Vintage Dress-Up

Vintage hat, jewelry, gloves, and custom-made dress from Shangri-La Vintage (1952 W Roscoe St, Chicago, IL)

When I was in Chicago this past winter, I went shopping for a 1960s-inspired outfit. I literally spent two weeks watching Mad Men, so I felt adequately educated to style myself into a classy housewife. I started by looking for a nice hat. After trying on many, I found this creme pink feather Marshall Field’s hat. It was definitely a  splurge at $30 for something used and working on a grad student budget, but it was classy, fun, and definitely unique. The clip-on beaded earrings and glass pearl necklace were simple additions along with the classic white gloves. Now, the dress. Vintage shopping can be frustrating if you are anything over a size 2… I’m a size 6, and probably more like a size 8 in this photos because it was right out of winter… (polar vortex, ok!? I HAD order and eat those two pizzas everyday and wear those sweatpants!) Thus, I probably only had a handful of dresses to try on, and this particular blue and white china-print cotton custom-made dress was a couple sizes too big. With some alterations, it worked and even came with a cotton bolero/shrug (featured later)!

Curl your hair, put on some fake lashes, and smack some red on your lips, and there ya go…. You can be Betty Draper, too! 

I love history and museums, so, obviously, I love old stuff… In high school, I liked shopping at thrift stores for old t-shirts. My mom thought it was gross, but with a thorough wash, I thought my t-shirts were pretty awesome. Halloween was always a time for me to dress up from a historical period. I tried Scarlett O’Hara’s red gown, but people thought I was a witch… I also tried flapper girl from the 1920s, but people thought I was still a witch.. Ok basically, that didn’t work out. However, nowadays there are awesome events where people know you’re dressing from a historical period.. you can attend to get that inner history nerd out of your system.. or at least give you a reason to go vintage shopping!

Disney in Anaheim, Orlando, or Paris almost every spring and fall: Dapper Day at Disney

NYC twice a summer: Governor’s Island Jazz Age Lawn Party

Chicago monthly events: Sugar and Poison Club (formerly Cake and Whiskey)