Wednesday, September 29, 2010

29 September 1956 “A 50’s Gal Remembers Her Youth”

I was thinking lately how I might recall my fictional youth. Being the age I am now in 1950’s would mean my ‘teen years’ would have been spent in the 1930’s. This is when I would recall my own first foray’s into fashion and music. My cooking and even my memories of my mother would be from this time, mainly. Many of us identify with that time when we were teens into early 20’s and so I thought I would share with you what my fictitious 50’sgal memories could be.
I might be getting too old for what may have been one of my favorite radio shows, “little Orphan Annie”
I would most likely look forward to listening to Fibber McGee and Molly.
What young lady isn’t always excited about the latest fashions!
patterns30s 1930spattern2 Patterns such as these would be my template for my own wardrobe, mixed with store bought I imagine. The ‘New Look’ I will encounter with Dior after the war will seem oddly familiar to these lengths I wore in my youth.1930sfashion And these predictions from the 1930’s to the year 2000 will seem fantastical.
A lady’s hair is her crowing glory and short but highly stylized is the look of the day.30shair1 Though it is becoming a little looser than the 1920’s. Although some of the styles will seem familiar, again, in the 1950’s. This 30’s look on Alice Whitealicewhite1 is not that far removed from these 1950’s styles.1950shair 1935 hair Maybe I would even covet the brave new brush in colors used in high fashion, such as this winning exhibition of hair design in London 1935.
And though I would be going to the pictures and seeing all the glamorous stars, even hoping to be as lovely and decked out as them 1935dress   I would still have to contend with seeing images such as this. If not in my own town, then at least in papers.depressionimage1
A young gal would most likely be expected to learn to cook, even if she were lucky enough to have a maid later on (except the upper classes of course).
 cookingclass30sThis might well have been me in a cookery class in the 1930’s. How old fashioned it would seem, looking back now in my modern kitchen with a dishwasher, easy to use range and large refrigerator and freezer.
And the 1930’s kitchen might only seem different with all the newer appliances, but bright fun colors and linoleum were still what was ‘in’.1930's kitchen
Here are some recipes from a cookbook I have from 1926 that I sometimes use. I imagine it would have been in my mother’s kitchen and perhaps she would have given it to me. These are some fun dessert recipes:26recipebook
And, certainly, the old music would still be played on the radio here in 1956 and I might tap my foot recalling summer dances in my long slim satin dresses, flowers floating in water, paper lanterns, men in wide pants toting ukuleles.
So, on a day such as today, when my mind might wander to my youth, these are some of the things that I would recall. Do any of you have any particular things of the 1930’s that you love?

10 comments:

  1. TWUS here: What a creative post! I love the fashions of the 1930's.

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  2. I find the between the wars period endlessly fascinating. I love the fashions and the lovely knitwear, I love the ordinary around the house clothes, those beautiful housedresses. I have a number of favourite British films and TV shows set in the 1930s particularly the late 1930s which I love. The British do those period dramas so well, wonderful costumes and sets. I have to rush off to get everyone up for breakfast so I will just share a few: Cold Comfort Farm, The Cazalets,This Happy Breed which was made in 1944 about a family in the 20 years between WWI and WWII. I have also read a couple of fascinating books about life in Melbourne during the Depression, one about a working class suburb and the other a very middle class suburb. My Dad was living in the working class suburb that was examined during the time. He was born in 1927. So inter4esting.

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  3. I have a picture of my hubby`s grandma who was about 20 in the 1930<s She looks adorable in her blouse and long cool skirt.

    The longer skirts were in style in the early 1990`s, I had several dresses that were long and looked quite retro.

    I had to say that my fav things about the 30`s was the long dress styles that were not only modest but very feminine. I imagine how comfortable they would have been on a long hot summer`s eve.

    I also grew up watching reruns on Sunday mornings of the Little Rascals (which I believe were taped in the thirties)......it`s a truly innocent time that I would wish to experience for myself :)

    Also seeing Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire dance on the big screen would be magical.

    Mom in Canada

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  4. Fibber McGee and Molly!!!! That's my favorite radio show.

    There's also a little known movie gem from 1931 called Parlor, Bedroom and Bath. It stars Mary Wickes and Buster Keaton. It is one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen in all my life. There's one phrase in it that my group of friends quotes all the time. "My darling. I love you madly. I cannot live without you. You must never leave me." Said in typical monotone Buster Keaton fashion and there's moves that go with it. He says it Mary Wickes character. Great little movie!

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  5. I listen to a lot of the radio programs fromt he 30's, 40's, and 50's on Internet archive. Mary Lee Taylor is a lot of fun. :)

    And how neat that in the 30's people were dying their hair unusual colors. Those of us who were teens of the 90's did not invent it! ;) LOL!!

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  6. Lovely post, very nice.
    Have a lovely weekend, both of you. :)

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  7. I'd have to say the 30's is the era I'm attracted to the most, aesthetically, in my love of vintage. The music, movies, fashion and makeup, art deco styles, all wonderfully modern and old fashioned at the same time. If I followed in your footsteps I'd have to be 30's gal!

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  8. Sanne-Have a great weekend!
    Gingerella-That would be fun, 30s gal! Sometimes I think about being 40's gal, but not sure about constant rationing and faux air raids, that might be hard to pull off.

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  9. I would love to find patterns like those. When i was younger I had few dresses like it .The early 80's redid the 40's and 30's look .People loved it, I got lots of complements. My mother would ask me to wear those dresses.Now I am much older have don't have the slim figure ,but the long lines and flow would help slim someone down. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. I remember those very 30's skirts in the 80's. The long lean cut to below the new and then a few kick pleats. I had an adorable soft grey woolen skirt with a two-tones pink plaid and it had a very thin waistband (natural waist of course this was pre low rise) and it fell to below my knee but was cut to flare on the bottom a bit and in the back, at kick-pleat location, it had multiple little pleats. I remember how much fun it was to wear as you could feel the little 'kick' of the full pleat at the back of your legs. I was talking with someone who went to HS in the late 90's early 2000 and how basically 'lazy dressing' was their style. Jeans and t-shirts with writing was basically what most of them wore. Even if a fashion is later seen as bad at least in its time is IS fashion, today we really do seem to have a NO fashion, but simply a bland uniform of jeans and jersy/tshirt tops. NO imagination other than what it might say across a shirt or bottom. It's too bad, as I recalled taking the time to match my bracelets to my knee or ankle socks and nail polish. It might sound hideous today, but it was thought out and planned and other young people around me were also doing the same. Today if a young teen wants to look nice they are lauged at or some how not 'cool'. I never understood the desire to be the 'cool' one. Honestly, they always turn out to be the individuals with the least form of self-worth or kindness, it seems. Yet, this is what we emulate? And now, of course, mothers and grandmothers CARE about if they are cool or not. Where are all the GROWNUPS!

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