GBVS's Art Deco Weekend

Today I'm doing some major catching with my blog. So much has happened this summer and I just have not found the time to sit down and right. Now that things have relaxed a bit I am able to do just that. Today's post will take you back to May, specifically Memorial Day weekend to when Cori and I attended the Greater Boston Vintage Society's amazing Art Deco Weekend.

Group Photo. Check out all the great photos from the weekend by Vintage Girl Studios

We traveled to Newport RI and spend a few days with our GBVS friends at the Fairlawn Estate. It's now part of the college campus and while a good portion of the building is used as a dormitory, most of it remains as it did in the Guilded Age. I didn't really take many photos during the weekend, and very few inside which is a shame. The main ballroom is just beautiful and the mirrored walls remind me of the grand ball rooms of the 18th century.

Friday evening walk down mansion row. This this the Breakers

We arrived Friday evening to settle in and took a short walk around the neighborhood. The walking trail follows the coast line and offers spectacular views of the ocean as well as some of the mansions.

Saturday morning after breakfast we listened to two lectures on men's and women's fashions. Both talks can be found on YouTube here and here.

There were several dance lessons during the day as well. A good portion of the day was spent outside where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and lawn games. Yes it's possible to play a good game of badminton in heels and stockings, though I don't really recommend it. It was a great time to catch up with friends and make some new ones. We also took part is a short silent film by Vintage Girl Studios!

To make up for not having a proper Sunday Shoe Spectacle post today, here are a few shoe pictures from the Art Deco Weekend. My navy blue suede 1930s heels came from Lauren of Wearing History. Cori scored his amazing pair of brown and white 1930s shoes at an antique mall for $8.00!!! Crazy!! It just proves you never know what you are going to find.

I wore the blue linen skirt made last year from Du Barry 5296. I added straps that attach to the inside of the waistband with snaps. I really like how this turned out and give me more options for styling the skirt. Sadly I didn't have enough linen left to make a matching bolero but that's alright. The blouse I'm wearing is made from my favorite pattern, Du Barry 5172. I really love the print! It's a reproduction cotton print from the 1930s. I actually have another blouse made from the same fabric but different pattern for sale in my etsy shop.

I tied something a little different with my hair this time around. A hairnet!! I wanted to have some curl left at the end of the day for the black tie ball, so after taking my pin curls out in the morning I loosely pinned my hair up at the back of my head and added the net to keep everything neat. I do have a couple vintage hairnets but I was able to find a package of modern ones for a few dollars my Rita Aid store. I like these because they have a tiny band of elastic to help keep them in place. The elastic doesn't really show but I decided to tie a piece of yellow ribbon around my head anyway just to cover it up. It's a very youthful look but I kind of like it.

Saturday evening everyone changed into their formal attire for the black tie ball. Cori wore his vintage tux and I wore a black crape dress I found on ebay for a song. The belt came with an odd looking buckle so I swapped it for one I had in my buckle stash. Most of the picture I have from Saturday night and not very good unfortunately. However, if you watch Michelle of MyVintageLove's video of the event you will see a quick shot of Cori and I! I will share this one though, of Michelle and I. Her gown was really stunning.

Sunday we packed up our belongs and toured the Breakers mansion. I already blogged about that day and the outfit I wore which you can read about here if you missed it.

I believe there are plans to hold another event like this next year so be search to watch the GBVS website for details! I can't wait! There are lots more photo from the weekend on the GBVS's FB page. In addition to Michelle's video I recommend this one by my friend Neal Howland.

Outfit Details

Blouse and Skirt - Made by me

Shoes - Wearing History

Pin - Thrifted
Black evening dress - Ebay

1940s Blouses by Du Barry

Here is another outfit post from the MAAM WWII weekend. I have more more planned but I'm still waiting on a few photos from a photographer. (I had the opportunity to do a really awesome photo shoot!! I can't wait to share!) Be sure to check out the official event photo gallery, you'll spot a few photos of Cori and I in there if you look carefully. Although I only ending up wearing one, I made myself two new blouses using Du Barry 5172. This is a great little pattern that dates from 1941. I think it's my favorite blouse pattern by far! It incorporates many of those vintage details that I really enjoy.

The sleeves have a set of small pleats at the ends and little pouf shoulder. The front of the blouse is constructed with shoulder yokes and the collar is a simple rounded shape. Another thing I like about this blouse is that instead of being straight from underarm to hem, the blouse is cut to fit the torso. My first blouse was made from a white figured cotton muslin that I purchased on sale from Joann's Fabrics. (Note to self. Gotta get some pictures!) I wanted to trim the white blouse with lace as shown on the pattern envelope but couldn't fine any I liked. The red and white stripe is a cotton fabric that came from my mom's fabric stash.

Photo by Neal Howland

Photo by Neal Howland

Although the pattern doesn't say to, I decided to cut the shoulder yokes and placket for the buttons on the bias. This helped to break up the stripes and add a little more visual interest to the blouse. I had a couple people ask me about working with stripes. I personally really like working with stripes and plaids for some reason. Most of my historical clothing is made using stripes, checks and plaids. (see my cross barred gown.) Stripes can be your best friend or worst enemy. Be patient. I often find that stripes can really be helpful when lining up pattern pieces. It can be fun challenge! Depending on your project you may need to allow for some extra fabric if you are worried about matching up the stripes like I did with my Dorr Mill Hoodie. Pin carefully! Then baste or sew. Craftsy has some good tips here, there are also a few here as well.

My skirt was made using Du Barry 5296. I love this skirt! It has a slim fit and a generous pleat in back for easy of movement. I have a lovely blue and white pin striped wool that I want to use to make the whole suit as shown on the envelope. The blue linen I used was left over from an 18th century frock coat that I made for my brother a few years back. It wrinkles easily but linen is so comfortable to wear especially when the weather is hot! This skirt has become a good vintage basic and mixes and matches well with other items I have. I've worn this skirt about 5 or 6 times now!

For the dance Saturday night I changed into my linen pants (Simplicity 1306) and flats. After wearing heels all day, something I'm not use it, my Bleyer Liddy Hoppers felt like heaven. They are super comfortable dance shoes! I bought mine when I was still in high school and dancing all the time. (Wow, how many years ago now?! Yeah, it's been a few.) Sadly I don't get to do much dancing these days so I'm soooo out of practice. Cori doesn't really dance and the closest swing dance scene is a good 2 hour drive from home. But I did manage to get him out on the dance floor that night, it's a lot of fun dancing to a live band!

One of the official event photographers, Big Bloc Photography LLC, took these photos of us and our friend Max beside the MAAM's B-25J bomber Briefing Time. You can see his complete gallery, along with tons of other great photos from the air show here. I love the Kodachrome coloring! Cori and Max are wearing their 1940s LADP uniforms. They were the only two from the police group able to make it to the airshow this year. We're hoping for a bigger turn out next year.

Outfit Details

Blouse - Made by me, Du Barry 5172

Skirt - Made by me, Du Barry 5296 

Pants - Made by me,  Simplicity 1306

Hat - Tangerine Boutique

Shoes - Wingtips from Blyer

Victory Pin - local antique shop

Photo by Neal Howland

Summary of the Patterns
Fabrics: Cottons for blouses, linen for skirt
Pattern: Du Barry 5172 (blouse) and Du Barry 5296 (skirt)
Year: 1941
Notions: Buttons, thread, and snaps, zipper and matching lace hem tape for skirt
How historically accurate is it? Pretty darn good! Cotton is perfect for the blouses. I don't know how popular linen was used for clothing but it's what I had and I love it.
Any tricky parts to the pattern? The button holes for the blouses. I dislike them but I'm getting better the more I do.
Did you change anything? Surprisingly, no. Both patterns went together very well. I had some fitting issues with the waist of the skirt but nothing major.
Time to complete: About a four hours for each blouse including buttons and button holes. About the same for the skirt
First worn: June 2014
Total cost: About $6 for each pattern, less then $10 for the white fabric. Buttons, striped fabric and linen fabric from the stash.
Notes: Linen does wrinkle easily but it's so comfortable especially when the weather is hot. I love this skirt and need to make another!