage-like and the petticoat is more like an underskirt-- both are worn for fullness.

...Or Crinoline


Crinoline Courtesy of fashion-era.com

The definitions I found explained a petticoat as "a skirt-like undergarment[s] worn for warmth or to give the skirt or dress the desired or fashionable shape" and crinoline as a "stiffened petticoat or rigid skirt-shaped structure of steel designed to support the skirts of a woman's dress into the required shape."

*I also found this interesting post about bustle periods.

The most memorable decades for crinoline-and-petticoat-wearing that stuck out in my mind were:

 

The 1850s-1870s



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The 1950s

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The Early 1960s

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For some reason, I associate petticoats and full dresses with summer. Depending how hot your summers get, petticoat-wearing can get a little warm-- to say the least. Knowing me, I will probably wear them in the heat anyway! Since this was an interesting topic, and I am sure I'll do more in-depth probing later.  Until next time,

--Viola

A Face of the 60's- Colleen Corby

Nearly everyone is familiar with Twiggy, the famous British teen fashion model of the 60's. But what about Colleen Corby? If you haven't heard her name you will no doubt recognize her face. Colleen Corby had dark brown hair and green eyes, she fit in well with other models but could also stand alone. 


 

Before I started the blog I didn't know who Colleen Corby was. While pinning on pinterest I started to recognize this girl reoccurring in many 1960's ads and magazine covers, it turns out this girl was Colleen Corby.

This Pennsylvania native started her modeling career at only eleven years old in 1959. Corby was signed up with one of the best modeling agencies of the time, Eileen Ford. After her fist appearance on a Girl Scout Equipment catalog she began to slowly build speed booking many modeling jobs. Although she tried to make it at acting, by the time the 1960's were in full swing she had a career as a model.

 

 

She appeared in magazines, catalogs and TV. commercials becoming a national face. Colleenwas closely associated with Seventeen magazine, appearing on 15 covers in the 1960s (five times in 1964 alone) and in the magazine's fashion spreads almost every month! This decade proved to be her peak.

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed it!

 

Dont forget to vote on the poll or share your thoughts.

Sincerely, Vera 



ETSY: SALE & New Items

Brentwood Lane Vintage has a few new items on the shop! We have a couple hats and some cute clothes for spring. All items that were previously listed have been slashed, so hurry and snatch your faves or have fun browsing!



folky peasant top

Collage Vest

 

plaid skirt

Brocade Slim Skirt

 Check out the rest on Etsy.
Hope everyone is having a great week!

--Viola



Vera's Mod Mondays- GoGo Green

Woo! This is the third Mod Monday! There was a glitch and this wasn't posted yesterday--oh well. Besides that, it's very nice to be back on track with blogging lately, I hope everyone is enjoy it as well.

What is really cool to me about the mod side of the 1960's is the extremely simple lines of dresses.  Basic A-lines and streamlined shifts composed the hip scene. Instead of intricately-made clothes, impact was created with bold prints, colors, accessories and make up. 

 

 

...Modeling also took a bit of a turn. New methods of posing were more rigid and "unflattering" intended to elongate the thin young model. Making everything bold, young and fresh was the mode-completely opposite of the trends that existed 10 years prior.       

 

Viola and I had fun messing around with poses

 

 I've found that it's really quite simple to create a "mod" look with modern clothes, all you need to focus on is the lines of the garment and the accessories. Like with anything the first step is knowing what you are looking for. I think the best way to get a really accurate mod look is to look at photos from the decade to draw your inspiration. Simple lines, shifts and A-line shapes skirts and dress achieve the look, either in a classic bold color or a large geometric pattern. Flat boots are always a stellar option but flats also work too!  

 



 

 

 

dress: JCPenney's boots: JCPenney's bracelet: Estate Sale sunglasses: 99 cent Only Store

 

Have a great week & thanks for reading!

 

Sincerely, Vera



Vera's Mod Mondays-Groovy Chick & Hey Doll!



Hello everyone! To include in todays Mod Monday post I wanted to mention Hey Doll! Vintage Magazine! The gals over at Va-Voom Vintage and Bunny's Victory  are the creators of this great idea! Their magazine sticks to authentic info on ALL things retro, from baking to fashion. They've already completed two issues and the third is on its way. Dolled Up, is a spread that is in each issue, this is where the reader can send in their looks. For the April magazine we were supposed to channel a 60s vibe inspired by Mad Men. I submitted a photo! They should be posting the new issue soon, I'm very excited to see if I made the cut!

 These are the pictures from the "Dolled Up" photo shoot we did

dress: vintage 1960's- thrifted  sunglasses: Giant Vintage scarf: from a friend earrings: vintage-from a friend shoes: Payless 

this is the photo I submitted

 

THE DRESS' STORY

 While vintage hunting in West Hollywood we found this 60's black and white polyester dress with a bright floral polyester scarf (which I'm not wearing), I was reluctant to get the dress thinking it might look clownish. But the with urging of our friend and Viola we bought the dress which was very reasonably priced. It hung in our closet for some months Viola tried to wear it on number of occasions but didn't feel comfortable with the length, it was too short. So naturally the dress got passed down to me being the shortest out of the three. This was the debut of the dress and I love it! The contrasting collar and cuffs are too cool and I never miss a chance to wear cuff links!

 

Peace and love!

 

Sincerely, Vera 

 

*PHOTOS TAKEN BY VIOLA*



Vintage Tiffany

Tiffany & Co. is synonymous with luxury. This well known company has been putting out high quality jewelry, sterling silver, china, crystal, and fragrances for over one hundred years! Renowned for their diamonds Tiffany has sold thousands of pieces of jewelry since their start in New York City in 1837.

Viola and I found this really amazing book entitled Tiffany in Fashion. It is full of vintage images from the 1930's-1990's- we couldn't resist sharing a few here on the blog. They are really lovely to look at; not only the jewelry- but the clothes don't disappoint either.
Enjoy!



 

 

Gorgeous!

 

Sincerely, Vera