...or Dress of Destiny. You know, that moment when you put something
on without full optimism and it fits perfectly. As if it was made for you....well, that's what I found. I can’t believe it took me nearly
two weeks to share this post!
We were in Charlottesville, VA, at a party, and one of the guests overheard me talk about
scouting vintage and thrift shops. She immediately started telling me
about one she had just discovered in town, if I would be in Charlottesville
longer than a day. There was a long saga about it being tucked away, near a
main drag but behind a bar. Hard to find but surprisingly huge. I absorbed as
much of the directions as a non-local can, but figured I wasn’t going to drag
my friend and our hosts on a thrift search.
That evening after dinner, we were strolling the
Historic Downton Mall (an amazing Main Street-turned open-air shopping plaza)
when I spotted a dress form in a doorway wearing a stunning brown New Look suit. Pinned to the chest were directions to Low
Vintage, around the corner. Our hostess was strolling with me and said “Let’s
go!” It sounded like it was exactly the hidden spot I had heard about earlier
in the day, and, sure enough, it was around the corner, off the main road,
below a bar. After a nondescript hallway hung with a few fine vintage clothes,
we arrived in the entry—and turned to find a massive room of vintage as far as
the eye can see.
Low Vintage is amazing. I wish I had taken a picture of the shop. Rack after rack, whimsical, good
quality clothes in a bright yellow basement room with a kitschy tiki vibe. Again, not
wanting to belabor my group with my vintage love, I just skimmed from
rack to rack and then bee-lined when I spotted a Plus Size sign. Now, I’m happy
to say I am below the modern plus sizes these days. But I am honest
enough to know my figure does not often find much to fit in regular vintage sizes. And there it was.
It was a pink and lavender taffeta and lace concoction, a 1950s cocktail dress with jacket and a few delicately placed rhinestones. Having recently redone my measurements while window shopping on Etsy, I knew I was close to the numbers on the tag, but not sure close enough….I tried it on. And it fit. As if it was made for me. Even in the bust, which is proportionally smaller than the rest of my curves. It was love. And $68. Not bad at all for a good condition vintage cocktail, although at the time I was feeling a bit light in the wallet and seriously tempted to be responsible with my money and put it back. But after much agonizing and encouragement from my friend to the tune of “when something fits you as if it was made for you, you get it.” …well, I got it.
I love it. I will try soon to photograph it on
me or “Rosie,” eventually... But I just love the fit, the color--and the
neckline detail is so pretty.
My biggest dilemma is do I wear it sooner rather than
later. Our first opening of the season is mid-September. The rhinestones make
it feel just a titsch too dressy for a regular opening. But on the other hand, maybe it isn't dressy enough for Gala—and even if it were, I don’t think I
could wait eight months to wear it!
The jacket is a slightly wonky Bolero cut and doesn’t fit great.
As sacrilegious to the vintage as it may seem, I’m very tempted to cut it up. The
dress has loops from a previous belt that is now astray, so I think I’ll remove
the rhinestone pieces from the jacket to save for hair clips or sprucing up another retro refashion, and try to use the fabric for a belt. After all, the
dress is mine now. And I plan to keep it!
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