Dressing Up Vintage: Vintage 1940s Fashion + Style Tips

Appropriate clothes gives us self-confidence and help us to make good impressions on other people.

Learn by discovering what are considered the proper costumes for typical occasions, by critically watching what other girls wear, and by dressing correctly every day. Learn what to wear to ball games, to parties, to church, and for travel. - from "Clothes for Girls" textbook written by Elizabeth Todd


These French girls are so chic, but of course!
What to Wear for Casual Wear for Street, Shops, Office, Business, & Travel
Dress - simple, conservative in color.
Shoes - Oxford or strap. Practical and low heel. Leather or reptile skins.
Hosiery- Sturdy cotton, rayon
Coats- simply cut and tailored.
Hat- Practical with brim
Gloves- Heavy leather, plain pull on.
Accessories- Leather purse, plain handkercief, only necessary jewelry.


Image Credits: 1.] French Women in the 1940s by Irene Adler, 2.] 1946 Mademoiselle by My Vintage Vogue, 3.] 1947 "Farmer's Market" Fashion by Silent Screen Queen, 4.] Vintage 1940s Accessories by Silent Screen Queen

Dating Vintage Tip of the Day: Acrylic & Lucite on Handbags

Here's a great tip on dating vintage purses! It's usually easier to date a vintage dress as most vintage collectors and sellers can recognize the silhouettes and pinpoint the decade, but what to do about vintage accessories? So without further ado...

{ Dating Vintage Tip of the Day... }

In the 1940s lucite was used for purse frames and handles usually for crocheted or corde bags.

In the 1950s lucite and acrylic were used to create entire purses usually in boxy geometric shapes with hinged lids (like a bucket). These clear purses were popular for only a short time in the 50s and therefore highly collectible and sought after today fetching prices from $150 to $400.

Lucite and acrylic were used in later years, but were not as common as they were in the 40s (frames/handles) and 50s (entire purses).

So, now you know! ^_^

The Price of Vintage Clothing if Bought Today

Ever wondered about the actual dollar value of the vintage clothes in old clothing catalogs such as Sears, Spiegel, or Bella Hess? (BTW all the images below are from Bella Hess catalogs) I always see "$1.98" for a dress and I'm thinking "Oh my gosh, how cheap is that?!?" I do realize the value of the dollar is much different than back then, even from 10 years ago it's different... so here are just some fun number figures to show what today's price would be for vintage clothes.


$19.98 in 1924 is approximately $249 today.
Note the advertisement reads "2 Wonderful Bargains!" *hehe*


From 1924: $14.98 = $187.00, $5.98 = $75.00, $8.98 = $112.00


From 1940 Catalog: $.95 = $14.65, $1.00 = $29.00
Thrifty prices indeed!


From 1957 Catalog: $2.99 = $23.40, $1.99 = $15.60, $5.99 = $46.90

So just a quick rundown...
In the 1910s... $1.00 is about the same as $21.60 today
In the 1920s... $1.00 is about the same as $11.40 today
In the 1930s... $1.00 is about the same as $12.60 today
In the 1940s... $1.00 is about the same as $15.40 today
In the 1950s... $1.00 is about the same as $9.15 today
In the 1960s... $1.00 is about the same as $7.35 today
In the 1970s... $1.00 is about the same as $5.73 today
In the 1980s... $1.00 is about the same as $2.82 today
In the 1990s... $1.00 is about the same as $1.71 today

As much as I would like to claim I am a super genius and got all these facts and figures through sheer brain power, I found a handy dandy inflation calculator.

How to Measure Yourself for Clothing, A Vintage Guide

A quick guide on how to properly take your measurements to determine your clothing size! I love this little guide from a 1940s Bella Hess catalog. If you notice dress sizes were based on your bust size, divided by 2, then subtract 2 inches.

So if your bust measured 32", you would be a size 14 in the 1940s. (32/2 - (2)).

Source: Scanned from Bella Hess 1940 Catalog via adore_vintage

How to date vintage clothing, a study of silhouttes, Part I

Today's "How to Date Vintage Clothing" lesson will be a quick guide through the different decades and the popular clothing trends from each era.

The other day I received a question from { Dani Red } asking how to date vintage clothing as she was quite new to collecting. So, I hope this simple guide will be useful!

I don't come across too many clothes from the 1910s-1920s, they are rare finds these days (considering they're nearly 100 years old!) and it is even more rare to find a dress that is in mint or excellent condition. Therefore, most vintage clothes dating in the earlier part of the 20th century can garner a pretty high price. All that being said, here are a few patterns and illustrations to give you a better idea of the silhouttes of the earlier portion of the 20th century.

{ The 1910s & the 1920s }

Notice the waist bands and waist locations of the dresses from the 1910s... then notice the disappearance of said waist bands in the dresses of the 1920s. In the 1920s the "Flapper" girl was born. But, more on that another day.

{ The 1930s }

Notice the difference in the skirt silhouttes? The waistline has returned! I love many of the evening dresses from the 1930s, mostly cut on the bias, so they skimmed the female form in the most elegant way.

{ The 1940s }

One of the biggest changes in fashion in the 1940s was the length of the hemline for day dresses. Hemlines gradually got shorter in the first part of the 20th century, but in the 40s, they took huge cut mostly to war shortages. Skirts became a little fuller, eventually leading to the voluminous poufs in the later part of the 40s and into the 50s. Notice also that dresses had far less decorations and details as previous decades.

{ The 1950s }


Hemlines continue to rise in the 1950s, but not by that much. Skirts and dresses became much fuller usually with the help of crinolines and ruffled slips. The waist was an important focal point, waistbands and belts were very common in fashion. Towards the end of the 1950s the sheath and wiggle dress became popular shapes. This also marked the beginning of 60s fashion.

Part II of "How to Date Vintage Clothing, A Study in Silhouttes" will be posted later on this week!

Defining Vintage: Natural + Artificial Fibres

What is the difference between natural fibres and artificial fibres? Well, in this post I will attempt to explain and educate. :)


A vintage sweater most likely made from fabric containing acrylic. A vintage dress pattern that looks best with natural fabrics like cotton or linen.
Natural fibre are fibers derived from plants and animals. Natural = nature. A few examples would be cotton, wool, and linen. Usually natural fibers tend to wrinkle and crease more easily than artificial fibers. Natural fibers also breathe more easily and respond to change in temperature and different climates. So, if it's a hot sunny day you are better off wearing a cotton shirt than a polyester one. And if you wash a wool sweater in hot water... it shrinks!

Artificial or Synthetic fibres begin as chemical solutions. They can also be made from natural fibres but are processed to create a synthetic fiber. Synthetic fibers are not as porous as natural fibers and are also not as absorbent (don't wear polyester if you're going to be sweating...) On the plus side, synthetic fibers tend to wrinkle less and have less creases.

Here are some examples of fabrics made from artificial fibres:
1.} Acrylic - sweaters, dresses
2.} Nylon - dresses, lingerie, blouses
3.} Polyester - dresses, suits, blouses, linings, lingerie
4.} Rayon - dresses, blouses, draperies, linings
5.} Acetate - lingerie, dresses, blouses

I have seen all these on a clothing label at one point or another. However, sometimes a fabric content label won't be present so I do my best to guess. I am not a fabric expert by any means, but by doing plenty of research I think I will be able to better define the fabric contents of the many vintage clothes I have in the { SHOP }

*I am still learning and researching, so if you see an error, please feel free to correct me*

How to start an online vintage clothing store

Here are some quick tips and some sound advice from yours truly on "How to Start an Online Vintage Clothing Store"

I don't claim to be an expert at this, but I have been running an online vintage shop for a little over 5 years now and it has been trial and error for me along the way as I discovered new things and made quite a few mistakes.

A couple times a year I receive emails on how to start up an online vintage clothing store. I always respond with a few quick tips and some advice, but never spell everything out for anyone (as I don't think that would be fair for me to do your homework) ^_^. Below is some advice and pointers for opening up your own e-commerce vintage shop. I am assuming of course you already have vintage inventory, know a thing or two about photography, HTML, and can navigate the web.

#1.] WRITE IT DOWN
What should you write down exactly? Anything and everything related to your vintage clothing business! It could be just ideas for colors combinations, or maybe write down URLS of other websites you like and get inspiration from. Write down what categories you want to use for your shop. Do you want to divide everything from the get go and have separate sections for each type of jewelry and clothing or just lump it all together under "jewelry" and "apparel"?

The reason why it is so important to "get it in writing" is that your brain will better remember ideas and thoughts this way. Remember in grade school when the teacher made you write vocabulary words over and over again? This is kind of the same thing. You don't even have to write down business-y stuff, you could write words of inspiration, or your goals. Bottom line, get it on pen and paper and go from there.

#2.] TEACH YOURSELF SOME GEEK CODE
If you don't know anything about web design or HTML, then get cracking! You do not need to be a CSS, Java, PHP expert by any means, but you NEED TO KNOW SOME BASIC HTML! You can visit Getting started with HTML to get the very basics or visit this site: Basic HTML. If you are going to be using Etsy or Ebay, you don't need to know much more than the basics. If you're going to be designing your own site and do not know was a cascading style sheet is...then best to leave it to the pros. ^_^

#3.] KNOW YOUR VINTAGE!
This one should be pretty self explanatory. I shouldn't even have to touch on this but I will, just a little. Learn the basics of vintage clothing such as dating vintage dresses. What makes a dress a 1970s dress instead of a 1980s dress? Why is this blouse from the 50s and not the 60s? Learn different types of sleeves, collars, skirt styles, pant styles, etc etc. This will help you in accurately describing your products and also help you date them.

#4.] KEEP A FOLDER FOR ALL YOUR STUFF
I have a folder on my comp for all my work stuff as well as a physical folder in a file cabinet for other things. The most important thing when starting up your own vintage clothing store business is to STAY ORGANIZED. Unless you have plenty of other gals to keep everything in order for you, it's best to start organized and keep organized. Keep folders for site images, product images, ideas, inspirations, rough drafts of html pages or even text you are writing for your website. Just keep it all in one, easy to find place.

#5.] PRCING YOUR VINTAGE WARES
Ok, so running an online vintage clothing store means you need to know some business stuff. What kind of stuff? Well, you need to know how to price your items. You need to do some research on other stores to see how much everyone else is charging and most importantly WHY or even HOW? I see a bunch of vintage stores selling a-dime-a-dozen 80s and 90s "vintage" at steep prices and wonder "WHY are they selling it for this much?" and "HOW are they able to sell it for that much?" Ask yourself the same thing.

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All righty, those are my tips and advice for now! I hope you found them helpful! More tips on "How to start an online vintage clothing store" soon!

Tips on Washing Vintage Clothing

As a general rule of thumb, I hand wash all vintage clothing. Sometimes you can get away with throwing things in the washing machine (after all they did have washing machines as far back as the late 1900s...) but you can never be too careful with your lovely vintage clothes!

Tips on Washing Vintage Clothing



1.] Use WARM water for natural fabrics (such as cotton)

2.] Use COLD water for synthetic fabrics (such as polyester)

3.] Polyester (and poly blend) clothes look better if they are hung to dry. I don't really know why, they just do from my experience.

4.] Make sure the sink is clean before you wash your clothes in it! (I know, this seems obvious...)

5.] COLD water will keep colors from bleeding (if the fabric is colorfast).

6.] Only wash one garment at a time. Even if the colors are similar. It's better to be safe than sorry.

7.] Dissolve detergent in warm/hot water first, then add to your rinse water.

8.] Don't agitate the fabric too much (or at all if you can help it). Usually I sort of just pat and carefully "knead" (sorry, I can't think of a better way to describe it) the fabric. For dresses I will try to flatten it in the tub and gently "pat" the detergent in. If it's a sturdier fabric, I agitate the fabric just a bit.

9.] Rinse vintage garments in cool water. Make sure to rinse them well. You don't want any detergent residue!

10.] If in doubt LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS. I am by no means a professional washer/restorer of vintage clothing, so the more delicate items I let air out instead of risking damaging it forever.

---- More tips on washing and caring for your vintage soon!

Image source: Laundry by Nudonudo

How to get smoke smells out of vintage leather?

A friend of mine recently purchased a vintage leather handbag from Ebay and wrote to me asking how to get a strong smoke odor out of it. So, I decided to take this opportunity to post a few tips and tricks on how to get smoky smells out of your vintage leather goods.

It is important to note that smoke consists of approximately 4,000 different chemicals in both gaseous and particulate forms which can seep into the pores of your vintage clothes and accessories. If it has set in after years and years, the smoke smell will not magically disappear within a couple days. Some of these may work better than others and some you may have to repeat a couple times.

If in doubt, bring your vintage goods to a professional! Don't forget there are different types of leathers as there are different types of fabrics, use your own best judgement.

TIP #1: Wipe leather goods with a damp cloth, then a dry cloth. Stuff purses and shoes with newspaper to retain shape. Leather goods should be dried away from heat and sun (if left in the heat it can crack, dry out, and ruin the leather). When leather goods are dry, clean with saddle soap. "Rinse" leather and suede jackets in cold water and dry away from heat and sun. (By rinse I mean wipe it throughly clean so there isn't any saddle soap residue, make sure you have also wiped it dry enough to get as much of the moisture out - do not SOAK your leather!)

TIP #2: Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and lightly mist the item. Vinegar eliminates odors easily. Use a clean cloth to wipe down the item and set it outside to dry, avoiding direct sunlight.

Tip #3: Clean the outside of the bag with a damp clean cloth. Gently wipe the interior clean as well. Let it air/dry out. Gather some fresh coffee grounds in a cheesecloth bag and leave inside the bag for 24-48 hours. Keep bag in cool and dry place. You can also try this with cat liter.

Tip #4: For a fresh scent (and this is for bags that do not have too strong of an odor or if you just want to "refresh" your bags) after you have done the initial wipe down/air dry... place some citrus peels in a cheesecloth bag and place in your bag (DO NOT ZIP IT UP). Leave for 24-48 hours, but use your own discretion on when to remove the peels. You don't want them to rot!

Tip #5: Use activated charcoal (you can get it at pet stores usually). You can do this in two different ways. You can either put your purse in a box next to a dish of charcoal or you can place the charcoal in your purse (make sure it's IN something, don't let it touch the leather). Activated charcoal is known to absorb carbon particles very effectively. Leave charcoal in bag/box for 24-48 hours.