Vintage Style Files

Posts Tagged ‘vintage dresses’

1957 Fashion Spread-Celebrity daughters

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

Take a look at these lovely images  from a 1957 Ladies Home Journal magazine. The fashion spread is titled “Pretty Daughters of Famous Fathers” and features celebrity daughters modelling  summer party dresses.

Of course, I got curious as to who the mothers were of these gorgeous girls, so I did a little digging.

The amazingly talented Fred Astaire, without a doubt one of the most famous dancer/actor/singer/choregraphers of all time,  married Phyllis Potter, a Boston socialite, in 1933. They had two children, Fred Jr. and Ava (pictured below).

Fred Astaire's daughter, Ava, wearing a white embroidered organdy party dress

Fred Astaire's daughter, Ava, wearing a white embroidered organdy party dress

Norman Foster was a movie director in the 40s and 50s.  After his first marriage to Claudette Colbert, he married actress Sally Blaine, an elder sister of Loretta Young. They had two children.  Gretchen (pictured below) and Robert.

Noman Foster's daughter, Gretchen, in a three tiered white organdy gown

Noman Foster's daughter, Gretchen, in a three tiered white organdy gown

Henry Fonda, the Hollywood legend, married Frances Ford Seymour, a New York socialite in 1936.  They had two children who turned out to be famous actors in their own right, Jane(pictured below) and Peter.

Though her dad’s acting career continued right into his seventies, I was horrified to discover her mother, after many bouts with mental illness,  commited suicide when she was only 42, by cutting her throat with a razor.

Jane Fonda was born in 1937, making her only 20 years old when this photo was taken.

Jane Fonda, daughter of Henry Fonda, in a printed dimity shirtwaist gown.

Jane Fonda, daughter of Henry Fonda, in a printed dimity shirtwaist gown.

Walt Disney married Lillian Bounds in 1925 after meeting her where she worked in the “ink and paint” department at Disney Studios. They had two daughters, Diane and Sharon(pictured below).

Lillian Bounds Disney is credited with giving the world famous cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, his name. She died exactly 31 years to the day after the death of her husband.

Sahron Disney, daughter of Walt Disney, wearing a blue polka dot tiered sundress.

Sharon Disney, daughter of Walt Disney, wearing a blue polka dot tiered sundress.

Vintage dresses just added at Blue Velvet Vintage

Saturday, July 25th, 2009

Just added some pretty vintage party dresses to the Blue Velvet Vintage website.

Vintage dresses now available at Blue Velvet Vintage

Vintage dresses now available at Blue Velvet Vintage

1. 50s/60s blue floral chiffon and taffeta vintage party dress-34/26

2. 50’s silk floral full skirt party dress-36/26

3. Strapless 50s prom/wedding dress in white lace over sage green taffeta-38/27

4. 60’s Mad Men style eyelet pencil dress-34/26

5. 1970s romantic bohemian maxi dress-34/36

6. 1950s vintage aqua/ teal floral silk full skirt dress-34/26

See our What’s New page for more recently added vintage fashions.

Blue Velvet Vintage-Recent Additions

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Below is a selection of vintage clothing recently added to our site. You can see more newly listed vintage fashions on the Blue Velvet Vintage  What’s New page.

1950s heer vintage shirtwaist dress

1950s Sheer Vintage Shirtwaist Dress-38b 30w

70's Lilly Pulitzer Signature Tiger Print Skirt-26w

70's Lilly Pulitzer Signature Tiger Print Skirt-26w

Mad Men Style 60s Novelty Print Shirtwaist Dress

Mad Men Style 60s Novelty Print Shirtwaist Dress-38b 27w

50s/60s Vintage Catalina Swimsuit-34c

50s/60s Vintage Catalina Swimsuit-34c

A Look at Tall Ships and Nautical Fashions

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Well, I finally made my way down to Boston Harbor to see those magnificient classic sailing ships docked on the waterfront.  Boston is one of official ports of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge,  a regatta  that started  in Spain and will end up in Ireland.

Below are some shots I took. The rest are in my Tall Ships Sail Boston Photo Album.

The 185 foot Europa, from the Netherlands, docked at Rowes Wharf Marina at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

Tall ship Europa at Rowes Wharf Marina, Boston

Tall ship Europa at Rowes Wharf Marina, Boston

270′ Mircea from Romania docked at Boston Fish Pier

Tall Ship Mircea from Romania

Tall Ship Mircea from Romania

Figurehead of the 356 foot Argentinian ship Libertad

Libertad, Buenos Aires, tall ship figurehead

Libertad, Buenos Aires, tall ship figurehead

There’s such a air of romance that surrounds these majestic vessels.   You can’t help but fantasize about what it would be like to chuck the day job for a life of high seas adventure and exotic ports of call, accompanied by a crew of cute sailor boys, of course!

But  if you can’t stow away on a sailing ship, at least you can celebrate the seafaring life with some cute nautical inspired  fashion.   Here are some of my vintage style picks to keep you looking SEE worthy all summer!

Nautical inspired fashions

Nautical inspired fashions

1. Sailboat print 60’s vintage dress from Annie Cream Cheese

2.The ever popular 50s inspired Bettie Page sailor style Captain dress

3. 1950s rhinestone sailboat brooch for sale at Great Vintage Jewelry

4. Vintage red, white and blue ship’s wheel pin and earrings set with anchor in center. Offered at Eclecticala.

5. 70s navy vintage dress with red anchor applique from Neo Vintage.

6. Rare cream and red leather 1970s Gucci bag with silver anchor. Offered by Rice and Beans Vintage.

Recently added dresses at Blue Velvet Vintage

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

The latest selection of vintage and retro dresses added to the Blue Velvet Vintage website.

vintage-dresses-41

1. blush pink nylon chiffon 50s vintage party dress-S

2. 50s aqua embroidered full skirt day dress-M

3. 50’s pink lace over satin vintage party dress-S

4. Pink cotton 50s day dress w/floral lace inserts-L

5. Bettie Page “Curves” 50s vintage style black pencil dress-S to XL

Vintage Dresses-Take a peek at our latest additions

Saturday, May 16th, 2009

We’ve just added a bunch of pretty vintage dresses over at Blue Velvet Vintage.

Take a look!

Recent vintage dress additions at Blue Velvet Vintage

Recent vintage dress additions at Blue Velvet Vintage

1.1970’s  geometric floral print maxi dress-34 bust

2. Curvy pink and gold silk brocade 60s cocktail dress-38/28

3. Rose print pique  50s full dress-Alix of Miami?-36/30

4.  Leaf print 70s disco dress w/full bias cut skirt-34/28

5. 60s halter style mini dress- 34/27

6. Geometric print 70’s empire waist maxi dress-34/27

See our What’s New page for more of our newly listed vintage clothing and retro fashions.

New dresses just listed at Blue Velvet Vintage

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Got more adorable 50’s day dresses and some vintage style party dresses and glamorous gowns that we just listed over at Blue Velvet Vintage Clothing and Retro Fashions.

Have a look!

1950s day dresses

1950s day dresses

1. 60’s floral print sundress-36/28

2. 50’s black,white, gray toile floral swing dress-38/28

3. Vintage Lanz sundress- yellow windowpane check floral-38/30

4. Blue cotton 50s day dress w/pintucking and crochet lace-38/28

5. Beautiful floral print 50s halter dress-38/30

Retro glamour gowns and vintage inspired party dresses

Retro glamour gowns and vintage inspired party dresses

1. Ivory beaded satin vintage style wedding gown or prom dress

2. Rhinestone embellished champagne satin and tulle 50’s style tea length party dress

3. Flirty little strapless vintage inspired party dress in silver satin, black lace and tulle

4. Golden vintage inspired strapless glamour gown with shimmery metallic lace, beading and satin applique

5. Same gorgeous dress as #4 only in a silver satin and lace.

More Vintage Spring Fashion Fever-Feminine Dresses and 50s Skirts

Saturday, April 4th, 2009

Over at the Blue Velvet Vintage Clothing and Retro Fashion Boutique we’ve just added more fab, feminine vintage dresses and several pretty new old stock 50’s skirts.  Skirts are from the same estate as the deadstock 50s dresses we listed last week.

If you haven’t found your perfect Easter outfit yet, then have a look at the beauties  below.

Recent additions at Blue Velvet Vintage

Recent additions at Blue Velvet Vintage

1. Pink and purple rose print 50s swing dress-40/31

2.60s party dress in floral chiffon with twirly skirt-38/32

3. Flirty, tiered rose print 60s party dress-36/26

4.Chic floral silk 60s dress-Sara Fredericks-38/30

5. Killer 50’s sundress with amazing novelty tulip print-36/28

6. Newer vintage dress 60’s mod inspired Christian Lacroix Bazar Label-36/32

For an alternative casual look to jeans, why not try wearing one of these adorable 1950’s skirts with a tank top, beaded necklace and sandals?

Recend additions-New old stock 50's skirts

Recend additions-New old stock 50's skirts

1.Floral windowpane check 50’s skirt-28w

2.Aqua, black and gray rose print 50’s skirt-26

3.Rose border print 50s skirt-26w

4.Lavender, aqua and white floral 50’s skirt-29w

You can also check our “What’s New” page for additional listings of vintage clothing.

Vintage Spring Fashion Fever

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

Spring is in the air and it’s time to think  fun, flirty and floral.  I’ve been frantically adding all kinds of pretty vintage dresses to my site that are perfect for daytime, dinner dates, informal weddings, garden parties, or anywhere you want to look retroliciously ravishing!!!

Here’s a little peek at some stuff I’ve just added.  Aside from the fact that these dresses from the 50s  are so cute,  most of them came from an estate where the woman left a closet full of clothes that were unworn with original tags hanging on them. Of course, because I’m a clean freak, I removed the tags from most of them to launder the dresses, because I don’t like sending customers dusty vintage clothing smelling of old closets.  Oh, did I mention most are larger sizes, with waist measurements of 29-32″?   Hard to find really stylish vintage dresses in these sizes.  So you can imagine how excited I was when I acquired these.

So, vintage stylistas, feast your eyes on some of my latest offerings.

1950s-vintage-dresses

1950's vintage dresses

I’ve also just added some  new 50s pinup style dresses from the

Bettie Page Clothing Company.

Bettie Page Dresses

Bettie Page Dresses

And  a gorgeous 1940’s gown in a romantic floral print.

Perfectly lovely for a vintage wedding.

DuBarry 1940's floral print vintage gown

DuBarry 1940's floral print vintage gown

See the Blue Velvet Vintage “What’s New” page for additional information

on these newly listed spring fashions.   Plenty more to come!

Donna Reed and I share the same birthday

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

That’s right, vintage stylistas. Today is my birthday and I did a little googling and found out Donna Reed, the queen of mid-century marital domestication,  and I were born on the same day.  Perhaps that explains my obsession with those 50s and 60s shirtwaist dresses with the full skirts.  Not so crazy about the stepford wife lifestyle, but dressing like one is another story!

Here is a photo of Donna Reed in all her 50’s housewifely glory.

donna-reed-10

Checking her son’s temperature wearing one of her little shirtwaisters with an adorable apron.donna-reed-11

Of course, her look on the Donna Reed Show is the one most people remember.  But I’ve found a bunch of great pictures on FanPix.Net that show off her glamorous side.

donna-reed-12

She also starred in many films before her television career, including It’s a Wonderful Life with James Stewart,  The Benny Goodman Story, Last Time I Saw Paris and  even won an Oscar for supporting actress in From Here to Eternity with Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra.

And here are a couple fabulous Donna Reed worthy dresses I found at Vintage Viruosa, just in case anyone wants to buy me a birthday present!

60’s green chiffon shirtwaister

green-chiffon-shirtwaist-dress

Pretty pink floral shirwaist dressfloral-shirtwaist

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