Shimmer & Shine Vintage Blow Out

Several times a year the Vintage Clothing and Accessories Board on eBay sponsors a Vintage Blow Out Sale. It always lasts a week, starts on Thursday, all items must have a Buy it Now Price and must be $19.99 or under.
This is a fabulous opportunity to pick up great vintage items at slashed prices.

This Thanksgiving weekend is the date for the next one.

More details "http://cgi3.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid="vbo-vintage*blow*out">

What a Difference 1/2 a Decade Makes

I've been fascinated with these two photos for a long time. Several things fascinate me about them. The one on the left is the hubby's Mom and her 2 sisters. The one on the right is my Mom and her 2 sisters.

Both families had hard scrabble rural roots about 20 miles apart. Plenty to eat cause they grew what they ate but not much else. These photos taken 5 years apart and just look at the difference in not only the styles of the clothing (which is amazing) but the difference in their body language. These 6 women were so much alike it's uncanny but the difference in the times really shows in their photos.

Here's what a very savvy friend had to say about the photos: "1939 could have been 1929. They want (probably need) to look like proper ladies, ie: older and home centered. Everything is homemade, handed down, or looks it. Showing your shape is taboo, at least in their world. Even their smiles are tight. Everything says Depression. 1944 is unmistakable. Youth is not quite a craze yet, but at least it's an idea. Fashions travel now, because there's some money, and because the country is all on the same wavelength. Hair is carefree, limbs allowable. These gals can go places. Nothing says World War, except that the setting is 100% female. Even the settings say a lot. 1939: weathered old house, dirt lot. It's a hard place, and not just physically. A little Sunday gingham is the only color they can have. 1944: sleek car, lush grass, open sky. The car, a not-quite-late model (late being 1942), hints at what the '30s really had to offer that many never got to have."

I admire both eras of fashion. They each have something to say about the times. in the 30's the Great Depression was upon us and Europe was already a war...........would we get involved? Those thought are reflected in the attitude and style of clothing. Longer more sedate clothing (although I actually find the longer skirts and no distinct waistline more flattering)..........and look at those shoes.........

The mid 40's was the middle of hard times but everyone was pulling together in the war effort. Skirts are shorter due to cloth rationing, nylon's are non existent but by 44 there was an optimism that the light at the end of the tunnel wasn't a train.............and you can see it. The boys were gone but they'd be coming home soon...........at least there was hope.

If either of these eras trip your trigger my friends have lots of goodies for you.From Dandelion Vintage a 1930's Gingham Day Dress


And from Sydney's Vintage Clothing This dressy sheer 40's dress.

And of course for the Do It Yourself'er.....there are patterns galore for both the everyday house dress and the more glam dressy dress.

This 1939 Glamour Dress...........skirt's just a bit fuller and wider and the waistline is more defined.............but isn't it smashing? From Dandelion Vintage .


Or a more sedate Day time dress from Fast Edie's Retro Rags




From 1944...........Suit dressing........not only did it conserve fabric, but conserved energy due to being able to launder the blouse and save the jacket. Also you could wear multiple blouses for different looks. And.....more women were entering the workplace..........Rosie didn't just Rivet, she also took over clerical jobs previously held by men. Dorthea's Closet has this cute little suit pattern.


And of course your's truly Cemetarian has gobs of 40's sewing, knitting and crochet patterns............but I'm really partial to this adorable Maternity Dress from 1944




Or if research is your thing and you just want good illustrations.........you can always resort to Pattern Brochures and Magazine Advertisements.........find these and many many more at Cemetarian


Born Too Late Vintage http://www.specialistauctions.com/auctiondetails.php?id=976254 has this 1940's Purple and Pink Sheer Dress
http://www.mainstreetvintage.com/store.php?ref=8 Alley Cats Vintage has this wonderful 30's Black Satin Rayon Hand Beaded Party Dress
Also at http://www.mainstreetvintage.com/listingview.php?num=5116&ref=8 Alley Cat's Vintage this 1940s Two Piece Rose Embroidered Skirt & Bolero Jacket by Life Savers - Very Unusual! I can see my Mama wearing this one.

Back to Basics.....Nightgowns

I did a segment on Nightsweats a few months ago, but today let's pretend that is no longer an issue and we want to go back to the beginning when being pretty and sexy was important. LOL

I picked up this fabulous 1938 nightgown pattern the other day. Can you just imagine the time it took to construct with all the tiny pin tucks at the shoulder and waist? But OH! the wonderful feeling of all the silky fabric flowing around your legs as you move across the room. This one really requires young eyes to make and a young body for it to adorn. Or maybe not.......even us old ladies have our fantasies. And you're never too old to just feel good about yourself.

I'm So Glad I can Wear Jeans! or Sweats

I do remember the days of girdles and stockings, white gloves and hats, but thank goodness those days are behind us. The Free Wheeling MOD 60's pretty much allowed us to "let it all hang out" and now days with casual Fridays (and just about every other day, too).....well....there are no restrictions for the modern woman.

But step back in time 100 years. The well dressed woman of the Edwardian Era started with the "s" curve corset, which forced the spine forward and thrust the buttocks backward.


After she managed to get herself into this contraption, she pad where necessary to accentuate her narrow waistline. She would then would don drawers (pantaloons), petticoats, corset cover, stocking, and lace up boots. Finally the finely textured blouse and skirt. She would end up looking a lot like this.


Can you imagine doing ANYTHING dressed and trussed like that? I can't. I can barely stand to wear panty hose, and do, only when necessary. But if you are so inclined to play dress up and want an exquisite white linen Shirtwaist and Skirt we have just the thing for you this week at cemetarian


If you are in a Do It Yourself mood Vintage4me2 has this lovely 1905 Waist pattern.





Here's a great site for information on the Edwardian Era

As the era evolved, things loosed up just a bit and the silhouette changed. The waistline shifted to more of an Empire and the Hobble skirt came into being. You'll notice we got a bit of relief around the waistline, but we still couldn't run away.........isn't that what you do to a horse to keep it from running?

If this style and silhouette are more to your liking Dorothea's Closet has just the right Titanic overdress.

LIVING WITH ALZHEIMERS

This is a battle that we have fought for so long, I'm afraid that I get a bit complacent with it from time to time.........

My lovely Mama was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at the age of 67. We realized that she had been suffering from this insidious disease for several years. She voluntarily entered a retirement/nursing home and was part of the main stream population for several years until we got concerned about her wondering off the premises. She then went into the Unit which is a lock down facility.

She has been in the Unit for 6 years. I don't visit her frequently because she doesn't know me anymore and looks at me as if I were a stranger. She often tells me about her daughter. We've had so many ups and downs through the years due to this horrible condition that I consider myself toughened by it.

But this morning I went to take her some Christmas clothes to wear and even though she didn't know me, she kept hugging me and saying "You're ME" and "you look like me".

There isn't a morning I wake up that I don't think about her and cry a little bit. But today I've been crying all day. I can't decide if the guilt of not seeing her is worse than seeing her in such a reduced metal state.

Just felt the need to get these thought "out there". I don't expect anyone to be interested nor do I need sympathy................just needed the opportunity to vent a bit about the raw deal some of us get. My sweet mother who was valedictorian of her class and always one of the sharpest pencils in the box........reduced to a tiny little person who just wants to hug people.

Maybe I should be happy that she is safe and healthy and as happy as a clam..................she is loved by all of the staff and most of the residents so maybe her life isn't all that bad. (written last Dec but not published)

Part 2:

After my emotional visit with Mama last week, and after the crying stopped, I decided to try one more time to do something proactive.

I think I had simply given up and was just waiting for the inevitable "end", which really is nowhere in sight.

I see so many relative at the home who bring in pictures of the great grand kids and the patients just kinda look at them and there is no recognition whatsoever. It's heartbreaking to see these sons and daughters trying to reach their long lost parents and bring them into the present.

THEY ARE IN THE PAST!........so I copied several old photos of my mother when she was young along with photos of her siblings and parents. I framed them in little simple acrylic stand up frames and took them as her present for the Christmas Party.

The reaction was amazing. There was instant recognition of her Father and herself. It took her a little longer with my Dad and and her sisters and brothers. Now, I will say, the recognition was fleeting and the long term effects are probably minimal and she may have lost interest already........but it gave all of us a brief moment of joy.

Sometimes ya just gotta take what you can get, and I feel so much better now. (written a week later)

Since I wrote this last year there have been changes. She has become more distant and the moments of recognition are even less frequent and ..... well actually there are NO moments of recognition.......I'm not looking for sympathy or advice.....but am hoping that someone who is just starting on what Nancy Reagan called "The LONG GOODBYE" might read it and get just a little comfort from knowing that they are not alone.