My Favourite Outfit: Allyson
In this series, I ask the contributor to share an image of their favourite outfit – maybe a pair of pants they wore every day, maybe a special party dress – and write about where they were in their life and why the outfit has such significance. Every Friday in November I’m featuring a post by a member of Rosie & the Riveters, a band of four women inspired by vintage fashion, The Andrews Sisters, Mahalia Jackson, and The Good Lovelies. Their album Good Clean Fun! came out last month and they are releasing their music video for Red Dress in early 2016. Today we welcome Allyson and her favourite dress.
I bought this dress almost a year ago, a week before Rosie & the Riveter’s album cover photo shoot. Our band was trying to get the “concept” and colour scheme of the album (Good Clean Fun!) together and we had just decided to wear jewel tone dresses. I had no idea what kind of dress I wanted but the moment I saw this one online I knew it was the one for me – the sweetheart neckline, the fit and slight flair of the half circle skirt, the cotton poplin material, the rich aubergine colour – perfection!
Wearing 1940s and vintage inspired clothing can sometimes be a challenge when you’re looking for garments that you can wear to perform on stage. The necklines were often higher and skirts tended to be a little bit more fitted than in later decades and that doesn’t often leave room for a lot of movement. I have a larger chest so sometimes finding necklines that are both truly vintage and work for me can be challenging, but the sweetheart neckline is just that – oh so darling! The half circle skirt is also flattering in that it hugs the body at the lowest part of the ribs then flairs just slightly, creating the perfect swing for walking or dancing.
The most important aspect of personal style, for me, is how a garment makes you feel when you wear it. Do you feel comfortable? Do you feel confident and powerful? Can you move well in it? Does it make you want to dance? This dress does all of this for me and I feel like a million bucks when I wear it…especially when I pair it with a fascinator and some fabulous t-strap Mary Jane shoes!
When I bought this dress I was really in a transitional place in my life. I was trying to find a healthy balance between multiple jobs, a really badly sprained ankle, another round of strep throat, and a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere—on top of getting ready to promote and release a new album with Rosie & the Riveters. Even thinking back on that time in my life makes me tired!
I’m very careful with my money so making a split second decision to purchase this custom-made dress stressed me out waaaay more than it should have, especially since it was supposed to arrive the day before the photo shoot and there was NO time for alterations. Thankfully, the dress fit like a glove and everything worked out for the album cover! I’ve since worn it at a couple summer festivals, conferences, and more recently in our music video for “A Million Little Things.”
I’ve found that problems in life generally tend to sort themselves out if you give them enough time, even problems that feel extremely difficult or stressful in the moment. And that’s exactly what happened—I feel settled and fulfilled with everything going on in life, no matter how crazy the schedule sometimes seems. Of course, having a sassy dress that makes you feel great always helps!