Sixties cute

More ebay booty (that would be "booty" in the traditional sense). This is a 60's cage dress, that is, a dress with a loose transparent layer, often lace, over a figure hugging sheath. The best of both worlds, the wearer gets the floaty feminine effect from the transparent layer and still gets to show the world she has a shape.

This dress also has one of my favorite details, the Watteau pleat back. I can't help thinking that if this dress was made now, the scoop and bow would be in the front of the dress. There is such a breast-obsession nowadays, and I'm bored with it. But maybe that's just my old-cootism speaking.

Anyway, you can find the dress here.

If not orange, how about pumpkin?

The ebay merchants have all geared up for the holidays and have listed party dress after party dress. A search for "50s party dress " found 184 items, a search for "1950s party dress" found 49 more. Now, if I only had a party to go to (and if I didn't already have a closet full of rarely-worn party clothes) I'd be shopping like a crazy person.

All four of these dresses come from one seller, Little*Things Dolls and Clothes. She has quite a spectacular collection of classic 50s dresses. The first two pictured here caught my attention because I haven't shaken my recent orange obsession, and the fact that pumpkin-pie day is coming up isn't helping any. The third dress, which is by Emma Domb (as is the first), caught my eye because I love the big copper-colored skirt. I picked the pink dress just to show that I could drag myself away (if not far) from orange, and because it's Guy LaRoche, made in France, bust 36, and the only bid so far is for $34.99. Really, size 6 ladies (and gentlemen, as the case may be) can you afford NOT to bid on it?

Hurry hurry!

Wouldn't this just be the best dress for the holidays in a warm climate? It's vintage, but it's in a good modern size: Bust 39-40", waist 30. If you want it you'll have to hurry, though, there's only a day left on the e-bay auction. Bring money, it's on the pricey side. But so cuuuuuuute! Perfect for the hourglass lady.

The seller's store is called bombshellbetties; it's worth a look.

Wanted -- vintage pattern

My greedy little heart leaped when I saw this Simplicy pattern -- in my size!! -- at Mom's Patterns. Then my po' heart came crashing back to earth when I saw it was sold. Of course it would be: it's a popular size and the right look for right now. I was imagining the long-sleeve dress made in black silk and trimmed in jet beads in the moments before I reached the "Sold" notice. *sniffle*

If any of y'all should see this pattern on sale in reasonable size, and can resist buying it yourself, would you give me a head's up? (There are two for sale on ebay right now, both tiny).

I found the Balmain pattern at Fuzzy Lizzie's vintage. Check out the listing to see the back detail. How Jackie can you get?

Holiday gold

Check out that gold brocade dress at Dandelion Vintage (scroll down). The bodice has a zig-zag edge that I find playful and absolutely enchanting. It would look fabulous worn with a crinoline. Alas, it's on the small side (32 inch bust) but it's a great price.

For something completely different but oh so elegant, check out the geometric black dress, also from Dandelion Vintage (scroll down agaon). Hmmn, I may be entering a peplum period. But I love the idea of a narrow dress bumped up a notch with an interesting detail.

For Election Day

. . . a completely unscientific reader poll/survey/questionaire about a trend that Lucky Magazine, among others, is selling hard -- that is industrial strength black tights worn with a floaty dressy dress. Lucky endorses this look because it "adds the unexpected" (uh, not if everyone is doing it) and christens it "Girly Punk."

I don't like the look, and neither do people far younger and hipper than I.

I think the whole tights/leggings thing is either a marketing device thought up by panty-hose companies to save their business after years of the no-hose look, or a trend started by stylish young New Yorkers who were brainwashed into hating regular hose but who are tired of freezing their asses off when walking around the city in winter. Now, I like hose and tights. Hose can disguise many flaws, including ghastly winter whiteness, funky shins (which afflict most women over 30, including celebrities (are you listening, SJP?) and saggy knees. But why Alicia Keys, who's blessed with beautiful skin and has nothing to hide, would want to make her legs look shorter and thicker by the addition of unnecessary gym-wear is beyond me.

I vote for the expected hose or tights. Heavy dark tights under wool or tweed skirts are perfect for the woman who's wandering the moors or striding up skyscraper canyons on her way to work. Sheer hose goes with the floaty dress, and if the wearer thinks regular hose are too stodgy, there are sexy substitutes like fishnets.

What do y'all think?

Reconsidering the orange

Well, I guess this tells me all I need to know about wearing large amounts of orange. Of course, this outfit is uniquely unflattering to the otherwise very beautiful Virginia Madsen. The waistband is too high, the sleeves are too full -- and is that a great big white granny bra I see under the sheer blouse? If that's what she's wearing, the bra is providing no support at all, but again, that might be an optical illusion created by the ultra high waistline. And the shiny -- oy vey, the shiny only works on the very very skinny.

Of course, orange can work, as the photos of Eva Longoria and Charlize Theron show. But then, just about anything will work on a golden-skinned (by nature or Mystic tan), super-thin, super-styled celebrity. And even though shiny can work on the very skinny, neither Eva or Charlize have gone for high-gloss. Their need for something sparkly was channeled into trim. I must make a note of that: "Gidget, channel need for sparkly into trim." There, in the event I succumb to orangitis, I've just spared anyone who sees me from eyeball burn-out.

As IF . . .

I hadn't discovered enough ways to waste precious time on the internet, Blogging Project Runway introduced me to I-Dressup. Paperdolls for the computer age. Could I, a middle-aged woman who watches the Cartoon Network, resist? Of course not. Chalk up another day shot to hell.