Our world is increasingly global, and we have the glorious opportunity to buy clothing from designers hailing from all over the world! Whereas our foremothers were relegated to buying such fashions only if they could afford to go to resorts and buy a vacation wardrobe inspired by local aesthetics, we now have the chance to incorporate the beauty of diverse designers into our own wardrobes at a single click! Today I'm partnering with Ankara and Lace, an African fabric subscription company, to help explore how to do this.
I just had one of the most fun weekends ever! As my husband is away for a couple months at military training, I decided to treat myself to a trip to meet Emily Stringham (of Emily's Vintage Visions) and her husband at the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum World War II Weekend. Emily and I have been internet friends for a while (I think we started blogging around the same time), so it was very exciting to meet her in person!
In a previous post a loooong time ago, I highlighted some of my favorite Middle East/North Africa themed novelty prints that I had found across the internet. I thought it would be fun to do an update post, for since then I've acquired some of the prints on that list and some new ones popped up along the way!
I'm always glad when companies offer petite sizes. As a short person, I often find reproduction garments that fit in the bust, hips, and waist... but they're all in the wrong spots. The waist is below mine because the torso is cut too long for me, the apex of the hips are at mid-thigh because the skirt is so long. Busts fit but shoulders and necklines are too wide. These things are fixable, but it's often an involved process, and--honestly--not usually worth it to me to do on a reproduction item.
Enter PUG petites! I am pleased to show you a skirt from their petite line, the Petite Jenny skirt in Yellow Italian Landscape. I've paired it with the black peasant top. These are my first pieces from PUG, so I was intrigued to examine the quality and see if the sizing really worked for me. Admittedly, I'm also branching out for a silhouette that I haven't worn much... but I have to say I felt FABULOUS!
You may have seen some of the drama relating to intercultural-vintage pieces available in reproduction shops lately (intercultural-vintage being my word for vintage-styled pieces that draw aesthetics from a usually non-Western culture). The most notable seems to have surrounded the Dragon Print series from PUG, and it got some pretty strong responses. I am not at all here to pick sides in any of these arguments; I just want us to take a pause and look at some other intercultural-vintage pieces and discuss them.
As you guys know, I'm a fan of the Wearing History vintage reproduction patterns. When Lauren, the owner, asked if I'd sew up the 1939 ensemble pattern and photograph it, I was happy to oblige! She didn't have any pictures of the pattern actually sewn up and styled for the site, so this was a way to help my favorite pattern company and get an awesome pattern in the process.
