Imagine how thrilled I was to find a beautiful dress-up vintage dress in a local thrift store, for only $4! And even more thrilled when it actually fit me!
It needed a good cleaning and a little mending in the underarm seams, so I did that and then put it away to save it for our church's Christmas party, when I would actually have a chance to wear a semi-formal outfit.
The top of the dress is a black crepe with a lot of stretch; the skirt is ever so wide and made of crisp, tiny-pleated taffeta. A band of the taffeta is at the neckline, but otherwise it is unadorned. I love the very feel of the fabric. A perfect 1950s cocktail dress that has a lot of accessorizing possibilities.
And it's handmade, too! I like to think of the seamstress who made it, and all the care she put into it, and wonder what event she made it for. Was it a happy dress?
The waistline wasn't quite at the right place, but that I fixed by wearing a wide belt.
For the party, I paired the dress with a chunky 1950s necklace and earrings, velvet-cuffed gloves, heels from the late '40s-early '50s, and to take it from just a formal dress to a Christmas party dress, a vintage holiday corsage that has seen better days but is still pretty and festive. It's probably from the 1940s and quite fragile.
Also a vintage pagoda umbrella gleaned at Burning Bridges antique mall before we moved to Idaho.
I dressed early to take these pictures, and since we had just had a fresh fall of snow, found the pine trees a perfect backdrop! As long as I had a path shoveled, that is. 10 inches of snow and vintage heels don't go together too well. :-)
It's a little shorter skirt than I usually wear, but since it is so wide, when I sit down it comes down over my knees quite a bit. The non-vintage black crinoline I wore under it was just the right length and poof.
It closes with two metal zippers, and because of the wide skirt and stretchy bodice, is probably one of the easiest vintage garments or reproductions I've tried to actually get over my head and shoulders.
I have so few actual vintage garments that I was just tickled to find this one. That's why I keep going to thrift stores! You never know what you'll find, and sometimes it's very much worth finding.
I hope to show you next week the outfit I made to wear Christmas Day, but I also just love having the work already done for me with a treasure like this dress. I got a lot of compliments on it at the party. I only wish I had an excuse to dress up more often!
Oh, Kristen!! This is such an absolutely gorgeous outfit!! Congratulations on such an amazing find! It fits you so perfectly and looks lovely.
Aren't wide belts handy for waist-length problems? It works great and looks lovely on your dress.
Merry Christmas, Kristen!!
Posted by: Esther | 12/22/2015 at 05:03 PM
Such a timeless and classic look! You pulled this one off perfectly, Kristen. I can just imagine how excited you must have been to find this dress at the thrift store! :) The pearls, heels, and your hair are also perfection here. As well as the fresh snow. ;) Thanks for sharing with us!
Posted by: Sarah A. | 12/23/2015 at 09:20 PM
Ooooh! I think this may be my favorite post yet! What a fabulous find. And it looks gorgeous on you. My favorite picture is the one where you're spinning the skirt out a bit. I love the umbrella too. And the corsage.
Aren't thrift stores so much fun though? I found a very 40's-ish modern dress last month or so that I'm hoping will look authentic enough to wear at the next reenactment I attend.
And DON'T I know what you mean about wanting more excuses to dress up! Even at Christmas time there's only a few chances. Save me please, somebody, from the "jeans-for-every-occasion" club!
Posted by: Leya Delray | 12/28/2015 at 12:35 PM
Ooo! Great find! We don't get pieces like that in Australia, but it's so exciting that you could find such a gorgeous dress! ❤
xox,
bonita of Lavender & Twill
Posted by: bonita | 12/28/2015 at 08:08 PM