I'm a big fan of vintage. But vintage is tricky - delicate cloth, mini sizes, pawing through racks and racks of elderly duds. Here are a few dresses that look vintage, minus the frayed seams.



Wee bolero jacket and full skirt - '50s with a modern edge. Myth and Ritual dress from San Francisco's In Lieu.



Another full skirt. For extra points, wear with a cardigan buttoned at the top. She-bible cathedral dress from Doe in San Francisco.

Labels: dresses, San Francisco boutiques, vintage

I don't know about you, but this dress was made for me. Flirty (well, I'm not, but the dress is), a-line skirt, contrasting accents, pleating at the bust. June Cleaver meets Alice in Wonderland.

Labels: dresses, vintage

Sometimes jersey just doesn't cut it. Especially when your thighs are currently retaining some of that lemon pound cake that is so fresh and citrus-y in the pan and so...bulky under your pants. Stars of the silver screen ate cake, my friends. That's one of the reason we like them so much. Dresses that let you eat cake (as long as you don't require too much oxygen):






Vintage 1950s evening dresses from Posh Girl: red dress, black velvet and taffeta dress, blue white stripe swing dress.

Labels: dresses, vintage

Back in my day, you didn't just throw on jeans and a t-shirt to run your errands. You wore stockings, gloves, lipstick, a hat and you liked it. None of this just-enough-cloth-to-cover-the-extremities nonsense. Oh, who am I kidding? My day started in 1978. But these are still quite excellent.







Vintage 1950s day dresses from Posh Girl Vintage. Yellow and white check dress, black eyelet dress, blue and white polka dot halter dress.

Labels: dresses, vintage

After driving down the freeway under what appeared to be a low-grade tsunami, clutching the steering wheel, and envisioning life without limbs, I decided to retreat to the couch and shop. These mod vintage coats are awesome - except for the wool, which may smell a tad bit like wet sheep dog after a stroll through the tsunami. Lovely over those post-Factory Girl mini dresses.




Blue green and gray 1960s vintage coats from Posh Girl Vintage.

Labels: stay toasty, tops, vintage

Labels: vintage

In honor of the weekend and my hopes to soon be parked in front of the TV, whiling away my youth by staring at movies, I offer you a little '50s glamor for your evening of drinking champagne and eating lobster. You are planning to drink champagne and eat lobster, right? You're not planning to stare blank-eyed at movies like me, right? Excellent. We shall proceed.

Most girls spent some portion of their formative years wishing to be a movie star, a European princess, or preparing master plans to snag Clark Gable. (If you were a tree climber whose fondest dream was to become a firefighter, you probably aren't reading this blog. I spend a lot of time on lip gloss and shoes.) Grace Kelly is possibly the only woman in history to nab Clark, movie stardom and a tiara. Having one of the most infamous and enduring It Bags named in her honor is just icing on the Impossible Dream Cake. I can't hand you Clark Gable (nor would I want to, the dude is dead and you don't want to be going there), but I can find a Grace-like outfit for you.



Billowing skirts of the nip-waisted variety can be found at Posh Girl Vintage, the first place I search for '50s stylin'. This double strap evening dress with chiffon overlay can be found here. If some retroista with a fast internet connection nabs your find, just keep clicking - the site is full of gems and is restocked regularly.


Hollywood glamor in feathers is a stellar way to set yourself apart in a crowd. Toss the white marabou stole over your shoulders (which you can find here) and prepare to have doors opened as you sweep past and drinks placed in your delicate fingers all evening.

Labels: dresses, vintage