People’s Choice: Top 5 Posts

One thing I’ve found very interesting about blogging is that I will never really know what the people want. I write to please myself, and I can only hope my ramblings are of interest or in some way can help one of my lovely readers. But, I’m always intrigued when I see which posts strike a particular chord. Sometimes they coincide with my personal favorites, but most often it’s the underdog that surges to the head of the pack.

The truth is, there are some posts I spend weeks perfecting, excited to hit publish and watch it be embraced by all of cyberspace. And it falls flat. And there are others I don’t expect to be popular, but are met with feverish excitement and are still getting hits months and months later. It can be very enlightening to see which posts gain the most traction.

So, being the scientist that I am, I collated all of the data of hits and reads from my blog over the last two years to see where the chips of popularity fell, so to speak. Here are my Top 5 most-read blog posts of all time, in no particular order…

Shoe Lovers Not So Anonymous

Original Post: Shoe Lovers Not So Anonymous. One woman’s harrowing journey through her love of footwear.

It’s no secret that I love the shoes. It’s no secret that a lot of women love shoes. The fact that this post was popular comes as no surprise to me – I even go back and read this one myself from time to time. If I’m having a bad day, even just looking at my shoes can cheer me up. We shouldn’t question it people, we should just go with it…..

Life is short. Buy the shoes!

Constellations

Original post: Constellations. Where I get a bit up front and honest about my own insecurities, and how I overcome them.

I‘ve always believed that, no matter how confident and sure of themselves someone appears on the outside, there is always a story underneath. There are always things we’re afraid to show the world, or there’s a battle that’s been fought and won to get us there. This was probably one of the hardest blog posts I’ve ever written, because it involves the things that aren’t quite so bright and shiny. And that’s perhaps why it was so popular – because vulnerability is so much more beautiful than a dipped-in-shellack exterior. And so much more relatable.

We are beautiful because of our “flaws”, those quirks. Not in spite of. Because of.

{Sewing} The Counterdanse

Original Post: The Counterdanse. One of my most ambitious sewing projects to date…

There are sewing projects and then there are sewing projects. This particular project took 40+ hours of blood, sweat and tears and made me truly appreciate all of the incredible sewists and tailors out there.

For me, sewing forces me to stop and take a breath and separate myself from the instant gratification we’ve all become accustomed to. It makes me put in the time and truly earn the finished product. So, every time I wear this dress, I stand up a little bit straighter and wear it with a bit more pride. I made this beautiful thing. And I couldn’t love it any more if I tried (and it appears my readers feel the same way!)

Oh Cassandra

Original Post: Oh Cassandra. A forever-favorite dress from Chi Chi London!

In the early blog days, I didn’t do a lot of dress reviews. I veer more towards true vintage on a daily basis (and there’s no sense reviewing a dress no one else can have!). But, I’ve added vintage inspired pieces more and more, particularly when they are just too special to resist, and have started reviewing several vintage-inspired brands to help other ladies on their shopping adventures. Enter the Cassandra dress from Chi Chi London. Inky blue and hugging me in all the right places, this dress’ fabulousness doesn’t stop. It was my first Chi Chi London purchase, but it wasn’t my last (case in point). I bought this dress in navy, but they also offer it in lilac, red, cream, and about 6 other color options.

I was surprised to find how popular this post was, but given my own need to read reviews of any dress I buy online these days, I’m glad to know that my review has potentially helped other women bring this beauty into their wardrobe. Now, which color do I need next….

{Crinoline Review} Mille Feuille

Original Post: Mille Feuille. Cause I’m all about that pouf….

This one didn’t surprise me – I’m asked constantly for advice on the best crinolines, and I LOVED putting together this post on some of my favorites. Honestly, whether you are just dipping your toes in to full skirts or joining me in my two-crinoline minimum category, it’s always good to see what others have deemed to be tried and true.

I have actually since added the Cosette to my collection – which adds a modest amount of fullness to my tea length dresses, which I love. I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have – I’ve definitely been burned by the cheap, the misshapen, the not-what-I-expected. But as they say in architecture and in vintage: the Foundation is Everything.

A few other posts that ranked highly but didn’t quite make Top 5  the cut – Creepy Crawlies, Advice to a Younger Me, and my Orchard Corset Review – but also ranked pretty high. As a scientist, I can’t help but look for trends in data. And the running theme seems to be vintage (shocker), reviews/how to’s, and times when I’ve made myself my most vulnerable. I think what warmed my heart the most is that some of my favorites were also your favorites.

Today marks a pretty auspicious day in the Calendar of Me. This is the day when final grades are officially out and I am officially free from teaching for three months. It’s the day when I can get back to blogging a bit more regularly and (most importantly) get back to spending a bit more time on myself. Whenever I have a big step forward, I always like to take a look back. And looking back on my Top 5 posts from the last two years, I have to say…

…I like what I see.

xoxo

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1950, dresses, fashion, favorite, top 5, vintage