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 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!

day 43 of 57: Bed-time Country Western

    So on day 43 of 57 we took the little rescued Shih Tzu to the Humane Association when it opened, and I went to work for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. I hope my little buddy finds his people, but if not, maybe he'll find a new home with me? I guess we'll have to wait and see. Well, After a long day of doing - I usually have long days of doing - and not making it out to my friend's show because I was just exhausted, the last thing done before tucking myself in for the night was taking pictures of the day's dress with my childhood stuffed animal friend, "Bunny"--creative name, I know.
    This is a shirt dress Jason got me at Hip Replacements in Asheville, NC. This is such a flirty little mini dress. It has a Country-Western flair that I really like. The dress is olive green with contrasting floral print that capes around the shoulder line, upper back and under the collar, and pipes along the skirt hem and the cuffs. All of the buttons also coordinate with the same floral material. The dress has a empire waist, and the bodice has 2 breast pockets. There's an exposed yellow side zipper too. All I can say is this dress is hot!

 

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 36 of 57: Red dress special

    Today is day 36 of 57, and I have only 21 more dresses to go! It's been a long summer of dress celebration, but I can't wait to put on some pants for a while - although I still browse the dress section of any clothing store.
    This red midi-length shirt dress is another vintage thrift gem from the Salvation Army up the street from me. $5 made it mine. The hidden placket sports a full button closure, which is great for adjusting the height of the slit. The 3/4 sleeves are somewhat over-sized, and the seamed waist is perfectly fitted and has belt loops, which I have a polka-dot sash looped through it. The dress is pretty simple, but totally feminine and elegant for day wear.