Hatpins. If you wear hats, you most likely have to wear a hatpin. You may see varied lengths at antique shops, which correspond to the era/type of hat. In the 1900s when hats were large and elaborate, so were the hatpins. They could be simple, something to go with all the hats you have, or something ornate, sometimes matching one hat in particular, or being made of fine metals and jewels. At this time pins could reach up to thirteen inches, and were thought of as a weapon for Victorian women, as you can see in the illustration below.
They were so threatening that one judge ordered suffragettes to remove their hats and hatpins, just in case they used them as weapons in his court.
Even Arkansas and Illinois passed bills limiting the length of a ladies hatpin to 9 inches, or if you must have a more lengthy pin, you would need a permit for it.
"Excuse me ma'am, do you have a permit for that?"
The 1920s saw tight cloches as the height of fashion, so hatpins, if ever used, were generally decorative. Usually more like stick pins (you can tell the difference between the two by length). However after the 1920s, they were needed again, only this time on a much smaller scale.
Some hatpins you may come across are rusted, bent out of shape, or just plain dirty. For stubborn rust, gently scrape some steel wool along metal areas. For general dirt and grime, wash in mild soap and water, using a clean toothbrush to get to nooks and crannies. Though I would recommend taking fine metal and jeweled pins to a jeweler for cleaning, just to be safe. To keep your pins from becoming dull and rusted, stick them in a traditional tomato pin cushion, and sharpen them a bit using the emery sharpener (the little attached bit). For bent pins, take them to a professional, they can fit them right up for you!
Stay tuned for how to wear hat pins, and any questions you would like answered are most welcome!
Information sources: American Hatpin Society, (and 1st photo source) Bartitsu Society
A couple of years ago when down in California we went to The Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial. It's a beautiful memorial, and I could have spent ages looking at all the plaques (handsome fighter pilots, cute nurses). You can see my post featuring some photos here.
One plaque in particular never left my mind though, and that was honoring Parmely T. Ferrie and Rosemary (Egan) Ferrie. He was a captain and she a nurse, and besides being adorable, Rosemary wore a wedding gown made from the parachute Parmely used to bail out of a B-24 bomber.
That right there made me incredibly curious as to what her dress looked like, and what kind of life she led.
Today she popped into my mind again, and I googled her name, only to find her obituary. First I was sad to learn of her passing, but then I clicked on the photo album, and photos of her in her parachute wedding dress popped up.
So although I'm sorry she's gone, even though I've never met her, I'm glad that she seemed to live a nice life with Parmely and now I can share her wedding dress with you, for those who were as curious as I!
They married on July 27th 1946, and had six children. She got her AA degree in San Diego, traveled extensively with her husband, and spent most of her nursing career helping alcoholics and drug addicts. Yep, this lady sounds like someone anyone would have liked to have known.
All photos and information from here
As a bangle collection grows, it's great, but how the heck do you store these things?
Some opt for upright storage, like a hat stand, so they stack right on it. But my problem with that is you have to take them all off the stand to get to the one you want at the base.
Some people have them mixed loose in a box, but if you're looking for a certain style/color, it can take forever to dig through.
So I store my little collection in vintage stocking boxes. They're satin quilted boxes with six sections meant for rolled up stockings. But they fit bangles perfectly!
Bras are another storage issue if you're tight on space. Drawers are reserved for sweaters and other unmentionables, and living in a small apartment, there's more wall space than floor space.
So using a vintage shoe holder works great, especially for vintage braziers, which don't have underwires to hinder fitting in a small pocket.
For more storage solutions checkout Scathingly Brilliants latest post on her top five storage solutions for small spaces.
Organizing little collections is also a great way to do some mini spring cleaning. Take five minutes and weed out items you no longer want/need. The things you really love and use are much easier to find if they're not buried in second rate stuff.
{Photos by Mary and I}
As if The Ladies Luncheon wasn't enough fun to fill a weekend, Monday I spend the afternoon with the amazing Mary Van Note! She is cuter than a witty button, and I'm so glad she wanted to meet up! We went to see The Artist, and LOVED it. So cute. So good.
I wore some assemblance of a deco outfit, and Mary was in a stunning red velvet hat and fuzzy swing coat. We met early and had breakfast at The Morning Star Cafe, then caught the show. Afterward we went to The Portland Design Collective and gawked at some pretties they have before taking over the photobooth.
First without vintage majorette hats, then with. Because that's what happens when you have majorette hats next to the photobooth.
It was a perfect way to spend a Monday, chatting about vintage things, taking silly pictures, and watching a silent film. Thank you Mary!
1940s Blouse-Courtesy of Fab Gabs
1930s Skirt-Handmade by me using a 1930s pattern.
1970s Jacket-Thrifted, then monogrammed
1940s Gloves-Urban Eccentric Vintage
1960s Hat, shoes, 1930s scarf-Thrifted
Saturday I spend the day in fabulous clothes, with fabulous people, drinking cocktails.
Nice, right?
A luncheon hosted by Julie of Fab Gabs was held at Hubers, and a group of vintage gals in our best finery gathered at a table, while other customers begged our waitress to ask what the fuss was about.
I told her to inform everyone we were famous strippers. Telling people "we just dress this way" seems to be in inadequate answer with most. It confuses them, and isn't exciting enough.
Anyway, I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time Janey of Atomic Redhead (blue suit), Rhiannon of Garb Oh Vintage, or as knitters might know, of her knitting pattern site (leopard trimmed coat), and Jennifer of Jumblelaya Vintage!
Cassandra and I arrived at the same time as Janey and Rhiannon, so we took the opportunity to take pictures before luncheon. I wish I had photos of every single person there, everyone looked amazing, and had something completely unique!
{Photos of me taken by Cassandra, all others taken by me}
1940s feather dress-Gift
1940s bow hat-Old Glory (feather added)
Gloves-Etsy
Fitted front cape-Urban Eccentric
Shoes-Courtesy of Modcloth
Belt-Estate sale
