1950s Sports Car Themed Belt by Calderon

This belt that I recently bought from Carla and Carla on Etsy was chosen for my collection because of two things.  It fits into a general travel theme and it can be paired with my 1950s novelty print skirts. I’m always looking for this type of belt, especially those featuring travel or sports.

I’ve seen these novelty belts advertised as being from the 1950s, 1980s, or even 1970s.  I can see why there is confusion, especially with the 80s.  During that era belts were wide, and were often contoured to fit the waist.  I’ve even seen similar belts from the 1980s that were decorated with African animals or faux coins.  But this one is from the 50s, or maybe the early 60s, when novelties were very popular.

The maker is Calderon.  I don’t know a thing about the company other than they made belts and handbags at least from the 1950s through the 1980s.  Oh, and that they made a high quality product.  My belt is stamped “Handmade” and it has features that would not be seen in lower quality belts.

Note the little leather patch.  These are glued over the metal pieces that hold on each metal motif.  Also, notice how nicely the back of the buckle is lined in leather.

In this photo you can see how the belt curves to fit the bottom of the waist.  A belt this wide, just under two inches, would be uncomfortable if it was cut straight and had to sit on the middle of the waist.

If I were the type to go crazy with a theme, I might pair this belt with this skirt.

I’m always looking for similar belts, so if you happen to spot one, please don’t hesitate to let me know about it.  But don’t bother with this one on 1st Dibs, as I’ve been looking at it lovingly for quite a while now.  And I’ll be looking at it for a while longer until someone lists one on etsy for a bit of a lower price!

 

1950s Golf Course Novelty Contour Belt

Ever so often I get something on my mind and off I go in search of it.  Lately I’ve been sharing (showing off) my collection of novelty print skirts on Instagram, and I started thinking about belts to go along with them.  Belts can be difficult to find, partly because they are not always easy to place a date on and search terms are often vague.

There is one type of belt from the 1950s that is generally easy to identify.  Designed to wear over the full gathered skirts of the era, these 1950s belts are often quite wide and are contoured to fit the waist.  My favorites are themed and are decorated with symbols of the theme.  I recently located the golf course themed one I’m sharing (showing off) today.  It was an etsy find, from seller South Side Market.

Though golf themed, this was a fashion item rather than a belt for active sports.  It was designed to fit tightly around the waist and would have been too constricting for actual play.

These belts were made in lots of themes.  Years ago I found one that has an airline theme.  South Side Market had a really super one that was magazine themed, but unfortunately for me it had already sold.  And probably the best one I know of is for sell at Poppy’s Vintage Clothing.  It has the names of French designers with dress forms.

These must have been a popular item at Saks Fifth Avenue, because I’ve seen quite a few of this type belt stamped with the store’s logo.  Two makers were Criterion and Calderon.

This selection of wide belts was pictured in the spring-summer 1956 Montgomery Ward catalog.  Though not decorated, these belts would have looked great with a simple blouse and a gathered skirt made from a fun printed cotton fabric.

Project – Handwoven Belt

I hesitated before writing this post because I’m sure it’s going to give some of you the impression that I have too much time on my hands.  It is true that I no longer have to show up at a workplace at 7:55 every morning, but I find there are always interesting ways to spend one’s time.  And while a little weaving was fun, I don’t think I could take a steady diet of it.

I wisely chose to do a project that would be quick.  The actually weaving of the strip for the belt was accomplished over the course of an afternoon, interspersed with other tasks.  I just could not keep it up for longer than about five minutes or so.  Something has definitely been messing with my attention span.

I used a light blue cotton yarn for the warp and a darker blue wool yarn for the weft.  I haven’t quite gotten the knack of keeping each row of weft pressed down evenly, but I found that I could adjust the thin spots with my fingers after the weaving was finished.

I already had a nice leather and buckle piece that I’d saved from an old belt where the canvas was in poor shape.  I’m always picking up things like that when I run across them at the thrifts.  One never knows what will be useful!

My weaving would not be sturdy enough on its own, so I needed to interface and back it with another fabric.  I just happened to have a piece of Liberty Tana lawn that was the right size.  Another thing I always buy when I see them are Liberty neckties.  There is an amazing amount of fabric in a tie, well worth the fifty cents they usually cost in thrifts.

After cutting the interfacing to the right width (a couple of millimeters less than my woven piece) I wrapped the cotton fabric around it and pressed the cotton to fit.

I then stitched the backing to my woven piece.  I waxed the thread for a bit of body.

I trimmed the edges and secured the loose ends through all three layers.

There were already stitch holes in the leather where the original canvas was sewn on.  I used the very same holes for my stitches.  I used silk buttonhole twist, again waxed for strength and body.

When expert leather workers hand stitch, they use two needles and two strands of thread that go through the holes from opposite sides.  It makes for a strong stitch, but I did it the easy way, doing every other hole and them going back in the other direction.  Here I am half way and ready to reverse my path of stitches.

And here it is all finished.  It actually was a very quick project, with maybe two hours total in the making.

And here’s a photo showing how it looks when worn.

This may be my one and only weaving project, but I’m glad I did this one.  I like the belt, and I have a new appreciation for all the work that women used to have to put into the production of garments.

 

 

Original Lanz

It’s no secret to readers of this blog that I love ethnic inspired fashion.  And one of my favorite vintage labels is Lanz.  Not the 1950s and 60s fashion Lanz, not the modern flannel nightgown Lanz, but the Original Lanz of Salzburg.  The company was founded in 1922 by the Lanz family.  They were located in Salzburg, Austria, where they supplied traditional folkwear costumes for Austrians attending the Salzburg Music Festival.  That’s the festival depicted in The Sound of Music, by the way.

In the mid 1930s, Lanz had expanded in the US, where they continued to make their trachen – type garments.  What I find really interesting is how popular these styles were during WWII.  The dirndl is not necessarily a German garment, but it certainly is associated with the region.  So it’s puzzling to consider why German and Austrian styles were so favored during a time in which we were at war with Germany!

There is a theory of cultural imperialism, in which the victors (or in this case, hopeful victors) take on the dress and other customs of the defeated.   That certainly seems to be the case.

Well, whatever the reason, I just love the clothes, and have a mid 1940s embroidered dirndl dress and a sweet jacket from about the same time.  And now I have a real collection of Lanz, because I just found my third piece.  This one is a belt, all hand worked and wonderfully detailed.  Check out the kissing couple on the back!