Where have all of the original vintage stores gone?

While cleaning up around here I came across these pages I had ripped out of a 1973 Woman's Day magazine. They had obviously struck a cord with me for me to keep them - and I can instantly understand why.'Cos me being me and thinking of silly things I realised that if you fill up a shop right now with all cool stuff from today and not sell a thing, you could sell it for a bomb 20-30 years later! How's that for an investment and a retail space of the time? Apart from that, it's quite sad that some of our retail spaces just don't last the decades....

Watch out, hippies

On this cold Monday morning I am dreaming of huge knits - I love wraps and often live in one. This is more unique copywriting from the 1969/70 edition of American Fabrics magazine - I love the humour in this writing style - and I hope you enjoy it, too...

Watch out, hippies!

xNess

Sex and the Single Knit

The Winter 1969/1970 American Fabrics magazine I am currently reading is good for so many things - learning about corduroy is one and looking at the fashion and textile forecasts for the coming season that year is another. Here are two excerpts - Direction Number 3 and 4 have been expertly written - I thought you would get a kick out of reading them, too...

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

xNess

What I wouldn't give to walk into this fabric shop...

I have found myself reading my Winter 1969/1970 American Fabrics (issue 85) magazine snuggled up in bed these past two nights. It is the first day of Winter today, but it has been cold in these parts for some weeks. My thick comforter and hazy bedside lamp have called me away from the chills already. I read a really interesting article on home sewing in this edition - and I just adore this main photo from the article. Not only is it quite funny (as the 'new' fabric shop is now 'old'), but it also struck me that this is probably my fantasy shop - or, one of them anyway. Others would be fabric shops from the 1960s, 1950s, 1940s and so on. Have a look at those thick, lush bolts on the top floor...wouldn't you just love to walk down that window-framed aisle and touch them? I wonder what colours these beauties are, too? Oh, what a fantasy I have!

It's a mystery, alright...

In our digital era of seeing everything (whether you want to or not) I think there is one element that is dying. Mystery. Where is mystery going? I love a little bit of mystery. I think our ladies past knew exactly how to put a little mystery into their looks and lives. Isn't a little bit of mystery good? Not knowing everything is challenging and exotic and it gives you impetus to want to know more.

A little bit of mystery is a hint of what is to come. How romantic.

Vintage woodland beauty...

Aren't these the most gorgeous vintage illustrations? This book is called 'The Red School Bag' - it was written by Willis Mloduch, illustrated by Ann Justina, published by Danny Books Inc and printed in Sweden. I only came across one reference to it on Amazon and it was a 1953 publication.

The romanticism of the illustrations speak straight to my heart. Growing up in the 1970s, I found my books were all still brightly coloured, romantic illustrations. I love woodland. I love bluebirds. I love mushrooms. I love goblins and witches and secret places. Love it.

I thought you vintage lovers out there would get a kick out of 1950s childrens illustrations - so here are some of the finest...

A Marimekko we don't really know - American Fabrics, 1963-1964

I was browsing some of my American Fabrics books and came across an amazing article on Marimekko - written in the Printex days in 1963-1964. I photographed the entire three page article for you to read and study - the designs are NOT what I would have thought Marimekko would have produced, I have to say. It's only towards the end of the article and the architecture designs that the famous design voice of Marimekko starts to come through.

The silhouette for the coming season (in 1953)

This piece was taken out of the 1953 American Fabrics magazine I am reading at the moment - volume 25. Don't you just love those line drawings for Balenciaga and Givenchy? It's amazing what a story you can tell in simple lines...

Pennsylvania Dutch design - American Fabrics, 1962

This is a great little piece on Pennsylvania Dutch design, taken from the 1962 issue of American Fabrics magazine. Enjoy!