Knit Set for Sale

Too cold and rainy to do any outfit posts, so have once again delved into my personal collection in an effort to "thin" the herd.  To whit, I have begrudgingly decided to sell this amazing 1930s two piece knitted set.

Lobster's Long Lost Sister

'Eureka! The 1930s 'Lobster Quadrille' dress in my shop is the long lost sister of one of the prized 30s dresses in my personal collection.  Same color and type of fabric, same juliet sleeves, same back belt, same front inverted pleat.  Neat-o! Photo is from last year...how I WISH the backyard was this green.  Soon enough...

Wallis & the Lobster Quadrille

Speaking of Wallis, I can't help but feel this 1930s crepe rayon dress which I have just added to the shop might have been something W.S. would have worn. Maybe it's the high neck (a style she often wore) or the Schiaparelli-lobster-dress orange-red colour that gives me this idea.

The Ubiquity of Wally

Random! Just finished watching Glee (which I'm finding myself watching less and less these days), and what did I see? Gwyneth Paltrow as teacher Holly Holiday doing a sort of parodic impersonation of Wallis Simpson during history class. Uh, ok.  Clearly, this is the year of Wally.  Next thing I know, I'm googling for a pic of it and I discover, Gwyneth is considering playing the role of Wallis  in another upcoming Wallis-focused project? Oh dear...please don't let it be a musical (no offense, G, but...I'm just not loving your stint on Glee)!

Hoppy Easter

Source

Circus, Circus

To kick off the Easter weekend (a tad early, I admit), we're headed to the movies.  Silly me, I got all excited for "Water for Elephants" but it doesn't open until tomorrow.  Oh well, whatever we see, I know I'm wearing THIS outfit, which is inspired by the primary colours of the big top. The vibrant florals and the rrrrred shoes have lifted my mood right up.  Added my little basket purse for a touch of Easter.  

1930s floral dress: 1385

1950s/60s basket purse: 13bees

Remix shoes

Kitchenette "Lonjerie"

Really, what I've been virtually living in all weekend (and what I'm wearing right now as I type this) is this very cool early 1930s one-piece cotton loungewear getup (the label calls it "lonjerie").  I initially thought they were beach pjs (and I've seen a 1932 picture of Carole Lombard wearing beach pajamas that were shorter like these).  However, it seems to me that these are also somewhat similar in style to the "kitchenette" one-piece pajama garment, the pattern for which I saw over at Decades of Style.  According to a 1930 advertisement posted by Painted Woman, really, the ideal footwear with such "loungerie" would be Daniel Green slippers.  Duly noted on my greedy gutserie list for next Xmas. The little lord really wanted to be in the pictures, so I let him make a fleeting appearance.

Cheery Crochet for a Gloomy Day

Blergh! We've had such erratic weather lately! One minute it's spring and the next we're contending with yet another winter snow storm!  Strange weather meant a cozy weekend near home. This gave me opportunity to take out some spring items I acquired over the winter, gaze at them, pat them, then try some of them on and begin strategizing outfit ideas.  I'm particularly looking forward to wearing this 1930s yellow with brown cotton shell-patterned crocheted dress.  It's got these amazing covered swirl buttons on the shoulders.  The only thing missing is some sort of belt and maybe a hat?  Hurry up, Spring! I want to be reclining outside in the sun, like the crochet dames in the images below, not languishing inside!

Winnah, Winnah, Chicken Dinnah!

So, the results are in.  Using a random number generator, I was able to determine that the winner of the blog giveaway prize of $60.00 in-shop credit is the 51st person to comment.  That means the winner is Lauren.  Congratulations!!!

Frocks for Flappers

Speaking of flapper frocks, I just added a lot of five "fixerupper" 20s garments... to the shop.

Flappers Amongst Flowers

Kudos to Sally Jane Vintage for discovering that the National Geographic photos I had previously reblogged were taken by Clifton R. Adams.  I always like to learn of "new" photogs from the 20s and 30s.  Double kudos to her for reblogging a few more, some of which I'm now reposting here (note to self: must try to recreate similar once apple and cherry blossoms burst forth on local trees in the next while).  Happy Friday, everyone, and don't forget: my blog giveaway closes on Sunday and winner will be drawn on Monday!

Swing Time with Able Grable

It's swing time! My perfect dance class outfit: Able Grable "Miss M" frock in royal blue!

Blog Giveaway!!!!!!

What a fun experience blogging has been these past two years or so! I truly never thought I'd see the day when my little piece of the blog-o-sphere would reach 600 followers, but here we are!! I'd like to thank everyone for the time taken to visit, read, and comment on my blog....and, I'd like to announce a little Blog Giveaway.  The prize is a credit of $60 USD for use in my Etsy shop, Adeline's Attic Vintage.  This credit can be put towards any item in my Etsy shop and will not expire, though it cannot be combined with other offers or redeemed for actual cash.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below, indicating what your favourite shop item is. Please ensure that you leave me some way to contact you in case you win (either make sure your link back to your blog is working or leave me an email addy, etc). I will randomly select the winner on the morning of Monday, April 18th, 2011.  Oh, if you tweet about this giveaway, leave me a second comment indicating you have done so for a second entry!  Good luck and thanks again!!

Shall We Dance? My Magical Mystery Anniversary Night Revealed

Thanks for playing along with my previous "teaser" post!  Finally, I can reveal some snaps of a day and night I will never forget!  To celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary (though we've been together for 9 years), the mister and I decided to head to the "city" (Toronto) for an afternoon of sightseeing and then a very special evening Get ready for a photo-heavy post...

  

First, we checked in for a night's stay at the beautiful Royal York Hotel, which, when it opened in 1929, was apparently "the largest hotel in the British Empire" (great online deals for this time of year)!

The hotel is right across the street from the beautiful Union Station (though it may look less beautiful in this pic, as there is some construction work going on).  

  

  We spent the afternoon looking at some beautiful architectural details.  I'm a sucker for verdigris and grand columns!

Impressive interior of Union Station

After the station, we checked out some other architectural delights, like the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).  Late in the afternoon, we retired to our suite for some much needed relaxation AND some chocolate dipped strawberries, which the hotel sent up with their compliments and wishes for a happy anniversary.

FINALLY, the time arrived and we headed to our main event, an evening of dancing to big band music, provided by the Toronto Big Band, at Casa Loma, a grand estate that is known as Toronto's castle! The dress code instructions were "Dress to Impress,"an event worthy of the amazing 30s gown + capelet jacket I had bought over a year ago from Exquisite Bones and my 30s hairpin crocheted capelet I had bought from another on Etsy around the same time.

Words cannot express how beautiful this venue is.  After entering down a long panelled hallway (which I wish I had photographed), we bee-lined for a peek at the famous conservatory, which is So so gorgeous, with its marble floors and alcove with fountain!

I have a feeling this beautiful floor has borne the weight of many lavishly dressed party-goers its history!

Glorious stained glass dome ceiling

Requisite anniversary couple shot.  We're standing in front of the fountain so you can't see it. Oops.

There, now you get a better idea of what was behind us.  What a romantic setting!

After exploring the conservatory, we headed to the glass bookcase-ensconced"library room," where numerous tables were set up, so people could sit, relax, and nibble on lovely antipasto and dessert platters when not dancing.  We ended up sitting at a table with a couple who was actually celebrating 50 years of marriage.  WOW! A peek at my gown with the warmer hairpin capelet off.

A view of the library room from our table before many guests had arrived yet.

I would not be worthy of my self-assigned Baronial title without a dramatic staircase photo!  This gown and capelet set was the dreamiest thing to wear and foxtrot in! I can't believe how sturdy all pieces of this set were and still are!

The music provided by the Toronto Big Band couldn't have been more perfect (click here to hear some of their tunes).  I think we danced for three hours! Here's an action shot (taken by the mister, at the top of the staircase), showing me doing the cha-cha (well, pretending to!) after a sweet older gent asked to take me for a spin!

Waiting for a cab in the glow of the moon, after a night of dancing on the clouds!

The cab took a while, so I hammed it up in front of the castle, which, by night, looked rather Dracula-esque. I hear Murder Mystery nights are hosted here sometimes. MUST look into this. We'll be back for sure!!

Teaser

Sneak peeks at some details related to my mystery anniversary weekend.

Taking the advice of an April 1934 Cutex nail polish ad, which suggests the "new bright," coral, goes well with colours like lavender and pale blue (hint hint), I've had my nails done in this hue.

With the help of a little wand (actually, that's a handmade barrette), a sweet little purse that was a gift from a blog-friend last year, some vintage-inspired shoes, and a little something floaty, I'm hoping for a night filled with sparkle and moonlight and a little magic.

Candy Coloured Spring Things

In the summer, I crave more streamlined and sporty deco clothing.  However, in the early spring, I am drawn to the pastel candy colours and ethereal clothing of the late 1920s to early 1930s.  Lavender, celadon green, peach, blush pink, pale blue....the more like a box of french macarons or a basket of Cadbury's Mini Eggs a frock or hat is, the better!!  Case in point, I couldn't resist the early 30s hat shown in the middle here (which was on sale for spring--even better!). The hat seems like it might go a little too perfectly with the early 30s celadon gown in my shop, so if it doesn't sell soon, I may re-hoard :). Actually, Myrna, my hat form, may end up wearing the hat for a long while, so I can gaze at it displayed on "her," while I'm working in my home-office.  By the way, I've got another late 20s/early 30s organdy number in the shop, that I have just reduced the price on.  Sigh--I love such frocks that look like they fell from a 30s technicolour film.   Anyway, I hope to be wearing some candy colours this weekend...and hope to have photos galore to share Sunday or Monday.  In the mean-time, here's an outlandishly fun clip of the amazing (but, in some circles, historically controversial) Eddie Cantor, accompanied by several gorgeous human meringues; following that, I've embedded a video of a saucy song and dance number, "Check Your Husband," from 1932's "Over the Counter." Getta load of those Pre-Code costumes! I assure you I will be much more clothed in my upcoming candy-coloured outfits! Happy Friday!

The Subjective World of Saul Leiter

While watching the "Making Mildred Pierce" segment on HBO, I was introduced to the work of photographer Saul Leiter.  Apparently, director Todd Haynes filmed Mildred Pierce in a style very influenced by Leiter's images. I love Leiter's use of fogged windows and cracked mirrors in these images. To me, they really foreground interesting questions related to perception, identity/subjectivity. I love how the reflections of the photographer/viewer and corporate/advertising-related words are often ghostly presences through which the main figures are presented to us.  Beautiful images, sure, but deeply symbolic ones, too (in my humble opinion). If/when you watch the Mildred Pierce series, you may begin to notice how Haynes often films scenes from the perspective of a character looking out a window (often through lace or fabric curtains) or how he often has Mildred looking at her reflection in mirrors and windows. These visual moments add a level of thematic depth to the show that I'm enjoying (more than I'm enjoying the number of nude scenes in the HBO series. Not sure why the emphasis on physicality yet.  Still need to watch the rest of the series to formulate my final opinion).