My Recent Purchases: Dresses!

Not all of these dresses were purchased recently, but they all have yet to be seen by a sizeable amount of people. I really had so much fun taking these pictures because they all make my family's property seem vastly more interesting than it is. However, it was quite a pain as I do not have a kind photographer friend who wants to see me twirl about for hours on end. Another thing I don't have is a tripod... so instead, I made do with all sorts of mostly-flat objects to get these shots. Now that all of my disclaimers are out of the way, enjoy my dresses!

This first one is a sheer Carol Brent dress, and one of the only ones that has a label. It's also one of the only dresses I bought from a vintage clothing seller (As You Like It, in Grants Pass), rather than a thrift store or antique mall. As it is very sheer, you can see my slip underneath, but I like that the lower 6 inches of the skirt seem really filmy compared to the rest of it. The bow on the collar has a sailor-esque feel that I just couldn't pass up. I'm wearing it with a thin navy belt (OSU Thrift Store) and navy pumps (Payless ShoeSource).

Dress number two is a simple button-up black dress I found at the local St. Vincent de Paul. It's trimmed in multicolored plaid and has a matching fabric belt. The fabric is very substantial without being hot and it features some pintucks right at the front. My shoes are nice low heels that I've found perfect for summer, and tend to wear almost every day since finding them at the Gospel Rescue Mission Thrift Store.

I swear I hadn't worn polka dots before this year, but this little black-and-white number begged to be rescued from the Goodwill. For the second polka dot dress in this post, I had to go really matchy and pair it with polka dot and red shoes (Fred Meyer's) that matched the red buttons on the dress. On the buttons, there are little anchors stamped in, but they're impossible to see in the photos. 

I don't know if I like the belt and shoes I used with this one. This is a salmon-pink cocktail dress with a lace overlay that I found at the OSU Thrift Store in Corvallis. From the looks of it, this dress was homemade and let out from the original design. It's big for me and I haven't taken it in yet, but I couldn't help but photograph it. Under it, I have a crinoline that is just a tad too long long, but fun to pose in nevertheless. Buster (the kitty) came to pose with me for a few of the pictures before losing interest in my odd behavior.

This is one of my favorite dresses, but it rarely gets to go out. I bought it over a year ago from As You Like It, and only really took it out for the "Back to the Fifties" concert my town held this past July. The print includes blue and yellow flowers on a black background and it trimmed in black eyelet lace. The matching head scarf came from Buckingham Palace in Corvallis, and I added flower shoe clips made of grosgrain ribbon that I found in a favorite antique booth in Grants Pass.

I had shoes to and a belt to complete this dress, but it was just too hot, so I opted to go barefoot in the garden. I found this at the Goodwill in Corvallis and wear it all the time, usually pairing it with my Keds and either a green or white belt. The waist is loosely elasticized, so it's not too tight on hot summer days. The crinoline that I have under it isn't a usual occurrence, but I had already been wearing it for the party dresses above.

By late afternoon, it was just too warm to have my hair down any longer, so this last dress got a neat bun treatment. This dress was another Corvallis Goodwill find, and also homemade by the looks of it. However, when I got it, it was missing most of its buttons. Luckily, I found some pretty green buttons and a matching green belt at Buckingham Palace to freshen it up. The print is lovely, with blue, white, and pink flowers with lots of green stems on a white background. 

And there we go! I feel very long-winded with this post, but the dresses all deserved a little time in the spotlight, since they make my life so much prettier.