Showing posts with label vintage fashion magazines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage fashion magazines. Show all posts

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Getting a Head Start on Fall

Joan Crawford
Starred for fall success, Miss Crawford tops her travel suit with a dashing asymmetric wool felt charmer from The Couture Touch. The unusual-shaped, high crown is accented with a magnificent spray of feathers tucked into a grosgrain band. Circa 1940.

Joan Crawford
"Arrival at Port" grey wool suit with "fur" sleeve detailing is from Robert Tonner's Brenda Starr Collection. Gloves are from Debora West. Cigarette holder is from Mystyna. Awards Night Joan Crawford is from Robert Tonner for the 2009 Hollywood Ahoy/Sandra Stillwell convention.

Here are three more perfectly tailored toppers for 1940....

Mrs Blackburne at the Australian Doomben race meeting, 1940.
Photo courtesy en.wikipedia.org

August 1940
Photo courtesy archive.org

March 1940
Photo courtesy ravelry.com

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Imaginative Felts

"A hat must be a creation of realities and dreams and that it should be remembered with pleasure by those who see it."   Aage Thaarup's Theory of Millinery

Women's Fashion 1930 - 1939
Illustration courtesy allposters.com

The unusual shaped and often whimsical quality of women's hats during the late 1930's became a popular design feature of millinery during this turbulent time period. Italian born French designer Elsa Schiaparelli was most notably associated with the Surrealist Movement that sought to "liberate the imagination". She was a master at the technique of manipulating felt and other materials into delightfully stylish and sophisticated hats with a touch of humor.

Elsa Schiaparelli's "Hurricane Hat" from 1936.
Illustrated for Vogue by Eric. Photo courtesy antiquetrader.com

Miss Madra Lord
An asymmetric, rich forest green, wool felt hat with feather and beading detail is tailor made for Monolithic Studios' star Madra Lord by the milliners at The Couture Touch. Miss Lord's jacket, blouse, and gloves are from Ashton Drake, handbag from PD Root, and the ooak cigarette holder is from Mystyna. The luscious mink cape is from miniature furrier Dimitha. Dream Sequence Madra Lord is from Integrity.

Miss Gene Marshall
Gene Marshall captivates her fans in a chic, royal blue, wool felt, Deco-inspired hat from The Couture Touch. Miss Marshall knows the importance of choosing the right hat for her outfit. Fur-collared jacket and matching muff are from D.A.E. Originals' "Business Call" suit ensemble. Embroidered gloves are from Ashton Drake. Blue Belle Gene Marshall, enhanced with an articulated body from Integrity, is from Ashton Drake.

Not your typical felts. Intriguing new hats for 1939. Left: a cocoa-brown, forward-jutting beret from Schiaparelli.
Photo courtesy justskirtsanddresses.blogspot.com

Whimsical felt hat from Caroline Reboux, 1938.
Photo courtesy hprints.com

"In difficult times fashion is always outrageous."    Elsa Schiaparelli

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Inspiration: Vintage Fashion Magazines

The creative process of a milliner often begins with a source of inspiration. When designing hats for the discriminating miniature divas of Monolithic Studios, I often refer to vintage European fashion magazines such as L'Officiel, L'Art et la Mode, La Femme Chic, Femina, and Modes et Travaux for inspiration. Here are just a few examples featuring some extraordinary hats from 1936 to 1948.

La Femme Chic, 1943

La Femme Chic, 1945

Femina, 1948

Annabelle, 1942

Italian fashion magazine, Dea, 1936

Modes et Travaux, 1944.
Photo courtesy fr.wikipedia.org

Modes et Travaux, 1943.
Photo courtesy vmcfashion.wordpress.com


All photos are courtesy hprints.com unless otherwise noted. CLICK HERE for more Vintage Design and Inspiration links from The Couture Touch.