Fashion Envy: 23skidoo Shoes from American Duchess

Oh, she's done it again. American Duchess has made a pair of shoes I just can't live without! Her latest shoe, the 23skidoo is a 1920's strappy shoe that I most definitely daydream about. In fact, she's doing a giveaway right now over at her blog!

Check out those puppies! Aren't they just darling?

Be sure to pop over to the American Duchess blog to enter to win your pair soon! The contest only runs until November 10th!

Fashion (Blog) Envy: All the Pretty Dresses (CP)

(Cross Posted)

It's a grumpy sort of morning. I have Pride and Prejudice playing on the television and am snugged up in nearly ten blankets on the couch with a puppy (I've yet to start the wood fire this morning). My DH is out of town this weekend, leaving me to my own devices (watching Jane Austen adaptations on DVD, napping and grumping around eating poorly) but I just happened to stumble across this blog this morning and so I had to share it.

All The Pretty Dresses is a blog detailing the internet findings of an antique fashion fan and there are nearly eight hundred posts! Each post documents a dress or piece of clothing that she has found on web sites other than museum sites (ebay, etsy, etc) and has the original photos and description, as well as her own input. I've been on this site for so long that I can barely see straight, and I've only nicked the surface!

This page has convinced me to post a few of my own vintage and antique dresses over the next few weeks as I get them cleaned up. Stay Tuned!

Fashion-Envy: Late 1910's House Dress (CP)

Here's another top-contender for dresses I'd love to remake. This one is actually almost within my budget, and it's already a reproduction, but there's just something so gosh-durned awesome about making a dress yourself, especially when I can tailor it to my exact fit.

I'd love to do this one with hand-embroidered detail at the cuffs, modesty-panel and hem. I wish I had a better photo of it. The neckline is my favorite. 

Edit: I have started work on a dress very similar to this one. I turned it into a wrapped blouse and drafted it all myself, using some diagrams from historical patterns as reference, and as of this morning it is nearly done! I'll be posting some in-progress photos, as well as some finished shots asap.

Fashion-Envy: 1920's Working Class (CP)

(Cross Posted, again)

Lately I've been thinking about choosing a dress to recreate using modern fabrics. This one below is one of my current favorites. I found it on Etsy, and while I'd love to buy it, I'd love even more if I could own a sturdy, wearable reproduction of it. It's a mid-20's dress that would've been worn by a working class woman. Perhaps a factory worker? 

It's pin-tucked wool with a linen insert, cuffs and collar. I can't help but want to try it out, especially with the drawn-thread work in the linen. My main concern is that it would look kind of funky on my petite-yet-busty figure.

What do you think of it? I'd love to get readers' opinions on it before I start searching for fabric.