I've found an awesome site that lets you download Golden Age comics that are, hopefully, public domain. They have a huge collection of Planet Comics that I'm working my way through:
http://goldenagecomics.co.uk

I looked for actual Planet Comics and quickly discovered I was not in the market for originals! Over $100 an issue - no thanks.

I'm discovering that cover images of the comics also tend to have little/nothing to do with what's inside. I'm working with the idea that I want to do "Mysta" but whether she will end up being based on the interior art is not certain. She might be a conglomerate. So I'll see what comes of actually reading the comics.

Thank you all for your encouragement on the original post!

And because it is STILL SNOWING (nerts) I present an eBay round-up that rhapsodizes on the colour Green.

( Observe behind the cut. Green! How I long for thee! )

I think I'm going to make another Pulp/Comic/Pin-Up 20th Century Future costume, ala the Astronettes. A girl should have more than one.

I also predict that the Steampunk movement is inching steadily forward in time into Dustpunk, Dieselpunk and Atomicpunk, or at least, while some remain in the adventurous Victorian/Edwardian era, the energy of the movement is starting to snowball through other eras. I like to be cutting edge.

I have vague notions of entering it in the local ComicExpo at the end of April, but I am hesitant to commit to the idea since they have Ed the Sock involved in some fashion with the contest. I don't know that I want to sign up to be publicly abused.

ETA: I emailed the contest organizer, who seems lovely, and she assured me that Ed himself won't be involved with the contest. It's his lady co-host, Lianne K, who loves costuming and last year wore a couple of her own, along with local improv/anime nice fella who will be MC'ing. She assures me it will be friendly, and I believe her.

At any rate, I have 3 candidates for the costume and I'd love your vote on which one would be best to go with: Gale Allen (and her Girl Squadron), Mysta of the Moon or Miss Planet Stories July 1952.

Not familiar with them? :-) I certainly wasn't until I started looking for pictures on the web, though Miss July 1952 has been in my LJ icons since my first days here. It's amazing what you learn from costuming. I'll post a teaser of her first, and you'll have to see Gale Allen and Mysta behind the cut.


Miss Planet Stories July 1952
Planet Stories is an SF pulp title, not a comic, so the only artwork is the cover. I haven't read nor seen this pulp in person but I gather the cover image doesn't directly relate to any of the interior stories. She really is just Miss July.

( All Girl Squadron! Click! )

Time for some ebay temptation!

In honour of the Watchmen premier (which I have not yet seen!) - this one strikes me as Sally Jupiter incognito daywear:
TWO TONE rayon TIMELESS DESIGN WWII DRESS
(Measurements of the garment (not the person who wears it!) bust 37" -waist 27" - hips full)


( Continued behind the cut with a sort of a late 1950s-1960s wiggle cocktail Mad Men sexy secretary theme this time... )

Holy cats! My ebay losing streak broke with a vengeance over the past couple days! It scares me a little, so I have to spread the wealth around a bit. I shouldn't go winning any of these, so instead, you should:

1. Vintage 30s DECO Cream SILK Ruffled Party Gown DRESS

I cannot bid on it - I bought a gorgeous silk 1930s gown with similar features in the fall (I almost wore it for New Year's. It's still looking for an event for it's unveiling):


( Continued behind the cut! )

Time for another round-up of auction action.

OMGosh! Get a load of these chorus girl costumes! They are teeny tiny, but full of inspiration:

Tux:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270318747545

Clown:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270318739294

Gingham Girl:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270318751047

Christmas Rockette:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270318744908

( Continued behind the cut! )

I always like and am generally amused by xkcd, but this was one of the few times I LOL'd.

Some choice Burma-Shave jingles:

http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1934/your_beauty_boys

http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1951/proper

http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1939/makes_misses_mrs

http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1938/cheek_to_cheek

http://burma-shave.org/jingles/1937/my_neck_was

Before Christmas I posted a preview of a little girl's apron I made from these free vintage patterns online:
http://www.dorothyshomegoods.com/articles.php?tPath=12

I didn't post at the time, because they were surprises, but I made 6 other aprons for the women in my family.

I was especially inspired by the designs "Mardi Gras", "Gingham Girl", "Pan-American", "Southern Belle" and a little by "Knickerbocker", by the end I was mixing and matching from the patterns and adding my own touches like appliques.

1) This one is a pretty faithful rendition of "Gingham Girl":

( All 7 behind the cut. )

Shopping my Stash* led to an inspiration: aprons.

I made an apron for a small girl who I love and I gave it to her on her birthday recently:

The little person is much smaller than my mannequin, so it doesn't quite fit right in this picture.

Aprons are fast, rewarding and easy to suddenly add to or change while making them. Liberating!

I have a kitschy apron and I love it, and I started to think about making some myself. So I surfed the web to look for design inspiration. Hands down, the best site is Dorothy's Home Goods and specifically, the scans of the "Ten All American Novel Aprons" produced by White Sewing Machine Company in 1940:
http://www.dorothyshomegoods.com/articles.php?tPath=12

The one above is vaguely inspired by the "Hollywood":
http://dorothyshomegoods.com/images/all%20american%20aprons3%20001.jpg

As you can see, the articles are not detailed, and the pattern needs to be scaled. But it's not difficult stuff.

*And for Shop Your Stash - some of you have let me know your total yardage used, yay! I'll post an update soon. Anyone can join in at any time - just let me know how much fabric (that you bought BEFORE Nov 4) that you've used (ie from your stash). The contest ends midnight Dec 24. I'll give the winner the pick of my pattern collection (or a copy of one if it's precious).

I admit I am a bit like Gollum regarding where I shop on eBay (mine, mine, you can't have the preciousss!) and I try not to draw attention of any kind to shops I might be watching or items I want. But sometimes, I come across stuff that I just have to share. Every once in awhile I find something that I cannot have myself, but that I love so much I just want it to go to a good home! And other times, like this week, I find something so puzzling that I have to put it out there, perhaps as a cautionary tale (though I'm not entirely sure, in this case, who I am exactly cautioning). ( Read on behind the cut. )

A couple weekends ago Dr Smith went on a little trip to visit friends and see Weird Al Yankovic in concert. I have no problems with Weird Al, but I elected to stay home since I knew there would otherwise be too much traveling in September. So home I stayed, and demonstrated how Dr Smith and I really rely on each other for balance: me to instill whimsy, he to instill lack of strange obsessive behaviors...

I recently signed up on the Vintage Fashion Guild forums - an interesting place for looking behind the scenes at some of my favorite online and ebay vintage clothing sellers - and one of the first questions I wanted to ask was whether there was a list of all the Hollywood Patterns, including the names of the Starlets and movies endorsed on them. So far, no one has found one.

So. I decided to make one. 48 hours later, I had documented more than 200 patterns. ( More about Hollywood Patterns, my pattern collection and plans for sewing, including pics, behind the cut. )

I <3 NYC
I <3 Shorpy.com

A collection I put together this morning to celebrate both.


April 24, 1920. New York City. "Overalls Circus Parade." View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. In the background: The Cort Hotel, probably at 301 West 48th Street and Eighth Avenue. Is it still there? View full size at Shorpy.com.

( Seven more behind the cut. )

Being at home more, and being in love with vintage clothing, leads to an inevitable conclusion: house wear. The fashions of the early and mid 20th Century embrace the woman in the house with comfort and glamour. I do think the modern trend of snappy yoga wear is cool, but man, it is expensive.

Tired of wearing my t-shirts and ill-matching shorts or sweats, I have embraced the house coat and silky pajamas. Soon, perhaps to the perplexity of house guests, I might start with Lounging Pajamas and Hostess Gowns.

I partly wanted to post this to get a reality check. Do I need these 1930s Lounging Pajamas with Chinese Lanterns? The price on these has been steadily dropping and I'm reaching my breaking point.


Or is this too crazy to actually wear? Am I just too wrapped up in the stunning scene at the Seaside Resort in "The Gay Divorcee" to see clearly??...


( Follow the cut to more on Lingerie and Hostess Gowns! )

I have been slowly amassing some excellent materials for Hall costumes this year.

The odd thing about this year's Hall costumes is that I'm not making them all from scratch. It's immensely liberating! Though acquisition does take some planning and careful work, nevertheless.

I've posted earlier about my idea to do "Jocunda Sykes" - for the Harry Potter Prophecy convention. She's the first person to cross the Atlantic on broomstick. Obviously inspired by Amelia Earhart, her character description in the Famous Wizard cards places her timeline just about right to be my age during the early 1940s.

I have a pair of vintage jodphurs on the way (they are described as having a National Recovery Act label, which dates them to the early 1930s actually - which is way cool, because I'm also going to use them for a Ginger Rogers inspired outfit) and I'll make a traditional aviator-style outfit with them. I also have an Auror patch, since I figure she was an Auror and worked in the Resistance - that's what make-believe is all about, ain't it? ;-)

But when I saw this 1940s Opera Coat on eBay, I knew it was destined to play the role of vintage Harry Potter witch. So I'll have two outfits:



I have paired it with a rayon/cotton 1940s suit (also a recent eBay purchase) which I am in love with. Astute observers will notice that this a lilac coloured ensemble. This colour was not randomly chosen, my friends. Professor Gilderoy Lockhart would be smitten.
( More hall costumes, more vintage clothing, more costume construction, stylish women and lots of pictures behind the cut. Click on! )

During the email discussions for the Draco Symstice celebrations that were held this past weekend, my friend M. and I had the following exchange:
--
Hmmm... I really wanted to at least wear my badge - but most of my stuff is now packed in very vaguely labelled boxes, Nurtz!
M.
--
Sorry to hear your glad rags are in stir. Still - it'll be swell to grab a cup of joe or some giggle juice with you.
laughingmagpie
--
Nice bit of chewing gum there doll. You sure know your onions! We'll have a ring-a-ding-ding, dig? Maybe hit a juice joint too...
M.
--

We'd just watched The Public Enemy last week and decided that Nerts! is a word worth reviving. M. has spelled it 'Nurtz' above, which is cool, but I think I have the correct, formal spelling. :-) For the record, I don't think 'nerts' is said in The Public Enemy, but it's definitely in Footlight Parade - I had to turn on the subtitles to catch it. It's a fine substitute for "Nuts!"

( Just like eggs in coffee! Take a gander. )

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes, from City for Conquest (1939), said by the Emcee of a jitterbug shuffle:

"Ok you truckers and shaggers, on with the jitters, and let joy be unrefined!"

Let joy be unrefined!

After months of hemming and hawing, and not knowing when the local SF con would be, etc etc...

I've decided I'm going to go to the Harry Potter convention - Prophecy! - the long weekend in August in Toronto:
http://hp2007.org

I'm just about to complete my registration and now I'm wondering whether I should include the opening and closing Feasts. What do the other cool kids do? Feast or no Feast?

And for the record, who else is going to Prophecy this summer? I know some of you are, and I am just so excited to get a chance to see you all there!

I will be flying solo out there (well, without Dr Smith anyway - I think there may be some local members of the HP Meet-up group that are going, and I should connect up with them).

Lockhart rides again! I really want to wear him for the Duelling Club contest!!

I also had a brainwave for hall costumes: Jocunda Sykes (b 1915) first person to cross the Atlantic on broomstick. ( More behind the cut. )

A new mix on the iPod joins the ranks of Training Montage (TM) - Slayer, TM - Jedi, TM - Auror and TM - Atomic Girl: Training Montage - Femme Fatale.

Learning the ropes in the speakeasys of the Jazz Age, stepping out on Vaudeville, saved from desperation by a Broadway chorus and being a lover during a dangerous time - she travels from the 20s to the 40s in this one.

I almost never have lyrics in my TMs, since I cannot resist lip-syncing once I learn the words, and I listen to these in public places, but well, if my gym doesn't realise I'm nuts from my home-made Star Wars t-shirts by now, they might as well learn.

I'm really proud of some of the tunes I have on this one. Like 'Rhapsody in Blue' - I have the 1924 recording with Paul Whiteman and Gershwin himself. Yeah. It's way cooler than those smooth orchestral modern recordings. Josephine Baker singing 'Where'd you get those Eyes?' - and no, it's not the 'Jeepers Creepers' song - it's something different, I've never heard it before. The WW2 era is heralded by 'Over There' with James Cagney. The majority of the songs are big band and swing from the 1940s, lots of Benny Goodman and the Andrews Sisters.

These songs tend to be pretty short in length - 3 minutes or so. It takes a lot of them to make up a workout, so I know the list looks long, but these are only some of them on my TM.

The ones with a * are the highlights that I really encourage you to listen to :-). All except two of these are links to the iTunes store and you can listen to a sample there. I hope the iTunes links work! ( See the playlist behind the cut. )

SQUEEEE!!!

I've been looking in thrift and vintage stores for ages, well before my most recent in-love-with-classic-movies phase. And 85% of my ebay favorites have been vintage stores (the rest are wigs and fabric :-) ). I always hear about people making these fantastic finds and unbelievable deals, and though I've had some relatively nice finds and I only think I've been bilked for way too much money a couple times, I was beginning to think it would never happen to me. There's just not a lot of vintage clothing locally - Calgary is too new and too casual. Online vintage shopping takes a lot of effort and often the sellers are very savvy (and good for them! So they should be).

But I go to our local vintage stores whenever I can. I was having good luck - a couple 40s suits that fit and were alright, maybe a little expensive for what they were (ie unlabelled, a bit of wear, not a lot of tailored detail), and two pretty nice late 30s early 40s dresses (ditto). There was, however, one spectacular jacket out on display and I shyly asked if I could try that on too.

( Vintage clothing SQUEEing and Meditations on Silhouettes of the Mid-Century behind the cut. )

Behind the cut you'll find the list of Hollywood Patterns that I've identified as of October 4, 2007. It's not the neatest or easiest to read list, and there are plenty of stylistic errors, but it is organized by Star on the pattern. I figured at this point I'd rather just get something online and worry about making it pretty later.

Many of the patterns come in two colour phases - a warm reddish one and a cool blue or green, so sometimes if I have two identical patterns listed twice it's because I decided to save an image of both colour ways. There are a couple in there, however, that actually represent different patterns, even though they have the same number and starlet. Hopefully I'll correct this table one day with that information.

I've noticed that those patterns that mention a specific movie were brought out between 1939 and 1942. However, there's at least one in this list that came out in 1933.

Some movies don't appear in the IMDB at all. For example "DeClasse" (and all of the spelling variations I can think of) which is mentioned on a very 1930s looking pattern. Or they had their names changed by the time of release. For example, "Miss Wheelwright Discovers America" was released as "Million Dollar Baby".

Sometimes Stars are listed in movies that I can't find proof they were in. For example, Priscilla Lane in "Dangerously They Live".

I'd love to know more about the history and practises of this Pattern company. The most information I've found thus far is here at Cemetarian.com, which has a list of approximate dates by pattern number.
http://www.cemetarian.com/index.php?pr=DuBarry__Hollywood_History

I happen to collect those patterns that feature actresses that starred alongside James Cagney (even if the pattern itself does not specifically mention a Cagney film) - which is why the list also contains a column with "JC" or "noJC". It's for my reference.

I'll try to update the list as I get more information. If anyone reading this list has patterns that I don't have mentioned, I'd love to hear about them (I'm only interested in them if they have a picture of a Star, but they don't necessarily have to mention a specific movie). ( Seven big images of the list behind the cut. )

I watched 13 rue Madeleine in two parts by accident - I started it while travelling in an airport and finished it at home. Oddly, this WW2 espionage thriller is also filmed in 2 parts - each with their appeal, yet neither completely satisfyingly meshed with each other.

We follow the efforts of a crack Secret Service unit - #077 - under the tutelage of Bob Sharkey (played by James Cagney) during the days in France before D-Day. Of all the war settings, I think I probably like the Resistance during WW2 the best, so I found this fascinating. The acting is solid - the young Nazi officer is a stand-out, and Cagney is used very well with the exception that even though his character is supposed to be speaking French, he obviously is not - nor is anyone. No one is speaking German either. But I never was one to hold out for authenticity to get in the way of a good story. And this is a good story.

The first half of the film involves a sort of propagandish documentary on training the group, and on Sharkey uncovering the German mole inside the unit. Good stuff, interesting from a historical point of view too.

The second half is where the suspense is. It's tight. You have to keep your wits about you or you'll miss the twists - and there are some good ones. And a doozy of an ending - Gah! I had no idea such an ending was coming, so I'll say no more!

I've read some reviews on this film and the ones which got under my skin say something like 'Cagney is beginning to show his age'. Well, no really? The man can't be 30 forever. I love that in this film he's allowed to use his age as an asset - he's a smart, brave, wily ol' fox with human faults. His drive is not the blind idealism of a younger man, he knows the price of this actions - which makes his actions all the stronger. This film is one of the best ones I've seen yet that know what to do with the mature Cagney - he's not a caricature of himself (like in 'West Point Story') - it lets the polished, careful, subtler side of him shine through.

Fear not the mature Cagney.


Sharkey (to himself): Well Sharkey, you've done a great job... where do you go now - back to Minnesota to sit on the draft board...

Charles Gibson: What's that?

Sharkey: I've made the one mistake! The only mistake you're allowed to make in this outfit.

Gibson:[...] the one thing we can hope for is another chance, unless...

Sharkey:...unless what?

Gibson: Unless you want to concede the victory.

Sharkey: Oh not from you Gibb, keep your punches up, eh?

Gibson: I said -unless- you want to concede.

Sharkey: I concede nothing, until they throw dirt in my face.

The movie stands out not so much on it's own merits, but for what it represents: the Cagney brothers, James and William (who produced this), independent of the studios, doing their own thing.

That 'their own thing' is a sweet, gentle piece that gives some of the hardest working and often overlooked character actors in the business a chance for real roles and a starring role to a mature woman who'd never been on screen before* but was a noted Broadway actress, is... well, it's the kind of thing that makes me a Fan of the Fanatic kind. It's the kind of thing that drives me on to see everything this man did on screen. It's the kind of thing that makes me feel good.

I think it made Jimmy feel good too - he smiles and sparkles like a child in this one.

I almost want to leave this review right there. But here's a quick sketch of the plot: Dickens-reading interloper stops in a small town where a spirited, intelligent widow named Mrs. McLeod edits the local newspaper. Rival paper, headed by bad-guy big-shot (but whose son is courting the widow's daughter), sets out to destroy her. The interloper, played by Cagney, takes names and kicks big-shot butt.

The worst part is the actor who plays the bad-guy big-shot - my word, I have never seen such a wooden actor!

I love that the main character is an older woman and that she's independent and smart (though this is undermined a bit by the line "Running a newspaper's no job for a woman" and essentially she does turn out to need a man to take control of the situation). I love that the actress who plays the Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, is in it. I love that the sketches done for the editorial cartoons I think are done by James himself (you even get to see him do one on film). I love that the real love story in this film is the affection and respect Cagney's character has for Mrs. McLeod and that we don't need a big romance.

"I don't carry messages like that to people like her."



*Edit: Except for a role in a silent film in 1915. Rock on, Grace George!