skirtcafe.org

I'm wondering if anyone here has had any luck with vintage dresses? I realize few members are "into it", but figured I'd ask anyway...

This one seems stylish and affordable, but I have no idea on the sizing...

https://m.beautifulhalo.com/womens-medi ... rency1=USD

It seems somewhat small busted, and I'd imagine one could cinch up that draw string to make it snug....

A lovely dress! ❤

It is a lovely dress. You could definitely rock that dress. I saw a similar style a few months ago and thought it might be something of interest to you.

moonshadow wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 1:04 amA lovely dress! ❤

Indeed it is a lovely dress. However, note the description -- "two piece". That means the bodice is separate from the skirt, but made from the same fabric -- ideally the same bolt of fabric or at least from the same dye lot. However, this confers options.

It does look like it offers the ability to "cinch up", so that's an option. The square neckline might be a bit of an issue for a guy because it might not be all that flattering to someone without a meaningful bust.

Note my penchant for waistcoats and long skirts -- it's along the same line as the "two-piece". It lets me vary tops and bottoms very easily and yields quite a bit of "bang for the buck" because of that versatility.

In days of yore, the "two-piece" typically used the same skirt with different bodices for "day" and "evening" wear, with "evening" being more luxurious and somewhat more revealing. Thus, more mileage was had than if two entirely separate dresses had to be constructed or purchased. All in all, I'd call that a grand idea! Contemplate the same skirt (which requires the underskirt, note the contrast, it's split to the waist up front) with a V-neck bodice, or an off-the-shoulder one. The one pictured would likely have been used as the "day" bodice, the alternate as an "evening" or semi-formal one.

Unfortunately, I seem to have lost my costume-history books during the debacle of 2015, but at least I recall most of the details.

That looks amazing! I've never tried anything similar on, but I'd love to be seen in something like that.

I've had the 'pleasure', twice.

at my boys' boarding school I had a passable treble voice and at age 13 I was cast as 'Elsie' in G&Ss The Yeomen of the Guard...principal girl. Two outfits, one like that shown, the other all white for my 'wedding'.
Second time at age 14 I was cast as 'The Bohemian Girl' for the operetta of that name and my outfits were both similar. I remember the very full petticoats required to make the dress part stand out like that. It made walking in the floor-length garment easier.

Tom

Hi Moon
...and once more I am reminded of that long ago chat about St. Joan.
This one just makes me wish that I had a bigger wallet. I'd go for this look in a heartbeat but with substantial alteration to suit my own preferences. Aaah, maybe if my ship comes in one day?
Tom, your comments caused me to think of a book, "Monstrous Regiment", by Sir Terry Pratchett. A damn good read in my estimation and I would recommend it to anyone in the cafe. I presume that some of the other patrons will already have had the pleasure.
Steve.

Well, that dress is nice, but I don't know if it would be something one could wear in public. The lack of a full description of the item along with a proper sizing chart makes investing in such an item dicey, I typically wear a large when it comes to women's clothes, and it lists the length for a large at 53.5 inches, I'm assuming that's the length from the shoulder, if that's the case, then it would come up woefully short for me since I'm 64 inches tall. Still, it is nice.

Hello World

(Fresh attitude today-good sleep last night )

Love the Victorian, Renaissance idea. Great for Renn Faires

I've 'delved' into the "Company" and it's made in China, using Asian sizing.
Their 6XL would not fit me, PERIOD! They don't understand world sizes.
Been burnt once with a item of clothing from Asia(China), and won't do it again.

Just my $.02 worth

Uncle Al

Regarding Asian sizes, I slipped this in my Christmas order last week.

It's a nice little skirt, a few inches above the knee. The size "XL" fits my 36" waist okay... and it's stretchy so there is a little flexibility with sizing.

As for the vintage dress in this thread, I'd almost take a chance on it, but I know from past experiences that the dress would look stupid on me. Outfits like that require a near perfect hourglass shape in the waist. My Buddha belly just won't allow for that...

Even if it did fit over my waist, this dress would just make me look like I'm nine months expecting...

I purchased a renaissance themed dress once, and while it fit okay, my belly just threw it all off...

moonshadow wrote: ↑Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:14 pmAs for the vintage dress in this thread, I'd almost take a chance on it, but I know from past experiences that the dress would look stupid on me. Outfits like that require a near perfect hourglass shape in the waist. My Buddha belly just won't allow for that...

One of the things that doesn't get mentioned all that much is that clothing at that period of time had to be "forgiving" because women would have been pregnant a lot of the time, and working it off when they weren't. The infant mortality rate at the time pretty much demanded that, and the lack of birth control assisted in that. That's another reason why I suggested looking at historical patterns, because there would be echoes of that in them.

Note that a lot of designs from that period included ways of adjusting it to whatever shape the wearer was in at the time. If not, different "times" would have required different clothes which had to be hand-made then.

Not having studied the subject so I hazard this as a guess.
I'd say that the adjustable features that Carl mentioned would have been an invention borne of necessity.
The sort of corsetry that would have allowed the truly cinched look being the preserve of the wealthier folks.
As all humans come in all shapes and sizes it is a case of find what suits you regardless of the era or the side of the aisle.
It is what we come to the cafe for, is it not.
I'd still love to this look if I could tweak it to my own preferences,
Dressing to suit is still a luxury, some things don't change.
Steve.

@Moon
That dress looks a lot like the German Dirndl dresses you see @ Beerfests in October in Germany.


I own one, and it is a one piece 3/4 dress with a white blouse underneath. I do have the boobies, that's the advantage I have

Those dresses are fun to wear, and they feel snug around the bodice
The one I have is very similar to this one. It is a one piece dress, a white blouse and an apron.


https://www.dirndl.com/en/

Size chart : I fit a 46/48 100kg at 179cm tall. (220 Pounds, 5 Foot 8 inches) With a belly like I'm 7 months pregnant

I absolutely love vintage dresses, from the 19th century to the mid-50's. When I post pictures of my favourites, people often remark along the lines of "That looks like something my grandmother would wear!"

But finding something in my price range and size can be a bit of a challenge. This site's idea of a size chart is to tell you the length and shoulder width for each size. Really, that's all they think might be important when fitting a dress? Most of the sites I find that have beautiful dresses at a price I can afford are Chinese, whose idea of "5X plus size" means someone with a thirty-two inch waist.

Every once in a while I save up my personal stash set aside for indulgences until I can afford something better, but I just can't bring myself to spend $200 on a dress that isn't really suitable for daily wear and would only serve to appease my deeper, weirder cravings. Not when I am perpetually in need of computer upgrades, car repairs, gifts for my wife, etc.

Hi Ralph
Life on a budget can suck at times.
Steve

STEVIE wrote: ↑Sat Dec 12, 2020 9:57 am Hi Ralph
Life on a budget can suck at times.
Steve

Life on a budget sucks all of the time.. I know this as I have to live on a very tight budget and fun things are no where in sight...