Edwardian-era Fashion

For whatever reason, this old Edwardian-era mail order catalog has been been passed down through the family. I'm fascinated by the descriptions, prices, and fashions - it's like a time capsule of the Edwardian-era

Downton Abbey is enthralling viewers right now so this catalog is also a great way to discover more styles that Lady Mary and company might have worn during the first season of the show.

To give some perspective, servants only made about 50 dollars a year, and a dollar back then would be equivalent to over twenty dollars today. So this catalog was probably for the fairly well-to-do! (Unfortunately, my family's fortune dissolved quite some time ago...)

Furs were all the rage, and a must-have for the fashionable lady. I wonder if the equivalent of PETA existed back then.

The catalog had fashions for men and boys as well. You can see the "Sample Russian Blouses" they advertise. This look was very popular as it was the same one sported by Tsarevitch Alexei, son of Czar Nicholas II.

I think I'll be on the look-out for the jewelry equivalent of this catalog in the future. Then I'll be able to see which accessories pair with these styles!

See more Edwardian styles I scanned from the catalog and cleaned-up here.

Summer Tank Tops

Browsing the new Urban Outfitters catalog, I found these fun tank tops! I love that they're nice and cool for summer without being extra tight-fitted and low-cut (as a lot of them are these days).

They're also great sources of inspiration for diy tops! You could do your own favorite line from Alice in Wonderland, words that inspire you, or animal prints, using iron on transfers or screenprinting.

Bathing Beauties

I'm a fan of all things vintage and retro, so of course I love these colorful bathing suits from LA Drama Queen.

The "Absinthe" suit has simple and classic lines, but adds to the vintage feel with a charming bit of lace accented with a bow. The "Scrunchkini" is playful and bright with its polka dot pattern, but can be cinched to change the look from more vintage to more modern (and back again!).