Post-War
The 1940s were such an interesting time in fashion. The 20s silhouette had a similar ease of movement, and 30s styles also skimmed the body; the 40s, though, had both an intense practicality and a playful femininity that I think is fairly unique to the era.
I wasn’t always a fan of clothing from the period. I’m fairly broad shouldered, and I wasn’t really into the idea of further accentuating that with shoulder pads. Over the years, though, as I’ve learned more about vintage fashion and just spent more time looking at it, the strong-shouldered 40s silhouette has really grown on me.
This dress is a new favorite, largely because it combines ease of wear with a bit of whimsy in a way that I find really fun. The construction is a bit unusual - the dress actually slips on over the head and then cinches at the waist, which you can see best in the second photo. The matching vest (yes, a vest - I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before) has an enormous collar, which you can wear multiple ways to minimize or maximize the amount of pink showing. From the moment I tried it on and felt how easy and comfortable it was to wear, it felt to me like a unique example of post-war American sportswear.
In other news, the weather here has been absolutely insane. It snowed (SNOWED!) on the 27th, and to be honest I felt personally betrayed by whatever weather gods are looking over Chicago right now. While the snow melted away pretty quickly - I took these photos the day after - it was still quite chilly and very windy out. I kind of like what the wind added to some of the GIFs, but I will just say that I had a fairly tidy poodle when I left the house, not the cough rock and roll version that you see here.
I’m settling back into work after my vacation and waiting, not very patiently, for the weather to feel a bit more like spring. We’re finally starting to get a frosting of green on the trees, so maybe I’ll have some magnolia or apple blossoms in my future in the coming weeks.
Dress: Hopscotch and Soda @ North Avenue Collective
Shoes: Royal Vintage
Bracelets, Ring, Hat: Vintage
