Musings from Marilyn

Posts Tagged ‘Vintage Clothing’

Even though Autumn has been quite firmly ensconced for several weeks now, there are always several things that I do with amazing regularity once the autumnal equinox has passed.  On the household side, it is cleaning out the furnace (an utterly thankless task) before turning on the heat for the first time.  I think I made it until October 7th this year before finally giving in and turning it on.  After the low utility bills of summer, frugal me is always loathe to have to spend money on such obscure things as heat.  But being a creature of comfort, I do love to have warmth!

Being an air-dryer, the outdoor clothesline is now pretty much closed for the season (or two, or three…).  My drying racks have pretty much set up permanent shop in my kitchen, with a constant rotation of wet laundry yearning to dry.  It takes a day or two for the laundry to dry indoors…gone are the days of laundry drying in mere hours out on the sunny, breezy clothesline.  But I adjust pretty quickly to seeing the constant array of underwear, towels, and clothes adorning the drying racks 24/7.

On the fashion front, I’ve dug out my vintage cashmere sweaters and have been wearing them every day, and most likely will until next spring.  I adore wearing cashmere, especially the thick vintage sweaters that keep me warm without the tremendous bulk of wool.  Cashmere is about the only natural  fiber that I can wear next to my skin without irritation.  I have gotten into wearing skinny jeans as well.  I like the look of cashmere sweaters and skinny jeans on me, and it is certain that this will be my uniform for the next 8 months or so!

I’ve always been a bookworm, and fall tends to lend itself to reading quite easily.  There is just something about wrapping up in a wool blanket, or my leopard Snuggie , and getting lost in a good book.  I’ve made a concerted effort lately to read more novels, and delve into the classics that I somehow missed reading over the years.  For instance, I just finished reading ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, and I was engrossed, stunned, and completely engaged in this magnificent book.  How I never managed to read this classic until now is beyond me!  But it was a total delight.  I’ve got a stack of books just waiting to be read, and there is nothing quite so intoxicating.

The leaves are falling, the rains have set in, the wind is blowing;  settle in and enjoy!

“Autumn’s the mellow time.”  ~William Allingham

~Marilyn Huttunen

Now that autumn is firmly ensconced,  I turn my attention once again to those lovely angora sweaters.  I love angora sweaters, but my special devotion lies with vintage angora!  You see, most of the new angora sweaters that you find today are flimsy, thin, and in a blend with about five other fibers, leaving the angora content around 10%.  They tend to pill very easily, and are not soft, furry, or have that extreme hairy fluffiness that vintage angora has.

I am always on the hunt for quality vintage angora.  The best decade for FABULOUS angora sweaters was the 1980s.  OMG, those sweaters are just the bomb!  Usually made in Korea (where I think the best angora comes from), and in incredibly bright colors, with bold shoulder pads and ornate beading and embroidery embellishments.  Just completely out there in that bold 80s way!

But the most fabulous thing about the 80s angora is that is almost always 80%, 90% or 100% pure angora rabbit hair.  It is just incredibly thick and plush, with long fluffy hair.  The softness is not to be believed!  I have sensitive skin, and cannot wear wool or mohair next to my skin.  But angora (and cashmere) is so soft and nonirritating against the skin.  Very warm too, without the heaviness of wool.

I gently wash my vintage angora sweaters in lukewarm water and Woolite.  I air dry, and then carefully comb out any pills with a fine tooth comb.  Never, never, NEVER dry clean angora!  The natural rabbit hair was meant to be washed, not bathed in chemical solvent.  It will turn out sparking clean, soft, glossy and fluffy.

The vintage 1980s white angora bolero and pink angora sweater shown are two that I have sold recently.  They are off to new homes with appreciative angora lovers.

So don’t be afraid of angora!  It is truly a glorious fiber, brought to you by mother nature.

~Marilyn Huttunen

While going through my vintage knitting patterns, looking for a shawl pattern similar to the green frilled shrug Kate Middleton wore grocery shopping, I ran across this beauty.  I guess I could say that it’s a 1950s version of Kate’s shawl.  I love how the model is depicted wearing this over her bathing suit at the beach!  Yup, just the place I would want to wear a warm stole.   Anyway, who knows?  Maybe Kate is wearing a shawl at the beach on her honeymoon?

This pattern calls for all-purpose yarn, and is 28″ wide by 72″ long.  The knitting directions look relatively easy, and it gives detailed instructions for making the attached fringe.  It also gives instructions for those who are tall and wish to make the stole a little longer.

So happy vintage knitting, readers!  Let me know how it turns out if you decide to make it.  And pictures, please.

~Marilyn Huttunen

Download: Knit a Fringed Stole

I delight in the serendipity of thrift store shopping.  Those times when I run across something so wonderfully unique, that I take pause to wonder if it was placed there fully intended to be found by me!  My latest occurrence was yesterday, while I was looking through the miles and miles of designer fake vinyl purses that tend to populate the thrifts.  Anything made of real leather jumps out at me, and I spied a large, thick leather hippie type of purse that I remembered from the 70s.  They look like they were handmade by some sort of folksy artisan.

As I was marveling at the heft and substance of the purse, I noticed an amazing etched drawing on the front flap.  It was of two little laundresses with washboard and tub, and hanging laundry on a clothesline!  Of course, it had my name written all over it; being an avid laundress/clothesline user AND adoring and collecting vintage purses.  I need another purse like I need a hole in my head, but I could not leave without it!  No one else would ever appreciate the unique whimsicality of it like I would.

I like its large size and durability.  It’s been heavily used but there is hardly any wear to the thick leather.  It’s just so delightfully funky; the juxtaposition of the sweet, quaint laundry scene with the rugged hippie element is hilarious!  I’m sure that there is no other like it in the world.

My son, who is quite used to my unique findings but isn’t into vintage, wasn’t so amused.  “You’re not actually going to wear that are you?” he said, rolling his eyes.  He should know me by now, and should know the answer.  Yes!  As a matter of fact, I will.

~Marilyn

I spend an inordinate amount of time shopping in thrift stores.  At least two to three times a week, you’ll find me in any of the six local thrifts that I haunt regularly.  I mainly shop for “inventory acquisition” (the ‘polite’ term that vinties like to use), but I also shop for myself.  And I mostly love it.  I’ve been shopping thrifts since I discovered them as a teenager, and I’ve never quit.

There is just something so thrilling to me about thrifts.  Malls and department stores bore me silly with their sameness.  At thrifts I never quite know what I’m going to find, and everything is unique.  I get a feeling of anticipatory excitement in the pit of my stomach when I enter the door…where to look first, what to see, what to do!  I actually enjoy going through the racks, digging through bins, and finding things placed randomly throughout the store.

I’m all-business when it comes to thrifting.  No distractions for me please;  no cell phone, no iPod, no shopping with others.  Pretty much a laser focus to scope out the goods.  I know which days are the sale days, “color tag” days, and are the most and least crowded.  I know a lot of the clerks personally, and enjoy a good jaw while checking out.

Of course, it’s not all fun and games.  There are actually quite a lot of annoyances that I have resigned myself to live with while shopping thrifts.  Probably my biggest beef is loud people, be they screaming kids, yelling moms, or people screeching into their phones.  Thrifts are full of them.  I have to work myself into a “zone” to carry myself through.  I like peace and quiet…but I know I’ll never find it at the thrift.

Another annoyance is people who sidle.  I can be the only one in the aisle and sure enough, there will soon be someone who is right next to me going through the racks.  This is something that is so irksome to me that I usually leave and go to another aisle.   But then I have to consciously calculate to come back to that same aisle when all is clear.

The one thing that I’m on the fence about is the amount of “unique” characters that thrift stores seem to attract.  Since I’m a regular, I’ve learned pretty quickly that there are also a lot of other regulars who shop there too.  Some are highly amusing; others are just plain creepy.  One thing for sure is that it is never a dull experience.  They probably feel the same about me too!

It used to be that shopping thrifts was kind of an alternative, funky thing to do.  A lot of people wouldn’t set foot in such a place.  Now it seems like thrifts are getting to be more of a cool, economical thing to do.  That’s okay, the more the merrier.  And the more I hope people will donate and recycle.  Thrifting may not be for the faint of heart, but it will always be unrivaled!

Happy shopping!

Marilyn

Now that winter’s here, my sweater wearing is on full-force.   My personal yarn of choice is cashmere.  It is incredibly soft, thick, and luxurious…and is really the only natural wool that I can wear next to my sensitive skin.  It adds needed warmth without unnecessary bulk;  I don’t like looking like a linebacker in those thick, chunky sweaters!

Of course, most of my cashmere sweater collection is vintage.  I look for the thick, plush cashmere, preferably made in Scotland.  There is just no comparison to most of the “whisper thin” cashmere sweaters that are out there today.  Good quality cashmere can last a lifetime, so it’s a good investment.  In fact, several lifetimes, as someone wore these sweaters a long time before me!

I love how cashmere retains scent.  One of my favorite things to do is wear a different vintage perfume each time I wear a certain sweater.  The scent gets picked up and blended with the others, forming a whole new evocative aroma.  They become pieces of  poignant delight, a magical signature, which is especially nice on these dark, dreary days.  I’m a bit sad when I have to wash the sweaters though.  All that captivating scent down the drain.  But it just gives me the chance to start a unique combination anew.

I shall remain forever devoted to cashmere, but sometimes it’s good to spice it up!

-Marilyn