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 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 51 of 57: Dinner and a Dress to Kill

    Day 51 of 57 Days of Dresses. Jason and I went out to Avenue M for dinner. It was out first time visiting the restaurant, and we weren't too impressed, but willing to give it another try. The drink list was suitable, although the special was a dill pickle martini that might suggest a tangy and salty flavor profile those lovers of dirty martinis with extra olives might enjoy, but for me it suggested the kitchen had a surplus of pickle juice the restaurant wanted to do something with.
    We got the Modern Mediterranean sampler for our appetizer, which was a medley of sun-dried tomato basil hummus, baba ganoush, falafels, olives, grilled veggies and pita. It was delightful pleasing and the emerald green inside of the golden-brown fried falafels was a telltale sign of made-from-scratch.
    For dinner, Jason got the House-Made Veggie Burger with Swiss and a side of sweet and russet potato fries, and I got the Garbanzo Salad with tofu instead of garlic goat cheese. Dinner took a little longer to come out, but the wait was occupied with fun conversation and chit-chat between the two of us.
    The restaurant's decor is modern, eclectic, minimalist and slightly rustic. The high vaulted wood-panel ceiling and exposed steel beams with brightly colored paper flowers hanging from them were very cool. The warm lighting also accentuated the darkly stained, oddly shaped tables.
    At last, our meals arrived.
    Jason's burger only came with sweet potato fries, instead of the sweets and russets liked he asked for: A minor setback to our dining experience, seeing that the sweets were absolutely delicious. The veggie burger was dressed with lettuce, tomato, carrots, avocado, zucchini, parsnips and a red pepper Veganaise. The patty had a full, rounded flavor and satisfyingly heavy mouthfeel, but it was very messy and fell apart too easily--sadly a common problem with homemade veggie burgers. The kaiser roll was typical and didn't do it any service. Overall the veggie burger was maybe slightly above average.
    My salad had crispy fried chickpeas, grapefruit segments, almonds and golden fried tofu atop a bed of arugula and spinach with a champagne vinaigrette on the side. The salad was, unfortunately, lacking. The presentation was a little sloppy, the tofu was completely bland, and the spiciness of the arugula greatly overpowered the savoriness of the spinach. The fried beans--a culinary fad I desperately hope goes away soon--did add a much-needed crunch but had a bitterness to it; the scant sprinkling of almonds were a neutral element, and the grapefruit was kind of out of place. However, the mildly sweet champagne vinaigrette was pleasing and somehow tied all of the oddly matched flavors together. Still, I wouldn't eat it again.
    After diner, we were ready for a photoshoot.
    This vintage teal bodycon is another fabulous find at Local Honey in Nashville. This mini has a turtle neck and long sleeves. The dress itself is cut to an hourglass figure, so it hugs the contours of the bust, waist and hips perfectly. The dress is a very simple style, and gives the wearer legs for miles when matched with pumps or booties.I have it paired with a an intricately-patterned jacket I got from Free People, Messaca "Julietta" booties and my trusty pink pocketbook, also from Free People (like I said before, I have way too much Free People stuff). This is the type of dress that really brings a sense of physical self awareness to the wearer--hence the namesake of these skin-tight "body conscious" dresses--but if you got it, it's nice to flaunt it every once in a while, and this is just dress to do it in.

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 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!