The Pajamafication of Style

Have you noticed that there is less and less style out there? Where are the people with style? Why is every one out there walking around in some kind of co-opted sleep or athletic wear when they are neither sleeping nor athletic? Why? My two favorite fashion snobs recently referred to it as the pajamafication of America. In other words. People are trying to make laziness and apathy seem like a style, but it's not.  

Everywhere I go everyone looks the same. No matter the weather; no matter the occasion.  The dress code in this country is: Ultra (almost shamefully) Casual.  I went to a funeral a few weeks ago and was surprised to be the only one  not just wearing black, but dressed up in any way.  I've been to a few weddings like that too.  Church? Check.  Holidays? Check.  Work? School?  A nice dinner out? Check, check, and check.  No one dresses up for anything and that stinks, because it's not an income issue; it's an effort issue.  

Not only does no one dress up, no one dresses out.  No one dresses differently from anyone else anymore either.  Where are the rockabillies, the punks, the mods and twees?  Where are the goths, steampunks, cowboys, and skaters?  Coquettes, preppies, anyone? Where are all the new fashion groups people are inventing?  Where is anyone wearing anything other than disgusting athlesiure or sloppy jeans and tees?  I'm going to say this again because it bears repeating: Finances are not the explanation.  Creativity and effort are free.  A lot of the very best fashion niches were based on having no money and still creating outfits that had maximum self expression.  

Where'd they all go?  And, not on social media, it's easy enough to fake style there.  Where are the fashion subcultures, the interesting, self expressive people in real life?  I'm beyond bored with jeans, t shirts, athleisure slop and the complete lack of effort that goes into wearing them.  (Although, I will say that it's much more physically demanding to wiggle into stretchy pants than it is to just slip on a dress, so the effort saved is mainly...mental? spiritual?)  If you see the any of the niches that used to say I am me, I'm unique, and I want to I express it, will you tell them I'm looking for them, because I really miss them.

Outfit Info:  Bernie Dexter Polka Dot Dress and Petticoat are thrifted, Bag is vintage, YeMak Sweater, B.A.I.T. Heels

New Bernie? Bingo!

I am so glad that Bernie Dexter has kept her business going!  It would have been such a great loss to the vintage fashion community if her dresses went away.  I had my eye on this Kelly Dress in Bingo Card print from Unique Vintage for several months, and waited for one of their amazing sales so I could bring it home.  Golly, am I ever glad I did, this bingo card print is even better in real life and the Kelly is one of my favorite styles.

Outfit Info:  Bernie Dexter Kelly Dress in Bingo Print from Unique Vintage

 

Hot Off The Frill

Summer is here and it's time for all those lovely traditional pastimes that I enjoy so much.  I hesitate to label them as American because so many places in the world do these same things in warmer weather such as cooking outdoors.  One of my favorite summer recipes is something I picked up while we were living in Japan.  Fire up the grill and toss on some sukiyaki (thin sliced marbled ribeye), let it cook just a minute or two on each side until crisp and then serve with raw cabbage leaves cut into pieces and drizzled with a soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil sauce.  That's it.  So simple, so light and delicious, and perfect for summer.  

In honor of grilling season, I thought today's outfit should be this Bernie Dexter On the Grill dress that I thrifted last year.  I didn't see too many dresses come out in this style during Bernie's heyday, but I wish I had because it's so flattering!

Outfit info: Bernie Dexter Dress and petticoat are Thrifted, Heels by BAIT

When Bernie Met Jess

Not to be that girl, pun intended, but I was Twee before it was a term.  Before Bernie Dexter had a brand, and looong before Jessica Day set my heart aflutter with her dress/cardi combos on New Girl.  Before it was called "Twee" it was just loving vintage and wearing 1950s/60s dresses with cardis and flats or full skirts with a cute button down and some canvas tennis shoes.  My muses were Marlow Thomas and Audrey Hepburn to name a few, and I adored that style era so much, I sought out vintage pieces (none of which ever fit my modern frame) and even tried to track down vintage sewing patterns so I could make my own (also very unsuccessfully at first). However, thanks to fellow vintage lovers like Bernie and Jess, these styles became far more mainstream and easier for me to find rather than having to try to create my own from old sewing patterns, or risk destroying my true vintage pieces with overuse.   And for that I am forever grateful.  

It's always fun when two icons I love intersect and a Bernie/Jess combo has to be the ultimate in vintage/twee fashion.  While I don't personally own the exact dress in question, I do own a version that released at the same time and with the extra bows and flourish, I think it's even better.

For some reason, this particular Bernie/Jess dress hasn't really lost any of it's value over time.   Whereas I paid about $50 for mine, this other style still routinely list for $150-$200.  It's lovely, to be sure, but I suspect most of the value is in who wore it and when. Can't say I blame them for that.

Outfit Info:  Bernie Dexter Dress and petticoat are thrifted, Cardi is YeMak, BAIT heels, Amazon canvas sneakers

 

Autumn Was a Lamb

    Autumn was a lamb. I spent the better part of autumn going outside for afternoon sunbathing and wearing light cotton dresses, enjoying every warm moment while it lasted.  Winter is already roaring like a lion. I look forward to the cozy winter days indoors, bundled up by the fire, reading an old favorite or a vintage page turner, but this year, because we've been working on our house so much, I'm afraid the cold season is upon us and we are woefully under stocked on firewood.  So, as the rain and sleet are falling outside my window this morning, I'm writing this from under the covers.  I've already dashed out to feed and water all the animals and run right back in to stoke the fire without overloading it on the precious pieces of firewood that we do have left, and wrap up to keep warm.

    As soon as this little cold snap passes, we'll get back outside to cut more firewood, so I'm not really worried about the length of the winter, but this first pass has been rough.  Even our 20 year old tabby cat has given up laying on my feet and snuggled as close to the fireplace as she possibly can.  It's hard to believe it was only two weeks ago that I the leaves were vibrant and the fall sunshine lit up the woods to create this beautiful evening in the photos for today's post.

Outfit Info:  Bernie Dexter Kitchen print Kelly Dress, Betsey Johnson Bag, B.A.I.T. Heels, Betsey Johnson Necklace & Earrings