Day 50 of 57: River Arts, Graffiti High

    Today, Day 50 of 57 Days of Dresses, marks the last week of this fashion celebration I've endeavored in. Today Jason and I visited pawn shops in search of guitar gear, had lunch at the local Himalayan restaurant, Kathmandu, when on a country cruise up the mountain side and admired the rolling hills, walked along the French Broad river, browsed the local firebrand bookstore, and check out the artist studios in Asheville's River Arts District.
    The River Arts District, or "RAD," as some local factions call it, is a run-down industrial side of town down by the river that I guess artsy types built up and created studio spaces and other creative spaces there. In addition to folksy, fine and forgettable artist studios there's antique shops, coffee bars, a dog wash, performing arts stages and the Bharatanatyam dance studio I go to. There's also an abundance of graffiti on everything, which--during these bleak winter months--adds a much-appreciated splash of color on dreary early twentieth-century industrial buildings.
    Despite the blustering wind, the day was rather sunny and reasonably warm between blusters. Granted today wasn't like the 70 degree springtime preview weather a couple of days ago, I'll take sunny and windy in the mid-40s on a February afternoon.
    I got this bodycon dress at the Free People store in Nashville. I've probably spent way too much money there in the past year, but now it's out of driving distance, out of mind! This dress is long-sleeve, which is great for windy "winter" weather, and looks awesome with a part of thick, warm leggings underneath. The dress has a ruched side and a crocheted decolletage that accents the boat neck nicely. The raw hems on the sleeves and the miniskirt add a deconstructionist element that juxtaposes the detail of the crocheted decolletage. I love bodycons, and I love this dress!

Please excuse the tag!

 
 

 

day 49 of 57: Country Slickin'

    On Day 49 of 57 Days of Dresses Jason and I were on our way back from our maiden trip to Charlotte. We pulled of on an exit in the middle of nowhere to switch driving duties, and saw this cool country house. Since we didn't find anywhere in Charlotte (?) to do a photo set, we were very please with the simple country surroundings and pine cones. It's the simple things that can provide a rare opportunity to see the Beauty is Truth.

It takes a pine cone 5 years to open up and fall off a tree

 


    This is a vintage shirt dress I found at an Asheville Goodwill for 5 bucks.The top is short-sleeved and has double-breasted buttons running from the lapel to the waist. The skirt is tea-length and it has belt loops that I have put a white cinch belt through to set off the waist. The material is soft and  matte yet slightly luminescent, which leads me to believe it's silk, but the material tag is long gone. What a great find!

day 48 of 57: Electric Barbarella

    On day 48 of 57 Days of Dresses I had my first ladies' night out in Asheville. We went to the Orange Peel to see Wanda Jackson perform some great roots rock 'n' roll. The 74-year-old has a signature growl in her voice, and it was great to watch her perform.
    I bought this bodycon dress from a local designer at the Asheville Downtown Market. It's hand made and it came with the matching vinyl belt, which is awesome! It's hot pink with electric violet strips and piping around the short sleeve and neckline. The skirt has an unfinished hem. Nothing better than local couture!

Day 47 of 57: French Connection

    Day 47 of 57 Days of Dresses was an evening of Middle Eastern food, belly dancing and hookah smoking. Jason and I went out with the lovely Emily Thomas to see our belly dance instructor, Claire, perform at the local Middle Eastern restaurant, Jerusalem Garden. Watching her was mesmerizing, and the control she had of her muscles was impressive. I'm happy she's my teacher.
    After enjoying food, wine and entertainment, we hoofed over to the hookah lounge and enjoyed a smoke and conversation. We were all going to check out the '60s R&B dance party at the Admiral, but it was pretty late so we called it a night before turning into pumpkins. After a wonderful night out, the last order of business was a quick photo shoot in front of the french doors of our pantry in our new house.
    I found this fabulous leopard-print A-line shirt dress at a thrift store here in Asheville. The dress buttons fully from top to bottom, and the large structured lapels provides a vintage-inspired Judy Jetson feel.
    The deep-V neck and sleeveless cut make this dress very sexy, and great to accessorize with classic styles like a pearl necklace, pearl earrings and a Victorian lace blouse. The above-the-knee circle skirt flares nicely from the hips. I have the waist set off with a bright red vinyl belt. What a find!

 

day 46 of 57: Missed Boogie Nights

Sporting one of my hand-made feather clips.

    Day 46 of 57 Days of  Dresses: My first night out on the town since my relocating to Asheville! What could be a better way to ring in the winter edition of 57 Days? The unfortunate thing is Jason and I are accustom to Nashville's rock o'clock, so we missed near the entirety of the show we were going to.

My "Animal Wall" in our new house.

    We still had a great time meeting up with some of Jason's old friends--and my new friends--from Huntsville, and meeting new people that we'll hopefully see more of as time comes.
    This is a vintage shirt dress I bought at Goodwill in Swannanoa, NC for $5. The fuschia fabric is electric and has a matching belt with a large goldtone buckle. Pleats run the length of the bodice and end at the hips, creating rich folds in the fabric. And, this dress has pockets, which is always a bonus.
    The waist is elastic and the back of the tea-length skirt has a classy little split. The short sleeves are cuffed and the bodice has a hidden placket and a slight bat wing cut going on. The dress has a great flow to it, and I'm happy I found it. What a fabulous edition!

57 Days of Dresses: Winter edition!

    I've been on an unannounced hiatus from my beloved 57 Days of Dresses. But, now it's time to pick up where I left off. What a better time to do that then in a new season: Winter! I feel it would be fitting to dedicate these last official 12 days to winter wonder long sleeves, thick fabrics, scarves, tights and legwarmers. Admittedly, it will be considerable hard, seeing that "winter" is in the upper 50s and lower 60s. But, I'm do my best to look really, really cold! I'll have more on the way soon!
Love,
Honey Bee

Day 45 of 57: From Nashville, with love

    Day 45 of 57 Days of Dresses. My last Nashville photo set at a random street corer of north 2nd Ave. and Peabody Street. What are the chances?
    No fancy story. No exciting adventure. I just got done from my lunch shift at the Hard Rock and Jason picked me up. If I recall, we we're going to do anything special. I think we just went home!
    Well, I didn't think that this was going to be my last Nashville photo set, but now we move boldly into the future--and see what new dresses I have in store!
    This is a vintage A-line dress I found in the sale bin of Local Honey (I miss you, Local Honey. And you too, Diamond Star Halo Vintage). What a find! It was only like 5 bucks or something equally as cut-rate!
    The dress has multi-color pinstripes and shoulder button detail that scream 1982. The short sleeve are slightly belled, and the dress has a removable waist tie. The dress is flattering with the at-the-knee skirt. So long, Nashville, and thanks for all the fish.