I love the short-sleeved version shown here, especially with that hat. What kills me, though, is that I can't think of any modern equivalent to a dress like this. What does a woman wear these days that is so simple and yet so un-girlish? Low-rise jeans? Please.
I'm thinking about this as today is my 35th birthday (yay!) and, even though I'm glad that I can just toss on a pair of sneakers and jeans any time I so choose, there's not an equivalent freedom further up the scale. Why is there this big gap now, where people are either wearing jeans or a cocktail dress (or, actually, jeans and a top that looks like the top of a cocktail dress, instead of the cocktail dress)? Where did all the intermediate stages go? (I mean, besides my closet.) It is a puzzlement, to be sure.
Anyway, now that I've achieved ostensible maturity, I plan on wearing a LOT more dresses like this, to fill in the gap. I also plan on doing these things: calling people "my dear boy"; saying "in MY day, a lady wouldn't be caught DEAD in that"; and indulging in completely unwarranted nostalgia for the mid-to-late 1980s.
Happy birthday!
Posted by: caramaena | 08/12/2006 at 10:16 AM
Happy birthday, Erin!And I totally agree with you about our baffling modern dress code.
Posted by: Miss O'Hara | 08/12/2006 at 10:21 AM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!I went to to hear the 5 Browns, a classical piano group of Julliard alum siblings.For the first half of the concert, the 3 sisters wore nice dresses. The second half one of them wore the same dress but the other two wore jeans and those tops that could be dresses if they were a bit longer. With both they wore very high stilletto heels. It was kind of jarring.
Posted by: Susan in St. Paul | 08/12/2006 at 10:32 AM
Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Erin, Happy Birthday to you!
Posted by: Yvette | 08/12/2006 at 10:40 AM
Happy birthday, Erin! Like you, one of the reasons I sew is because I can't find dresses in a store that look good on anyone over 20 years old. How I miss those days of sophisticated fashions for grown women! At least we have retro sewing patterns to remind us of the good old days of real style.
Posted by: robertajune | 08/12/2006 at 11:00 AM
Happy Birthday!Maybe the sundress/light cardigan is the new uniform?
Posted by: Anonymous | 08/12/2006 at 11:06 AM
Happy birthday!I am a beginner with this "sewing" thing -- I can sew a hem or a seam and that's about it. I'm working on my first skirt now. :)What I do for that no-womans-land in the middle is...I buy nice, but not cocktail-y tops on sale, and pair them with knee-length skirts or nice slacks. It's not perfect, but with careful selection, it can get you through. (And the skirt I am working on is a nice tweedy affair, to be worn to work in the fall and winter, with cami and cardigan. Wish me luck!)
Posted by: Laura | 08/12/2006 at 11:10 AM
Happy Birthday Erin! Great dress - I love the sleeveless version, too. At our ripe old age (you're a little over a month older than I am), I'm not sure we can get easily get away with "my dear boy", unless it's our own sons! Besides, I have no nostalgia whatsoever for the mid-to-late 80's. Zip, nada, zilch.
Posted by: Summerset | 08/12/2006 at 11:13 AM
Happy Birthday to you! :-) Hope you have a great one. I totally agree with you on the fashion no-woman's land....I can't find anything decent for anyone over 20, either, (I'm 41)....or short waisted with a CHEST. Glad we are all in this together....And Thanks, Mom, for teaching me to sew!!! :-) Again, Happy Birthday to you.
Posted by: Cheryl Seppala | 08/12/2006 at 11:56 AM
Happy Birthday!Like the other commentors, I make my own dresses and wear them all.the.time. I occasionally find dresses to purchase new but even the sundresses have a certain "you must wear me only to summer weddings and with fancy fancy shoes" look. Now, send me to a vintage store like the Red Light here in Seattle or Una Mae's in Chicago and I will buy six vintage dresses in a second. (Okay, only the ones that fit.)Love the blog and pattern ideas!
Posted by: Daphne | 08/12/2006 at 12:33 PM
Happy Birthday, Erin!Yes, yes, yes, clothes for women, not girls, waifs, chicks, hos, [insert diminuative and/or derogatory term for female person here] is the reason I love vintage too. Carry on!
Posted by: Gidget Bananas | 08/12/2006 at 12:41 PM
A very happy birthday to you. I am a lurking reader and really love your blog.
Posted by: Anonymous | 08/12/2006 at 12:55 PM
Happy B'day Erin!
Posted by: Erica B. | 08/12/2006 at 01:00 PM
Happy Birthday, Erin!!!!
Posted by: Mandy | 08/12/2006 at 01:46 PM
Happy Birthday!I wear long loose dresses everywhere - morning, noon and night. They are so versatile, and can be dressed up so very easily. Some fabrics are more dressy or more casual, but so many can go either way depending on shoes and accessories. And, most importantly to me, they are comfortable as well as stylish. When it's really, really hot, I wear shorter versions.I do have a few pairs of jeans, stretch pants and capris, but they last forever because they don't get really frequent wear.
Posted by: Rebecca | 08/12/2006 at 02:21 PM
Happy Birthday indeed! :-)Okay, I also have to ask this now. What do you perennial dresses wearers wear underneath? Don't you get terrible thigh chafing in the summer? Or do you get yourselves long granny undies?
Posted by: bani | 08/12/2006 at 02:43 PM
Happy Birthday Erin!Love your blog! I can't sew and can't find dresses my size... yet.but I could always wish and hope it would be soon :)Have a great day and many happy returns of it!
Posted by: Anonymous | 08/12/2006 at 02:48 PM
Happy Birthday!And I agree about styles of dress - where did the middle ground go? I went to a concert at the New York Philharmonic a while back, and people were wearing baseball hats! Indoors! I shudder at the memory. ;) Many happy returns.
Posted by: Elaine | 08/12/2006 at 02:51 PM
i wld love to wear all kinds of dresses too! But sadly, short legs & long torso is a problem for fashion in singapore. wish i could indulge in the nostalgia too.. :)
Posted by: gracie | 08/12/2006 at 03:53 PM
Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Alina | 08/12/2006 at 04:15 PM
Yeah, the HAT!!!!Wearing a dress AND a hat...now that is bliss.Best Birthday Ever to you.
Posted by: Thoughts on Life and Millinery. | 08/12/2006 at 04:24 PM
Dear Erin - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! May the universe bring you the loveliest day and many happy returns - full of stunning dresses, luscious Liberty prints and ravishing haberdashery.And Yay! Leo-girl! We have a birthday overlap, as I'm following you up on the 13th. Due to the time difference I'll start celebrating here in London whilst it is still your birthday in the US of A! Happy birthdays all round ...with Virtual slices of special Virtual birthday cake for everyone :-)
Posted by: LondonGirl | 08/12/2006 at 05:10 PM
Happy birthday!
Posted by: Melinika | 08/12/2006 at 05:28 PM
I thought I was the only woman in America who was excited about finally being a grown up. Either you're an ealy bloomer, or I'm a late bloomer because for me the age of maturity is the big 4-0. Since I realized that it was coming up in October, I haven't been able to stop bragging about it. I have banished jeans from my wardrobe and am learning to play bridge, and suddenly I'm finding that I couldn't care less what other people think of me. I know what's best.
Posted by: Isabel | 08/12/2006 at 05:54 PM
Happy Birthday Erin - I'll be 35 this year too and I feel ever more stylish as I get older - it may be something to do with having a bit more money to afford to buy great things, but I think mainly it is confidence in yourself to wear what you know suits you whether it is in fashion or not.Hope you have a great day!
Posted by: Rose Red | 08/12/2006 at 06:20 PM