I tend to discover new brands and shops through my favorite bloggers and my can’t-keep-away-from-it favorite social media app, Instagram. One that was continually piquing my interest, appearing in the closets of forever favorites Miss Amy May and Cici and Marie, was Dolly and Dotty, a UK-based brand that specializes in 1950’s silhouettes aimed at women who aren’t afraid to be celebrate themselves.
There is something about a springtime vintage floral print that can bring a bit of sunshine into the dreariest of days. As if the minute you slip it over your head, the sun perks up and pushes her way through the clouds just to get a glimpse. And it doesn’t matter how many I own, the minute I spy another I am powerless to resist. I just love to love them.
In my opinion, there are certain items every woman needs in her wardrobe arsenal. These include (but are not limited to): (1) the perfect little black dress (paired with the the perfect red lipstick), (2) killer heels that put a swing in your hips and a raise of your eyebrow, (3) a vintage jacket to nip the waist in something fierce, (4) a sundress to twirl in and (5) the comfiest pajamas (I firmly believe in this last one. As much fun as it is to dress up, it’s SO much fun to come home and crawl into fleece).
I have a confession to make – this is what my hair looks like when I wake up. Straight as an arrow. Though those with unruly hair surely want to kill me right now, I spent much of my younger years trying to beat my hair into submission. Trying to convince it to be something that it’s not. But, alas, this is how my hair likes to be: Shiny and straight. It refuses to hold a substantial curl. Rejects bobby pins over time (literally spits them out like projectiles). I’ve gone to many a pinup hair-tutorial, to try a pin curl or…
When I was younger, I went through a phase where orange sherbet was my absolute favorite flavor of ice cream. It was quite a deviation for me, as I was up until that point a die-hard vanilla girl. And nowadays, though a bit too sickly sweet for me, a dress of a certain color will whisk me back to that summer, with drips of sunshine melting down my arms, pumping higher and higher on the swingset and spinning in the park for hours…
By now, I think most of you have a firm grip on my style. Though the characters change, the storyline is generally the same: fitted bodice, cinched waist, and a full twirly skirt. But as I said last year, I think it’s always important to step outside of our style comfort zones now and again and boldly go where my lower half rarely ventures…
I have probably seen the Sound of Music about 12 billion times. The music, the family dynamic shift, the historical context, Julie Andrews twirling on a mountain top – I just love it all. I remember coveting Liesl’s dress in “I am 16, Going on 17” and having serious wardrobe envy over the drapery-meets-dresses, make it work moment (clearly). But, the song I find myself still humming today always starts with, “Raindrops on roses…”
Nothing makes me happier than discovering new shops carrying vintage or vintage-inspired dresses. It’s like uncovering a hidden treasure trove that, for that moment, only I get to know about. And then, of course I get so excited I immediately need to share it with all of you!
I think we all have certain elements of clothing we just can’t resist. For me, that element is a beautiful print. In particular, a scenic print. And it honestly doesn’t matter how many scenic print dresses Bernie Dexter produces – I will want them all! I try (with a certain degree of effort) to minimize my scenic print craze to one-print per style, and I’m proud to say that while my resistance often fails on many counts, this is my first of her Paris style dresses.
Something you may have noticed in all of my ramblings, is that I tend to write the way I speak (not that you’ve all necessarily heard me speak, but I’m sure you can imagine it. Picture a whackadoo american-aussie hybrid accent speaking way too quickly). On the blog, I try to keep my writing fairly conversational and will jot down most things that pop into my head. Along with my stream of consciousness prose comes a tendency to abuse ellipses… You know, those magical three little dots that indicate a pregnant pause. An omission. A fill-in-the-blank…