I hope everyone had a lovely and safe New Year’s. Like the past two since we bought our house, we hosted a party, which was full of food, drinks, and wonderfully dressed friends. Like many, we opted for a 20s themed NYE party, because, really, why the hell not? I also had a 20s style dress I bought eons ago sitting in my closet never worn…
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, we all stepped outside to ring in 2020 with Disneyland fireworks.
So…this dress…I bought it several years ago from Unique Vintage, so long ago, they don’t offer it anymore, and in looking at their website it looks like they have severely altered their 20s inspired stuff. This dress, like most true 20s style, has absolutely no shape, no closure, and no stretch. Much of UV’s “20s” dresses today are fitted, have zippers, many have some stretch, feature far less beading, opting for sequins, and most are significantly cheaper. I want to say this dress originally retailed for close to $200, but I bought it on sale. Personally, I think UV’s move away from more accurate cuts to fitted ones is a smart move. Few people who want a 20s dress, but who don’t know much about the 20s, have Baz Luhrmann’s version of The Great Gatsby in their mind, and want something sleek and sexy. And I don’t blame them! I loved the 2013 version of the iconic novel, and personally loathe the silhouette of the 1920s. Give me a waistline any day over a shift style dress. As to the reason I bought this dress in the first place so long ago…Patrick and I purchased tickets to a 20s themed weekender solely because one night there was a party at the Sowden House, which is one of my favorite works of architecture, plus it has possible ties to the Black Dahlia and is used in one of my favorite films LA Confidential. Like I said, I hate 20s cuts, so I would never choose to go to a 20s event, especially one that had expensive tickets, unless maybe it was Egyptian themed. I even chose this particular dress over others because I thought it reflected the architecture of the house nicely, although I love it regardless. However, due to lack of ticket sales, the company putting on the event relocated the party. I was crushed, personally thought the move unprofessional, and it created a severe lack of trust in the company for future events. In turn, we canceled our tickets, and the dress has sat in my closet ever since.
Okay, now that my sob story about 20s fashion and that dress is over, let’s look ahead…After many years of never making New Year resolutions, last year I decided to go ahead and do some goal setting.
-Over the last two years Patrick and I have been trying to consume less plastic, and this year I learned how to make bread as part of that. This year I want to continue to find zero waste alternatives, including focusing cooking more. I have a unique plan that I might share on the blog.
-I want to maintain a goal I set when we redesigned the blog which is to blog at least once a week. I think in the time since the redesign I have only failed to do that twice.
-Patrick and I still have things that need to happen around the house. Last year our main goal was to install air conditioning. This year our goals are to built a coat closet and landscape our front yard, which currently sits with just dirt and a few plants since we decided to let the grass die. We may only be able to accomplish one of those this year, which will likely be the coat closet, but if we can save a bit more, we can do both.
How about you? Do you do resolutions or goals? And if you do or not, I hope you all had a wonderful and safe New Year’s! Here is to 2020!
Outfit
Headband: The Vintage Darling at the Dapper Day Expo
Egyptian Revival Earrings: Gift
Dress: Unique Vintage (no longer available)
Ring: Family heirloom
Bracelet: Portland Antique Expo
Slippers: ???