#rayon blouse

[just-about-nothing]

i've been hesitating to go to the fashion district (even though i can like... walk there) because money & time etc etc.but i drove through yesterday to get new tires & fully saw signs for 4.99 a yard glittery fabric. what a blessed place. over winter break i think i must avail myself

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

wild n fucked up that in order to try to buy a floofy poet shirt/white ruffly blouse off the rack at any fashion shop in the mall they want to charge me over 120 bucks CAD for a flimsy shirtlike thing that I'd need to alter to fit, that's made out of 100% polyester, that has no alternatives, as every shop uses the same handful of suppliers so it's all polyester no matter what

but

at hot topic, for 40 bucks, I can get an off-white floofy poet shirt/white ruffly blouse that's in my size, fits me well, has a nicely done gather at the wrists to let me adjust where the sleeves, sturdily applied lace and is 100% rayon????

Like I know I'm not gonna be easily able to find linen these days but just the contrast between the two is ???????????

[marzipanandminutiae]

Do you have tips for being able to find affordable clothes without plastic in them? I've found it's hard to find without rayon, specifically.

Rayon is not, in fact, plastic! It's made from processed cellulose- that is, plant fibers -and while the traditional process isn't great environmentally or for the health of the workers...neither are a lot of other Plant Fabric Production Methods. And there are new, better processes being implemented, just like in other avenues of fabric production. I still don't love it, because there's just something great about real silk, but it IS a more affordable/available, technically natural option.

My biggest tip is thrifting. This is becoming less and less the case as the dominance of plastic clothing gets further and further in the past, and things get donated that are from AE (After Enshittification), but you can still find some great things in thrift stores. I've found 100% silk blouses a few times, a LOT of cotton, and even some linen. I know other people who've found wool, but unfortunately I am not one of them. When thrifting online, on Mercari or Depop or eBay or Facebook Marketplace, you can even do keyword searches for "100% [fiber]" or look for photos of the fiber content tag- if you're physically thrifting, that's usually in one of the lower side seams.

People who cut out fiber content tags and then donate clothing to thrift stores without them are on my personal "egg their car" list if I ever find them. If you have sensory issues but also like donating your clothes, for the love of god, keep the tag and safety-pin it to the garment before you donate or something. But I digress

Cotton is your new best friend, by the way. It's the natural fiber you see used the most nowadays, so you will often be able to find SOMETHING cotton even in big box stores.

Also, while this can be more of a Spend More Up-Front To Spend Less In The Long Run, learning to sew can help you have natural-fiber clothing that holds up to mending more than what's mass-manufactured these days. The startup costs are more, but if you can afford them, you'll be better-placed to buy fewer clothes in the future. If you don't have/can't afford a sewing machine, consider looking for an object library near you- they let you "check out" different items an use them for a certain length of time, like the name suggests, and many have sewing machines.

Hope this helps!

[history-of-fashion]

1945 Woman's ensemble (cape, blouse, and skirt) by Gilbert Adrian (United States)

rayon plain weave (crépe), rayon satin-back crepe

(Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

[humiliation4brenda]

What I Miss . . .

There are a few things I miss from my first marriage but none more so than my former mother-in-law. Margaret, when I first met her, was in her mid-fifties but dressed and acted quite a bit older. She had a wonderful wardrobe of colourful crimplene and rayon dresses, skirts and nylon blouses. Her underwear drawer was full of white and flesh-coloured foundation garments - corselets, panty girdles and tan tights. Her footwear was normally low-heeled court shoes, apart from a pair of calf-length boots - all made from leather. She looked fabulous in whatever she wore.

Suffice to say, I adored her from our first meeting - she was graceful and feminine, very mild-mannered and totally under the control of her husband. For me, she was the perfect housewife, something that I wanted to be more than anything.

Whenever I was left alone in her house, I’d head straight to her bedroom and dress in her clothes - always in her underwear and one of her dresses, if time permitted. Thankfully, we were of similar build and I could just manage to fit into her shoes. Occaisionally, when Margaret and her husband were on holiday and my wife was working, I’d have the house to myself and could take my time, knowing I wouldn’t be disturbed and could dress completely. I’d even get to wear her make-up and spare wig and adorn myself with her jewellery and glasses. Then I’d spend the day being Margaret, doing a few household chores, watching her favourite soaps and reading her copies of The People’s Friend - always making sure that wherever I stood or sat, I could see my reflection in a nearby mirror. On more than one occasion I’d put on one of her beige raincoats, a silk headscarf and stand by the front door, plucking up the courage to step outside.

I never did, though I really wish I had.

[chic-a-gigot]

Le Petit écho de la mode, no. 21, vol. 18, 24 mai 1896, Paris. 21. Toilette en soie rayon bleu paon. Ville de Paris / Bibliothèque Forney

Toilette en soie rayon bleu paon. - Jupe simple unie. Corsage-blouse froncé devant et derrière, avec manche ballon, par-dessus empiècement en peau de soie ivoire garni de dentelle, coi de ruban.

Peacock blue rayon silk ensemble. - Simple plain skirt. Bodice-blouse gathered at the front and back, with balloon sleeves, over an ivory silk skin yoke trimmed with lace, ribbon trim.

Matériaux: 8 mètres tissu, 1 métré soie, 3 mètres dentelle. (Employer la Fibre Chamois pour la jupe et le corsage.)

[whencyclopedia]

Interview: French Fashion during the German Occupation (1940-1944)

In 2024, France is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Liberation (1944), and as part of a series of conferences organised by the Société archéologique et historique de Beaugency, Catherine Join-Dieterle, Doctor in History of Art and General Curator of Cultural Heritage, gave a fascinating talk titled Fashion in France under the German Occupation. In this exclusive interview, Ms Join-Dieterle talks more on this subject to Babeth Étiève-Cartwright, revealing a subject that really is a lot less frivolous than it seems.

Dimanches de la femme, 24 April 1938

Dorvyne - Bibliothèque nationale de France (Public Domain)

BEC: Catherine Join-Dieterle, on behalf of World History Encyclopedia, I would like to thank you for agreeing to conduct this interview. When we hear about the German Occupation, we conjure up images that are far removed from the world of fashion and yet, fashion being a reflection of society, it played a sizeable role in those difficult years. Could you start by giving us some examples of how fashion evolved in France in the 1930s?

CJD: At the dawn of the 1930s, fashion had abandoned the short dress that had so marked the Roaring Twenties. Dresses and coats now reached mid-calf and the feminine figure, which had previously been suppressed, was now emphasised. Long, flowing dresses were worn in the evening, while suits and ensembles emphasised the waist. However, as the sound of boots grew more insistent, some designs were influenced by army outfits, with square shoulders, shako-inspired hats and the use of khaki. But there was also a much more optimistic trend, with designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli (1890-1973) and Christian Dior (1905-1957) proposing much more romantic and even surrealist outfits, influenced by artists such as Salvador Dali (1904-1989). We then saw the emergence of the shoe hat and fuller long dresses with vaporous sleeves were the order of the day.

BEC: So, what happened once the German Occupation was firmly established? The new political reality of course had many dramatic consequences on the lives of the French people, but what about fashion?

CJD: The German Occupation had many repercussions on fashion in France because of the conditions imposed on the French people. The occupying forces decided to take three-quarters of the country's production, so the French had to make do with what the Germans would be willing to let them have. Rationing was introduced, and the French were obliged to use ration coupons to buy supplies, including clothes. For example, this is what a woman was entitled to at the time:

two dresses

two aprons or blouses

one mackintosh

two pairs of winter gloves

one winter coat

three blouses

two overalls

three pairs of underpants

six pairs of stockings

six handkerchiefs

one pair of flat shoes (which had to last four years).

Fashion Poster, Costumes-Manteau, 1941

Nordiska museet (Public Domain)

Most women turned to sewing, their own resourcefulness (taking old jumpers apart), upcycling (believe it or not, this is not a recent innovation), and even the black market. With certain materials being extremely difficult to find (leather, for example), French creativity adapted by using new materials: wood for shoes, rayon (a textile fibre made from wood cellulose) for clothes and parachute fabric, which is extremely strong, to make men's shirts. Old fabrics lying around in stocks or attics were also reused (the tartan so popular in previous years made a remarkable comeback), and many outfits were in fact made up of different types of elegantly coordinated fabric.

From a stylistic point of view, fashion had to follow a new path; models became utilitarian, strict and responded to the harshness of living conditions. Outfits were therefore warmer (it was difficult to keep warm, and winters were particularly cold), quilted with cotton wool and more innovative to cope with scarcity. As it was difficult, if not impossible, to obtain leather, handbags became rare and we then saw the emergence of large pockets that made it possible to do without them. These could be sewn directly onto the garment or added using a separate belt. There was also a need for all-purpose clothing that could be used in all circumstances, and so the suit made its appearance, with a shorter skirt and a slit at the front to make it easier to ride a bicycle (petrol being a rare commodity, the bicycle experienced a remarkable boom at that time).

BEC: What about men's fashion?

CJD: There were also a lot of restrictions imposed on men. In 1942, suits and overcoats were no longer allowed to have gussets, box pleats or half-belts, and double-breasted waistcoats and knickerbockers were banned. Trousers were allowed only one pocket, and trouser cuffs were absolutely forbidden. All this to save fabric. Boys were no longer allowed to wear sailor collars and were obliged to wear short trousers until the age of 15.

1940s Utility Fashion

Laura Loveday (CC BY-NC-SA)

BEC: All repression eventually has a reaction. Did the French rebel against these rules? Knowing the contesting nature of the French people, I can't bring myself to believe that they accepted all this without batting an eyelid!

CJD: Definitely! The French were quick to get round the rules! You can only buy one pair of flat shoes every four years? Whatever! We'll make wooden shoes with platform soles! Can't find stockings in the shops? No problem, women could resort to stitching or dyeing their legs with walnut oil (not forgetting the thin black line for the seam) ... there were even ready-made kits for this. Large bags were theoretically forbidden; however, carrier bags (some made from the superb cashmere scarves so many had inherited) were worn across the shoulders, very useful for stuffing products bought in shops whenever supplies came in, and if possible, double-bottomed bags, so that documents or other secret messages could be safely transported.

Fashion would also become a means of taunting the occupying Germans as well as a means of propaganda: hats, even though banned, would rise, to keep heads held high, patterns of blue, white and red fabric with words or slogans like travail, famille, patrie ("work, family, homeland") here and there for good measure, buttons in the shape of patriotic Gallic roosters. And then there were the zazous. This French term was used to describe those young people who had "an immoderate passion for American jazz music and who made a name for themselves with their eccentric dress" (Trésor de la langue française informatisé). It was, in fact, an international movement (they were called ‘zooters’ in the United States). The young men would wear baggy trousers (in the face of restrictions on fabric), wear their hair medium-length in reaction to short military haircuts, and the girls, who wore excessive make-up, would have short skirts and puffy hairdos. Needless to say, these young people were frowned upon by Marshal Pétain's moralistic regime!

BEC: So far, we've mainly talked about everyday fashion, the fashion of ordinary people. What about haute couture? Did designers have the right to work in their ateliers, but above all did they have the necessary means to do so?

CJD: Unfortunately, at the start of the Occupation, some major fashion houses had to close down, such as Vionnet (1876-1975) and Schiaparelli. Chanel (1883-1971) moved to the South of France before closing her house too. Young designers who had not yet opened their own houses, such as Pierre Balmain (1914-1982) and Christian Dior, were drafted in. From 1941 onwards, however, there was a resurgence of haute couture work, and French excellence became perceived by many as a form of resistance. Haute couture was also a key sector for the French economy because of the number of people involved. France was providing fashionable outfits for the beautiful ladies of the whole world! People bought their clothes in Paris or copied Parisian models! Unfortunately, shortages and bans made it impossible to publish photos of models in magazines, so we had to resort to illustrations in fashion magazines such as Mode du Jour, Silhouettes, and Marie-Claire.

Post-WWII Paris Fashion Doll Display, Maryhill Museum

Glen Bledsoe (CC BY)

However, if there is one name to remember in connection with haute couture during the German Occupation, it is that of Lucien Lelong (1889-1958), president of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture (Haute Couture Trade Union Chamber), who did everything in his power to prevent the Germans from moving this economic sector to Germany. At the end of the war, to ensure that France regained its position as champion of fashion, Lelong and Robert Ricci (1905-1988, co-founder of the Fashion house Nina Ricci) initiated a travelling exhibition of miniature mannequins (70 cm or 27.5 in high) dressed by the top designers. This ‘theatre of fashion’ would travel the world for a whole year, signalling the return of French stylists and proving that, thanks to the incredible talent of many artists, French haute couture still deserved its place at the top of the international fashion league.

BEC: Of course, much more could be said on this subject, including the infamous yellow star imposed on French Jews, some of the designers who publicly flaunted their support for the German occupiers, and Coco Chanel's controversial stance, but perhaps all that will be the subject of a future conversation.

Thank you, Ms Join-Dieterle, for sharing your expertise with our readers. It is a fascinating topic and we are very grateful to you for providing us with the opportunity to learn so much about French fashion during the German Occupation. On behalf of everyone at World History Encyclopedia and our readers, thank you again for your valuable contribution.

Catherine Join-Dieterle has a doctorate in History of Art and is General Curator of Cultural Heritage. A leading fashion specialist, she was head of the Objets d'Art department at the Petit Palais from 1974 to 1988 and was later appointed Director of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris from 1989 to 2010. She has curated numerous exhibitions devoted to fashion, including ‘Robes du soir’ (1990), ‘Givenchy’ (1991), and ‘Marlene Dietrich’ (2003), among many others.

Continue reading...

[l4v3nd3r-bl00d]

i recently found an almost exact alternative to the purple lace pullover that violet wears!

it’s from the brand dolled up.

here’s the links to some i found on ebay in a few different sizes and colours! there is already a purple colourway already though which is great!

[bellaxgiornata]

You've Been Gone So Long, Baby (Chapter Two)《Completed Series》

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Summary: Matt had never let anyone so deep into his life until you. But when everything was going so perfectly, when he didn't think he could possibly be happier, he loses everything he loves in a single second–and he's absolutely powerless to fix it.

Warnings: 18+ for this series; contains heavy angst & delayed comfort until the end

Word Count: 1.8k

a/n: Reminder this is heavy angst and there is no comfort in this chapter. I'll be honest, this chapter was rough for me to write. You can find this series' chapter list here. Enjoy the angst, friends.

Year 1

He was on his knees again, sitting on the floor of his bedroom just in front of his closet. Matt was bent over the storage container of baby items you’d both been accumulating during the first five months of your pregnancy. The two of you had made a few date days together going out shopping before your upcoming baby shower, both of you far too excited to hold off on buying baby things until after it. So you’d grabbed coffee together and hit up different baby boutiques around the city. While you’d shopped, your voice had described to Matt all the items you’d gotten excited over while he ran his fingers over each one. 

It had made you so incredibly happy each time you’d gone out with him on these little outings together, which in turn had made him so incredibly happy. He could feel the way the muscles in your face had pulled into a bright, beaming smile and the way your heart would jump excitedly in your chest when something had caught your eye. Usually your left hand would drop down to your bump as you would reach out to pick up each item. It was an unconscious gesture he’d noticed you doing frequently ever since you’d found out you were pregnant and it made his heart beat faster in his chest every time you did it.

After the first two months of your disappearance during what had been now deemed the Blip, he had often found himself hunched over this bin, hands running over the varying items inside. Though shortly after you’d vanished, when it began to feel like you were never going to come back, it had become too painful and Matt had shoved everything into the far left corner of the closet, unable to stand the knowledge of it sitting right there every time he pulled out clothes for work. He’d also had to shove all of your clothes hanging in the closet back into that same corner because even his fingers just lightly brushing against the soft material of one of your blouses broke his heart all over again. He’d wind up late to the office each time because he would end up clutching your pillow on the bed and weeping helplessly into it. 

Despite how much it hurt him so deeply to be reminded of the loss of you some days, he couldn’t quite bring himself to get rid of anything. Matt had tried to remain hopeful that somehow one of those goddamn Avengers would fix things and you’d be back home with him. He hoped and often prayed to God that you’d come back–that both of you would come back–even if he was starting to feel as though God was once again turning a deaf ear to his prayers.

But today he was once again back on his knees, running his fingers over the items in the bin. He twirled the soft polyester and rayon blend of the swaddles you had loved so much through his fingers, his lips pressed firmly into a tight line as he fought back the tears. You’d been really excited about these, which Matt had never fully understood considering it was just fabric, but nevertheless the feel of them in his hands still tugged at his heart. Setting the swaddles back into the bin, his hands moved over to the next items. He choked on a laugh that twisted into a sob as he picked up the little onesie, knowing exactly which one it was. His fingers traced over the words that were on it: Milk. Because I’m too young for coffee.

You had let out the most adorable squeal when you’d spotted it–he could still recall the way you’d sounded. He’d been startled at how quickly you had raced over and grabbed the onesie off the rack, excitedly spinning towards him with it in your hands. And when you’d read off what was written on it to him, the smile apparent even in your voice, he simply nodded his head before he told you to get it. 

A tear slipped down Matt’s cheek as his other hand felt around the bottom of the bin. A moment later his fingers bumped into what he was looking for. The little teether rattled in his hand as he pulled it out of the storage bin. You’d found this one the same day as the onesie. It was a little coffee cup teether. He remembered how you had gotten so excited at the prospect of dressing your daughter up in that onesie and bringing the coffee cup teether to Dark Horse Coffee for a ‘family outing.’ You had painted a beautiful picture of the both of you sitting at a table together near the window on a Sunday morning. Telling him how the morning sun would be shining into the coffee shop as the both of you drank down your coffees with the stroller pulled up to the table between the pair of you. 

And Matt had absolutely loved the sound of that.

He had been looking forward to all these little ‘family outings’ you had kept mentally planning out. Hell, you’d even managed to make a trip to the store for groceries sound like a sweet afternoon adventure. Everything had sounded so sweet with you and his daughter in his future.

Placing the items back in the bin, Matt sat back on his knees and rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes. He tried hard to force the tears back, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to fight them. Not today.

Because today had been your due date. 

And while Matt knew–because you’d told him countless times–that the due date wasn’t the guaranteed date of his daughter’s birth, he also knew that his life was supposed to be drastically changing right now. You both had been looking into a bigger apartment just before you’d disappeared. The two of you certainly would have been settled into it by now. You’d even found a place with roof access that had been absolutely perfect. 

Matt knew you’d have also had the nursery set up long ago. ‘Nesting’ you’d said it was called. He knew you’d have already had him assemble the crib you’d picked out in the nursery long ago, too. It would have been on a Saturday afternoon that you tried to direct him on how to put it together while you read the instructions. And he knew that it would have gone horribly, just like it did when he’d tried to assemble the television stand in the living room for you. You had been almost comically terrible at directing him on what he needed to do, which had led to frustrations Matt would do anything to be able to just go back and relive right now. 

A sad smile snuck its way onto his lips as the tears freely flowed down his face.

He missed you. Missed you so goddamn much every single day.

It had been rough trying to get up out of bed every morning without you next to him. He missed the way you kissed him good morning first thing, as if you hadn’t kissed him with so much love the morning before. He’d gotten used to the way he’d find you humming as you made coffee at the kitchen counter, always getting a cup for him ready and making sure you never left for work without giving him another kiss and wishing him a good day. 

He missed coming home from a long day at the office to you. The days he worked late you always had dinner made and ready, giving him his few minutes to destress as he got changed. You never badgered him the moment he walked in the door, always somehow knowing just what he needed. 

He missed coming home to you the nights he’d gone out as Daredevil. No matter how many times he begged you not to wait up for him, without fail he’d always find you on the couch. Whether you were watching something on television, reading a book, or had even dozed off, you never went to sleep without making sure he was back home first.

But as hard as it had been without you here, as difficult as it was trying to get out of bed every morning to a world where neither of you existed anymore, there was a part of him that was grateful it was him that was left behind if it had to be one of you. He didn’t want to imagine you here, alone, finishing out your pregnancy while simultaneously grieving over the loss of him. He’d rather take that pain in your stead, feel all of it so you would never have to. He’d rather you never know have to learn what this pain felt like.

Though the fact that his daughter hadn’t even been born weighed quite heavily on him. And as much as he was grateful to feel this pain for you, there was still the other half of him that would have rather it been the two of you still here living life. Both of you deserved it more than him.

Foggy Foggy Foggy

Sniffling loudly, Matt wiped the back of his arm across his face as he slowly rose to his feet. He made his way towards the bed, his ringing phone on the nightstand beside it. Swallowing back his emotions, he picked it up and answered it.

“Hey, Fog,” Matt croaked out.

“Hey, Matt,” Foggy greeted him somberly. “You doing alright?”

Matt blew out a long, slow breath as he shook his head. “No,” he admitted weakly.

There was a brief pause before Foggy spoke again.

“I miss her too, man,” he whispered, emotion thick in his own voice. “Her and Karen both. It’s not the same without them.”

“No,” Matt agreed, the word breaking as he said it. “It’s not. Nothing is.”

“I’m sorry, Matt,” Foggy said gently. “I know today is–is hard for you. Marci and I were thinking about grabbing some takeout and stopping by tonight. If that’s okay?”

Running a hand across his face, trying to dry up the tear tracks, Matt shifted on his feet. “Yeah,” he whispered. “I uh, I’d like that.”

“You know we’re always here for you, right man?” Foggy asked. “Anything you need, just ask. Marci and I are happy to help.”

Matt cleared his throat, blinking back the tears. “I–I appreciate that, Fog,” he replied.

“Alright, well, Marci and I will be over in a bit with dinner, okay?” Foggy asked.

“Yeah, sounds good, Fog,” Matt murmured.

Foggy exchanged a brief goodbye before Matt hung up, placing his phone back onto the night stand before he turned back towards the closet. Shoulders dropping, Matt made his way back over to the bin of baby items still open on the floor. With a defeated sigh he grabbed the lid from beside the bin and set it back on, locking it in place. Lips trembling, he slid it back in its place in the far left corner of his closet. 

[treestart]

Anyway time to talk about knitting

So basically my WIPs are:

The cloud blouse by petite knit - working this one up with lion brand truboo (in the color white) rn, which is a sport weight(?) 100% bamboo rayon yarn. Don’t ask me why I chose this when the pattern calls for two strands of mohair okay I didn’t have the budget for that. But I think the bamboo will be very lovely so wear in like spring time or as a layering piece. I’m incredibly close to finishing this - I’m basically half-way done with the second sleeve so after I finish that I will just have to do the neckline and it will be done! Tbh though I was getting bored or just endless stockinette sooooooo I started another WIP on Monday (11/4) of this week which is -

The storm sweater by petite knit :))) - okay so I bought 7 skeins of drops karisma in the color sage, which you may be thinking that is certainly not enough for an entire sweater. Which I also realized after actually looking at the pattern lol. So I’ve got more coming the mail, but in the meantime I just was so excited and eager to start on this sweater that I just couldn’t resist. I’m honestly glad I started it cause it’s been a blast to work on, and honestly I’ve really need the distraction. So now after work on nearly non-stop (work is sooooooo slow) after 4 days I finished the back yoke and the left shoulder and I’m now onto the right shoulder and I would very much like to connect the neckline today, but we shall see. My hands are in a bit of pain to be frank. But my dream is to finish the sweater in time to wear it to thanksgiving dinner :)

And those are my WIPs for now. Eventually I would really love to knit the Braidy Loop cardigan (idr the creator of that tbh) but I would really love to invest in some nice yarn for that, definitely mohair and either merino or alpaca. I think my dream would be to work it up in like a bright cobalt blue or smth. But alas, yarn is soooooooo expensive so I’m gonna sit on that for a bit.

[fibula-rasa]

Would never describe myself as "a bright little patriot" but an all-black outfit with a grape-colored bag absolutely sounds like something I would wear

What are you wearing?

Transcription:

Photoplay, December 1941

Be a bright little patriot and take your color cue from your state flower for the gayest-hued season that's ever dazzled America

BY MARIAN H. QUINN

Alabama…goldenrod

A bright gold wool furless coat with a taupe belt

Arizona…saguaro cactus

Be as draught-resistant and as showy in the Lasso boots on page 60* — maybe a pair of red ones

Arkansas…apple blossom

The apple-blossom pink and blue wool striped collars and cuffs on your wool dress

California…golden poppy

The gold buttons you'll wear on anything; maybe they'll be massive carved ones for your suit

Colorado…columbine

A purple crepe lining for your black day suit

Connecticut…mountain laurel

The new plaid combination — purple with mountain-laurel pink, navy blue and white

Delaware…peach blossom

A wool dress the color of peach blossoms under your dark coat.

Florida…orange blossom

A needlepoint purse worked in orange-blossom pattern

Georgia…cherokee rose

A simple white crepe dinner skirt; a sweater of yellow pailettes

Idaho…syringa

White or cream rayon slipper satin waltz dress; wear a black snood and black gloves with it

Illinois…wood violet

Violet silk stockings (honest!) with your violet evening dress

Indiana…zinnia

Be as vivid in a bright orange or red hat worn with black

Iowa…wild rose

Sequins forming a pattern of roses all over your evening bag

Kansas…sunflower

Bright woolen jacket of orange; matching orange gloves

Kentucky…goldenrod

Circular yoke of gold crocheted yarn topping a black wool

Louisiana…magnolia

Magnolia-pink rose on the big pillow muff of black lace you'll carry with your chemise dress

Maine…pine cone

New combination of pine-cone brown with baroque pink

Maryland…black-eyed susan

Smart suit: A black jacket with a yellow skirt

Massachusetts…mayflower

Interpret it broadly; be shipshape in a wine middy-top dress

Michigan…apple blossom

Pale pink crepe blouse; deeper pink jacket; black skirt

Minnesota…moccasin flower

Soft-soled moccasins of gold-trimmed white kid for dancing

Mississippi…magnolia

Pink velvet piping on your black dress

Missouri…hawthorn

A waist-length red velvet cape trimmed with jet for evening

Montana…bitterroot

A whole suit of peachy pink for the tea-dancing hour

Nebraska…goldenrod

The gold service insignia of your beau on the left-hand (nearest the heart) glove

Nevada…sagebrush

Sage-green shoes to go with a sage-green monotone costume

New Hampshire…purple lilac

Clogs of purple satin for your purple dance dress

New Jersey…violet

A purple felt hat with your dark blue wool suit

New Mexico…yucca

A creamy white dog collar of pearls to make you as imposing

New York…rose

Red-as-the-rose red with black; perhaps knitted red gloves

North Carolina…oxeye daisy

A snow-white angora felt cloche with a yellow grosgrain band

North Dakota…wild prairie rose

Belt with a buckle that's made of a cowhide prairie-wagon wheel

Ohio…scarlet carnation

Carnation-red wool jacket piped in black to wear with a black skirt

Oklahoma…mistletoe

The dress on page 63**; wear it and see what happens

Oregon…Oregon grape

A grape-colored suede bag, only contrast to an all-black outfit

Pennsylvania…mountain laurel

Pink brushed-wool hat for your dark suit

Rhode Island…violet

A violet plaid tweed coat

South Carolina…jessamine

Over your black dress wear a tight-waisted tunic of yellow wool

South Dakota…pasqueflower

A purple wool suit and its surefire accessory—a yellow sweater or blouse

Tennessee…iris

The lining of the black peplum on your black wool, a blue as deep as the iris

Texas…bluebonnet

Blue suede gloves, blue velvet bag as an accessory team

Utah…sego lily

The white and orange cockade of finely pleated ribbon on your red velour hat

Vermont…red clover

A clover-red corduroy dress

Virginia…dogwood

A creamy satin waistcoat to wear over a black-velvet skirt

Washington…rhododendron

Deep pink snakeskin gloves to match the belt on a black dress

W. Virginia…great rhododendron

Combine a pale pink with Dublin green in a jacket; wear it over a nut-brown dress

Wisconsin…violet

Dog collar of purple velvet on your beige dress

Wyoming…Indian paintbrush

A harlequin necklace; one side orange-red, one side green

*aforementioned boots for Arizona:

**aforementioned dress for Oklahoma:

[phrynefishersfrocks]

The first costume of "Dead Air" (Season 2, Episode 11) is a return of Phryne's classic at-home ensemble, with her knit cardigan, white sleeveless blouse, and white silk faille pants.

Worn while listening to the radio with Dot and Mr. Butler at home, Miss Fisher's sleeveless scoop-necked blouse can be seen in 1x01, 1x10, and 2x08, each seen underneath one of her comfortable sweaters. Her cream lace cardigan has been seen multiple episodes, 1x01, 1x02, 1x03, 1x04, 1x05, 1x06, 1x08, 1x10, and twice with different blouses in 2x07. The cardigan is made from white silk rayon fabric that the designer Marion Boyce had owned for years, and only decided to cut into it for Phryne's wardrobe.

Phryne pairs this with her wide-leg silk faille pants, decorated with a silver art nouveau buckle that can be seen in 1x01, 1x03, twice in 1x06. The buckle features a woman reaching up with one hand amidst decorative leaves and scrolls. The buckle itself is an authentic 1920′s piece, and is most likely a nurse’s buckle, historically given to nurses by hospitals once they completed their training. Traditionally, they are made of two symmetrical pieces that clasp together in the middle. Since we know Phryne served as a nurse in the First World War, this is a truly impressive and subtle nod to her history.

Her beautiful earrings are green crystal teardrops, topped with pearls, with a gold ring of jewels embedded near the end.

Season 2, Episode 11 - "Dead Air"

Screencaps from here, earring photo from the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Facebook, promotional photos from various sources (x, x), buckle photo from Dayna's Blog, compilation photo by me.

[marzipanandminutiae]

Friend Marzi, why do we have an inclination to believe that all historical clothing was very heavy? Fabrics varied in lightness and for the very heat of summer for example an all-silk or all-muslin ensemble could be made very light and breathable if necessary, even foregoing implements like boning, etc. Like, there are ways to not be dragging your skirts around.

Working people and people with active hobbies were already wearing fewer layers anyway, so we shouldn't expect them to be encumbered. Why do we anyway?

Friend Tumblr User Chasingtheskyline! Hello!

(This answer will focus primarily on conventionally feminine clothing, since that's my area of expertise. Just to disclaim.)

I think it's because of the layering, really. And the idea that, as you touched on, Only Rich People Wore All That (not so much- the basic makeup of chemise/combinations, maybe drawers post-1820s, corset/stays, at least one petticoat, skirt, bodice for women was pretty consistent across most of the social ladder during the 18th and 19th centuries at least) so of COURSE it's heavy and impractical. And as we all know, rich people didn't have lives or do things! They just lounged around being rich and not moving! </s>

We're used to one layer of our mostly-polyester clothing being extremely warming in summer because. It's polyester. Breathability is not something people think about much nowadays, since we're so used to just exposing as much skin as possible to cool down. Ergo, the idea that it's layers of lightweight fabric doesn't really occur to people, I think.

Another element, I think, may be that some of these people have carried reproduction historical garments but never worn them. Or weighed them in a heap on a scale- yes, really -and never taken into account the weight distribution when they're on a body. I've owned garments that were a bear to carry, but perfectly comfortable to wear.

Also, you know. We've long had a vested interest in making our own garments seem like The Best Most Advanced Garments. You can find articles from as early as the 1920s decrying Victorian "trailing skirts and trailing hair" as unhygienic and uncomfortable Never mind that the ADULTS saying this would have known full well that shorter skirts were commonplace for situations where Excessive Dirt would be present and grown women wore their hair up. (Also, you know. Unless you're licking your hem, your skirts cannot get you sick.)

Either you're getting only the experiences of women who hated what they wore before- which would somehow be the same fashion writers who once declared that the gowns of 1915 were the best, or 1910, or 1905 -or they had a vested interest in selling something to the public: in this case, the hottest, newest clothes (and hairstyles that required more regular trips to the hairdresser than long hair pinned up). Of course you get those writers calling earlier clothing heavy- they're trying to get people to buy rayon flapper dresses!

Now, does that mean that nobody in history found their clothing heavy? Of course not. One of Amelia Bloomer's key complaints about the fashions of the 1840s and early 50s was the many layers of petticoats women often wore to create the fashionable skirt shape- and while I'm often loath to take dress reformers as sole arbiters of women's opinion, the invention of the cage crinoline/hoop skirt was widely hailed as a marvel for enabling big skirts with much less weight.

But you're so right that this perception is extremely exaggerated nowadays. I do my best to fight it- had this conversation with a colleague today, as I was wearing a long-sleeved blouse of cotton voile and a long cotton skirt to work in 80-degree (F) weather -but. Well. It DOES get frustrating at times.

[tinydooms]

What is your favorite fabric to wear/work with?

Bonus: What are you reading right now?

(I don't have any strong opinions on clothing, creating or otherwise, but I enjoy some of the stuff you find and share! I am reading Aladair Beckett-King's Death at the Lighthouse, the second Montgomery Bonbon book.)

This is a complicated question! Yes, really. My favorite fabrics are cotton lawn and rayon crepe: both are easy to work with, breathable (extremely important), and look amazing however you make them up (and I usually do vintage-style blouses and dresses and such). But the really good fabrics can get pricy, which is frustrating when you sew for a creative outlet as much as having new clothes. I also like linen, but it's tricky to work with and the upkeep can be tiring. Still, you can't beat a thin cotton blouse and a nice pair of linen sailor trousers, any time of the year!

As for reading, I'm currently tearing through How to Solve Your Own Murder, by Kristen Perrin. It's a take on the classic Country House Murder, the twist being that the victim is an older lady who swore up, down, and sideways that she would be murdered one day and so went to extreme lengths to figure out whodunnit before she died. The novel is narrated alternately by her niece, who has to solve the case in order to inherit, and by the woman herself, sharing her case files with the reader. The writing is clever, the characters are interesting, and honestly the only thing that trips me up is that her vernacular is so obviously American. The author is from Washington and she really didn't bother to research how English people talk, which *shrug*. It doesn't detract from the story, but the work-around could have been to just have the niece grow up in the States. Or, idk, read a couple of contemporary English novels, watch some shows. Still, 9/10 highly recommended.

I haven't read any of the Montgomery Bonbon books (fabulous name)--do you recommend them?

Ask me anything; I'm bored at work.

[kritblogs]

Choosing the Right Fabric for Your Custom Clothes

Understanding What You Need

Custom clothing lets you showcase your unique style and achieve a perfect fit. Choosing the right fabric is crucial before you start designing. Choosing the best fabric depends on understanding its purpose. Consider these factors:

Weather Suitability

Warm Weather: Opt for light, airy fabrics like cotton or linen to keep cool.

Cold Weather: Choose wool or thicker knits for warmth and coziness.

Fabric Drape

Elegant Look: Light, soft fabrics like chiffon or rayon for dresses and blouses.

Neat Look: Smooth cotton or linen for shirts, pants, or jackets.

Durability and Care

Everyday Wear: Strong fabrics like denim for longevity.

Convenience: Synthetic fabrics that resist wrinkles and are easy to care for. Consider how much maintenance you’re willing to handle, like dry cleaning versus home washing.

Demystifying Fabric Types

Here’s a breakdown of fabric types:

Natural Fibers

Cotton: Soft and breathable.

Linen: Cool and strong, perfect for summer.

Wool: Warm and insulating, ideal for winter coats.

Silk: Luxurious with a beautiful drape, great for special occasions.

Artificial Fibers

Polyester: Wrinkle-resistant, durable, and affordable.

Nylon: Strong and water-resistant, used in activewear.

Acrylic: Wool-like but cheaper, less breathable.

Blended Fabrics

Cotton-Polyester: Combines breathability with wrinkle resistance.

Linen Blends: Improved drape and reduced wrinkling.

Beyond the Basics: Specialty Fabrics

Luxury Fabrics

Silk, Cashmere, Velvet: Ideal for special occasions with their luxurious feel and drape.

Performance Fabrics

Technological Innovations: Moisture-wicking, water, and wind-resistant fabrics for activewear and outdoor use.

Eco-Friendly Fabrics

Sustainable Choices: Organic cotton, hemp, or recycled polyester for environmentally conscious fashion.

Final Thoughts

Selecting the right fabric is key to creating beautiful and functional custom clothes. Understand your needs, explore different fabrics, and enjoy the creative process. Read more here