Brainstorming for winter wear

As usual, I had a long list of things I wanted to make this winter. Most of them pretty dresses. And some suits.
But of course, there are always practical considerations. And then, there is the issue of the expanding shoulder muscles...
And I still try to come up with sewing projects which can be made from stash fabrics, and not all the plans fit with that. 

Somehow, it seems like I need more tops again. Some nice ones, with a bit of vintage flair. And preferably some room growing room at the upper back. 

I have turned to Pinterest for inspiration. A couple of months ago, the site added the option to follow subjects. That made it really ease to find new images I like without spending a lot of time there. So, even though I haven't uploaded any pictures from my own vintage magazines for months, my amount pins has grown a lot (collected mainly on this board). 
And it's easy to find nice ideas there:

Maybe a simple fitted cardigan? Of course, the right colour is really important here...

These hip-length options are pretty great too (although this last one, by Jacques Fath in 1952, actually has a fur dickey I don't really care for) 

And then there are all those beautiful hyper-tailored 1950's jackets which might be made in knit to make them more comfortable. 

And the styles with blouse-y back panels might be very useful for me right now.

And of course, there are so many gorgeous, sleek unusual styles to aspire to...

(P)interesting

A short while ago, I mentioned joining Pinterest. As I announced, I 've been adding images and creating new boards gradually and I'm not even close to half-way through my magazine collection yet.

And yet, certain patterns start to emerge... Of course, some things, like the amount of images in each issue of a vintage magazine have nothing to do with my preferences but other things are pretty telling.

I knew I liked skirts with flounces. That's why I made one. And they were among my reasons for liking the years 1949 to 1951, and starting with adding those. But really, there is some seriously lovely stuff there. I know I already made a flounce dress, but I may need another. Or a suit...

And then pockets. Like many seamstresses, I like my clothes to have pockets. I also like pockets to be a design feature. And I'm not afraid of wearing a garment with eye-catching hip pockets. But there's such a selection, even just in those few years I've looked at now. And I love so many of them.

And after that, there are other things I didn't even particularly know I liked. The lovely fitted suits with blouse-y backs which Dior made in 1950 for example. And styles for which I haven't even come up with a category yet. 

I guess I'm just a sucker for the minor trends of the years after the introduction of the New Look. Which almost makes me accuse myself of fashion history snobbery but I swear it isn't. These are things I picked because I love them. Of course, when I get on to the later 1950's, there should be more full-skirted dresses (when fabric restrictions disappear) which I also love. However, as a pattern maker, I'll always be drawn to both clear lines and clever inventions and in the years around 1950, there were so many of those. Even if the 'general public' might not recognize any of these as "typical" for their time, I know they are that and more and I can enjoy them (this was a reason for me to be disappointed with the "Fabulous Fifties" exhibit at the The Hague Gemeentemuseum two years ago. Too much of a broad sweep of an era which has so many fascinating smaller and shorter-lived trends).

I know many people complain about Pinterest being a terrible time-suck (and of course, I'm not a very active user) but for now, I'm happy I put it the effort. It has helped me to go from vaguely knowing what I like to a clearer picture. A picture which may get more complete as I upload more images, from more years. Or it may get diffused, of course. Either way, I think I'll like playing the game for a bit longer.

Oh, and obviously, you can follow me on Pinterest to explore all those vintage trends yourself.