Tuesday, January 4, 2011

What's new pussycat...

Laura Ashley and early Ralph Lauren....2 romantic favorites.
The style is sweet, feminine and schoolmarm in a very fun way.

Puffed sleeves, square neckline and lots of gathers...these 2 styles are retro. Meaning a new design that recalls an original design of earlier times, these are based on turn of the century styles...The Last Century!
These are fresh additions in my etsy shop.. These are another 70s kind of style. We usually think of cheesy polyester, hippie or sleek disco styles, but there was another look....and it was nostalgic and happy.


With its puffy sleeves and fitted bodice, this black velvet dress is very Gibson Girl of the 1890s.

Drawn by Charles Dana Gibson, she was the IT girl of her time.
His drawings set the fashion standard of the day. Gibson Girl images were everywhere....in books,newspapers,magazines and also in wallpaper, china plates, matchboxes and umbrella stands. Those things are the antiques of today!






This is a modern pattern for a jacket that shows the Gibson elements
.....based on illustrations of the original time period....about 1880 to 1905.

the Laura Ashley label, Made in Great Britain.



How cute is Laura Ashley?
This cute is how cute!
from Nibs blog, is this sweet styling of a classic similar (tho printed) Laura Ashley dress.





Streamlining the puffy sleeve, this lacy blouse is late 70s/early 80s Ralph Lauren. Sweet and simple with dolman sleeves. Looking back to mid 1800's, Ralph does Western Cowgirl of the Prairies.

The 70s skirt is also a retro style, with it's fitted yoke and very full gathers, the American West with its romantic spunky gals......very Little House on the Prairie....





Ralph Lauren. American.

Taking our myths and giving them a practical twist.



Whoa! so Schoolmarm. me likey. I had bunches of this kind of blouse in the late 70s and into the mid 80s....of the 20th century.
Schoolmarm. yeah, perfect for being sent  to the principals office, and forced to spend 3 hours in the library.
Lots of eyelet lace, high collar and a cute tie, looking very Gibson Girl again!
Not a famous label, this blouse, it's of the style of the 1970s....by way of 1900.


because of the cold cold cold weather of late I moved my picture-taking into the house and played dress-up in the living room.