It's all about perspective

This morning I went out to take some photos in this beautiful dress, (which by the way needed to be taken in at the front and back of the straps otherwise I'd be showing navel) and had an interesting little experiement in perspective.  All the photos below were taken while I was standing in the exact same spot.  However, in the first photo I am facing the sun and in the others, the sun is behind me.  The effect is completely different.  Ultimately I chose the misty, ethereal, backlit photos over the easy to see version.  I regret it a little, but it was a lesson in the way things look different not just in photography but in all aspects of life when seen from a different viewpoint.  It all depends on how you look at things.  And I'll just leave it at that today. 

 

Outfit Info:  Selkie Penny Lane Butterfly Botanics dress

Goodbye, Collectif

One of my favorite, possibly my most favorite, vintage brand has closed its doors forever.  Yes, my dear fellow vintage lovers, I am sad to share that Collectif has given up the ghost and while fashion heaven has gained an angel here on earth we are certainly feeling the loss.

There are a lot of reasons why businesses close.  It seems like Collectif truly tried to continue making beautiful clothes using mostly Cotton.  Have you noticed that everything is becoming fully to at least partially cheap synthetic fabric?  Ugh it's awful!  Which is why I really hate to see the loss of brands like this that carried so many beautiful pieces in natural fibers.

Yes, their clothes were pricey, but the quality matched and not only that, but Collectif would bring back their best styles and prints year after year, so I could get one pair of high waist jeans and wear them for a year or so and then go back and get another when I needed to instead of having to stock up on a certain style and spend a fortune all at once.

 And now, they're gone.  I'll admit to a few weeks of panic in which I was desperately scouring the internet for any new or resale pieces still out there, trying to hold on to them all.  It was a frenzied panic and I had to break myself out of it by reminding myself that if I loved it, I already owned it.  I pretty much found a way to get the things from Collectif that I really and truly wanted if at all possible or made my peace with letting them go when the store was still open.  I just needed to grieve and let go.

I'm so very grateful for all the years of wonderful styles that made me feel beautiful and I am sad so see Collectif go, but I am also excited to see who comes along next to try to fill those vintage shoes.  There are a few brands I'm keeping my eye on and I'll keep you posted, of course.  In the mean time I've also decided to go back to making my own dresses in vintage styles with whimsical novelty prints.  I've let my sewing machine rest for far too long.

So, for today's post, as we bid a fond farewell to Collectif, I thought I'd share some pics from last autumn in one of my favorite prints of theirs, and remember the good times.  Here's to you, Collectif.  You were truly one of a kind.

Outfit Info:  Collectif Pencil dress, Qupid heels

Summer Sewing Project

Since summer is waning, I thought I had better post this sewing project from May before it was totally seasonally inappropriate.  I was seriously yearning for the Ivy City Co. Sweet Rosie dress that I missed out on, so I went on a search for some similar fabric so I could make my own.

I found this nearly identical print on Etsy, decided to use Vogue Misses 1957 sz 6-14 sewing pattern #v8789 and set to work in such a flurry that I forgot to line the pattern for the bodice up properly and didn't realize my critical error until the dress was all done.  Yes, because of this darling print and my foolish haste, the bodice print was badly misaligned on the front.  Very badly.

In the normal scheme of things I would have gone back, cut out another bodice, and started over, but I was out of fabric and buying more would have meant spending as much as the original dress cost.  After much deliberation, I decided to create a little ruffle from the remaining scraps of fabric that I had and attach it down the center to distract the eye from the misalignment.

It worked surprisingly well and as much as I was kicking myself for making such an amateur mistake, I felt pretty proud of myself for problem-solving it like a pro.  After all these years, my self-taught sewing skills still are very much lacking, but I have made some progress and that ain't nothin'. 

As luck would have it, a Sweet Rosie popped up on a resale site for a song, less than I paid for the fabric even, so I went ahead and bought it.  However, I will be keeping and wearing this dress once spring rolls around again because ultimately, as much as I was thirsting for the Rosie, this dress is actually more flattering on my shape and I think I like the bigger print a little more than the tiny Rosie print.

I held off on posting these for so long because the photos did not turn out well.  (I guess my photography skills could use a little work too) The sun was so impossibly bright that after loads of editing, the colors still look odd.  I hoped to get out at a later time and take them again, but I never managed to work it in.  I decided that much like the dress itself, I'm just full of flaws and sometimes it's OK to just accept them, share them, and move on.

Positively Pink

No, acutally, in case you're wondering, it is not autumn already.  Technically we still have a few weeks to go until the official start of fall, but I have already put away all my summer things and gotten out my fall wardrobe (Youtube video on this topic will be on today at 10 a.m. central time.  Click here to watch.)  so I can really being wearing it and make the most of it.

Pink is rarely considered a fall color, but in this particular dress, I think we'll have to make an exception.  It's just the perfect shade of dusty pink to make it perfect for autumn.  This is also my one and only corset purchase from Selkie and while I do love the way that it changes the overall silhouette of this dress, I don't think I'll invest in any more.

I am so thrilled to have switched over my wardrobe.  Thankfully there are plenty of both lightweight and warmer fabrics so that I can survive the lingering summer temps while still wearing fall colors.  I've never been so exicted to "shop" my own clothes as I have during this capsule experiment.  Hopefully this means that my spending habits are finally turning a major corner.  

I think I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that I will always love buying clothes, so lifelong abstinence is a fool's errand.  But, moderation, that is something I can definitely achieve and I am determined to keep working at it. 

Outfit Info:  Dress and corset are from Selkie, Shoes are old from ModCloth by Qupid

Capsule Progress

Ok, I know it was a little early to start breaking out the pumpkins and the fall prints, but I couldn't resist in my last post.  The fact is, it's still very much summer here and I really don't mind.  Just to prove it, I thought we'd come back around to this pretty pink cupcake dress from Ivy City Co.

There won't be much more pink in my blog posts for a few months, because I really did go ahead and change out my wardrobe for autumn.  I've been doing a little experiment with wearing a capsule wardrobe for the past 4 months, and I promised myself I would change everything over in September, and here we are already.

There were times when I was truly tempted to go and get things out of storage in order to have something "new" to wear, but I persisted in only wearing the things in my capsule.  Those moments of weakness aside, I really loved wearing and re-wearing my clothes.  

Not only did it feel good to know that these items were living up to their purpose, but it was also just less stressful to know that I had few options.  I basically wore the same outfits to work on an every other week rotation and it took a lot of the stress out of my morning routine.  I'm excited to continue this little project into the fall and I'll keep you posted on my progress.