I like vintage chiffon. Not necessarily the poofy prom dress kind (although I’m pretty cool with that, too), but the elegant, grecian, pleated kind that comes from the late 1950s and early 1960s. I managed to find a beautiful specimen in lipstick red last year, but it sold before I could get my claws into it. Since, I’ve been unable to find anything quite right, vintage or reproduction. That is, until Dita Von Teese came out with her “Follow Me” cocktail dress in silk chiffon.
Dita Von Teese Follow Me dress photographed by Miss Missy Photography.
I love Trashy Diva. I love Trashy Diva most of all when I can get the designs I want on sale. Usually, getting exactly what you want at a really amazing price means walking a very fine line. Sometimes, your size sells out before it hits the discount rack. Other times, a decent sale presents itself, but you wonder if you might save more money if you wait until Black Friday, or end-of-season clearance sales…and the same thing happens. Last year, I waited too long on two great Trashy Diva styles, and thought I’d never be able to find them in my size again. Turns out I was wrong! I was able to get the Obi dress in a beautiful orchid silk and the adorable gingham Norma Jean dress without having to buy secondhand. And, I got them both on GOOD sale!
Trashy Diva Norma Jean dress with bakelite jewelry.
Since I live in sunny California, I tend heavily toward sun dresses. Last Spring, Norma Jean was one of dozens of warm-weather pieces I wanted, but ended up back-burnering in favor of other dresses. By the time I had the cash to buy this black-and-white gingham beauty, it was sold out in my size…and ONLY my size. Talk about disappointment!
It never restocked, and soon it became pretty clear that the dress wouldn’t be back. Fast-forward to November, and Rowena of Edmonton (also known as Retroglam.com online) was advertising a fabulous Black Friday sale (with great shipping terms for U.S. customers). Turns out they had two great Pinup Couture Heidi dresses I was after (red rose and the Canada-exclusive black polka dot print) and…NORMA JEAN…IN MY SIZE. In fact, the only Norma Jean they had was in my size, so I took it as a sign. Continue reading “Outfits of the Season: Retired Trashy Diva dresses”
Now that the semester is almost over, I have a bit of time to catch up on the stuff that really matters in life. CLOTHES.I have several new vintage pieces (“new vintage”…there’s an oxymoron for ya) that I’ve previewed on Instacrap but never got around to properly sharing. The two I’m showing you here have one main thing in common: they’re both fairly low-backed, which means they can be tricky to wear.
The first is an amazingly well constructed custom piece that’s perfect for a garden tea circa the early 1960s. The people from whom I purchased this pretty blue and white dress dug up the provenance. Apparently, it came from Margaret Koehler, a tony ladies’ shop in Manhattan.
Vintage chiffon cocktail dress.
Certainly, this thing is well made. French seams, pinked edges, a built-in petticoat…every construction detail is couture, and the fit is extraordinary, right down to the scooped frock back (true frocks have buttons down the back).
More good news on the pinup front! I’m in the May regular edition of Delicious Dolls (photographed by the awesome Angela Morales) and Tassel Twirl issue #2 (photographed by the superlative Miss Missy), out today! Both issues are fantastic, full of beautiful women, entertaining articles and interviews, and superb photography.
The above is a sneak peek from my wonderful shoot with Missy. We spent the whole day shooting everything from the great 1940s old Hollywood look above to my beautiful Alfred Shaheen tapa print sundress. More to come from that day in the nearish future!
Vintage pink lucite confetti jewelry and polka dot dress.
Etsy vintage is kinda dangerous. There’s always something awesome lurking. Recently, I bought a pretty late-1950s or early-1960s pink dress with white polka-dots from one of my favorite sellers, Traven7, and a beautiful Rite-Fit Lurex evening dress with a taffeta circle skirt from Amanda at Butch Wax Vintage. Continue reading “Spring Vintage: Pink with white polka dots and black Lurex!”
I’ve had my eye on Bernie Dexter‘s Paris dress for a while now. It’s a beautiful early 1960s-style sundress with a ruched bust panel and semi-circle skirt that comes in a variety of beautiful prints. I first admired the Paris in the pink blossom print – a springy cherry theme – but soon fell in love with the turquoise and rose fabric style as well.
In addition to their beauty, Bernie’s made-in-USA pieces are also high quality. They’re not cheap, which means I usually wait until they’re on some sort of sale. Luckily, I happened upon both of my favorite Paris fabricways on mark down this month! The pink blossom Paris was on clearance at BernieDexter.com while the turquoise floral was 20% off in the Unique Vintage Presidents’ Day sale. Since the beautiful Bernie Dexter Veronique dress in the blush cabbage rose print was on extra mark down at Unique Vintage, I picked it up too!
I’m a sucker for fussy floral stuff. I’m not exactly Chintz Nation, but you give me a black dress covered in doily-decked pink and yellow nosegays and I’m in the clouds. We’re talking Bespinian proportions here, probably because nosegays and doilies remind me of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. So when I first saw Bernie Dexter’s fabulous Sweetheart dress in the floral doily print, I just about died.
