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Which dress to wear? - 1-

My oldest friend - since second grade - is getting married.
Little more than a week before I'm due to fly over, I am still to make my mind as to what to wear. I'll have no function whatsoever at the ceremony, thus no special importance as a guest, but in homage to a friendship that has lasted two decades now, I would like to make an effort.

Having said that, I will mention that the environment will hold zero interest for vintage and my choice of dress will be probably regarded as old fashioned at the very best. Which is ok :)

I need to choose 1 out of 3 possibilities, and shall be asking for your opinions in the process (will do separate entries on the blog for the other two outfit choices). My mum and sister need plenty of visuals to assess the matter, and this is one way of doing it.

Here is my first choice, and the dress I've had in mind for quite a while. I'll admit this is the easy, fuss free option.

It consists of a beige lace overlay on top of a pale pink slip, with puffy sleeves and a nice detail of twenty or so, transparent, cut glass buttons. Sweet and feminine, a typical mid to late 1930's dress that screams garden party while the lace makes it quite wedding minded.

Pros:

- suitable style for a wedding, would take me from church to the afternoon and early evening reception without problem;

- great shape for me ( thinks me);

- easy to wear, I won't be at all self conscious, this dress feels natural to me, I'll forget pretty soon that I have it on;

- easy to walk and dance in;

- very easy to pack, takes little room in the suitcase and it's also very easy to care for once at destination, no stress involved;

- fairly easy to style hair to go with the dress/period (pic below is NOT an example of this), although sometimes it can look stupid, and yes, matronly.

(you can see the lace detail better here, also the colour is more accurate)

Cons:

- is there a danger this may be considered a bit too "bridal"?

- a little bit of TLC is needed in the midriff section, as the dress is missing the belt and one button;

- husband says it makes me look older...

- the colour really is shitty on me (I should consider dyeing this if possible, but that's an option for the future, not this event); I've tried to break the colour in with green accessories, but the shoes were a bit heavy and the purse terrible - failing this I had little choice but to return to accessories that fit in with the style of the dress but unfortunately blend in colour wise, so it's all a sea of beige...oh dear, this may well be a deal breaker.

I shall be awaiting your wise words.

Channeling Miss Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn, The Lake, 1933

The polo neck or turtleneck, paired with slacks, was a get up much favoured by Katharine Hepburn and Greta Garbo.
I am an admirer of both, and most of all, of the slick, casual style they sported with such aplomb.

Outfit:

Jigsaw silk/angora polo neck;

Hobbs trousers;

Vintage military map bag;

Alfred Sargeant shoes

Every girl wants to be a princess

Well, I don't know about every girl, but this one does. So I judge the impulse behind this purchase.

Perhaps to you it conjures more "Little red riding hood" or even :)... Scottish Widows. Whatever the case, it brings up a story, and that sort of power, in a piece of cloth, fascinates me.

Talking about cloth, this late 30's? to 40's beauty is made of luxurious velvet, I think silk, the drape and feel are wonderful, the quality is all there, and there is very little wrong with it, as opposed to the blue coat featured the other week.

Initially I had bought that one to sell in my etsy store, and this one to keep. Then I tried the blue one on, loved it and changed my mind. When this one arrived, I thought: what a gorgeous thing, and isn't that little hood amazing, but the padded shoulders are huge and make my small head look tiny, is black and the black is overpowering and so very bad for my complexion (that doesn't take a lot to look ill), and it's so long really somebody taller would make it better justice...I'll sell this one, I decided, and keep the blue coat.

The day came to take some pics for the listing, and that day was today. And today, I'm on the verge of changing my mind yet again. I guess it all boils down to one thing: what is it that you see in front of your eyes - a princess or a witch?...

My vision is a bit blurred at the moment :).

Snowless skiing

One of the things that I wanted very badly this winter and which has eluded me so far is a vintage ski outfit. Some of you are lucky enough to posses such a thing, but the gods haven't smiled upon me yet. In fact I believe they pretty much spite me and refuse me the very things I want most. But they can't stop a girl from dreaming, and they certainly haven't stopped me putting together bizarre outfits to exhibit in the middle of the forest. I am sure many would agree it's the very place for them, too :).

My silver hat pin was as close to authenticity as I was going to get. Well, since I decided it looked far more interesting to the side of the collar, perhaps not. The rest is all modern with the exception of the messenger bag (to be listed in my etsy shop), the sunglasses (probably belonged to a die hard fan of Ozzy if not to the man himself) and the green jumper that was my mother's in the 70's or so and it's far too short for me in the sleeves so I tell everyone it really is a 3 quarter.

It's a winner, isn't it?

In the woods

I'm on holiday...Finally I get to have a break from work and laze about, I so need the rest! And lots of walks and fresh air, like today, only more, a lot more. It was quite a warm afternoon so I didn't take a coat, but put on several layers, which was fine, except they made my waist disappear. Better than suffering from cold though, is the bane of my existence!

This was such a delightful little spot by the fence gone green, caressed by the shy sun of early spring!

The colors in the photos came out great, though I did manage to ruin most of them with a face that looked as if smothered in oil.

As you can see I have replaced the buttons on the knitted suit posted earlier, and I am quite happy with the result. The buttons and buckle were not a set but the color matches pretty well and it's a lovely egg yolk, darker than in the pics bellow.

The belt was made with a different type of buckle in mind, so I had to improvise (it actually closes with a button underneath, and the yellow buckle is sewn on just for show). If I am to use this buckle the way it's meant to, I shall need a shorter belt, but I don't think it's that bad like this.

It was a bit of a job trying to shake of all the bits of moss that had completely covered the lower part of my skirt. But a good picture requires some sacrifice :) Earlier on we had met a lady on the path with her two Jack Russells that ran towards me to say hi, and I gave them each a bit of a scratch behind the ears. She kept saying: "they are the jumpy kind..."; well of course they are, all dogs like a good jump, but I think she was worried they might have jumped on me and added some mud to my outfit. The trouble with me is I dress nicely and then I forget and want to climb trees and jump in puddles...

This time I have paired my ensemble with the 30's Jacoll suede hat shown here, and a recently purchased vintage bag which is a bit battered but lovely nonetheless. The brown of the gauntlet gloves doesn't match very well, yet I felt quite put together and very Miss Lemon in this outfit. Except for the shoes of course, but not even I was going to go as far as wearing my vintage shoes up a muddy path...

By the river

One day, I promise you, I will take some beautiful photos here. There is a part of the river where the scenery is almost seaside-ish and reminds me of a scene in Poirot. Alas, that day hasn't come yet. In spite of beautiful light, the pics from that section were all terrible. I'm vain enough not to show you those, but believe me when I say I have more than enough material to put together a huge portfolio of ugly, weird, demented, or many a retarded faces - perhaps it could strike some luck in Hollywood, given how impressive my range is.

Either way, Poirot will have to wait. Perhaps I should concentrate on acquiring the proper envelope clutch in the meantime...

Ruffles, frills, and other frivolous treatments - Part II - The ruffled blouse

Yet another thing in my always growing list of self indulgences, the ruffle blouse will maintain its place there with fierceness no matter how many I will come to acquire. I love them, I always have, and they suit my flat chested figure. Can't go wrong then, or can I?!
I have to confess I sometimes see examples from mid 30s that go way and beyond my wildest dreams. So much so, they leave one feel just ever so slightly nauseated, like after having a piece too much too much of a sweet and fluffy cake. However there is a right dose for everyone, I think. So as long as I know my limits, ruffles are the way to go!

I am wearing mine with the faithful Great Plains skirt, Monsoon suede pumps, Accessorize cut out belt and 1940's corde purse. This matches the shoes perfectly and, although being a purse, it is the right size clutch for me.

These beautiful lace examples sold recently on ebay. They are so gorgeous it hurts. I definitely need more of this in my life! Not the pain, the beauty!

So the hat has arrived

Remember the hat I included in my last mood board? Well as soon as it came I figured out my favorite autumn outfit. Only mine mind, as my husband is not really tickled and he thinks the hat doesn't suit me. Right...

1930s suede hat from ebay seller likesnowonabambooleaf;
1930s jacket, again ebay, but last year's acquisition and can't remember the seller;
scarf from Accessorize;
Pringle wool trousers;
all leather shoes by Alfred Sargent.

Inner Diana

This is my favorite mood board of the 3 I've put together around the same theme. I've held it back a little - until that hat became mine :) - I'm sly like that. But now we can enjoy it together.

1930's suede hat, sold by likesnowonabambooleaf, Ebay;
1930's/a940s jodhpurs, sold by allyoucouldeverwantandmore, Ebay;
1930's/1940s riding boots, available from hippervintage, Ebay;
Vintage saddle bag available from sarahg5393, Ebay;
Elgin cigarette case available from SirPrys, Etsy;
Pheasant photograph from kootenay photos;
Blue pheasant feather, available from chewbag, Ebay;
1941 wood tray with setters, available from dahlilafound, Etsy.