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Friday, August 3, 2012

Girlhood dreams, dancing, thrifting glory


When I was young I loved watching old black and white movies, especially if they featured glamorous movie actresses and beautiful dresses, satiny robes and slippers with little feathery poufs.  Of course any movie with dreamy dance sequences by Fred and Ginger really captured my imagination.
I dreamed of wearing satiny dresses and romantic peignoirs, my hair shiny and beautifully curled while reclining on a big chaise.
That only happens in the movies.
BUT.....since I've been thrifting, I've been able to indulge in a few lovely romantic nighties and dresses.  Thrifting also allows me to indulge my greatest fantasy of all; Dancing.
I know that is not a surprise to any of you! 



I wore this simple and comfortable black wrap dress to my lesson today.

Its so plain, I dressed it up with this silk scarf....
and leopard shoes.

On the way there...we stopped at the old court house for a couple of pictures.

By then it was really hot...so I ditched the scarf!
This is courthouse is reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour..
It's in Crown Point, Indiana and it was the hot place to go to get married in the 20s and later.
Rudolph Valentino got married here.  Ronald Reagan got married here...and a number of other celebrities who's names escape me at the moment.

My Peyton is so patient with my photo requests.

When I dance, especially when I compete, I get to live a little bit of my girlhood dream.  When I find beautiful dresses and pretty lingerie at affordable thrift prices....I also get to live a little bit of my dream

This dress is a glorious find...it was marked $15.00 and I had a five dollar coupon.  I looked online for the dress but could not find the exact dress;  I did find the designer's glorious site!  I estimate this dress to have sold for around $150 to $170 based on the prices of other dresses on her site.  

I feel like I hit the jackpot!

The dress has a bit of a 20's flapper look but is still very current.  The beading, sequins and embroidery are beautiful and well done.  The under layer is lavender silk and the over layer is sheer chocolate polyester chiffon.  It fits perfectly except for the spaghetti straps which need to be shortened about a half inch.

Another super find..but not for me.  The dress was marked $10.00 at a church resale shop.  They were clearing old stock for new and clothing was $75% off.  Yeah....I paid $2.50 for this.  Its not my size and I knew that.  I went into the shop 15 minutes before closing time and had to make a snap decision.  It's a size 14...which is a perfect fit for my friend D (the one in the pin up photos that I posted previously).  I don't know if she needs a formal dress...but my theory is if you find one for a good price that fits...snap it up quick and save yourself the heartache of trying to find an appropriate dress at the last minute.

Did I mention the tags were still on the dress?  You can see the original price...the Carson's yellow dot price and the green tag with the resale shop price BEFORE the big discount.

Isn't this color lovely!
If D doesn't want the dress...I can keep it for future pin up photo session that I may do for other ladies.  It's a lovely dress and has that classic hollywood look.

I feel very Ginger in this robe.

$3.00....don't you just love the delicate blue flowers against the ivory satin?

This is prettier than the photograph...a pale buttery yellow slip nightgown.

Ivory slip with pretty, soft lace; $1.00

Lace detail at the bottom of the slip.

This black midi-length nightgown has enough heft to be worn as a dress.  The neckline is subtly draped.

Victoria's Secret short robe; $1.00 at another church resale shop.


I paid $2.50 for this sheer embroidered shortie robe.

The color and lace is really pretty on this little shift nightie.

Very vintage nightie...looks so 60's; it was a dollar, it was really PINK, it was soft and pretty.....I had to get it!


I really do wear all of this lingerie that I purchase.  I check a couple of things before I buy; I look for cleanliness, no stains, tears or holes, no funky smells.  I feel the lace and if its scratchy...I won't buy it no matter how beautiful it is.  I wash them all in the machine....in a lingerie bag and hang them to dry.  I hang them in my closet so I can see them all and am reminded to wear them often.

I love finding these treasures at giveaway prices.  I'll never be famous,  I'll never live like a movie star....but I can enjoy my tiny, affordable piece of thrifty glamour; a realistic way to fulfill my girlhood fantasy.

27 comments:

  1. Fantastic finds! I love the Adrianna dress.

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    1. Thank you....I do too! Did you check out any of the other dresses on her website? Wow!

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  2. You definitely hit the jackpot the beading is stunning, really fab finds x

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    1. Thank you Pearl. I love the dress and I can't wait to wear it to a dance party tonight!

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  3. You really had huge success ... I"m a wee bit envious. We have no thrift stores close by that sell anything close to this. Some days I think I should open one ... but I don't know how successful it would. Something I think about really often.

    Absolutely gorgeous outfit and I love simple pieces dollied up with great scarves and awesome shoes ... and both your scarf and shoes are fantabulous!!!

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    1. Wendy...maybe it is something you should consider doing...if you have good product at good prices..you would probably be very successful!

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  4. You're inspired me to shop the lingerie and nightie area at thrift stores now. They seem to be better made often times too. I can tell you love luscious fabrics. And those shoes you're wearing, OH MAN!!!

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    1. Joni...those shoes don't look comfy, do they. But they are. Really, really easy to wear which means they are pretty and comfy...a winning combination. They are Nine West 'Austin'...and I bought them about 4 months ago...just in case you want to try and find a pair for yourself.

      I do love luxurious fabrics...and I do have some good luck finding them. People are ALWAYS getting rid of slips, gowns and robes. The full slips are so comfy to sleep in...the 'older' or vintage ones especially because the lace used was usually better and not cheap and scratchy like on cheap lingerie now. It feels so nice to wear pretty but modest lingerie around the house...rather than sweats or Yoga pants. I actually feel prettier in the. And most of the full slips are pretty sexy without being racy....I can still wear them even with the kids running around.

      Good luck on your quest for some lovely lingerie and let me know how you do! Can't wait to see your posts on it!

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  5. I love all these pieces! You have such good shopping karma, Lisa! The lavender/chocolate dress is fantastic, as are all your lingerie pieces. So lovely!

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    1. Thank you Sheila. I really love love love the beaded dress. I think it will be great for a New Years event or some other such thing.
      I have found that lingerie that was made more than a decade ago is higher quality...the lace is typically not itchy, cheap lace...there are more details in the design. I've been having some very good thrift shopping karma lately. Making up for lost time I guess!

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  6. Well-written post....so inspirational & informative. I can say you've been so lucky on the thrifting front! Thanks for sharing!

    Rebecca
    www.redtagchiclosangeles.com

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    1. Thank you...I'm glad you enjoyed. I would love to inspire others to get on board with thrifting!

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  7. Those shoes -- Meeeowwww. They are so beautiful!

    http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
    Twitter: @GlamKitten88

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    1. Thank you Bonnie......I love the shoes and I really need to wear them more. It think I will get more use out of them in the fall.

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  8. Hi Priscilla,

    Thanks for the compliment. I will try to spend a little time looking at your post. I glanced and saw some interesting Pumas.

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  9. i love old black and white films. Everybody dressed so classy!

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    1. I agree; wouldn't it be fun if everyone dressed that way now?

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  10. I like that black wrap dress of yours, i just remembered that I have a grey one that I have not worn in quite sometime... and you have no idea how much i envy the thrifts! Where I live there are not thrift shops, so when I visit the US I always visit a few :)

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    1. I'm happy that my dress reminded about your gray dress!

      No thrift shops? :(

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  11. what beautiful thrift finds, glad you get to enjoy a little bit of the old world, even just for lounging around the house.
    Chic on the Cheap

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  12. I love black and you look fabulous in that wrap dress:) Great post!
    ~Anne

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    1. I love black too, Anne. I love it's versatility and classic elegance. Thank you for reading.

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  13. Wow, you found some beauties! I love the photographs of you on the courthouse steps, it sounds like a neato place. Love the black wrap dress :)

    Adrienne
    What Lola Wants

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    1. Hi Adrienne....the courthouse is a neato place. There are specialty shops in the lower level; one is an awesome toy/children's clothing store called Gepetto's. I've been shopping the toy store for 25 years and they have all the cool toys and gorgeous dream clothes for children. There's a fab restaurant called Valentino's and its decorated with old black and white movie stills. It's charming.

      I love my black wrap dress. It's another one I had forgotten about and decide to show more love to.

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  14. Love the purple dress! The draped neck and pencil skirt are really elegant. You look fabulous in that colour!

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    1. Thank you....other than not being able to dance in it...I love it too!

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"When you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect"--Mark Twain