Outfit dilemma: Reunion

High school. Ah, those were the days. No...wait....I hated high school, and I hated high school quite passionately.  I was awkward, my family situation was horrible, and high school classes bored me to tears.  Sometimes, when I gather with friends and acquaintances, talk drifts to the glory days of high school.  I really don't share their sentiments. I prefer to think that life can just keep getting better.

I dread my ten year reunion. Word is barely anyone is going, but I'm participating largely because two of my dearest friends (hi guys!) have put a lot of work into planning the event.  It's being held at a local restaurant/bar on the lake.  Which leads me to this: my outfit dilemma.  Growing up, I solidly embraced the grunge movement (Kurt Cobain...so dreamy) and then drifted into solid tomboy garb with a steady rotation of t-shirts and jeans.  So much so that my ex-boyfriend once asked me why I couldn't be more feminine (dumped his ass thank you very much). By college, I was wearing a lot more vintage, particularly coats, but it wasn't until I moved to AZ that I solidly embraced the dress, first out of necessity and then out of desire.

I feel like I wouldn't be me unless I carefully thought out this whole outfit thing.  So here, dear friends, are some options I have assembled:


Option 1: Relaxed

Blue and white halter silk dress by Jonathan Martin purchased by me from seesong
1980s white leather clutch available at Harlow Monroe Vintage, $25
French Blue satin "Leah" heels by RSVP available at Zappos, $69
Leather bracelets by kikastyle, sold


Option 2: Glam

1970s asymmetrical dress purchased by me on ebay
Vintage screw on earrings available at Two Little's Mom, $9
1950s/1960s silver clutch available at Rust Belt Threads, $28
Black "Evocative" T-Straps by Nine West available on Amazon, $78.95



Option 3: Classic

1960s little black dress available at SeeSaw, $80
1940s black mesh pumps, available at Dear Golden, $85
1950s black and poppy print clutch, available at Purple Deer, $32
1950s/1960s buckle cuff available at Jean Jean Vintage, $36


Option 4: Bold

  1950s satin jacquard dress by Louise Franz available at Crafty Crow Vintage, $88
1960s brown vinyl clutch available at Love That Vintage, $30 
Chocolate stretch bracelet available at Rare Daisy Jewelry, $9.99
Dark brown "Briley" peep toe by Ralph Lauren available at Zappos, $98

Where I go

Sometimes, you'll notice that I disappear. I never mean for it to be intentional, but one day passes and then the next until whole stretches of time have passed.

In my alternate life, I work for a nonprofit. In my best life, I'm a writer. While you may not be able to tell that from the depth or quality of the narrative here on this blog, I have a degree in writing. I write stories, or at least I used to until I began a poetry series about missing women.

It began with Maricopa Jane Doe. She was pushed or shoved from a car speeding down Highway 10 in Arizona. She lived long enough to be transported a hospital in Scottsdale where she passed away. Her blue heart tattoo and her beautiful blond hair were her most salient identifying features.

On the 9th anniversary of her death, I read an article about her. There is a group of individuals like you and I, just average people, who spend their evenings working on missing persons cold cases. For many of them, Maricopa Jane Doe held a special place and they worked diligently on reuniting her with her family. They had yet to be successful, but they still chased leads.

In a world of increasing connectivity, it's hard to imagine a reality in which your loved one disappears without the ability to trace them in some small way. I thought of Maricopa Jane Doe and the countless other women whose stories we have forgotten. Stories that need to be told and carried in more hearts. Stories that matter, women who matter.

Twenty poems later, I am over thirty shy from where I want to be, yet even that is so far from the number of the missing and often forgotten. So I write about them. I pull together information from police reports, autopsy photos, message boards, networking sites, news articles and try to create a small part of them on paper.

Like most people, I'm sure, I like to believe I'm tough. That I can handle a lot. But when I write one of these poems, I drop off from the world for a bit. I need to take a breath. And though I know and can confess now that it is hard, I also know that I have the luxury of taking that breath where others can't.

And Maricope Jane Doe, I still hold her in my heart. I waited over a year into the project to write about her before I began her poem, Maricopa (unidentified woman discovered January 27, 1999 on Highway 10 near Case Grande, Arizona). And here I learn she was identified just months after I read her story. Her name is Tawni Lee Mazzone. She was 17 years old.

Frumpadelicious

Frumpydee frump frump. Ladies and gentlemen (?) that's how I've been feeling the last few months. Fresh back from my honeymoon and we were hit with the dreaded chill of winter. In the summer, when I come home from work, I get comfortable by throwing on a sundress or embroidered tank top. When winter comes, I dream about getting home and crawling straight into my fuzzy sweater pants and my husband's giant sweatshirt. While I know he loves me in all my forms, I don't feel beautiful, or cute, or anything remotely close to sexy in the winter. In such a state, the idea of trucking on over here to my vintage blog seems...well...wrong. What would I have to say about clothing. I know I'm not alone here, yes?

In the interest of feeling cuter, I've been researching vintage nightwear and lounge options. I know all of what I'm about to post may not be suitable for keeping warm on a chilly night, but they certainly up the cute factor.

1910s ivory silk crepe and silk floss embroidered robe. Available on ebay through Violetville Vintage with a buy now of $248.

1940s rayon Asian-inspired pajama/lounge set. Available through ebay with northstarvintage with a starting bid of $39.99 and a buy now of $69.99.

1950s nylon and lace nightgown. Available on ebay through RageVogue with a starting bid of $19.99.

1940s rayon lounge set by Munsingwear. Available at Dorothea's Closet for $255.

Red silk Givenchy peignoir set. Available on etsy through seller queenoftheangels for $75.

And though this isn't vintage, these are some awfully cute and cozy slippers from J. Crew onsale for $29.99

A little throat clearing

Dear blog readers,
Please excuse my absence. I had not meant to be gone for such a long time. In the last nine months I have:

Moved across the country:

(this is a photo I took somewhere in another state, somewhere along the drive)

Got a new job:

(one that allows me to occasionally wear 1950s frocks)

Bought a new house:

(picture taken before we bought it so the lawn ornamentation is not ours. The house was built from a kit in 1915 and has been in the same family until we purchased it. You'll be seeing more of this in the future)

Planned a wedding:

(wedding to be held September 12th in a field with flowers much like these)

In these past nine months I haven't written any poems or blog posts, haven't slept much, failed to keep in touch with those dearest to me, and neglected to spend enough time with my demanding felines. But dear readers, I'm back having newly implemented a sleep routine where I get at least 7 hours of shut-eye a night. Vintage world, I'm here.