Vintage Fall Fashion Dreams

I've never  liked cold weather, and I've no desire for the lazy, lovely days of summer to end, but as the temperature rises and September approaches I have been thinking about fall.   

Specifically vintage fall fashions. Fall is a beautiful season, perhaps the loveliest one of all, and deserves clothes that compliment it's beauty.  It's also the ideal time to be outside in nature, so comfort is key.    Then of course there is my favorite Holliday, Halloween.  Below are some items I'm hoping to wear this fall.  

1) A Pendleton Jacket-Made in Canada these iconic wool coats in tartan plaids are perfect for outdoor wear among the fall leaves.  Comfortably cozy they are neither to heavy or too light for autumn winds. 

2) 1940s or 50s wide leg jeans-The young ladies in the picture below have in my opinion, the perfect casual fall looks oversize wool jacket, or fitted sweater,  comfortable loose and cuffed jeans, and bonus points for a cute pair of loafers.  Who says vintage style has to be fancy? 

3) Cowichan Sweater-Another Canadian classic. Oversize, cozy, and perfect for fall. Just look how amazing Marilyn looked in hers. 

4) 1940s knitted turban or headband-These are very in vogue now and a million patterns are popping up online.   

5) Letterman Sweater-There's something about fall that always makes me feel very collegiate even if my school days are decades behind me. For my money there is no better back to school look then a classic letterman sweater, no matter what your age. 

6) Saddle Shoes-Another campus classic and originally meant for the younger set but I'm really hopi g to score my first pair of saddle shoes this fall.  Hopefully authentic. 

7) A novelty circle skirt- These are so much fun but nearly impossible to find in modern, read 27 and up waist sizes.  I've yet to come across one I can squeeze my 30 inch waist into.   However, I recently discovered Girl In A Whirl on face book she makes custom novelty circle skirts in all sizes. Dogs are a common theme.  They don't exactly come cheap so squeezing in five dogs maybe a financial impossibility but I'm thinking of something with a pug and a poodle. Here are two of her cute skirts

8) A 1930s style wool dress-You can't always be casual, or at least I can't.  For dressier days I'm thinking of a classic wool dress like this one worn by Poirit's Miss. Lemon.  She wore it in the Egyptian Tomb episode and I'm obsessed with the pyramid detailing. I asked Sew Vintage Seamstress to make me a copy that I'm sure will be amazing.  I hope to channel some of Miss Lemon's elegant efficiency while wearing it, but it seems unlikely.  

9) A simple 1920s day dress- My favorite 20s looks are not the glitty gatsbyesque numbers, but the quieter, simpler day time dresses that are so often over looked during period retrospectives.  The simple black button dress with white collar and cuffs worn by Louise Brooks in the charming 1926 film The Show Off.  Ive asked Sew Vintage Seamstress to make me one in a similar vein. 

10) Something Halloweeny-I might have said before, oh about a 1000 times, is that  Halloween is my favorite Holliday. Even so I really have no interest in a traditional costume. My favorite Halloween look are the costume dresses worn in the 1920s. 

I used a bonus check from work and splurged on one from Guermantes Vintagre. 

Hopefully, I'm brave enough to wear it for a few days in October.  It's too special to save  for Halloween only. 

What are your plans for fall? Fashion or otherwise. 

Vintage Treasures-Cowichan Sweaters

Even though my favorite vintage eras are undoubtedly the 1920s and 30s, I've always loved the 1950s too.   One 1950s item I've always had a hankering for: a cowichan sweater.   

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Cowichan sweaters hail from Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  The native Cowichan people developed the knitting technique by combining their traditional weaving with European fair-isle knitting techniques that they learned from missionaries.  Cowichan sweaters became a popular tourist item and reahced their zenith during the 1950s and 60s, when they were often knitted far away from Vancouver.  Even Marilyn Monroe posed in a Cowichan sweater:

The sweaters traditionally featured Animal or Native American Motifs, 

 

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but as time progressed many other images became popular.  Ice Skaters:

 Square Dancing couples:

 Bowling:

 Even Mexican Palm Trees appeared:

 By the late 1970s and early 80s Cowichan sweaters had definitely faded from the fashion scene.   They did resurface in 1998 in the cult Coen Brother's film The Big Leowski. (My husband's favorite film and one of my favorites as well.)
Jeff Bridge's character, The Dude, definitely loved his Cowichan sweater, which he wears pretty much throughout the entire film:

Cowichan sweaters may have lost their main stream fashion status, but their kitschy appeal has insured their popularity with vintage style lovers.  Indeed today the sweaters are quite expensive, selling for as much as 500 dollars!  Since I was not about to pay anywhere near that much for a sweater and as my heart was set on an animal theme, it took me some time to find my sweater.  After being outbid many times on ebay I finally found a sweater in my price range from Sugar Shack Vintage on Etsy.  I'm not sure if it was really knit by the Cowichans, though the label does read made in Canada, but its very warm and cozy.   The perfect thing to wear for walking dogs on a cool fall day:

If you are looking for a Cowichan sweater of your own Etsy and Ebay are probably the best sources.  Experienced knitters can also find vintage patterns for sale on Etsy, Ebay, and ravelry.