The Mystery of the Familiar Fabric

My 8-year-old daughter has been devouring the Nancy Drew mysteries (she has six left to read in the entire series), so I was happy to come upon my own mystery today.

I visited the lovely Shrimpton Couture Blog, to enjoy the author's
commentary on and vision of vintage clothes, but found an enticing clue as well.

This image, you see, caught my eye. The photo is of a Ziegfeld model in the 1930s, but where on earth had I seen the fabric recently?  It looked soooo familiar.

Then an epiphany struck: I see that fabric every single morning when I pack my 11-year-old daughter's lunch, which she carries in a Vera Bradley Poppy Fields lunch bag.

Immediately clicking on the VB website, I was pleased to see that the company credited the influence of the dress (although it cites a different decade).

The text begins: "Inspired by a classic 1940s dress . . ."


As a scholar, I have to say that the company's research efforts impressed me.

And what fun now to think of Ziegfeld every time I pack my daughter's lunch!  Maybe I should sneak in a marabou feather for garnish. . .