hair inspiration.

my hair is naturally fairly curly, so i typically just blow dry it straight and then twist it up into a loose bun and pin it in place. when i'm ready to leave the house, i take the pins out and let it down, and the result is big loose, slightly imperfect waves. since i've been doing it this way, i've always thought of it as the type of hair you see on a damsel in a silent film; the ones who have their hair pinned up perfectly and then fall down a hill, or get kidnapped, or shaken violently, or some other cliché silent film-era distress, and their hair just sort of falls around their shoulders, all loose and messy but still completely beautiful. aside from my bangs (which are largely 60s inspired at the moment), i like to think that that's what my hair looks like most days. watching boardwalk empire, i couldn't help be inspired by margaret shroeder's gorgeous, slightly careless-looking tousled locks, which seems fairly easy to achieve using the same routine i've been doing and using a large barreled curling iron to add fuller curls here and there. makes me want to grow out my bangs again!

hair perfection:

in additon to hair envy, i can't help but drool over the amazing beaded dresses and lovely cotton tops she wears. one of my favorite dresses from the show:

i love the detail on this top, and in one of my favorite colors right now, sage. :

the perfect everyday blouse, with the perfect little collar to match:

on a related note, i've been adding to my collection of pretty 1920s and 30s underthings lately- tap pants, corsets, flapper bras, etc, and purchased a 1930s lot this week. while not always practical, they're perfect to hang on walls and will undoubtedly pretty up any room!

(all images found via google search)

betty evelyn.

here are a few photos of my grandmother, taken in 1950, that my lovely cousin sabrina tucked into my christmas card this year. she looks so darling in her little dresses with her dainty box purses and perfectly simple accessories, and i love her little hairstyle (which hasn't changed much in the 61 years since). i can kind of make out some really cute oxfords in the second photo!

i believe she was 17 in these photos, and already married to my grandfather! i have a photo of the two of them standing in front of their car in the late 40s or early 50s but i misplaced it when i moved. i'm hoping i'll come across it one of these days, because it's one of my favorites.

on an unrelated note, here's a sneak peek at what's coming in a future post:

early 1930s catalogue scans. xx

needlecraft scans.

here are some scans from the march 1928 edition of 'needlecraft magazine' that i bought yesterday. i can't get over how lovely the everyday looks in the 1920s were.

 'for wee maidens'

 

 'smart new flare'

'for the smart matron'

'smartly correct'

even the ads are stunning!

i love the hair and the sweet little collar. now if only i could come across some of these dresses on my searches!