26 January 1933 “Hairstyles, Shoes, & Conveyor Belt Lives.”

  I really didn’t get a very good picture of how I have been wearing my hair curled, but the one I did manage to get, I messed about with to give it an antiquated look. It is hardly flattering but I wanted to show the general shape and style of my hair now curled. I have still not done the finger waves, but shall. I want to get some proper metal clips, which seems to be a better bet than bobby pins.

Overall, I love my shorter hair. As my curl was fading the other day, I realized it was basically the shorter 1950’s cut I had wanted as well. And I really saw a similarity between the short close cut and style of the mid 50’s and mid 30’s, fashion does repeat itself.

  The 1940’s sported much longer hair and this was due not only to the usual change we women look to in our styles, but also the war years left little time or money to mess about with hair. Longer hair was easier to roll into “victory rolls” or tie up out of the way with scarves and kerchiefs. A few twists and bobby pins gave a busy war working gal a lift and style on the go.

This wonderful color film shows fashions from this year, 1933, and you can see there is still quite a bit of the 1920’s still here in the clothing. The waist has returned, but the cloche hat is still prevalent and occasionally a dropped waist shows up. We must remember, as well, that clothes styles finally hitting the average women by the end of the 1920’s would of course continue a bit. I always find the beginning of a decade fascinating in fashion as it always has the flavor of the previous decade but then you see hints of the trends that will become the ‘look’ of the later decade.

I know I have shared this video before, but I think it very fitting here. What we imagined the future to be from the 20’s to the 40’s outlook of the future 21st century. I have to say some things had an eerie image of reality. Though the gentleman's tool belt looks old and cumbersome, the fact that he has a phone and other items with him is very telling. And the view of the city in 2000 has a very real feel of the dense traffic and large scale freeways that we certainly have today.

One joy of vintage dressing or living in a particular decade is that one can grow a wardrobe and feel it can last forever. Therefore, with my travel back to the 1930’s I didn’t want to just toss out my 50’s wardrobe (especially as I may end up there again at the years end!) But, I found that some of my straighter skirts are very fitting for the 1930’s particularly the longer versions. Skirts became their shortest in 1925 and then gradually went longer again. By the early to mid 1930’s skirts were more mid calf, much like the length of the New Look in the late 40s' early 50’s that caused such a stir. Again, fashion repeats itself quite often.

Living in the Depression, one wants to make sure to conserve their pin money, but I did splurge on a pair of vintage styled shoes. I have already two pair of lace up heeled oxfords I showed before, but I wanted to add one Mary-Jane style heeled shoe that could be dressed up or down. What I have found is that the heel width is quite comfortable and would also be appropriate for early 1950’s dressing. What do you think of these. I think they look quite lovely with the darker opaque stockings of the 20’s early 30’s. And my 50’s wool skirt becomes rather 30’s I think. The color was also very 1930’s to me and though ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ doesn’t have the same meaning it will come to have in the 1950’s when Elvis sings about them, a gal can still feel happy with a bright shoe and cutaway class in her step.

Some may think it silly to so immerse onself into a decade. But, I have always loved history, all aspects of it. And so there is a certain joy, perhaps only experienced by the true historyophile, to reading a vintage magazine or novel while one is adorned in the clothe and hairstyles of the day, with the proper underpinnings. Perhaps it is merely self-indulgence, but I do feel more akin to things and as if I am somehow giving my proper respect to the past, when I try to, quite literally, walk in their shoes.

But, I think a healthy dose of curiosity and a questioning mind are all is really needed for one to become a happy and contented arm-chair time traveler. Either way, I do like to mix my serious findings of politics and laws of the day with fun meals, interesting desserts and hairstyles and shoes to enjoy them all the more.

One cannot be only happy or sad. The complexity of life simply makes it more interesting and also makes one a more complete person. I believe the main aspect of the modern age which often irks me is the hyper-specific groups one feels the need to belong to: Oh, I am a nerd, A techno-geek, a preppy, a fashionista, Green, hippy, conservative. 

Even in the university system with so much focus on single educational goals that we become, much like Ford had thought of with his automobile production, an assembly line of people. In production, sure it makes for a faster and more equally created mass produced product if every person simply learns that one special part and does it over and over again.  However,  the individual never sees above their part in that line. They cannot make or understand the whole item produced and therefore their focus becomes narrow.  I think that a very good view of modern man. We have allowed our education and culture to become one great conveyer belt mass produced life. We need to peek our heads about our little specialties and see what else is going on. The more we learn and try to understand the more we see we don’t and that leads us to understanding and better education. Mass production might be fine for our products, but shouldn’t be the pattern for our lives.

Well, I shall step down from my soap box now, gingerly mind, with my lovely blue suede shoes and head off to my day. There are so many recipes and news articles to get to. I hope all have a lovely day and Happy Homemaking.