Vintage Miscellany – May 15, 2016

If I did not know better, I’d say that is a giant smartphone in the pocket of this great circa 1917 cardigan sweater.

But it’s not, so here’s some real news for you.

•  “Aside from fixing minor rips and adding a missing button, the garments are unaltered.” Except that they are dyed black.
•  “Hedy Strnad sketched dresses in 1930s Czechoslovakia before she was killed in the Holocaust. Now, her drawings have been made into real dresses on display at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan.”
•  The WWII records of Britain’s Women’s Voluntary Service are to be put online by the  Archive and Heritage Collection team of the Royal Voluntary Service.  If you’d like to help, there’s a Kickstarter campaign.
• Ugly “late 19th century” jug valued at $50,00 by Antiques Roadshow appraiser turns out to be a 1970s high school art student project.
• Here’s a small look into the Yves Saint Laurent archive.
• I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’d love to own this tiny (extremely over-priced) Louis Vuitton bag, but it is the fact that it is a modern object based on the historic LV product that appeals to me.  No other brand need court my favor.
• Stephanie Lake, who owns Bonnie Cashin’s person archive and who recently released a book on Cashin, and Coach, the company Cashin designed bags for from 1962 through 1974 are in a legal battle over the rights to Bonnie Cashin’s name.
• Cone Denim in Greensboro, NC, continues to source natural indigo to produce cloth in their historic White Oak factory.  I was surprised that they even sell it to home sewers in smaller amounts.