All posts filed under: Admire

Bestways Initial Transfers: Early 1920s children’s clothes

For the final installment of my Bestways Initial Transfer Book (except for the ads, which are pretty fabulous!), here is the cutest section: the children’s clothes. They may be children’s garments, but I would happily wear most of this stuff! Like both those jackets. (aren’t the pocket button details divine?) Oooh…the short coat is grass green! Yum! Note the mentions of the very fashionable cut-on ‘Magyar’ sleeves, and the contrasting sleeves set into ‘ordinary armholes’. The next page features a few more teens in covetable clothes, and some proper children in sports bloomers and an extremely scant gymnastics pinafore frock. This is ‘an exceedingly smart walking dress in wool marocain’. Cunning belt detail, and great hat and parasol!: And here are the funny sports clothes. Looking at these, I can’t help thinking how modern society would consider initials and names for children ill-advised for safety reasons. Last of all, a little girl with a teddy (with its own monogram) and a lovely blouse. Oh, I do like 1920s blouses! If you enjoyed …

Pride, Prejudice & Pohutakawa Trees

Published by The Dreamstress

Theresa was in town recently, and you know what that means! Dress ups! And photoshoots! For this photoshoot we wore Regency, because the pohutakawa (the New Zealand christmas tree) were in full bloom, and I think my 1813 Kashmiri gown works beautifully with the blaze of red blooms. Also it was too hot to think of anything that involved full corsets and layers of undergarments. This time we did something a little bit different, and Mr D came along and was our photographer, so (for once) we have lots of gorgeous photos of the two of us together. With two ladies in Regency wandering around a garden it’s impossible not to make Jane Austen themed commentary about the photos. In doing this I’ve realised an unfortunate problem with Austen: other than Lizzie and Jane from Pride & Prejudice, there are no sets of two females that a pair of friends would really be happy to be. Emma is insufferable, her friends silly. Fanny is a prig, her associates terrible. Anne is great but none of …

High heels for kings, empresses and Nana

Published by The Dreamstress

For my Historical Sew Fortnightly ‘The Politics of Fashion’ challenge I present a carry-on from my Art submissions. I’ve knocked off another little bit of Manet’s Nana’s outfit by making high heeled 1877 evening shoes. Like Nana’s shoes, mine feature very high Louis heels, a black velvet or suede ground (mine are faux suede), and gold decorations on the toes – I went for gold lace with gold beading. I made my shoes by taking a pair of 1990s shoes that had the right basic silhouette, and (most importantly) the right heel: a high Louis heel. Unfortunately, they were cut far too high in the foot, so I had to cut them down. Then I bound the edges (an endeavor that required pliers to pull the needles through, bent one and broke two) where I had cut them. Next, it was time for the lace. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any suitable gold lace in the stash because I de-stashed my 1990s gold bridal lace bits because (duh) they were 1990s gold bridal lace bits, and …