Ten fantastic summer party dresses

Today just happens to be my brother’s birthday (Happiest 22nd, little bro!), and though we live on opposite sides of the country and won’t get to spend it together, I can’t help but feel in a festive mood as I woke up this morning. Which got me to thinking about birthday parties – and for that matter, parties in general – and of the sorts of sophisticated, feminine dresses that women so often wore to celebrations, dinner parties, and fêtes of all kinds during the 30s, 40s and 50s.

For as long as I can recall being able to dress myself, I’ve adored wearing frocks, and I must confess, the more elegant, structured and eye catching they are, the better! Though I don’t have a fancy party to attend today, that doesn’t stop me from daydreaming that I do, and in turn scouring the web for some of the prettiest vintage (and vintage inspired) party dresses out there.

The following ten frocks are presented in a rainbow-like fashion to help highlight the diverse array of hues in which one can find a lovely vintage party dress. While the fabric they’re constructed from varies, each one is in a cut that I think is well suited to summer soirees, be they indoor or outdoor celebrations.

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{Glamorous enough to have graced a 1930s red carpet, this deeply gorgeous vintage inspired cream and mocha hued lace dress would be sure to turn heads anywhere you wore it! $198.00US from Unique Vintage.}



{Sweet as a cotton candy and just as yummy, this pink cotton swing dress (with its adorable bow on the back of the neck) would make anyone feel like a princess! $88.00US from Unique Vintage.}



{My heart fluttered the moment I saw this immensely stunning pink floral print vintage dress. While the price tag is a little steep, if you had a special occasion to go to and were looking to splash out on your outfit, you’d hard pressed to find a more incredible dress anywhere! $275.00US from etsy seller Timeless Vixen Vintage.}



{To say this burgundy silk wrap dress is staggeringly beautiful, would be a gross understatement. It’s powers go beyond beauty into a realm as timeless as silver screen starlets, great jazz music and the act of falling in love. Though a pricey piece, I feel it would be worth every penny. $385.00 from etsy seller Timeless Vixen Vintage.}



{Sweetly lovely like a bouquet of spring flowers, this 1950s dress features a cute bow and Lucite buttons down the front. $79.00US from esty seller Flashbax.}



{Shimmering like an emerald in the sun, this beautiful sweet-heart neck dress instantly made me of something Marilyn would have loved to have worn. £55.00 (UK pounds) from Oli.}



{Charming as a bouquet of freshly picked blooms, this vintage dress (which the seller lists as being from the 1950s or 60s) would look amazing on. I love the rouched lilac hued sash and full skirt, and could easily imagine myself wearing this to an garden party. $75.00US from etsy seller Goodeye.}



{The colour of this halter neck dress reminds me of a summer sky as it teeters between dusk and night, inky blue and sweetly mysterious. £59.00 (UK pounds) from Vivien Holloway.}



{Though somewhat understated compared to the other dresses on this list, this navy blue silk-satin brocade sheath frock (featuring an adorable white butterfly print) strikes me as the type of dress that would look like a million dollars when paired with some d’orsay heels and a sleek little clutch. $65.00US from etsy seller Pintuck Style.}



{Resplendently timeless, this short sleeved black silk dress would be perfect for any party, from cocktails with friends to New Year’s Eve! $138.00US from etsy seller Thirteen Bees Vintage.}


I think that just as every gal should have a LBD in her closet, so too should she have at least one amazing party dress that can carry her through a myriad of special occasions. From weddings (just be sure your gown doesn’t upstage the bride’s ;D) to formal dinner parties, getting onto the guest list of a charity gala event or just deciding that you really want to look drop-dead gorgeous for a loved one’s – or your own! – birthday party, it never hurts to have a stunning dress like the examples above on hand!

Pretty Link Roundup {May 23rd}

The last weekend in May – and a long one for my lucky US readers, to boot – a time for shoreline frolicking, evening walks in the fading, glistening dusk sunlight, and a return to (at least in my Canadian mind) the reality that winter really and truly is behind at us at long last.


{Summer weather, you luscious creature, you, it’s about time you returned! Sun bathing beauty from a 1954 Vogue spread, found via myvintagevogue’s Flickr stream.}

This week I’ve gathered together a diverse assortment of vintage related links spanning everything from budget friendly shopping to bloomers made from vintage bed linen, which I really hope you’ll enjoy.

* The psychology of vintage: What drives one’s love of, and desire to dress in, vintage? Queens of Vintage probes these interesting questions and more (and you don’t have to pay $400 an hour or lay on a couch to root out the answers :D).

* How to shop for vintage (affordably): With the poor, mangled economy in the shape it is, and many people looking for ways to trim their spending costs, this article from Vixen Vintage couldn’t be more timely or handy. The very same sentiments apply equally to a terrific, photo-filled post on Student Charade entitled How to do 1950s style on a budget.

* Collecting Vintage Greeting Cards: Prefer your Hallmark moments to be vintage ones? Love the charming illustrations that graced greetings of the past? Enjoy gathering old school paper goods? If so, definitely check out the handy tips in this article.

* Lovely Lady of the week (Ava Gardner): Undeniably one of the most famous actresses of her time, Ava Gardner posses a graceful, naturally flirtatious beauty that came through strikingly well in photographs, such as those amassed in this pretty post.

* Bombshell Boudoirs and Decorating: From the pages of a delightfully beautiful blog I just discovered this past week called Red and Blonde, comes a photo post of some utterly drop-dead gorgeous bedrooms, that I could see both myself and many a silver-screen starlet in.

* You heard rumors about my bloomers: I love it when people take one item, weave some creative magic, and turn it into something entirely different. Case in point, a pair of wonderfully sweet bloomers fashioned from a handmade vintage sheet.

* Very early Angelica Houston: I’ve always thought that Angelica Houston was attractive, in a bold, naturally assertive, timelessly memorable sort of way, and this photo of her early on her career (sporting a fully mod look) makes an open and shut case when it comes to her stunning aesthetic.

* Stunning Vintage Ferrari brings $12.1 Million: Hmmm, what to do with that extra dozen or so million clams I’ve got kicking around? World’s largest etsy shopping spree? Small tropical island to call my own? A lifetime supply of high-end make-up? Hmmmm, all tempting, but not quite the ticket. I know, I’ll buy a $12.1 million dollar vintage Ferrari! Well, ok, I won’t, but one fabulously wealthy soul recently did and this photo filled article shares the details on this exceedingly pricey set of (albeit down-right amazing!) set of wheels. (Many thanks to my doll of a husband, who brought this story to my attention.)


Love the sometimes dramatic, sometimes reserved but always femininely pretty look of 1930s make-up? If so you’ll definitely dig this helpful step-by-step tutorial by Natasha Rae which shows you how to nail a glamorous, dark eyed 30s inspired face wonderfully well.

{1930s Make-up Tutorial}



What do you have planned this weekend, vintage dears? After a delish Italian summer out with darling hubby last night, I’m putting my shoulder to the wheel in preparation for upcoming company and taking care of a flurry of errands and chores (from giving the fridge a good scrubbing to sorting and organizing the last few months worth of magazines we’ve accumulated). But I don’t mind, housework and I actually get along quite swimmingly, and besides it’ll help burn off the yesterday evening’s pizza ;)


{Cherub adorned vintage postcard, discovered through riptheskull’s Flickr stream.}

To my US friends, happiest wishes for an excellent Memorial Day, and to my readers everywhere, I hope you each have a marvelous and sunny weekend!