August 30, 2013

Vintage Fashionista Friday: August 30, 2013


Vintage Fashionista Friday blog graphic for Chronically Vintage photo VintagefashionistaChronicallyVintag.png

Arlene


{Schooldays and hair bows go hand-in-hand like pencils and erasers, no matter if one is in kindergarten or part of the collegiate crowd. This charming green bow barrette is sure to see your locks through from September to June in timeless style. $8.25 from etsy seller Neon Love Designs.}



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{Few things are more iconic than apples when it comes to the start of a new school year, so why not greet this one with a beautiful little pair on your ears with these marvelous vintage red enamel earrings? $24.00 from etsy seller Junquegrl Jewels.}



{Though the mercury might still be bubbling away, in matter of weeks (or even days, depending on where you live), chances are it will be time to bust out the knits again and settle in for a season of cozy vintage sweaters like this classic blue number from the 1950s. Fits up to a 40" bust/waist not specified. $42.00 from etsy seller BombshellShocked.}



{Get right back into the school spirit with as much enthusiasm as a whole team of vintage cheerleaders when you wear this fabulous 1940s football themed dangle brooch. $29.95 from etsy seller A Magnificent Mess.}
 


{I absolutely adore a good mid-century plaid skirt and this wool 1950s gem from Pendleton is no exception! Vintage size 18, fits up to a 33" waist. $50.00 from etsy seller Peach Tree Vintage.}



{This past April I chatted about Ten of My All-Time Favourite Scents, and should I ever do a second edition of that post, it's likely that the smell of freshly shaven pencils will make the list. I'd be hard pressed to sharpen this rainbow of1950s/60s beauties though, instead I'd use them as pretty decor pieces on my craft desk. $24.99 for ten pencils from etsy seller Pezzaz.}



{Start the school year off right by brushing up on your spelling with this lovely 1940s textbook entitled Refresher Speller. $4.75 from etsy seller Vintage Antique Lane.}




{Sharing the spotlight with penny loafer and bucks, saddle shoes - like this fantastic navy blue and white pair - are amongst the most well known and beloved vintage schooldays shoes of the mid-twentieth century. Grab a pair of your own with care of UK seller Rocket Originals who offers the pair seen here (as well as several other saddle colour combos) in modern ladies UK sizes 3-8 for £75.00.}




As it has for so many the world over for ages now, the morning immediately following Labour Day always ushered the school year back in when I was a youngster. I can recall vividly always hoping each year that Labour Day would fall toward the end of the first week of September, instead of the beginning, as it ensured a few more days of cherished summer vacation.

I loved school and didn't dread returning, it's just that I was also exceedingly keen on spending my days at the beach, playing in the long, dry grass of our backyard, picking cherries from our neighbours trees, staying up late around the fire pit at night roasting marshmallows, jumping through the sprinkler, and myriad other things that made summer so incredibly awesome to us when we were knee high to a pair of water wings.

This year, much I'm sure, to the chagrin of a whole new generation of school kids, Labour Day falls on September 2nd, meaning that school will commence once more, bright and early, on the 3rd. As this the last Friday before that happens, it seemed like the perfect time to devote an edition of Vintage Friday Fashionista to a charming schooldays inspired look, which is sure to appeal to you whether you're hitting the books again yourself, sending your wee ones back to class, or simply recalling the excitement of schooldays long past.





No pattern evokes thoughts of vintage student garb more than plaid, and the pairing of a classic plaid skirt with a sweater (or cardigan and/or blouse) is a look that was hugely popular, in particular, from the 1940s on up to the early 60s (as seen in the great still from the 1943 movie Young Ideas pictured above).

It's a long I've always enjoyed it, too, going right back in time to when I was in high school and would sometimes skittle off on my lunch break to the thrift stores that were located down the same street (my high school was/is on Main Street), and pick up 1940s and 50s plaid skirts like this for a couple of bucks a pop. Sadly, those days are no more, but I still love this look just the same and enjoy recreating it as summer gradually slips into autumn and the weather dictates knits, wool, and tweed of all kinds once more.

Today's Vintage Fashionista is named Arlene, in honour of one of my all-time teachers, Mrs. Arlene Kuben, who taught me during forth grade. She was a sweet, kind-hearted, lovely lady, who very much struck me as embodiment of the classic, good natured, caring educator, fitting in just as easily in the early 1990s when I was in her class, as she would have at any other point in time.

As we sit here on the second to last morning of August, the world and weather still feel far more like they have their feet firmly grounded in summer. Young beach goers are frolicking in the lakes as I once did (day in and day out), the scrumptious scent of barbequed meat lingers in the air from weeks of dinnertime grilling, and one can still buy fresh peaches and cherries at the plethora of local fruit stands.

Soon though, with the same speed with which the morning after Labour Day used to arrive, autumn in all its golden hued glory will be here, and the ebb and flow of another school year will be second nature will be second nature once more. Much as I adore fall, I'm not rushing it out the door quite yet - at least not until I hear the first local school bell chiming in the distance come September 3rd. 


27 comments:

  1. I love plaid, and hope that one of these days I can get my hands on a pair of plaid capri pants! :) That last photo is adorable, and how pretty is that hairstyle on the girl on the far right?!

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  2. Oh I especially love the last image! I love cropped sweaters!!

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  3. When I was a kid loved the start of school! The smell of new books, new schoolmates and changing routine habits. You have brought delicious childhood memories to my mind, dear Jessica.

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  4. Every year around this time of year, nostalgia washes over me. I miss the excitement and nervousness that comes with the first day of school. I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils or the opening of a crayon box. Yes at 28 I still love crayons.

    There's something about a new school year that just makes me want to be ten again.

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    1. Excellently said, dear Mariela, I completely agree. I miss the start of the school year so much, too - more so, I'd say the older I get and the more years fill the gap between now and when I was last a student. It's too bad we couldn't get together with a bunch of vintage loving ladies and hold classes on various topics (history, beauty, fashion, etc) ourselves just for fun to celebrate the start of September with.

      ♥ Jessica

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  5. the blue sweater, plaid skirt and saddle shoes make a great outfit together with a pair of white socks :-)
    here we have still summer too, but the nights start to get cold, under 10°c. i will stretch my summer dresses a few weeks more before i reach for the woolens in the daytime.
    wish you i golden late summer - here we call it "old women summer", the flowing spider yarn in the air looks like long white hair in the sun.

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  6. This post almost made me look forward to the start up of school which for me indicates the end of my 3 week break between teaching special ed summer school and teacher special ed regular school year (my students attend an extended year due to their dissablities). While I look forward to seeing my students I am dreading the end of my extended break with my husband and dogs. A lovely tartan skirt or pinafore, I love pinafores, would certainly make the back to school day easier.

    kate-the old fashioned way

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  7. I really hated it when I was going to school.... I discovered my love for vintage in my last year of studies, so it was too late... I would love to study fashion history and wear these amazing vintage teenage style: plaid, saddles and pony tails!

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  8. I really want a plaid skirt for autumn, I love that look. My lovely husband bought me those exact saddle shoes for my birthday but sadly my feet were too wide. Very disappointed! I think it is lovely to name this after your teacher.

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    1. Oh no, I'm sorry that they didn't work for you. I've long eyed, but not yet bought, anything from Rocket Originals (so I can't share my own experiences with their fit). Another site that I've swooned over the saddles shoes on is Muffy's: http://www.muffys.com/modern_traditional.html (they have different widths). If it wasn't for their sky high high shipping to Canada, I would have bought from them a long time ago.

      ♥ Jessica

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    2. I haven't heard of Muffys, thanks, I will take a look.

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    3. Happy to introduce you. :) If you order at any point, I would absolutely love to know what you think about how Muffy's shoes fit. My feet are somewhat hard to fit, and I usually hold off on buying shoes online as a result (those that I have bought online rarely ended up working out for me), but if I have a reliable first hand account, that can sometimes help me work up the nerve to take a gamble again and do so. :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  9. Love the schoolgirl look! I 've been on the look out lately for a good pair of oxfords or saddle shoes (having trouble deciding which to get). And I would buy new pens, pencils, and notebooks even if I didn't have kids. I love fancy school supplies!

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  10. Your picks are so cute! I would just need some of them to go back to school! ( as a teacher of course...)
    I love plaid and with the classic blue sweater would be perfect for me!!

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  11. Great theme for a post and nice execution. Reading your blog is a delight.

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  12. Oh, the apples! And yes to the plaid—and the smell of pencils and other new school supplies. Though long out of school, every autumn, I can't help but gleefully wander through the aisles of new school supplies (even picking up a new notebook if one strikes my fancy). There really is something exciting about seeing those accoutrements neatly stacked in bins...!

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  13. That's wonderful! I love that you've named this fashionista after one of your teachers. I was picturing a bouncy curled pony-tail until I saw the gorgeous hair styles in that photo - so classic. This all reminds me of the film Pleasantville actually. I might have to watch that today!

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  14. Oh the memories you brought back of those first days back at school :)

    That last image is fabulous! I love plaids and recently bought one in grey and plum colours and ordered some plum yarn to make a sweater to go with it although I'm still deciding exactly what to make with the plaid.

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  15. Fall CANNOT come fast enough for me. {Or last long enough in my opinion.} And all of these goodies have me yearning for such cooler mornings, crisp colorful leaves, and lovely fall clothes!

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  16. Again you have painted such lovely pictures in my head. I love this style too, but for once the lovely plaid skirt is too big. It is not often vintage clothes is too big for me. I'm a modern medium. Thank for this lovely compilation, dear. :)

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  17. oh yes i love this vintage schoolgirl look of plaid skirts and short sleeved knits with a shirt underneath!
    wish you a great start in the new week!
    kiss,mary

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  18. yesterday i had to pull the first knit wear out of wardrobe ... it's a cute new repro peice but i found out again, that i don't like knit&short sleeves in one piece. i always get cold arms! the blue little sweater is still ma fav piece of this post ;)

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  19. oh, i ended up in a total school girl look yesterday but didn't pictured it. for some reason fall is 'school girl season' for vintage girls. hahaha. i suppose i will be seen in this look quite often the next weeks.

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  20. Fun and fashionable Arlene! Great post!
    I especially can't keep me eyes off of the girl on the right hand side of the last photo. What a beauty!
    -Jamie
    ChatterBlossom

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  21. I want that pin! Love it!
    ~xoxo, CoriLynn

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  22. For me plaid resembles the school uniforms here. Private school uniforms consist mostly of plaid skirts and white button down shirts.
    I wore this uniform as student for a very short time and then transfered to the public school system - however i do love GOOD PLAID.

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