a military dress and thrifting finds

Photos by Neil!

Blue and Gold Cuffed Military Dress - Thrifted

Suede Over the Knee Boots - Urban Outfitters

Gold Heart Locket - Forever21

Well, here is the dress I've been holding onto for the past week.. My favorite part about it has got to be the double breasted gold buttons. They are purely for decoration only, as the dress buttons in the back with some plain navy ones, but also at the waist with matching gold.. this thing is ridiculously cute.

I have to thank you all a million times over for your comments to my last post! It's such a rush to get constructive feedback from intelligent and respectful people like you - and to know that not always agreeing with one another is what makes life so interesting and full. Individuality really is a blessing.

Also, your feedback on recognizing the flaws in ourselves by finding fault in others was a huge boost. So, I'm not alone on that? :) When you find something that's wrong with you, it's an alienating sort of sensation - as though no one else in the world has ever had the flaws that you do. What a great way to find out I'm wrong, and that many of you have been through the same experience.

Yesterday was my friend Lauren and my weekly Saturday shopping trip! It's becoming a tradition, and I'm so thankful for it.. she's my friend with all of the sewing expertise (hit up Local Honey Vintage in Nashville if you're around.. her handmade items are for sale there!) so when I find a garment and it's missing a tag, she can tell me a bit about the era that it's from due to its construction. I already knew every vintage piece had a story but the information that Lauren has (who knew that serger machines weren't commercially used very widely in the 40's or 50's? so.. just because a seam edge isn't finished well on the inside doesn't necessarily mean a 50's dress was handmade) adds to the depth of the clothes and fuels my imagination. When you find a coat or a dress that rocks, don't you want to know how the women who owned them before fashioned them? Or what those women were like? Whether she made her clothing herself or bought it at some high end place? I'd kill to be able to see into the past.

Oh, and another thing. Lauren told me about a friend of hers (who may be flea market shopping with us this upcoming weekend!) reconstructs vintage nightgowns and lingerie. I can't imagine how fun something like that would be. You can't really go overboard with femininity when it's something like a neglige. I've bought a few cute vintage nightgowns that I have no idea what to do with (and lace and buttons and things that have yet to be put to use!), so I can't wait to ask her a million questions this weekend.

And don't you guys love Urban Outfitter's Urban Renewal lingerie items? Recreating those pieces has got to be one of the best jobs out there.. let's face it, subtly seductive vintage lingerie beats the crap out of neon pink bras and sweatpants with writing on the butt.

Back to yesterday. Lauren and I found some great stuff at an antique mall and thrift store around the area! While I also grabbed a cute velvet dress and drop waist plaid dress with gold buttons, my favorite finds from yesterday were these three.. A Rothschild coat with velvet bows (exactly like the one my sister got me for Christmas, except in a smaller size!), an ivory lace cardigan (we're thinking it's from the 40's), and a 1950's sheer navy dress with glass buttons.

The Rothschild coat is missing a couple buttons, but thankfully there were extras sewed to the inside so it's an easy problem to fix. I'll be working on that tonight as well as cutting the sleeves off a petite Gunne Sax (red velvet and white lace collar and shoulders!) I bought a week or so ago. It's seriously small, so I'm praying it will fit me once I fix the sleeves.

I've been in a bit of a purging mood when it comes to my closet lately, almost as if spring cleaning has struck before spring itself has. With that said, I'm tempted to list the military dress in my shop update tomorrow as well as the navy pleated coat I wore last post. I might regret it later, but the thought of someone else getting more use out of these pieces than I would is motivating. I don't know.. with yesterday's finds, I have some decisions to make - what to keep and what to sell. It's not a bad dilemma to have, really.

I'm looking to make chocolate chip muffins with sunflower seeds today. Any good recipes for these? I searched Epicurious and found variations, but no simple, easy chocolate chip muffins.