Learning the construction of 18th century garments helped me understand how to sew what I loved for everyday clothes: a touch of vintage style.
vintage = of old, recognized, and enduring interest, importance, or quality: classic -Webster Dictionary
While I sometimes wear a 1950s dress while out and about, I sometimes incorporate elements from historical styles that I love, like ruffles, eyelets, embroidery, damask, lace, voile, scallops, circle skirts, and classic lines, which I call Vintage Flair.
BRIEF VINTAGE FLAIR MOMENTS WHEN YOUNG
Likely, it all began with my gorgeous dresses and bathing suit collections my grandmother from Pennsylvania sent to me in Hawaii.
Although I lived there as a baby until I was three, I had the nicest bathing suits of anyone! Those were the days!
My grandmother in Pennsylvania sent me the prettiest things that I adored and wore a lot!
When I moved to Texas from Hawaii, I got my first winter coat that I wore to Santa in Wonderland at Joskes near the Alamo in downtown San Antonio.
Years later, when I first saw Natalie Wood Miracle on 34th Street, I was reminded of this moment and the similarities struck me.
Shortly after I moved to Texas, I received shipments once or twice a year from a girl a few years older than me.
Living across the street from my grandparents in Pennsylvania, her mom sent her outgrown clothes to my mom for me to grow in to.
Since she attended a private school, these dresses were gorgeous: lace, sheer fabrics, layers of petticoats, frills, and ruffles.
Usually, these dresses were reserved for only the best occasions, like the yearly Christmas pageant at school.
But daily wear was usually boring.
I DIDN’T ALWAYS LIKE SEWING
I had only sewn super simple outfits, at my mom’s strong encouragement, when I was growing up.
That was only because she didn’t enjoy sewing, but in the spirit of providing for her family, she sewed all she could to extend the budget to more necessary areas.
Nevertheless, she always marveled at her Aunt Laura in New York City, who sewed beautiful couture 1940’s and 1950’s stylish lady’s suits to wear to her job as executive secretary.
Then in my high school Home Economics class, we were each required to sew a garment to wear to a fashion show.
Loving one of the suggested patterns, a sundress, I sought to sew that with floral fabric, but my mom insisted on something more practical…a robe. =/
Well, that summer I had enough allowance saved to buy the sundress pattern and floral fabric.
Although a bit challenging, I worked through the complications, resulting in a fun and cute dress to wear, which I often did.
That led me to experiment with designing my own tops out of scrap fabric, which impressed my mom.
In college, I bought several pieces of 1980s clothing of the time, which I liked a lot!
It was such a treat after not so fashionable clothing when I was younger…and I was SO glad that 1970s was finally out!
INSPIRED BY A FRIEND TO LOVE SEWING FOR EVERY DAY
Meanwhile, a college friend showed me her wardrobe of gorgeous dresses that won blue ribbons at the Comal County Fair.
After college she became my roommate, inspiring me to try to sew my own dresses.
With her there to encourage me if I got stuck, I was amazed at the dresses I sewed…eventually enough to wear every day at the school where I taught.
And then some shorts and blouses, and skirts and I was happy, since I couldn’t afford on the rack clothing…at least the styles I liked.
The styles I liked were much cheaper to sew than to buy ready made.
Eventually I was married and had my daughter, who was so well behaved that I found time to sew lots of shorts and blouses for my everyday.
SEWING HIT A WALL
Then my son came along and that was the end of sewing clothes for every day wear.
By now I was finding great bargains of cute clothes at the yard sales on base, especially in officer’s housing.
I stocked up and that kept me going.
After we moved back to San Antonio, while homeschooling my kids in the early years, I returned to sewing out of necessity.
However, the patterns were more difficult to understand and the fabrics were of poor quality…so hardly anything came out right.
Nevertheless, this was one of the few blouse patterns I loved, especially with this peach eyelet fabric, that lasted many years, into my kids college years.
Happily, this yellow ruffly blouse actually came out well, surviving into my son’s college days at Patrick Henry College.
During these days of nearly quitting, this tropical dress also came out well enough for me to happily wear for many years, like into my daughter’s college years.
However, so many other endeavors came out so poorly, that I ultimately quit sewing and nearly gave away my sewing machine.
Instead I saved my money for finding off the rack that I really liked and making it last, although sometimes I was just stuck with dumpy feeling off the rack garments that didn’t fit well.
18TH CENTURY SEWING RENEWED MY LOVE FOR SEWING FOR EVERYDAY
Then we moved to Virginia where I learned how to sew 18th century style.
After my kids moved on to college, I found time to apply what I learned about 18th century sewing to contemporary garments aka couture for the home seamstress, according to an amazing book that I detail at the previous link.
While learning 18th century sewing, I also attempted sewing historic garments from each of the historic eras, for me and my kids to wear for homeschool Becoming History presentations.
After I sewed two fashionable 1950s dresses for my daughter and I, each in a different style from the same pattern, I was so impressed with the look, that I decided to sew more for daily wear…hich has resulted in many compliments.
REFASHIONING AN OLD GARMENT
Then I started buying outfits off the rack for me to transform.
Originally, I purchased this linen skirt for $5 at TJ Maxx, but it was very long, plain, and boring.
Cutting off the extra length I didn’t want, I reused the fabric to create ruffles on the bottom edge of the skirt…a common element of 1820s gowns that I love!
So, I wore this 1820s inspired contemporary outfit to a Napoleon exhibit in Richmond.
KEEPING TRACK OF MY VINTAGE FLAIR JOURNEY
For more details on my Vintage Flair journey, check the tab at the top of my blog, called Vintage Flair, which links garments to blog posts I’ve written. This will be a work in progress area, as I create more outfits.
To see the entire photo journey of my Vintage Flair, check my Flickr set, here.
