· Estate Sale Score! ·

My apologies for neglecting this blog of late!  Life has been a new kind of busy lately and I'm still working on settling into the new normal :-)  I've had several posts waiting in my drafts folder and I'm super excited to share them!  Of course, I've been enjoying the anticipation of sharing these for the past few months, but that only does so much for you...  This post has been waiting too long to share, but in my defense- it's only just now seasonally appropriate again. ;-)

This was one of our very first vintage dresses that actually *fit*!  We happened upon it at our first estate sale and didn't have the opportunity to try it on before purchasing, but it ended up fitting like a glove. :-)  We've picked up several vintage pieces that we can wear in the past couple years and like I've said before, it really has had a big impact on my personal style and mental process of creating new garments.

It's also funny what I'll wear for the sake of vintage- I'm really not a big fan of navy.  I've never been fond of it and I don't think it's a good color for me.  It's something I'm definitely willing to overlook in the cause of wearing an amazing and fun 1940s dress though!

This dress was also one of my first steps towards building up a tolerance for high, high necklines.  Oh, the mid-century love of choke-y necklines!  I've become quite adjusted to them by now, thankfully. ;-)

Can we just take a moment and admire that awesome neckline?!!  I think it's so clever to use just the smallest hints of a contrasting color to add interest to this dress and the zig-zag neckline gets major cool points in my book.  The overall styling of the dress is just enough different from my usual designs that it is a great inspiration to think outside of my usual rut!

GAH. Miss L Fire wins again.

These great shoes were a purchase from Royal Vintage last year, although they're out of stock now. :-(  RV has more Miss L Fire styles in stock, and the detailing of them is always superb!  I adore the shape of these and that little curlicue is the icing on the cake!

My only caveat is that I think MLF's peep-toe styles fit me better than the closed toe...  These shoes don't live up to an all-day outing, but that just means I have all the more reason to wear them on partial-day outings. ;-)

And then vintage dresses have funny little quirks like this!  A back neck zipper, 5" of seam, then a back waist zipper.  This is a subject I'm pretty ignorant on- anyone know why they did that?  I always thought it was because a zipper going all the way down a back seam ends up bubbling due to the extra bit of bodice length for ease.  Is that true?  I've come across long vintage zippers before, so I don't think that was the deciding factor.  Pipe up if you have any insight!! :-)

Since I don't gravitate towards navy or maroon, I didn't have any accessories in those colors.  I do have lots of black, though!  This 1940s hat was a surprise find at an antique store when I was least expecting it, but it's become such a staple for my 40s looks! 

Sweet scalloped gloves!  And also- why do I ever wear black?? So. Much. Lint. :-P

Until I had this dress, I was under the impression that peplums and larger hips didn't go well together.  Now that I've dispelled that notion, and I'm excited about the options that have opened up! :-)

Dramatic vintage poses are always a good idea.  Until you're posing in front of a public building and then discover that you've attracted an audience of spectators inside.

Ahem. I may or may not have this experience frequently during photoshoots... "Carry on! Nothing to see here!"  Just yet another chapter in The Awkward Life of Lily. ;-)

· photos, as ever, by the remarkable Kathryn! ·

*I received my shoes at a discount in exchange for posting online and all links to RV are affiliates- thanks for helping me indulge my love of shoes! ;-)