Fashion on Display -- for the 1930s

OK, so once again I have waited much too long since my last post. I would tell you that I've been busy, but I bet you have too, so that's no excuse. Anyway, I'm finally back at the keyboard. I want to tell you about a wonderful new exhibit on Only Yesterday.

Only Yesterday is a history-themed sim, focusing on the American experience of the 1930s. That's a tall order, because America has many different faces and the 1930s was a decade of rapid change. We try to balance parts of the sim that reflect the poverty and dispair of the Depression with the excitement of the Swing Era, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the decline of rail travel.

When my good friend Georgette Whitfield, who has a great boutique on the sim, volunteered to create a fashion exhibit, I thought it was a terrific idea. In addition to designing some very nice clothes, she has also done some modelling in SL.

The exhibit is on the second floor of the building next to her boutique, Chez Geo, right on the main plaza where most people arrive when they visit us. There's a TP pad at street level.

She has decorated with period illustrations from fashion magazines and catalogues, and has embedded notcards that pass on information about men's and women's styles. The one I was looking at in this photo has fashion tips about what well-dressed women were wearing. For example, hems are supposed to be mid-calf length, and hats are meant to be worn to one side. And never go out without your gloves and stockings!

This corner of the exhibit tells about makeup and beauty hints. Read the cards and you learn about how much simpler women's makeup was in the 1930s than it is today. You also learn some very unusual information. There's a very odd quote by Jean Harlow about hair care that you just have to read for yourself! I won't spoil it by telling you now.

In addition to the notecard information, Georgette has provided a bank of monitors that include links to many fashion sites, where you can see illustrations and read more about styles and trends of the 30s.

The part that I had the most fun with was the corner devoted to sewing. Times were tough, and women of the 1930s were much more accustomed to making and mending their own clothes than we are today. This foot-powered sewing machine is a lovely touch for the exhibit! I felt like sitting here for the longest time, thinking of what to make next.

In the end, I decided that the smart thing to do was alter my Hyacinth dress, the one I wrote about last spring. I lengthened the hem and ...Tada! It works. I added this wonderful hat from Ingrid Elegance, put on my stockings and gloves and a pair of black wedgies, and I was ready for a day on the plaza. Isn't it great!

Oh, I have to show you one other thing I did. It has nothing to do with the 1930s, but I think you'll like it. It's the cute lavender dress I wore for most of the photos in Georgette's exhibit. Here it is, close up.

It's very simple... a marbled lavender top that buttons up the front and a mid-thigh length flexi skirt. (My grandmother would have been scandalized, I know. ) It feels light and summery, and the color reminds me of raspberry sherbet ... my favorite!

As soon as I finish posting this blog, It's going into my shop too.