Decades of style: my mom

It's only appropriate that the first post of this blog should star the woman who knew Frederick & Nelson Tea Room first-hand. My mother was fashionable then, and still is. She has an eye for detail, and most important, has always known what flatters her shape, coloring, and style.

One of my mother's first jobs was in the Seattle Bon Marche Infants' and Children's department in the 50s. She and friends would dine at the fantastic standbys that used to feed and entertain Seattleites who worked downtown: Other Place, Outrigger, Pancho’s, and Plaid Piper. Rhodes Department Store had a lovely  restaurant overlooking the main floor, and a live organist. There was Trader Vic’s, and Von’s, both great places for cocktails.

Up to around the 50s, a department store clerk wore a black dress and a string of pearls. It was a simple, elegant time for fashion. During WWII, rationing had limited the availability of fabrics and colors, and as usually happens, restrictions create new standards which are adopted and altered: when manufacturers aren't allowed to put cuffs on blouses, people figure out other ways to lend style to outfits.

Here's to Mom! 

This is probably at the Arboretum Japanese Garden

At my grandparents' house in Fremont

At The Fat Hen in Ballard, 2012