Michelle’s Etsy picks of the week…1920s & 30s vintage compacts

Vintage compacts…don’t you just love them!! Each one distinctly different from the other – the style revealing a little something about the previous owner. Historically the compact had a slightly shady past. They were originally only used by ‘less desirable’ women such as ladies of the night and actresses. As time moved on, the wearing of make-up became more acceptable and compacts finally came out of the shadows to become a mainstream fashion accessory and were finally used in public without disgrace.

I have a tidy little collection of my own vintage compacts and am always on the lookout for more Art Deco lovelies. They really did come in all shapes and sizes and were made from a variety of materials. My favourite is my ‘Volupte’ case which has a puff, lipstick and place for cigarettes/coins, all carried in a little grosgrain purse (similar example below). Here are some fabulous compacts that are available on Etsy. Check out the amazing ‘Josephine Baker’ wrist bracelet compact!

To see an another cool collection of compacts for sale, check out Sheryl’s Art Deco Emporium.

NB: I wrote this piece for Swingfashionista a while back, but thought I’ add some new compacts to it for VVV.

* All items are linked back to their original Etsy source.

    

    

    

    

    

   

    

    

    

    

    

Michelle’s Etsy picks of the week – 1920s

1920s items today from right across the board. The blue dress is a stunner and the bird sewing caddy so very cute!

* All items linked back to their original Etsy source. 

      

    

     

     

     

1930s beach & lounging pyjamas

As a lover of 1930s fashion, in my humble opinion one of the most stylish garments to emerge from the 20s and 30s were beach or ‘lounge’ pyjamas. They just ooze elegance and sophistication and are visually very iconic. Until the 1920s, pyjamas were pretty much only worn as sleepwear, then sometime in the 1920s they made their way outdoors as a cover-up over swimming costumes on the beaches of the French Riveria. When crepe pyjamas were first worn at the seaside, trouser wearing women were rare sight and still very much confined to beach and promenade areas.

The trend took off all over the globe (the photo above is from the UK) and beach pyjamas soon also became casual-wear for less formal outdoor events in the warmer months. Many women took to wearing them around the home as ‘lounging pyjamas’ when entertaining or just relaxing.

In the 1920s, beach or lounge pajamas were usually a top and trouser set with matching jacket. By the 1930s, one-piece, jumpsuit-style pajamas were very popular and many featured a very wide leg. Fabric like shantung, linen or cotton was accepted for the for beach and lounging pajamas, but as they became widely popular in the 1930s, many were also available in rayon. Pyjamas were made in an amazing array of bold colors and patterns, as you will see in some of pictures and old advertisements I have added here. Many of the patterns were influenced by Japanese and Chinese art which was seen as very exotic at that time.

   

With lounge pyjamas a new category of clothing emereged: resort wear. With it’s bright designs and lightweight fabrics, resort wear was all about relaxing and holidaying and even today, when viewing the elegant vintage posters advertising these garments, I immediately think of luxury yachts, beaches, boardwalks and sunny weather. I have a wonderful 1930s Australian travel poster advertising Bondi Beach and all the women illustrated wearing beach pyjamas. With our weather here in Oz – they must have a been a blessing back in the day 🙂

Stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford had a lot to do with making lounging pyjamas extremely popular worldwide as they donned them in several of their movies during the 1930s and women everywhere took notice.

 

   

   

I hope you enjoy some of my favourite images here. I regularly wear and own many pairs of high-waisted, flowy, wide legged trousers, which I find extremely flattering, so I’m a big fan of beach pyjamas. Which reminds me;  I am still to make a pair from a Wearing History pattern (below) that I purchased early this year. My friend Lauren has done a wonderful job of putting this pattern together, so if you love lounging PJs, you can now indulge yoursel. Also, thanks to La Mode Pyjama for her wonderful blog containing a collection of beautiful photos, vintage advertising, posters and patterns of beach and lounging PJs. It’s where I pilfered some of these pics from 🙂

* Shared from my post at Swingfashionista

    

     

Vintage photographer in focus: Max Dupain…an Australian icon

I adore black and white photography from the 1920s to the 50s and have many favourites including Man Ray, Steichen, Madame D’ora, Hurrell, Hoyningen-Huene, Atget, Fryer, Cunningham etc but how many of you have heard of iconic Australian photographer Max Dupain?

Born in Sydney in 1911, he photographed the city from the early 1930s through to just before his death in 1992. He mostly was interested in photographing the architecture, the landscape, the beaches and the cities of Australia. The man understood the strong light in Australia and how to use it effectively.

Dupain’s style was based on simplicity and he remained a great advocate of black and white photography throughout his career as he felt that colour was restricting. He continued to photograph until his death in July, 1992. I love his work and have a few of his prints famed around my house. Many of his pictures look like they could have been taken yesterday – his most famous shot, The Sunbaker, is one of these. I hope you enjoy the small collection I have put together for you. You can find all these pics in the Max Dupain Collection.

* Shared from my post at Swingfashionista

The Sunbaker – 1937

Jean with wire mesh – 1937

    

1933

1937

1939

The Lisa Ho auction – stunning 1920s & 30s garments!

Back in August this year, Lisa Ho (a prominent Australian fashion designer) auctioned off her HUGE vintage clothing collection, which consisted of 100s of garments predominantly from the 1920s and 30s. Racks and racks of carefully organised items were for sale along with some of the most beautiful 20s beaded dresses I have even seen! I am happy to say that two of my favourite fellow bloggers in the Aussie vintage scene were there to bid for (and win) some of these beauties.

I have included just a small selection of what is featured in the online catalogue. You can find the rest here at Mossgreen Auctions. My favourites are the yellow dress (snapped up by my Sydney friend Inger), both the pink and the black coats in the second line of pics, the 30s red gown and the bias cut white 30s dress. All just stunning! I wish I could have been there to go through all though racks of 30s silk gowns.