Winter’s Last Gasp

For the past two days here in the Southern mountains it has been rainy, sleety and cold.  But hopefully this is really the end of winter, and the weatherman is my new BFF, as he has predicted sunny skies and highs in the 60s and 70s for the next five days.  All I can say is that he’d better deliver.

I thought about saving this fantastic skating theme scarf for December, but then I realized that a good scarf is a good scarf, regardless of the theme and the time of year.

That must be the crazy scarf elf.  Is he matchmaking?

That little tyke is going to learn to skate whether he wants to or not!

Skate tag?

 

And I want to say a huge “Thank You” to Juliet of SixCatsFun Vintage for sending this lovely gift.  I don’t know what I’ve done to create such a nice bunch of readers, but believe me, I’m so grateful for all of you.

Ad Campaign – Riegel Fabric, 1949

Riegel’s Fine-carded Gabardine is a ’round the year fabric for smartly styled garments that must look well, wear well… and cost less!  It has the rich “feel” that identifies quality everywhere… in a range of colors and weights for heavy outerwear or summer playclothes.

Whatever is wrong with actually dressing to fit the weather?  Can you imagine the young woman above in stiletto booties with no socks or tights, and a shaggy white fur jacket?  Or how about white wide legged pants that drag the ground, gathering snow and getting soaked through?  And my personal favorite, white print skinny jeans with four inches of bare leg between them and  white wedge shoes.  Yet in the aftermath of a snowstorm in New York City, these outfits were a common sight.

I know that there are people who spend weeks planning their ensembles for NY Fashion Week, and far be it from me to say they don’t have the right to look as foolish as they wish.  But there is a lot to be said for being a bit flexible when it comes to dressing for the weather.  Is it not possible for one to be both comfortable and fashionable?

I know that I’m missing the point here.  The purpose of dressing up for Fashion Week is so that one will be photographed.  Suzy Menkes calls it the Circus of Fashion.  The saddest part is that she is right:

Having lived through the era of punk and those underground clubs in London’s East End, where the individuality and imagination of the outfits were fascinating, I can’t help feeling how different things were when cool kids loved to dress up for one another — or maybe just for themselves.

 

Ad Campaign: Ski-O-Twill, 1937

Salute to “Lastex” for Ski-O-Twill special ski fabric that stretches… for fit, comfort and freedom

A chorus of ohs and ahs greeted this charming ski costume at the designer’s fashion shows, held while you were romping in the surf.  Where well-dressed skiers congregate this winter this suit will be seen – the last word in the prettification of the ski.  And you might as well be seen in it.

A lot has been written about how the invention of Lastex revolutionized the knit swimsuit, but here it is in a ski suit.  At the time most ski wear was being made from thick wool melton so this must have seemed to be a huge improvement.  But I’m not so sure that it caught on.  I’ve seen quite a few ski sets from the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and none had any degree of stretchiness.  I’d be interested in more information about Ski-O-Twill.

Work Projects Administration Posters, 1936 – 1943

In 1935 President Roosevelt signed into law the Works Progress Administration (changed to Works Projects Administration in 1939) which spent billions to create jobs during the height of the  Great Depression.  Most of the money was spent on construction projects (many communities got a new library or post office or bridge) but a small part of it was spent on the arts.  Artists and writers and musicians were put to work on projects that were to benefit the population at large.

One way artists were employed was in the creation of posters.  From 1936 through the end of the program in 1943, over 2000 posters were created.  They advertised theatrical productions, encouraged the use of public libraries, educated about the evils of syphilis, promoted our Nation Park system and promoted tourism.

The United States Library of Congress has a collection of 906 of these posters, and all of them are viewable online as part of the library’s Prints and Photographs Online Catalog.  Even better, there is no known restriction on their use as they were commissioned by the US government as part of the New Deal.

Also check out the other resources in the Prints and Photographs Catalog.  Many are pre-1923, and thus are in the public domain.  Just be sure to check the rights and restrictions for each division.  That information is easily found in the left sidebar.

Some of my favorites from the WPA collection:

Ad Campaign – Lincoln, 1937

Certain fortunate people combine knowledge that comprehends the best with the means to purchase it.

We should all be so lucky!

Ad Campaign – White Stag Gloves, 1940s and 1950s

I’m pretty sure I’ve already posted all of these great White Stag ads, but I’m re-posting them just to take a close look at the gloves.  In the above add from 1946, the shape and the color are pretty much the same as my pair.

And the same is true of these gloves in a 1945 ad.

This ad from 1944 shows two-tone gloves, but the contrast is much greater, and the palm area, larger.

This ad from 1952 shows two pairs of two-tone gloves.  Unfortunately, the gloves are not mentioned in the ad, and there is no sight of the zippers.

This is a page from a White Stag catalog, not dated, but World War II era.  There are no zippers mentioned, but that is to be expected during a time when metal was going toward the war effort.  My gloves are very similar to the description of No, 80.  My guess is that mine are “natural” or “sand” with aspen blue” or “glacier blue” leather.  I have more pages from the catalog here.

Vintage White Stag Ski Gloves

The USA is in the grip of an arctic air mass, so I thought some nice, warm vintage ski gloves would be in order.  These gloves (or are they mittens?)  from White Stag feature a zipper on the back of the hand, and probably date from the 1940s or early 50s.

White Stag was originally a tent manufacturer, and through the 1960s canvas continued to be a favored material.  The outside of these gloves are a fine gauge canvas, and they are lined with cotton flannel.  The palms are a light blue leather.  There is elastic at the wrist and again at the end of the glove.

You might think that the metal zipper would be cold against the back of the hand, but these are crafted so that the flannel overlaps the zipper completely, and so it does not come in contact with the skin.

It’s an interesting design, similar in concept to hunter’s gloves, except that on them the opening is on the palm side and is across the bottom of the fingers.

After I bought these last summer I started looking at White Stag ads from the 1940s, hoping to get a glimpse of gloves with a zipper.  I found plenty of their gloves that have a similar shape, and several with what appear to be a leather palm, but none had the zipper.  I’ll continue looking, and would appreciate any of you skiers and sportswear collectors out there providing me with any information you might have about this type of glove.

This label is very similar to the one from the 1940s and early 50s.