The Dressed Aesthetic

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{Review} In Bloom:
White Poppy Multiway Bag by Vendula London

{Review} In Bloom: White Poppy Multiway Bag by Vendula London - The Dressed Aesthetic

The changing of the seasons is always such an interesting time of year. Here in NC, it’s almost like a constant stop and start. Ohhh, yay, it’s Autumn! Nope, just kidding, Summer…. Hello Fall! Well, that was a nice hour, but let’s go back to a sweltering 90 degrees. As crazy as the to and fro can be, I’ve decided to just roll with the punches and revel in the fact that my summer sundresses get another few weeks of freedom. I mean, if NC wants to be in bloom in October, who am I to argue?

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Flower Power

Flower Power - The Dressed Aesthetic

More and more lately, I have found myself reaching out to people who can do amazing things I have no idea how to do. Artists whose art is very different from mine. Although it once intimidated me, I realized that most of us crave that connection and that ability to share the joy we each find in our individual art. Plus, the worst that can happen is that they’ll say no! I’ve found that in taking the leap towards the merging of ideas, incredible things can be created. This can range from working with graphic artists to design a print…

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{Review} Sakura Storm

{Review} Eye of the Sakura Storm - The Dressed Aesthetic

Many moons ago, I simply decided that femininity and strength were not going to be mutually exclusive ideas. That’s actually one of the great secrets of self-acceptance – we can simply decide these things. And I set out on a one-woman mission to find subversiveness in beauty. Power in vulnerability. That strength exists in the delicate arch of a flower petal. That heels a weapon of mass destruction. A full skirt my power suit.

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{Sewing} Trompe L’Oeil
Part Deux

{Sewing} Trompe L'oeil Part Deux - The Dressed Aesthetic

Almost immediately following my last collaboration with the amazing Lucy Baribeau, where we brought one of my most coveted vintage trompe l’oeil prints into a modern day reality, we started chatting about the next colorway. Truthfully, they have all stolen my heart in different ways, and it was only a matter of time before each one ventured to my sewing table…

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{Review} Head to Toe with
Heart of Haute

{Review} Head to Toe with Heart of Haute - The Dressed Aesthetic

I’ve always been a big fan of separates – they can easily be mixed and matched and, even though I know intellectually it’s just one garment, it always feels like multiple outfits in one. Having said that, I can be pretty picky with my separates – I need my skirts fuller than full and I need my tops to be the exact right amount of fitted, skimming my curves and tucking neatly into the waistband of a range of bottoms (I don’t really do untucked). Enter my latest collaboration with Heart of Haute.

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{Review} It’s a Cinch:
The Jolie Cotton Corset
by Glamorous Corset

{Review} It's a Cinch: The Jolie Cotton Corset by Glamorous Corset - The Dressed Aesthetic

To me, there are two key ingredients to wearing vintage: The first, hands down, is confidence. Wear it like you deserve it, cause you do. The second, is having a proper foundation. I’ve tried just about all the products out there (at least it feels that way). And today I’m sharing my thoughts on a company I recently discovered: Glamorous Corset.

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{Review} Je vais à la mer…

{Review} Je vais à la mer... - The Dressed Aesthetic

I have been lucky to work with some pretty amazing small businesses in my time at the helm of this blog. True artists and entrepreneurs who are trying to release good into the world through what they create and how they make women feel. And the best kinds of collaborations (in my mind) come about where I get to work with an artist and know instantly that they simply ‘get’ me, with no explanation needed.

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{Review} Hot Tamales!
Styled by Modern Millie

{Review} Hot Tamales! Styled by Modern Millie - The Dressed Aesthetic

If you haven’t already guessed it, I have pretty strong feelings about my personal style. I know what I like and what I don’t like, and generally go with what makes me happy. I actually prefer to shop alone – spending as long or as little time in a shop as I like, never looking for an outside opinion on whether or not something suits me. It took awhile for me to get comfortable in my shopping skin. So, you can imagine my feelings when it comes to someone else shopping for me…

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{Sewing} Form of Flattery

{Sewing} Form of Flattery - The Dressed Aesthetic

I was feeling pretty bolstered by my last sewing project and almost immediately jumped to the next. Given I have about 50 things in my head at any one time I want to create, plus an overflowing tailoring pile, the time I have never quite meets the time I need for sewing. However, after kicking the Imposter Syndrome squarely in the eye with my Garden of Eden dress, I didn’t stop to doubt myself and simply plunged on ahead.

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{Review} Alice in Vintageland: Ebone & Ivory Alice Dress

Alice in Vintageland - The Dressed Aesthetic

It’s funny how life imitates fairytales sometimes. As we’re winding down the semester, I can’t help but feel as if I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. That I’m constantly running late (for a very important date) or ending up at tea parties (serving adult drinks) where everyone, myself included, seems a bit mad. That no day is complete without a bit of an identity crisis, with an endless croquet match I can never seem to win. Needless to say, with the end in sight and these final few weeks upon us, I’m feeling like a headless Cheshire Cat more than…

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