Get the look: Claire Randall's 1940's Blue Coat.

I don't know about you, my dear readers, but one of my favorite books is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. If you haven't read it yet, it's a wonderful historical tale with a heroine you can't help but love, and a plot you can't help but get hooked on. Showtime has been slowly and quite carefully recreating this amazing series (oh yes, did I fail to mention there are several books to this tale you'll love?) into a TV show with beautiful cinematography, excellent casting, and HEAVENLY clothing.

One of the most popular looks on the show so far has been Claire Randall's beautiful 1940's coat and hat from Season 1. Recently, I saw a Facebook post asking for patterns to get the look and it got me to thinking... I have those patterns! So, without further ado, here is how to get the look!

The perfect pattern for this is Depew #4185 which can be easily adapted to look like the coat above.
Instead of three buttons as pictured below, just sew a tab and use one button. The sleeves and pockets are nearly identical but the difference is the fullness at the back.

To add that fullness, you can use the simple slash and spread method with the back of your pattern for added pleats:

And on to the hat, I have that one too! This is a great translated vintage French hat pattern from the late 1940's that has four hats included. The version to copy Claire's (somewhat hard to see) hat would be model B From Depew #1022.

How about you? Is there a TV show out there with clothing you just can't get enough of? I know some of us might consider ourselves a bit too grown up for teen dramas, but I'm going to admit, I also love to watch Reign from the CW. It's a probably definitely not-very-historically-accurate dramatization of Mary Queen of Scotts, and I could say that I just watch it primarily for the clothes, but that we be a lie... I watch it for the crazy guilty pleasure of will-they-or-won't-they soap opera drama!

But seriously though, the clothes!

Of course they've used loads of creative license (and by lots, I mean all of it) in the costuming but it's such a refreshing spin that I find I look forward to the blatant fashion historical gaffes rather than being annoyed by them.
You may now proceed with violent disagreement. It's ok, I know, I sort of deserve it. Like I said... Guilty pleasures and what-not.

xoxo







P.S. You know how we might have been talking about a bra sew-along? Stay tuned, it's going to happen soon!

Vintage Find of the Week

Well, not find of the week, really, since I seldom make it into town and the thrift shops are run by a bunch of vintage Nazis with a price gouging habit. More like vintage find of never.
But anyways, don't you just love that feeling of seeing a rack full of clothing, and your eye just seems to zoom directly to the perfect 1/4" of a divine vintage print peeking through the god-awful 1980's metallic turquoise and black velvet ranks.

That's what this print did for me, and my heart did a little flutter as I pulled it off the rack, just knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would fit perfectly. I love that smug feeling of pulling it on, not because you were worried it wouldn't fit, but just because you couldn't wait to see how good it would look on you, and knowing you were right.
Who cares if it's over priced Nazi vintage? It's meant for my smug vintage closet regardless.

 

What's up for next time? A vintage pattern make up in gorgeous rose colored rayon satin:

Stay tuned.

Introducing PhoebeDelia's Mercantile

I am lucky to say that my mother and I have a great relationship. She raised me in a world quite different from most. I grew up in an antique shop. As a baby I slept in beautiful antique, lacy baby gowns, laying in a lovely antique bassinet in my mother's shop. Customers were often surprised to see me stir, thinking I was a doll.

As I grew, most days were spent playing with scraps of lace or curled up with a book in a nest of satin quilts underneath a lovely antique table while my mother worked. Weekends were exciting expeditions to thrift shops, estate sales, auctions and the like, in search of treasure. My sister and I could spot a valuable antique from a mile away, and there were finders fees to be had. It was, and still is, my favorite game, hunting treasure.

Sewing was a big part of this. My barbies were the best dressed you ever saw, sporting real silk lined mink coats fashioned by my mother with scraps. Many of my clothes were hand sewn (though I never appreciated the work, or the originality of my wardrobe until years later when I tried to sew my first dress and thought, How the hell did my mother manage this?)
 My tastes always leaned towards the vintage dresses I had played dress-up in (who else had slightly tattered 1950's prom dresses, a real fur coat, and rhinestone covered everything in their dress-up box?)

I'm the little one in the massive hat.

Naturally, my antiqued, gilded, dusty and bejeweled upbringing has everything to do with my passions today. I wear vintage, I sew vintage, I hunt vintage, I blog and breathe vintage.
So it's only natural that my mother and I should still be in business together today. I'm web savvy and she has the know-all from 30 years of running an antique business. My sister and I both helped her start on eBay when it started up, and now Mom has two shops online, one on Etsy.com specializing in vintage sewing, clothing, jewelry, and accessories overseen by me and one on Rubylane.com focusing on rare antiques.
She is my first sponsor for the blog (I'm over-payed in vintage couture, who could complain?) and I asked her to share a bit about herself. The story is great, and goes to show that following one's passions can lead to a life well lived, and on the glittering, lacy terms one chooses.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my mother: