Wednesday 2 February 2011

Knit fashions




It's fair to say I'm partial to knits: I grew up in them, lucky to have a mother who's been knitting tirelessly for me all my life. I wore knits as a baby, as a toddler, I had knitted trousers, jackets, blouses and skirts in primary school, secondary school and so on. To a certain extent it was due to how poor we were. There was very little money around, but my grand parents had sheep, so wool was plentiful. My grandmother could, and still can, process the wool through all stages, from the raw material to the finished garment. She did just that, and my mum knitted away...And she still does, bless her soul, and makes the most wonderful things for me. 
It goes to show you are never really poor when you have a skill. What fantastic women they are, I have for them the humblest admiration, and I wish to I reach a stage in my life when I shall be worthy of their generous gifts to me.


Mother knitted this green ensemble based on the the catalog pic shown above - no pattern, no nothing, just my measurements to go by - and at long distance! I tried it on when it was all done and ready to wear.
Thank you mum!


I have been wearing it today with my Poetic Licence faux snakeskin shoes (I love this brand for vintage inspired cute footwear) and a 30's knitted bag. I was wondering about this style bag - were they meant for summer rather than being an all season thing? In which case, oops, I got it wrong again.
Also, I am not very confident about the purple touch. First of all, I am not quite sure the color suits me (although I must have thought so when I bought the beret and the scarf).
Secondly, the green and purple combination has an 80's vibe to it, so I guess my question is:  was this at all done in the 30's?
This is where some color catalogs would come in handy. I know I keep saying this, but I have made the first step, I've finally acquired a copy of the 30's Everyday Fashions,  so I'm not that bad. Eventually I will squeeze enough money for a catalog too. Perhaps they come with a crash course on grace, it surely won't go amiss when posing.


The jacket needs some proper buttons, as the ones I've put on, although vintage, are more of the 60's or later kind, and don't really do that much for the outfit. What I need is a buckle and buttons set, and I have spent ages on line and at fairs trying to find some pretty ones, but it's quite hard as I need a set of 10 large to keep in with the photo. But for now I've sewn on the ones I had, otherwise it will be spring by the time I get to wear this at all. 
And when you have such loveliness, spring can actually wait. Or, at the very least, what's left of winter is so much more bearable, when one is cocooned in the warm embrace of a thing made with love.



21 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness! The suit is amazing. I love the color and the detail. You are one lucky girl! I do have to say, though, that I like it best with the black beret in the second set of photos. I'm interested to know if some of the other commenters will have some knowledge about 30s color combinations.

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  2. Thanks Lauren! Yes, some info on color combination would be fantastic, especially as I was thinking along the lines of a nice contrasting color for the buttons and the buckle (there is a self belt, not pictured). The reason I didn't necessarily want black buttons is that I don't wish to be confined to wearing this with black accessories only.

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  3. oh, how wonderful! Delicious, truly! I must say I agree with Lauren (if I may) that the violet accessories, while lovely, don't quite show the set off to the same advantage that the black ones do (that vibrant color and the way the scarf is worn take attention away from the yummy and skillful details of the top!!). From what I've seen, violet appears in both dresses and accessories, but maybe with a lighter green for spring/summer? I digress: this is just splendid all around!

    PS: not to be annoying but I believe the little bag is actually crocheted (at least mine are, with corde and plastic handles). These seem to be daytime purses, although in modern contexts, they could work for evening as well, I think!

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  4. a popular combination with this color of green might be butterscotch? I can peek in some of my 30s knitwear booklets and see what else they describe? Your mom is so talented!!

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  5. Such a beautiful suit! I'm trying to knit one at the moment from a 1940s pattern... it's coming along very slowly as I have the attention span of an excited puppy, but this has totally inspired me to get going again :)

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  6. Yes of course the bag is crocheted, I beg your pardon everyone. No wonder people get annoyed with me, if I can't express myself properly and don't seem to have a clue what I'm talking about.

    I was in fact considering butterscotch buttons (I love the color) - and already have purchase a pretty bakelite buckle - but I am having second thoughts, it looks very bright next to the dark green. Or maybe the one I have is just too yellowish...In any case, I'm scared now that I've seen what the purple contrast did to it! :) Any suggestions from your booklets are more than welcome, Baroness!

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  7. That suit is fabulous! You are so lucky to have someone to knit for you. I am the only one in my family who can knit at all but I rather lack the patience for it.

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  8. my damn-green-dress loving heart is breaking now!! damn-it this is so cute!! can I have your mom`s phone number? ;P

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  9. Oh my gosh, that is AMAZING!! You look like 1930s perfection!!
    Mmm.... green and knitwear- the perfect combo :)

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  10. The suit is beautiful! What a very talented mom you have!

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  11. Thank you all, you are most kind.

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  12. So fantastic! That's it, after years of not avoiding knitted dresses because I didn't think they'd flatter my figure, I'm giving in. I must have one!

    I was thinking butterscotch would be a nice contrast, too. I kinda like the purple accents, I'm not sure the shade is quite right, but I think the black blends in a little too much. But thats just personal taste.

    Here's a recent post on color matching in the 40's - a little later than your period, but it still has some good suggestions: http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/2011/02/art-of-colour-matching.html

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  13. Another amazing outfit! Thank you for your blog comment. I am hoping the event will be a regular great fair to attend.... and I have the one in Cheltenham the next day! Lizzie

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  14. Thank you, Beth!, that's great!

    Hi Lizzie, yes, I am looking forward to it, as for the Cheltenham one,I never miss it.

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  15. as a collector of 1930s knits i must say you look fantastic and although that green set is not vintage in creation it certainly looks it! stunning!

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  16. Never ever have I seen such a beautiful knit skirt dress. Oh, I envy thee! this shade of green is my favorite, and it suits you great. What a lucky person you are!
    and the shoes of the same color, and the crocheted purse. Really, I'm amazed.

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  17. Thank you Lauren, my mother is very happy with all the good feedback - she is always so stressed she won't get things right, even after a whole life of knitting! So it gives me great pleasure to report back with all this positive feedback and appreciation, and make her feel that her work is really being appreciated. First of all and most importantly by myself, the wearer, eternally grateful, but some extra validation always comes in handy :)

    Iz bakinog ormara, welcome to my blog and thank you for your very lovely comment. Y
    es, am very lucky to have my mother. I've told her that, too!
    As for the shoes, they are not an exact match, but they seem close enough not to clash with the green of the ensemble. It's the last worry I have really, there are many other more glaring things to tackle in my quest for establishing my "vintage style", if only too pompous said. Perhaps "the best self expression through vintage and fashion that I can hope to achieve for myself" would be better wording.

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  18. Oh my goodness....your mother is AMAZING! I hav serious knitted suit envy! Just gorgeous! xxx

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  19. Just discovered your blog, and I am absolutely in love with you, your mom, and your ensembles. Keep up the good work.

    For what it's worth, even though purple and green are complimentary colors, I do think that the dark, almost bottle green of your suit is best accessorized with black. I adore the combination of dark geren and black.

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  20. Thank you Rosie-alia and TJB!

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  21. Oh my goodness, your mom is wonderful! This is a lovely ensemble. Your blog is giving me serious outfit-envy, in a good way!
    - Emily

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