Vintage Look- 80's Polka-dot Parisian Dress

There are such good memories wrapped up in this little Parisian dress! When I went to Paris, I was on the lookout for vintage clothing. I found the most lovely store, Mamz'Elle Swing. She had adorable dresses, sweaters, accessories...but the prices were a little more than I wanted to pay.

Then I went down the same street and found a frippe, a store that sells secondhand clothes. It was like an over-stuffed Goodwill shop, Parisian style. To see more of these shops, look here- Paris Trip- Wednesday . I found this dress in the King of Frippe. Plus another that is a long-sleeved cool-weather dress, complete with corduroy collar and cuffs. And at 15 euro each they were a steal!

This dress is not terribly old, or even impeccably made. The center seam in the skirt is not actually in the center, and the slip was sewn in so the back hangs lower than the front. But it is happy and fun and has what I call a "pouffle" attached underneath, as both slip and petticoat. I've never had a dress with a pouffle before! It also has the sweetest row of tiny red buttons to close one shoulder.

According to most sale sites, for something to be called "vintage" it should have been made at least 20 years before the present date. So, this 1980's wanna be 50's dress qualifies as vintage. In fact, all the things I wore in High School are now vintage! (Good thing I kept a hold on a lot of them ;)

 I wore the dress with my favorite red Hushpuppy MaryJane heels. I love these shoes! Not only are they the perfect red to go with everything, but they are so comfortable I can wear them all day long. I have a big box of old millinery flowers, and tucked a red rose into my hair. Seemed appropriate for a dress from Paris!

On our last day in Paris we went to an open air flea market that had racks of vintage. They were all late 60's- early 70's. Not my style, but tons of fun for someone who loved to dress from that era. For a fun look at them, and the wonders of a Parisian marche de puce, see Paris Trip- Friday. Thanks for looking, Sugar, and remember...