Watching History Over My House!

This is Space Shuttle Discovery on the back of a huge NASA 747 flying directly over my house at 9:46 am. I am on my back deck in my vintage house coat and chiffon nightie yelling like a nut on a roller coaster.

After being retired last year, Discovery was transferred this morning from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida to the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia. The Center is a division of the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/discovery/activity-detail.cfm?id=3783

As a kid in the 1980s, I used to love watching the Space shuttle launches on TV. I was mesmerized by the idea that something that big could fly into space. There was even a time I wanted to be an astronaut (like most kids I am sure). "Space Camp" was one of favorite movies.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091993/


So, here's how the whole scene played out on my back deck:

After waiting a while for Discovery to make its appearance, I start wondering, "Are they sure it's going to fly over?"

All of a sudden, I hear something! Yes, here comes Discovery!

And there it goes:

I am so excited I don't care that I am outside in my house coat!

Nevertheless, after 20 years, the space shuttle program has been retired. I am sad it is over but I am glad I had the honor of witnessing an era come to an end.

Honoring Those Lost-69th Anniversary of The Attack on Pearl Harbor

Today, the 7th of December, 2010, marks the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The first wave of Japanese bombers hit Battleship Row at 7:51 a.m. and the second struck at 8:30 a.m. Nine Navy ships were sunk and 21 were heavily damaged. In addition, 188 military aircraft were destroyed when nearby airfields were also attacked. Over 2400 lost their lives.

The photo above shows the moment when an overhead bomb struck the forward magazine of the USS Arizona. The Arizona lost nearly 1200 sailors.

This is how the Arizona looks today:

It is sad knowing that all those men aboard the Arizona are still entombed in the ship. Oil still leaks out from the wreckage, like a constant reminder echoing her great loss.

The Arizona Memorial was dedicated in 1962 and has about one million visitors each year. The white, open-air design gracefully and delicately stands above the remains of the ship. On the walls are the names of the men who went down with the Arizona.

Unknown to many, there is another memorial in Pearl Harbor. The USS Utah:

 
The Utah was capsized during the December 7th attack. 58 sailors, including 6 officers, were killed.  After the attack, the Navy attempted to right the ship but the effort failed. The ship rests on her side on the edge of the harbor:

Until the tragedy of Pearl Harbor, the United States stayed out of the war  that began on September 1, 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. The day after the attack, December 8th, President Franklin Roosevelt gave his heart-felt "Infamy speech" and declared war on the Empire of Japan.

From 1942 to the bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, American Naval and Marine forces fought fiercely against Japan. American forces also joined the Allied in Europe in an effort to stomp out the evil, Nazi Regime. Many, many lost their lives yet their sacrifice will never been forgotten.

So, on this sacred day, let's take a moment to remember those lost on this day, 69 years ago.

The Pentagon- The War Era and Beyond

This is the Pentagon, located in Arlington, Virginia. The 5-sided building sits less than a mile away from Washington, D.C. I live about 20 -25 minutes (depending on traffic) west of the Pentagon and I often pass it by as I drive into D.C. for shows, dinner, or shopping. The part of the building faces Interstate 395 and it is literally across the road from Reagan National Airport and the Potomac River.

In mid 1941, the number of War Department employees, both military and civilian, rose to 24,000 in the Washington, D.C. Area alone. Personnel worked in seventeen different buildings and the number of workers was expected to reach 30,000 by 1942. The Quartermaster Corps’ Construction Division, was responsible for creating office space for the workers. Now, bare in mind, all of this was taking place before the United States declared war in December 1941, after it the US Navy Fleet was attacked in Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii on the 7^th of that month.

The government considered designing temporary facilities, but Brigadier General Brehon B. Somervell from the US Army Corps of Engineers had other plans. In July 1941, General Somervell contacted Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Casey and civilian architect George E. Bergstrom. He told the men that he wanted designs for an air-conditioned building that could hold 40,000 employees in a space of 4 million square feet. Due to the height limits specified in the Washington, D.C. building codes, the building could not be higher than four stories. Lieutenant Colonel Casey and his team presented a design that detailed a creation of a five-sided building. The War Department and the Secretary of War approved the building’s design. Eventually, President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress passed a defense appropriation bill that contained a 35 million dollar proposal for the new War Department headquarters.

During the months after the the Pentagon's plans were approved, the building's designs went through several changes, including the proper location for it. Lieutenant Colonel Casey and Mr. Bergstrom initially proposed that the new facility be placed between Arlington National Cemetery and the Memorial Bridge (the bridge spans the Potomac River and connects Arlington National Cemetery with the Lincoln Memorial in D.C.)

However, a few federal agencies and citizens felt the proposed location would block the view between the Lincoln Memorial and the Cemetery. After considering the public's negative response, President Roosevelt selected the building's current location.

Mr. Bergstrom along with fellow architect David J. Witmer created plans that featured reinforced concrete and five inner “rings” of connected rows that were separated by light wells and connected by radiating corridors. The final design had five stories, instead of the proposed four and it also had a six-acre, open courtyard in the middle of the facility. The architects' plans also boasted several ramps, escalators, a shopping area in the first floor, taxi and bus areas, and parking areas large enough to hold 8,000 cars. The ground of the Pentagon was broken on September 11, 1941 and construction began in October of that year. General contractor John McShain oversaw construction work. Most of the building was completed in July 1942 and it was officially dedicated in 1943.

After the war ended, the War Department eventually was changed to the Department of Defense. After 60 plus years, the Pentagon still remains as the “epicenter” of the military and its defense operations.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, exactly 60 years to the day after the Pentagon's ground-breaking ceremony, American Airlines Flight 77 left Washington Dulles airport bound for Los Angeles and then it was highjacked by terrorists. At 9:37 a.m., Flight 77 slammed into the western side of the building. 64 passengers on board the plane and 125 Pentagon employees were killed.

In August 2002, the repairs to fix the damaged section of the Pentagon were completed. Despite the years and the trauma of the September 11^th attacks, the Pentagon still stands strong. It is truly a testament to the dedicated workers who built her and the American military that houses her. May the Pentagon ever thrive the ages.

The Tale of Tokyo Rose

“Tokyo Rose” was a name coined by American Forces fighting in the South Pacific during the second world war. The name applied to approximately 12 English-speaking Japanese women who broadcasted pro-Japan propaganda over the radio. The goal of the broadcasts was to destroy American morale. American servicemen listened to the broadcasts to better understand Japan's motivations and to learn their 'code speak' in an effort to improve their tactics against the Empire.

On the homefront, rumors spread that “Tokyo Rose” was shockingly knowledgeable in naming specific American outfits and units and also naming individual servicemen. However, those claims were never founded.

The name "Tokyo Rose" is most strongly associated with Iva Toguri D'Aquino. She used the moniker "Orphan Ann" during “ The Zero Hour” on Radio Tokyo or NHK. The program featured skits and pro-Japanese news reports along with popular music. Toguri's supporters have suggested that other announcers like American Ruth Hayakawa and Canadian June Suyama were possibly the real Tokyo Rose. Despite the fact that other women seemed to better fit the description of the famed Tokyo Rose, journalists and officials from the US Foreign Broadcast Information Service stated that "Orphan Ann" was as the woman "servicemen refer to when they speak of Tokyo Rose." Regardless of their findings, the Information Service stated that the name Toyko Rose represented an anti-American, underground movement as a whole and not one person.

After the Japanese surrdender in 1945, Toguri was held for a year by the American military before she was let go due to the lack of evidence. Officials from the Department of Justice released a statement that regarded Toguri's broadcasts as “innocuous." However, the Federal Bureal of Investigation renewed its case against her and she was charged with eight counts of treason in 1949. At the conclusion of Toguri's trial, she was convicted on one count. In 1974, a group of journalists discovered that key witnesses had lied during the trial and Toguri was given a Presidential Pardon by President Ford in 1977.

War Era Propoganda Poster

I found this poster on a website recently. I love seeing vintage, war-era stuff like this! It really shows us how daily life must have been during this time. Americans knew they could be war for a long time so nothing was left to chance. Food was rationed, clothing designs were changed, certain textiles and car models were restricted, and according to this, free correspondence was to be limited. Spies and secret agents could be anywhere, listening.

Did you know that New York and Washington, DC had the most concentration of axis spies during the war? Also, before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese spies posed as tourists and took photographs of Battleship Row? There was also a local dentist, who was Japanese-born, who helped gain intelligence for the Japanese as well.

Here in DC, we have the Spy Museum located on F Street NW (the north west part of town). I have not been yet but I want to go! One of the many exhibits features World War II espionage! If I ever go, I will post pictures for sure.

Vintage Shoe Spotlight- Wedges!

Here is the famous Carmen Miranda with her shoes! I am SO JEALOUS!

Shoes. It is a word that evokes feelings of fascination and wonder in almost every girl I know, vintage or not! Putting personal taste aside, I have yet to meet a girl who is not obsessed with shoes. I've had a passion for shoes ever since I was able to wear high heels. In high school, I would often steal my mother's heels and as soon as I got my first real job, I blew most of my earnings on clothing, makeup, and of course, shoes! The first high heels I ever bought were a pair of black suede platforms made by Sam and Libby. The shoes had a late-40s, New Look vibe about them. I was 17 and I felt like a vintage starlet as I strutted my way to Spanish class.

In 2006, I started wearing vintage on a normal basis. As I slowly built my vintage wardrobe, I realized my shoe collection needed to be updated as well. I had a few pairs of contemporary heels that 'looked vintage' as well as two authentic sets of late 1940s/50s deadstock saddle shoes. As I searched various websites for inspiration, I noticed several 40s looks were combined with wedge shoes.

Wedge shoes, are a category of platform shoes. In 1935, Italian designer Salvatore Ferragamo designed the first prototype of the wedge. This primary model didn't have an obvious heel. It was almost like a flat-type of shoe. Ferragamo's inaugural creation was in the form of the traditional 'angled' wedge. In 1936, the designer introduced a higher, heeled version. In the following years, different kinds of wedges were made in a myriad of styles and heights. Some wedges were designed with heels as high as five inches!

In the late 1930s and into the early 40s, many shoe designers began to make wedges in a variety of colors and materials. Wedges made with cork, wood, rubber, and/or leather. However, cork became a widely used medium due to its light weight. Moreover, cork soles were long-lasting and sturdy. Women discovered that wedges were not only dependable, they were easier to walk than their high heel counterparts.

During the war years, wedge shoes became fashion mainstays due to comfort and rationing. Heavy restrictions were placed on rubber and leather. As a result, cork continued to be a major component in the wedges' construction. As for the upper balances of wedges, some were made with cottons, velvet, and raffia.

In the late 40s and into the early 50s, wedges were made with lower heels and were usually deemed for casual and summer wear ie, “play wear.”

In the 1970s, the wedge made a huge comeback. The wedge was found in every style from day wear to disco couture.

In the early 1980s, espadrilles (especially those made by Pappagallo) were extremely popular with the “preppy set.” (I remember my sister begging our mom for a pair of espadrilles.)
Throughout the later years of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, various forms of wedges have come and gone. I have noticed that in the last two to three years, wedges have been a major feature of the haute couture collections ranging from Gucci, Galliano, Yves Saint Laurent, Stuart Weitzman, Prada, Louboutin to Chanel. Even the 'retail' market brands like Roxy, Rocket Dog, and Volatile have been coming out with wedge designs.

In my shoe collection as it stand now, I have wedges from Punk Rose, Natural Comfort, Miss Sixty, Castañer, Re-Mix, and Ayers Allen. I would do anything to have the real thing but most of us vintage girls know how hard it is to find vintage shoes that are in good condition, let alone our size!


(Re-Mix Vintage wedges in red)


(me wearing wedges from Miss Sixty)

Despite fashion's fickle love affair with the wedge, I am going to keep wearing them! They are comfortable, cute, and so 40s! On the weekend, I love pairing my red ribbon espadrilles with my dark rinse, denim capris and plaid, 50s camp shirt. Wedges go with everything from 40s house dresses, 50s pencil skirts, sundresses, and vintage playsuits! Instead of flip-flops, I compliment my summer looks with wedges.

So, vintage girls, whatever your budget, be sure to include wedge shoes in your collection!

War Time Fashion

In this photo: Vintage Weldons Pattern, Circa 1942.

In response to the United States joining the attack against the Axis powers in late 1941, clothing designers began to create couture that reflected the country's strong sense of patriotism along with its dire economic situation. From 1942 to the end of the war, the American public rationed everything from food, textiles, paper goods, metals to paints. The U.S. Department of Agriculture established food rationing guidelines for the general public in an effort to help conserve food resources and reduce waste.

America's involvement in the war not only inspired rationing and fashion, it also paved the way for several innovations. For instance, some of the many food goods that were restricted were dairy products. Milk, buttermilk, mayonnaise, eggs, and butter were severely limited to the public. In response, scientists help develop certain food substitutes that were not only easy to manufacture but also proved very inexpensive! Two of these products that is still in existence today are margarine and Miracle Whip! Even though Miracle Whip was created during the Depression as a mayonnaise substitute, its popularity amongst American households skyrocketed during the war years.

Factories and most manufacturing plants reduced their use of metal and relied on “scrap.” Even household paint was no longer sold in can form. Instead, containers were made out of a special coated paper! When Battleship Row was bombed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, many of the heavily-damaged ships that were either sunk or capsized were scrapped for their metal (only a few ships were able to be repaired and re-entered into service). Salvaged metals were used towards the fabrication of military equipment and some of the gun turrets and their ammunition were removed and reused on other ships. However, guns and machinery that were too damaged for safe use were eventually scrapped as well.

Textiles and fabrics were also limited, especially for public use. Cotton, silk, nylon, and rubber were heavily restricted. Nylon and silk went towards parachute fabrication and cotton was used for uniforms and the lining of airplanes. In 1942/43, DuPont halted production of nylon stockings. As a result, ladies began wearing white bobby socks and some even drew on fake back seams down their legs using India ink!

Due to the restriction of certain fabrics, rayon became a very popular textile for clothing. Rayon was an easily-made synthetic that held its shape well and proved to be quite durable. Rayon was soon seen in forms of dresses, blouses, and skirts.

Because most ladies were on a tight budget, they not only changed they way they dressed, they no longer spent hours at the hair salon. Between trying to maintain their households and working in factories for the war effort, ladies truly had no time to tend to hair! Subsequently, women often wore chic hair snoods to mask unkempt hair. Those working in military manufacturing plants also secured their long locks in bandanas to prevent hair from getting caught in dangerous equipment.

The overall mood of war time couture was that of utility and uniformity. Military servicemen in their uniforms were seen at most civilian social occasions from movie theaters, dances, baseball games, diners to USO events. It was virtually impossible to go anywhere without being aware of that our country was at war. Therefore, clothing designers not only considered the fact they had to work under heavy limitations, they also created styles that mimicked military fashion. Patriotic ladies wore dresses with shorter hem lines, jackets with strong padded shoulders and utilitarian pockets. Fabric colors were like those of the Armed Forces: blue, grey, olive, and green.

Honoring Those Lost- Memorial Day

Here is a picture showing some of the crew members from the USS Arizona. As we know, the Arizona was torpedoed and sunk during the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. 1777 men lost their lives that day.

On this Memorial Day, Monday, MAY 31st, let us all honor those who have the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation. May we cherish their memory by never forgetting their legacy.