Vintage Ensemble: Summertime Americana

Before I started this post I was going to say that some of my favorite vintage items were fall and winter wear--coats, stockings, boots and long dresses, things like that. But then I thought about warm weather vintage wear and realized I loved them as well--maxi dresses, sundresses, capris, flats, etc. I haven't done a VE since May, when we were heading into the warmer spring weather, so I figured it was about time I did another one. The irony in this entire post for me is that I am creating this for warm weather, lots of sun and heat....but I'm currently in the midst of a thunderstorm that's going to last until the beginning of next week. LOL

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Dresses and Tops

Heartbreaker Haute Carla Floral Milan Dress,
$150

So let's start with dresses and tops. I saw this swing dress and immediately fell in love with it. It's light, fun, summery and I like the patriotic colors and red accent. I think this is a great dress for a summer party, a fair or outdoor event and it's festive as well. I adore swing dresses; they're wonderful dresses for outdoor events and festivities. Not too confining, not overtly vintage, but unique enough to stand out without becoming an art exhibit, which is perfect for me.

Stop Staring! Clothing, $154

Summertime is the perfect time to wear cherries, I think. If you prefer a little black in your wardrobe, this dress is a good medium between warm weather apparel and dark clothing. This halter top with a sweetheart neckline and light swing skirt is a festive dress that you can wear with a light outer layer for work or bare arms for any other occasion. This dress is a little pricey for the average customer, though, as are many of the dresses that I have featured but I'm sure you could find good dupes online.

Vintage 1950's Floral Dress, $485

My inner Southern belle is doing flip flops over this dress. This taffeta dress has an olive green cummerbund (which I adore) and full skirt that I love so much. I'm not usually a big fan of floral print unless it's on something vintage because when done right, it looks beautiful. Done wrong and it looks like the shower curtains from the '80s. I just think this dress oozes Southern charm and moonlit parties with a glass of something sparkly. Maybe I'm in the minority. Either way, you can dupe this by finding a floral dress and full skirt or by finding a floral skirt and solid olive green top.

'80s Does '50s Striped Shirtwaist Day Dress, $31.84

Shirtdresses or daydresses are some of my favorite things during the summertime. I think they were staples of a housewife's wardrobe because of how light they were, you could wear them around the house or for a day of errand running and look chic but functional at the same time. This is an '80s recreation of the '50s daydress, and I think it pays homage well. I like this one for being light like the others, subtly patriotic (unintentional, I'm sure lol) and of course, cute points. I didn't know this was an '80s recreation; I thought it was genuine '50s. Either my eye sucks or it's just a good garment. I'm going to go with the latter.

White Rainbow Sundress, $52

I love the youthful look that this dress has. It evokes memories of childhood; I want to say I had something similar. If I had to guess I'd put the creation of this dress somewhere in the '70s. Anyway, I think this will make for a great coverup over a bathing suit or for a day by the pool if you don't feel like wearing a suit. It's light material and has a breezy feel to it so you won't be terribly hot; the rainbow stripes at the top and as a trim on the bottom keep it from being boring, and the tie straps allow for a little versatility. You could just as easily tuck in the straps and wear it as a tube dress, it won't look ridiculous with a bathing suit underneath or you could wear it by itself.

1950s Strapless Lilac Floral Dress
with Jacket, $104

This dress comes with a cute little jacket to wear over it and I think it's a simple, light dress to wear for a basic day out, whether it be errands, going to the park or having a picnic. The site selling the dress mentions that a slip will be needed underneath the dress and it does seem to be a little transparent especially at the bottom, but I doubt it would need to be a thick one. The jacket is the same print in a bolero-length.

1950s Blue & White Floral Summer Dress,
$92

I am in love with this dress. I love the subtle colors, the silhouette that the dress creates and the slightly slimmer skirt. Although I'm sure this would look fine with a full swing bottom, I like it better as is. I don't think the heat will be a large problem with this dress; it has a breezy feel to it like the one above.

Hawthorne 1940's Pinafore, $119

Like one of the accessories you're going to see at the bottom, I got this from a post on a site that I regularly frequent. The same post, actually. Anyway, the author was modeling her daily outfit, which just happened to be this adorable pinafore jumper. I think jumpers are awesome for summer and vintage pinafores are simple and cute. They remind me of an old school....schoolgirl. I couldn't think of another word. lol You can wear them year-round, leave bare legs or wear tights, or wear short sleeves, long sleeves or turtleneck up top. Short shirt or medium length shirt will work, and you can dress them up or down.

90s Sleeveless Polka Dot Top, $15

This style of shirt makes a comeback every decade or so, and I'm glad to see it back. I wore these with pride as a kid, got told it was out of style when I was a teen, and now that vintage is back 'in,' people are breaking them back out. Personally, they never went out of style to me. I loved seeing them in black and white flicks, I think they're season-appropriate and I love the ones that you can wear with either shorts or pants. There are some front-tie shirts that show off the belly button and might be a little inappropriate depending on age. These are loose and cover everything so I think they'd look really cute with a pair of vintage rolled-up capris and Keds or flats. A Rosie the Riveter do and some hot cat-eye sunglasses would complete the look and now I'm jelly of this outfit I just named because I don't have it. Moving on.....

Nicolai 1940's Bumblebee Print Puffed Sleeve Blouse,
$99

This would be a cute shirt to wear underneath a pinafore. It's the right length to fit underneath the pinafore, it's a cute color that will mesh well with the cobalt blue of the dress, and how cute is a bumblebee print shirt? It would also be nice with capris or floods. It's a light material and a light color, so it will allow you to enjoy the breeze without a confining material on your back.

60s/70s Yellow Polka Dot Peasant Shirt,
$15.00

This simple polka dot peasant shirt is another type of shirt on my favorites list. This particular shirt is a little sheer so it probably requires a white or yellow cami underneath, but peasant shirts were apparently a staple of vintage fashion for warmer weather. Not that I'm complaining; I had a few as a kid that had the ruffled tops and I'd usually push the sleeves to under my shoulders in a terrible effort to look older. My 9-year brain didn't comprehend the hilarity in such efforts, but I tried. lol I have about three of them now with the smocked hem at the bottom and I adore them. They'll look good with almost any type of casual bottom, so they're pretty versatile. Again, these tops are made of a light fabric and will be light on the skin, so you can wear these for a day out.











Bottoms

Bernie Dexter Stretch Capris in Black,
$144

These are a pair of capris from Bernie Dexter (if you don't read this blog often, weren't paying attention earlier or don't remember, she is such a girlcrush of mine so you'll be seeing her a LOT) and I really like these pants. They remind me more of floods than capris, but I love the high waist, the highly saturated color of the black (I hate faded looking black) and the material looks to be light enough to be manageable even though it's summertime. The material is stretchy so they'll be comfortable, and you can wear an array of different kinds of shirts and shoes with these bottoms. If you don't want them in black, they also come in blue.

High Waist Pinup Shorts in Red, $43.50

These pinup shorts by Broad Minded Clothing are too cute and perfect for summer weather. Like the Bernie Dexter pants above, these are also made from a stretchy and forgiving material, with the smocked waistband allowing for a little give where most high-waisted bottoms are not. I think they have a versatile appearance to them and a variety of tops can be worn with them. I wouldn't recommend these though if there are saddlebags to contend with as the bottom of the shorts hits right in that area. So I won't be getting these. LOL Moving on...

60s Pinup Polka Dot Cutoff Shorts, $35

I didn't know polka dot shorts were a vintage thing, again until I started watching a few summer-themed black and white films. I included these because they're fun, high-waisted and you can wear a smaller shirt like the person is wearing in the photo, or you can put a modern twist on it by wearing the loose collared tanks that are out now. Maybe this isn't quite as vintage as the others, but I love polka dots, I love these shorts, and I do what I want. lol

20th Century Foxy '30s
Sailor Pants, $99.76

I love sailor pants. Depending on the material for the pants, they're light and stretchy like the other bottoms I put above and will go well with the tie-bottom tanks or halter tops. These are meant to be looser-fitting bottoms, so they won't stick to your legs if you're out and about and you can wear them with different kinds of shoes as well. I love sailor pants, myself. I like nautical themed clothing, I love sailor pants, and I like high-waisted bottoms as long as I'm not losing a Battle of Bloat. Annnnd I usually am soooo maybe these aren't for me either lmao but oh well. A gal can dream.

Skinny Dungaree High Waisted Jeans
in Black, $156

Obviously, I have a thing for these types of capris and pants. lol These give me a rockabilly type of feel in color, fit and the cuffed bottoms and as shown on the model here, can be worn with both heels or some cute tennis shoes. I'll go with the flat bottoms myself. These are not as high as the sailor pants and the waistband is probably stretchy as well, so while they are form-fitting they aren't second skin type bottoms like the Bernie Dexter capris.













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Swimwear
I had to include some swimwear in here too, both to expand on a previous swimwear post I made and to give you some options if you're looking for something a little different to wear for a day in the water.

Aqua Polka Dot & Red Ruffle Hayley Bikini, $96

I like this bikini for several reasons. Firstly, it's very feminine without being overtly sexy, and I like that. I also like the red ruffled trim accenting the aqua polka dots. I wasn't a fan of high-waisted things before I began getting into vintage apparel, but I love this. I love it for being light-colored and duh--polka dots! I like that it's still very much true to vintage swimwear without being out of date or out of style and will give you a unique look wherever you choose to wear this.

50's Style Peach Hibiscus Sheath One Piece Swimsuit,  $75

I love hibiscus print. I'll wear it on nearly anything, but swimsuits are right up there at the top. This is a cute halter-top one piece with a sweetheart neckline, and I like this one a lot also. Swimsuits like this remind me a little bit of dresses and also give me Jantzen vibes, so I feel an extra dose of femininity with one pieces like this. They also seem more comfortable than modern one-pieces and don't leave your bum exposed to the breeze, something else I favor about this suit.

50's Style Peach Hibiscus Two Piece Swimsuit, $75

But if two-pieces are more your thing, there is a bikini counterpart to the one piece above. I like this because the bottoms still remind me of a skirt and leave my bits covered, it doesn't seem to be painfully high-waisted and I think a halter top is the perfect top piece to accompany the bottoms.

Navy Blue Skipper Swimsuit Bottom, $54

I had to include something nautical-themed, so it's a one-two punch that this particular suit is modeled by one of my all-time faves, the gorgeous Bernie Dexter! Another girlcrush of mine. This particular photo links you to the shorts, but I included the photo so you could see how it all comes together. This has a little modern flair thrown in with the vintage and I like that. It's not a traditional bikini, but it's not traditional vintage either. Summer and nautical themes seem to go hand in hand and are synonymous with vintage clothing for me, so including this was a must. The bottoms aren't too high, are more covered than the other bottoms I've covered so far, and same for the top. It looks more like a cute play outfit than a bathing suit with the added versatility of being able to swim in it. I love it.

Lolita Girl Red & White Stripe
One Piece Admiral Romper Swimsuit, $102

To keep the nautical theme going, I included this romper swimsuit. I'm surprised I actually like this one, but it's cute. I usually don't like the romper bathing suits; they're throwback suits from around the 20s-30s when wearing a one piece or two piece was considered to be too risque. I didn't like them when I saw them, but this one is more modern and cute; I can wear this one. Everything is covered up, I believe this is flattering for different body types and you still get a little boobie action in the front with the plunging neckline. According to the site, this suit could double as a cute top so points for versatility as well!

Lolita Girl 1940's Coco Rosette
Bathing Suit, $103

This suit is obviously '40s inspired and I love it. Now. lol  I hated suits like this before. But this is the perfect bathing suit to both display a bit of daintiness and femininity, playfulness and a bit of sexiness. To me, anyway. This black bathing suit has gathering on the front and sides with a subtle ruffle at the leg and I like that it isn't too high up on the leg, so if your problem area is your thighs or saddlebags this dress should cover them efficiently. Despite the fact that this looks like a one-piece, it is actually a two-piecer styled on purpose to look like one whole suit. Love the deception. LOL

Lolita Girl Cherry Cheesecake One Piece
Swimsuit, $104

Finally, I wanted to include this suit. Love cherries, love the style of this one-piece and click on the link so you can check out the back--it's too cute. Another one modeled by my girlcrush Bernie Dexter and she does it great justice. The silhouette is flattering, it's got a fun and kind of cheeky feel to it, and cherries! Can't get much better than cherries to me. The boyshorts are a little more covered up than traditional bottoms and the cute ruffled detailing on the back of the short is different than ruffling or gathering on other suits.











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I usually don't bother with many accessories during the summer and my shoe options are self-limited to barefoot, flip-flops or flats. I would suggest lighter accessories, tiny rings or the multi-finger rings that have the extra little bling on them for a night out. Shoes I would still stick with flats or Keds for the capris and light-colored T-straps for the dresses. Nothing too fancy or high; if you all are busy bees during the day I know you don't want anything too complicated that would make your feet sweat. LOL Gross detail I know, but it's truth.

Another go-to accessory for warmer weather would be snoods. They'll keep your hair off of your neck, they're not full-on beanies so it won't be too hot for your scalp, and they come in all kinds of colors so they'll still be fashionable. Belle Blossoms has a page up all about snoods; their history, a few options for your hair, and a few pictures of her work are all covered in that link. Think of them as little crochet caps. I took awhile to come around to them, but this post by Jessica from Chronically Vintage changed my mind immediately; I was able to see how cute they were and it didn't hurt at all that she's cute as a button anyway. I love her too but don't tell her so I don't sound like a creeper. LOL I'm going to be including her in my next Vintage Spotlight posting by the way, so if you didn't click that link I put above then give me a few days and you'll get to hear more about her.

Well dolls and dudes, this wraps up the Summertime Americana Vintage Ensemble. I think I want to do another one before school begins again, but I'm on a borrowed laptop for the time being so I don't know if I'll still have it by next month. I hope you were able to get some inspiration for some summertime outfits; I wish I could have made it longer but this post has already been sitting for awhile so I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. Don't forget about our TNT tomorrow night!