I’ve been looking forward to sharing this with you. I love old magazines, but this one is extra special because it still contains the free gifts, as mentioned on the front cover, which is quite remarkable when you realise how old it is. My real reason for buying it was the Weldon’s Portfolio of Fashions (one of the free gifts) but there is much else to enjoy including a serial entitled Cat’s paw and an article about spending Christmas with the then King and Queen.
This from the Weldon's Portfolio of Fashion: Paris Calling: The world over, financial and economical questions are difficult to solve and that makes life hard for everybody, but in such trying times it is the duty of the women to provide the pleasant note which gives relaxation to minds and hearts.
Having mentioned times being rather hard it goes on to describe the fashions that every self-respecting woman simply must have.
In case you can't read the descriptions they are (left to right). The interesting points of this fondant green (a shame the images are in black and white!) satin dress are, epaulette sleeves, crossover bodice and moulded-to-the figure effect. Have black or raisin brown for this lovely frock of faille, with a low v-shaped neck, and pointed hip yoke. Frills contribute largely to the chic of this white Japshan silk frock. Note how they catch up the bodice, which has a crossover line and is draped at the waist. Printed taffeta or Grand Prix Ninon are good materials for interpreting the charming new lines of this frock with a low decolletage, flounces and bustle effect.
The party season calls for - pretty frocks and fancy dress.
The pictures are in colour this time, but the descriptions are no less flowery. The upward lift of the flared frills to the bow at the back shows how charming the bustle can be. Satin in the soft yellow tone of old ivory is suggested for this gown with new, softly draped bodice and moulded hips. Gay enough for any festive occasion is a frock like this. Make in chiffon or Georgette.
It's not all party frocks - here are four smart outfits for the younger married woman, combining youthfulness with sophisticated chic.
Here an introduction to the newest in jumpers ... following the vogue for all things that give a trim military silhouette ... and the latest frocks for wearing till the evening.
I feel sure my mother would have read magazines like this. This is a photograph of her in the garden of her family home in 1933. She was a stylish young woman, but as she got older, she adopted darker colours and sensible shoes. I’m glad my memories go back a long way (to the 1950s), or I might never have known about her love of fashion.
If you are still wondering about the second free gift, this is how it is described in the magazine: Economy or no economy - one thing is certain - every smart woman must have a woolly pochette this winter. With the free pattern, you can make the flat little pochette with its trimly professional air for almost next to nothing.
A few more pages from the Portfolio of Fashions;
If you are interested in vintage magazines you might enjoy these previous posts; The Best of British Homemaking 1966 and Lilliput Magazines
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25 Comments on The Ladies Journal and Portfolio of Fashions December 1931, last added: 12/29/2016
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I love them too Sue, and I do remember mum and her sparkly Christmas jumpers. The dress she wore to your wedding is still my favourite one of hers. Thanks for coming over to my blog. xx
I love the elegance of the designs. The fabrics just beg to cling and flow. What a lovely piece for your collection, Barbara. Thanks for giving us look at it. Did you read the Cat's Paw?
Hello Lee, yes I've read Cat’s Paw or at least part of it. So far, there has been a murder and a kidnapping … now if anyone has a copy of the Ladies Journal from January 1932 can you please tell me what happens next! :-)
Oh how lovely Barbara. Thanks for sharing them. I do so love these old magazines and the beautiful fashions of that time. They all look so elegant, graceful and chic.
Lovely that you have your mum's memory as when she was wearing fashionable cloths. I of course remember my mum wearing pretty sarees to parties but for some reason I remember most of all ,she going around the house doing little excersises to keep her thighs slim😀😀. I remember that often when I go to the gym😀
Hello Shashi, you have such lovely memories of your mum. I smiled when you said she exercised to keep her thighs slim, women never change!
One of my first jobs back in the 60s was in the office of a large clothing factory in the East End of London. I found it all very strange to start with, but I gradually got to know the other girls and began to form friendships. The girls took it upon themselves to introduce me to the East End. We spent lunch hours in the markets, pubs and shops. My favourite shops were the ones that sold sarees. I had never seen such wonders before, the colours and fabrics were breathtaking! My mum & dad worried about me going up to London every day, but it was a real education and something I’ve never regretted. :-)
How fun to see page after page of beautiful fashions from your magazine. And wonderful to see your pretty mom, too! I'm not sure if I'd ever heard of the little bags called pochettes before, but this design looks very fun to make. Thanks for this fascinating post!
Hi Marcia, it’s OK I had never heard the word either but according to the Oxford Dictionary, it’s a woman's small handbag shaped like an envelope. Perhaps the word come in and went out of favour before we were born! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post.
Raisin Brown. Isn't that a great description?
I can't blame your parents. Back in the sixties London must have been so different. East end would have been very industrial and full of immigrants from India because when boat loads of worksers came for the leather and textile industry I believe they were off loaded in the London docks and east end had all the factories from what I have heard and read and people still not comfortable mixing. I would have loved to see London from that era. I came only end of seventies . By then london had changed a lot. My husband once drove me through east end of london to show me and I could capture some of the atmosphere although that part of london looked very sorry. After all the redevelopment I cannot recognise any thing there. It is so changed.
It certainly is Sandra.
It was an amazing time, colourful & noisy and very exciting. I worked for a Jewish company in Whitechapel. They were tailors by the name of Schneider. I don’t remember how many of the family were employed in the business, but I’m guessing quite a few. Arriving via the underground on my first morning was an experience in itself. I remember wandering around the back streets trying to find where I needed to be. It was a real eye opener for a girl from the country! After a few years Schneider’s (or Guards Menswear) moved into a new purpose built factory in Basingstoke, I worked there for a while, but it was nothing like working in London. I missed the excitement, and it wasn’t long before I was back working for the Automobile Association in Leicester Square.
What a great photo of your mom. I think my mom was fashionable as well, but I avoid dresses like the plague. Fun to see these pages though. Many of the simpler ones look like they could be worn today.
What a fantastic post!!! I absolutely love vintage magazines! My mom used to read these type of gorgeous magazines.
Thanks for sharing your passion :)
Thanks Tamara, I’m very fond of the photo. I think you are right about the fashions, I would be very happy to wear most of them.
Such a nice thing to say, thank you.
How fun! I love that you can remember your mom when she was more focused on fashion. It is interesting to see the fashion magazine and the descriptions of the clothes. Fun to see old dresses! I am glad some of the photos are in color and I was intrigued by the free gifts. :) Thanks for sharing!
Hi Stephanie, I’m glad you enjoyed the fashions. It’s nice to have memories of my mum as a young woman, although for most of my life, I thought of her as old! Perhaps all children think anyone over 30 is ancient!
Barbara, I'm charmed by fashion from the 30s. It's so sophisticated. Good for you for receiving every gift that came with this journal. And your mother (still very young then) was a wonderful dresser, as you are, my dear!
My mother isn't very adventurous with fashion and colours. She thinks at her age she ought to dress in duller colours, but with a nudge from us, she'll give a dusky pink or a bold orange a try for Chinese New Year. : )
Also, I've received your lovely, lovely X'mas card. Such a highlight of my day! Thank you so much, Barbara, and I wish you and Terry the sweetest, warmest Christmas. (Will the girls be visiting or will you be spending it with your grandsons?)
Dear Claudine,
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. I’m not so sure I’m a wonderful dresser these days, although I’ve always enjoyed clothes. Dusty pink and/or orange sound perfect for Chinese New Year, just like red is the colour for Christmas.
I’m so pleased your card arrived safely. It was sent with love and very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. We won’t see Zoe and Lilly this year, but we are spending Christmas Day with our grandsons and Terry’s parents, so I’m very much looking forward to it.
Lots of love, Barbara x
I love this - it's an exquisite post. One of the reasons I watch older Hollywood movies is to see these fashions. Even if the movie winds up being awful, at least I got to look at some lovely clothes. I like the fashions from the 1930s and 1940s especially.
I know exactly what you mean about Hollywood movies, I love them too. The women always look so polished with superb clothes and amazing hair styles.
I hope you guys have a wonderful time together!
Thank you so much Claudine, Happy holidays xx
I love love these vintage fashions! I often wish I lived in another era. Your mom looks very stylish. Even though my mom was a farmer's wife, she always left the house well dressed. Even now, at 88, she likes to look her best.
Hello Darlene, your mom always looks lovely in the photos you share. My dear old dad spent most of his time in dungarees and Wellington’s but whenever he was away from the farm, he put on a sports jacket, smart trousers, shirt, tie and a flat cap and I loved him for it. Mum was the same slippers and a ‘house dress’ while at home but always smart and tidy to go out.