Ellen's Vintage Fashion Inspiration for 2014

Just like Emily mentioned in her fashion inspiration post, every year around this time I get incredibly antsy for new projects, inspiration, and new fashion! Today I'm going to share with you some of my favorite pieces, looks, and styles that will certainly inspire me for the year to come.

This is a 1922 House of Lanvin French dress housed in the Met's Fashion Collection. And I am in love. The combination of contrasting fabrics and colors is the first thing that catches my eye. It looks soft and comfortable, but still airy enough (especially with the coral cut outs) to be the perfect dress for a warm summer day! I love how the coral lines the neck and arm and creates a fun, geometric pattern to define the rest of the dress.

The cut of this dress is great too - and in fairly typical 1920s tradition. It looks loose enough to be incredibly comfortable, but still with a little definition around the waist and bust. And I can't get over that full skirt, either! Unfortunately this is the only photograph available on the Met's website, but I would absolutely love to get a closer look at the front of this piece (and not to mention all the detail!).

Another dress I have been fawning over lately is this beautiful silk 1930s dress that is available for sale on Etsy. I think the cut of this dress has to be my favorite part - the fit and flare is incredibly flattering. The pleating above the bust is an excellent addition as well, it adds just the right amount of visual interest to the top of the dress. 

There isn't too much information available on this dress. It's made of a slubbed silk which makes it fairly light and comfortable - and brings out the brilliant red coloring! This dress would be incredibly easy to add into a modern wardrobe as well. It's a style that is copied quite often, but I think it is executed to a T here!

Here we have a pair of 1930s metallic gold dancing shoes (also available on Etsy!). If only my feet were a little smaller they would be mine! Unfortunately, I don't know exactly when in the 30s these were made and worn (I'm not as much of a modern history expert as Emily is!), but they sure are adorable.

They have just the right amount of heel and hold your foot in well enough to look amazingly comfortable. But I love the metallic details and the woven cage around the toes! It's a different approach to the usually closed toe t-strap heel that I feel works really well.

I could just imagine having a fantastic time dancing in these, they are definitely going to be my inspiration while I am looking to buy new heels this season!

Lastly is this robin's egg blue, fur trimmed coat from the 1960s (that is also for sale!). I don't even know where to start with this dress! It's a wool blend with genuine fur cuffs and collar and the most adorable purple buttons. I love the lining along the front and can only imagine it to be a very flattering (and warm!) coat when it is worn.

I think the color of this coat is what really gets me! I think the powder blue mixed with the light purple buttons and light grey fur that has some dark highlights is the perfect mix of pastel and darker natural fur colors.

Although coats are a hard thing to copy, this is definitely my go-to for inspiration. I try to look for jackets in eye-catching colors with nice details without forgetting the warmth factor! This coat hits all those marks and I am incredibly jealous of whomever snatches it up!

I hope you've enjoyed taking a look at some of my vintage fashion inspiration - and that it may have inspired you! Do we share any of the same tastes?

Ellen