Hollywood Patterns 1945

Every month I share a vintage fashion scan in my digital newsletter and this month I scanned in an extra page for all of you!  This one is from a Spring 1945 Hollywood Patterns booklet that I digitally restored.

Hollywood Patterns is one of my favorite vintage pattern lines.  It actually was owned by Vogue and used Hollywood starlets to sell part of their line.  Some of these patterns were used as tie-in products as a way to further promote that star's current film.  I'm obsessed with Classic Hollywood tie-in items.  My collection includes everything from match books and bottle caps to rare Latin mini flyers theaters used to help advertise the film.  Maybe one day I'll share some of my favorite pieces.  Would you guys like to see that?

*Feel free to pin this image or share the link.  Please do not re-post, redistribute, or sell in whole or part.  Image copyright Livin' Vintage / Emily Schwartz 2014*

1946 Spring Lines from Hollywood Patterns

Last week, one of the ladies at the post office I frequent mentioned that her daughter was working on a project about 40s fashion.  I thought that was SO exciting and offered to send her some scans from my library of vintage magazines.

This Spring 1946 Hollywood Pattern booklet was among some of the things I scanned in.  I liked that it hit on a few of iconic 40s trends, such as large shoulders and tilt hats.

1755 and 1750 are my favorite looks from this page.  What are yours?

Looking Towards Spring: a gardening tray from the 1950s wordless workshop

A few years ago, I bought a HUGE lot of vintage magazines from a local estate.  In the lot were several "What to Make" magazines put out by Popular Mechanics and it wasn't until the other day when organizing all my periodicals that I rediscovered these gems.

The wordless workshop was a regular feature, depicting a ridiculously easy project that required no written direction to make.  This feature seems to echo what many vintage seamstresses are very familiar with: the lack of detailed directions due to the general knowledge most people possessed back then.  Like this feature, many vintage sewing patterns have little construction direction, banking on the fact that most people already had training in these areas.

This gardening tray, while lacking directions, still seems to be a relatively simple project even by today's standards.  Now if it can just stop snowing so I can start planning my spring garden!

All work and no play....

source

...makes Emily a very dull blogger! Two weeks from today I will have completed all my course work for my Masters degree and will be able to regain my life! :)

I want to thank all my followers who have chosen to stay with me during the lull in postings. You guys are the best!!

During the research process for my thesis, I have come across some really neat resources for viewing vintage magazines online and in archives. For example, the Michigan State University Special Collections allows practically anyone to come and comb through their extensive collection of vintage magazines, both movie fan magazines and women's interest. You are even allowed to take pictures of the pages. Bowling Green State University also has a similar collection.

If you still want to check out old magazines and cannot access these collections or would rather do it at home, the Media History Digital Library has tons of digital copies of early fan magazines for you to view. Their most stand out piece (IMO) is their collection of early Photoplay. While the collections are limited to publications related to media and film history, for vintage fans, the website is certainly still valuable. Being able to view early fashion spreads in these magazines is so interesting and definitely inspiring! Plus, I am a huge advocate for the preservation of these publications and websites like these are important to keep the cause going.

If anyone knows of similar websites, do share in the comments!

Hope to back back soon!!

Emily