Tag: sailor

Laura Bakker’s Catalogue of Fashion for Men and Women

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Felt appliques make this blouse awesome!
Felt appliques make this blouse awesome!

I happened upon Laura Bakker’s Catalogue of Fashion website in one of those lists – THOSE lists, that purport to have links to all the repro goodness, but ultimately and eventually the links stop working as websites go out of business (which is why I won’t maintain one of THOSE lists on this website). HOWEVER, every now and again you find a true gem, still in business, with fantastic garments.

With a degree from the Art School of Maastricht in her pocket and a love of movie costumes from the 1930’s through the early 1950’s, Laura got to work making her line of unique and individualized fashions. From the website: “Everything is made by only me, the patterns, the clothes and all the applications. Every item is made only once, my little personal war against all the big productions 😉 I wish to offer all the ladies & gentlemen something special.”

The menswear offerings include great shirt and trouser basics that look comfortable for dancing. The women’s clothing is all about the details and you can see on each piece how it is unique and how Laura has left her own mark on each piece, with buttons, trim, contrasting fabrics, inset panels, and even hand-painted details.

Here are some of my favorites from the website:

These 1950's cut high waisted trousers look great for spring and summer.
These 1950’s cut high waisted trousers look great for spring and summer.
"In the Navy" playsuit YESSSSSSSSS
“In the Navy” playsuit YESSSSSSSSS
Blue rayon short sleeved shirt, check out that collar!
Blue rayon short sleeved shirt, check out that collar!
Margie dress - I love the placement of the trim, to draw the eye up toward the neckline and also emphasizing the waist, moving toward the hips.
Margie dress – I love the placement of the trim, to draw the eye up toward the neckline and also emphasizing the waist, moving toward the hips.
High waisted pants in gray-green.
High waisted pants in gray-green.
Green AND a keyhole neckline!
Green AND a keyhole neckline!
My grandmother had a dress with this hip detail in the late 1940's - love!
My grandmother had a dress with this hip detail in the late 1940’s – love!
Hand painted panther blouse, for lovers of cats great and small ;)
Hand painted panther blouse, for lovers of cats great and small 😉
1940's sports jacket
1940’s sports jacket

Trashy Diva Hepburn Jumpsuit & Nautical Dresses!

IS PANTS
IS PANTS

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

ARE YOU SEEING THIS?!? Trashy Diva has out-Trashy Diva’d themselves and come out with a jumpsuit (perhaps, even, beach pajamas?) in gorious navy rayon. This isn’t a gown, these are some awesome, wide leg, flowy pants! Pants with all the utility of a dress – just one piece and, voila! Your outfit is complete.

This is part of a nautical collection they have been inching out onto their website over the past couple of days, so there may be more additions after this post. I’m going to post everything here because it should be seen. Adorable!

Sailor dress with giant pockets!
Sailor dress with giant pockets!
Anchor dress...this one is calling my name...
Anchor dress…this one is calling my name…

WWII Sailor Suit

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

File this under unisex: I found a great sailor suit this morning on eBay, advertised as World War II-era, and in a small men’s size with the signature 13 button pants that make everyone (male and female) look like they have an amazing bum. Obviously, this was originally a man’s uniform, but I love that they have a woman modeling it. 🙂 It’s also labeled as being in perfect condition, which is pretty amazing. My only complaint is that it is without rank, but perhaps one could go to your local Army-Navy store or eBay and find some period-appropriate insignia? Still adorable!

Allure Original Styles on Etsy

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

I’ve been following Allure Original Styles for a while, from her initial offerings through eBay as seller buddhaboogie (which is still used to sell what appears to be samples), to a full-fledged Etsy store where you can purchase custom made reproduction swing era garments. Allure Original Styles distinguishes itself from other reproduction sellers by creating an extensive line of pants and complimentary blouses. The fabrics range from wool gabardine to light-medium weight denim, to cover both dressy and casual pants needs. I am probably most excited about having wide leg denim options – while I love to dress up, sometimes you have you wear jeans for more casual occasions and shopping for jeans is only a step above shopping for a swimsuit on the loathsome activity scale. What could be more comfortable for everyday wear than a pair of flattering wide leg lightweight denim jeans?

There are also some great dresses and other separates from the store. So much to love here…I might learn to love wearing pants again:

Adorable - high waist belted denim trouser with contrast top stitching, complimentary seersucker blouse with neck tie *drool*
1940's reproduction overalls - so stinkin' cute
Classic wide leg trousers with side buttons
30's/40's belted skirt
Desperately want this dress in my size...
1930's blouse - love the bow and the zig zag seam below the bust line
1930's sailor skirt with fantastic seam detail
Sailor shorts! There are also pants available in a similar style

Tara Starlet

This post was written by Lindy Shopper.

Lace Collar Dress

It’s been a while since I posted reproductions, so here is your reproduction retail fix: Tara Starlet is a UK based company that makes reproduction 1940’s and 1950’s clothing with an interest in recycling and creating eco-conscious products.

From the website: “We are advocates of recycling and we have a collection of original buttons and trimmings from our favourite era that we try to incorporate into our designs wherever possible, giving our collection true authenticity. Also we reinvent quality wool jumpers, injecting a bit of fifties glamour to give them a new lease of life! We use end of roll fabrics too, putting to good use what would otherwise be waste. This means that our designs are often made in a selection of different fabrics with a limited amount of garments in each, so you won’t find hundreds of other women wearing the same thing! On top of this, all of our clothes are made locally in London, to keep our carbon footprint dainty.”

I love the idea of reusing original materials – there is waste where there is leftovers, even from the 1940’s, and if we can reuse these notions and fabrics, it creates a really interesting hybrid vintage/new garment and eliminates the need for modern manufacturers to re-create these items. The original stuff is better anyway, right?

Here are some of my favorites from the shop:

Autumn Starlet Dress - adorable, and with sleeves!
Schoolgirl style + halter = awesome
Satin Sweetheart Dress
Sailor Blouse
Bright Sailor Slacks
Cosy Cape - how cute is this?