#10

Just a quick note on my way out to buy the last couple of things for the party tonight.

Have a great night tonight and be careful! Remember to jump into the new year! :)

Happy New Year!

Simple gray dress from Asos.com. This perfect 60s inspired turtleneck dress is cosy, warm and easy for a day with a lot of bouncing around. Match it with a Barry for a casual 60s look from Paris.

             

   These cute butterflies are supposed to be used as hair pins, but today I've chosen to use then as brooches. Keeping it the flora and fauna inspired today. With a pair of white roses.

                                 

We still have sun and great weather, so I honored it and jumped into a pair of flats. 

#9

'tis the day before the last day of the year. The sun is shining in Copenhagen and I feel rather joyful, playful… I'd dare say happy.

I can hardly wait for tomorrow night though. I've got this perfect dress I'm going to wear for the New Years Eve party. It's been looking at me for nearly a month and finally tomorrow I'll be wearing it. 

The only thing I can tell you is: it's from the first part of the 50s, it's taffeta, probably tailor-made since it doesn't have any tags, and it has this perfect blue color; like a very deep sea...

And until tomorrow I will simply leave you with the outfit of the day, which is still inspired by the business fashion of the great era.

Once again a simple outfit (yes, I have a lot of black skirts); 

Black skirt and a simple sweater in plum, I decided to wear it without the jacket to tone it down. 

The skirt is one of the amazing pieces of clothes my tailor in Montenegro has made for me. It's high-waisted and it is inspired by the 1950s fashion introduced, among others, by Jaques Fath - think of the wiggle dress and bolero (short jacket). 

This skirt is made of wool/silk fabric, and it can be worn as day and evening wear - depending on how you style it. 

I've curled my hair in three victory rolls, and my bangs in a "faux-bangs" as well (I'm in the middle of the "awkward-bangs-periode at the moment). 

Yes, I know victory rolls were mostly popular in the 1940s, but they are seen in a smaller scale, and in moderate size in the 1950s as well. The back part: chignon with a "hair-rat"

I accessorized the outfit with a pair of purple rose-shaped earrings I bought in h&m and of course a brooch. 

I love, love, love this brooch. I got it from my best friend as a christmas present a couple of years ago, and it's absolutely among my top-three favorite brooches. She bought it in London, as I recall it's antique silver and I'm very cautious wearing it because I don't want to damage it or loose it.  

Sometimes I just take it out and look at it. 

And the shoes: I don't wear these very often as they are as uncomfortable as they can get, but I do love the fact that they are so inspired by the 1950s. I love the heel and that they have laces.

#8 - Mad Men and the 60s

So have you ever come across the sentence: "Have you seen Mad Men? NO?! Oh but why not, you are so in to the 50s!" Well I have - more than once. Ignorance can be a bliss, but I like to get the facts straight. The successful series Mad Men doesn't portray 1950s, it actually portrays 1960s.

I haven't seen the series, but I've read a lot about it, I've heard even more about it and I'm pretty sure I'm never going to watch it. I prefer my series… ehm.. rather supernatural.

I believe a lot of you would connect 1960s with the mini skirt. Although this type of skirts did peak in the 1960s, it is rather important to remember, that the mini skirt wasn't really invented before 1964, and it was mostly Londoners who knew about it to begin with. Of course it got popular very fast, but none the less your everyday outfit would most likely look like the clothes you see in the TV-series Mad Men, unless you were a rebellious teenager.

The easiest way to distinguish 1950s wardrobe from the 1960s is basically by the hemline of the dress. Dresses and skirts from the 1950s, with a hemline that reach halfway the calf, are approximately 15-20 centimeters longer than dresses from the 1960s that  usually stopped somewhere just under the knee.
This is basically very generalizing and the fashion is hard to put in boxes, but these are guidelines for an easier identification of the standardizes lines of the vintage eras.

I prefer the longer 1950s hemline and the luxury woven in to the simplicity of this decades clothes, but for me 1960s aesthetics is almost as important as the 1950s (and the 1940s). It broadens the variety and the possibility, and as you can see in Mad Men it is absolutely sexy to the core!

It is very rare for me to wear light colors, and especially a color like salmon, but I fell in love with this blouse mostly because it's transparent and obviously because of the collar (this is BTW bought on a sale in Zara). 

Blouses with collars are rather classical than just vintage, but depending of what kind of collar you chose, you can style your blouse to represent a decade of your pleasing. 

The skirt is a piece I bought in a thrift shop last winter, and it has been very useful to me. The hemline is rather 1960s than 1950s but I like the simplicity of it and this is exactly why I've chosen to match it to this very 1960s inspired blouse. The blouse actually has a marked waist, but I've chosen a pink belt with simile-stones just to emphasize the waist. I could have chosen a black belt, but ended up with the pink one because of the funky color. 

A close-up of the collar. I love the detailed work with the beads and the pearls. 

The hair is an experiment and I'm going to work more with this style in the future. It's inspired by Holly Golightly from the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's starring one of my favorite style icons - Audrey Hepburn. Basically what you do is make a ponytail, and secure the ends on the top of your head. Use some kind of jewelry to hide the rubber-band. 

Finish the look with a pair of pearl- earrings. They never go out of fashion.

   

#7 - Vertigo

Last year I watched Hitchcock's "Vertigo" from 1958 with James Stewart and the ever so gorgeous Kim Novak. 
Besides the thrilling story and Hitchcock's ability to capture details like nobody else can, I was amazed by the clothes Novak was wearing during this movie. 
Basically I would have killed for every single piece from her wardrobe. 

The first thing that caught my eye was the off-white coat Novak is wearing throughout most of the movie, a coat I actually stumbled upon in a second hand shop less than 24 hour later, but that is one story I'll keep for the spring, and warmer days. 
Second thing is the black dress she is wearing underneath the off-white coat. But what actually left me breathless in the end was the green skirt she is wearing during a walk on the street with Stewart. It's just the perfect everyday skirt.

I know there is a lot of green color in that movie, but there is only one skirt like this one. This skirt has a beautiful green shade, rather olive than green. It has quite a lot fullness and has buttons in the back. In the movie it is matched perfectly with a simple brown blouse for an everyday use and a black patent leather belt is used to emphasize Novak's waist.

I knew something like that would be more or less impossible to find, so instead I decided to let my tailor make one for me. 
It took me a couple of months, but one day I found the perfect fabric. It was basically forgotten, and the sales-lady found it by accident in the back of a pile. Nonetheless it was perfect; Olive-green cotton/wool blend and no stretch at all.

My tailor made the skirt and it was basically perfect, but just a bit too over-the-top for everyday use. 
When my tailor was done with the Novak-skirt,  I still had so much fabric left that she was able to make me one more skirt, which I actually designed for her to make. And that is the one I'm wearing today. 

 (Klick for larger pictures)

The simplicity of this skirt match perfectly with the buttons and the fluffy pockets. It balances the details, and makes it suitable for both everyday use, and evening use - depending on how you accessorize it, and off course what kind of shoes you use. Since I'm headed for a day at the Library I've toned it down a notch. 

I curled my hair only at the ends and secured it with bobby-pins, just to get it of my eyes. 

Wearing a turtle-neck sweater makes this look more of a 50s look rather than 40s (this skirt actually could go for a 40s look as well). So all in all a simple outfit for everyday use.

The jewelry is fauna-inspired today: Hanging monkeys as earrings and a butterfly shaped brooch. Both are found on Etsy and used just in hope of bringing a couple of laughs during the day.

And to finish the look and match it to the awful Danish weather: A pair of rubber boots. 

I actually own five pairs of rubber boots in different lengths and styles. They are so very practical in Denmark, well basically every season of the year. These are my favorite. They are not very warm, but they are awful adorable and feminine, so I use them as often as possible. 

#6 - Christmas Eve

Yesterday was Christmas Eve. I was fortunate enough to celebrate it with my neighbors and their family. We took off to the outskirts around noon, and I was home just in time to crash. So I didn't get to  update yesterday.

So you'll get it today instead.

Ladies and gentlemen; it's all about the details for me. One of the reasons why I am so hopelessly in love with the aesthetics and products of a forgotten era, is the details.

I bought this pink dress on etsy and it just arrived a couple of weeks ago. I bought it with two other which you'll see in time. 

This dress is a perfect example of are more low key version of the style Dior presented in 1947 under the name New Look. The fabric is some kind of sateen, and you wouldn't believe me how heavy this dress actually is. Yet it's so smooth and  fits perfectly. The heaviness of the fabric makes if fold perfectly regardless of you wearing it with og without a petticoat. Which in my opinion makes it perfect both during the winter and summer time. 

  

One of the reasons why I'm sure this dress is original from the era of New Look is the collar (left picture). This type of collar (with out neck-part) was often seen in the late 40s and early 50s. 

The pleating around the chest part is a typical 40s detail as well. 

This pleating gives the dress a feminine look without making the cleavage to vulgar.

The necklace is one I got from my auntie as an early christmas present and so are the earrings. I chose to match this jewelry with the dress to make sure that ti doesn't get over the top. 

Since the dress has such a strong color it is perfect with simple jewelry. And basically you can never go wrong with pearls. They are all time classics and a girls best friend, just as diamonds are. 

Shoes.. a simpe black pump, bought in H&M years ago. Always a classic. 

#5

It's Monday, and today is spent at home studying. No dresses worn today, but I can assure you I'll make up for it tomorrow. 
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and in Denmark that is the day we celebrate Christmas. This year I've been invited to celebrate Christmas Eve with my neighbor and her family. I'm so excited and I have trouble deciding which of my dresses  I want to wear. I've got a couple of them in mind, but lets make it a surprise. 

I had my dad over for a short visit today, and he brought me a present from my auntie in Sweden. She is volunteering at a Second Hand shop, so she gets me a lot a treasures. I almost screamed when I opened the present today. I just couldn't believe what she had found for me this time…

These opera binocular are fully functional and the mother of pearl is in absolutely perfect shape. There are no flaws on this one, and I can assure you I'm gonna use them next time I go to a theatre. 

I doubt that the pearl necklace is very old. But it is absolutely my style. I love the simplicity, and the fact that it match the earrings in shade, makes it just perfect. 

At least I know that my dress tomorrow has to match this beautiful two-piece.

#4 - Slanket Day

It's Sunday. It's cold, dark and windy here in Copenhagen. For me Sundays are sacred, I hang around home, and I can assure you that a day like this I'm not wearing a dress or stockings or anything else that forces me to act lady-like or civilized to say the least. I try as often as possible to spend my sundays in my pajamas wrapped in my beloved jaguar slant, and today is no exception.

This is my jaguar snuggle blanket. I know it's hated by the whole world, but this accompanies my pajamas perfectly, and I just love it. I guess this is one of the advantages of being single; you can actually be cozy and relaxed without repelling anybody around you. 

I had my first Christmas present today by the way. 

One of my friends brought me this. Vintage glass tags. The purpose of these is to personalize your glass so it doesn't get mixed up. I just love them, and I can't wait for my next dinner party to put them to use. 

#3

It's Saturday, Christmas Eve is in three days, and as usual I'm late with the christmas shopping. I guess that's how it is when most of your time is spent in a library working hard on the last huge paper before the last Masters Thesis.
Today the outfit had to be quick and easy. I wanted to go shopping early to avoid the worst masses of stressed christmas shoppers.

So I chose a sleeveless black dress and a vintage silk shirt which I got from my aunties mother in law for my birthday present a couple of months ago.

This dress is actually very dull. I don't wear it very often, and I'm planing to make it in to a 1940's inspired jumpsuit next time I meet up with my tailor in Montenegro. I think there should be enough fabric to manage such a project. 

Luckily a belt can do miracles with almost anything. I chose a white belt today to match the white shirt, and to really show of my waistline. 

The hair is a 1960s inspired bun. I used a shaper ring to give the bun more volume. And that's it. An elegant, and easy early1960's catholic school girl look. 

#2 The Sack Dress

There is no doubt and it is a fact; the 1950's are in. More and more people get their kicks by wearing vintage clothes and "rockabilly" is the new "hipster". The 50s are in, and most of you will think: "Oh! I love the 50s and the pencil skirt, and the big fluffy crinolines and the ponytails." You have probably already asked your hairdresser to cut your bangs short, just like the ones the infamous pin-up model Bettie Page had.  And you know what -  I don't mind at all. This exactly is the beauty of our age. We can choose to be inspired by whatever we want and like, and use it to individualize our style.
Some of you will probably get annoyed by this stereotype of the American 50's pop culture, and look at your pretty pin-curls, your elegant New Look dress, and thank God you're from Europe or at least inspired by the old world fashion form the early 50's.

I love the classic silhouettes.
I love Dior's New Look from 1947; It's simple, feminine, pure in it's aesthetics and the lines make the female body look as elegant as a ballet figurine from a music box.
I adore the bombshell dress, the one Marilyn Monroe made immortal, and what that kind of dresses do for a woman's curves and sex appeal. A very big bart of my wardrobe contains these styles and not to forget my all-time favorite pencil skirt.
But for me exploring the vintage scene of fashion is more than just these well-known iconic and yet stereotyped silhouettes. For me vintage fashion is to dig deeper and see what else used to exist back in the days.
There is more than 18 years between the birth of Dior's New Look and the so-called death of the golden era of haute couture in the end of the 1960s.

During one of my explorations of the past of fashion I found out that Cristóbal Balenciaga introduced the so-called sack dress in 1957. Basically, it's a very loose and almost baggy dress, it look a lot like a sack and it is just perfectly practical during a long day of work or for the Christmas Eve dinner.
What I love about the sack dress; it's very simple and comfy but with a belt you can make it as sexy as hell.
Unfortunately the sack dress is rare as original, but I was lucky enough to find a dress in COS a couple of years ago that is very similar to the ones introduced in 1957.

I love the details of this dress. The neck get's a very elegant and long line because of the oval opening. 

The main reason I fell in love with this dress is the fabric. It is very thick and heavy. The dress weighs over a kilo. (I've had it on a scale.)

A close-up to get a picture of my brooch. This dress is so simple and elegant, to keep the simplicity I use a brooch. Today I chose a big one with color, to brighten it up.

#1

I guess everybody has one of those days; It's gray, cold and foggy outside. Christmas is around the corner and the only thing you want to do is to stay at home and bake a batch of cookies wearing your cozy and warm pajamas.

Well baking cookies in my pajamas is a luxury for me these days; I have a huge paper due in a couple of weeks.

So in stead I try to look as civilized as possible while still wearing something cozy.

I bought this dress on asos.com last summer. Originally it was a plain black dress, but I spiced it up with a white collar- that detail gives it a secretary-like look. In my opinion this gives it  a 60s look as well rather than modern day one. The best part about this one; It has a lot of stretch which makes it comfortable during a long day at the library. 

The hair-do is plain and simple: Part the front part of the hair and roll it in faux bangs. Use the rest of the hair to make a pony tail. Roll the pony tail up and secure with bobby pins.