A 1950'S COMPACT

Good Morning to you,

If I were to ask you, which era you thought the most elegant for women, I wonder what your answer would be. For myself, it would have to be the 1940's and early 1950's. 

For me, the cut and style of the dresses, jackets and coats were beautiful.  I love the fitted designs which enhanced a woman's shape. 

How exciting it must have been, dressing-up on a Saturday night, to go dancing at the local ballroom. The first decision, would be choosing a dress to wear, then you would choose the stockings, after that, you would decide which pair of  shoes to wear and  which handbag went with the outfit.  In the 1940's and 1950's a woman would choose matching shoes and handbag. Then the fun would be adding the jewellery to  enhance the outfit......but there is something missing.

Think about the contents of your handbag, you would have a small purse, a handkerchief, a lipstick and can you think of anything else a women would need? Have, you guessed it, something just as important as a lipstick......a compact.

This compact I am going to show you is a vintage, early 1950's compact, and I know Pam from Pamluvspink is going to adore it.

Have you ever watched a 1940's film, to see a woman reach inside her handbag and bring out a beautiful compact to powder her nose.

Alas, the time of compacts has disappeared as face powder for women has radically changed.

This compact is beautiful. The compact has been made into a shell design, which is gorgeous, with the added bonus of the rhinestones decorating the centre of the lid of the compact.

This is the reverse side of the powder compact. I would have expected a plain back, but no it is as exquisite as the front.

Press the catch, to see the beautiful interior.

The mirror has a couple of slight marks, but this can be forgiven because of it's age and after all it was   used and loved.  

Again, look at the detail, this powder lid could have so easily been plain, but no, again the pattern is exquisite.

Press the little clip down and the compact opens to reveal,

a gauze sifter, which was used if loose powder was added to the compact.  

....and what does every woman need to go with her compact.....a beautiful lipstick of course. The lipstick is not a 1950's lipstick, but an Estee Lauder lipstick which I bought in the 1980's.  I do not use it, but I kept the lipstick because I loved the container and if I was ever to use powder, this is a lovely little duo.

I remember both Ivy and Phyllis using compacts and Phyllis said, you always had a beautiful compact, to take out of your handbag, when you were going somewhere special. 

Have you guessed who owned this compact.  No not Ivy, but Phyllis.  This compact was given to Phyllis when she was a young married women and she used it when she went out on a Saturday night.

.....and can you guess who gave Phyllis the gift? Yes you are right, it was Ivy and Gramps. Phyllis said it was a very generous gift to be given and one which she treasured.  She also said she loved taking the compact out of her handbag and using it to powder her nose on a Saturday night.

This week I shall be joining,

Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesdays

and

Claudia for My Favourite Thing

and

The Honeysuckle Bus Stop

Take care and I will see you later in the week.