Such a splendidly pretty 1950s purple polka dot dress

 

✯ Day 144 of Vintage 365 ✯

 

Sometimes ones spies a dress that is precisely "them" in so many ways. The colour, the tailoring, pattern, embellishments, even the very seams and hems themselves seem to be calling your name, however the dress itself is not your size (or sometimes it is, but once tried on, your beloved frock simply doesn't look right on you, no matter what angle you gaze at it longingly from) or its leagues out of your price range.

As vintage fashionistas, chances are we've all encountered this situation many times. I do on just about a daily basis! There are so many stellar vintage and vintage reproduction dresses out there, but - as we all know - only so many of them are ever going to be destined to wind up in our own personal wardrobes.

Recently while scouting around etsy for something quite entirely unrelated, I came upon this splendidly sweet 1950s purple polka dot dress, and it just about took my breath away.

 

The styling is youthful, wonderfully classic, and enchantingly feminine. Drop waists, like the one here, can tricky to pull off sometimes, but if you have a taller figurer (and/or abs of steal), this look can be downright bewitching.

This dress however, strikes me as less vixen and more girl-next-door ready for a spring social or day of shopping in the big city.

Its short sleeves, elegantly squared neckline, breezy full skirt, and lightweight fabric would make it ideal for a bounty of spring and summertime events, and its slightly more generous cut (the bust fits up to 42 inches, the waist 35.5) means that it's available to those who aren't catwalk supermodels models (and really, how many of us are?!) .

While this playful dress is comprised of head-to-toe purple, it doesn't come off as garish or hard to wear in the slightest. The softer tones, girly polka dots, and swingy skirt makes this wonderful vintage frock an absolute joy to look at - and, I'd thoroughly imagine, wear.

It has a lot of life left in it still, by the look of things, and let me tell you, it is certainly beckoningly my name! Alas though, it’s not the right size (too large). Yet I found it to be too marvelous to pass by unmentioned, and therefore thought  that perhaps it could find a loving home with one my wonderful readers.

Available for $70.00 from etsy seller The Vintage Studio (who offers international shipping), this is one of those fabulous 1950s dresses that deserves to be purchased and treasured, but still very much worn and enjoyed.

A timelessly lovely 1940s dress that's ideal for spring

✯ Day 86 of Vintage 365 ✯

There's a graceful elegance to this vintage dress that makes it so desirably beautiful. It's the kind of classic piece that you could so easily imagine your grandmother or great-grandmother putting on before she headed out to work, the market, to take the kids to school, or perhaps for a bridge game with Doris and Ethel from down the block.

A true treasure from the past, this wonderful deadstock (never worn) vintage dress - made by Fashion Frock of Cincinnati - from the 1940s is sophisticated and chic, while also being wonderfully practical. I could so easily imagine slipping into it for everything from job interview to a day of sightseeing. It's deep brown-married-with-burgundy hue is paired with regal copper embroidery and tiny brass buttons for a palette will never go out of style.

Made of lightweight rayon and featuring three-quarter length sleeves, the tailoring of this lovely frock is fitted - but certainly not skin-tight. It's material and cut make it absolutely perfect for the warmer months of spring and summer that we're finally tumbling into.

Partnered with a great vintage hat (I'm thinking something lively and pretty with a sprig of millinery flowers or perhaps even a small feather plume), soft coloured gloves (cream would be a gorgeous match), and a dainty handbag, this fantastic vintage dress (which fits up to a 38" bust/30" waist, and is available for $98.00 from Buffalo Gal Vintage) is the kind of wonderful wardrobe staple that you'll happily reach for spring after spring after spring :)