Last week I took my first foray into the art of mixing prints. It was a small start–a patterned jacket combined with a patterned scarf, inspired by a look Marlene Dietrich first wore in the 1930s. The outfit itself is not one I would normally wear, though. It’s a bit serious for my lifestyle and personality. …
Let’s Hear It For La Garçonne
Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. ~ Coco Chanel It’s hard to imagine a time when women’s apparel wasn’t inspired in some way by menswear. Trousers, blazers, the button-down collared shirt, oxford …
Going Casual in a Chanel-Inspired Little Black Dress
“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” ~ Coco Chanel Coco Chanel was one of the first designers to bring sportswear into everyday wear. She saw the necessity (and luxury) in comfort. One of the many values of making comfort a priority was the freedom it gave women to move like normal people. …
The Versatility of Coco Chanel’s Original Little Black Dress
It’s hard to argue with the fact that Coco Chanel was a fashion genius. She single-handedly changed how women dress in the modern Western world. We went from wearing nearly 20 pounds of corsetry and underwear to freeform drop waists and wool jersey almost overnight, all thanks to Chanel. We can also thank her for gifting us …
Vintage Feminine for Valentine’s Day
In spite of the huge trend in the 1920s for women to sport a more tomboy look (short hair, shapeless dresses, and sportswear inspired by men’s fashion), it can never be said that women back then looked anything other than feminine. The outfit below was modeled in 1919, a year before the decade of my current …
Jazz Age Chic with an Unbuttoned Shirtdress
I’m off to travel a small section of the globe, but will be back soon with lots of ideas for how to dress “Jazz Age Chic” in the modern world. For now, I give you this as an idea for what’s to come. I have an outfit (almost) identical to this one and will share it …
Weekend Look Influenced by the 1920s is Purely Modern
It’s the weekend! Need something to wear while you’re out and about? (If you can get out and about with the storm hitting the East Coast!) How about a cute, feminine look that has elements of the 1920s? The feminine drop-waist tunic and jacket pair up with the colorful scarf and tote to tickle the …
Vintage-Inspired Winter Outfit
I’m in the process of putting together a post about 1920s hair and makeup using the fun Vintage Makeup Guide for that era from Glamourdaze.com. In that guide is an illustration (pictured below) of a woman dressed so elegantly that I was inspired to curate an outfit idea that I think would be quite smashing to wear during …