In Vogue

They say the best gifts are the personal ones. There’s really nothing better than opening a present that someone has thought long and hard about buying, and is just right for you.

For my last birthday, Alex bought me an issue of Vogue magazine from 1948! I keep it on the bookshelf in the lounge so it can be easily accessed. I love the experience of picking it up, rifling through the slightly yellowing pages (which have a wonderful old and musty scent), taking in the charming black and white images of elegant women in their beautifully tailored clothes and reading the articles with their eloquent language and polite tone of voice.

Vintage Vogue from 1948

The readers' preoccupations are somewhat different to ours, as they ask questions like: “Can you tell me where my daughter can take a course of interior decoration” (answer: The Chelsea School of Commercial Art); ”can you tell me where I can buy a beautiful and unusual door handle” (answer: Elizabeth Eaton Ltd in Sloane Square); and “I want small prizes for a grown-up party; something amusing” (answer: “Kims are the very thing...little models...a Zulu, snake charmer, giraffe...from Harrods”).

 I also love how each the magazine unconsciously gives itself a historical context – there are suggestions throughout that the effects of the World Wars were still being felt.

Here are some more snippets:

‘Shoes and boots’

I love the image ‘Shoes against William Morris wallpaper’: “In the background, the style and colour of a William Morris wallpaper remain alive for long after its original creation.”





‘Their choice for evening’

Beautiful photos of actresses of the time in their favourite evening dresses.





‘Food for warmth’

Recipes for “heat-producing, cold-resisting food – the kind that gives a sense of repletion and that aids in the tussle to keep warm.’




Leberknodel, carrot flan or jugged hare anyone?