Wednesday, February 29, 2012

How to Look Well in Clothes

How to Look Well in Clothes
From the advice of New York designer Edwina Patterson







"If you have beautiful hair, play it up by going hatless, and specialize in dashing hair ribbons."   [Page 15].




Veronica Lake Minus the Peek-A-Boo Hair












[Source:  Quick Steps to Beauty and Charm.  Dorothy Cocks.  White's Book Company.  Westfield, Massachusetts.  1948.]
















Edwina Patterson (2 April 1915 - 27 June 2007)
Born in Seattle, Washington, was a New York clothing designer and seamstress.  She had shows shown in American, Pageant, and Life magazines.  For a while she was a fitter at Lord & Taylor in New York.  At the time of this advice (1948), she had a staff of 14 and her famous clients included:






Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon




Maggi McNellis








Arleen Whelan












Monday, February 27, 2012

How to Look Well in Clothes - For Tall Women


How to Look Well in Clothes - For Tall Women
From the advice of New York designer Edwina Patterson













Plaids








Belted Jacket








Ruffles, puplums, tunics








Small pillbox hats








Low turbans








Cloche hats








[Source:  Quick Steps to Beauty and Charm.  Dorothy Cocks.  White's Book Company.  Westfield, Massachusetts.  1948.]

Sunday, February 26, 2012

How to Look Well in Clothes - For Short Women


How to Look Well in Clothes - For Short Women
From the advice of New York designer Edwina Patterson











V Length dresses








Do not wear too much padding








No horizontal stripes








No wide belts






[Source:  Quick Steps to Beauty and Charm.  Dorothy Cocks.  White's Book Company.  Westfield, Massachusetts.  1948.]

Saturday, February 25, 2012

How to Look Well in Clothes - For Thin Women


How to Look Well in Clothes - For Thin Women
From the advice of New York designer Edwina Patterson









Full-cut skirts






Dirndls






Peplums, tiers and ruffles






Dolman sleeve (3/4 length)






Soft Necklines








[Source:  Quick Steps to Beauty and Charm.  Dorothy Cocks.  White's Book Company.  Westfield, Massachusetts.  1948.]

Thursday, February 23, 2012

How to Look Well in Clothes - For Stout Women

How to Look Well in Clothes - For Stout Women
From the advice of New York designer Edwina Patterson






No belts on coats






Dominant colors should be:


Navy

Black
Or
Neutral Shades




Flat fur coats ( like broadtail -  'the wavy, moirélike fur or pelt of a young or stillborn Karakul lamb'.[Source: Dictionary.com] )
Broadtail fur from the 1940s


No doll or pillbox hats.


*Bummer, because I love pillbox hats.  I didn't realize they were so popular in the 1940s.  When I think pillbox hat, I think Jackie O


Jackie O. Impersonators 1961




Wear off-side berets


Susan Peters 1943




Wear medium-size off to the side hats


Zasu Pitts, Paula Laurence & Celeste Holm


No peplums or tiered rulles, dirndl skirts, wide belts, and unpressed pleats




*Basically anything that adds volume








[Source:   Quick Steps to Beauty and Charm.  Dorothy Cocks.  White's Book Company.  Westfield, Massachusetts.  1948.]

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Sleeping Beauty - The Prince

Models for scenes from Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty



The Prince




Realized Animated Prince


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Sleeping Beauty - Maleficent

Models for scenes from Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty 


Maleficent







The Realized Drawn Image

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Ramona, Bluing, and Powder People



As part of my reading adventure this year, I'm trying to read 12 books published in the year of my birth.  So far I have been pretty disappointed, as I was with this book.  I guess I just must be too much of a Beezus or something, but I did not enjoy Beverly Cleary books as a child, and I still do not find them enjoyable as an adult.  It seemed like a combination of fighting parents and trouble-making.  Since I remembered my parents fighting before they divorced, when I read Cleary books as a child I found the parental arguing to be distressing.  And as to Ramona's shenanigans, I was and still am a rule stickler, so I never found Ramona's antics humorous.  I imagine some children enjoy it and feel a kinship with Ramona, but all I felt was frustration.




I did find two instances in the book humorous:  the Kleenex incident and the bluing incident.  How many people use bluing anymore?  I have used it before but I haven't used any in my laundry lately.  I need to restock at Vermont Country Store or at a store you can pick up Mrs. Stewart's Bluing.




I can definitely sympathize with Wanda running around the house throwing Kleenexes everywhere.  It reminds me of one of few times I acted up as a child.  It would be the infamous 'Powder People' episode.  When I was about five years old, my three year old sister and I had a brilliant idea.  




The 'brilliance' of 'Powder People' was us running through the house puffing baby powder above our heads.  My mother was just thrilled to find the entire upper floor of our grandparent's home caked in a thick layer of fine, white powder.  Our dance of joy did not last long, for we spent the entire day dusting, vacuuming, and washing the walls.  Both the joy, and the punishment from the 'Powder People' incident, are some of the strongest memories of my childhood.  





Thursday, February 16, 2012

Sleeping Beauty - The Kiss

Models for scenes from Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty 


The Kiss




And of course, the finished product



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