Man-Tailored Glam

Select a tailored jacket that takes its cue from menswear.....Add stylish accessories......The result is effortless forties sophistication.

Monolithic Studios' film star Gene Marshall wears the ultimate man-tailored jacket borrowed from Mattel's James Bond.  Hat, handbag, and earrings are from Ashton Drake.  Gloves and brooch are from Integrity.  Scarf is from Sandra Stillwell.  Skirt from The Couture Touch.  Phoenix Gene Marshall is from Jamieshow.

Film diva Joan Crawford in a double-breasted pinstriped suit from Robert Tonner's Brenda Starr Collection.  Hat and gloves are from The Couture Touch.  The dramatic fur is from PD Root.  Top from Sandra Stillwell.  Shoes from Integrity.  Cigarette holder is from Ashton Drake.  Miss Crawford is a repainted "Pin-Up" Gene Marshall from Ashton Drake, artist unknown.

Miss Marshall strikes a pose in the jacket from Ashton Drake's Star Wardrobe Collection.  Vintage buttons replace the original ones.  Hat, gloves, scarf, and corsage are from The Couture Touch.  Cigarette holder is from Mystyna.  Skirt from Sandra Stillwell.  Handbag unknown.  White Orchid Gene Marshall is from Jamieshow.

Additional Credits:

Styling from The Couture Touch.

Houndstooth

Who doesn't think of Lauren Bacall in the 1944 film To Have and Have Not when thinking of a classic 1940's houndstooth suit. 

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart

To Have and Have Not, 1944

Houndstooth is a variation of a simple check pattern that uses the twill weave to produce a special effect.  It comes in many color combinations but the classic is black and white.  I love the use of an unexpected color such as jade green with the black and white check.

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This is a prototype of a circa mid-forties suit that is based on a Simplicity pattern.  I didn't like the fit of the original pattern so I started from scratch and drafted a new pattern to get the look and fit I was going for.  This pattern will eventually be used for a striped suit.  I decided to use some left over jade wool crepe fabric from another project and combined it with the black and white houndstooth crepe fabric.  This style jacket often closed at the waist with either a simple button or with self-fabric ties.  In this case I used a vintage button as the closure.

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Underneath the jacket is a linen dickey which were popular in the forties, and a great way to eliminate bulk.  The embroidery on the front of the dickey is actually from a vintage lace piece that a friend gave me.  Of course every great 40's suit must have a matching topper.  This one is made from Ultrasuede and banded with the black and white houndstooth crepe.  The velveteen bow and veiling are from a vintage hat.  The black and white Ultrasuede gloves are reversible.

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Integrity's Silhouette of the Fifties Ivy Jordan is my model/muse.  She is my favorite fit model as she looks great in any era!  The purse is borrowed from an OOAK ensemble for Barbie doll, and the shoes are from Integrity's Gene Marshall collection.

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Houndstooth is not just for clothing.  It also looks great in accessories.  This 1940's tilt topper is a great example.  From my private collection.