Factory Girl

While venturing through historic Denton a few days ago, my sweet boyfriend Sam Patterson became my guest photographer. We were taking photos at the TWU campus which began it's construction in 1903. It's a beautiful campus with a nice little park to visit.

It's not too often I post casual outfits anymore. The fact is we all have to dress casual, and life isn't one big tea party. But casual does not mean "go and fetch your baggiest sweatpants and loosest fitting t-shirt" either. There once was a time when casual still meant putting effort into how you look while you go out for the day. Back in the 1940's during World War Two, women had to go to work in the factories while the men were away at war in order to keep the country going. During this time the everyday outfit for women was built around their work duties. Women began wearing pants, and even overalls to work. The pants I am wearing are a great high waist 1940's inspired pair from https://www.stylewe.com that have cute little suspenders attached to them. You can find them at this link: https://www.stylewe.com/product/black-plain-vintage-overall-25359.html.

With these pants I have paired a 1940's blouse and a black velvet 1940's turban from Neiman Marcus. Turbans were an everyday accessory for women while working in the factories. They were vital to keep your hair out of your face while working, and also keeping your hair from getting caught in the machinery. Here are some photos to give you an idea of what their life was like.

(photo by George Marks)

Changing a few of the photos to black and white seemed fitting.

While we were taking photos this squirrel who is more photogenic than myself decided to steal the show. He was super friendly and I wanted to take him home with me. Look at that face!

The French Room

Over the weekend I officially graduated from Wade College with my degree in Merchandise Marketing. To celebrate this accomplishment my handsome boyfriend and I wanted to go somewhere we've been planning for quite a while now. The French Room is located inside the Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas. It's walls have seen many famous faces such as our favorite musicians Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey. So of course, we must dress up in our best 1930's/1940's. We had to get a few good shots of our outfits to remember this night.

I am wearing a late 1930's, early 1940's bias cut, liquid satin evening gown and matching jacket, with mink trimmings. All accessories are from around this time as well. My boyfriend is wearing a three piece suit from 1935, with a 1940's silk tie.

The amount of fabric used in this gown is beyond incredible. One of the things I loved about this dress was the fading on the satin. Yes, it shows it's age and wear, but the color it produced made it unique.

I guess you could say I am channeling Jean Harlow just a bit...

This photo is from 1913, one year after the hotel's completion. You can see that it was the tallest building of the Dallas skyline at the time.

Here is a beautiful older interior shot of the staircase, which was near the entrance to the French Room.

(http://exp.cdn-hotels.com/hotels/1000000/30000/21000/20941/20941_95_z.jpg)

Today, the Adolphus Hotel is still one of the most beautiful buildings in Dallas.

 (http://www.hoteladolphus.com/var/cdev_base/storage/images/media/images/photo-gallery/65233_photo_1/3373-1-eng-US/65233_photo_1_photo_gallery_large.jpg)

Here is a better photo of the interior of the French Room, which gives you a better idea than my phone's camera below.

It was a wonderful evening, and we were treated like royalty. When they found out I graduated college, on my dessert was a chocolate that said "congratulations". This is by far the best restaurant we have been to and we will be going back here as soon as possible!

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's

I am so honored to be wearing this 1950's/1960's suit from one of the most famous department stores in the world, with so much history and many stories to be told. Bergdorf Goodman is the epitome of glamour and sophistication, located in the heart of New York City. Almost every known public figure from celebrities to politicians have shopped there within it's 115 year reign. Not only is it known for it's high profile clientele, but also it's notorious, eye-catching storefronts.  

If you haven't seen the documentary starring so many of our current famous fashion designers, I highly recommend you take the time to see "Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's" which is available on Netflix. This is a very inspirational film, and something my store planning class at Wade College was centered around, thanks to my professor, Dr. Stanford. Check out the trailer, especially to give you an idea of just how important this store truly is.

Bergdorf Goodman was established in 1899 when French immigrant Herman Bergdorf opened a tailor shop in downtown Manhattan. Edwin Goodman studied under Herman, learning the art of tailoring, and later on in 1901 they formed a joint enterprise to create what was then officially "Bergdorf Goodman". Shown above is what used to be Cornelius Vanderbilt's former Victorian mansion, which was later torn down to build Bergdorf's.

In 1928, the store officially opened on 5th Avenue to it's 9 floors, and 190,000 square foot palace where it remains today. The top floor was the family's apartment at the time, consisting of 17 rooms. Once Andrew Goodman died, it was converted into a hair salon for John Barrett.  

(photo of Bergdorf Goodman storefront in the 1940's)

Here are some recent window displays from the past couple of years, during their most popular and anticipated winter storefronts.

The store has seen it all. Elizabeth Taylor ordering 200 mink earmuffs for family and friends, John Lennon's $400,000 shopping spree, Grace Kelly spending two hours selecting her wedding invitations, Jacklyn Kennedy's white inauguration cape and dress, also her famous pink pillbox hat worn when husband JFK was assassinated.

Speaking of Grace Kelly, I was completely inspired by her outfit, shown above. She is carrying one of the very early Hermes Birkin's.

Paired with my Bergdorf Goodman suit, I am wearing a vintage Frank Olive for Neiman Marcus hat. Frank Olive was a famous milliner from the 1950's-1990's. He believed that “It’s not the shape of the woman’s face that really decides, but the attitude of the hat.”

Both the suit and the hat are now for sale on my Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GwendolynsGoldenEras.

All of my accessories are from before the 1960's, and happened to perfectly match!

These special pearl earrings belonged to my late cousin Ruth.

My heels are from the fabulous Vessel Vintage. Check them out on Poshmark at https://poshmark.com/closet/vesselvintage

Happy Spring and be sure to visit my Etsy store!