Vintage

I have always been drawn to the past. Cheesy romance novels aside, I always felt like I had been born in the wrong era. Granted, I would not have done very well in a past without feminism, but I do not doubt that I would have been a suffragette! I started losing weight mainly for health reasons. I also felt so physically uncomfortable that I knew I needed a change. I remember once laying in bed and feeling like my chest was being crushed by so much weight. I have not yet reached my goal, but I am still working slowly towards it. Last night in Zuumba class I was dancing with such abandon that I practically tripped over myself when I realized it. Losing weight has set a part of me free.

Doing this thing I'm doing and losing weight has opened up a whole new world. Vintage clothing. I've always bought vintage jewelry, hats and scarves, but clothes never fit. I have mentioned that when I gained so much weight that regular sized clothes did not fit I started buying men's clothes. I also started sewing more. I shudder to think of some of my fashion choices from that time, not because they were eccentric, but because they were so limited. I will not apologize for wearing jeans with tights and doc martens though. Or the burgundy hat I used to wear to the bar.

When I moved to Madison my fashion changed because I lost a little bit of weight and there were more clothing options then in DeKalb. At least in Madison I could go to (shudder) Lane Bryant. I started to recognize that there was a woman trapped in this body and dress accordingly. I remember a black dress with teal flowers that was the first step towards my reclaiming my womanly figure. I was still wearing men's dress pants, but at least I was pairing them with women's dress shirts. I did find one black 1940's dress at a thrift store and I wore that dress to bits. It was very unusual to find a dress in a plus size 16.

I found an amazing dress when I went shopping with my family over thanksgiving break. I even have an occasion in mind to wear it to in a couple of weeks. I found a cute vintage cardigan in pink. When I went thrift shopping I found a couple more cardigans. I've started looking for vintage dresses on etsy. I feel like my fashion is no longer dictated by my size, instead it is directed by my notion of what is fashionable. While that may not be what you think is fashionable, you cannot deny that I do have my own je ne sais quoi!

Last night I put my hair up in pin curls and slept with a scarf tied about my head (there was a you tube video that showed me how). This morning I have these delightful curls reminiscent of a 1940's do. I do not think I will be dressing vintage head to toe and underneath like Dita von Teese, but it would be nice to borrow a bit of that glamour.