Ensemble of the Day: I Got a Red Dress and New Hair Edition

I feel like a cowgirl in this pretty, cotton, red-orange dress, mostly because of the awesome ruffle detail on the bust of the dress.  If I threw on my fabulous cowboy boots, I could have stepped right out of that film Urban Cowboy.  I bought it for $8 at a Goodwill in Fairfax County.   I never wore red until I found a fantastic onesie at the Forever 21 in South Korea and bought a beautiful red dress from Top Shop in the Philippines.  I love how saturated the color of the dress is; it looks very flattering on someone with a nice tan.  Basically me.  I paired the dress with some pretty gold bangles, a bronze belt with starfish detail on the buckle, and a red and gold necklace.  It's one of those easy things to throw on when you haven't got time to think about your outfit.

(Here's a Southern Belle secret from way back then.  They use to sew ruffles on the inside of the bust line on the bodice to push up the breasts to the top of the dress.)  A ruffle on the outside of the bodice is a great way to create the illusion of having a large bust.  Have you ever seen Korean bathing suits?  The majority have ruffles on the bust.  I love ruffles because ruffles are ruffles, but I will not begrudge anyone increasing their bustiness through use of optical illusions.  Lord knows that miracle bra from Victoria's Secret nets me more tips than my charm.  I got tired of the necklace so I took it off and threw on a scarf (the scarf that Stephanie tried to wrest from my possession).

This dress style was very popular in the early 1980s.  I have a white dress similar in silhouette, and it's very flattering when belted.  Look how tiny my waist and arms look!  Another optical illusion.  I love dresses that flare at the bottom because they cause one's waist to look small.

Ensemble of the Day: Polka You in the Eyeball

When I woke up, I was 5"2.  When I left for work, I was 5"7.  Today, I did the following activities in these hot pink espadrilles:

1. Booty Popped.
2. Booty Hopped.
3. Cabbage Patched.
4. Did the robot.
5. Told somebody off.
6. Drove Lulu and eluded the po po.
7. Ran down a flight of stairs without ruining my face by smushing it on the ground. 

Today was a win.  On the outside, I looked like Grace Kelly.  On the inside, I felt like Tallulah Bankhead, badass Southern Belle of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s from Alabama.

I was all business at the top.  Pretty bow earrings, crisp white collared shirt, ostrich pin.  Below was quite the party.  I was wearing a wonderful vintage polka dot skirt, described in this post.  I threw on the hot pink espadrilles because it was missing that Jacinta element.  Coco Chanel famously said, Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off."  UMM NOPE.  I always add one thing, because that's what makes me, me.

Ensemble of the Day: My Dress Threw Up a Rainbow Edition

Virginia sucks.  The stores do not.  I found this dress in Fairfax a couple weeks ago at Yesterday's Rose, the same shop where I found that AMAZING mint dress discussed in this post.  I LOVE SHEER DRESSES.  I really do.  I love that I can wear them in every season and regulate my temperature by adding layers.  I bought this dress for the drop waist.  I love the twenties.  Love them.  I love how flattering drop waist dresses can be with the right construction.  I love that there are so many colors on this dress.  I love the scarf-like collar.  I felt like a fashionable clown.

I love the fact that this dress wasn't made in China (Label says Korea, but this is not in sync with Korean style as I know it).  It is very difficult to find clothes these days not made in China, Malaysia, Pakistan, or the Philippines.  I try try try to avoid modern clothes, with companies using dubious labor practices and all.  So yeah, you can call me a fashion environmentalist since I purchase mostly vintage or used clothes.  Does this make up for me taking long showers?  I know, I am contribution to the depletion of fresh water sources.

I could not even tell you what year this dress was made.  I can tell you that my washer almost ripped it to shreds and I gave said washer a good scolding.

The pattern is strange, and if I stand the wrong way I'll look like Wally the Walrus, but I love this dress.

When entertaining "intimate" friends, a hostess wears...

Black Lace Lingerie!

I'm cheap.  Thermostat set on 78 degrees F.  I don't wear much black.  I reserve that color for times of mourning (like when Game of Thrones went off the air last year), when I have nothing to wear, and when I'm feeling like a country ham.  This ensemble doesn't fit in any of these categories.  

I had a friend over for cocktails today and didn't feel like "dressing" for the occasion so I wore one of my many vintage slips.  My grandmother would beat my "light-skinned behind" if she knew I was wearing one of my slips.  I tried to pull that stunt in Charleston 4 summers ago.  I was marched back into the house and not allowed to leave until I found something more appropriate.  So I threw on a cardigan and was marched back into the house yet again.  Grandma doesn't believe in underwear as outerwear, but I do!  And besides, grandma isn't here and grandma doesn't read blogs so there!

This is a great gown from the 1980s.  I fell in love with the lace midsection!  The scarf was a purchase from a consignment shop called Yesterday's Rose located in Fairfax, Virginia.  This is the same shop that I found that gorgeous mint green dress described in this post.  I felt slinky and glamorous, though I know I don't look as slinky as I feel right now.  I wish fried chicken was never invented.