Oscars Fashion 2016

Curious to know who I thought were the best dressed at this past weekend's Oscars? Check out my Obligatory Oscars Post: Fashion Edition over at Phyllis Loves Classic Movies.

This years Oscar winners: Mark Rylance, Brie Larson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Alicia Vikander

What I Would Like To See Kate Wear

Over at Duchess Kate, one of my favorite Kate Middleton blogs, is a post where YOU get to choose how to dress Kate. You just leave a comment with a link to an item or items you would like to see the Duchess of Cambridge wear. Here's the outfit I came up. All of the accessories she already owns; only the dress is new.

I would have Kate wear this while on tour. The link to the dress no longer works but the address bar said Ariella Maral - du jour branco e floral Azul. The dress is Hobbs.

Other looks:

[dress and Kate Spade earrings no longer available; clutch found here.]

Kate would look lovely in this Light Blue Plain Pleated Cross-Over Neckline Chiffon dress.
I would pair it with Kate's Annoushka Pearl Drop earrings, her gold plated Acorn Pendant by
Kristin M London, this Tory Burch White Straw Clutch (no longer available), and the
Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedges in white.

[dress, necklace and earrings no longer available]

I absolutely love this dress I found on Pinterest. I would keep the clutch and belt and pair it with either these green teardrop earrings or the Nina Teela tanzanite earrings and Kate's L.K. Bennett 'Silver' Cross-Strap sandals.

[dress, clutch no longer available, sandals]

 

[blouse, jeans, trousers, shoes no longer available]

 

 

[jacket, skirt, blouse]

 

[McQueen dress found here - click to see in better detail, L.K. Bennett Pumps found here.]

Here's what it looks like on.

 

Here's an evening ensemble. Kate already has all of the accessories. The dress can be found here.

 

And now here are some individual items

I would love to see Kate wear:

Kate would look fantastic in this Pink Collarless V-Neck 'Osbourne' Jacket  and Long Pencil Skirt in Pink Eggshell from Really Wild Clothing. I can see her pairing it with her Russell & Bromley Park Ave heels and 5th Ave clutch (pictured in first ensemble) and her Annoushka Pearl Drop earrings.

We all know Kate loves her Breton tops. Here are some from J. Crew with a spin. The middle one can be found here (shone in neon flame).

 

I can also see Kate racing William with this J.Crew Colorblock Sail Jacket wearing her 'sporting uniform' underneath.

 

 

These striped espadrilles would be a cute alternative to her Sebago 'Bala' Boat Shoes. She could wear them with her signature skinny jeans and this Polo Ralph Lauren 'Julianna' cable wool crew neck sweater.

 

 

Some other casual shirts she could wear:

 

 

Anthropologie Green Gingham Blouse

 

 

Palimera yarn dyed striped shirt

Mint Velvet Stripe t-shirt in ivory & silver

 

Office 'On Tops' Red Patent Leather Heels
Asos Embroidered Cutwork dress
Louboutin Yellow Heels
Sergio Rossi Single Sole Pumps - woven raw silk, 4" heel

Michael Kors Stretch Wool Cigarette Pants
Ink Spot Cigarette Trouser
Maverick Blazer
Denim Blazer
Alexander Military Blazer
Yellow Cropped Blazer
Tod's Leather Trimmed Wool Blazer
Tropical Print Shirt Dress

L.K. Bennett Flo Textile Fold Over Clutch Bag

Michael Kors Sleeveless Belted Fit and Flare Dress in Khaki or Duffle
Michael-Kors-Evie-Metallic-Snake-Print-Sandal-Gold
Michael-Kors-Giovanna-Leather-Espadrille-Wedge-Sandal-Luggage
ariel-wedges-michael-kors

alexander-mcqueen-crystal-spine-embroidered-gown

Stella McCartney Skinny Ankle Grazer Jeans
stella-mccartney-falabella-zigarette-denim-crossbody

My "Happy" Place - the Beach

One of my first posts on this blog was on Exotic Beach Inspiration. I love the beach, but unfortunately I don't live on it or even near it. I was given the opportunity to go with friends for a week two years in a row, which was amazing. I just wish I could go every summer for two months!! But, since I can't do that, I must be content to share some 'beachy' pictures off of Pinterest with you.

I have two different Pinterest boards devoted to the beach. There is one called Beach House in Cape Cod (which I hope comes true one day) and Beach Stuff, which has all kinds of beach related things: décor, vintage swimwear, art, books, crafts, etc. Check them out! Here's some of the pictures from my boards that I decided to share with you here.

Beach Fashion - wow your friends at the beach with these retro looks!



Left: Short knitted beach coat with toggle fastening and bell shaped sleeves, 1955.
Right: Swing-back terry cloth beach coat pattern, 1950.

Don't forget your beach bag!

Australian Home Journal, 1949.

 

If you want to look like Gidget...

(Check out my post on Gidget for the Beach Party Blogathon here)

 

Don't forget to have fun!

 

Beach Houses - nautical motifs, pastels...

Every beach home needs a look-out room!

 

 

Library-by-the-Sea. Must. Have. This. Room!

 

 

Some Crafty Ideas...

Build yourself a little beachy shelf to hold your favorite books.

 

May I suggest Cinda by Janet Lambert, Paintbox Summer and The Scarlet Sail by Betty Cavanna, *Misty of Chincoteague and *Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry (must be illustrated by Wesley Dennis), *Sailor Jim's Cave by W. J. Pat Enright, The Treasure of the Coral Reef by Don Stanford, Dolphin Island by Arthur C. Clarke, and for the little kids (and adults; who am I kidding) *Annie Pat and Eddie by Carolyn Haywood (all of these are teen/children's books but I love all of them - the ones with stars the whole family will enjoy).

 

Journaling idea: put sand, shells, and other finds from the beach in little clear pockets and affix them to a page in your journal.

Nature has long been linked to elevated moods. At the beach, the sound of the waves and the feeling of sand beneath our feet can help the stress of everyday life fall away. The beach house, by its very location, is an agent of nature, and a key place for getting back in touch with the environment. The water, shells, dunes, beach stones, sea grass - each one speaks to us and soothes the soul.

 Coastal Living - Beach House Happy: The joy of living by the water. Antonia Van Der Meer. 2015.

Before She Became June...

Barbara Billingsley, born Dec. 22 1915, was in movies for 12 years before she became TV mom, June Cleaver. They were usually bit parts which she wasn't credited for. Let's take a look at some of them (the few I could find pictures of).

Here she is in The Argyle Secrets (1948)

 

A receptionist in Pretty Baby (1950) - a romantic comedy with hints of Bachelor Mother (1939), this one starring Dennis Morgan, Betsy Drake (third wife of Cary Grant), and Edmund Gwenn.

 

 

She plays a minor character in Three Guys Named Mike (1951). You can watch the full movie here.

 

As a hat-check girl in Angels in the Outfield (1951)

 

And as a costume designer in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) with Lana Turner

 

source

 

You can watch the scene here (just the first minute).

 

And finally in The Careless Years (1957), just before Leave it to Beaver began.

 

All images found via Google Images

 

A long time ago, I played a lot of these roles that were seemingly nice, but underneath the character was really the murderer. So, I didn't have to do a lot of research for this character. I just had to understand what she was thinking and feeling.

June's Dresses in "Leave it to Beaver"

I am currently watching season 1 of Leave it to Beaver and I thought I'd share a few of June Cleaver's outfits with you. (I was also curious to know how often June repeats outfits so I've been keeping an eye out.)

This dress with a wide collar and matching cuffs is in one of the very first episodes.

I always wear a dress like this when cooking, don't you?

In this publicity photo (available to purchase autographed on Jerry Mather's official website) you can see that the dress was a sage green plaid, with matching piping on the portrait collar and fabric covered buttons. She's wearing different jewelry than the screenshot above. 

 

 This unique 3-button dress has shown up in a few episodes (I'm halfway through the season so far).

 

Here's the 3-Button dress in another episode. She's wearing it with a cute apron.

 

A better view of the apron.

 

I really like this fur-trimmed collar suit. Perfect for an afternoon of looking at vacant lots.

Here's a publicity photo that shows it better.

 Here's one of June's Sunday suits.

Hat and gloves required.
 

This dress is quilted on the skirt part.

 Another view. Note the straw knitting bag with the poodles on it.

Here's a close-up of the print.
 

Fashionable sling-back heels for an evening of cards with the Rutherfords.

A cozy looking sweater to wear when you're serving sandwiches.

 

I wonder what color it was??

Here she is in season 4 wearing the same sweater!!

This sweater has a V-pattern knitted in.

Here's a ruffle-front striped shirt dress. It's actually a small gingham print with stripes.

 I found this publicity photo of the same dress.

 This gingham dress has a tie collar and matching belt.

 Note the pointed pockets.

This shows the bow better.

In another episode the points on the pockets are pressed down.

 This dress has tabs on the pockets.

A better view.

Here she's wearing a pretty print blouse and a straight skirt with tabs at the waist.
(Ward's digging down the seat of the chair if you were wondering about his expression.)

Here she's wearing the V-pattern sweater from above with the tab-waist skirt.

 This dress has a slim skirt and a fancy belt.

It also has unique split sleeves.

This pretty gingham dress has a gingham trimmed collar and pin-tucks down the front.

 This shot shows more of the dress (note the turn in the stairs).

Here's a cute plaid dress with a leather belt.

 And another plaid dress.

This one's a sheath.

 This dress has delicate lace trim up the front.

You can see it better in this picture.

You can see here that it has the same trim up the back.

 This sweater has the same unique grouping of 3 buttons as the first dress.

This plaid skirt has a matching plaid neckerchief.

Another view of the skirt and her straw sewing basket.

 This appears to be a knit dress but I included it for the apron holder on the wall behind June.

Here she is taking it down. I'm not a fan of her hat.

 Here's a cute striped sailor dress.

 A view of the back.

Front detailing.

This dress from the last episode of season one appears to be a small paisley print.

I imagine it having some purple in it.

It has decorative trim all the way down the front.

It also has trim on the sleeves, collar, and pockets.

Lastly here's June in her robe (and pearls). It has a small floral pattern.

Fashion advice for the homemaker in TV Guide - click here to read what she has to say.

 

Barbara Billingsley on June Cleaver's Wardrobe.

 

I am also taking screenshots of their house. I really love their living area - lots of bookshelves! As I've posted before, I have a Classic TV House Plan book and the Cleaver's home is the first one featured. So far it is pretty accurate. I hope to get screenshots of all the rooms and post them soon with the house plan. Does anyone know what episodes show Ward and June's room?

[on comparing real-life families to the TV families]:

I just wish that we could have more families like those. Family is so important, and I just don't think we have enough people staying home with their babies and their children.

Here's a few screenshots of Beaver's 2nd grade teacher, Miss Canfield. She also had a re-occurring role on Maverick starring James Garner.

 Simple shirt-waist dress with a gingham belt for contrast.

 Miss Canfield is always understanding.

A pretty floral print shirt dress in a darker color. (Principal Mrs. Rayburn opted for a business-like tweed suit.)