The passing of icons

Two stars went dim in the universe last Thursday. Farrah was a fellow Aquarian so I always felt a kind of kinship with her. And Michael was just a phenom. They'll both be missed.

A perfect pattern from the 40's

I just couldn't resist this DuBarry "perfect pattern" from the 40's. While the outfit is very girlie and cute, I don't think such teeny waists would work these days for girls or women. I suppose just too much rich food and frappucinos. Sitting at the computer for long periods doesn't help either. It's so important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and I'm going to try to incorporate healthy habits into my daily life as much as possible. I'd sure like to be able to wear skirts with waistbands again.

My junior high skirt pattern

Every now and then I find vintage patterns at thrift stores for very little money. These two remind me of my junior high sewing classes. I made a straight skirt in blue wool (lined) and the picture on the right looks like the pattern I used back in 1959.

Colorful Hats

This wonderful hat reminds me of the early 60's when my mother opened a small dress shop in the Richmond district of San Francisco. She knew nothing about running a business but was newly divorced (quite scandalous at the time, or so I thought) and needed a job. Unfortunately, she had no business plan and bought her inventory based on what she thought looked cute. After she invested in racks, hangars, shelving, and a neon sign, there was little or no capital available to buy merchandise. She was forced to buy manufacturers' end of the season garments which were cheap but not very saleable. Hats were also very inexpensive and she bought lots of colorful straw hats like the one pictured here. Needless to say, my mother's dress shop didn't survive even a year. I wonder if any of my mother's hats are still around?

Oops!

Ooh la la! Another fashion faux pas...this time in London. What do we call this ensemble in fashion terms? I'd describe this as an outfit designed for tweens. However, it's simply ridiculous on the wife of our president. Perhaps she ran out of things to wear and had to borrow something from one of her girls.