Tan Lines

Why buy vintage? It's always easier, and often cheaper, to hit up zara.com or nyandcompany.com (which actually does have some really cute dresses right now, just saying), to know that you always have a while to make up your mind, to wait for sales and stay on trend, to replace dresses with dragging hems or splitting seams instead of repairing them, to buy clothes you can throw in the washing machine without worrying they'll be ruined. (I know most people don't treat their nicest clothes that way, just jeans and t-shirts, but I wear dresses as my casual clothes. It's the New Formality!)

I buy vintage for the thrill of the hunt; to keep beautiful clothes out of landfills; to stay in style by staying out of style; because colors make me happy; because older workmanship lasts longer; because I hate disposable fashion; because the conditions under which today's clothes are produced will make you weep, am I'm not just talking about the labor conditions, but the environmental ones as well.

If a gorgeous dress was produced in the last 10 years, but came to you as a hand-me-down, is it still vintage?

Experts would quibble, especially since I have no idea what year it was made, and there's no label inside (a not-very-elegantly dressed woman approached me at a crosswalk last week and said, "Excuse me, did you get that dress at Henri Bendel?"). But I have no problem classifying it as vintage, for all the reasons I listed above. Except for "the thrill of the hunt," as it was an unexpected gift.

The print is insane; I love prints that change and adjust to the body parts they are covering. It's a much fancier effect than wallpaper-like patterns (which I also love, don't get me wrong).

Somewhere along the way, someone said, "Put that blue-green part on the belly, it won't look right anywhere else."

"And the chocolate brown should cover the entire décolletage."

The sleeves are fitted in unlike any other sleeves I've seen, like an extra-sophisticated raglan.

And I love the collision of the two patterns where the sleeve joins the bodice.

The matching belt, though fabric, has a nice solid heft to it.

Does anyone know any fancier knots than that? There have got to be some former Boy Scouts out there...

Maybe Tan Lines is from Henri Bendel. Where else do you get a belt with little gold tassels? It's so grown-up.

And now, the embarrassing revelation: I have had Tan Lines for at least four years or so, and the first time I wore it was last Thursday. My problem? I had no shoes to wear with it. I hate shoe shopping, and all my footwear is either black or sneakers (no black sneakers, though). I do have a friend over at Shoes 'n' Booze, though, and she suggested a nice snakeskin as a neutral alternative that is even more neutral than the über-neutral black. I waited so long to act on her advice that the actual model she suggested was no longer available, but ended up with these cute little tootsies from Nine West... that are now $20 cheaper than when I bought them. Damn.

The moral of the story: procrastinate until everything goes on sale, unless it's vintage, in which case snap it up ASAP or kick yourself forever. The other moral of the story: shoes are important, and you should contact Shoes 'n' Booze if you need help, because you probably do.

All photos by Claire Loeb!