Tag Archives: photos

A Fashionable 1930s Wedding

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The weekend before last we were fortunate to attend the wedding of our friends Robert and Ashley (of Miss1940sVintage).  They are quite the couple from the past- and totally immerse themselves in their chosen eras of the 1930s and 1940s.  When they announced that their wedding was “Garden Party Circa 1930s” themed, we were not in the least surprised.  Given the lovely and creative dressing of the vintage scene in Los Angeles and San Fransisco (as many of the guests came down for the wedding) , the guests relished in the chance to dress the part to celebrate the union of their friends.

The bride wore vintage, with a borrowed lucky veil which belongs to talented singer and pianist Sara, of Sara & Swingtime.  All of the bridesmaids are clad in gowns created by the talented custom couture dressmaker and Simplicity pattern designer Theresa LaQuey (whom I finally got to meet for the first time at the rehearsal dinner).  The bride and her bridesmaids were picture perfect and the setting at Forest Lawn looked like it was just right out of a real 1930s film!

The Bride looked gorgeous and her flowers were period perfect!  They were made by Sharlene of LA Deco Flora.  The bride’s makeup was done by the talented Katharina of GoForKat (who also did the makeup of several of my photo shoots for Wearing History patterns).

The groom and all his groomsmen looked impeccable in vintage morning suits.  The joy of the groom in this photo, taken just after the ceremony,  makes me happy.

And, of course, all the guests looked fabulous!

The talented up and coming music artist, Mary Simich.  Her outfit was created by her own personal couturier, Mr Tiny of Wacky Tacky.

All the old cars were parked in front of the church for a fabulous photo op.  Here’s my husband’s top hat he wore at our wedding is perched on top of our friend’s Packard.

Of course, when you get old cars together you sometimes get the…. unpredictable.  In this case, we watched some of the groomsmen and guests give a friend a push to get it started.

En route to the reception we had fun following our friend’s car and seeing two of the European visitors getting a kick out of riding in the rumble seat.

The reception was held at our friend, Nathan’s, beautiful Edwardian home.  Here’s some snapshots from the reception.

Guests listening to toasts.

My husband looking very distinguished in the library.

And hamming it up, as usual.

I wore a vintage 1930s dress I had held onto for several years, waiting for just the right occasion to wear it.  This fit the theme perfectly!  I made the hat to match by converting a horsehair hat I bought at the thrift store to a more 1930s style.

Many congratulations to the bride and groom!

Great Los Angeles Air Raid, 2013

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Wow! It’s been about a month since this event! How did that happen?  Well, I’m a bit late, but here’s my favorite photos I took at an annual event in San Pedro, CA, at Fort MacArthur Military Museum.  This event is called The Great Los Angeles Air Raid and is a WWII themed dance and re-enactment that happens once a year, commemorating the time during WWII when they believed they spotted foreign aircraft over Los Angeles. Panic broke out, and in the end it was a weather balloon (or a UFO, depending on who you ask). You can read more about the real event here on Wikipedia.

This was my first time donning a real WWII uniform.  I was fortunate enough to come across an original British ambulance driver’s uniform. I guess you can tell where some of my heritage is from, as it fit me to a “t”!  We couldn’t find a helmet, and finding other parts of this uniform is proving somewhat impossible, so my husband and I made the hat to go with the jacket by looking at real WWII photos of women ambulance drivers.  I actually also have the matching overcoat, but for once this event was too warm to need it!  We all usually freeze at this event!

Here’s some photos of friends and I at the event.

Hope your week is going wonderfully!

Adventure at Fort Rosecrans- Remember Pearl Harbor

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It’s a tad late posting these, but I wanted to share photos from one of our last vintage outings.  My husband and I went to a WWII re-enactment public display at the beginning of this month at Fort Rosecrans, San Diego, in remembrance of Pearl Harbor.  They recently restored an underground bunker, and they do a small WWII public display once a month.  You can find out more on the Cabrillo National Monument website and by calling the park to see when they plan on having the bunker open to the public.  There’s also a Victorian lighthouse, a military cemetery  and tide pools at this park, but we ran out of sunlight and camera batteries, unfortunately!

Here’s some photos of the day.

Being the sucker for adventure that I am, I could not resist the opening of the bunker!  Who knows what untold fun awaited us?  But in WWII I’m sure there was a heavy dose of fear that accompanied the need to go into these bunkers.

I’m on the lookout.

And some shots of the inside of the bunker.  The re-enactors brought most of these with them to set the bunker up to how it would have looked at wartime.


My husband and I.  I’m wearing the 1940s jerkin I made a while back and a new shirt I made especially for this occasion.

And our beautiful San Diego coastline.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and Happy New Year!  Be safe while you celebrate!

High Adventure- Indiana Jones Style

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Last weekend we went to a very fun event- one of the ones that we look forward to the most every year.  In fact, last year was the first we had missed in a long time, and so we were anxious to go back and check it out again.

This is an adventure day- part of the several day long IndyGear Summit for the Club Obi Wan message board- an Indiana Jones fan board.  I am a huge Indiana Jones nerd, and I love the excuse to dust off the adventure gear.  This day is our favorite- a day we all get together for some sort of adventure at Fort MacArthur Military Museum- the same museum that hosts the Great Los Angeles Air Raid event once a year.

This year was different than some years past.  Where previously we did a sort of scavenger hunt all around the fort, this time we did a mock archaeology dig, and the fort was transported, via WWII British re-enactors, to 1942 England.  Quite fun!  We met up with several friends there, including Beth from V is for Vintage blog, and had a great day out.  Here’s some of my favorite pictures. Warning- there’s a lot of favorites, so lots of pics ahead!

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My friend, above, made her entire outfit and Beth and I were highly tempted to kidnap the jacket, especially.  So picture perfect that I thought it was actual vintage!

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 My outfit was composed of different finds and out of the whole outfit I only made my blouse.  The breeches were from Wear It Again, Sam, when they had a vintage shop in San Diego, and they are vintage 1944 dated British military jodhpurs.  The boots are vintage and were an eBay find.  The belted back jacket is vintage 1970s (but I think it passes well for 1930s) and was bought on Etsy from JLVintage.  The military belt and gun holster are vintage and were borrowed from my husband.  And the pith helmet is vintage and was bought at Fort Mac at their military timeline event that happens yearly.  The scarf was borrowed from Beth’s husband just for photos, and promptly returned.

I love adventure style! I really need an excuse to wear it more often.  It feels more “me” than dressing up in fancy clothes :)

You can see the rest of my photos here on Flickr.

Hope you’re having a great week!

Finally! Sample photos of Loretta- Early 1930s Dress Pattern

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I finally have some sample photos to share of the newest pattern that was recently released, the Wearing History Resto-Vival pattern of Loretta- Early 1930s Day and Evening Dress.  I have had this pattern cut out and partially completed for quite some time, so I’m glad to finally be sharing photos with you!

This sample was made of two tone rayon crepe fabric in white and black.  I thought it would be a rather fun nod to classic film to have it in these tones, and eventually I’d love to get some photos of myself wearing the dress.  But for now, these will suffice!

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This is the day dress version with short sleeves and cuffs.  The little scarf piece is stitched to the neckline and passes through the bodice at two bound slits- sort of like bound buttonholes.

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There are several rows of pintucks at both the front and back waist that give the little gathering and fullness across the waist that’s so characteristic of the early 1930s silhouette.  And the skirt is deceptively full!  Even though the lines of these dresses were pretty sleek, there is quite a bit of fabric at the hem!

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You can get your copy of this pattern on my Wearing History Patterns website. It is available in both a 32″ and 36″ bust, and also includes an evening version, which I have yet to make.

Lanterman Tea Dance

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I completely forgot to post photos of the Lanterman Tea Dance!  This dance is an annual event held as a fundraiser for the lovely Lanterman house museum.  We had never been to this dance, but friends Beth and Cait were going so we decided to go as well.  I love the 19-teens in terms of architecture, music, and fashion, so it was great fun.

A glimpse of the upstairs ballroom.

Our three escorts looking very dapper.

I know I may be biased, but I think my husband suits this time period exceptionally well.  He does other periods well, too, but I love his “look” with Edwardian and Victorian eras :)

Cait and Michael dance the tango.  They are both wearing authentic vintage pieces, and Cait made her hat.

Beth and husband, looking very Irene and Vernon Castle.  Beth made her lovely ensemble.

My husband and I practicing a silly ragtime maneuver.  I’m wearing a blouse I made from an original vintage pattern and a skirt I made from this Past Patterns reproduction.  I had posted about this outfit previously here.  My husband is wearing an original vintage suit of the era.

For a few detail shots:

The lovely buttoned detail on Cait’s original vintage 1910s suit.

My husband’s tie (he made from vintage millinery ribbon) and really neat little antique bulldog tie pin.

My hat, which is original vintage and a gift from a friend.

You can see Beth post about the dance on her blog and Cait’s posts about the dance on her blog here and here.

At the Beach

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What a gorgeous day it was today in Southern California!  It was my cousin’s birthday and we went for a visit with family, a beach walk, and a wonderful dinner out.  Quite a lovely day!  I thought I’d share a few photos

Since a few of you have asked over time to see me in a non-vintage outfit, this is also a sort of outfit post.  This is me on a “good” everyday day.  I don’t usually post photos of me unless I’m in “dress up”, but here ya go ;)


Outfit details:
Glasses: Vintage, from Etsy.  My tried and true daily pair. I seldom wear contacts.
Dress: Express, thrifted.
Necklace and flower brooch: Vintage, estate sale finds
Shoes: Indigo by Clark’s
Hair Flower: Courtesy of my husband, from an obliging bush.

The Great Los Angeles Air Raid

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We’re back from an annual WWII fundraiser dance for the Fort MacArthur Military Museum!   The Great Los Angeles Air Raid is probably my favorite vintage event of the year, and this year was no exception.  There was quite an impressive array of military displays and vehicles present, as well as several vintage cars (my husband and I drove up in his ’39 Plymouth), and a great swing dance and firework show.  This event pays homage to the Battle of Los Angeles, a 1942 event that is still under much debate. Was it a weather balloon?  Was it a UFO?  Whatever your stance, the event is great fun and the proceeds all go to the museum.

I know I say this with almost every event post, but I wish I had taken more pictures! The event goes by SO quickly, and it was packed this year! I really had to search for friends who I knew were showing up!  I’m glad of the extra turnout, though- more money for museum funds is a good thing :)

The lineup of vintage cars.

My husband wore a vintage sailor uniform to the event this year.  He had these tires for a friend to pick up for his old car, so cleverly devised a way to drop off the tires AND add to the wartime ambiance.

The newly engaged couple, Rob and Ashley of Miss1940sVintage on Etsy.

Josh Curtis, author of Sunkissed, with Beth from V is for Vintage blog.

Beth and I posing on top of a Sherman tank. How cool is it that we got to climb on top of this monster thing? The re-enacting unit that brought it drove it around quite a bit and it was fun to watch, and we loved getting to check it out and walk on top of it.

Checking out the inside of the tank and this gentleman answered some of our questions.  It was really neat!

Kate in her awesome vintage nurse uniform.  Love that phonograph!

Me in my ensemble.  I had no clue what I was wearing until that morning. I had great plans for making a patriotic ensemble, but ran out of time.  The Air Raid gets notoriously cold for Los Angeles, so warmth was the ultimate goal!  In a last minute hope to cobble together an outfit, I thrifted the shirt the day before the Air Raid.  How did I not have a single basic 40′s white or ivory shirt?  Added to my to-make list for sure! It’s a modern shirt but had a vintage looking collar shape, so I added vintage buttons to make it look more period.  I wore a vintage wool skirt (part of a two-piece suit), vintage jacket (gift from a friend) with “V” pockets, mustard vintage overcoat and gloves, vintage shoes, and vintage hat which I added new feathers to match.

We had a great time this year and are looking forward to next year’s event!

Palm Springs Mini Vacation

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Hope everyone had a lovely holiday!  We had a great Christmas with my family.

The day after Christmas my husband and I headed out for a much needed little mini vacation with the destination in mind for Palm Springs.  We left on Boxing Day and headed up first to visit a good friend who filled us in and gave us a grand tour of his house restoration project and did a little antiquing (I found a bound book of 1903 Cosmopolitan magazines I’m itching to share with you!), and some good old time together hanging out.  He’s a Hollywood memorabilia collector as well so I got to actually try on Gene Autry’s suit jacket.  How cool is that?  I didn’t take any pics, but you’ll have to take my word for it, that jacket was completely awesome.

We arrived after dark in Palm Springs area (La Quinta, actually) where we checked into the La Quinta Resort and Spa.  We were last minute with planning this trip so I spent several frustrated hours on Christmas eve trying to find a decent hotel in our price range.  I finally gave up and booked a hotel for one night through Hotwire.  It was the first time I had ever been on that site, let alone used it, but I was so frustrated by hotel searching that I finally just broke down and thought “whatever we get we get.” as they don’t actually show you the hotel you’ve booked until AFTER you’ve paid for it.  Wouldn’t you know, we got the actual hotel I REALLY wanted to stay in for about half the price?  I know that’s probably pure coincidence, but it was completely awesome to be able to stay there.

The hotel was originally built in 1926 and was composed of several casitas made in traditional adobe with spanish tiling, and a common area.  The hotel has been built on and built on, until today they have over 400 casitas.  We stayed in one of the modern ones which was not a casita with our room only, but a grouping of a few rooms.  I actually really liked it and didn’t mind at all being in a modern building.  It was nice and clean and had an in-room gas fireplace and a vaulted ceiling.  Neat!

The grounds were quite spacious and included over 40 pools.  Here’s a picture of the oldest one on the property, built in 1937.  I wish we had stayed a few nights so I could have taken advantage of some pool lounging time!

The hotel had a veritable who’s who of old Hollywood stars who frequented there. When we checked in I asked for if they had any brochures of the history and got a neat little complimentary booklet with stories and names of old Hollywood stars who had stayed there. Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Katharine Hepburn just to name a few.  Ginger Rogers even got married here! So fun! It’s still quite posh and it was very busy with lots of people who looked much more accustomed to the upscale surroundings than ourselves (we may have been the only occupants planning on making thrifting excursions the next day), but it was so relaxing and the staff were SO friendly and helpful.  My only complaint is that there was a resort fee which was additional to the booking fee, and I didn’t happen to read that before booking.  Still, it was awesome and we hope we get to go back for a stay at the historic hotel. It was so picturesque and so RELAXING.  Definitely a much needed little getaway.

Here’s a little shot of me in my western getup. Any excuse to break out the westernwear!

I suppose I should post the fine print: I wasn’t approached by the hotel or reimbursed or paid or anything to post about it here. I just really liked it and wanted to share a few photos.

Debbie Reynolds Auction Preview II

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On “Black Friday” (am I the only one that hates that term?) we skipped the crazy lines to get in to the mainstream shopping stores to opt for a trip to see part two of the Debbie Reynolds Auction Preview with Chris from Wacky Tacky, Beth from V is for Vintage and her husband, and another good friend.  This is the second batch of costumes Debbie Reynolds is auctioning off and they are currently on display at the Paley Center for the Media in Beverly Hills.  More information on the auction, including preview dates and a free PDF of the auction catalog are available here.

We had gone to see the first batch of costumes on display, which was a larger display and there were the most iconic costumes (shame on me… I forgot to bring the nice camera last time).  This batch is still quite fun, but is smaller and not really many iconic costumes you have come to think of when you think of old Hollywood.  I didn’t recognize many of the costumes or films, but that just means my list of films to see has gotten longer! :)  You’ll have to excuse me as I don’t remember what film or what actor many of my pictures are from, but like I mentioned, the PDF catalog is available for download which says which actor and film each costume is from. Many of the costumes in the catalog were not on display, but of those that were here is a highlight of some of my favorite photos I took.  I absolutely love that most are not behind glass so nosy costume enthusiasts can stick their nose and zoom lens closer to get a good look.


The close up of the green dress was a costume worn by Carmen Miranda.  I love the applique of the scarf and the crazy tassels!  The dress with the stars and cape was one of Sonia Henie’s skating costumes.


This fabulous dress was designed by Adrian for the film Marie Antoinette.  To me, these costumes have always been the height of the over-the-top 1930s film costumes, so it was fun to see a couple in person.


This lovely ballgown in the 1890s style was worn by Joan Fontaine.  I love the painted cupids and appliqued velvet bows!


This costume was worn in Ziegfeld Girl.  I love the clever way the stars are applied, and Beth pointed out the big exposed metal side zipper. Things like that are so fun to see in person, since everything tends to look other-worldly on the silver screen.

The rest of my many photos of my favorite costumes from the exhibit are here on Flickr.

Hope you’re all having a great holiday weekend!