Thursday, April 2, 2015

Color Recipes for Spring and a Vintage Photo Contest

Hello All! Today I bring you some fashion incite from 1939. As usual, while looking for something completely different, I stumbled across this interesting article from the Dallas Morning News. The author describes some new color trends for the coming spring. I think she must have had a regular fashion column because I've seen a few other articles by her. Here in New England we are still lacking color of any kind except of course the muddy white of slowly melting snow and brown grass. I found this article to be rather stimulating for the mind and now I can't stop thinking about all these wonderful color combinations! Navy and citron, moss green and apple blossom pink .... the list goes on.

So what's the contest you ask? Well, I thought it would be fun for those of us with a vintage wardrobe to go through our closets and put together an outfit with this article in mind! Then have a little photo contest! Use any of the color combination below or create your own for spring! Let's keep the date range 1930s and 1940s. Want to enter the challenge? Great! Leave me a comment below, then send me a photo of your outfit with a brief description. I will post them to an album on my Facebook page so everyone can see them as well as create a blog post. I will choose a winner and send them a special prize! This little contest is open to all readers, you don't need to have a blog but if you do let me know so I can link back to you. The deadline for the contest will be Sunday May 3rd. That gives you a whole month to mix and match! I'll announce the winner in early May.

-Please Note! I'm moving the deadline back to May 3rd to give everyone a few more days. That also give me more time to put together the prize. :) -  

Please Note! The deadline for entering the contest is May 3rd
The following text is from an article in the Dallas Morning News dated February 3, 1939.

Color Recipes Compiled from Fashion Shows. Dominating Note of Style Can Be Used in Many Combinations. By Alma Cunningham.
    Color is everywhere. It's the dominating note of fashion. And it's used in new ways, new combinations. If you've never a doubt about what color to wear with what for that much desired chic, turn the page. Our color recipes, taken from outstanding ensembles of recent style shows, are for the likes of us who sometimes like to dabble in unusual color, who sometimes astound natives with our color consciousness, who always want to wear a color accent that is effective.

    Assuming that your first purchases for spring will be a pair of shoes, a bag and hat to snatch your winter wardrobe from boredom, our color recipes start with at least one of these items already on hand. So.

Day Dress, 1939 FIDM Museum S2009.997.1
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Public Wardrobe No. 1 - Frosted.
    Navy is a long-time favorite every spring. Combined with white touches, you've got something. Our frosted ensemble required the following: With navy shoes and navy bag, a two-piece navy suit, white frilly blouse, white hat, white veil.

Navy and Wheat
(1) In the case of a navy coat, and navy shoes, gloves, hat veil, and a wheat print silk dress, wheat ascot and wheat bag.
(2) With a navy dress, shoes, bag and gloves, wear a wheat belt, hat, and topcoat.
(3) With a two-piece navy suit, navy shoes and bag, add a blouse in wheat, wheat gloves, and a natural color straw hat with spring flowers and a navy veil.

Navy and Red.
(1) If you prefer the lipstick red, choose a narrow leather belt, a shoulder bouquet, and a ribbon band for your hat in the red. Wear it with a navy skirt, a navy jacket with a white chalk stripe, navy sailor, navy shoes, bag and white gloves.

(2) If you prefer the bright red, wear a navy blue suit with polka-dot taffeta collar, navy straw hat with a white and bright red ribbon crown, navy shoes and  bag, white gloves.

Navy With Cyclamen.
In navy - new low waistline dress, with a tiny high white collar, a silver buttons down the front of the waist; small hat and veil; shoes and bag. In Cyclamen - a large soft suede pouch type bag.

Navy with Citron.
Citron is that cool, line shade, in the palest of greenish yellows. A citron jacket or topper accents any all navy ensemble, smarty.

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1930s Two-tone Heels on Etsy
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Black Magic
The basis of many a spring wardrobe is a pair of black patent leather shoes and a bag. Fill in accordingly, and you've noteworthy costumes;

(1) Gold and black print dress, gold wool fitting coat, black straw hat, and green gloves.
(2) Bronze green dressmaker full-length coat, a print silk dress with green and yellow predominating, a black straw hat with a gold veil, beige gloves.
(3) Black full-length coat, a white silk ascot, two gold lapel clips, a wide patent belt, black hat, white gloves.
(4) Moss green full-length coat, print dress, apple blossom pink hat, pink gloves to match hat.

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Noble Idea.
Because of the popularity of some colors, there will be some who will wear a less popular color in order to be individual. Thus brown is literally and figuratively a dark horse for spring.

(1) In the case of your new dark brown bag and shoes, wear beige coat or dress, a beige fishnet turban, and a bright green bag.
(2) Or beige two-piece suit, a red hat with a gold veil, and Chinese red gloves.
(3) Or a gold crepe dress, a natural straw hat with a bright blue ribbon trim, and bright blue gloves.
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The Copper Touch.
Japonica, new clay, British tan, copper, rust, yum, or what have you is combined in new collections as follows:

(1) A matching greenish-blue coat and dress, a brilliant yellow jonquil shoulder bouquet, matching jonquil gloves, copper shoes and bag, copper felt hat with greenish-blue band.
(2) Dark-brown dress in dark a leaf green coat, suede pouch bag in copper, copper shoes, copper hat, coral necklace and gloves.
(4) Navy dress, natural beige coat, navy gloves, navy hat, heavy gold necklace, chopper shoes, copper bag.

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Madcap.
And finally we come to dark-red shoes and bags, preferably in alligator, please, and sometimes referred to as mulberry, claret, wine Burgundy. If you must ... the budget rears its head .... you can have your alligator simulated. Or, if and alligator scared your mother, you can still have accessories in one of these deep rich reds in pigskin, suede, or a fabric.

    Shoes and bag worn with the following, and you'll look good enough to eat:

(1) A hyacinth blue dress, a fishnet turban in blue and dark red, white or pale pink gloves.
(2) A chartreuse dress, dark red coat, soft blue hat, light beige gloves.
(3) A two-piece mauve pink dress, lilac gloves, fuchsia hat of veiling.
(4) A leaf green wool jacket, a vivid green wool skirt, brown hat, citron gloves."

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Don't forget to leave me a comment if you want to enter the contest! The deadline for sending me a photo will be April 30th. I'll announce the winner on May 3rd. Ready, set, go!

13 comments:

  1. Oh this sounds like such fun Emily! I'm not sure if I'll be able to enter, but I'll have a look see at my wardrobe and see what I can conjure up.

    Cheers!

    Brigid
    the Middle Sister and Singer

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  2. This article is nifty, and I adore this contest idea!! I'll scour my closet, or sew something up, and see what I can do!

    Carla, TinyAngryCrafts

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  3. So great! They're perfect recipes for a vintage outfit, all laid out! Maybe I could even get a sweater done for this… If I knit really fast...

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  4. Oo this sounds fun, I will try and have a think!! x

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  5. Excellent ladies!! Can't wait to see what you put together! :)
    -Emily

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  6. I'll have to have a look through my vintage creations to see if I can come up with something that fits.

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  7. I'm not sure if my comment disappeared, but I would love to try this challenge, consider me entered. :D ❤

    xox,
    bonita of Lavender & Twill

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  8. Emily, I had your idea of color in mind today. It's in the form of a scarf, hope this works:)

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  9. Well, I would totally enter if I had anything in those eras....I have plenty of Pinterest pins, but those won't count! hahahahahaha!!!
    Blessings!
    Gina

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  10. This sounds fun! I do love some good "spirit lifting" colors and would like to participate. It looks like I found out about this late in the game but I think I might just make the deadline with some of my newest creations.
    Thanks.
    Kelly B.

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  11. I am a really, really late comer! But I managed to finish my dress yesterday, so I will have pictures sent in in a minute. Thank you for coming up with this idea!

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  12. I'm opting for navy & red... I'm not quite certain what a "white chalk stripe" is, but I think I found it. This was so much fun to put together, thank you!

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  13. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to complete something for this! Mental health and major housekeeping projects popped up at the same time and have made getting dressed at all quite difficult. I'll have to try to do an outfit or two inspired by this before the season is entirely gone, though!

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