Finding Unicorns

One of the fun parts of being a vintage collector is tracking down the pieces you want for your wardrobe. Sometimes this is more general — I’m looking for a medium blue hat. Sometimes, it’s more specific. One of the pieces I’ve been keeping my eye out for ever since I started collecting vintage was this music-themed novelty print skirt. I’m a trained musician, I used to play violin, the skirt is awesome… clearly it had to go on my wish list.

A simple 1950s outfit serves to set off a novelty print skirt featuring a still life with musical instruments

I’ve seen it in a few colorways — the background might be black or blue or brown — but almost always way out of my budget. Anyway, it lived on my mental list of “things to buy if I ever see them in the wild for a fair price” for a long time. And then the other week Hannah, like some vintage fairy godmother, saw a friend selling the skirt, thought of me, and put us in touch!

Bakelite bangles bring out the warm colors in a novelty print 1950s skirt featuring violins and sheet music.

Now naturally, I had to put the skirt on as soon as it arrived, and when I had some free time after my last evening obligation I decided to run out and shoot some pictures of it for the blog. Thank goodness for long summer evenings!

A simple 1950s outfit serves to set off a novelty print skirt featuring a still life with musical instruments

Brown and yellow aren’t really my favorite colors (although for a print this good, I’ll make an exception!) and I’ll probably be wearing this more in the autumn and winter months since the colors are so rich and warm and New England is overwhelmingly green in the summer. However, I was thrilled to realize that all of the brown tones mean that this skirt is just perfect for all of my brown and yellow Bakelite bangles that I’ve picked up over time at thrift stores and antiques shops. I don’t tend to wear them much, and I don’t have enough bangles in brighter colors to make up a very impressive stack, so it was fun to discover that I do in fact have enough Bakelite to make up a nice stack of bangles.

The warm brown tones of this 1950s music-themed novelty print skirt are a perfect match for a selection of Bakelite bangles

A ruffled nylon blouse adds a feminine touch to any outfit

A simple 1950s outfit serves to set off a novelty print skirt featuring a still life with musical instruments

BAIT Lacey pumps in cream from Royal Vintage Shoes

Do you have any dream pieces on your closet wishlist? Do you have a mental list of “things I need” when you go shopping or is your search more free-form?n(And, pssst, if any more vintage fairies are listening, I’m still on the hunt for the Grand Canyon print skirt and a 1940s tilt hat in bright raspberry pink…)

A 1950s inspired look featuring an amazing novelty-print skirt with a pattern of sheet music and instruments

    • Yellow hair flower: Claire’s
    • Sheer nylon blouse: Etsy
    • Yellow camisole: Some place in the mall
    • 1950s novelty print music themed skirt: Purchased from another collector
    • Carved Bakelite bangle and matching earrings: Grandma’s
    • All the rest of the Bakelite: Thrift/Antiques shops

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