inspiration

i saw "factory girl" for the first time yesterday, and while i thought the movie was just fine...the clothes were amazing. with my passion for mod fall dresses i'm thinking of getting the "edie sedgwick" haircut above. it's a huge change for me...but it's just hair, right? (i've already started looking for big, vintage earrings on ebay!) what do you think?

autumn wardrobe

this past weekend i started planning my autumn wardrobe. i scoured ebay (for hours and hours) and found some lovely dresses for cooler weather. i have won three so far and have about five or so to go. they are all some combination of the following: brightly colored, boldly printed, intricately detailed.

here are the ones i have won already.



as sad as i'll be to see the warm weather fade, i'm totally looking forward to snuggling into these dresses.

random blog tuesday

are you kidding me? apparently i'm one of the last people to know about the preteen blogging wonder, Tavi. (she was in T Magazine already, for crying out loud.)

check her out.



um...yeah she's 12. here's her blurb from her about me section.

Hi there! I'm Tavi, but when I make typing errors I'm Ysbo. Throughout my blog you will find small references to 80's films, as well as inside jokes that will at first come off as creepy, but will not compare to the creepiness of my Van Montgomery-esque smile. My dream haircut would be some type of cross between the YSL bowl cut and the hair of Daft Punk music video characters, with a little Bob Dylan. I'm married to a high schooler pirate. I am not a Harry Potter fan, but I totally dig his specs.

wish i had been that cool at 12.

some good, ole fashioned fun

note to self: (part II)

and these eyes
---------------->
need to go with the aforementioned hair.

image from hollystadler.com

note to self:

somehow, we have to make this
--------->
happen with our hair.

image from eternal child's a/w '08 collection.

impulse purchase

i was checking out ebay this morning and came across this dress when it had just a few minutes left on the auction block. i typically put a lot of thought into my purchases, but this was too pretty to let go. (it is made of silk and fully lined in taffeta. i'm a sucker for a well made dress in EXACTLY my size.) i'm not in love with the neckline...at least the way the picture shows it...so i may play with that a bit when i have it in my hands. other than that, i am very pleased.

ebay dresses for everyone - part two

it may seem like a lot of the vintage dresses on ebay are for smaller women, but depending on your shape, there is a decade out there for everyone. big bust/hips? 40s/50s full skirted dresses. bulgy tummy? late 60s/early 70s tent dresses. pear shape? 70s a-line halters. anything is in style if it looks great on you! (seriously.)

listed below are all the dresses i found for my wonderfully hourglassed friend. (all the dresses have a 38-40" bust, 30-34" waist and mostly open hips.) just click the photo to get to the auction.

the fun and flirty


the bright and pretty


the sweet and casual


the simple and elegant


happy bidding!

ebay dresses for everyone - part one

i recently had a cookout for my friend's birthday. i wore one of my many maxi sundresses i got from ebay (you know i'm obsessed, right?) and when i told some of my girlfriends that it came from ebay, i got the usual response of shock and admiration. things were said like:

"how does it fit you so well?"
"i can't find anything, ever, on ebay."
"did you get it altered?"
"i can never find things in my size."
"i just get nervous about buying something without seeing it."
etc.

i spoke with one of my girlfriends specifically, and at length, on the subject of buying for a more voluptuous girl on ebay. today, i am here to demystify the art (yeah, i'm proud) of finding the perfect dress on ebay (in part one) and to offer my voluptuous lovely several options i found for her (in part two). so...here we go.

the how-to of ebay dress shopping

1. know what you like. there are thousands and thousands of dresses on ebay. it can get overwhelming fast. have an idea in mind before you start looking.
   
2. use the search bar to your advantage. once you have a dress/shape/color/era/size in mind, search for that. most people are very descriptive in their titles so you won't lose a lot of viable options when searching. (my recent search terms have been "maxi" and "psychedelic", separately.)
   
3. know your range of measurements exactly. this is really the most important bit because you aren't going to be able to try on this dress until you own it. you can use this incredibly brief, but instructional guide from vintagevixen.com to help you figure out how to measure yourself correctly. (make sure you have on the same undergarments you would when wearing a certain dress. i have a few sets of measurements depending on whether or not i'm wearing a bra with a dress and even which bra i would choose to wear.)
4. really look at the details. again, since you aren't going to be able to touch the dress before purchase, make sure the seller's photos give you a good idea of the quality of the fabric and the craftsmanship of the dress. always ask for more photos if you are intrigued but not yet convinced.
5. read the fine print. most sellers will only let you return a dress if they can agree with you that they described it incorrectly. some people list measurements in a funny way, have rules about paying by a certain method or time period, or may not mention the flaws or overall quality of a dress. once you have found your virtual vintage dream dress it can get expensive if you're bidding against many others who feel the same love and adoration you do. cover your ass and know all the details so when you finally win your dress it will be an amazing investment and not an unreturnable mistake.

that's the basics. once you start doing it more often (honestly, the hunting becomes addictive) you will hone your craft. you will learn exactly what you like and what looks great on your body and will feel damn good with the barrage of compliments that will follow your new vintage dress around town. with the single link below, i open the door to an exciting new world of clothing to you. be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.

ebay>women's vintage clothing>dresses