Too pretty to wear
Happy first day of October! In true Washington form, this morning was foggy and full of very fall-like weather, and I thought these photos were a perfect induction into fall style. This dress is one that I might soon be selling on Etsy (along with a few other goodies I’ve found or finally photographed on a model to show them off better!), but for the moment I had to wear it at least once.
Recently, my mom made me some super pretty washcloths, and someone commented that they were far too pretty to use, which got me thinking. Often, the same thing is said about vintage clothing or just clothing that seems too “fancy” for wearing. And I wondered… why? Sure, there is the question of practicality in an outfit — is it going to hold up throughout the day, can I bend/sit/work in this, am I constantly going to worry that my kid will smear peanut butter on my skirt, etc… but at the same time, why leave so many good garments in a closet to hang and never be seen or worn? We don’t want to ruin a pretty dress, but what good is it going to do in the closet?
So I’ve been challenging myself lately to get dressed in something that I love, maybe something that’s a little bit fancier than I’d usually choose (which isn’t hard, given that I’ve been living in my husband’s flannel pajama pants lately), and to not worry about whether Asa gets food on it or Evie might burp up on it. Because the thing is, most of my closet is machine-washable anyway — I tend to gravitate towards vintage made from washable fabrics — and my clothes are doing no good tucked away to never be worn.
And if this dress was breastfeeding friendly, you can bet I would be keeping it to wear, even though it IS lace and velvet. Maybe I’d keep it for special occasions or weekly date nights with my husband, but I would for sure be pulling it out to wear all the time!
Dress, vintage | flats, Target | flower crown, self-made
And on our date nights, I’ve been making more of an effort to dress up even if all we do is go to a movie or a casual restaurant. Because why not be dressed to the nines for a date? It certainly makes things feel more special!
Do you hoard away pretty things never to be worn, or do you make an effort to put on those fancy garments routinely?
I hope you’re all having a good week!
😉
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6 Comments
By The Shore, Life & Style
Ah, this is the prettiest and your flower crown… heart eyes for days!! And I hear ya, why do we do that… I have so many things that I think are too pretty to use or wear. No more, right?! Happy first day of October lovely!! xo
skye
I have been having similar thoughts lately. As gentle as I try to be with my vintage, so many of the seams are simply unraveling. It’s why I’ve been breaking my own rules and buying reproduction dresses lately. But I ultimately agree with you – clothes are supposed to be worn. And if they fall apart, then so be it!
Ditto on being SUPER FANCY for ordinary date nights. Sometimes Josh and I get really really ludicrously dressed up just to run errands – like, top hat & tails for him, petticoat for me. The problem is that I no longer know what to wear to actual fancy events!
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Emily
So true! I definitely have pieces that I kind of hoard, but I have gotten better at either letting go of them, or just accepting their inevitable decay. I also try to find something that makes me smile about my outfit, even if I’m “just” wearing a T-shirt and jeans – something that makes it feel like “me.” And yeah – this dress is AMA-ZING!
Justina Kenyon
The first word that comes to mind when I see these photos is ethereal. You look stunning!
I have tried really hard for a long time to wear the clothes that I love even if they are delicate. My motto is that clothes are meant to be lived in. Now that I work in an office where we need to dress nice, but don’t have to wear pant suits, I get a lot more wear out of my vintage floral dresses.
I also make a point of dressing to the nines for certain occasions. I am heavily involved with the community theater in my town, so every time I go to a show I dress up. I even have a vintage velvet cape and purse that I wear 🙂
Trees
This is an incredible dress – you can never have too much velvet and lace. I love the flower Crown too.
Finding Femme
Your eye for pairing colours is just amazing. This is such a darling match with the pop of orange/yellow <3
Liana
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