Thank you to all of the people who viewed and/or showed excitement toward my previous wedding-themed newsletter! I’m thinking that some of you are either: planning a wedding soon, like looking at beautiful vintage dresses, and/or are downright nosey (I can relate)!
People either love or hate to read about other peoples’ weddings. I used to be a bit on the hater side because I couldn’t fathom anyone starting their married lives together by spending a ridiculous amount of money on a stressful-to-plan event. Now I’m finding myself in that position and I’m completely able to justify spending my hard-earned money on *one* love-themed day. We’ve kept our plans incredibly small—both in guest count and in the remoteness of the location—so it thankfully doesn’t feel like a financial tragedy. I’ve started to love reading and hearing about weddings because I can finally relate to how sentimental it is for your closest people to meet the person you love’s closest people. Especially when they all live on the other side of the planet from each other and have never met!
I retroactively paywalled my first wedding Substack (sorry!) for two reasons:
1. While writing it, I realized that I made a mistake and didn’t choose the right dress, so my fiancé and I ended up driving to Barcelona (3.5 hours) to try on a dress that I couldn’t get out of my mind for almost a year. We made it into a whirlwind adventure by adding in some Gaudí architecture and eating lots of tapas. It felt very us!
And 2. I’ve become pretty shy about how personal I am online these days. It took me six months to share on Instagram that we were engaged! The idea of having the details of a really intimate life event exist online spooked me. While the writing is still online, fewer people have access to it now, which helps me sleep a teeny bit better. If you’re in the Nosey People Club™️, it will come with a $5/month price tag. Again, sorry! :)
I was starting to feel like a real Vogue wedding headline: “The Bride Wore 7 Luisa Beccaria Dresses to Marry at Her Family’s Estate in Sicily” when I told people that I had purchased four vintage dresses for my wedding. There are two wedding ceremonies in France, so I “needed” to find two dresses. Because of a massive case of indecision and a spiraling passion for old frocks, I managed to accumulate double the number. These vintage dresses aren’t extravagant or pricey, but they have a history and they come from the eras that I deeply appreciate. Now that I really found *the one* in the dress department, I have the task of selling three dresses after the wedding comes and goes.
I felt moved to gush and share more vintage dresses with you (that are still for sale as of this current moment, unless otherwise noted). Ones that I found along the way that I thought were beautiful and/or interesting, but weren’t for me. This time, I am promising to write about them and NOT make any rash decisions. Heaven knows I don’t need a sixth dress…
Divine textures and tiers:
Clockwise beginning at top left: Dolce & Gabbanna 1990s Organza; Anne Fogarty Evening Dress, circa 1970; Lorrie Deb San Francisco Romantic Tiered Dress; Couture 1960s Arnold Scaasi with Cape; 1940s Glass Beads with Ruffles; Frilled and Layered Dress; Cotton Ruffled Gown with Shoulder Cover and Train—I am ashamed that I lost the link to this one from eBay; 1950s Tiered Homemade Wedding Dress
Turn of the century:
Clockwise beginning at top left: Antique Lace Cotton Dress; 1910s Edwardian Cotton Ville Embroidered Dress; Edwardian Ecru Linen Lawn Dress; Cotton Batiste Tiered Lace Dress; Edwardian White Pleated Lawn Dress
1930s:
From left to right: Belted Clare de Lune with Caped Sleeves; Taffeta Cap Sleeve Gown with Bow; Bias Cut Silk Deliciousness; Velvet Gown with Court Train
Thinking of Audrey:
Clockwise beginning at top left: Saks Fifth Avenue 1940s Beaded Chiffon; 1990s Dolce & Gabbana Bow Gown; Custom Bergdorf Goodman Cocktail Dress, 1967; Bowed and Buttoned Gown; Champagne Hepburn Gown
1960s and ‘70s:
Clockwise beginning at top left: Dotted and Puffed Gown; Valentino Couture Cotton and Guipure Dress; Lillie Rubin Bustier Fur Dress; Jean Fisher Hand-Embellished Crystal Gown; Jean-Louis Scherrer Silk Poet Sleeve Gown; Malcom Starr Silk Spheres Gown; Sparkled Flower Column Dress
Non-white rule breakers:
From left to right, top to bottom rows: Voluminous Black Flowered Gown; Pearl Beaded Cream Silk Vintage Bias Cut Gown; Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi Runway Black Cutout Suede Dress and Cape Set; Oscar De La Renta Bicolor Crepe Gown; I posted about this yellow silk chiffon couture gown in a previous writing while gushing about Desert Vintage.; Oscar De La Renta Metallic Puff Sleeve Taffeta Ensemble; 1960s Malcom Staff Colorful Lamé Gown; Anise Green Empire Waist Evening Dress; 1950s Couture Black Pleated Tulle Strapless Gown
Dresses that found homes, but still haunt me:
All of these dresses were listed for sale by Xtabay and sold out within seconds, as most of her clothing usually does. Clockwise beginning at top left: Chanel-inspired Silk Party Dress with Black Sash; 1960s Rebecca Chic Wedding Gown with Soutache; Rosette Ruffle Neckline Gown; 1950s Polka Dot Evening Gown with Shawl; 1940s Ivory Silk and Velvet Gown with Semi-full Skirt
The most special one that got away. The first dress I immediately fell in love with one year ago was this 1955 tricolor chiffon French couture dress. At the beginning of this crazy dress ride, I showed it to a friend here in France and asked if it was too out-of-line to be my wedding dress. I’m sure she thought I was absolutely nuts, and being the sweet person she is, she kindly suggested alternatives that were similar in white. The truth is: I am nuts, and now also a little sad because this piece of history sold way too quickly!!!
Related Notes:
Ali LaBelle’s À La Carte featured a Notes of: Meringue writing a couple days ago that captured the exact essence of the feelings I’ve had while searching for a dress! We both seem to be equally food obsessed—often making connections between objects of nourishment and design. Here’s the decadent, meringue-inspired mood board she created to accompany her brilliant thoughts, plus a vintage gown photograph she shared. She definitely made me want to frolic in an oversized tub of whipped cream. You must see the rest of her post!
I signed up for the Augusta Auction newsletter (non-Substack) because I adore seeing the real deals of couture surface from private collections. As a part of the aforementioned Nosey People Club, I always wonder who is intensely tracking and bidding on them. The highest auction sale was for a $90,000 Madeleine Vionnet red and creme beaded dress. In my daydreams, it would pass exceedingly as part of a chic bridal ensemble.
Maharam posted a writing about Felice “Lizzi” Rix-Ueno, who designed murals, interiors for architectural projects, textiles, and collections of accessories with her distinctive motif-heavy style. I could easily see this particular mural in Tokyo translated into a couture gown. It would be a perfect contender forIn The Details With Molly’s Outfits & Interiors installments. One can dream!
xx
Speaking of dreams, may yours be pleasantly filled with silk chiffon and delicate pleating.
Kelsey
Okay I am just dying to see the one you chose! And pretty much everything else about your wedding. It sounds like it’s going to be a dream!
Wowie these assortments of wedding stresses got me way more inspired to hunt for something special. Up until now I have been majorly procrastinating this aspect of it all!