In Winter's Snow

Last week, we finally started seeing some considerable snow fall which means to me it is fur coat season. For me, I have no problem wearing vintage fur and for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that it keeps me very warm and I have a hard time staying warm when outside. I've tried all sorts of coats but I don't think you can beat a natural fiber coat like a fur one or a wool one. When the snow begins to fall, that is when this coat begins to see some serious wearing action and for this look, I wore it to lunch, to the store, and for a little antiquing where I found some charming little buttons, some Christmas post cards for decorating my dresser, and a beautiful dress from 1934 (more on that in a future post so stay tuned).  For this post, I thought I would take advantage of the snow for a very wintery outfit of a fur coat, original 40s suit, and a Lutterloh make in the form of a blouse. My newest Lutterloh make this time is a blouse from 1949 with pleated detail at the back and shoulders. This blouse was a welcomed challenge for me and it allowed me to use up some material down to the last scraps. Below, the original illustration:

For this blouse, I was really interested in the pleated details and thought that it was simple and yet complex enough to make it more than just another plain blouse. I liked too  the buttons with the sets of three because it was something I wanted to try but have yet to (until now of course). I did make a little boo boo at the neckline but I think it still looks o.k. and it definitely still wearable so that is a plus.

For the pleating, I made those separately from the blouse by pressing tiny strips of material and then carefully layering them one on top of another stitching each to create a pleated look. I did not have enough large piece to so real pleating but this way I was able to use up even the smallest pieces. By the end, what I had left was so small only a mouse would know what  to do with them . . . . Once I had all the little rows stitched into place on the pleated details, I pressed the openings in the blouse where they were to go and top stitched them into place. Fort the buttons, I chose a dark grey period plastic button with a little floral - esq design. I chose to go with a grey button this time because I wanted something other than white but something that was still a neutral too.

Paired with this blouse to make a whole outfit, my original striped jacket suit. If you look closely, you may have noticed that this suit and blouse have a couple of elements in common . . .They both make good use of stripes as a decorative element and use grey.  . . . . coincidence? No, I actually made this blouse using this suit as inspiration . . . Actually, for all of my suits I plan to make a coordinating blouse to go with them or else a blouse inspired by each respective suit. I have plans for all of my suits now so its just a matter of making them a reality. . . . and finding the right materials, buttons ,and patterns. .  . .It is such a process finding the right blouse to match the personality of the right suit. Of course, you will be kept in the loop and maybe I will do a big reveal of all of them together as I do adore all of my suits . . .Each one is special and unique. And really, I ought to have

one for every occasion (or more in case I need a stunt double for what ever reason . . . )

To top off the look, my fur coat! I love this coat and it is one of my favorite pieces. It fits me beautifully (well at least I think it does), keeps me cozy warm and makes me feel absolutely glamorous (and what can be a better feeling than that?). Other little bits include large red earrings, spectators, and winter seamed stockings. Since the snow is starting to pile up and I still want to keep that vintage look from head to toe, for my shoe selection I am wearing some reproductions from Royal Vintage. About this time of year I will seldom wear my originals because I want to keep them as nice as possible. If I know I will be inside more than outside, I may wear a pair of originals but I try not to.  For my hair, I am really proud of this look, I started with pin curls, brushed them out and sculpted them with a comb. I was really happy with how they turned out this time and for the rest, I left curly and alone. . . Normally I will hold the hair in the back with a hair net but I chose to not use one this time because I was not too worried about holding it in place. . .the air was dry and cold enough . . . For the most part, it behaved all day . . .