Category Archives: WWII

Entries about World War II

Vintage Must Have: Snood

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Okay, so this isn’t really a must have for all vintage-loving gals. But it is for those who love the 1940s.  Today’s vintage must have is a snood…

Snoods have a history dating back to the Renaissance, had a revival in the mid 1800s, and came back into vogue during the 1940s due to World War II for rather practical reasons.  Women entered the war effort in full force by working in factories, which required them to keep their hair out of the way and snoods were the answer.  But soon snoods found their way into everyday fashion during the 1940s and early 1950s.

One of my favorite bloggers really knows how to rock a snood, please check her and her equally fashionable husband on their blog Lost in the 50s.

Most snoods are simple and of this crochet design I am wearing.  However there are loads of patterns to make beautiful, stylish and complex snoods to go with your outfits, such as this pattern available on Etsy.  So if you know who to wield a crochet needle, you can make some yourself!  There were also fabric snoods as well.  As snoods became more of a fashion accessory as opposed to a working girl’s staple, many milliners began to incorporate snoods of either the netting kind or fabric kind into their hats.

Snoods can be worn with various hairstyles in the front; pompadours, victory rolls, and look great when paired with a hair flower too!

I buy most of my snoods from April’s Bag. She makes wonderful snoods and sells them at really reasonable prices.  Arthelia’s Attic is another stellar Etsy seller dealing in snoods, including the beautiful deluxe snoods.

Outfit
Snood: April’s Bag
Sweetheart Necklace: Gift
Sweetheart Charm Bracelet: Pieced together from various shops
Earrings: Expo
Sweater: Bombshell Vintage, Portland
Skirt: Buffalo Exchange, Portland
Vintage Stockings: …who knows…
Shoes: TJ Maxx…I think

Red Cross Playsuit

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The other day I went out with my friend Sarah, who is a stellar hot rod photographer, in addition to working at Antique Alley.  We both had some clothes to sell and we stopped in at Buffalo Exchange and Red Light, which have an abundant amount of Halloween costumes out. Most vintage gals know that Halloween is the best time. Many stores hoard loads of vintage as well as other “odd ball” garments to put out for Halloween…and it is on a Halloween rack that I found this…

Yes, it’s a romper, but it has an American Red Cross Military Welfare patch on the left sleeve, as well as ARC buttons.  The inside only has a small size label of a size 12.  That size, combined with the fact that the garment has shoulder pads as well as the construction leads me to believe that it is from WWII.

The thing is, I can’t seem to find a single darn thing about an ARC romper on the internet, even on the ever thorough Blitzkrieg Baby site!  I’ve tried “playsuit”, “gym uniform”, “exercise”, and “physical fitness uniform” as well, since participating in physical activity is the only time I can imagine this sort of outfit being worn, due to how casual it is.  I do know that the ARC Clubmobile branch wore trousers, however this bares a “Military Welfare Service” patch.

Mystery Solved!

Updated October 23, 2012.  I joined the forum at Blitzkrieg Baby where I posted images of the playsuit and Katy answered my question! “This is an ARC playsuit which was introduced during the summer of 1944 and issued to all domestic and oversea recreation workers clearing for tropic regions. Other recreation workers could purchase it at own expense (if considered necessary by the field director in charge of their activities).  The playsuit also included a skirt which was buttoned down the front.”

Image Courtesy of Katy of Blitzkrieg Baby, who received the image from authentic ARC material, compiled by Shirley Powers, ARC Volunteer-Historian.

As many of you speculated, it did come with a skirt!  So now I either have to either track down a skirt or make one! I’d still love to see a photograph of an ARC gal wearing one! That would be nifty!

Mail Call!

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One thing I truly love about the vintage community is that we look out for each other in the sense that many of us have a niche style and when we see something or have something another gal might be interested in, we offer it up, link to it, or, thanks to the 21st century, snap a picture and send it via text message.  Another thing about vintage girls is that we don’t really like to let things go.  Even if an item might not fit anymore.  We just kind of hoard dresses and such until, one day, you meet someone who you know will love the dress just as much as you did, and you know they’ll fit into it.  And recently, this fabulous dress was bestowed upon me due to my love of novelty prints…

Can’t quite tell what’s all over the dress?  Take a closer look…

Yes, those a tiny little postmen and itty bitty letters!

I was simply giddy over it.  It was just so silly!

And did I mention my grandfather was a mail carrier? My mum’s dad spent the majority of his years after the war delivering mail in Nampa, Idaho.  So, I think the dress will hold a pretty special place in my heart. And closet for that matter.

Birthday Senorita

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Yesterday was my birthday, and how did I spend my birthday this year? Patrick took me out for a day of shopping, all on his dollar!  For the first time in years, the weather was sunny and warm for my birthday, and I was able to wear a few things I’ve been dying to wear, including this stunning shawl…

In the late afternoon we went to the Twilight Rummage Sale, where I picked up a late 40s/early 50s cocktail dress, a 40s blazer, a ’49′er knock-off, and a fantastic lucite deco picture frame.  Once the sale was over, myself and several friends who worked the sale met at Por Que No for margaritas.  It was an evening that almost felt like summer…Mexican music, margaritas, a pleasant evening breeze, and good chatter that made the evening fly by.

As for gifts, I just have to share a few highlights…

The beginnings of a WWII sweetheart charm bracelet…

A pink tinted lucite sweetheart necklace…

And, the best for last, a necklace comprised of Bakelite ORANGES!!  Oranges are my favorite fruit, and my passion for California adds to my desire to have orange themed bits of jewelry.

Outfit
Hat: Thrifted
Earrings (sterling silver bells that really ring!): Private sale
Necklace & Shoes: The Clothes Horse, Eugene
Shawl: Gift
Blouse: Err…don’t remember. Most likely thrifted or from Buffalo Exchange.
Belt, Thrifted
Skirt: Red Light, Portland
Purse: Bohemian Vintage, Portland
Bangle: Oh, who knows?

Modes Royale 1944

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Every now and again an item will come into Antique Alley that simply screams my name.  When my friend Alicia is working and those sorts of items come in, she often tucks them behind the counter for me until I am able to see it. And thank goodness she did that for this stunning pattern magazine from Modes Royale, dating to 1944.

This is just a handful of the stunning dresses in the magazine, and I am not kidding when I say that there isn’t a dress in here that I wouldn’t buy.

Buy ALL the Jewelry!

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Yesterday brought the spring antique expo here in Portland, and I was delighted to attend.  For those of you who follow my Twitter and Facebook pages, you may have noticed that I posted that father-in-law passed away.  We have been very busy with all of the necessary arrangements, and needless to say, it has been difficult, so going for a full day of shopping with my father was a nice escape.

For the most part, it was a kind of flimsy show.  I have such a wide array of interests and I collect a broad range of things, so often I come home with loads of random treasures.  This year I saw many things I wanted to take home that my pocket book wouldn’t allow, and instead came home with just jewelry. And purely western/Mexican and WWII sweetheart jewelry at that…

My favorite piece has to be this eagle with photo slip dangle.  I immediately came home and printed off a picture of my grandfather (my dad’s dad) to slip inside it.

I also picked up not one, but two of these fabulous plastic little military buddies…I know the sailor boy is missing an arm, I just think of him as a receiver of the Purple Heart.  I also picked up this clear Lucite eagle and a small silver “V” pin.

With respects to the western/Mexican jewelry, I purchased two more charms for the western-themed charm bracelet that my dad created me for Christmas, a saddle and a pair of chaps.  I also picked up two plastic pins, a man riding a donkey and carrying a jug, and a palm tree, which while two separate pieces, I thought they would make a nice, almost scatter pin-like scene.

I also had the pleasure of bumping into Solanah of Vintage Vixen, and her friend Marjorie Mink who recently started blogged with Reviving Vintage.  We chit-chatted for awhile, sharing our treasures, and discussing the upcoming Titanic Tea that Solanah is hosting next month.

I hope the weekend is treating you all lovely!

Jewelry Jackpot

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Yesterday my dad came to visit and we once again set out to go shopping.  And all I bought was jewelry…not that I’m complaining.

The first pieces I stumbled upon were some glorious additions to my WWII Sweetheart collection, which I wrote about in my last post.

The gold tone V brooch has red, clear and blue rhinestone accents that make up the Morse Code for the letter V.  The wood, hand painted, screw-back sailor boy earrings were just too darling to pass up, and I was shocked to find that the screw pieces were made of plastic! Talk about really saving the metal for the war effort!

My third piece was this wonderful little plastic cowboy hat…Along with Sweetheart jewelry, I am helpless against western themed jewelry – it makes up a fair amount of my brooch collection.

And then, I saw it – the western piece of jewelry to end ALL western jewelry…

I have wanted this piece since my friend Angelina first shared the ad for it with me on Facebook a few years ago, and we made it our goal to find our very own.  Well, I found mine, and with matching earrings to boot.  The price was out of comfort zone, but not unreasonable, and my dad knew it – so he purchased it for me, quickly followed by “Happy Birthday” – even though my birthday isn’t until April.  I know the piece is worth it though since I’ve only run across a handful on-line, and up until now had never one in person.  I love how versatile the piece is – since it’s a double brooch, the gun and holster can act either as one, with the gun sitting in the holster, or separately as seen in the center picture, and I guess it could be even worn as sweater clip.