Hearts and Minds

Holly suggested this dress to me ... what dress, you ask? The dress made from this fabric, which is listed here, by the eBay seller Aphrodite Eternal. Which is a fitting name for someone selling a dress made of heart-emblazoned fabric, isn't it?

I love that the hearts are yellow (and also blue, not seen in photo above). If the hearts were red and pink, I probably would have yawned and never even clicked on the thumbnail photo ... I think that this desire for colors outside the traditional iconography maybe be a pervasive part of my psychological makeup. It goes with the blue flowers obsession and my constant search for marimba/xylophone covers of most of the major pop songs of the last four decades.

The dress itself is on the small side (W24) and fairly expensive (bidding started at US$99) but if neither of those things deter you, click on the picture and take a look.

Comments

[Anonymous]

Not too fond of this print--sort of alot of ugly stuff going on here. The dress is great, but hmmm, the print hurts my eyes...

[SDMC]

I don't like the fabric up close either, but the dress is rather pretty....of course, the size is way below my ummmmm....usual size. :-)

[Laura Bennett]

That is some serious ugly.

[Rubie ~ The Vintage Fashionista]

I gues beauty is in the eye of the beholder because I love it! The dress and the fabric.

[Robinson]

I think that the fabric is fun. I'm with Erin on seeing something unexpected. I also like that the peek-a-boo opening on the front ties it with the hearts on the fabric. Except that I hate that peek-a-boo thing, at least for myself. I always think it ends up looking trashy on a busty girl.

[mickey]

I love the style, the print reminds me of some old sofa pillows a distant relative had years ago...I wish it wasn't photographed against such a busy background either.

[Ivy Frozen]

It's perfectly my size! Unfortunately the price isn't... I love the print, although not so much in the small picture. The heart cut-out and the faux sarong skirt are awesome though.

[Linda]

I love this dress. I too like the colors, yellow being a favorite color of mine. But unfortunately it is the wrong size. Love the faux sarong skirt, interesting idea.

[Anonymous]

For those of you who like this dress, just go down to your Salvation Army store. You can find very similar dresses for only $3.00!

[Ang]

Love the print for how odd it is! Not for me to wear, so much....but its a bold one. Great colors...whimsical & fun. Some chunky yellow accessories would tone it down. And as a person who spends quite a lot of time hunting down vintage for a living, no, you can not just head on down to Salvation Army & expect to find a 40s dress in a unique print in great condition. Most SAs stopped putting out the vintage long ago, and it takes some pretty serious scavenging to come up with even ONE great dress anymore, let alone without underarm stains & zippers intact! Thrifting for good vintage aint what it used to be! Ang

[lucitebox]

Well, obviously, I really like this dress, but I really love the fabric. It's got a folkloric vibe that really appeals to me. The long skewers poking into the hearts look like hat pins. The hearts could be hat pin cushions. It also has a bit of a Norwegian feel. It sort of reminds me a little bit of rosemaling or something Pennsylvania Dutch. Maybe even Mexican. This colorway is the sort of thing you really don't see anymore. Plenty of manufacturers try to do repro vintage looks, but the colors are always off and not quite as zany as they were originally. If only I could just stroll down to my thrift store and find this vintage 1940s dress for $3. I'd be quite happy. Holly

[Ang]

Meant to add that it looks like those hearts are being speared by fantastical hat pins...would be great for a collector. Ang

[Ang]

Xposted w/ you, Holly! Hatpins indeed! Ang

[Floridaprincess]

I love this fabric. I dont care for the style of the dress tho . Not that it matters cause it is not my size.

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is 40s. Probably more like 80s.

[lucitebox]

Hi Anon III, I'm not sure if you noticed the label. It zips with a side metal zipper. (Not entirely uncommon for an 80s dress, but completely typical for a 40s dress.) The length also gives it a 40s date. A dress from the 80s would have probably been quite a bit shorter. I think this is definitely a 40s dress.