1940s

It seems to me that there is a lot of 1940s inspired fashions about at the moment, and it got me thinking about something I did last year. Once a year, in September, the Chatham dockyard in Kent have a 1940s day. I happened upon it quite by chance and decided to go along. I wasn't really sure what it would be like, so I didn't go in costume - but I really wish I had, because a lot of people did and they all looked amazing. There were stalls, vintage arcade games, a parade, a vintage train and a demonstration of a 1940's fire engine in operation. There were even air raids. Another great thing they had were bands performing old wartime songs and others performing the Lindy hop - a dance that was popular at the time. As well as all this the dockyards have a permanent museum about maritime history, a rope making museum, a submarine and other boats you can walk around on. I had a great time, and I will try to go again next year.

The Fall

In general I am always thinking about a dress. There is always a dress in my head, fighting to get out. I often see dresses, on catwalks, in shops, brand new and vintage and I think, surely I could make that. Then sometimes I find a pattern and attempt to alter it until it resembles what I see in my mind. The finished result is rarely the same as the picture in my head, but I like to think this is a learning process and eventually I will create something that is an accurate representation of my initial idea. I'm not sure why it is generally a dress rather than some other item of clothing, like a top or skirt, I think it's because a dress is a total look, with instant impact. Today's post is about one such dress. It was inspired by the Autumn collection from dear creatures, which I have seen posted on many blogs already, so forgive me for posting the images from their charming lookbook once more.

I initially thought I was trying to create a version of the dress on the right, which I absolutely love, the mustard colour, the checks, the black bow? Perfect. However having seen the finished result, it looks like I was subconsciously thinking of the dress on the left. Judge for yourselves.

I used a pattern for this dress but then changed it. The body is made of a black sateen cotton and the little capelet is made of an autumnal ikea fabric which was something silly like £1.99 per metre. The thing I really liked about the dear creatures dress was the black piping as a contrast to the mustard on the bodice. Instead of piping I used black bias binding around the edges. Below are some close-ups of the back of the dress and fabric. I added the keyhole back, just beacuse I like keyhole backs, although it turned out to be uneccessay since I can get the dress on without undoing the closure, the pattern was oddly large for a size 8. Still I like the grey faux-leather button. I am pleased with the finished result, although it's a bit big, and more 1950s then I expected, it still makes me think of autumn, bonfires, and fallen leaves.

Standen

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Standen . Standen is a national trust house famous for it's arts and crafts style interiors and beautiful gardens. Although it's not that far away I haven't been there in years. Unfortunately you aren't allowed to take photos inside the house, which is a shame because although it's a such a large Victorian house, inside feels really cosy and lived in. I've always liked visiting these old houses and imagining the lives of the people who lived there.

Standen was built for the Beale family in the 1890s, who continued to live there until the 1970s. There is a little exhibition inside the house about all the children who grew up playing in the house and grounds, with photos and toys. Apparently a favourite childhood pastime was to take down the fire shoot from an upstairs window and slide down it, another was to pack six children to a beloved rocking horse and ride it across the billiards room floor. The house is famous for being built in the arts and crafts style and is particularly well known for the William Morris

interiors.

Design for Windrush fabric by William Morris 1881-83

I really like William Morris designs, they are all very pretty without being too fussy. I am a big fan of off-colours and his prints usually involve plenty which always appeals to me. I felt really inspired after visiting and even found some William morris printed fabrics, although they are really meant for interiors, I can't help imagining these as sweet little dresses or skirts.

I think my favourite is the middle on, although the mustard coloured one would be good for an autumn shift dress. If I get any further with this project, I will keep you informed.

Beginnings

Hello and welcome to my brand new blog, The Dandelion Girl. Firstly I will introduce myself. My name is Rebecca and I love nothing more than foraging for vintage treasures or losing myself in a good book. I decided to start this blog so I could share some of my vintage adventures with people who might understand why I get so excited over a beautiful 1960's dress or the perfectly distressed pair of leather boots.

For this first post I thought I might explain the title of the blog. The dandelion girl is the title of a short story by Robert.F.Young, first published in 1961. I saw the title and just liked it, before I knew the story. Although I've never been a fan of science fiction, it's actually quite a sweet little story. It is set in the future and is about a middle aged man called Mark, alone on holiday while his wife works, who meets a girl called Julie four times on a hill - I won't give away the rest. The most famous line (repeated six times throughout) from the story is -

'Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you' .

It is also mentioned what Julie wears on each occasion her and Mark meet.

On the first day she wears a white dress that reminds Mark of 'cotton-candy, sea foam and clouds.' On the second day she wears a blue dress and on the third a yellow dress.

For the full text of the story please look here.

I hope you've enjoyed my first post, I will try to update this blog every couple of days with my vintage finds and other inspirations. Thank you for reading.