That said, I had a major lapse recently due to immanent ComicCon. (Or that's my excuse.) You see, when I went to New Orleans for ALA I realized my existing wardrobe does not handle hot weather very well, and ComicCon is rumored to be on the warm end of things. So I needed to add some lighter weight dresses to my wardrobe. What's that mean?
I've been craving day dresses.
Normally, you know me, I love the pencil dress, but for some reason the swingy skirt is calling to me. I blame the prevalence of the adorable cream (and white and blush) dresses in the fashion blog-o-sphere.
I've discussed the little white dress before. I even tried to make one last year. But I wasn't really happy with the result and ended up giving it away. It's taken me a while to come around to trying to find another one.
Fashion shoot; 1951 Partie Fine Christian Dior The Metropolitan Museum of Art
First I hunted for vintage or retro day versions, but cream is difficult to find retro and unstained.
I found cocktail or pencil versions, but that just wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted the day dress.
So, since blush was all over the place I broadened my options out of cream and white to include some pinker shades.
Marion-Cotillard-In-Christian-Dior-De-Rouille-et-Dos-Cannes-Film-Festival-Photocall; Catherine-Duchess-of-Cambridge-In-Emilia-Wickstead-Waterloo-Chamber-Reception; Coco Chanel, 1930 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
I started to think about not just pure vintage but other ways to wear such a dress, funky ways.
Chanel Resort 2013
And I found myself edging away from the vintage day dress into alien 1960s mod territory.
Which led me, in the end, to fall deeply in love with the most unexpected dress. Found at Wasteland on Haight street shopping with the lovely Anne of Pornokitsch for a cool $28.
I know it doesn't look like much but even with a drop waist and my chest once it's on, it is possessively adorable. It's lined but I still wear a slip with it. It minimizes the Rack. It's short but not too short. It has a 1920s feel. It has a peter pan collar. I want to wear it like this:
It's deceptively elegant with cream or brown accessorizes, slightly more formal with black ones, or utterly chic with tough studded leather. It has sleeves. It has a kind of French feel. I love it!
However, it wasn't my only recent purchase, because I did go to Haight Street, plus new vintage shop opened near my writing cafe, and Alameda had a vintage fair. So there is much more to come.
Speaking of Haight: Decades of Fashion, one of the best (if most expensive) sources of vintage in the Bay Area has moved locations. It's now across from Wasteland in what used to be the Villains building. The place is a former bank, or something like, and is an amazing space with marble vaulted ceilings. Decades has gone pleasingly overboard decorating and putting together displays of Edwardian and Victorian gowns and accessorizes way up high. If you visit San Francisco it's worth a pilgrimage to Haight just to take in this store. It's like an interactive museum now. Amazing.
1869 Wedding Dress The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.
