Projects

Thursday, December 01, 2016

Dress Like a 1940's Spy Novel Heroine

 I came downstairs wearing this black 1980's dress with red trim and Mr. ETB said I looked how he'd envision a character from a 1940's spy novel he was reading. I hadn't yet accessorised, so I took that as a challenge. I own some 1940's pieces that don't get much wear, so why not?

 The dress is made from a polyester fabric that can't decide if it wants to be brushed nylon or Ultra suede and falls somewhere in-between. It launders easily enough, but it does attract every bit of lint. I keep a lint roller in the car for just such fabrics, and this one really put the roller to use. As the dress was absurdly inexpensive I don't mind a bit of effort keeping it tidy.
 Two recently acquired brooches.
 Seashells encased in lucite with glitter-can earrings get any better?
 A bracelet that is fast becoming a favourite. It is quite heavy, which makes it difficult to wear for more than a few hours.
 Another velvet 40's handbag for my collection. I own a similar bag in a taller design, but at $3.99 I couldn't really refuse. The bag was in remarkably good condition, and probably didn't see much use.

 Outfit Particulars:

1980's does 40's dress-Goodwill
Belt-Came with another dress
Stockings-K Mart
Vintage swing jacket-Hand-Me-Ups
1940's velvet handbag-Goodwill
Both brooches-Goodwill
Bracelet-Goodwill
Vintage earrings-garage sale
Gloves-Mum's
Vintage velvet hat-Hand-Me-Ups
Fragrance-YSL Paris
I looked for a suitably vintage drink that a spy might have enjoyed in the 40's and found 

The Cablegram:
2 oz. whisky
1 teaspoon icing sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Stir well with ice. Strain into a tall glass and top up with ginger ale. 

I made a foam-board template for this year's gingerbread house today. I'm feeling pulled in a dozen directions at the moment, so I'm keeping it simple this year. We're heading into the end of semester and there's still so much ground to cover. I bought myself a present...
 I never knew I needed giant mugs until they ended up on the clearance shelf at Big Lots for .50 cents each. I bought two, because I like to go wild with money sometimes.
And now I have a cold, so they will get plenty of use delivering hot drinks. Pass the whisky.












11 comments:

  1. I'm still drinking from my Chai Guevara mug I bought for 75 cents at out local 'departmental' store. I'm sure Castro would have been proud, RIP.
    I remember that lint loving ultrasuede/brushed nylon stuff from the 80's, wasn't it called peachskin or something like that?
    Anywho, LOVE that bracelet and you definitely do look like a 40's villainess gettin' villainous.

    ReplyDelete

  2. Goody, you are a 1940s spy personified! That jacket is absolutely beautiful and I love the dress, hat , handbag and stockings? You wear stockings? OMG, I haven't worn stockings since I first met my OH and when I did I remembered why I welcomed tights so much when they replaced stockings. Stockings have got to be one of the most uncomfortable items of clothing - ever.

    Some fabulous jewellery; I absolutely loved the brooch with the circles round the black stone and the bracelet is so pretty.

    Middle grandson is making a gingerbread house at school on Monday. They made the dough last week - I'm looking forward to sampling some!

    Have a lovely weekend and keep sipping that whiskey...

    Veronica

    ReplyDelete
  3. I do love a 1940s spy novel so I utterly adore your ensemble, it's fabulous. Those earrings are fabulous, they're like the mad paperweights I used to buy from jumbles when I was a kid.
    Hope that cold does one soon. Keep drinking the whiskey. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a stunning outfit! Mr.ETB was spot on: you do look like a character from a 1940's spy novel. You accessorized the dress really well. I love both brooches but the second one is a firm favourite. I love the swing jacket too. Have been looking for one for ages. Hope you recover from your cold soon, but until then, a hot drink with plenty of whisky will do the trick, I guess. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  5. @Bibi
    There were so many odd fabrics that had names lost to history. Do you remember a leather-like fabric that wasn't pleather, but a flexible fabric that had a shiny finish? I've been trying to remember what it was called.

    @Veronica
    I DO wear stockings-even the silly "tan" ones. They're getting hard to find good, inexpensive ones, so I always buy in quantity when there's a sale on.

    Get photos of your grandson's artistic efforts-I love seeing what children's creativity can come up with when decorating gingerbread.

    @Vix
    Those old paperweights could break a toe if you dropped one.

    @Ann
    I need one of those vintage Thermos flasks like you collect so I can tote my hot booze with me and no one will know!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hats and gloves do make an impression, do they not? Especially when the gloves are adorned with a suitably grand bracelet! Somewhere in a closet I've an oddly shaped oblong box that was intended solely for the storage of "long gloves". I've forgotten the rules for wearing them, alas.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fabulous outfit, I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Man you suit hats, not many people do, but you so do. Ah the Ginger Bread House, I love what you do. Something I have never attempted is a ginger bread house. You spend a dollar, you are outta control lady!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. @Beth
    I think as long as you don't offer a gloved hand for a handshake, the rules are pretty straightforward.

    @Miss Magpie
    Thank you. I wish I had someplace smart to go.

    @Sue
    They're fun to bake, but it would be tricky in the Southern Hemisphere-humidity and gingerbread don't mix, so unless you were having a dry summer, I wouldn't try it. Maybe you can head for the beach and make a sandcastle that looks like a gingerbread house-how cool would that be?

    ReplyDelete
  10. So little money for a 1940s handbag! And looking like a character from a 40s spy novel is no bad thing; you'd definitely be a femme fatale. Try not to meet a sticky end...

    ReplyDelete
  11. @Mim
    I really have been lucky of late with bags-I have no idea why.

    ReplyDelete