~ honor flight ~

Last weekend I had the honor (get it?) of attending the welcome home reception for nearly 80 WWII, Vietnam, and Korea veterans after their visit to Washington D.C. with Honor Flight (more information here).

{vintage dress, Miss L Fire shoes}

My grandfather was never able to go on the flight - something that I think he would have loved, despite complaining the whole way there - so attending the welcome home party was a way to honor him, along with the other veterans.

As their plane taxied in, the Tallahassee Swing Band played them the top hits from the 40s.  

What a beautiful night!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ d-day ~

Today we remember June 6th, 1944 and the men and women who fought for the cause.  Today I remember both my maternal grandfather and my paternal grandfather, who both fought in the war.  I also remember a very special day two years ago when we (my mom and aunt) took my grandfather Pop to see WWII planes at the airport.  It was an emotional day for all of us and one of his last outings.

{Captain Isadore Schneider}

{in the jungles of the Philippines - 1943}

Pop was a Captain in the Air Force and fought in the Philippians.  He flew through hurricanes, mountain peaks, and flew blind.  Being 25 years old, he was considered the "old man" among the teenagers, but if I knew him at all, he definitely held his own when it came to joke telling and prank playing.

Here's the story that I only heard him tell once, but that has stuck with me and with everyone who hears it.  Written by my mom.

"In the summer of 1943 my dad had to fly his C-47 cargo plane from Zamboanga in the south to Luzon in the north. Part of the way there he was trapped inside a massive hurricane and was blown off course. He knew that he would not be able to fly through the storm and make it back to Luzon without running out of fuel so he decided to bring the plane in at Manilla. The problem - to make the landing strip there he would have to fly his plane between two mountain peaks south of the runway, while being buffeted by hurricane-force winds and flying completely blind. For the next 60-something years, he still wasn't sure how he managed to make it in between the two mountains but he did, blowing out a tire during the rough landing. He taxied the plane to safety and sat for minute or two, in wonder that he'd made it through the storm, between the mountains, past the blown tire. He then glanced at the fuel gauges. Both were sitting on empty. I only heard my dad tell this story maybe three times in my life - the last time in his late 80s when Eliza interviewed him for a history project on WWII. He still wiped away tears as he told it. So many memories, so many close brushes with death. He was one of the fortunate ones who lived to come home to his family and friends. Remembering, this weekend, both those who didn't return and those war heroes (whether they consider themselves heroes or not) who came home with a lifetime of daily demons to wrestle."

It was a wonderful day.  

I miss Pop so much and think about him everyday.  I don't know where he was or what he was doing on D-Day but I know it's a day that he never forgot.  

Towards the end of his life he suffered from dementia, but the one subject he could always talk about was flying.

So, thank you to the men and women and the many members of my family who sacrificed so much for our country.  You are all so loved.

{Pop, second from the left, with fellow pilots at Shaw Field, SC - 1942}

xoxo,

Eliza

P.S. Here's a recording of Benedict Cumberbatch reading the 8am news broadcast from D-Day and Toby Jones reading the 9pm broadcast.  They're chilling.

~ turban tuesday ~

Turbans: the perfect accessory for when you're A) too lazy to fix your hair, B) too lazy to wash your hair, or C) just want to look fabulous.  The fourth reason is that you're too sick to leave the house or do anything but sit by the pool and take several hot showers per day and you want to distract people from the red-nosed, dark-circled look you've got going - which, incidentally, describes me to a T.

So let's take a look back at the practical, easy-to-create, glamorous turban...

• The 1920s - Ahhh the 20s.  Shorter hems, shorter hair, fabulous turbans.  If you have a bumper crop of satin, feathers, and costume jewelry, the 1920s turban is made for you!

                                                                                       

• The 1930s - the turban style continued to grow in popularity and started to evolve into a more casual, everyday look, as opposed to the glamorous turbans of the 1920s.  The 1930s began what is thought of as the heydays of turbans!

     

• The 1940s - In the 40s, with the start of WWII, many women had double roles: housewife and factory worker.  Because of this split lifestyle, and a lack of shampoo and conditioner during the war, turbans became an easy way to hide dirty hair, keep hair out of your face (and out of machines), and add a bit of glamour to a difficult time.  

For the sake of uncomplicating a complicated time, let's split the 1940s up into two parts: wartime, and post-war.

Wartime: During the war, turbans were an essential part of the working girl's wardrobe.  Because of their practicality, factories required women to wear some type of headscarf in order to insure workplace safety.  When you're doing welding work on airplanes, you don't want to worry about singeing your hair.

Housewives also used turbans to keep their hair out of their work, and many times, to hide curlers or oily hair.

Veronica Lake demonstrates the dangers of working with uncovered hair.

     

Post-War - with the end of the war and the slow decline of rationing, fashion took on a new meaning.  It became lighter, brighter, and took on a celebratory energy.  That is, of course, for some people.  Most were still dealing with the repercussions of war and did not have the time nor the funds to spend on the latest fashions.  But for the sake of continuing on the subject of this post, I'll show you some of the most popular, thought not necessarily the most used fashions.

And of course, the queen of turbans....

The 1950s - The 50s brought about a change in the turban style.  Bigger, brighter, and more fabulous than ever!

{The queen sporting an adorable polka dotted turban}

The 1960s - the 60s brought a change in all aspects of fashion, including head wear.  Turbans went back to their satin and gem days and even Elizabeth Taylor got in on the action!

Several years ago I went through a turban phase of my own...(keep in mind that this was before I learned how to properly pluck eyebrows or apply mascara)

(and before I learned how to adjust the white balance on my camera...)

If you're wanting to add some vintage to your wardrobe but want to take it in small steps, I highly recommend trying out a turban.  They're easy to find, easy to DIY, and incredibly easy to style.  So remember, the next time you have a horrible hair day or a bout of laziness or just want to spice up your look, don't overlook a turban.

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo,

Eliza