Monday, March 22, 2010

my favourite thrifts: new feature!

today is the first in what i hope will become a regular feature here: my favourite thrifts. i've been posting my finds for years on thriftwhore but here i will highlight one item per post and tell you where i found it, what i paid for it, and why i think it's awesome. pretty straightforward. so here is the innaugural post of my favourite thrifts.

1970s political dress

found: march 2010
where: emmaus
how much: 3$

why it's awesome:

i promised myself years ago i would stop thrifting things for other people; i would only purchase things that i could fit into and that i would wear. i wouldn't simply take anything that i thought was beautiful or interesting or cool home with me just to have it, or to give to a friend, or to maybe one day sell. this, of course, has failed miserably, namely since i started my etsy store in november 2008 and when i stumble upon things like... this dress.

this dress. this dress is made for a child, but it is by and large one of the world's most wonderful dresses i have ever found. i'm sure you're looking at said dress, thinking, "why, yes, julia that is a cute dress, but one of the world's most wonderful dresses? that's quite a statement to make about a simple little 1970s children's garment."

sure, there's no fancy embroidery, or embellishment, or designer tags. it, by all accounts, looks like any old dress a young girl in the 1970s would scamper around the yard in, spill ice cream on, get dirty in. but let us look a little bit closer.

collar
upon inspecting the perfectly sweet peter pan collar, the awesomeness of this garment should become apparent. no? need more convincing? look closer still...

up with permissive society!
look at the print of the sleeves! there are little children holding placards; they are all protesting for women's liberation, a permissive society and worker's rights! how amazing is that! i can't stop using exclamation marks!

workers of the world unite!
and to top it off, they are the most stylish adorable freckled little protestors you've ever seen.

detail
this one, who holds the sign saying "up with permissive society," reminds me of a turn of the century suffragette. think of the mother in mary poppins.

and there you have it. one of the world's most wonderful dresses i have ever seen.

check out my flickr for a few more photos and for higher resolution versions.

6 comments:

lisa zain @etsy said...

julia! i agree. one of the most wonderful dresses of all time... now where can we find the rest of that fabric!?!?!? dang. <3 great eye lady.

p.s. i am the QUEEN of hoarding things that are just too wonderful to leave at the thrif store. whether it be for friends, my nieces, whatever... i'm so bad at leaving the 'good stuff' behind.

hannah, heart city said...

oh plz do show more! also, if it is from the emmaus that is in PA my friend/roommate took me out there one time for the incredibly abundant thrifting and i've been wanting to go back ever since!

Alexandra said...

Oh my god! That really is one of the best dresses ever. This must go viral now if only so we can find the 40-something woman who wore this as a child...or her amazing mother...or the brilliant designer.

Mystery Flight Vintage said...

definitely most wonderful!

Mary said...

mind-blowing!

Anonymous said...

I completely love that dress! I want some of the fabric to make something myself with it.

Also, hi, I'm Millie, and I really, really like your blog :) You're thoughtful and articulate and I'm fan-girling all over your comment section and will stop now.

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