As you can tell from the way it's drooping to one side, this dress is a bit big for me. More precisely, the bodice is longer than ideal. I expected it to be loose, but selecting clothes online (from Bon Marche Couture in this case) has an inherent surprise element. My conclusion is that I need to shorten the waistband. I'm undecided about whether to alter the boxy shoulders. I love the overall design and I don't want to modernize the dress, just tailor it to fit my body.
My first outfit with an unfamiliar piece tends to be quite simple. I did pile on bright layers (red sweater & blue socks) when I realized how cold I was. But that's more a matter of coziness than style!
I searched "baroque roses" to see if I was correct in feeling that this print is reminiscent of Rome in 1630 or whatever, and here's one of the results:
Not gonna lie; that's a fabulous gown. It was made for Second Life and costs L$950, whatever that means. Additional info: "This is partially mesh gown BUT it contains also regular shirt layer instead of corset for non mesh users!" Are you a mesh user? I don't think I am.
A belt would fix it! I'm glad we share an appreciation for vintage clothing in its original state. - Leah
ReplyDeleteIndeed! I think it'll be easy to remedy.
DeleteI'm not sure if I've ever been a mesh user, to be honest. I asked this jokingly of someone else, and they looked at me like I was insane - they thought I'd said 'meth' user! :-D
ReplyDeleteLast photo is gorgeous!
The resemblance between the phrases is uncanny =P
DeleteIt screams 1980s. Does it have the original shoulder-ma-pads? You look a bit more, uh... boxy, in the shoulder area. Really, this is where femme glam meets women's empowerment. Soft delicate fabrics, beautiful florals, and power suit stylings. I agree with Leah, who is wise, a belt would go a long way. A lot of different belts could work with this depending on which way you wanted to style. I feel like this isn't the last time we'll see this dress.
ReplyDeleteYou know there's something early Princess Dianna about the final picture.
It did have shoulder pads, but I cut them out! It still has mysterious stiff shoulder enforcement. I like your sum-up of the style.
DeleteDresses like the one displayed by the Second Life user are just so something I would wear in my internal dream world in which practicality isn't even an issue.
ReplyDeleteSAME. ALL THE EMBELLISHMENT!
Delete"I don't want to modernize the dress, just tailor it to fit my body."
ReplyDeleteThis all day long! I hear so much about "vintage with a modern twist". People want to play at being retro but won't actually commit to historical accuracy.
True. I guess it doesn't bother me personally when other people do that, but I also don't see the point of having a vintage dress if I'm just going to make it like anything I could buy at Forever 21.
Delete"I also don't see the point of having a vintage dress if I'm just going to make it like anything I could buy at Forever 21."
DeletePerfect. May I quote you?
(For the record, it doesn't exactly bother me personally either, but I do cringe a little when I see people butcher 50+ year old dresses.)
Haha, sure, quote away! Yeah, I gotta mourn for those dresses too =/
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