In the 1930’s there was a fairly well known operetta called Princess Charming. I have never seen it, but a few clicks down the Google-sphere, and I came to learn that the plot centers around a young princess due to marry an elderly king in order to prevent an uprising in her kingdom. However, as love triangles are known to do, she falls in love instead with a military officer and they elope.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but as soon as the collaboration between Micheline Pitt and Unique Vintage hit cyberspace, I was pretty much drooling over every single piece. The prints, the full skirts, just take my money now and save us a whole lot of trouble. And when this Budding Beauties Alice Dress flew straight from Unique Vintage and into my arms, she did not disappoint.
One of the very best things about our recent move back to the States is being able to escape for a long weekend with family members. Although the distance between San Diego and NC or NC and Boston may seem long to some, when you compare it to the 36+ hour journey it used to be, a half a day of travel seems like luxury. So, this summer my sister and I took advantage of our proximity and met for a blissful sister spa weekend.
More often than not, we don’t really have a choice about a certain set of circumstances. We’re usually thrown into a situation without warning – everything from a waitress bringing us the wrong order to payroll screwing up our paycheck. And though we don’t get to choose our frustrating moments, we do get to choose how we respond to them. I’m completely smitten with this dress – but oh how we had a few ups and downs before we were finally able to see eye to eye. Grab a glass of wine and settle in for the story of My Journey…
On more than one occasion, I have committed flowercide. Okay, it’s been more than 12 occasions. I don’t know what it is, but gardening just doesn’t reside in my veins. And I always start out with the best of intentions. A few weeks ago, Mr. Dressed and I went out and selected some lovely flowering plants to speckle our garden and front patio. Pinks and purples and creams. It was a flowering paradise. For about 2 weeks. I’m sad to say that this week our porch looks like a horticulture crime scene.
When readers email me and ask for advice, I’m more than happy to give my opinion. More often than not, it’ll turn into a post of some sort: my favorite crinolines or my makeup must-haves. Well, lately the running theme seems to be: where can I get the vintage look in modern sizes? And whether you love vintage but want a few vintage-inspired pieces to mix in to your wardrobe, or you love the look but don’t have the time to put into the care true vintage requires, or you’ve become a bit frustrated with your favorite vintage-inspired retailers: this is the…
When I was young, I was very much the epitome of a Plain Jane. I was always looking for a way to fade into the background. I had been something of a social outcast up through middle school, and I think that manifested in trying very hard to ensure people never looked my way. Because “invisible” was a much safer label than “target”.
And just like that, we’re back to our regularly scheduled program of teaching and writing lectures and teaching again. Spring Break was a great opportunity to play a bit of catch up, but as usual, it went by way to quickly and Monday was upon me before I could even put on the brakes. But, I survived my first week back and somehow even survived the brief snowstorm we had that left all of us North Carolinians feeling as if we had just entered the Twilight Zone….
In all of my planning, one event that I forgot to pack for was Halloween. In rummaging through my (woefully abbreviated) closet this weekend, there wasn’t a cat ear headband or a devil’s tail in sight. No fairy wings. No vampire fangs. Even my old standby blue gingham dress with my vintage barn purse for an instant Dorothy costume was packed away, not to be seen for a month or more. Thus, I was pretty much out of luck on the costume front. But, I knew that if I couldn’t fully get into the costumed-Halloween spirit, at least I could embrace…
We are successfully transitioning into our lives here in the US. In truth, we still feel a bit as though we’re on vacation, as we’re visiting family in San Diego for the week and are in the all-too-familiar whirlwind of dinners out, meeting up with long-lost friends, and tripping over our many suitcases. All the makings of a good holiday.