There’s a First Time for Everything (literally everything, and all in one dress)

First time with lace?
Check.

First time with stretch?
Check.

First time with Burda\’s online patterns?
Check.

Finally made that Gatsby challenge dress pick from approx. 10000 years ago?
Check it out!

Sometimes I think it can be good to take on what would be strictly considered \”more than you can chew\” in a low-stress way, like a costume. That at way you can just dive in without worrying too, too much about whether you mess it up/it\’s not perfect/etc.

My bff Martha turned 26 this week and threw a 1926-themed party, so obviously I needed a dress. We listened to christmas music and the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann\’s Great Gatsby, drank gin fizzes in beautiful vintage glassware, and pouted attractively in front of the camera. We also listened as the birthday girl herself did a dramatic reading of this instant classic (from last year) about Norwegians\’ deep concern for wood and wood fires.

I curled, teased, and pinned up my hair into a faux bob for that flapper thing, which is not what I typically go for. I watched some youtube videos on 1920s makeup, too (by the way, did you see the 100 years of hair & makeup video? it\’s swell) and I was quite pleased with my final look!

I wore a mish-mash version of this burda dress. It is vintage… wrong era, but I think I pulled it off as convincingly 20s-y, right?

RE: Dress construction, I threw the instructions out the window (not really, they were on my iphone!) and constructed it however the heck I felt like (spoiler: poorly). Plus, this dress isn\’t built for lace, so it doesn\’t have an interlining layer, just the fashion layer and the lining. I do what I want!

…but don\’t look too closely.