Day 55 of 57: Rummage me this

    On day 55 of 57 Days of Dresses I had a afternoon of rummaging with Jason and our friend Emily. Our first rummage was at the "Really, Really Free Market" at Pritchard Park in downtown Asheville.
    What a disappointment.
    The premise of the event is great in theory; it's essentially a public swap meet that's held the last Saturday of every month. However, in practice, it became an stunningly pungent, unorganized pile of old, dirty clothes with the sparse remnants of Asheville's Occupy movement holding a rather confused General Assembly, foul-smelling faux-hippies picking through some underwear, and a bearded woman discussing the latest extremist feminist trends with a glamorous tranny queen. Emily did find a cool Jawbreaker band tee. Besides that, we promptly scrapped up the bits of our dignity we had left after about five minutes of subjecting ourselves to the stench and found a bathroom to wash our hands. Jason didn't participate in the dirty clothes rummage, needless to say.
     Next on the agenda was looking for a birthday gift for Jason's father. Emily recommended the Lexington Avenue Antique Mall. This place is huge! From the outside it looks like a small shop, but the store expands into a supermarket sized space.
    We spent a good two hours poking around, and decided to leave after Jason and I started having a sensory overload from the amass of stuff in there. The was an impressive inventory of vintage clothes, and quite a bit looked reasonably priced. I'll have another visit, and soon.
    After an oddly fruitless trip to the antique mall, We went to Karen Donatelli Cakes on Haywood Ave. to enjoy some absolutely delicious desserts. I'm a huge fan of French macaroons, and the bakery had chocolate macaroons and raspberry macaroons. Yum! Jason got a  German chocolate cake ball, and there was a gluten-free flourless chocolate tort that Emily was able to thoroughly enjoy.
    We parted ways with Emily and head to Black Mountain in continuance of our search for the perfect birthday gift, and we found it! Happy birthday, Waymon!
    Our last order of business was a photo shoot by the old red truck.
    I got this 1980s vintage dress at Local Honey in Nashville, Tenn. It's a very comfortable, slouchy, dropped-waist cotton tennis-style dress. The ruffled skirt has two layers that have a nice bounce to it. The bodice has a paint swatch pattern that's quintessential '80s design.
    This simple dress is a great springtime piece for daytime activities, and looks great with or without accessories--I think with this dress less is better. I have it paired with some other authentic '80s pieces: a pair of denim pumps and an over-sized fish barrette straight from my mother's boxes of her old clothes from the '70s and '80s (I remember her wearing these when I was, like, five years old), and a great vintage patchwork leather purse I picked up a a vintage boutique. Now if there was only a New Order concert sometime, somewhere soon! I can always dream!

Day 54 of 57: Mod Bod, Green Scheme

    On day 54 of 57 Days of Dresses Jason and I had lunch at one of our favorite downtown eateries, Rosetta's Kitchen. Jason got the "Family Favorite:" a tasty plate of peanut butter baked tofu, mashed potatoes with gravy, greens (usually kale) and a generous slice of hot cornbread (pretty much a "meat and three" dish without the meat), and I got a big bowl of seaweed salad. If you're ever in Asheville and you need a place to eat, go to Rosetta's.
    Besides being an awesome and homey vegan/vegetarian restaurant, it recently added an "Everybody Eats" sliding scale meal. Hungry patrons short on cash can come in an pay anywhere from $2-$6 and get a generous serving of brown rice, the day's beans and a side of tortilla chips or slaw. That means a family of four could potentially walk in and eat for under $10. I admire how Rosetta's Kitchen really puts their motto, "Feeding the Family Right" to work in the community.
Considering the greater Asheville area has been ranked nationally as the third worst area for food hardship, perhaps this is a restaurant trend that can catch on. Kudos to Rosetta's Kitchen for helping to keep the community fed.
    Besides a happy visit to Rosetta's, the weather was perfect for a photo shoot!
    So, I know this is suppose to be the "winter edition," but, as we've all probably been experiencing, there hasn't been much of a winter, and these past two dress days are proof. I suppose the first official day of spring is March 20, so, au sortir de l'hiver.
     This is a fabulous vintage mod mini that I found at a local thrift store. This A-line mini has a beautiful floral pattern that stacks on top of itself. The dress is sleeveless and has a jewel neckline. The waist has belt loops that I have set off with a solid white belt. Did I say this dress is tiny! It's very short, even experimentally short, but those '60s were wild times. The hem is falling down is some areas, but that'll be an easy fix. Long live the dress.

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 44 of 57: Will you, won't you?

    On day 44 of 57 Days of Dresses, Jason and I had a late dinner at the Wild Hare. I got champagne in a can! With a straw! I didn't even know champagne in a can was a real thing, but there I was, drinking Sofia Coppola--it looked like a kid's drink.

     The room we were seated in was like a closet. But, there was no one else in there so Jason and I got up and danced to "Ball and Chain" from 40oz to Freedom--like me and my old roomie Megan Re used to.
    We had a smashing good time in what appeared to be the high-chair and booster seat storage room. The room had a rustic painted-white stone wall and a checkered floor, so why not push our antics even further and do a photo shoot?
    This is a dress I got from Anthropologie as a gift from Jason's mom. It's a tea length circle dress, and for some reason it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland.
     The sleeveless bodice has an attached sash that ties in the back, and the back is also accented with three white buttons columned down the middle. The skirt is lined with a decorative underslip, and it does great filled out with a crinoline petticoat. The dress has a side zipper, and the two side pockets on this dress are the cherry on top.

day 40 of 57: Green with thumbs

    So today is day 40 of 57 Days of Dresses: only 17 dresses left in my almost 2 month long celebration of this wonderful garment. Today was a hot day of errand-running with my mom - by the way, my mom's visiting me from Connecticut, and she'll be here until the end of the month - enjoying activities like laundry doing, grocery shopping, bill paying, and all the other little things that make the world go round. By the end of it all, the last thing I had to do was water my lovelies on the balcony. As much as I appreciate their wild and lush beauty, I can't wait for their winter dormancy, because it is hot out. The roses attract humming birds though, and it's really cool to have a humming bird hoover two feet away from you while watering the plants. They're so tiny. Anyways, I digress.
    I know I said I don't have many green dresses, so what are the odds that I wear two green dresses in a row? I know, that's what I though. This is an awesome jumper sun dress (AKA, "pinafore" for our British friends) I got from Tiffany Minton at a swap party I had earlier this year. It's a cute little micro mini that's green with white hearts. The straps has big white heart buttons in the front, and the skirt has two pockets patched on it. It has a retro/ vintage-inspired style and it's very light and comfortable. The dress is sleeveless and has a square neck and back. Thanks, Tiff, for not wanting this dress anymore, because I love it!

day 39 of 57: Turnip power (kitchen warrior two)

    On day 39 of 57 Days of Dresses, I am the warrior - the kitchen warrior, that is - again, preparing dinner for me and my mom's hungry tummies! Tonight was jerk tofu with peppers on top of amaranth. We ate and drank a fabulously sweet concord grape wine while watching "The Joneses." I was going to dance it up at the weekly '50s dance party at the 5 Spot, but by the time I was done cooking and eating, the idea of leaving the comfort of my humble abode was just not happening anymore!
    My lovely mother took these pictures for me, and I really appreciate it! I love you, mom <3
    This is a super cute bodycon mini Jason got for me at Hip Replacements boutique in Asheville, NC. It's hand-made of organic cotton, and it has a turnip silk-screened on it. I don't have many green dresses, so I'm happy to add this friendly veggie dress to my collections. It's a tunic style bodycon, and it fits like a glove. The skirt is not hemmed, and the exposed side seams make the dress look outlined. The V-neck and V-back is also not unhemmed, as well as the sleeveless armholes. What a nice little dress.

Notice my mom's finger blurred in the left corner :o)