Day 56 of 57: Ring my bell

    On day 56 of 57 Days of Dresses Jason and I had a lazy day of rock 'n' rollin' at home. Jason and I had an awesome time jamming on some improv rock 'n' roll riffs. I was feeling like a pussycat and totally missing the stage. I can't wait to start playing shows again. I got a new mirror pickguard for my bass, and it shines the light of rock 'n' roll right in your face. Mirror, mirror, on my bass, who's got the prettiest face? Just teasing!

You can see my reflection!

   After an afternoon of music, we went for a drive in the country and found this quaint ole' bell house with lush, green ivy vines climbing its stone face.
      This is by far one of the most amazing vintage dresses I have in my wardrobe, and I got this at Diamond Star Halo Vintage, located inside of Fanny's House of Music in Nashville, Tenn. This midi-length, spaghetti-strap party dress is rather striking with its alternating red and white chevron striped bodice and red polka-dot skirt. The the dropped V-shaped waistline is form-fitting to the hips and the skirt, which has an attached crinoline petticoat, flares out nicely.The decollete bodice zips in the back, and has a sweetheart neckline.
     I have this dress paired with a rhinestone collar to showcase my decolletage, a hair bow, vintage white earrings, my trusty chucks and red socks with white polka-dots. To offer a splash of contrast, I'm also wearing my solid blue hoops in my upper ears and solid blue sunglasses.

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 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.

day 38 of 57: Late night flat

   So on day 38 of 57 Days of Dresses, Jason and I were gallivanting the streets of downtown Asheville, and came across this perfect pile of tires by the side of an auto repair shop. Looks like a great place for a photo shoot.
    This is a vintage 1980s shirt dress I got at Thriftsmart for $5 - what a find! It's in pristine condition, and still has its matching belt, which you can see in the photos. The tea-length skirt is ruffled and has pockets, and the 3/4 bat sleeves have a buttoned cuff, which I have turned up. The front buttons form a V-neck and button from top to bottom - I like to leave a few bottom buttons open to create a pee-a-boo front slit. The bodice has 2 breast pockets, the shoulders have light padding for structure and the collar can be folded down to make a small lapel, like I've done in the photos. The fabric sports a very '80s floral/ graffiti print. I really dig this dress!

Day 37 of 57: Workin' 9 to 5

    I'm back from my trip to Asheville, and it was amazing! On day 37 of 57 Days of Dresses Jason and I found some interesting corners of downtown Asheville, so why not take some photos?
    This is a vintage '80s dress Jason got me at Fanny's House Of Music/ Diamond Star Halo vintage boutique. It is the strangest styled dress I own. It's so uniquely 1980s that I find it amazing that it has withstood the decades. It reminds me of a secretary dress you might see in "Nine to Five." It's a tea-length long sleeve dress. the dress has a banded dropped waist that drawstrings at the natural waistline. Another interesting concept on this dress is the asymmetric button placket on the bodice. It has a jewel neckline and the small asymmetric collar extends into a neck sash. The skirt has stiff pleats. The material is soft, and I suspect it is silk or a polyester/ rayon blend, and it has a paint swatch pattern on it. What a rare find, and what and awesome dress!

 

Day 32 of 57: Black girl

    So on day 32 of 57 Days of Dresses, Erin and I finished canning the giant pot of gumbo we made last night. It yielded 12 quarts of stew - holy 10 hour process! And, once again, I did it all in style in my awesome vintage black dress. It's really been one heck of a past two days.
    I got this dress from Olivia Scibelli at a clothing swap I hosted earlier this year. It's silk and so luxurious! It has a jewel neckline and 3/4 sleeves. The waist is V-shaped and the skirt is V-shaped as well. The bodice is nicely fitted and has a back zip closure. The silk fabric itself is a matte black with a sheer black embossed floral pattern on it. What a sweet little dress!