Vintage Treasures

My husband and I had the great pleasure of meeting our friend Bev a few years ago through Jer's mom.  She is in her early 90's and she has lived an amazing life.  

Recently, she decided to move into a smaller place that will be more manageable for her, although she is still living on her own with her dog Anya, and needed to get rid of a bunch of stuff.  Guess who she gave her beautiful hand made clothes from the 50's and 60's to???  It was ME!!!

She made these items herself from patterns from Paris when she was living in Germany.  The first one is a beautiful fitted coat dress made of grey wool.  Unfortunately, I had to make some changes to this one because of large moth holes.  I needed to cut the sleeves (although it nearly killed me because they were so pretty!) because of some very large holes, and I added some flowers to the collar to cover more holes.  Even though I loved the dress as-is, I really like the slightly more modern update.  I can just see myself wearing this around Santa Fe on Christmas Eve some year, drinking cider and taking in the sights.  I am not sure if I will wear this as a dress or as a coat over something more fitted, but either way, I can't wait (although I will have to for at least a few years, since I will be prego this Christmas, if not giving birth)!  

I know these photos do not do these pieces justice, but they are very fitted, and there is no way I could get them over the bump to model them right now.  Hopefully next year I will be able to properly show them off!

This little cocktail dress was actually made in the 1960's.  It has a gorgeous built in silk slip inside.

This fantastic wool cocoon coat is actually something I have been looking for for a while now and I will be able to wear it this winter over the bump!  Bev also gave me a pencil skirt out of this same wool.  She told me that she got the wool from "the wool man" who used to go door-to-door selling beautiful wool for home sewests. Such a different time it was!

I am so honored to have these hand made pieces in my wardrobe.  I am really starting to love vintage items more and more, especially gems like these that have stood the test of time so beautifully.