Where Bloggers Live: My Favorite Style Era
Welcome! “Where Bloggers Live” started out kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! We all like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes, interests, and lives, so every month this wonderful family of amazing women shares their work-spaces, homes, towns, and thoughts, with posts based on specific prompts. It’s been so interesting over the years to see the different ways each of us interpret the topics.
This month, we’re asking the question: what’s your favorite style era? Fashion, decorating, you name it. I’m gonna bend the rules a bit and say NOW. Kinda funny since I usually love older stuff, but that’s exactly why I’d pick now. I can mix clothes from one decade with furniture from another and have both in my life. Who says I pick have to pick one era and stick to it?
1940s style a la Katherine Hepburn
I started thinking about how much harder that must have been back in the day. It really depended on where you lived, how much money you had, and what people expected you to wear or have at home.
1920’s style kitchen
There were legit rules about what you could wear, not just mom telling you to put on a nicer shirt. In some places, there were laws about who could wear certain fabrics or colors. You might be able to afford silk but still not be allowed to wear it. Then there were all the unspoken rules. What you wore depended on where you were headed, the time of day, and even your age. Show up without a hat or gloves when everyone else wore them? People noticed, and not in a good way.
Today’s Japanese street style
You had to work with what you could get. If you lived where there were lots of trees, your house probably had a lot of wood. If stone was easier to find, you’d see more stone. Same with clothes, the fibers people could get, and the plants they used for dyeing helped give places their own unique style. I like thinking about that when I look at old houses. Some of the things we try to copy now for “style” were just practical back then.
1950’s mid-century architecture
People kept things much longer. When someone made a coat by hand, you wore the heck out of it. You fixed it, altered it, and passed it along to someone else when you were done with it. If you inherited a solid table, it was yours for a long time. Imagine telling your grandma you tossed it because dark oak isn’t “in” anymore!
1960’s shirtwaist dress
Even figuring out what was stylish took forever. In the late 1700s, if you wanted to see what was hot in Paris, you might grab a fashion plate from a print shop or check out a fashion magazine. We all know the term “fashion plate,” but back then, they weren’t just stylish people, they were illustrations showing everything from the dress to the shoes to the hairstyle. Of course, that print or magazine had to make its way to where you lived, there was no email! Now, you can see what someone halfway across the world is wearing before you’re even out of bed in the morning and get it delivered in a few days.
1930’s bathroom
But what I love most about now? I can borrow from pretty much any era I want. Wear something that reminds me of the ’70s or put a bright, modern lamp on an old wooden table just because I like how they look together. If I have to pick one era, I’m choosing the one that lets me do exactly that.
This one.
Be sure to check out the other wonderful bloggers in our group to see what their favorite style eras are!
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After
Sally at Within a World of My Own
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