Awhile back in February (feels like a hundred years ago in COVID-years), the lovely Amy of Miss Hero Holliday and I embarked on a joint sewing adventure. We decided to each create our own take on Simplicity 4784 for Valentine’s Day, zipping photos and ideas across the pond as we went. I have to admit, even though I am usually a solo-sewist, it was one of the most fun sewing projects I had tackled in ages.
You know when you see someone – either while scrolling IG or walking past you in the street – and they’re wearing something that stops you in your tracks? Where you can almost feel yourself start to salivate and it’s taking everything in your being not to chase them down and demand to know where they got it? I mean, I’m sure we’ve all experienced that special sartorial greener-pastures lust, where you truly believe for a minute that life would be perfect if only you could find that garment. Yeah well, what happens if the woman in question you’ve walked…
When I was young, my sister and I would go away to camp every summer for a week of morning calisthenics, capture the flag, and (to this day) some of the best food I’ve ever eaten (I think food just tastes better outdoors). This one summer, my sister was assigned to be counselor for the same cabin I was assigned to. And, while you might think chaos would ensue, I think it was one of the most magical weeks of camp I could ever remember. We had that perfect combination of people bunking up to our cabin, where everyone got…
I’ve always been a huge fab of florals – giant rose border prints, floral appliqué, vines snaking up a bodice. I want it all. So it’s only natural for me to drool all over uniquely floral pieces from vintage past, particularly those that have dotted my Pinterest wishlist for years.
During quarantine, I think it’s safe to say a lot of us have taken to our creature comforts. My weakness has always been wine – I love coming home from a long day to a beautiful glass of cab sauv, kicking off my heels and sharing my day with my Mister. Now that we’re home all day, there are no shoes to kick off and Mr. D already knows the happs because…well…he was there. But, there is still that perfect glass of wine….
The ocean and I have always had a pretty tight bond. When I was a kid, you couldn’t drag me out of the waves on summertime trips to the beach. I’d swim until my fingers were prunes and my shoulders were crispy from the sun, not even minding the water was freezing cold (I grew up in New England after all). The sea was also my biggest source of inspiration – being lucky enough to know what I wanted to do at a really early age, I always kept one eye on the ocean…knowing it held my future. And nowadays,…
I’ve definitely had the sewing bug this past year. While I’ve been sewing for many years now, COVID has absolutely reignited something in me that has me cranking out more and more challenging projects. While I might have been a bit intimidated to tackle something before, there is definitely a “what have I got to lose?” mentality when I start to research a new piece.
It’s amazing how a global pandemic can really simplify life down to its essentials. One of the things Mr. Dressed and I have been taking a lot of joy in lately is a daily walk around the neighborhood. It gets us out of the house, gets us the Vitamin D our bodies are craving, and reminds us that the world is still ticking along, even though it feels some days as though it’s stopped.
Valentine’s Day comes but once a year. While a lot of people bemoan the holiday, I must admit I love a world that gets dipped in pink and glitter for a day. I’ve always considered it a day to celebrate love. Romantic love usually gets all of the credit, but just as important is love for family, friends, pets, careers, and – most importantly – yourself.
I’ve always had a bit off a weakness for rose prints: especially rose border prints. So, awhile back, when Gertie had a collaboration with Michael Miller and released her “boudoir fabric” – a double border in black Pink rose and feather design – I didn’t even hesitate and scooped up both colorways. The first, was a luscious red and pink version I whipped up into a dirndl skirt. And this black and pink, which I knew would one day be destined for the perfect dress.