Day 12: In Which I Discover a Valuable Resource

You guys. Someone has uploaded all of the images from lots of Sears Christmas catalogs.

"A festive array of panties." Enough said. — “A festive array of panties.” Enough said.

This is fantastic news, because the Sears catalog is an excellent look at what ordinary people were buying, wearing, and using in their respective periods. Sears sold basically everything, so the catalogs are great for researching everything from sweater styles to toy fire engines to rifles. And it’s great for researching underwear.

Since most people didn’t get their pictures taken in their underwear, there are limited pictorial sources for the average woman and her underpinnings. While photos of burlesque performers and pin-up girls in underwear certainly provide us with some information, those are…very curated ensembles. Give me the Sears catalog for the inside track on the American woman and her underwear.

And oh, such underwear have I found.

So much that I’ve created a Pinterest board of it all. Yes, a Pinterest board. Hush, ye naysayers!

Here are a few of the highlights:

The bras of 1944. Note the variety of cup shapes. — The bras of 1944. Note the cup shapes. Hollywood is more va-voom and bulleted, Maiden Form a little more demure.

1952. So many varieties of stocking heel--look closely. — 1952. So many varieties of stocking heel–look closely.

I’ll be adding to the board as I work my way through the archives!

My Glamorous Invalid Wish List

Okay, so I don’t actually think “invalid” is a great word to apply to people…but it certainly sounds melodramatic and old-fashioned.

Over the summer, I’ve had a rise in the interference that fibromyalgia can cause in my life. Namely, two parts fatigue, plus one part pain, shaken up with my expectations to be fully functioning has created a sort of bitter cocktail. I’ve been mad about it. I’m working with my doctor, and we’re on a good path, it’s just annoying.

Granted, this is the best time in history to have any kind of sickness. I would be dead several times over 150 years ago. I probably wouldn’t have made it through my breech birth, then the chicken pox at 3 or any number of upper respiratory infections throughout childhood would probably have killed me. But, no doubt, had I made it to adulthood in the 19th century, I would have had “a delicate constitution” or “the vapours” or, probably, just “weakness.” Hopefully, I’d have been rich enough to stay inside and embroider things.

Most of the time, I don’t feel too terrible. I’ve had this condition for a long time, and I usually know what to do to mitigate it. Still, I feel a little pitiful, and not like the powerful and vibrant person I actually am, when I have to take a nap everyday to be a human.

Disclaimer 1: I still don’t have anything like the full body pain that lots of people experience, and I’m not complaining. I am a lucky, lucky duck, and I cannot emphasize that enough.

Disclaimer 2: There are so many worse things that could happen to me than having to take a lot of naps.

I’ve decided that if I have to spend more time in bed than I really desire, I should at least get to be a starlet of chronic illness. Here is my list of things I want to increase the glamour of this whole experience: Continue reading “My Glamorous Invalid Wish List” →

Outfit Post: My Favorite Summer Dress

Lindy Bop Lily — The bodice only crinkles like that when I’m climbing playground equipment…which is seldom.

It’s not acting like August this week in Chicago, which makes my plan of focusing on summer clothes feel kind of silly.

Nevertheless, here is my current favorite dress: Lindy Bop’s Lily dress. I have been wearing this dress everywhere, and yet, it proves to be difficult to photograph. We’ve been shooting it all summer, and either the dress or my face (admittedly, it’s usually my face) looks odd in pictures.

I love it so much because it’s:

Gorgeous.
So comfortable–it’s got a little bit of (not vintage) stretch.
Easily dressed up or down
Wearable with or without a crinoline
Blue. I love blue dresses. I would buy every blue dress, left to my own devices.
Floral–I am finally recovering from years of avoiding florals. I wore a LOT of florals as a teenager-young adult, and I was convinced they made me look like a fundamentalist. Suddenly, I’m into them again.

Continue reading “Outfit Post: My Favorite Summer Dress” →

A House Dress for Most Seasons

I may be taking things too far…

I needed a house dress.

Hear me out. I needed something light weight, presentable enough to wear to the garden and the mailbox, but casual enough to clean my bathtub in. You may not be surprised to learn that I am not a sweatpants person. Jeans are too heavy in the summer. My other dresses are too nice for messy jobs, even with an apron. And so, I hit upon the idea of a house dress. Specifically, this house dress:

Purchased from the fantastic Raven at Raven’s Nest Patterns, this sixties pattern seemed just right for my plans.

I decided on using some cotton print from my stash, inherited from my grandma’s stash. It was pretty, and light, and I did not have quite enough of it. I pulled some more stash fabric for the collar and sash, providing a nice contrast.

Here it is on Cloris, my dress form:

And here it is on me!

Heatwave!

It’s hot out this week. After a June full of rain and low temperatures, summer has really landed here in Chicago.

I generally spend hot weather lying in front of a fan, sipping ice water, and arguing with my partner about turning the air conditioner on. I have the heat tolerance of a popsicle, anything over 80 makes me want to hide in a cave until fall, the queen of seasons.

However, I understand that many of you adore the heat. And good for you! In celebration of summer, here are a few vintage takes on the heat.

First off, Miss Piggy, singing the classic “We’re Having a Heatwave.”

Bonus: The penguin back up singers are much more comfortable than the racial stereotypes in the original Marilyn Monroe number. — Bonus: Miss Piggy’s penguin back up singers are much more comfortable to watch than the racial stereotypes in the original Marilyn Monroe number.

Next, this great collection of photographs from British heatwaves (warning: Nudity!) throughout the 20th century.

Followed by the perfect sun hat. In fact, I’d take any of Unique Vintage’s pretties. My current sun hat is losing its shape, and their hats are just peaches.

And finally, a reminder about heat safety—be careful, and check on your elderly friends and neighbors.