1950s Rembrandt and tailoring

It's been a long time....
been here and there, mostly at some point of my life and few places as well
But I'm back now

         

Still spending money like crazy on vintage slips, petticoats, bags and dresses and my new hobby:

paying for tailoring my clothes !!!

Must say took me a while to give it a try.

So basically if you simply don't want to buy a new one, give your old one to a tailor.

Brilliant.

My dressmaker is terribly expensive but it's only because I'm lazy and have her in my working place.

So nice to be able to afford it... being lazy I mean.

bought on eBay £18

Yes!!! for free!!!

genuine 1950s Rembrandt - one of my favorite 

...and there was a problem. Can you see those weird triangles, kind of hip extensions?

Perhaps back then when this crispy taffeta - the dress doesn't stretch a bit - was still crispy it made sense but when I put it on looked like drunk and creased 80's mad lady.

So my unappreciated me as a regular customer expensive dressmaker estimated:

• decolletage seams reinforcement
• removing those hips and creating nice line
• back widening using fabric taken from hip area
• sleeves shortening to avoid fabric sticking to elbow area and tearing the back
• adjusting in waist
• changing the zip

TOTAL: £45

 (stockings black point heel GIO... im wearing 9,5...shoes Miss L Fire Cinderella black)

So before wearing it for the first time the dress unexpectedly disappeared in the flat during floor changing.

When she - dressmoneydrainingmaker - asked me have I worn it yet... and I said

-No, I lost it but hopefully in my flat. Can't find it for two months now. So angry about it.

-You're angry !!!!!! What do you want me to say!!! So much work!!! - and money I paid you, I thought, so as far I'm concerned I could even burn it without remorse for this price- You have to find it!!! Keep looking!!!!!!

She made me feel guilty so I found it among old paints and brushes in my 'shed'.

Vintage Swimming Suit

Summer is over, there's only waiting for winter now. 
There's no point to write about swimming suits, what I'm going to do and no point to shop for one, what I just did.
All vintage Lovers, who doesn't like bathing costume shape from 40s and 50s ?
Showing less than more, especially hip area, sometimes with stiff boning. My man hates the way it looks from behind. Well, did it ever stop me from buying it?
Makes me shiver but since Brazilian Waxing hasn't been born yet, so built up costumes helped to hide what's inevitable. 

That's original photo by Andre De Dienes - surprisingly I've found some photoshoped versions.

Anyway... My boyfriend has mixed feelings towards the one I have...
From acceptance to hate, sometimes even aggression but still finds some power to ask me 'please never wear it again'.

In the end he felt relief when I showed him Lady K Loves vintage swimming suits reproduction that he found most disturbing. I did as well.. think it looks pretty glamour-less. 

Some Vintage just should stay in Vintage.

Except For Luna that is so adorable !!! so burlesque and so colour-and-contrast and expensive obviously.

Quite quickly I found on eBay, obviously, genuine two piece bathing suit, made of cotton from early 60s with original labels that cost me just few pounds. Bra is bullet bra shape and it's based on a long one piece wire that you can't bend so forget about comfortable and efficient holiday packing system. I will have to tighten the strap around bust and neck and fix few stitches. Apart of that it's just perfect but perhaps still too old fashioned at the back for my man but he'll have to find this out next summer since I'm filtering reality to him ...sometimes.

I have no idea about other men but I'm afraid that it can be the case... one piece 40s50s shape may be just out of sexy look for male side. Other option means it's me, I'd rather not think about it.
and it doesn't mean I don't like it.

and two piece bikinis that finally became more popular and accepted...

I was always wondering what to do with your head since bathing cap is absolutely out of question. Pin curls and rollers out of logical sense. 

Exceptionally scarf may be in use...

And this is where I'm getting to The Tattered Dress from 1957 that's only valuable because of Elaine Stewart and her swimming pool hairstyle.

To be prepared next time.

My Uniform - 40s trousers

I am working on adjusting my uniform to my personal norms and still keeping it in 'what's right' and on the edge of 'what's wrong'. Some are disappointed with working hours, some with wages... no matter how it sounds, I am very disappointed with my new uniform. 
I arrived in pencil - verypppencil - black skirt and black seamed stockings just to hear that only trousers while they handed me polyester formless creation. 
I nearly fainted, decided no to sleep and went shopping the next day.
Unfortunately it is impossible to find in shops for ordinary mortals trousers made of cotton +-mix with high tight waist and wide legs means Swing 40s Trousers. By tight, I mean 12-13 inches difference between hips and waist. 
For today's standards I should definitively get few litres of filler on my belly. I tried, moving buttons, creating gathers with not 'so so' but only 'so' effect.  
I travelled through miles of Clothes Reproduction websites and Vintage Online Shops.
Sure you can find 40s trousers, but black? no.


There's Vivien of Holloway, 55GBP my first choice.
I've called, I've been there and I've written few times and they don't expect to produce black cotton trousers in the nearest future however once a month they have this kind of inquiry. Vivien of Holloway makes the best waistline ever !

Tara Starlet stick only to non black production for crazy 60 GBP.

Heydays almost fulfilled my dreams. I was ready to pay 55GBP - a lot! and accept polyester viscose mix but then they don't have my size. Even though Ms Helen insisted brown chock is oh so dark! I didn't proceed. However they expect to have more sizes in stock quite soon.

Lady - K - Loves poly viscose mix with a lot of stretch in black for kind 35GBP. Again not in my size... coming soon!

...it does look strange this front view...

Then after digging in Etsy I found a girl in US who is so willing to make 40s trousers from any fabric with any details I want. But for 80GBP plus 20GBP delivery and 3weeks of constructing it and around 2 weeks of delivery and possibly xGBP for tax. I'm still not sure if ever I should go for it.. it's expensive, I assume it should be worth it, but what if there are some changes necessary? another 3 months of shipping and waiting.
so....no

hmmmm... I have to start collecting beige clothes...

There is a family business very active on eBay. They create 40s clothes from genuine vintage patterns. Few years ago I considered some shopping there but I didn't like they do use tones of polyester. Desperate I wrote emails asking if there's a chance to get one black pair in cotton mix. 'Maybe later, not now, soon..' and then suddenly I got a paypal invoice and the package one day after payment. And there it was... black 40s 100% nice cotton trousers made from pattern in my size! I moved buttons a bit and here it is, perfect just as I wanted!! for 35 GBP.

...definitively, if not in motion, looks awkward...

Daily Routine

Since I started working my days are:

It takes time so unfortunately I'm so so so far behind but still managed to finish few books.
What to wear on a first day?


I considered Vintage late - 50s burgundy dress with gold buttons...
corder navy - green gloves and House of Olivier Victoria petticoat.

And House of Olivier Juliette petticoat.

Eventually it ended with vintage custom made 50s gold - cream top, hated by my boyfriend, and Bettie Page skirt.