#tbt Fashion Rosebud: The Sundress

Back in the olden days, when I had a waist (and a bust, for that matter), I had a cache of 50's sundresses.
This was one of my favorites:

1996, Estes Park, CO
Twill shirt now a studio apron.
The Sundress, skirt portion lost in Repair Mountain.
Fluevog clog sandals, still going strong! 

The bodice was reinforced (really!) with interfacing so no bra was required (in fact, it gave me a bigger, more 50's bosom). PERFECT for summer and for summer roadtrips! I wore it so much, the left side straps got shredded from the friction against my seatbelt.
To me, that dress says: summer, the open road, destination unknown.

Have a garment that whispers summers past? Link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: 50s

No internet still, so composing this on my phone. Bear with me re glitches. 

McDonald's wifi + fries to the rescue!

My mom and dad in the fifties:

Cheers!
Fit and flair dress, white summer suit, and champagne. 

Share your 50's looks!

52 Pick-me-up: Boyfriend/ Girlfriend

LINKS/ PURCHASED/ GIFTED 

The Boyfriend or Tomboy look is very popular right now, The idea is to wear masculine ("Boyfriend") clothing, maybe mix it up with feminine touches. This is nothing new, it's a style chestnut. Chanel took men's sailor jerseys and pants and built her empire from those. Madonna donned men's boxers as outerwear in Desperately Seeking Susan and a trend was born. I've been wearing men's jeans since the 70s, as discussed in this old post. And think of all the women we've seen in a crisp white classic men's buttondown shirt.

For my look today, I thought I'd wear a band tee. The band that my boyfriend is in!

ooooh, nice bedhead, SpyGirl!

This required some scavenging. The shirt was not in the active "small tee" drawer. So I looked in the "too small but I still like it" box. In the process, I found the Mexican tourist skirt (in the "to fix" box). [I was wondering where I'd put that!] Note that all these boxes are in the middle of the livingroom and have been for months. I got distracted from my massive closet sorting, and, frankly, it's not all that much fun. The drawback (aside from having to navigate around them) is that I can't complain about Severo's heaps in the kitchen until I put them away. No, I'm not going to share a visual. You can only imagine!

Do share your interpretation of Boyfriend/Girlfriend below. You can even post more than once if you have a few versions. Please no more than six! And no repeats of the same outfit!
And, dudes, it's not just for the ladies --  I'd love to see you men out there try some girlfriend stuff!

Crazy Quilt - Leopard Print Qiana

CREATED/ PURLOINED/ PURCHASED

Aline discovered the millinery supply places in midtown Manhattan and we both went a little hat crazy. I sold six of these leopard numbers to Fiorucci. They were even displayed in the windows!

WHY didn't I take a photo of that accomplishment? WHY????

I really did swan around the upper east side in retro suits wearing cocktail hats and uncomfortable high heels -- for a few months anyway. Illustrated above is one I swiped from my mom -- a suit from Best & Co that SHE wore when she lived in Manhattan before I was born. I'm sure I wore it when I went to my first designer cattle call with Mauricio, the accessories buyer for Fiorucci. (I remember getting overheated due to my nerves + the wool). I sold him the above mentioned hats and "Reality In a Box" pins (to be discussed at a later date).

Are you too young to know about Fiorucci? Well!
Here's a good overview with some videos.
Then, here's a NY Times article with some history.

HEY!...Hello there!...
Are you back from partying with Klaus?
Are you now proficient at zombie 1978 dance moves?
Are you seriously wishing for a way-back machine?

My Fiorucci tee
I had red sunglasses like this and could be all matchy matchy with my shirt

Finally, here's some intel on Qiana:
 "Qiana is a silky nylon fiber developed in 1962 at the DuPont Experimental Station by Stanley Brooke Speck. The fiber was christened Qiana when introduced by DuPont in 1968" [wikipedia] [oh good grief. NOW I discover I misspelled Qiana in the sketchbook, as you can see up at the top. DOH!]


I am still searching for the slides of me in my hat collection...
I will persevere and find them, I promise.
They are not in the slide box labeled "hats". Most unhelpful.

Crazy Quilt -- Mexican Cotton Yarn Dye Stripe

My absolute favorite skirt. I wore it until it fell apart in the 80s.
Made in Mexico, I snagged it at a church sale for maybe $1.00.

It came to a point at center front.
It had 16 gores.
It had pockets.
It was great for twirling.
It most likely was made in the 50s for the tourist trade.

When a senior in high school, I tried to replicate the fabric by hand loom. Not a success.

Jone Pasha, in Providence, thought maybe I could find the fabric in San Miguel d'Allende. So in 82, while on a huge road trip throughout Mexico, San Miguel was a required destination. They almost had it.

While sorting through my piles of fabric, I noticed some more recent acquisitions that come very close.

Almost... but not quite.

I would show you the other two textiles, BUT
Severo's Wall of Stuff is too daunting -- they're still stored up in that little loft area.

Someday...