The Sunday Snag – Just Grand in Gingham

Ah, gingham. Don't you just love it? There is something quintessentially "summer" about this print. Picnics seem to demand themselves onto the day's schedule when you wear gingham, am I right? 'Cause wouldn't a wicker picnic basket with just the corner of a red & white check blanket peeking out be the perfect addition to this outfit?! I'm a bit sad now that I didn't think of it earlier on the day that I took these photos. Not that I didn't do something fun! I did!

There was a small pop-up vintage shop happening in Raleigh on this day and my neighbor girlfriend and I decided to make a little trip of it. We walked through the pretty and very old building where the shop was being "popped". Unable to really find any snags there, we walked down the street to a consignment boutique called Revolver, which my neighbor said was great, but I hadn't had the pleasure of visiting yet. Glad we did because I found the most adorable 1950s dress there! Plus I got to chat with the owner, who was spectacularly nice and didn't mind us gabbing and playing dress up at all. I'll introduce you to the dress I bought there in a couple weeks, so keep an eye out!

The dress I'm wearing here was yet another darling snag from, you guessed it, The Cleveland Shop. You may be starting to see why my hubs gave me a budget for the time I was at All Balboa where this shop had a booth. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had gas money to make it back to North Carolina! Luckily, The Cleveland Shop prices their lovely finds quite reasonably, so he didn't have a reason to freak out. So far, the snags you've seen from this shop have been my dreamy pants, a fun and playful paisley dress, and a sweetly floral wiggle dress.

I believe this black & white gingham beauty is late 1950s to early 1960s. Made from a lightweight cotton, it is just breezy for summer strolls and the clean, simple cut fits my style quite well. I don't typically wear full skirts as I prefer a slimmer line closer to the 40s look. The neckline on this is just darling too with a small white edging in scallops and a tiny bow and buttons down the center bust. Once again, the original belt is missing (I imagine they're with all the missing socks of the world somewhere), so I had to be resourceful again. Remember this red top? Well it used to be a dress, but I cut it in half to use as a blouse. I kept the hem fabric and just used it here as a tie back ribbon that I looped through a round, white plastic vintage buckle. Red, white, and black are so classic together, so this worked rather swimmingly! And can you believe it?! I didn't have to alter this dress at all! Zip and wear!

    

I purchased my hat and my shoes while at All Balboa Weekend too. 

Side note: Vintage lovers, keep an eye out for swing dance events in your area. Even if you don't dance, many times there will be vendors there for you to shop and visit!

Okay, back to accessories. My hat, which I imagine is 50s? (I'm still learning my way around eras in the hat department) is a pretty yellow straw with a black velvet ribbon and little poof berries in yellow and red all wrapped in black tulle netting. CUTEGASM! It was perfect for 2nd day curls because it covered most of my hair except the front section, which I could keep curly easier overnight. 

My shoes were a planned purchase from Re-Mix Vintage Shoes. I needed a pair of dance shoes in an oxford style to wear with trousers. Re-Mix put the word out that they would bring the specific style and size of shoes you wanted to the dance event so you could try them and buy them right there. You just had to email them your picks. That was a fabulous idea, so I did just that. These babies are gorgeous, comfortable, and go with dresses as well as trousers! They're reproduction 30s/40s, called Gramercy, and are in the ivory/tan color. I. Love. Them. Crazy comfy and I like that the tan looks nearer to a nude on me. I wore my vintage peach slip and nude seamed hose even though it was a quadrillion degrees out that day because I get mosquito bites so badly. No, really. The last photo op I did outside resulted in 35 bites on my legs, THROUGH PANTYHOSE! UGH! My blood must be freakin' amazing or something... 

Dress: Late 1950s/Early 1960s from The Cleveland Shop

Hat: 1950s from Flower Child Vintage

Shoes: Gramercy from Re-Mix Vintage Shoes

Slip: 1940s Peach Rayon from Ebay

Belt: Made by me

Last Week's Sunday Snag:

Heaven Sent Me These Pants