One of my favorite sayings? “Want to make God laugh? Tell God your plans”. And I have to say- in my personal experience- this saying has been more than true. Not that we shouldn’t make plans, not that our plans aren’t valid, but we all know that our plans sometimes fall through.
And this is a place where I could say that plans fall apart so better things can fall together (completely cliche but can be true). But what if I tell you that sometimes plans just don’t work out like we thought. Call it timing or whatever you like- maybe God does have better plans- all I can say is that sometimes my best laid plans don’t work out at all.
This dress? I LOVE it. It’s the perfect combination of ladylike and a little edge. There is a slight (just a slight) polka dot feel to it as the black and white texture mimics one of my favorite patterns- and of course there is the polka dots on the collar and sleeve ruffles. While I will tell you that yellow isn’t my color there are times that I just love it (see here, and here, and on top of my spring wishlist is this yellow dress). This stunner is a vintage Neiman Marcus coat dress via one of my favorite vintage shops Bloomers and Frocks.
And with all of that. Nothing about this dress or this shoot, or even how I styled it (which I am still second guessing) went to plan. Maybe God had a different one?
This dress is so stunning in person- and yet there were some stains (the yellow bleeds when wet!)- I’ve been spot cleaning it for a year. In retrospect, and something I may still do, I should have taken off the collar, cuffs, and bow and had it cleaned. But. I kept making progress (some of my favorite cleaners for vintage clothes are RetroClean and Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover). And while there is still some work to do- I love this dress. Alone. Over pants or jeans. With Mary Janes or with thigh high boots. However, after cleaning, I could not get the dress ironed properly. It now bubbles a bit, is a bit wrinkly, doesn’t fall correctly. Do I still love it? Yes. But not to plan (and I will need to get it professionally pressed!). There is actually a super cute matching yellow and black polka dot dickie that is supposed to be snapped on the chest- the snaps broke right before I shot. The weather was forecasted to be sunny and beautiful on the morning of the shoot- it was misting and my hair that I had flipped (as this dress makes me feel like a sitcom heroine Ala Mary Tyler Moore and Marlo Thomas from “That Girl!” and very 1960s) fell flat. I did choose these edgy Mary Jane heels as an ode to the 1960s (originally I had planned to shoot this dress with these amazing over the knee white boots I have seen here) but after I saw the pics I completely over thought the styling.
To plan? Not mine. BUT. The pictures that did come out, how much fun I have wearing this dress, how much I love it all even though it doesn’t go to my plan. Perhaps the point of one of my favorite sayings is that even when our plans don’t work out we can love the results? Or that after plans that don’t work we can see the beauty? I’m still working that out. What do you think?
This dress is vintage, and yet I think a coat dress is a classic staple, I reach for them again and again. I have found you some of my favorite current ones and linked them below! Mary Janes, especially flat ones, are super on trend this season- I would love to help you find a pair that fits you! Reach out at racheladelicia@investmentpiece.com and I will send over some of my faves!
XO RA
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