The Dollar Dress

When I was little and just getting into sewing, my grandma used to tell me the story of her collection of dollar dresses she sewed during the 1950s.  At the time, you could get three yards of fabric for $1 -- just the right amount for a simple day dress.  Not only were these dresses practical, but they also allowed for the frugal housewife to add to her wardrobe without breaking the bank.

| my grandma in 1955 wearing one of her dollar dresses |

Although I didn't know it at the time, my grandma was teaching me an important life lesson when it comes to the value of a dollar and how to make it stretch.  And, while I would be hard pressed to make a dress for today's equivalent of $8.89 to 1955's $1.00, I definitely have adapted this concept to 2014 living.

| 1950s sundress, thrifted for $5 |

It never occurred to me, until a few weeks ago, that all my thrifted dresses were kind of the modern equivalent.  For the most part, you can walk into any thrift store and find many dresses marked $8.99 or below.  Even if I were to walk up one morning and decide that I was done with wearing vintage clothing, I still would be a regular thrift store shopper.  I always find it so thrilling to see how far I can stretch the $20 bill in my wallet and what amazing treasures await me.  So Grandma, wherever you are, thank you for sharing the gift of spending wisely on fashion.  I know you'd be proud.  :)

Saving Style: Margorie Lollman circa 1940 Oklahoma

Do you ever find old photos of ancestors and you can't remember or figure out quite exactly how they are related to you, but you just know that they are?  Well that's the case with these photos of Margorie Lollman.  I know they were taken in 1940 in Oklahoma and she's either a great aunt or cousin on my dad's side.  

Not too long ago my grandpa sent me a CD chock full of vintage family photos, and while they are all labeled with a name and a date, that's as far as it goes.  Some day, I'll make a photocopy of my grandpa's family tree so I can keep track of who everyone is.  Until then, I am enjoying these photos. I feel like Margie and I have some similar fashion tastes -- must run in the family!  ;)

Saving Style | a 1939 winter

| Ann Schwartz, 1939 |

Recently, my grandpa sent me a whole bunch of family photos from the 20s-70s and it has been a lot of fun going through them all.  I particularly fell in love with this one of my great aunt Ann.  I really love all the accessories to her outfit, which is no surprise being that this photo was taken in 1939 -- one of favorite years in fashion history.  I only wish I could see her shoes! 

I have almost this exact purse in my collection and this photo has inspired me to take it out for a spin.  I love finding vintage twins; it's always so exciting!

Saving Style | The Bowery circa 1940s and Collecting Nightclub Photos

I am a sucker for old photos, but I especially love to find 1940s nightclub souvenir photos.  You know, the kind that are incased in a slim cardboard frame with a flap cover naming the bar/club the photo was shot at.  Since cameras at this time were bulky and required a flash attachment, many bars and clubs would over photography services.  Think of these like the photos amusement parks take while on a roller coaster.   I love that these photos came in a frame -- helping to document and preserve the picture itself.  My favorite in my collection is from my Grandma, taken during the 1940s at the Bowery in Hamtramck, Mi (a city housed within Detroit's city limits).

| left to right: my grandma, grandpa, and an unknown couple |

The Bowery Cafe was a pretty major nightclub in it's day.  Some people even recall it being much like the nightclub Ray Liotta takes his dates to in Goodfellas, where tipping the the head waiter resulted in your own special table set up complete with carrying it to the center of the floor.  

From HamtramckStar.com:

  "The Bowery drew major talent who would come to Detroit on tour, and it was not uncommon at any given time at The Bowery to see performers such as Jimmy Durante sitting at a table drinking Pfeiffer beer–which was distributed from 11618 Sobieski Street in Hamtramck–or Sophie Tucker sitting with United Auto Workers (UAW) moguls Walter Reuther and Dick Frankenstein, or Jack Dempsey, one-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world. The emcee was Amos Jacobs (Danny Thomas). An artist would come weekly and paint on the exterior of the building a portrait of the entertainer who would be appearing that week as neighborhood children sat and watched the face develop to see if they recognized the star. The Marx Brothers, the Ritz Brothers, Martha Raye, Sophie Tucker and Tony Martin, who was a very popular singer in the 1940s and was married to Cyd Charisse in 1948, were among the stars who appeared at The Bowery. During the 1940s, before they ever became famous on the Jackie Gleason television show, the June Taylor Dancers made up the chorus at The Bowery."

   

Saving Style

Eliza, 1920

This is my Great-Great- Grandma, Eliza Agnes Kenney (1861-1941).  I don't know much about her, other than she is one of my ancestors on my dad's side of the family.  When my aunt passed away two summers ago, I was gifted with a few items that belonged to Eliza, including a serving plate and a vanity table.  

My grandpa is really into genealogy and sent me this photo of Eliza from his archives.  It was so nice to be able to see what the woman who owned these family treasures looked like.  I really like her duster coat and how she is looking away from the camera.  I so enjoy seeing photos of my ancestors -- it's so fascinating!

Bowling...Vintage Style

Over the weekend, Jesse and I met some friends for a fun filled night of bowling. I love bowling, although I not very good it at. I think what intrigues me the most is how "old fashioned" it is. Often times, the bowling shoes you rent have a vintage feel to them and many of the allies around here haven't done much to update their interiors.

This was my inspiration for my outfit that evening; my Grandma is on the right. I thought bowling in a dress would be much harder than it looked, but it actually turned out to be not too different from bowling in pants.

When I was in middle school, my Grandma gave me her old bowling ball and shoes set. In the late 40s she was on a bowling league (pictured above) and had hung onto her ball and shoes for all those years. Her ball is engraved with her name on it, which is my middle name. Sometime soon, I would love to get my name engraved above hers.

Emily

40s House Dress: Lost and Found Vintage

Sweater: Forever 21

40s Bowling Shoes and Scarf: Were my Grandma's

P.S. This dress is going to be going up for sale in my etsy soon. This weekend was the last time for me to wear it...there's only so much a belt can do to cinch a waist.

You Will Be Missed

My Grandma at 13 at her confirmation, Spring 1933.

I felt like I needed to do a little post to explain my unexpected absence from blogging these past few weeks. On Thanksgiving, my dear Grandma passed away. It was incredibly sad, but peaceful. We are all comforted by knowing she is in a better place and not in pain anymore.

I know I have blogged about my wonderful Grandma before, sharing some of her vintage photos and I plan to continue; to remember her and honer her life. She was a huge part of my life and was my biggest vintage fan. She always loved to see the neat stuff I found at sales and thrift stores. I definitely inherited my love of a bargain and jewelry from her, thanks Grandma!

Emily

Old Photo Album Inspiration

Lately, I have been looking a lot at my grandma's old photo albums for some inspiration. Back in the 40s-60s, she and her family took a lot of trips up north and did some camping and such. I am going to be going camping soon and I don't want to wear the typical shorts and t-shirts. Call me crazy, but I want to camp fashionably! Well as fashionably as tent camping for 4 days will allow.

I am planning on sewing a few things for the trip; primarily some shorts and tops from a vintage pattern. I am also planning on debuting my vintage romper that has been hanging in my closet for about 3 years now. I have never had a chance to wear it to a real beach, so that should be fun!

Anyways, these old family photos of past vacations have been giving me a lot of great ideas on the types of outfits I would like to put together. I especially love this photo of my grandma, taken at I believe Niagara Falls when she was 17. I love that she took the time to record the month and the year on so many of her old photos. I may be bias, but doesn't she look like a model?

Emily

Now and Then

I may have mentioned this on my blog before, but my 90 year old Grandmother lives with my family. She moved in about a year and a half ago and has been enjoying her little room here ever since. She is such a cute little thing -- she is under five feet tall and was always a short gal. Yesterday she wasn't herself, so I thought a trip down memory lane via some old photographs would help cheer her up. We sent a few hours looking over all the pictures she had saved from the 20s-60s. My grandma is part of the reason why I am into old things. I always loved looking at the old black photo album when I was a kid and those photos of her and her sisters dressed so fashionably is just one of my many inspirations for dressing vintage.

After the photos, we decided to play a little dress-up with some of my vintage hats and sunglasses. My grandma didn't save a lot of her old things and the things that she did, I treasure dearly. I think she had a lot of fun "going back" while she tried on the hats and sunglasses. Isn't she cute?

The old photo is from 1932 when my grandma was 12. It was taken on her grandma's farm in Canada. When I was about that age, my family took my grandma back to her grandma's farm, which is sadly not owned by the family anymore. She really enjoyed her summers there as a girl and often talks about taking another trip back. When I was a girl, I loved to hear her tell the stories about her grandma's old seller full of home canned goods and the bread and pies she would make and go into town to sell. Even now, I still enjoy hearing them....they just don't get old!

Well, I am off to see a vintage dealer at his warehouse about some vintage clothing. Wish me luck!

Emily

Winter, Circa 1937

This photo comes out of the vintage black photo album, mentioned HERE. My grandma is in the front along with one of her sisters and in the back are two of their friends. The original is really small, like a 2X3, so it's hard for me to make out exactly who is who. I am pretty sure my grandma is the one with the lighter fur collar and spectacular over-boots. How stylish these gals were!!

This was taken at my great-grandma's home in Detroit, Michigan. My grandma was 17 at the time and I am thinking this was taken before church or some other semi-important outing, due to the dressy fur collared coats. Oh how I wish I could go back in time and steal their coats and boots!!! ;)

I always question my grandma as to why she didn't save more...especially her shoes. She had the most stylish shoes and this often comes to mind every time I look at these old photos. We wear the same size and sometimes I offer to let her try on my vintage shoes when I bring them home -- it must bring back fond memories for her. The things I do have from my grandma, I truly treasure. The clothing she has passed down to me are all skillfully handmade, my favorites being a 50's black velvet suit in a Chanel style and a 60's beige lace cocktail dress complete with a little lace jacket, which is very Jackie-O. I use to play dress up in the cocktail dress!! Now it hangs in my closet waiting to be worn to the right occasion.

I know my grandma is proud of passing down such treasures to me. She always says how proud her mother would be to see me wearing her coat each year on Christmas. She tells me how my great-grandma saved for that coat and how much it meant to her. I like to believe great-grandma is up in heaven, smiling every time her treasure takes another spin around the block.

Emily

Family Gems

My Great-Grandma and my Grandma Margaret

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. For a while there I was on a roll!! This weekend kept me super busy. Saturday I ran errands, the dry cleaners and the leather goods repair man. I had to get some of my latest vintage finds dry cleaned and a purse repaired. I pick them both up tomorrow, I am so excited!! I can't wait to blog about them. :) Sunday. I spent the day with one of my good girlfriends. We went to an estate sale and a flea market. I found some goodies at both (pictures in a future post). I also saw "Public Enemies" and I really liked it A LOT. I really enjoyed the 30's style clothing and it is inspiring me to search out some 30's clothing to wear.

Anyways, tonight's post was inspired by today's episode of "Antiques Roadshow." I just love that show, I have been watching it for years. I remember watching it as a kid, it probably aided my already blooming curiosity for old things. The last item appraised tonight was a set of jewelry that was simply gorgeous. I love when jewelry shows up on the show because it is one of my biggest collecting passions. I have been extremely lucky to inherit some lovely pieces of jewelry from the amazing women in my family. The bracelet above was hand down to me from my Grandma who received it from her mother. I think it is the most beautiful costume bracelet ever and plan to wear it on my wedding day as my something old if I ever get married.

These are two of my favorite rings. The wedding set was my Great-Grandmother's. She was married in 1912, so these rings are almost 100 years old. I always feel like a million bucks whenever I wear them. They were a special gift from my mom on my 21st birthday. The star sapphire ring was my Grandma's. I have the fondest memories of seeing my Grandma wear this -- it was her "every day ring." She kept her most precious rings for special occasions only and she still does to this day.

My hope is that some day I have a daughter so I can pass these lovely family heirlooms down to her to enjoy for the next century or so!

Emily

Lunch with Grandma

My grandma is on the right and her sister Frances is on the left in both pictures.

Yesterday, my mom had my grandma's aunt and niece over for a visit and some lunch. My mom and I had a great time getting everything put together for the day. She planned the menu and I was in charge of finding a tablecloth to match her good dishes. After I found the cloth, I realized that it would match these plates perfectly. So out from storage they came and were used for the first time as me as their new owner. We also used my mom's pink oyster and pearl relish dish. She received it from her mother. I actually bought myself one a year ago. I loved my mom's so much, I just couldn't pass it up. My grandma had a nice visit with her sister and I had a fun time finally getting to put some of my vintage find to good use. I think the ladies liked seeing the crisp tablecloth and matching dishes on the table. I hope it reminded them of years past.

Emily