One last vintage coat...then Winter gets the boot!

Early last month, when I was still starry-eyed over all the beautiful snow we'd been getting in Minnesota, I posted a few of my 9 vintage coats with a promise to share more of them soon. 

Well, even though Minnesota winters last forever, my excitement over the cold & snow and wool sweaters & coats faded very quickly.  We've had 52 inches of snow in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area so far this season, with another 25" or so expected to fall between now and April - and I've had more than enough of this white stuff for one year! 

But before I give Winter the boot...let me just show you one more fabulous vintage coat that I found...

I'm acting a little giddy modeling this coat partly because I'm seeing sunlight shining through my kitchen windows after a long streak of dreary, overcast days!

What intrigued me most about the coat were the unusual fur-trimmed bell sleeves, which gives it a bit of a Victorian look.

The fur on the sleeves and collar is so soft and cozy.  I believe that it's  mouton fur - which is "a high-grade lambskin that’s specially processed to mimic the density and radiance of sheared beaver or mink fur." Most commonly mouton fur was dyed to a chocolate brown, like my coat - but it was also dyed in other shades, including white.

One thing I don't like about the sleeves is that they are oddly about an inch too short, as you can see in my photos. I'm pretty sure that I don't have unusually long arms, so I don't get it.  

Was this look intentional? maybe to show off gloves? - or was this coat simply meant for a much shorter woman (I'm 5 ft. 5 in.)?  I know that the trend in the mid-to-late 50's was to push long coat sleeves up on the arm to three-quarter's length.  But that doesn't make much sense with this style.  Any thoughts?

Okay, enough about the flaws!  Back to why I adore this coat..   I love the double-button detail.  The buttons match the chocolate brown coat perfectly, and have pretty gold lucite centers.

        

I've mentioned this before - I think that vintage clothing labels are so beautiful!  And this coat has three lovely labels:  "Friess Original", "Forstmann 100% Virgin Wool", and "Brucewood - Maurice L Rothschild - Young-Quinlan Co."

There's a wonderful guide to clothing labels on the Vintage Fashion Guild site, which is a big help in dating vintage clothing. The guide includes quite an extensive A-Z list of label samples, and my "Forstmann 100% Virgin Wool" label was noted as being found on an early 1950's dress.

Do you think this coat looks early 1950's? Or possibly late 1940's?  

In paging through my Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs from the 40's through the 50's, I didn't find any coats with a similar sleeve design - and just one coat in a 1950-51 Ward's catalog with a mouton collar of the very same shape. Maybe this shouldn't be a surprise, though. The Young-Quinlan Department Store sold a lot of higher-end designer fashions, and these sleeves might have been too unusual for the average Sears and Ward's customer.

Back of card: Young Quinlan, 901 Nicollet Mall, combines the decor of old world elegance with the most famous names in apparel for both men and women. This Twin Cities landmark also offers a gourmet galley, exquisite home furnishings gift shop and the well-known Fountain Room restaurant.

Here is an early 1960s postcard of the Young-Quinlan building, erected in downtown Minneapolis in 1926.  (Postcard courtesy of  Remembering Great American Department Stores.)

The building is still there, but the Young Quinlan department store, where my coat was originally purchased in the 50's, sadly went out of business in 1985 after a 59-year run.  The store's founder Elizabeth Quinlan (1863-1947) had been in the retail fashion business since the 1890's. She was the first merchant to sell ready-to-wear clothing west of the Mississippi. A fascinating woman, The Saturday Evening Post did a four-page spread on her in 1927, and in the mid-1930's Fortune magazine named her one of the country's top businesswomen.

Here's a pert little Mabel Ellsworth brown hat, ca. 1940's, that would probably have gotten Miss Quinlan's approval.  Isn't it sweet?  This was another estate sale find this past summer.

Unfortunately, my mannequin looks much better in it than I do, so I'll probably be selling it next year after I've squeezed every last bit of enjoyment from it...

Ta Da!  So that's it - we're done with Winter now...

From this point on, even if it's 10 degrees below zero outside, in this blog it's going to start feeling like Spring...

...beginning with a song from the 1945 film musical, State Fair:  Rodgers & Hammerstein's "It Might As Well Be Spring."  The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year.

Shirley Jones in Oklahoma - photo by J. R. Eyerman

In this 1950's video clip from The Danny Thomas Show, it's sung by the lovely and talented Shirley Jones.

I grew up knowing Shirley Jones as Keith, Laurie and Danny Partridge's mom in the early 1970's Partridge Family television show.  But before that, she had an amazing career as singer and actress, starring in the wonderful film musicals Oklahoma (1955), Carousel (1956) and The Music Man (1962).

Happy (it might as well be) Spring!  Enjoy...

It Might As Well Be Spring

Lyrics by: Oscar Hammerstein II
Music by: Richard Rodgers
From the Film: State Fair 1945

I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm, I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I'd say that I had spring fever, but I know it isn't spring
I am starry eyed and vaguely discontented, like a nightingale without a song to sing
O why should I have spring fever, when it isn't even spring

I keep wishing I were somewhere else, walking down a strange new street
Hearing words that I've never heard from a man I've yet to meet
I'm as busy as spider spinning daydreams, spinning spinning daydreams
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing

I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud, or a robin on the wing
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way, that it might as well be spring.
It might as well be spring.

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

It was nice to get all those warm fuzzies, congratulating me for pulling myself out of my seller's slump. 

But then Mary Van Note came along and had the chutzpah to say, "You should have easy to find links to your shops, though.  I can't find them!"

Oh, Mary - must you be so contrary!  :-)

I thought Marys were always supposed to be sweet like...

...silent film star Mary Pickford, "America's Sweetheart."

And Marys have sweet little lambs for pets...

courtesy of Lefton Collectibles

And they sing sweet, silly songs...


...like the early 1940's novelty hit, "Mairzy Doats."  Here it's sung by a very young, cute-as-a-button Janet Lennon, one of the Lennon Sisters of The Lawrence Welk Show. 

So sweet!  I always think of my own sweet sister, Mary, when I hear this song.

Mairzy Doats
I know a ditty nutty as a fruitcake
Goofy as a goon and silly as a loon
Some call it pretty,
others call it crazy
But they all sing this tune:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

If the words sound queer
And funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats
And does eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy"

Oh! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?

- composed by Milton Drake, 1943


But actually, now that I think of it - most of the Marys that I love best have a lot of spunk mixed in with their sweetness.

courtesy of The Wordslinger

One of my favorite films of all time, Frank Capra's 1946 "It's a Wonderful Life," also features one of my favorite fictional characters: Mary Hatch Bailey, played by the beautiful Donna Reed. 

courtesy of eeweems.com

Yes, Mary Bailey was as sweet and devoted a wife to George Bailey (James Stewart) as any woman could be, but it was her strength and spirit that made us all fall in love with her.

video courtesy of Sarbashrestha

This video features one of my favorite scenes and dialogues from the movie. 

George: What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary.

Mary: I'll take it. Then what?

George: Well, then you could swallow it, and it'd all dissolve, see? And the moonbeams'd shoot out of your fingers and your toes, and the ends of your hair... Am I talking too much?

Old Man: Yes! Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

George: How's that?

Old Man: Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

George: Want me to kiss her, huh?

Old Man: Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people.

*************************

 

Some other spunky Marys:

Actress Mary Martin...

...in the 1954 Broadway musical production of Peter Pan!  (Mary was such a convincing Peter Pan, I grew up thinking that she was a rather quirky looking boy.)

...and as Nellie Forbush in the wonderful 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, South Pacific.  Ms. Martin won a Tony for both of these roles.

And let's not forget about this famous fictional Mary...
Mary Poppins!

Julie Andrews in the 1964 Disney film, Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is everyone's favorite nanny: mysterious, adventurous, no-nonsense - and she adds a "Spoonful of Sugar" to everything!

Also... how about the talented actress Mary Tyler Moore?

She helped define the modern American woman of the 1960's and 1970's through two of my favorite television characters Laura Petrie and Mary Richards.

          photo courtesy of Oh Rob! The Laurie Petrie Fanlisting

Mary Tyler Moore as "Laura Petrie" in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 - 1966)...

                           photo courtesy of The 5 Magazine

...and as "Mary Richards" in the Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 - 1977)

Switching gears a bit, lets move into the fashion world.

I'll bet most of you know this famous designing Mary...
...the fabulous Mary Quant.

     photo of Mary Quant by Swinging_Sixties

Often when people think of Mary Quant, the name Twiggy immediately comes mind.  Why?  Because Twiggy was the perfect model for Mary's famous 1960's inspiration - the Mini Skirt!

photo courtesy of Strawberry Lemonade blog.  (Take a peek - it's fabulous!)

And here's my favorite musical Mary from the 1960's...Mary Travers.
Miss Travers was the lovely female third of the popular American folk-singing trio, Peter, Paul and Mary.

        photo courtesy of Reverb

 Peter, Paul and Mary with Symphony Orchestra, “The Prague Sessions” (Rhino)

Sadly, Mary Travers passed away last fall, September 19, 2009 - but her wonderful music lives on...

video courtesy of Ppmcsk

This incredible video of Mary Travers singing "And When I Die" is from a 1969 Mama Cass television special.  That's Mama Cass (of The Mamas and the Papas) and folk singer Joni Mitchell sitting on pillows, 60's style - applauding Mary.  Isn't her mini dress fabulous!

Oh, that song was a little sad, wasn't it?

Back to Mary Van Note to cheer us up!

Mary Van Note having a Pajama Party in her 1930's/1940's silk pajamas and 1950's Daniel Green slippers.

Mary Van, it's clear you are in very good company...and I not only forgive you for your contrariness, but you also deserve a big thank you! 

After I read Mary's comment, I decided that I had better quickly list a few more items on Etsy so that my shop had a little more oomph to it.  And then, thanks to her strong suggestion, I decided to come out of hiding.  So there are now links in my blog's side column to both my Etsy shop "Sarsaparilla's Boudoir" and my "Sarsaparilla" eBay listings.

Once again, a blogging friend has come to the rescue!  What would I do without all of you?

Have a wonderful Sunday - and a fabulous Thanksgiving week...
"Sarsaparilla" Susan

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Happy Saturday morning to you!  It's 6:00 a.m. and I am already on my second latte, hoping to get a little life going in these tired bones.

I need to put on a Shirley Temple smile and positive attitude - because I've got a big day ahead of me.

photo courtesy of The Official Shirley Temple Website

 

"On the Good Ship Lollipop" was the trademark song of child actress, Shirley Temple. Here she is, singing it for the first time in the 1934 movie "Bright Eyes."  Contrary to popular belief, the ship in the song is an aircraft.
In the song, the "Good Ship Lollipop" travels to a candy land. 

Today is Homecoming and Reunion Weekend at the college where I work.  I'll be helping out with some of the booths/events on campus.  No, I won't have to do a song-and-dance routine - but it sure will help if I'm light on my feet!  I'll need to fly to get everything done in time... 

Our college's heritage society (for donors of estate gifts) is sponsoring an "Antiques Roadshow" type event for our alumni.  Doesn't that sound fun?  It's the first year of this event, and I've been asked to bring tons of things in to display around the room - to give it a warm, antiquey feel.  

I expect to be on the go until about 6 pm tonight - but then after that I'm on vacation for a whole week! 

And guess what I'll be doing on my vacation?  Remember my goal of restoring Beauty and Order to my home? Well, this will be my week to get it done!  It feels a little overwhelming to me because I have so much that I'd like to accomplish.

But I think I can do it.   No...I know I can do it.  But encouragement from you, my dear blogging friends, will help too!

I ran across this charming film of the "The Little Engine that Could" from 1963. Maybe it's so charming to me because I have a foggy memory of watching this when I was about 5 or 6 (on TV? in kindergarten class?).   

It seems like the perfect inspiration for this coming week.  Wanna watch it with me?
(The first little bit of the film is a little shaky, but it's fine after that.)

Video courtesy of YouTube's WhosBobThomas


Oh my, and now it's 6:20.  I'd better get moving! I'm excited to share with my colleagues some of the fun old things that I'm bringing to our campus antiques show.

I would share them with you too, but I haven't taken any pictures of them...yet.   But I do have lots of other vintage things that I've collected and photographed over the years that I can show you.  Here are just a few. 

Because time is running short (!) this will be a purely visual and very random display.  Hope you enjoy...

Okay, enough of this nonsense...I had better get to work!!
Have a wonderful day! 

What'll I Do?

photo courtesy of Indospectrum

It's 2:30 a.m in St. Paul, Minnesota, and I'm listening to the lovely sound of rain outside my window as I type.  I know I should be sleeping, but I've got a lot on my mind - and I figured that blogging was more productive than tossing and turning. 

A friend of mine, and fellow blogger, wrote a little post a few autumns ago on "My Definition of Fall."  He chose this word:  Pensive.  1 : musingly or dreamily thoughtful  2 : suggestive of sad thoughtfulness.

I know what he means.  There's something about the change of seasons, summer to fall, that always sends me into this dreamy, wistful, nostalgic state.  Does this happen to you too? 

The 1923 Irving Berlin song, "What'll I Do?" captures that summer-to-fall wistfulness perfectly for me.  And this video's gorgeous photographs of 1920's film stars helps satisfy my nostalgic yearnings...

A ballad of love and longing, "What'll I Do?" was a 1924 #1 hit for the Paul Whiteman Band, and there were five other top-12 renditions that same year. Twenty-four years later, the song went to #22 for Nat Cole and #23 for Frank Sinatra.  Some of you might also remember that the song was featured in the 1974 film "The Great Gatsby."  Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford) and Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow) slow danced to this song in Gatsby's mansion.

Ah, I just noticed that the rain has stopped.  3:10 a.m.  I think I can get some sleep now.   Good Night - and Good Morning to you!  Have a wonderful third day of Fall...



video courtesy of YouTube's CharlotteSavoy.  Film stars in order of appearance: Clara Bow, Esther Ralston, Norma Shearer, Louise Brooks, Dorothy Mackaill, Anita Loos, Elsie Ferguson, Louise Brooks, Anna May Wong, Janet Gaynor, Carole Lombard, Marion Davies, Mary Pickford, June Marlowe, Louise Brooks, Lillian Gish, Blanche Sweet, Mary Miles Minter, Norma Shearer, Louise Brooks

What'll I Do?

Gone is the romance that was so divine.
'Tis broken and cannot be mended.
You must go your way,
And I must go mine.
But now that our love dreams have ended...

What'll I do
When you are far away
And I am blue
What'll I do?

What'll I do?
When I am wond'ring who
Is kissing you
What'll I do?

What'll I do with just a photograph
To tell my troubles to?

When I'm alone
With only dreams of you
That won't come true
What'll I do?

- words and music, Irving Berlin, 1923

Costume Jewelry Is This Girl's Best Friend

Marilyn Monroe may have needed diamonds to make her happy...

photo courtesy of Top 100 Female Celebrities

But girl-next-door types like me love costume jewelry!

I don't see too much talk about jewelry in the vintage blogs I've been reading, but I want to sing its praises!

There is an endless variety out there...

It can be casual and fun!  like this 1960's jewelry.

Or you can add a touch of glamour with 1950's rhinestones and pearls...



And best of all, it's often very reasonably priced (50 cents - $12) at estate sales.  And that suits me just fine because I'm Ms. Frugal.

As an example, this group of red clip-on and screw-back earrings came in a little bag at an estate sale for $1.50 on half-price day.

I also love costume jewelry's versatility.

Compared to many of my very fashionable blogging friends, I really don't own very many vintage clothes (that fit me).  Plus, I work in a rather conservative environment (fundraising at a college) and have gotten odd looks the few times I've been brave enough to show up at the office in a dress or jacket that was obviously vintage 40's or 50's.

But I can get away with wearing vintage jewelry.  In fact, it's brought me lots of compliments.  It's a great way to spice up ordinary office attire, like this turquoise top and black sweater combo - and give it a bit of a 60's flair.



Most of the jewelry I find is unmarked, but occasionally I stumble across a well-known name. This gorgeous blue set (below) had the Coro tag still attached to the bracelet.

I had to pass up the matching necklace - the most expensive piece of the three ($5.00) - because I didn't have enough cash with me that day.  Drat!

Don't forget to bring a magnifying glass to those Saturday sales!  I almost stepped away from these intriguing lilac and irridescent pearl earrings because they cost more than I usually like to pay (a whopping $4). But my trusty magnifier revealed that they were marked Germany on the back - a sign that they were likely made before 1949 when Germany split into East and West Germany.  I decided the little Germany mark made them well worth the $4 bucks. 

These are unmarked, but very intriguing - don't you think?

And here's a sampling of silver costume jewelry that I've collected in the past few years.  One can never have enough silver!  It goes with almost everything...

My favorite in the group - one that I wear quite often - is the chunky expandable bracelet. It's vintage, but has a contemporary look to it - and is a great accessory for dressing up a pair of jeans when going out on the town.

Most of you probably have pierced ears, and may have been hesitant to wear clip-on earrings.  I was hesitant too.  I remember playing dress-up with my mother's clip-ons as a kid - and my ears got so sore! 

Actually, that still happens to me sometimes when I wear them, and then I'll have to take them off after a few hours.  But it really depends on the earrings.  Some are so comfy I hardly know I'm wearing them.  I find that the screw-back type of earrings (see sample above, in the "reds" photo) are often more comfortable than clip-ons. But screw-backs are a little harder to find because once clip-ons were invented in the 1930's, they rapidly became the earring of choice over the next 20 years for most women. 

In case you were wondering where I keep all this jewelry that I've accumulated...

Well, as with most things in my life - I make do with what I already have.

Most of my vintage necklaces, bracelets & pins are in this old tin Louis Sherry candy box.

 

And I decided that this antique sewing cabinet that I've got on my dining room buffet would work perfectly to store all my earrings - grouped by color and style in little bags.  (Believe me, I'm not usually this organized .)  

Perhaps the dining room is an odd place to keep jewelry, but it works well for me because I'm usually putting on earrings as I'm racing out the door for work in the mornings - so this is very convenient!

* * * * * * * *

Oh my! - I just noticed that it's 3:30 pm!  Where did the afternoon go?  Sometimes time just speeds by when I'm happily blogging.  I guess that's a good thing.

One final note, and then I'll let you go.  While digging through my jewelry boxes today, I spotted my diamond wedding ring - which I (sadly) took off about 10 years ago, and planned to give to my daughter when she got older.

You know, I kinda liked wearing a diamond ring.  And if a man comes along someday and wants to give me another one...well, let's just say that I'd happily exchange all of my costume jewelry for one pretty little  diamond.  And yes - a small one would suit me just fine.

The song "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" famously performed by Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film, "Gentleman Prefer Blondes."  Video courtesy of YouTube's Chiswick2