To me, there is something a little bit Lucille Ball, a little bit Dorothy, and a dash of Alice in Wonderland about this look, and I have to say I’m loving the combination! I knew the moment I met her that this silk stunner and I were going to have some fun together. Everything about this dress makes me happy. The gingham, the perfect puff sleeves, the full skirt complete with intact pellon (that paper-like lining in some vintage dresses to give shape). There are a lot of dresses in all of our wardrobes that we love for their practicality. This dress, for me, is pure fantasy… I love to imagine how the woman who owned and loved her before me would have felt wearing her. And there’s always the same dichotomy of joy and melancholy I feel in knowing I am just one part of her story.
When I was young I remember watching this movie, “Through the Looking Glass,” which was based on a book by Lewis Carroll that was the sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, where Alice ventures into a mirror to get up to new shenanigans in the reflection within. I honestly don’t remember too much about the movie, except for vague pictures in my head of Queens and chess, the return of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and of a villain called the Jabberwocky that freaked me out something fierce…
At the end of the movie, Alice wakes to find her latest adventures through the mirror may have all been a dream (a common plot in many a movie, but was probably pretty novel back then). This dress stirred enough Wonderland memories to prompt me to return to the book and read the poem that was essentially Alice’s epilogue. It ended with:
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:Ever drifting down the stream–
Lingering in the golden gleam–
Life, what is it but a dream?~Lewis Carroll
The poem in its entirety speaks to the innocence of childhood making way for the escapism we all seek as an adult. The dreams that endure. The dreams that are lost. I think everyone has their own version of a rabbit hole – a place we duck down into when the world can be too much, where the best version of ourselves prevails. I know for me I tend to get lost in books, lost in sewing, lost in browsing beautiful things from the past who’s future I would love to be a part of. The hard part is sometimes joining the real world again and resisting being lost down the rabbit hole or through a looking-glass for so long that you risk missing out on grasping the here and now with both hands.
Historians have aways said that Carroll’s writing speaks to the fact that it is our ideas and stories and that live on. That our dreams are our legacy, long after we’ve gone. I kind of wonder what my life would look like reflected back at me – what is my legacy shaping up to be? Have I taken enough chances? Taken the higher road? If, like Alice, I could stare into the looking glass and see the world beyond it, would I be at peace with what I saw? Would I have any regrets? Would I leave more behind besides a closet full of beautiful vintage and a few obscure scientific papers?
Truth is, I’m not sure I believe my story has been written yet. Despite the urge to want to know the future and have everything mapped out, I think we’re creating a new legacy every day. Writing new chapter. Like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books, every choice is an offshoot towards some new and exciting adventure (Or imminent death. Did you ever notice that about those books?? But, I digress…)
When I peer through the looking glass, I can see the future in my little niece, who is a whirlwind of energy and individualism already. I see my present in the people I love, the work I enjoy, the dresses that hold their own stories that I get to twirl around in. And I can see my past in the myriad of people and place and things that got me to exactly this moment. That make up my story. As the incomparable Walt Whitman said, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.” I think I prefer my verse to be a mixture of poignancy and improv, part comedy and romance, with enough drama to keep me grounded and a greek chorus to help me keep things in perspective. My verse will have dash of whimsy and an extra stanza that has no rhyme or reason to anyone but me.
We should always do at least one thing in our lives that will outlast it. What will yours be?
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress: Oh Henry Vintage (similar modern here & here or vintage here, here & here)
Belt: Alannah Hill (similar)
Gloves: Gift from my mom from Modern Millie Vintage (similar here & here)
Handbag: Bluebird Vintage (similar here & here)
Shoes: Irregular Choice via Amazon (similar here, here & here)
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