an idyllic summer

I was recently searching the Google-hosted Life photo archive (which I have to admit I find very confusing to use) for images about summer and came across this collection of beautiful and evocative photos.  I say "collection," but on the site, these are actually called "related images," and since no information about any of them is given whatsoever, I don't actually know that they are all part of the same collection, although some of the same people appear multiple times in the photos.

My guess is that these are from the 1930s, and taken in Europe.  The settings are mostly a seaside beach (beaches?), with some taken in other pastoral locations.  What they all have in common is a feeling of summer joie de vivre, from calisthenics on the beach, to midday naps in the sun, to moments of quiet peace and contemplation.  

Enjoy the photos--there are lots of them--and I hope you're also enjoying your summer.

autumn fashions in Austria, 1935

I have new internet obsession, and its mouthful of a name (at least for us non-German speakers) is the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, or Austrian National Library.  The website for the library has a fabulous virtual reading room where you can peruse hundreds of years of Austrian newspapers and magazines, ranging from journals of firefighting and law, to travel and women's magazines.  One of my favorite discoveries is Moderne Welt (The Modern World) magazine, a treasure trove of vintage 1920s-1930s fashion (and fashion illustration).  Just to give you a taste, below is the cover and autumn fashions from the September 1935 issue (you can see the full issue online here).

Autumn hats.  (I have tried without success to decipher the signature of the illustrator for these interior illustrations.  If anybody knows what it says, please tell me!)

Autumn fashions for shopping and...walking the dog!  (I'm told Austrians really love dogs.)  Not only do I love the fashions here, but the script headers and little illustrations with them (particularly that terrier) are so charming.  Oh, and I'll take the plaid Shopping suit and the top Promenade outfit.  Danke!  (That cute green suit on the left with cherries on the front of the jacket is by Nina Ricci.)

And outfits for morning and afternoon.  I love the geometric details on the far left Vormittag dress, and the scalloping on the righthand Nachmittag dress (which is by Robert Piguet).

Gowns for the Theater, und für Tanz (dance!).  The far left gown is by Piguet, as are the purple and purple and gray Tanz dresses on the right.

And as an adorable bonus--autumn outfits für die Kinder!

xo
K

college experimenting

They say college is a time for experimenting...with fashion!  The following spreads from Life magazine show some of the fashion fads--sometimes silly, sometimes not--that were popular with young women on college campuses through the years.

1938 was all about tweedy jackets and sensible shoes for girls in the east on all-female campuses (and by implication, sexy dresses to draw in beaus for the man-hunters out west).  "Dog collar" watches with matching "dog leash" belts are popular, as are coin bracelets.  And if you wanted to be really unconventional, you wore two strands of pearls instead of just one!  The blouse--or "Sig Shirt"--on the right has the wearer's friends' names embroidered all over it.

The hot college trend in 1940 is men's clothing.  Actual men's clothing, not "sissified versions" of it (that's a quote.  It actually says that.).  I'm on board with all of this--it all looks great!  Well, except for the two-piece socks and boxing-gloves-as-mittens on the right.

Inspirations for the college fashions of 1949 came from the flappers of the 1920s...and the little boys of the 1900s!

1950.  The article says it's all about plaid, but I think it's just all over the place.  How cute is the gal on the left?  She is wearing a sherriff's badge.  I think the flyaway jumper and tattersall check lounge suit (with matching booties) on the right are just plain weird, but I am completely down with the Claire McCardell striped rain boots that match the striped rain jacket.  "Bizarre bags" are popular, and include: an oversize carpet bag (awesome!), a plastic powder horn (?!), a cowhide lunchbox (!!), and a plaid shopping bag (not really so bizarre if you ask me).

1957 is about color.  "The very nervy girl will try stockings, shoes and dress for a single streak of color effect."  I think the very nervy girl will wear that insane hat on the right.  The outfit on the gal hanging off the jungle gym looks very much like something I would wear.

xo

K

giant pants of the 30s

One of my favorite Tumblrs also has one of the best names: Giant Pants of the 30s.  It's fairly focused: usually (but not always) ladies, from the 1930s (but maybe sometimes the 20s or 40s), wearing amazing pants (or beach pajamas.  Or jumpsuits).  Here are some highlights:

1938 fashion ad.

Bette Davis.

Nautical sewing pattern.

Joan Bennett

The Duke of Windsor.  Holy moly.

Natalie Paley

Model with dog, 1932, by Yva.

Hollywood, Alfred Eisenstaedt.

June Knight.

Clara Bow.

xo

K

indiana, 1939

My grandparents, Edna and Dan, were married in 1938.  In 1939 they traveled from St. Louis to Indiana to visit Edna's family there.  I love the photos from this trip--I'm guessing Edna took most of them--as they have such a dreamy, summery feeling.

Also, these gals wore some really cute dresses!

I really love this photo.

Edna on horseback.

Another photo I particularly love--Dan and one of Edna's relatives.

These folks appear to be standing in front of some kind of mobile grocery store.  Nifty!

Dan on the right, rocking the boater.

That's Edna's mother, my great-grandmother Mary Francis, on the far left.  I love this photo for the dresses, naturally, but also for the luncheonette menu behind them!

xo

K