How to Wear Vintage & Stay Warm in Winter

We finally have snow and the temperatures are dropping fast over here. For many vintage lovers who live in warm and moderate climates autumn and winter are a wonderful time to bring out their cute little knits, half boots and trench coats. For those of us who live up north, the period between November and May is usually the time when we give up on all stylish pursuits and commit to ugly puffed jackets and rubber boots.

Ann Sheridan, Christmas 1940’s (Source)

But we don't have to! Here are my tips on how to dress vintage and stay warm all winter. 

1. Stick to natural fibers 

Step away from that polyester sweater and reach for woolen pullovers. Icelandic wool is particularly warm, but so is cashmere as well as alpaca.If you're crafty you can make your own vintage sweater using some great free patterns out there. But if you're not, you can often find sweaters in second hand shops that have a very vintage look. Just be sure to check the wool content on the label.  

Boiled wool skating outfit 1940's(Source)

Snow Queen sweater, mittens, hat knitting pattern, 1940's (Source)

Cotton or linen underthings and silk blouses (silk is surprisingly warm despite being so light) are also a great way to keep yourself nice and snug.     

2. Layer up 

Again, this may seem obvious, but layering is almost an art form. Start with thinner layers first and then build it up. A combination of a camisole, a blouse and a sweater or vest over it can keep you pretty warm. Make sure to put on a pair of long johns or thin tights under your trousers for extra warmth.  

Barbara Stanwyck wearing a gray gabardine ski head, Edith Head, Photoplay 1942 (Source)

Many people avoid skirts in the winter thinking that they cannot provide enough warmth, but, once again, it's all about layering. Add a warm petticoat to your outfit and you may be able to get away with wearing a skirt even when it's -15°C and lower. Look for skirts that are made of wool.

Woolen skirts are a great way to stay warm in winter (Source)

I have my own trick with tights. I tend to wear a pair of very thin tights and then add another pair of woolly tights. Alternatively, you can wear a pair of warm leggins over your tights. Don't forget warm socks since feet can get quite cold. 

3. Cover your head
You know how your mom has always told you to cover your head when it's cold? Well, that's a pretty good tip. You would be surprised by just how much more comfortable you will be if you would only put on a cute hat or a lovely scarf. 

Knit Yourself a 1940's Turban (Source)

(Source)

Vintage magazines are full of great hats, scarfs and turbans. In fact, if you are crafty, you can knit a cute turban. A scarf, if it's long enough, can cover both your head and neck, giving even more protection against the elements.

4. Expand your style inspiration
Whatever your favorite time period, look for new fashion icons who lived in colder climates. You would be surprised how many images from Denmark, Sweden and even Soviet Union you can find. These may be a little less glamorous, but they will give you some ideas on how to keep warm.
 

Estonian fashion Winter 1933. Taluperenainen 1932-33. Source

Finnish fashion, February 1942. Source

Fashions for the coming winter, Kotiliesi, October 1954. Source

Two girls by the sign "Swedish Tourist Association's hostel", Nordiska museet (Source)

The Fashion Album, Autumn/Winter1955-1956, wool dresses, Soviet Union (Source)

For more inspiration, you can check out my vintage winter Pinterest board. 

Only Lovers Left Alive: On Style and Substance

Last week I finally watched Only Lovers Left Alive written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and staring the always flawless Tilda Swinton and the ever-charming Tom Hiddleston. If you haven't see it yet, do. It may seem a little slow, but the cinematography is beautiful, the story is touching and the acing is spot-on. 

There isn't much in the way of plot, though. And if you're looking for a contemporary vampire movie like Twilight or Vampire Academy, you will be disappointed. This is more of an art piece, slow and meandering, but beautiful beyond words. Eve (Swinton) and Adam (Hiddleston) are very old, very artistically-inclined vampires, who are very much in love with each other, even after centuries of being together. When Adam, who lives in Detroit, succumbs to one of his dark moods, Eve travels all the way from Tangier to be with him. But trouble is stirred up when Eve's younger 'sister' Ava, played by Mia Wasikowska, shows up and the lovers' eternal lives are endangered.             

But let Maven of the Eventide tell you more about the film. Spoilers ahead, be warned.

The stunning costumes for the film were designed by Bina Daigeler, who you may know as the designer for Le Moine (2010), a French adaptation of Matthew Lewis's The Monk. Sadly, the film was awful, but the costumes were gorgeous.

In Only Lovers Left Alive costumes play a pivotal role in setting up character arcs for our protagonists. Adam is a depressed and miserable. He lives a secluded life surrounded by his antic guitars and feels completely detached from the world around him. His color scheme is dark and heavy, with a little romanticism thrown in for good measure. After all, Marlowe says that he should have based Hamlet on Adam. (Yes, Christopher Marlowe is in it)

Eve, on the other hand, almost always wears white or a mix of some bright colors and ivory or pale yellow. Her outfits often have gold embroidery. She is vivacious, well, by vampire standards, curious and full of life. She is the ray of sunshine that shines into Adam's dismal world. 

Unlike Adam, Eve goes into public and meets up with her vampire friends. And while Adam mopes around his Detroit home in a hundred-year-old dressing gown, Eve puts on her off-white outfit, covers her face with a white scarf and braves the dusty streets of Tangier. 

  

Eve's style is the more fascinating one, no less because it has more fluidity than that of other characters. She can blend in with her environment and people around her. When she goes to visit Adam in Detroit, she begins to adopt his darker leisurely style of dress.  Her clothes go from light and bright, to dark and heavy.

  

But when she's on her own, surrounded by books in Tangier, her colors are vivid and fabrics are sumptuous. Adam's existence is shabby, like his hundred-year-old robe, while Eve's life is full of color and texture.  

     

Eve's vampire best friend is Christopher Marlowe, who according to the movie, had faked his own death and is the real author of all of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. Eve is a book lover, so she naturally gravitates towards him. Marlowe's style is a combination of light and dark colors, and his wardrobe is clearly more old-fashioned than that of the lovers. He likes vests. Ah, a man after my own heart.   

Finally, we come to Ava, Eve's little 'sister'. She is younger than all the rest of the vampire characters both in terms of her apparent physical age, and her vampire age. She is bratty, willful and prefers more youthful and modern fashions. Unlike subdued or block colors of the lovers, Ava goes for patterns. She is fearless and brash and has no problem combining polka tights with an orange and purple floral mini-dress.  

Considering how much thought and effort went into creating beautiful and fitting costumes for all the characters, it's not at all surprising that Vogue used it for their fashion inspiration spread. I, personally, think Eve's sense of style is absolutely flawless and hope to be at least half as effortlessly chic as she is. Though I may have to become a vampire to achieve that.   

The film is definitely worth watching, though it may seem a little slow-paced to some who are used to more plot-driven cinema. The vampire mythos is quite curious in this one. Garlic and going into houses uninvited do not carry all that much weight with these vampires, but drinking contaminated blood is dangerous. 

The 'contaminated blood' issue did bother me a bit. I assume it refers to alcohol, drugs, disease and such. But if this is something vampires have a problem with, how did they survive the 16th century when everyone was dying of the Plague or syphilis and drinking nothing but alcohol. And the constant references to the Marlovian Theory of authorship were a little on the nose. Still, this film feels remarkably fresh and enjoyable, no less thanks to Swinton and Hiddleston, who give a great performance.   

Image sources: 

• Bina Daigeler 
• Cinemafia
• Bloodhound Press

Lady's Accessory: History of Handkerchief

My theater group was working on a play and for one of the scenes we needed a blood-soaked handkerchief. So, I set out to make one out of bit of linen I had lying around.

And it got me thinking, where did handkerchiefs come from?  Modern Woman magazine wrote this about the origins of handkerchief in 1940:

"Historians credit Marie Antoinette with the invention of the pocket handkerchief. She was so broken up at leaving her home in Austria that she cried all the way to France and wiped her eyes with bits of lace torn from her dress and lingerie. Anticipating future tears, she made it a point always to have a piece of lace tucked in a pocket of her dress. This, say the historians, was how handkerchiefs were born." - via Bobby Pin Blog

This is a lovely, sentimental story, but it's probably not true. Marie Antoinette must have spent quite a bit of her time crying, but she was not the first person to use pieces of cloth to wipe away her tears.

Rose Bertin, La Galerie des modes, 1770s 

Some believe that the handkerchief was invented by King Richard II of England (1377-1399). His courtiers noted that he used square pieces of cloth to wipe his nose. But it is very likely that handkerchiefs existed as far back as the Roman times. Poet Gaius Valerius Catallus (84BC) mentions something that could be an equivalent of a modern napkin or handkerchief in his writing.

Linens whose loss affects me not for worth
But as mementoes of a comrade mine.
For napkins Sætaban from Ebro-land
Fabúllus sent me a free-giftie given
Also Veránius: these perforce I love
E'en as my Veraniólus and Fabúllus. - The Carmina of Caius Valerius Catullus

Handkerchief were not only practical items but also wonderful keepsakes that people would give each other as presents. Much of Shakespeare's Othello revolves around a misplaced handkerchief.

Iago Nay, but be wise: yet we see nothing done;
She may be honest yet. Tell me but this,
Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief
Spotted with strawberries in your wife's hand?
Othello I gave her such a one; 'twas my first gift. - Othello by William Shakespeare

Othello and Desdemona, Daniel Maclise, 1859 

Handkerchiefs were usually made of fine linen, cambric or lawn cloth with rich embroidery or lace along the edge. During the Renaissance they were used for hygiene purposes, but they also gained popularity as fashionable accessories for the wealthy. It is possible that the fad began with the court ladies in Italy and slowly made its way to Germany and France.

 A Woman Holding a Handkerchief, Paris Bordone, 1530s(?) 

They eventually reached the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England, and judging from the portraits of the time were used to signify the prosperity and status of their owners. Elizabeth herself had quite a collection of handkerchiefs which were mostly New Year gifts from her loyal subjects.

Portrait of Lady Diana Cecil, William Larkin,1614

Handkerchiefs were often perfumed to ward off unwanted smells or revive their owners should they faint from fatigue or excessive sensibility. It is very likely that Mrs. Bennet from Pride and Prejudice utilized a handkerchief during her bouts of nervousness.

Alison Steadman as Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Fashion plates of the 18th and 19th centuries abound in pictures of fashionable ladies clutching pieces of cloth in their hands. However, when reading sources from this period, it is not always clear whether handkerchief refers to a pocket handkerchief as we now it today or to a kerchiefs that covered a lady's neck and bosom for modest day wear.

Costume Parisien, 1824

Henry Tilney from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey knows a thing or two about ladies' dress. He suggest that muslin could always be turned to good use if it is made over into caps, cloaks or handkerchiefs.

"But then you know, madam, muslin always turns to some account or other; Miss Morland will get enough out of it for a handkerchief, or a cap, or a cloak. Muslin can never be said to be wasted. I have heard my sister say so forty times, when she has been extravagant in buying more than she wanted, or careless in cutting it to pieces." - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen  

Yet from the context it would seem that he is talking about kerchiefs rather than pocket handkerchiefs.

Evening dress, Ackermanm's Repository, 1818 

Ackermann's Repository of Fashions from 1829 has this to say about a new fashion involving a pocket handkerchief.

An attempt is making to bring into fashion pocket handkerchiefs very richly embroidered, the centre of which, by means of a riband, passed through a row of open work, forms a purse. The idea is novel, but in very bad taste; as yet it has been adopted only by a few merveilleuses. Those used by élégantes of acknowledged taste, are of two sorts ; the most elegant have a very broad hem, close to which is a row of open work of about an inch in breadth, each corner is ornamented with a butterfly most beautifully shaded; or else a bouquet of flowers coloured after nature. The other sort which are pretty, but not so expensive, have a broad hem, and a border of open work, close to which is a coloured Grecian border from an inch to an inch and a half in breadth. - Ackermann's Repository, 1829

It would seem that some Parisian fashionista were trying to style a sort of reticule out of a handkerchief, though the author of this review seems unimpressed.

Some beautiful examples of pocket handkerchiefs:

An imperial fine linen handkerchief, 19th century, Russia via Christie's  

Linen handkerchief, Venetian needlepoint, 1700s via Gathering the Jewels 

Handkerchief, Convent of Notre Dame de Visitation, 1865 via Met Museum

Today handkerchiefs have been replaced by napkins and paper towels; though they are still used in men's formal wear. However, we should endeavour to bring back these elegant and useful pieces of cloth. You can find real beauties from the 1930s and 1950s in vintage and second hand stores.

But if you want something a little more refined, make one yourself. Here is a simple tutorial that shows you how to sew a pocket handkerchief by hand. You can spice them up with some lovely embroidery. Whitework looks especially lovely. Monogrammed handkerchiefs make lovely gifts and if you start now you will have a few dozen ready by Christmas. And this lovely tutorial will show you how to make a scented handkerchief.

More on the topic:
A Brief History of the Handkerchief in Europe during the Late Middle Ages through the Renaissance by Margaret Roe
An Intimate History of the Handkerchief by THL Genevieve de Valois
Vulgar Things by Hannah Carlson, Common-Place 
Handkerchief Heroes
Bobby Pin Blog

How Many Dresses Does a Regency Lady Need?

We all aspire to be fashionable Regency ladies, do we not? But how does one accomplish such a task?

First, you must consider your wardrobe. Do you have enough gowns? Are they elegant or vulgar? Whatever shall you wear on your trip to Bath? All important questions, which I will attempt to help you answer.

Let's start from the basics.

Underwear
Unless you are a very fast lady, drawers are a no-no. Start with a shift, a long sack-like gown worn underneath all your other clothes. Linen is best - it is light and easy to wash. Gone are the days of the conical stays that your grandmother wore with such pride. Your stays are longer to flatten out the stomach and smooth out the silhouette.  Last comes your petticoat. Stocking are essential. Wool for winter and cotton for summer. And go glam with silk for a ball.

Stays, 1819, Source: Jane Austen Centre 

Morning Dress
Between the hours of rising and sitting down to dinner, you may wear a morning dress. It is a simple, practical gown made of muslin, calico or wool. Your arms, neck and bosom must be covered. But just because this is your at-home dress does not mean it should be shabby. Remember, lace can make any gown elegant. But all in moderation, you do not want to appear vulgar.  

Morning dress, France, 1818-1820. Source:  Les Arts Décoratifs

Day Dress / Afternoon Dress
For at-home visits and family time change into a day dress. But remember, modesty is everything. The French may suffer to wear deep decolletes, but as a proper English lady you better cover it up. Chemisette or fichu should do the trick.
   

Dress (open robe), 1795. Source: Met Museum  

Walking Dress / Promenade Dress
When out shopping or making formal calls, wear a walking dress. And out in a public place, go for a promenade dress. The two are often considered to be the same, but a promenade dress is usually a little more fine. Fabrics are light in the summer and heavier in the winter. Choose appropriate outwear for the season: shawl or warp for warmer weather, a spencer or pelisse for a colder day. You don't want to catch 'the muslin disease'.

Pelisse-coat, 1823. Source: Museum of London

Evening dress
Dinners at home or abroad are grand occasions. And you must show off all your finery. The neckline is lower and you may bare your arms. However, watch the fashion magazines. Sometimes long sleeves are in vogue, at others, short ones are popular. Fabrics can be rich: silk and satin. And if you are sick and tired of the dull 'classical' style, go for more recent history as Medieval, Renaissance and Gothic elements are very 'in' for both morning and evening wear.      

Evening Dress, 1823, Ackerman's Repository

Ball Dress
Some ladies are content with one fine evening gown for balls and dinners, but you should consider having a ball gown made especially. Fabrics are light, as you will be dancing, but rich. Popular choices are fine muslin, silk satin, duchesse silk and light taffeta. For a risqué look go with velvet. You may show your bosom, it is all right. A débutante ought to wear white and light pastels; married or older women may go with darker shades. To truly stand out in the candlelight adorn your dress with metallic trims, nets and beads. Gloves are a must for dancing and a fanciful turban will show your excellent taste.

Ball dress, 1812, Ackerman's Repository

Ridding Habit
A lady must ride; if only to accompany her husband. The dress for this activity is naturally darker, sturdier and heavier than your other gowns. Male fashions are de regulier with many masculine and military elements. The skirt is fuller than on a regular dress - you do not wish to show the world more than they ought to see.  

Ridding habit, 1817, Ackerman's Repository

Mourning Dress
When that disagreeable relation with a very large estate falls ill, start preparing a mourning dress. Black is for full mourning. For half mourning you may wear lilac, purple, grey or lavender. Avoid any shiny fabrics or jewellery. During half mourning a few black trinkets are acceptable.  

Mourning dress, 1823-1825. Source: Victoria & Albert Museum

Thus concludes our look at a wardrobe of a fashionable lady. Of course, one must not forget the dresses you will need for seaside resorts or evenings at the opera and numerous lovely accessories that a lady of quality simply must have at hand to be truly elegant. But that is a post for another day.