Back to bangs!
I feel more like myself now. I'm keeping them longer this time, more Chuck and less Bettie.
Also, something I don't think I've ever mentioned before, bloomers! I wear them every day with skirts or dresses, you never know when a gust of wind will attack, so they're good to have. I've seen way too many knickers on girls who don't know how to wear a dress, better safe than sorry!
Later edit: I had a feeling some people would overanalyze my words, perhaps this is the reason I am a quiet person when I'm not behind a computer? I did not mean to offend anyone, when I say "don't know how to wear a skirt" I mean sitting with legs spread open, bouncing up stairs to the point where skirts spring up, revealing everything, things like that. These, and more, are all situations I've unintentionally seen, and I like to learn from mine, and other people's mishaps. So I started wearing bloomers for modesty's sake. Some people wear shorts, shapewear, slips, or are simply just self aware and careful, but at work I'm kneeling down, climbing up ladders, sitting on stools, and don't want to accidentally show a customer anything other than my knees. Bloomers are a security, one less thing to worry about, so I wear them. Do I think people who don't wear bloomers are less stylish or modest? Of course not. I simply mentioned them because I know a lot of girls have issues with wearing dresses because there can be little mishaps, and mannerisms you have to get used to. I thought it might help someone know that you can still wear a dress and not have to worry about silly little things. Thats all.
Dress, shoes, socks, and petticoat-Urban Eccentric Vintage
Bloomers-The Red Light
Hat-don't remember, it's ooolllld.
83 comments:
Where would you even buy bloomers? Do they add a lot of bulk to your dresses, or does it just depend on the cut/fabric of the dress and bloomers?
Oh you can find them lots of places (forgot to do a store link for the outfit, oops!).
They don't add bulk unless you get ruffled ones. These are just nylon though, so they kind of act as a slip.
xoxo
If I may be so bold....my friend has a knack for fancy underthings: www.praisesatin.com
She's here in Portland, but probably can ship. Don't mean to spam...just like to brag.
Oh cute Christa!
I wear bloomers all the time! I'm even wearing them now :) Mine are a thin silk and have no bulk at all.
Awesome! Thanks! I def. want to get a pair now
Love the bloomers! I usually wear a pair of spandex shorts whenever I wear a dress or skirt but those are so much cuter!
(You kind of have to wear something underneath your dresses/skirts here in Flagstaff. It gets really windy. Unfortunately, it's a college town and most of the girls here didn't get that memo.)
You do look good both ways, but you've convinced me, I'm going back to bangs too. Bangs are just too fun. They are even just fun to say, BANGS BANGS BANGS!
I just realized why you look familar! I met you in Long Beach last fall from Julie. Cheers!
I love your bangs! They suit you well :) BLOOMER ARE A MUST.
I love the bangs! I tried them on myself..... But sadly my cowlic didn't like them nearly as much as I did :0)
Speaking of wind, How do you keep your hats on your head when its windy? I live in Wellington, New Zealand and we are know for our wind! I love hats but don't know how to have it so they stay put!
We're bringing in back!
What a lovely black & red combo!
I love it. And bloomers with color matching to your shoes are fantastic. This outfit is asking for a little breeze.
I vote for some vintage hair tutorials with bangs! They (it?)look so good on you! I find it very difficult to do a real vintage-y hair do with bangs. oh and looove the hat;)
I love your dress!!!!
I am a regular reader and I enjoy visiting your blog and looking at the lovely photos. I don't want to offend but I just wanted to say that I do find it a bit off putting when you criticse how other people choose to dress. Just because some girls wear knickers with dresses it does not mean that they 'don't know how to wear a dress'. What is the difference between flashing your bloomers and flashing your knickers? As far as I can tell it is just a difference in inches of fabric? You are fabulous and look great on a daily basis. You must be aware of this from the positive feedback that you get on the street and via this blog. Therefore it puzzles me as to why you feel the need to coninually put other people's dressing choices down in order to make yourslef look better in comparison. You don't need to do this and I wish that we could all peacefully co-exist by respecting eachothers choices without judgement. That's my two cents worth, sorry for the long comment. Nikki x
I love your bangs! Although I really like your longer curly front, I got to know you on your blog with bangs and you totally rock them. Bloomers like the one you're wearing are just too long for me as I like dresses sometimes pretty short, but I always wear black shorts over my tights to keep them in place and to keep my behind packed even if wind is around.
I have to agree with Nikki.I was following along and was feeling the love until that comment about not knowing how to wear a dress. It was like a glass of cold water being tossed in one's face.
Granted, it's your blog and you can say what you want to. However, don't be surprised when people take offense. I like to look at the pictures on your blog, but I'm always waiting for the snide comment about how "other" people dress (or don't). Is that really the image you want to portray? As my mother - and her mother before her - and her mother before her - would say "Pretty is as pretty does".
I've been wearing dresses longer than you've been alive and I've never worn bloomers. Well, at least not since I was in diapers. That doesn't mean that I am tacky or clueless. It just means I use ~other~ undergarments to cover my assets. My personal preference is a slip. Bloomers are just fancy underpants, panties, britches, knickers orwhatever you want to call them. I can't imagine wearing them without something to cover them from view. Bloomers aren't really meant to be seen. And not to be indelicate, but I can't imagine wearing them during "that time" of the month, either.
I really don't mean to rain on your parade, I just want you to see that sometimes your words can be pretty offputting.
I absolutely LOVE your posts!! I love your style and adore that dress <3
You're fabulous girl, absolutely fabulous :oD
You look smashing!
The bangs are cute!!! ;) As is the dress; I love the asymmetrical closure... such a neat detail. :)
The bloomers are really fun too! Me, I'm more of a slip girl, but thing bloomers or 30s style tap pants are a great way to cover things up with a bit of style. ;)
♥ Casey
How cute! Love the bangs!
And Nini and Niki,
It does not appear to me that Solanah said anywhere that if you don't wear knickers that you don't know how to wear a dress. She just said that if you can see somebody's undergarments, they are doing something wrong. (which I agree with. Knickers are not for public viewing.)
Anyways, that's just how the comment came off to me. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion.
it's so unique!!! i love unique dresses that stand out and don't look like a norm. buttons placed where they are on this dress rock!
Some people like to take offense at anything!
Bloomers are not something I've worn before but they add to my puzzlement of what others put under dresses! I always wear high waist panties with mine, as it is far more comfortable to have everything at the waist...they cover a lot too. I usually have a slip on as well. Tap pants - are they underwear? are they worn OVER underwear? Same goes for these bloomers...over underwear right? So if you happen to wear a girdle or garter belt, do you wear girdle/panties/bloomers? Or just girdle/bloomers?
So many options...it's a minefield!
I love that you have bangs; I can't live without mine, but most vintage hair tutorials I've seen involve no bangs, so I can't wait to see what you do with your hair, for us ashamed-of-our-forehead gals!
I don't think your comment was offensive, and I'm don't wear bloomers with skirts; I need something more...uh...substatial, so I wear high-waist panty girdles with skirts. I was just thinking back to a comment I made on a natural living website about cloth diapers, and the dissaproving comments I got about cloth diaper and diapering. One woman told me I should stop having children if I couldn't afford "real" diapers, and another said cloth was "unsanitary". I think when one makes a statement about the way which they believe something "should" be done, people tend to get defensive. Obviously you feel wearing bloomers is the only way to go, because you wear them; that doesn't mean you look down on people who don't.
Your blog is an aspirational one, most of us don't look as fabulous as you (ever), but a girl can dream, can't she?
LOOOOVE the red lips girl! and of course those bright shoes.. hope u r well
andrea xxxx
Life In Technicolor.
I love this outfit and red shoes! You have such a pretty face!. And yay bangs, I was actually trying to grow mine out because it's difficult to get 1940s hairstyles with bangs, well at least for me...but this makes me want to cut them back in. I can't decide!!! xoxo
I'm falling between two stools here on the comment about bloomers because I wear dresses every day, never wear bloomers (although I do often wear a slip or a petticoat) and I have never flashed someone. Suitable undergarments will definitely help you along in the not-flashing department. However, I do agree that the wording around people who 'don't know how to wear dresses' is unnecessarily perjorative and does come across as judgemental. It might not be meant in that way and probably isn't, but there certainly is scope to read it like that. As I say, I don't wear bloomers but I certainly DO know how to wear a dress.
Thank you, Nikki and Nina. I was just reading along and enjoying the post until I reached the condescending and judgemental comment. These off-handed remarks (beginning with the grocery store attire post) really don't sit well with me. I was hoping the grocery post was a one-off, something that maybe I misinterpreted, so I hung around. But now I'm beginning to see that I really don't need to follow and support someone who looks down on "the common folk" who don't have the knowledge to wear a dress properly. Sayonara, Solanah.
Well I do agree with you Solanah on the people wearing dresses "wrong", not in the way that they are too dumb to wear a dress but as in if you see a girl with fx a black g-string under a light dress and the black shines through the fabric that's just not a pretty sight. Or if a girl wear a tight skirt with those panties and you can see the elastic through and therefor get 4 cheeks it's not a pretty sight eighter. I don't know about USA but in Denmark you see that alot in the summer and we're supposed to be a very stylish country;)
Love this outfit so much, especially the frilly socks with heels- I usually wear white ones and never thought to try black!
Oh and whether it is bloomers, a slip, shorts or what- something needs worn under a frock if its flowy like this one as flashing your knick-knacks is never a valid option to choose!
Rachel
xxx
You're too cute with your bloomers and bangs! People need to stop getting so up in arms about the statements you might make about "how to wear a dress." I wear vintage dresses with petticoats on a semi-regular basis but no bloomers (just plain ole' full-butt panties). Am I offended? Hell, no. I live in a town that isn't particularly windy and I'm indoors most of the day doing hair. It's all about context. Plus, this is a site devoted to VINTAGE, folks. The undergarments Solanah suggests fall right in line with that.
Furthermore, Maja's comments above drive home the point that proper undergarments for the proper dress are not some elitist ideal...they're essential for dressing!
The negative comments here are ridiculous. I don't believe Solanah meant for the "girls who don't know how to wear dresses" comment to mean one should only wear bloomers, or if one doesn't dress like her they are wrong. It simply means what it says. There are women (Brittany Spears, I'm looking at you) who don't know how to wear a dress without flashing the world and could benefit from a little extra coverage. If you are so insecure that you see everything as a personal affront then I feel sorry for you.
Lizzie- What you said was ruder than anything you've accused Solanah of.
THANK YOU! I always always feel strange in skirts for just that reason. My husband thinks it's cute that even with a floor length skirt I put on at least 2 pairs of undies, usually more just so I don't feel so naked.
I'm going to find a pattern and make myself some bloomers TODAY!
I've added an extra bit at the end, hope that explains everything.
xoxo
wow people are too dang sensitive about everything! personally i'm glad for the bloomers suggestion! i have 3, soon to be 4, small children so i am constantly getting up and down off the ground and bending over to pick things up. not to mention that i'm from Oklahoma where 25mph winds are just a regular day and i have been looking for something that would help me keep wearing fuller skirts without flashing the world around me. huzzah to bloomers!!
I've seen too many short skirts with nothing underneath except a thong. UGH.
Women defintely need to think about those things when dressing!
Cute outfit as usual... :D Definitely like the colors and the pattern too. :) And yes, obviously, some things aren't meant for display to the whole world.
My only note: the current plague of girls wearing minidresses is to me even more unsightly than an accidental gust of wind. :)
That said, anytime I say something like that, I'll probably also receive a nice dose of insults for suggesting that clothing should follow some amount of guidelines... lol.
Solanah, you look adorable! I love your dress :-) and I love your bangs!!!
Don't worry Solanah. Some people have to take everything negative. I never thought you had an attitude, but I know you seem like a nice girl. My words are always taken wrong as well, and I feel like I should keep my mouth shut and let everyone else get to talk and have an opinion...But why does my opinion not count? It does, and yours does to! Keep up the great work.
Funny you just got your bangs back. I am growing mine out and am itching to go back to bangs. I can decide which looks best on me.
Tilia of Linden blossoms in my tea
The fact that you felt the need to come back and edit your post to suit the ridiculous feeling of individuals who took offense to what you said is insane! You would absolutely have to be LOOKING for something offensive to take what you said the wrong way and the fact that some people feel the overwhelming desire to do so is quite sad. Nothing in your post was in the slightest bit offensive. There ARE too many ladies out there who wear skirts and dresses without thinking twice about how they carry themselves while doing so. And THAT is offensive. I wear dresses and skirts all the time without any kind of undergarmet other than my normals, but I also stay aware of how I carry myself as to prevent flashing my private parts to the world. Don't you even think twice about the crazy negative comments. Also, pajamas in the grocery store is ridiculous. You keep writing this blog just the way you are and don't apologize for being you and saying what you think and feel.
Your bangs look adorable! I've had all different lengths too, including Bettie Page, and eyebrow-skimming is the best imho : )
Bloomers are SUCh a great idea, I can't believe I've never thought of it; windy days will no longer be pencil skirt days, haha!
I love this outfit Solanah, and you rock those bangs so well!
I agree that a big dose of butt when a gust of wind sweeps by is certainly not a good look! I have become very good at holding my dresses down in day to day life and am looking out for some more slips! But those bloomers are just darling! I'v never seen fitted bloomers like that, and shall be certainly looking into such styles! xx
Wow.
To me, girls who 'don't know how to wear dresses' is someone like Paris Hilton, flashing her patoot all over town. But I think the flashing was probably her intention.
I didn't see the comment as insulting to anyone else's style.
Before working at home, I worked in retail for years. I always felt more comfortable being in a dress all day rather than in pants. I climbed racks or boxes of stock, unloaded the freight truck, set up fixtures in the store and other active things that might risk flashing. So I always wore something under my dress, over my regular underwear and stockings. When I was skinnier I wore the ruffled pettipants, now I either wear nylon taps or smooth pettipants. I'd rather someone see those than my panties.
Are you freakin' kidding me?! I swear, if I see another whiney, sniffling brat using the word "offensive" or "off putting" or "judgemental" in regards to your blog, I am going to go ballistic. Why do people waste their time trying, *yes*, SEEKING OUT ways to be offended???????
Frankly, if one looked hard enough, they could be offended at ANYTHING. Empress Nina, I am offended at your username - that you would call yourself an Empress as if you were better than others. NikNakPaddyWak - I am offended at your name as well. I can't believe you are so into yourself that you took the traditional spelling of Knick-Knack Paddy Wack and twisted it so that it the spelling fit with your name. Who do you think you are?????
Sounds a little ridiculous, doesn't it? Silly to pick out ridiculous things to be offended about, no? And STOP using the word "judgement," because all of you broken-hearted blog readers are awfully judgemental. Clearly, you all need to go read a blog where their only post, day in & day out, is "Pretty. I love you. Flowers. Kittens. Cupcakes. Sunshine." And still you would probably be offended at the omission of unicorns.
Get a life.
@Bakelite Babe - I've had that nickname for well over a decade and I'm not likely to change it. And LOL at being a "brokenhearted blogger". Thanks for the laugh. I needed it today.
Glad to mend your broken heart, if only a little.
I don't care if you change your name. Keep it, flaunt it, bedazzle it, whatever, but if my fake stab at your name is the only thing you took away from my comment, read again.
You look fab in the long bangs! So pretty! And of course the outfit is dreamy =)
I adore bloomers, esp when dancing. Even half circle skirts can show more than what one intended to show...
From the elder stateswoman in the room to you younger ladies ...thicken up that skin. You'll find life terrible and unbearable if the comments on a STYLE blog offend you so much.
There are far more important things to waste your time complaining about.
And for the record if your under carriage is hanging out , and you are not within 10 feet of a shinny pole or street corner you do NOT know how to dress !
Those bloomers are the cutest! I should definately get a pair or 2 as well. I love wearing big skirt and we too do get those nasty windy days once in a while.
Some people are just over sensitive and take everything personally,don't mind their mean comments :)
Interestingly enough, I was contemplating this and the ongoing comments as I was picking up middle child from school and dropping her at Girl Scouts. That's the thing about blogs/internet discourse - good stuff makes the wheels in your head turn and turn.
The thing about the internet is that tone is nearly impossible to convey. I think that possibly that's where the breakdown in communication began. I'm one who tends to take words on a page at their face value and not try to read into them intent or tone because it is so darned easy to get it wrong. That's why I used the term "offputting". Because I don't KNOW the intent for sure, I'm trying to attribute the best possible meaning to the words ~as they are written~.
The other neat thing about a "good" blogger - and by that I mean one that has good intentions - is that they take criticism well. If every comment from every person was happy roses, bunnies, kitties and rainbow farting unicorns, it would be incredibly BO-ring. And I'd be willing to be insincere. Because not everyone has the same perspective and life experiences. There are times when some bloggers/sites will disable any comment that doesn't blow the aforementioned rainbows up one's knickers. And that's just... Well... Dishonest is the closest thing I can think of to call it.
It also takes a very big person to go back and say "Gee, if I offended anyone, I didn't mean to. What I meant to say was..." and then clarify. Sometimes we say things in an off-the-cuff manner and don't realize that they can be taken very differently than we mean them. In the almost two decades I've been on the Internet, that's a lesson I learned very much the hard way. I'm a VERY big fan of the "edit post" button myself.
and @Bakelite Babe - sorry my post to you above was short - I was running late to pick up child from school and didn't have time to finish it. Sorry about that. I don't like the term "judgemental" either. It can so easily go ~either~ way.
I love your fringe! (Or bangs, as you Americans seem to call it :) )
I wish I was brave enough for one!
And bloomers? I'd have never thought they would have worked but you've proven me wrong.
Am currently googling where I can get them from in the UK.... (:
Bloomers and tap pants are fantastic under a full skirt. I can get a bit keen and like matching them to the outfit.
Gorgeous Bangs too
I was not offended by your comment as it's clear from the comments here that many people were not aware of bloomers (and I don't wanna see your bits). I would also like to add, if you are someone who isn't vintage down to the skin, you can buy new panty slips at most dept stores. When wearing bare legs in summer these are especially good at preventing thigh chaffing as well;)
i wasnt at all offended by your comment. I totally know what you are talking about but sometimes I feel like certain girls do things like that on purpose like bend over knowing full well that they have on a tight skirt. Whateves In other news you look ever so cute in this number
Oh my...I totally knew what you meant by "don't know how" - I don't think some people realize you have to adjust your activities/behavior for what you are wearing? For instance I don't bend over when wearing a low cut top. Just saying.
I still remember wearing a skirt and then getting out of the car at a restaurant up The Gorge...yeah wind and skirts are NOT a good mix unless you are Marilyn.
Gorgeous dress - love the shoes too!
Little Rachael
Little Rachael
Little Rachael
I agree. If I have to see another pair of black thongs through a thin dress I am going to be ill. Do people not wear slips anymore? LOL! And this was at my place of work!
I don't mind expression. Piercings tattoos (I have one), what have you, but please I do not need to see your personal areas.
I think Solanah has some good advice for the younger generation!
Good heavens lady's, her exact comment was "I've seen way too many knickers on girls who don't know how to wear a dress, better safe than sorry". As in she has seen too many panties thanks to ladies flashing them, letting the wind blow their skirts up, etc, and she would prefer to wear knickers just in case she has a wee careless moment too! She never said they don't know how to wear dresses because they don't wear bloomers.
And she's right. There's nothing like sitting on the tram and watching a high school girl let her legs flail about like a silly goose. If she'd sit with her legs together, she would know how to wear a dress and there'd be no need for bloomers :)
I love your outfit, by the way!!!
Why does this blog stir up SO much drama? Fellow bloggers such as Casey, Twila Jean, Quincy and Victoria don't generate all of this negativity. I don't get it. And it doesn't do anyone an ounce of good to get so blustery with each other.
All the talk of slips is making me laugh! Once when I was a teenager, I was wearing a too-big slip under a dress. The slip....slipped and the lace hem was showing (without me knowing). An older gentlemen discreetly told me about my wardrobe malfunction and then complimented me because he said it made him feel good about the world that there were still ladies who wore dresses and slips! That's still one of my all-time favorite compliments!
I'm the kind of casual vintage gal who rarely wears stockings and garter belts and bloomers and such (not having much occasion in my wardrobe to need to). But during a time when I wore them at least a bit more often, I was once at an art opening that mimicked a circus sideshow. I walked through a fun house and at the end you walked down a ramp and a HUGE puff of air blasted you from below. Little did I know my very figure-hugging pencil skirt would blow up like it was a circle skirt! I was never so glad to be wearing a longline garter belt and stockings-- as there was literally an audience at the end watching! I got applause. Thank goodness for my foresight on that occasion. ;)
Love your new hair :)
And your outfit is so cute- I love the bloomers! I haven't heard of anybody wearing them in ages (my gran talked about them). Great idea, super cute, not to mention super sensible for those unexpected moments ie wind etc :)
No offense taken by this bloomer-wearing gal. Bloomers, or pettipants, are a stellar accessory. I work in a high-rise amongst a sea of high-rises and the wind tunnel they create is fierce. I’ve seen plenty of unsuspecting gals get caught in a gale in the middle of the street. Trying to push your skirts down from your chin is bad enough in the middle of a crosswalk, while juggling your clutch and lunch tote, without having to worry if the world caught a glimpse of more than most ladies care to show.
Ha ha I don't even get how someone could get insulted by that! Crazy people. Well anyways. The bloomers seem like a great idea
Sorry my post got deleted by accident. I wanted to say that I think bloomers are so pretty to wear under dresses and I will have to get some myself. Love your new hair your bangs are so pretty! You have certainly inspired me to shop at more vintage stores in my area. Love your beautiful blog!
i love love love the bloomers and the bangs are just fantastic:)
What a great post and you look adorable as usual. It is always fun to check in here.
Your new bangs look gorgeous! I agree with keeping it modest while wearing skirts and dresses! Too much accidental flashing going on!
Your hairstyle is so cute. :)
I've never seen bloomers sold here in Hungary, but boy, would they be practical! Kids here usually tell each other off when seeing too much: "Budapest is small but the view is big." :)
I knew exactly what Solanah meant by her comment, however, it did make me cringe a little because I knew it was something some people may take the wrong way.
Part of the editing process when you are writing is to make sure that what you mean is conveyed as fully as possible, since there are limitations to the written word. You can convey tone with word and phrase choice. It's just trickier.
Now, some people might say "this is a blog, not literature," but it's still writing, telling a story, and you want to be as clear as possible.
At my work, in management, we say all the time, "Perception is reality." This means that if people are saying you're a bitch, or unhelpful, even if you are the sweetest, most accommodating person in the world, you still need to figure out what you are doing to create that perception. It usually all comes down to how you are positioning yourself during those times when you cannot help. Unfortunately, people talk about bad experiences more than good, so a couple of bad interactions can create a skewed perception.
I think that your blog is lovely, Solanah. I'm obviously not saying you should censor yourself, just to think twice before hitting publish. That's the beautiful thing about the written word, we have time to edit.
I think your outfit is darling and I think bloomers are a brilliant solution to those "out like a lion" April days. I can't wait to get some and spare myself windblown moments of embarrassment.
(PS: Poo to the whiners. Say what you like, its your opinion and your blog. And the fashion atrocities committed by so many people are often worthy of a few remarks, if I do say so myself.)
Sigh. Some people need to learn to read more closely and stop analyzing things for the sake of drama. It was obvious to me at least you weren't intending to offend anyone. No need to explain yourself to people who will see what they want to see anyhow. Lovely post, and I'm envious (in a good way) as usual!
Hello again Kim! Hope to see you this September again!
GingerGirl, Hat pins and hidden bobby pins are great for keeping hats on. Of course on breezy or windy days it's best to leave the brimmed hats at home, but little caps work well!
xoxo
"pretty is as pretty does" indeed, one must make the most of how one looks. However, when you see girls with a dazzling flesh toned G-string up their arse, and a dress so short It's closer to their belly button than knees.. I'd have to say they don't know how to dress at all.Don't let closed minded fools go about upsetting you on your blog, It's just not cricket, and I'm sure she's been wearing dresses for years... Unless she's walking around town naked..
Wow, those comments are snarky! I'm surprised they took offense to your writing and not to people who are flashing their undies to the world!
Personally, I think that people should dress how they please, but I still cringe when I see girls wearing really short tunics or sheer tights as pants (it's happened! I've seen it!).
I think that modern dress has lot a lot of the finer aspects of vintage clothing, especially undergarments! Imagine if we'd kept the tradition of wearing slips and bloomers. We might be a bit less comfortable and have less "loungewear", but we wouldn't be seeing anyone's tush, that's for sure.
(ps. I also just realized that this is a semi-old post, but I wanted to share my 2 cents :D
also: the word verification for me was "panti"! How ironic!)
Wow! For a lady just trying to show off your fashion, you sure do get criticized!! I absolutely love your blog and have never been offended by anything on here!!
Keep on keeping on girl!!
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