Green and Black: 1940s Ensemble

I made and posted about this 2 piece dress last spring, so that's not new. What is surprising is that it fit me through 7 months of pregnancy. I had made it a little too big to begin with, then lost weight. I intended to alter it and never got around to it - as a result, I only just outgrew it, though it was not a maternity outfit. I could still zip up the skirt and button all the jacket buttons all the way up till now!

 

Though the darts are slightly distorted by my shape, at the moment and the wrinkles are telling me this is the last time to wear it until after the baby comes...

 

The sage green rayon has held up well and presses nicely without shiny spots. With online rayon purchases, I never know what the fabric will be suitable for when it arrives - this one was perfect for dresses with that nice limpness needed for a lot of 1940s dresses. I actually could have used a fabric with more structure for this outfit and kept the rayon for something with gathers and shirring detail...oh, well. 

 

It was very windy when taking these pictures, which posed a challenge for trying to get decent photos!

 

Other than my trusty black 1940s purse, the other accessories are new to the blog.

The classic 1940s black and white spectator pumps are from Royal Vintage (which, by the way, is hosting a giveaway - you still have one more day to enter!). They look like they stepped out of a vintage ad, and are comfortable to boot, once the high vamp is broken in a bit. I used some leather stretch on mine because it cut into the top of my foot on first wearing.

 

I'd always wanted 1940s spectators (still want some navy and white ones!) but after years of looking have never found any that were in nice shape, my size, and price range. To me they are the quintessential shoe of that era and I've loved them for a long time. I finally realized I could spend a bit more and get brand new ones that would fit and not have fragile leather soles, so that's what I did. They are gorgeous, the detailing is superb, and they go with a surprising amount of outfits. Plus they would work for late 1930s as well.

 

My hat I got years ago at a favorite antique mall, then never wore it until more recently when I realized I would like it better if I tucked the upstanding decoration on the front down a bit, so I tacked it down a little to make it slightly less obtrusive than sticking-straight-up and have worn it several times since then. 

 

I've had a hard time dating it, but I think I've settled on the late 1940s and the New Look era, though I'd appreciate anyone's opinion on it. The shape and decoration styles could well have been 1930s, but the shiny straw feels later than that. When I put it on with this outfit I thought it was 1940s enough, but in these pictures it looks closer to 1950s...whoops.

 

The veiling is in poor shape - maybe it was always just a wisp, but it's more a string now. I keep it tucked behind the brim. The hat does have a cute coordinating hatpin with the end of the hatpin the same straw as the hat.

 

Any ideas out there on the appropriate decade or era for this hat?

Comments

[Lynne Johnson]

You look beautiful and glowing with health! I'm not sure of dating the hat. It looks perfect with the dress though. And the pumps are great!

[Dee]

Lovely outfit as usual! :) Kristen--You look like you stepped out of a vintage ad yourself! I really like those spectator pumps. I wonder if they would ever make them in red and white. Have you ever tried B.A.I.T. shoes? They have spectators.

I think that hat is from the 1950s. Maybe early 50s. If you had the bow-like decoration sticking up it probably looks like one of the those 1940s antennae hats, but didn't they have that style in the 50s too?

Hope all is going well. Baby Clay will be here soon!!

Best wishes, Dee