So a few weeks ago I had a conundrum.
A friend of mine was getting married, and ever a lover of the alternative she had made it clear hers would not be your average wedding. She is simply not your average blushing bride, and was determined – as everyone should – that her big day would be one that reflected her rather than one that was all about cookie cutter traditions. I have to say, none of this was a problem to me – when I was planning my own wedding I was hoping for something very informal and relaxed myself. In fact, I was very much looking forward to the casual, laid back festival themed day she had planned. My only concern though, was what to wear.
She honestly didn’t give a monkeys what anyone wore – the theme was simply casual, and all she wanted was for people to come and have fun and wear whatever they feel comfortable in. But this is me we’re talking about, and I feel more comfortable in a big, pouffy skirt than in jeans and a tee for some bizarre reason, so obviously casual was just not going to cut it for me. Plus, a wedding to me is the ultimate opportunity to dress up, and those are few and far between the older I get, so whats a girl to do? Throw on a completely inappropriate outfit, of course! Yes, I was aware there was a very good chance I would be rather over dressed for the occasion, but then that’s the story of my life though, isn’t it?
Now, given that I have a millionty-one big, pouffy skirts and dresses, you wouldn’t think I would struggle to pick one to wear on this particular day, but I actually did. See, I obviously didn’t want to look like I was going to a ball or anything, and the open field setting meant it was strictly a wedges affair rather than heels, which should have meant my extensive of repro 50’s style frocks should have been more than adequate. Except for one thing – this was a work event, and, well, I’ve pretty much worn all of them to work at some point. Yes, I overdress there too! I was basically doing that stupid thing where I feel like I simply must wear something none of the other guests have seen me wearing before – why? Who knows, but don’t tell me you haven’t done it too at some point…!
Luckily though, I remembered this dress. I’d actually forgotten I had it, because it was a bit of a whim purchase. It’s by Maggie Tang, who offer a huge range of retro pin up -style clothing for ridiculous – and I mean ridiculous – prices due to the fact they are produced in China. Now, this isn’t the kind of thing I make a habit of buying as a rule, because we’ve all read the horror stories about the difference between the product photos and what actually arrives in the post, but I had some small change left on an Amazon giftcard when buying something else, so the bargainista in me won and I added it to my cart at the last minute. Always worth a try right? I mean, it was so cheap it was practically free! For the price I paid I was not expecting much, but I was actually pleasantly surprised! The fabric is much nicer quality than I was expecting, and it’s as well put together as any high street clothing I own – all in all, it’s a nice little frock. My only complaint was that the neckline was possibly one layer higher than it needed to be, which I might try to alter myself at some point, but other than that I’m a happy bunny! I did add a petticoat to give the skirt some extra volume, but I do the same with plenty of my other more expensive frocks so that wasn’t much of an issue. While it’s unlikely it will replace my normal lower cost retro favourites like Lindy Bop or Collectif, I would buy from them again if I spotted the right dress.
Sounds like the perfect excuse to hit Amazon again!
Love,
In this post: Cherry dress, Maggie Tang – Gold Wedges, H&M – Bag, Vintage (Similar)
Picking the Day 