Where to begin? For the last few months I’ve packed and/or purged the contents of my Florida home, which included a large addition that housed my vintage business of 16 years. This has been the culmination of my downsizing/semi retirement plan my husband and I have been working towards for a couple of years now. What we didn’t plan on is that we would sell our house and have to move in the middle of a pandemic.
We moved into a smaller place and then drove up to our apartment north of Boston, where we spend 1/2 the year. My husband drove a Penske truck with the vintage inventory in it. I drove my car with my two kitties. And in order not to have to stop at fast food places on the road I brought coolers full of prepared food. I also stocked an anti-COVID arsenal of home sewn masks, rubber gloves, our own linens, several cans of Lysol spray, Clorox Cleanup, sani-wipes and paper towels. Before settling in each night we cleaned every hotel room we stayed in until it was as sterile as a surgical suite!
After arriving north the vintage stock had to be moved into a warehouse space. This included hundreds of dresses on hangers and over 50 large plastic bins of various vintage clothes and accessories. Oh, and did I mention I had injured by back during this whole mess? That just added to the fun of the 1300 mile drive. I arrived here two weeks ago and am just starting to feel like my old self. That had to be one of the most stressful things I’ve ever done in my life.
While recovering from this nightmare, I started binge watching shows. In need of some escapism, something lighthearted and silly, I turned to the The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a 50s housewife who starts a career in stand up comedy. With it’s zany characters and great mid century fashion it was perfect to take my mind off of the daily influx of depressing news.
It gave me the idea for my first blog post in months. Being as it is springtime and I’m loving Midge Maisel’s look, I was thinking floral prints and the classic ladylike fashions of the 50s and early 60s. Something light, airy, feminine.
My wardrobe for the last several weeks has consisted of T-shirts, tunics and leggings. Stuff that was comfortable to wear while packing, cleaning, and lugging stuff around. I really miss being able to dress up and go out to a swing dance, a nice restaurant or a vintage themed event. But I try not to dwell on that too much, as there are a lot of people out there who have much more to worry about, unfortunately.
One thing about packing to move, you find things you had totally forgotten about. I re-discovered this off white beaded 50s cardigan, which I paired with an early 60s blue floral nylon organza dress.
One of the things I like about these type of dresses from that era is the linings of the dresses were often the same print as the sheer overlay, creating an interesting dimensional effect.
Rummaged through my hat collection and found this darling vintage hat covered in blue, turquoise and white flowers. A lovely little spring chapeau. Like wearing a little garden on your head. Just looking at it cheered me up!
The blue suede pumps are from the 80s, but work with the late 50s/early 60s look.
Blue beaded vintage bracelet, triple strand necklace and crystal clip on earrings to complete the outfit.
Hope Mrs. Maisel would approve!
Even during this trying time, I can still enjoy my vintage fashion by playing dress up. You’re really never too old for that, right? I can put outfits together in anticipation of socializing in a post-pandemic world. I think it’s important to concentrate on the little things. Things that you normally take for granted, but now you appreciate more for the way they help you add some positive energy to your day.
How about you? What little things have you been doing to help combat the coronavirus blues?
Linkups
Jess at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish for Turning Heads Tuesdays
Shelbee on the Edge for Your Own Twist Linkup
Nancy’s Fashion Style for Fancy Friday
