A New Hat

Who doesn't love a new hat? This is one I got a while back in February but I hadn't had the chance to wear it.

And the bangs looked great with it. I adore 50s hats.

I got loads of compliments on it. The green bronze combination isn't one that I have a lot of in my wardrobe. Guess I'll have to find some more things to wear with it.

Goodness! I do try to smile when I have my pictures taken but it doesn't come across very well.

Fashion and Flim: Sabrina and Sabrina

One of my favorite movies of all times is Sabrina. I adore both the 1954 version starring Audrey Hepburn and the 1995 version starring Julia Ormond. Each has bits that I like better than the same bit in the other version and  I never can decide which one I like better so I just love them both. I had planned on doing a comparison type post but, alas, photos from the 1995 version are scarce so it's more of a hodge podge than anything else today.

Ah, cooking school in France! Juila works in Paris in the fashion industry, which makes her transformation a bit more logical but who would just absorb fashion and poise living in Paris!

 Post-Paris in a sharp 90s suit and hat!

 

Post-Paris in a great black suit and hat and puppy! I want Audrey's  hat so bad!

I love Audrey's boating outfit! She so great because she can rock a plaid button up shirt and shorts just as easily as the ballgown of your day dreams.

I'll take these earrings too!

 

One thing I dislike about the 1954 version is that it's in black and white and I so want to know what color all of the costumes are in! I was super excited to stumble upon the boating outfit in color!

Julia rocking another suit. And Harrison Ford-yummy! I love him so much more as Linus than Humphrey Bogart (especially after I learned that Bogart did not like Hepburn.).

And one can't talk about Sabrina without this dress! Divine! Casey of Elegant Musings made a blue and black version of this dress and it's gorgeous!

I never can decide if I like this hat or not. Oh, to see it in real life!

I love Julia's short, curly do!

Hepburn and Bogart backstage. I love candid shots. I made a version of this dress.

Dressing Downton Modern

Downton Abbey is full to the brim with lovely costume inspiration! I've been focusing on more reproduction type projects but what if you're looking more for everyday type looks? Let's look at some ways you can bring that inspiration into a more modern wardrobe.

Long skirts were very in during this period, though the length came up towards the end of season 2. Love a great skirt from the show? Shorten the hem to more modern length for an instantly wearable look. Keep the interesting details like the buttons on the back of Mary's skirt or the matching belt on Isobel's. For a more flowy skirt, try a half circle skirt. For a slimmer look, go with an a-line.



Sometimes you'll get lucky and find a modern pattern with similar lines.

Vogue 8648 would be a great starting point for Mary's garden party dress! I'd start with the yellow version and add details. Cut the pieces so the stripes line up with Mary's (or somehow interesting), cut the waist pieces in a darker solid for a belt look and add cuffs to the sleeves. Lace trim around the neck for that finishing touch.



Fallen in love with a great jacket? There are a couple of options here. A lot of jackets from the show would look great with jeans! For a more modern look focus in one one detail-pockets, a unique closure, or a great color and apply it to a modern cut jacket.

Vogue 8333 is a great place to start. It has classic lines but the little side detail makes it special. Change the collar, closures or color.

Vouge 8621 is a much more modern pattern but still captures that spirit of specialness all of the Edwardian jackets from this show have. This is a great option to capture a color that's been calling your name.

Don't forget to think outside of the box. Wouldn't Mary's riding jacket make a great coat dress?

McCall's 6279 would fit the bill.

I feel like a lot of the blouses would be very wearable with jeans or a modern skirt.

I've got many more ideas, but this is getting long so I'm thinking of doing a series of posts on this topic. So please post questions, requests and ideas!

Dressing Downton: Costumes I hope make it into season 3!

 Boy, last night's episode of Downton Abbey was easy on the eyes. I feel like we've been seeing the same costumes over and over again, but then they just slammed us with gobs of lovelies all jam packed into the end here. I know there was a war going on (and I read somewhere that some of the costumes were destroyed in a fire) but still some of these pieces deserve more screen time. So here are a few of the pieces I just adored and really want to see again in season 3.

Daisy finally gets a new dress. I much prefer this one to the last one. It's a lovely shade of orange.

I just adore this shade of blue with pale skin.

Edith has another yummy and wearable blouse. And Mrs. Hughes even gets a fancier dress.

Cora's orange blouse was so yummy! The fabric had some kind of lovely print/embroidery on it too.

My all time favorite was Cora's floral wrap dress. *Swoon* I so want one of these. I do feel it could read a bit robe by today's standards (but it's not like people ever wear pjs out of the house.....)

What were your favorites from last night?

It's a Party Dress

  And here's my party dress!

Outfit:
Hat: The Vintage Hat Shop
Shoes: Macy's
Bling: vintage
Belt: vintage
Dress: me made

The Facts
Fabric:  taffeta with velvet print, $5/yd
Pattern: Butterick B5559 view a
Year: 1955 reprint
Notions: zipper ($3), lining ($3/yd), interfacing (stash)
Time to Complete: about 10 hours
First worn: Feburary 2012 Dinner and a Movie
Wear Again: Yes! Love this dress! I'll also be wearing it to see Tenderly (the Rosemary Clooney musical) later this month. I still have to make the self fabric belt. I wasn't going to but the waist came out a bit big (despite a muslin) so it needs a belt.
Total Price: ~$30 + $10 for belt (when I get that far)

So that's pretty awesome for a party dress! Everybody loved it last night. I felt so fabulous.

This pattern was very easy to make up. I was a bit nervous about fitting the kimono sleeves but they worked out ok. I can't do cartwheels or anything but I can move. The collar worked out great just make sure you use stiff interfacing. Best part: pockets! I adore dresses with pockets. I think this would look great as a top and I'd also love to make a more day version using view b.

Violet's Closet: Ivory Lace

Lately, I've been inspired by antique lace and this lovely ensemble worn by Maggie Smith as Violet in Downton Abbey season 1 caught my eye.



She stylishly pulls off an ivory skirt and jacket with white blouse and gloves and a straw hat. I love when people make color combos that most of us avoid look good. Look at all of the lovely lace on her jacket and blouse!



This outfit can be seen at the flower show. Oh, yummy hats!



As well as at the garden part at the end of season one. I love the look of a long jacket and long skirt.



And here is a great shot of the lace insert on her blouse. So lovely! I want to learn how to do lace inserts! Also, check out the long, layered necklaces. What a "modern" trend hiding out in Edwardian times! (And don't miss this glimpse of the back of Cora's coat and hat.)

Think Pink!

I wished 2011 goodbye in a fabulous stripped pink dress! (I also welcomed 2012 in with pink but a ridiculous amount of wind prevented any outfit photos today so you'll just have to take my word for it.) We had a few friends over (because that's all that fit in our tiny place!) last night for a bit of end of year festivities so I had an excuse to wear my new dress from Fab Gabs! (I also got a new pink hat!)

I've also been thinking about resolutions for this year. So here they are:

1) More (and better) outfit posts.

I love looking great and I love sharing with you. I had some seasonal depression last winter because I lived in jeans and hoodies. I refuse to do that this year and hopefully there will be many outfit posts for you to see. I also want to have better pictures and more interesting locations for you guys to see.

2) Knit stuff

I've loved learning how to knit and my goal is to knit 4 big projects this year (ie sweaters) as well as some small bits like hats and scarves. I also want to not start a yarn stash!

3) De-stash my stash!

I've accumulated a growing fabric stash and I really want to cut down on it this year. This means more sewing and less shopping. I also want to focus on quality fabrics for my stash because I have a lot of pieces that are pretty but not really useful for what I need them to do.

4) Create a quick everyday hair and makeup routine.

It is sad for me to admit that there are a lot of days where I go out of the house with no makeup on and boring hair. Bad style blogger. I'm not a morning person so I need a plan to help me get up and going in the morning. I want a 5 minute make-up routine and a 5-10 minute hair do (or two) that I can whip up in the morning and still look great.

5) Sew more blouses and other work appropriate clothing.

I'm starting my thesis research next semester which means I'll be in the lab (and pants) five days a week for the next year and a half or so. I need to have more me made stuff that I can wear in the lab and for work (which is also in a lab). I also want more blouses that I can wear with my Freddies of Pinewood jeans. I think if I can get myself to wear them more than 50% of the time I'm in pants I'll reward myself with another pair. They have some great 50s styles too!

6) Get off the caffeine!

This last one isn't terribly blog related, but that's ok. I got hooked on having chai tea every morning last winter and then switched to soda over the summer and I'm now up to 2 cans a day from drinking almost none. My goal is to get back to having soda only for special occasions. My dad introduced me to some really great apple cinnamon tea over Christmas and hopefully that will help! I'm so picky-no tea, no coffee-and I don't want to go back to chai because I like it with milk and I'm on a low carb diet (yay for losing 10 lbs so far!) and I would rather spend my carbs on something other than milk. So if any of you have a good morning beverage to suggest, I'd love to hear it. I don't like tea that tastes like tea and I'm not really into floral flavors but I know there has to be more kinds out there I'd like.

Hope you all have had a great start to 2012!

Fashion and Film: Holiday Inn

White Christmas is my all time favorite old Christmas movie, but I also adore Holiday Inn. Holiday Inn (1942) stars Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, and Marjorie Reynolds. Jim (Crosby) is an entertainer who is fed up with always having to work on the holidays so he decides to become a farmer so he can take all of the holidays off. Needless to say, that idea doesn't last long. Instead, he opens the Holiday Inn which is only open on the holidays (The Holiday Inn hotel chain is named after this movie). Astaire stars as Ted, Jim's dancing friend and Reynolds is Linda, the blonde beauty they both fall for. Filled with holiday festivities, music and, of course, dancing, Holiday Inn is a fun film for any holiday. This is also the first film to feature the song "White Christmas", which was the #1 best selling music single until 1997.

 

Look at these lovely evening gowns!

What a cute Valentine's outfit.

 

 Easter!

 What a dazzling gold gown!

Fred's fancy feet.

There is a black face number, so if that bothers you, catch this film on tv as they cut it out. This movie is definitely not as P.C. with respect to race as a modern audience would expect.