mypiggywiggy - J O U R N A L

Vintage Style Inspiration: Plaids & Gingham

2021-11-19T13:04:32-08:00

It comes as no surprise that we adore plaid and gingham prints here at mypiggywiggy. Both patterns are as timeless as they come (though scale and color palette does play a part in how classic a plaid or gingham print may be). Our shop is currently stocked full of classic and feminine styles in plaid patterns and gingham prints.

This month for our Vintage Style Inspiration segment, we turn to women's vintage fashions from the 1940s as plaid and gingham grew in popularity due to the rise of more utilitarian fashions due to World War II.

Traditionally gingham was more often used for warm weather clothing and plaid for cold weather clothing, though here at mypiggywiggy, we love both patterns year around but may opt for different color palettes depending on the time of year.

What is the difference between PLAID and GINGHAM?

Plaid is a woven fabric that uses various colors that go in horizontal and vertical directions whereas gingham is almost always two colors. A darker hue paired with white, cream, or a lighter variant of the dark hue.

Within the overall umbrella of plaid and gingham there are subcategories of patterns such as buffalo check, glen check, tartan, madras, windowpane check, and so on.

Vintage Style Inspiration: Hair Scarves

2021-10-06T13:36:09-07:00

It gladdens our vintage style loving hearts to see that head scarves and kerchiefs have made a strong comeback in recent mainstream fashion, though we know ourselves well enough that even when the trend fades amongst the masses, we'll still happily don our cotton bandanas and floral silk scarves around our heads as so many women did of yesteryear.

There are so many ways to wear hair scarves to channel that effortlessly feminine vintage look and we are sharing some photos from the past that showcases all the wonderful ways to accent your outfits with the ever versatile scarf or bandana.

Vintage Style Inspiration: Hair Scarf Tied Below the Chin

A timeless and feminine way to wear a vintage inspired scarf of bandana is tied below the chin at the neck or behind your hair line at the neck. Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Queen Elizabeth II seem to favor this way of wearing scarves the most.

Vintage Style Inspiration: Hair Scarf Tied Behind the Neck

Decidedly more country inspired, wear a hair scarf tied behind the neck recalls nostalgia for days spent out in the garden or on a farm. We recommend cotton bandanas for this look since slippery fabrics will easily slip off your hair.

Vintage Fashion Inspiration: 1940s Overalls

2021-03-05T15:28:46-08:00

Here at mypiggywiggy we rarely look to modern trends and current fashion fads to inspire the garments we choose to grace our online shop pages, instead we often turn to the past to see what the everyday woman wore as she went about her life doing simple, ordinary things. We've recently added some cute vintage inspired overalls in the shop, so we wanted to share with all of you the vintage photos we have collected that were our source of inspiration and reference.

We've gathered together a few inspiring vintage images of women from the past (mostly from the 1940s though) wearing overalls.

In those days wearing pants and especially overalls was much more common place amongst men, but during the war effort, many women took over men's jobs at farms and factories and during this time women's fashion forever changed, again. In the previous World Ward, women's fashion had changed significantly because the entire world changed. Hemlines became shorter, clothing became less fussy, and corsets were no longer worn.

A Brief of History of Overalls

Before the second World War, women were hardly seen wearing overalls. They were made to be worn over your own clothes to protect your garments and were often made of sturdy denim or canvas as they were quite utilitarian. The first patent for overalls was filed in 1873 by Levi Strauss & Company. Many men who worked on the railroads or panned for gold often wore these sturdy garments made of thick denims as they could handle the rough daily wear and tear.

But as more and more women entered the workforce during World War II, their everyday garments were not deemed safe for factory and farm work and so new designs were created and produced. Eventually more feminine details such as waists that could cinch and more feminine pockets emerged eventually paving the way for overalls to be worn as a fashion garment and not just for utility and work. Now you can purchase overalls in a variety of fabrics and in various prints and patterns and different weights of fabrics too!

Vintage Style Inspiration: Overalls

Get The Look

We were inspired by this vintage 1940s photo of a woman wearing a puff sleeve short sleeve blouse and printed wide leg overalls. Our Leighton Floral Overalls paired with either the Cloud Pagoda Top or Seeking Clouds Top would make a perfect vintage inspired outfit without looking too much like a period costume.

Style Muse / Anna Karina

2019-02-18T07:44:00-08:00

In the month that celebrates what it is to adore and be adored in return, we think of our favorite style and art muses. Anna Karina ranks high among them, as the classic doe-eyed, philosophically somber and romantic french girl of the 1960s French New Wave film movement.

We adore her classic style choices that never seem to grow to be passé: minimal separates like capris and cardigans, plaid skirts with simple button-ups. Her hair is pulled back in a smooth pony tail, or left limp and messy with a curtain of bangs shadowing her pensive features. Anna channels the playful spirit of girlhood while embracing the sophistication of the femme élégante.

To channel your inner 1960s French Muse style, i.e. Anna Karina inspired outfits... here are some pieces you need in your wardrobe.

A solid colored cardigan
Midi skirts in solid colors or that feature subtle geometric patterns like stripes, plaid, or grid.
Higher necklines, especially round ones
Cigarette pants
Oversized sweater
Black closed rounded toe flats

Have you seen any of her films? She's featured in 17 Jean Luc-Godard films alone. If you're looking for something quirky, romantic, risque and a tad cynical this weekend, we recommend diving into one of these time capsule flicks.

Our Style Muse articles feature inspiring women from history and modern day who capture the essence of mypiggywiggy's favorite quote, "Live the life you always imagined" (Thoreau). Sometimes an outfit inspires an adventure, sometimes your favorite adventures are remembered by the dress or cardigan you were wearing. In any case, we like to research and share information about women who have already paved the way to living truest to oneself... independent, creative, driven, daring, unconventional, and timelessly beautiful.