2019: A Year in Review

And just like that, we’ve bid farewell to 2019 (and the 2010’s) and started a new decade. When I was a kid, time would never move fast enough – I simply couldn’t wait for the next milestone. For my birthday, for summer vacation, for the single of sleigh bells signaling Santa was on his way. Nowadays, time moves so quickly I practically get whiplash, and all I want to do is slow it down. It’s crazy to think another year has passed.

Before I can truly lay it to rest, I like to take the time to reflect a little on the previous year – what I’ve learned, how I can be better. But, also what I did right and what I’m most proud of. I think one of the best parts of having a blog is having a record of your milestones – not just what you were wearing but where you were at. It’s so easy to just move persistently forward and not take the time to see just how far you’ve come.

January

The month of January kicked off 2019 with a bang. I went to a conference in Tampa, while Mr. Dressed stayed back at the homestead and supervised our massive kitchen remodel. Walls of our home were torn down and the house was in utter chaos. I spent most of this month covered in a fine layer of drywall dust and trying desperately to protect the vintage.

The new semester also started, bringing in a crop of wide-eyed, fearful new neurobiology students. But, it was the first time I was really able to have fun with a class rather than just vomiting words on slides. Most of my mentors told me that it really takes 3 times of teaching a course before you actually think it’s good. For any new profs out there – this is startlingly accurate. This was my third time with this class, and rather than being a constant mad scramble to be prepped for the next day, I had found my groove and really enjoyed myself.

One of my favorite events in January was getting to interview the amazing Nikki Redcliffe – I had “known” her through IG for years, but finally plucked up the course to contact. She is amazing, inspiring, with a wardrobe to die for. Speaking of wardrobes, I also kicked off the year with some seriously good vintage – this baroque-inspired dress from La Poubelle Vintage quickly became an instant fav.

February

In early February, the kitchen remodel came to a blessed close and we finally started to get our lives (and our kitchen) back. As painful as the whole process was, it went relatively smoothly compared to horror stories I’d heard. And it’s amazing how quickly you adapt to your new surroundings – within a few short weeks, it was hard to even remember how it used to be.

This month also found itself in some of my very favorite looks of the year – from this absolutely breathtaking pink appliquéd Lillie Rubin set from Two Old Beans to a hand made gingham skirt from the endlessly talented Maison Murasaki. I also was beside myself with excitement to have a dress that was named after me, made by She’s Dynamite – The Kara Dress.

March

No matter what else happens in the month of March, it is ALWAYS marked by My Birthday! We kept it on the low key side this year, with an amazing dinner out with Mr. Dressed and a giveaway here on the blog, sponsored by Etsy. It was a pretty crazy semester for me, so chill over a big party was definitely on the cards. But, this definitely didn’t mean my outfit was chill – I finally got to wear this most stunning one shouldered beauty from Trove Vintage. There’s no better way to welcome your birthday than with a spectacular dress.

I also had a few amazing collaborations this month – including Vendula London and Unique Vintage. One of my favorite projects was collating all of the vintage ads that I had the matching dresses for! It was amazing to see my one-of-a-kind pieces on the pages of a magazine, where I knew there had once been racks of them. Imagining being able to walk past a shop window full of the dresses of my dreams is probably my most favorite fantasy…

April

April brought a whole lot of rain to Wilmington. But, as I’m generally a glass half full kind of person, I knew this would mean spring bloom was on its way. This month involved pants (!) and a fab collaboration with Splendette (where I fell in love with their bangles). Plus, taking advantage of glorious chill that was still in the air, I was eking out all of the wear from my felt circle skirts I could. This red daisied stunner from Cannonball and Tilly definitely helped me get through the last few weeks of the semester.

2019 also marked a year where I gained a lot of confidence in my sewing – I tackled more and more difficult projects, and stunned myself by finding I could actually accomplish what I envisioned. The Big Achievement for the month of April was the Garden of Eden dress – designed based on a vintage dress I had only ever seen pictures of (and if you were paying attention to March, you’ll notice I found her teal sister right after I started her creation! The Murphy’s Law of Vintage…)

May

May continued the Month of Sewing – I reached out to a graphic artist Lucy Baribeau to see if she would be willing to work together to recreate a vintage trompe l’oeil print I had never managed to snag. It was an incredible experience and opened my eyes to collaborating with other artists to create something magical – I’ve also seen a lot of posts pop up where my fellow vintage loving ladies have made their own version of this dress and skirt, meaning we brought a whole lot of happiness to the novelty-print masses.

With that project complete and the semester finally, blessedly over, I managed to get in some fun and zipped off to Woodstock New York for my annual Girl’s Weekend, which is always one of my favorite events of the year. We laughed, we ate, and 3 of us were stricken with some sort of wretched stomach bug (bleeeeetch). All in all, a successful long weekend…

It was really hard to pick a favorite look from May – there were just too many to choose from! Although my trompe l’oeil creation took the crown, there were other serious contenders. From the insane Tina Leser dress from Deerfield Vintage, to my lemony Marjorie Montgomery, a spicey collaboration with Modern Millie, and a ladybug-speckled dress from Sweet Life Vintage. With so much good vintage, it’s a wonder I even realized when May was over…

June

Summer is always a blissful time in the life of an academic. Without any teaching responsibilities, you get to spend days on end in the lab sciencing. It’s also a time for lazy evening strolls, vintage sundresses, and ice cold cocktails with friends. I snagged some absolute beauties – including this rainbow polka dotted dress from Emerson Maeve Vintage. Another favorite was a purple floral Horrockses stunner from Advantage in Vintage, which kept me cool and breezy as the sweltering heat started to creep up.

With the bit of extra free time, I finally managed to put together the first installment of the Caring For Your Vintage series I’ve been wanting to do for years – this one was all about cleaning and helping to avoid color bleed. Here’s hoping I can get to the second part of this series sometime this year! I’m thinking June…

We also flew to San Diego to celebrate my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary! I’m still in awe of the kind of love that lasts for half a century – Mr. Dressed and I are about 1/5th of the way there! Our big Ten Years is coming up this August…

July

Although there were a lot of great dresses in July, the crown immediately went to this pink color blocked beauty I was lucky enough to acquire from Sweet Life Vintage – definitely one of those right place/right time kind of moments, as I know a lot of my fellow huntresses were after her. It’s sweet and sassy and bright, and it pretty much impossible to be sad while wearing it. It’s also serendipitous – because I have her sunshine-kissed twin sister!

This was a busy month for work, as my students and I flew off to Snowbird, Utah for our annual shark meeting! We nerded out for the week and got our fill of all kinds of sharks goodness. The elevation definitely took it’s toll, however, as when I got back I ended up with a raging sinus infection.

There were also a lot of amazing collaborations this month – I got to work with Heart of Haute (one of my go-to shops for vintage inspired pieces), was introduced to Glamorous Corset, who make amazing steel boned corsets, and collaborated with couturier Filliae – who hand-painted me the most stunning custom circle skirt.

August

As August marks the end of summer (and the end of my freedom), it’s no wonder I decided to go out with a bang and bust out some of my most insane appliqué pieces. The irony is – neither of my two favorite looks from this month were vintage. Both were handmade for me with care from two incredibly talented designers: Maison Murasaki and Mr. Lucero. The time and care that goes into these pieces is amazing – and whenever I slip them on I feel as if I’m wearing art.

Inspired by their artistry, I set to work tackling a new sewing project this month. Once again, I teamed up with Lucy Baribeau to create the yellow and blue version of the trompe l’oeil print – it’s really tough to decide which of the two colorways I prefer…I think I might love them both equally. Maybe this year I’ll complete the trifecta and get the burgundy and purple version produced!

August is always kind of the Month of Love in the Dressed Aesthetic household – Mr. Dressed and I celebrated our 9 year anniversary, and we also flew off to Seattle to watch one of my very best friends get married. It’s crazy to think about how quickly time goes by and how lucky we are to have relationships that stand the test of time…

September

September might have been the busiest month of the year – and there is some stiff competition for that trophy! This month we had to prepare for the threat of another hurricane – it felt like we had only just survived Florence, and we were all terrified to have to go through it all over again. Lucky Dorian passed us by this time mostly unscathed, with just a butterfly kiss to the coastline. Unfortunately, our friends in the Bahamas were not so lucky and are still working to rebuild.

On the heels of the weather chaos, I also managed to get organized and put out one of my biggest closet clearouts ever – if Santa left you any $$ in your stocking, this might be the time to check it out, as we’re having a big 20% off sale for all items still available. I also gave a big presentation to the University as part of my reappointment, which (thankfully) went off without a hitch.

With all of the chaos around me, it’s no wonder my wardrobe was all about order and light – my two favorites this month being the most stunning hand-painted flower skirt I had ever clapped eyes on, created in collaboration with MEO-C.28, and the illusive vintage clock skirt that I had previously only ever seen in a vintage ad. And time ticked very quickly on….

October

Once we hit October, it felt like the end of the year was barreling towards me, yet I was powerless to stop it. I decided to just steer into the skid. I was teaching marine biology this semester, and had a fantastic group of students. They very quickly got used to my penchant for full skirts and novelty prints as I skipped around campus on my highest heels. I zipped off to Chicago for a bit for a conference (freezing my vintage-clad keister off), but mostly just enjoyed the eye of the storm that always seems to occur around mid semester…

My favorite look from this month had to be my collaboration with Vendula London – they are absolutely one of my very favorite handbag companies, who always make the most whimsical, adorable totes. Sometimes a certain outfit comes together just right, and this White Poppy Multiway bag met her mate in this perfect Tiffany-blue floral dress from Deerfield Vintage.

November

Since I can’t ever just enjoy the calm, I needed to fill up the empty space with a new sewing project in November! I was feeling pretty proud of my last 3 sewing projects and knew it was time for more appliqué. This beautiful trellis skirt came to be this month, based on a Juli Lynne Charlot beauty that eluded me.

November was also Mr. Dressed birthday – so I planned a Day of Awesome, which included breakfast at our favorite spot, presents, a couples massage, and dinner out. In the land of true vintage, I also was lucky enough to snag this beautiful peach-hued beauty (that reminded me of stained glass) and the pink cousin to my color-blocked dress from July. I mean, is there anything better than family reunions?

December

And before I knew it, the calendar flipped over to December and the clock started ticking its way towards the end of 2019. It’s always strange how time seems to slow down when you’re reaching an ending – as if you want to try to soak up as many moments as possible before you say goodbye.

I spent the first part of this month giving my final exam and grading for days on end (with minimal drama), working on a grant I hope to submit early in the new year, and prepping for Christmas. We flew home to snowy New England to have our first Christmas with my family in years. There is really nothing like snow flurries, my mom’s cooking, and Christmas morning with a 7-year old. Because the chaos wasn’t enough, I also decided I needed to finish one last sewing project before the year’s end. Stay tuned, cause it’s a good one….

It’s definitely been a busy year – with the ups and downs that accompany every season. Whenever New Year rolls around, I’m constantly surprised by how much can happen in a year – with hopes for the year to come. New decades always seem to carry a bit of melancholy with them – even though it’s just another year (and really, just another day), I can’t help but feel that we are leaving something important behind.

In the 2010’s, Mr. Dressed and I experienced a LOT of change – I ended my first post doc and we moved to Australia, two furry dudes in tow. We found an amazing home in Perth and some unforgettable lifelong friends. That same decade, we moved overseas yet again when I was offered the faculty position here in North Carolina. The 2010’s was the decade where we had to say goodbye to Willie. Where I had to say goodbye to my grandmother. Where we bought our first home together and had to immediate leave it in the wake of hurricane Florence, with fears we might be coming home to nothing. I started my lab, got in some rockstar graduate students, and was successfully reappointed (in other words, I was doing my job). All in all, the 2010’s were rough, but also full of so much growth and new adventures.

I’m hoping that 2020 is the year for change – with the upcoming election, the power is in the hands of the people. I truly hope we can come together and recognize the change that is so desperately needed, so we can start to move forward towards health care and equality for all.

Here’s to a happy, reflective, change-ridden 2020!

xoxo

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Any items marked with a “c/o” (courtesy of) a retailer mean I was provided with an item for free in exchange for a review on my blog. I always provide my honest opinion of any item I’m reviewing, regardless of whether it was sent to me as a courtesy item or if I purchased it myself. In addition, this post may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click and/or make a purchase through certain links or ads on this site, I may make a commission from that click and/or purchase at no cost to you, which helps with the day-to-day running costs of my blog.

1950, 2019, best of, dresses, fashion, favorite, outfit recap, vintage