Emerald's Thread: Today's Dress: Red, Yellow, Blue...Part 2

I posted earlier with some photos of today's outfit taken earlier in the year.

I was able to take some photos today after all. I wasn't feeling up to wearing a petticoat as I'd be travelling on the train later than I usually do and going to see a film later on. Train and cinema seats and coffee shop chairs are generally a bit narrow for 1950s skirts. So I decided to go 1940s.

That almost my entire outfit is from Gingermegs Vintage is a coincidence. I love wearing red, especially with the other primary colours and/or black and white so it's no coincidence I was drawn to these particular things from her shop over the years.

It's also an example of wearing things I never thought would suit me until I tried them on. The 1940s dress is a relatively straight shape but thanks to its beautiful fit, it doesn't matter that it's much more fitted around my lower waist than my 1950s dresses which flare out over it.

Most hats combined with my glasses tend to eclipse my entire face, making me look like I'm wrapped up for a hiking trip. Most fascinators or mini hats look 'stuck on' against my thick hair and incongruously small. I tried on this beautiful straw skull cap for fun and loved it. It doesn't detract from my curly hair and prevents the wind fluffing up the hair on the top of my head. The black veil falls slightly below the rims of my glasses so to not obscure my sight or let a gust of wind blow the veil into my eyes. Red matches much of my existing clothes and the black details are subtler against my black hair.

The shoes were described as a size 4.5 and I am a size 5 but I realised I am only a size 5 because of my relatively longer and larger toes. I'd never thought I'd wear vintage shoes because even those I'd seen in Gingermeg's lovely shop looked well worn and not suited to the amount of walking I do and also because they tended to be only black, brown or navy and I love my colourful shoes. Shoes in those days were made to last and go with everything.

Most modern shoes seem to have very little toe space. I also have narrow feet so need buckle straps on the shoes which I can poke extra holes in as most shoe retailers do wide fit shoes but no narrow fit. Typically unfair! This is why I usually stick with Clarks - comfy, mostly durable, half sizes, some chance of a strap, their standard width not as wide as most other shops.

Anyway, these CC41 beauties looked narrow, had much toe space and an ankle strap. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. Not only did I not have to poke holes in the straps to make them narrower, there were two holes smaller than my ankles! I can only wish someone starts a company specialising in remaking 1940s shoes in original as well as modern sizing.

Finally, the last photo was taken by Miss Gingermegs Ginny herself in her shop. I only popped in to say hello, not to buy anything but these red frames caught my eye. I tried them on and she took a photo so I could see how I looked. I was caught unawares hence my odd expression! I never thought the cat's eye shape would suit me but that's because I always tried on modern versions with thicker black or faux tortoiseshell frames, too harsh for my face. This pair, semi rimless like my current modern pair, solved that problem. Now they're mine and awaiting the next time I need a new prescription.

It's a big investment to get new glasses (one modern pair or spare plus sunglasses plus the vintage pair plus lense thinning for all) so I've decided that's going to be my thing to look forward to in the winter.