Spring Time a Good Time for Dresses and Fascinators

While in San Francisco recently I window shopped the designer shops  in Union Square. I rarely venture into fancy-schmancy stores. I have an invisible label on my forehead (“Bargain  Shopper”) that fancy-schmancy sales clerks can somehow decipher and then treat me accordingly. I realize you can’t read price tags from the window, but if you have to ask…

Here’s a haute cool dresses in Neiman Marcus window. It has a drop waist and cut-in bodice at the shoulder and bustline. The houndstooth print material is decorated with metallic threads. Spectacular. (I could not find this dress anywhere on-line to provide a better pix.)

The Chanel dress would look great with these Prada shoes:

Now, back to reality.

If I needed an Easter dress this year, I would raid my vintage closet and put together an uber-feminine outfit like this: a 1950s salmon-pink lace dress with full skirt and self-belt—and accessorize it with matching pumps, a vintage Elsa Schiaparelli floral hat, and Juliana jewelry. Very girly.

Aurora borealis rhinestones are my favorite kind because they have a bright iridescent sparkle. This Juliana brooch and matching earrings are really sparkly but I can’t catch the light with my camera to show how magnificent Juliana jewelry is.

Matching aurora borealis rhinestone shoe clips.

Alternate shoe choice: Caparros pumps with aurora borealis sequins.

Or, I might chose another of my springy vintage dresses below.

But first, meet Chelsea. She’s my new mannequin. She’s the largest size I could find—and she still clocks in at “itty bitty.”

She was manufactured in China by workers who either didn’t know what they were doing, didn’t have the correct instructions, or didn’t give a chop suey. As a result, she’s fragile, stiff, and can fall part at the slightest sneeze—which makes styling her a giant pain. (You have to take her apart in pieces to get the clothes on and then reassemble her. Like I have that kind of time!)

Consequently, in the name of time restraints, I’m cutting out the accessorizing. Perhaps another time…

First up, another vintage lace dress from the 1950s with a blue floral fascinator. The decorations on the dress are called soutache.

A pale pink and fuchsia pink brocade wiggle dress with dark pink fascinator.

Floral silk scoop neck wiggle dress with purple and fuchsia fascinator.

Black brocade dress with rhinestone buttons, big bow on the chest, and  pink and black fascinator.

Miss Chelsea goes all-out pink with a vintage floral embroidered day dress and floral fascinator.

Leaving vintage behind, a recent dress from the Talbots catalogue topped with a fascinator.

Another Talbots floral sun dress with black fascinator.

And if you’re in a va-va-voom mood, Carmen Marc Valvo has the perfect dress for you!

Happy Spring and Happy Dress Up!