I find that there are certain dresses you just can’t seem to get out of your head. This chocolatey number was just scrumptious – so much so that I would ‘visit’ her regularly (via the Trove Vintage Etsy shop), but never took the plunge to purchase her. She was one of those dresses that I couldn’t shake though – with amazing shoulder detail and the twirlable skirt of stratified cocoa hues, like the delicious layers of a hot fudge sundae, melting into perfection.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – one of the best parts of learning how to sew for me is the ability to see a dress that is very likely to be forgotten or discarded, and give her the opportunity to feel like new again. I spied this cherry red cutie at Pursuing Andie Vintage – an absolutely stunning Vicky Vaughn with lace trimmed collar and sleeves and a scalloped drop waist, all wrapped up in a cloud of dotted swiss adorableness.
There’s nothing quite like a vintage novelty print. Though I admittedly love a good rose or gingham print, novelty prints somehow manage to feel like they go a bit against the grain. You know the ones I mean – the prints that were the rebels in school, with a healthy disrespect for authority, who marched to their own drum. They stood on the outskirts, removed from the plaids and the ditsy florals, listening to bands you had never heard of. So confident and cool, less entrenched in the opinions of others.
A few months back, I went on a shopping adventure with a friend of mine and she asked me, if I ever had to choose between fashion and science, which would I choose? As most of you know by now, I’m a marine biologist and I love my job. Like, get-up-and-be-stupid-excited-to-go-to-work kind of love. You know that feeling of discovery you had when you were a little kid? Being a scientist basically means that part of you never has to grow up. Although there’s a bit more red tape and bureaucracy involved than when I was digging up critters in my…
It’s no secret that I have a weak spot for border prints…but a vintage border print masquerading as eyelet lace? That is definitely something I can get behind. I love the concept of art imitating life imitating art, and this might be one of the most beautiful pieces of vintage art imitating floral printed lace that I ever did see…
I’m a huge fan of mixing prints and rather enjoy trying to push the boundaries of fashionably acceptable on a daily basis. A lot of ladies ask about the basics of combining two seemingly disparate prints, which can be intimidating if you don’t do it often. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to mixing prints, but I have the best success with a few basic guidelines.
One of Mr. Dressed’s and my favorite down time activities is to curl up on the couch, pour a glass of top shelf scotch, and kick some serious butt in Mario Kart (the degree of butt kicking often directly corresponding to amount of scotch). We recently acquired a Wii U thanks to our last tax returns, and despite the plethora of options when it comes to the superhero/street fighting/crime solving games out there, I admit I’m a bit of a traditionalist. Mario & Luigi all the way.
I’m not sure why, but the stripes on this dress have always reminded me of the pole that sits outside of old school barbershops. When the barber’s striped pole spins, it creates a visual illusion, where it appears as if the stripes are moving up or down the pole. I kind of like the idea of a dress in constant motion, as if by spinning and spinning you’re never risking stagnancy. Always moving forward or backward, but never staying in one place for too long.
This dress was (and still is) a bit of a wounded bird. She has definitely been worn and very, very loved in her time (which makes her all the more beautiful, in my opinion!) There is some color beed from the red panels, scattered pinholes holes here and there, and several popped seams that needed reinforcing. There was also a fair bit of wear and tear and staining on the shoulders from years of love and (I hope) some serious time spent on the dance floor. As she was a bit on the petite side for me anyway, I decided to pull…
I’ve been a fan of Victor Huge since I was young. Truthfully, it all started when my mom bought me the Les Misérables soundtrack when I was about 13. I tortured myself with that soundtrack, belting out each song in my bedroom with teen-angst abandon. I have been lucky enough to see the show in New York, Boston, and now Perth, and to this day my heart aches over each and every mournful song.