Lucky Twin

One of my motivations for starting this blog is that I was pretty sure that my ambivalent feelings around some of my dresses would crystallize into, "I am going to give this away." I was pretty sure, for example, that Day and Nightie, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Audrey One would not make the cut. But I have new hope — one of these days, I am going to make alterations to Day and Nightie! One of these days, I am going to wear Red Fish, Blue Fish to another party! One of these days, I am going to take Audrey One and... actually, I am probably going to give that one away. You can have it if you promise to keep the epaulets intact.

I was also pretty sure that Lucky Twin was going to end up as a giveaway.

I bought it at World of Style Vintage the same day I bought Day and Nightie, and its problems are so similar that I almost wonder if they were sewn by a home sewer from the same pattern (neither one has a label). I think I just really wanted the store to succeed, so I bought things that didn't quite fit.

They've got the same sort of fusty neckline.

And they are both a bit too big, and a bit shapeless, though Lucky Twin doesn't have quite the same billowing bosom.

Belting it only helps a little.

So, this needs to be culled, right?

Not so fast.

When I was pulling up stills from Mad Men to illustrate my admiration for Janie Bryant in the Phony Joanie post, I found something that made me sit up and take notice.

What is she wearing? 

And why did she never wear it onscreen?


Let's rotate the print on Lucky Twin, and take a closer look:

Do my eyes deceive me, or is Megan Draper wearing a dress that is literally cut from the same cloth as one that I was on the verge of tossing away like so much superfluous chopped dill?

There is such a thing as having too much dill, you know.

Check it out again:

So now the question becomes, not "Does anyone want this?" but "How do I make this look more like that?"

The sleeves would be a little tough to pull off (so to speak), but I think there is enough material here to approach the other design. It might just be a question of fitting the bodice and leaving a full-ish skirt. Also, if anyone can make out the neckline in that picture and/or has ideas on how it could be achieved, please do let me know.


All photos by Claire Loeb!