Vintage Pendleton Wardrobe Basics

I'm sure many of us, including myself, are thinking about how to get along with less. The other day I posted about building a wardrobe on a budget, and purchasing quality instead of quantity. Here is another example.

Pendleton is a well-known maker of good quality woolens; so good that many vintage Pendleton garments from the 1940's and 50's are still in service today. If you purchased just one of the items shown above, you could mix and match that piece with others in your wardrobe to add more looks to your closet. That's what is great about a "basic". It works well with lots of items you already own.

Lets take that green pullover sweater. I happen to love green, and use it alot in my wardrobe. Green is the "fashion" color in my closet that I mix and match with basics. I could wear that green sweater with either black, brown, grey, navy, forest green, or khaki pants or skirt. (I don't own all those colors in bottoms. I tend to stick with black and brown, but any of those basic colors would work with green.) I could add a jacket in one of those basic colors, or add a cardigan sweater I already own in a lighter green or orange.

Ok, lets take that basic green sweater and pair it with brown pants. Pretty boring until I turn to accessories. How about my favorite paisley wool shawl in several shades of lighter green. Or a vintage Vera scarf in pink and orange. If a scarf doesn't do it for me, I can add a cluster of vintage rhinestone pins, or how about a modern beaded necklace with touches of light green beads in amongst the gold. Or a chunky gold necklace from the 80's would work. And I'd probably grab my green Franco Sarto bag I've been carrying alot this year.

Look at all the possibilities with just one high quality green sweater! And because the quality is there, I won't need to donate it at the end of the season because it is pilled, pulled, faded, or misshapen. I can wear it for years. And the beauty of being a vintage clothing dealer? If I was patient, I could probably find that exact green Pendleton sweater from 1959, still servicable, and still wearable for years to come.

Shown in the ad above, from 1959:

Pendleton's Slim Jim skirt in lightweight beige wool flannel, $14.95 ($110.00 today)
Paired with a beige Pendlefleece collar cardigan, $16.95 ($126.00 today)

Pocketeer skirt in green wool flannel $16.95, ($126.00 today)
Paired with the fine guage wool pullover sweater, $8.95 ($66.50 today)

Tabmaster wool flannel skirt in blue, $14.95 ($110.00 today)
Paired with a blue Pendlefleece cardigan, $16.95 ($126.00 today)

Here are a few vintage accessories that would work with our outfit, all available at Couture Allure. Click the pictures for more details!