Sunday, May 29, 2016

How to Wear a Vintage Slip Dress

(I shouldn't need to point out that this is all very tongue-in-cheek and you can wear your damn dress any way you please)

Surly teenager face and slouch. Check. Yeah, I'm really a lumpy middle aged housewife, but just use your imagination, okay? I was the surliest of surly teens once upon a time and that experience has served me well as I now chase kids off my lawn. 

Strapless bra-because it isn't 1979, and gravity has taken a toll. If you're still perky (or just don't give a damn) treat the bra as optional. Ditto the undies. 
"Hmm, I really ought to get that mole on my arm checked...anyway...
I hear you-it does get cold indoors with that constant air conditioning! Under no circumstances should you wear your slip dress over a shirt (or god forbid, a polo neck). That's not a slip dress, that's a pinafore. You'll look idiotic unless you are in fact wearing a slip, or a vintage nightie, in which case you'll just look eccentric which is different in the very best possible way. Otherwise, resist the urge to follow the fashion pages and just wear something over your dress. I also tried a long waistcoat the same length as the dress and it looked great (forgot to get a photo, sorry). So to recap: Over, not Under. Got it?
 Wear as many silver rings and bracelets as you can manage without inducing a sprain...
...but go for a lightweight bag to compensate. 

Outfit Particulars:
Vintage slip dress-good heavens I've owned it so long I have no clue where I bought it, or if I nicked it from a roommate. 
Esprit rayon jacket-mid-80's, Marshall Field's, probably
Shoes-K mart  a few years ago (like ten)
Vintage Philippine-made straw bag-New Life Thrift
Bracelets/rings/earrings-here and there
Fragrance-Vintage formulation Chamade

 I gave serious consideration to wearing a long-line girdle, but that's really not in the spirit of a slip dress, and I just don't give a rat's ass if anyone doesn't like it. I'm not eighteen (thank god, I wouldn't want to go through that again) and a few lumps and bumps along the way are fine with me. It was hot and humid today after all that rain, and the thought of squeezing myself into spandex wasn't terribly appealing. You do what's best for you. My menopausal thermostat isn't having it.  


Just make sure you bring your best surly teenager face.



9 comments:

Polyester Princess said...

Love the slip and your surly teenage face ... I have been walking around indoors in my slip the last couple of days. Humid days and the menopause really do not mix. Mine were just boring pastel ones though, as I haven't been able to find a nice black slip in my size yet. That straw bag is just gorgeous, by the way. xxx

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

Wow you do look sultry! And surly...

I love the slip dress and it looks great with the top. The bag is fab.

I wouldn't want to be 18 again for love nor money BUT I wouldn't say no to my 18 year old body again!

The weather here is far from humid - chilly in the mornings and usually warm and sunny in the afternoon; we have rain forecast for next week as well.

Have a great week

Veronica
vronni60s.blogspot.com

Bibi Maizoon said...

That surly teenaged scowl still serves me well when dealing with the customary street harassment afforded me here in South Asia.
Looking chic and glamourous in that slip dress ensemble! You could take that dress to Patti Smith punk if you dared to sport some unshorn armpits about Omaha.
Personally, I much prefer being a lumpy middle aged housewife to a sulky miserable teen.
Cool & rainy here as the Monsoon eminently approaches.

Beth Waltz said...

Aha, the connection between the floral detail on the slip and the floral ornament on the bag achieves a nice balance! One notices that you -- and my fellow commenters -- all acknowledge 'attitude' as an essential accessory when wearing a slip dress. Let's hear for hormones, ladies! ("Menopause the Musical" is a favorite of mine.)

I was indeed attitudinal when a teen, but I kept the brain engaged while spinning my wheels. When others burned their bras, I torched my girdles. Those 60s summers were hot.

Vix said...

You look absolutely gorgeous, Goody. I love that slip dress and could happily steal all that silver off you. The basket is blinking lovely.
Like Bibi, I'll take a middle-aged housewife over a grumpy teen any day of the week. xxx

Goody said...

@Ann
Isn't that strange you can't find a black slip? I'd have thought that would be the easiest colour to find. Just shows you can find anything...until you're looking for it!

@Veronica
I don't know about you, but I should have taken better care of my 18 year old body-but who worries about sleep when you're young?

@Bibi
We see lots of armpit hair here-some women have taken to dyeing it in vibrant shades of blue or green as the ultimate middle-finger to society.

@Beth
I have to admit it took me years to achieve this level of surly. I spent my teenaged years looking after a sick mother.

You were right to liberate yourself of those girldes! I see vintage ones in the shops and wonder how the hell anyone could breathe in them (and then I remember the tiny bottle of pastel coloured smelling salts my mother kept in her purse. I guess that's how).

@Vix
Thank you.
I'm rediscovering all my silver that took a backseat to bakelite over the years.

Sue said...

loud wolf whistles to you you sexy bitch.

Mim said...

You look fab in your slip dress! And 'over, not under' is definitely the way to go.

I still have one that Pete gave me in the 1990s (plus a nightie I used to wear as a slip dress) but I think I'd be lucky to fit it over one thigh nowadays... sigh...

Goody said...

@Mim
I probably shouldn't have worn this one but eh, whatever.