What I Actually Wore #0085
Serial #: 0085
Date: 17/08/2012
Weather: 11°
Time Allowed: 12 minutes
I am currently busy writing the text for the Fourth Fashion Commandment (Thou Shalt Not Own Any Ugly or Dowdy Raiment), and looking at this picture now makes me regret throwing out this dress, because it would be the perfect example of Ugly or Dowdy Raiment to remodel for you (in such a way so as to expose its full dowdiness to you). Admittedly, this is a subjective viewpoint, for two of my friends protested my proposed ruthless intention to bin it. I ignored them though, because I Know What I Know.
The dress was vintage, cotton knit, asymmetrically cut, and grey – all pluses in my book. The unusual neckline featured an ordinary collar on the left, and a large lapel/shawl collar on the right, which was an amusing detail. But it had one big bad minus: it was baggy and ill-fitting. It really ought to have had a tiny percentage of elastane in that fibre mix, that’s what the problem was. Still, I decided to give it one more chance.
Perhaps I could brighten it up with some accessories: a jaunty periwinkle blue velvet 50s cap, black crocheted stockings and dove grey suede boots (I like mixing my greys) and some silver and enamel bauble earrings. However, the only way to make the dress itself work was to cover it up and belt it. But what would happen when I became too warm?
This story is going from bad to worse, isn’t it? For of course I couldn’t remove the cardigan – I would have to suffer heat exhaustion in the accumulated afternoon heat of the office.
Painful but beautiful shoes I will put up with (up to and including blisters, though I draw the line at bleeding), but there are limits to my willingness to suffer for fashion. Feeling hot is not an option: the dress was out. Also, it didn’t fit properly.
This time, accessories did not save the day.
Items:
Dress: vintage
Camisole: Enamel
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Hat: vintage
Belt: Alta Linea
Stockings: Columbine
Earrings: handmade by me
Rings: (onyx) souvenir, (silver) Roun
Boots: Roc