Shot by Courtney Reader, 1930s gown from Gigi's House of Frills
I'm so excited to share these beautiful new photos! I always love shooting with Courtney Reader and this time I made the trip to Oshawa to shoot with her at the local car show. But we got there late and we only got a few shots with cars before they all left and we had to improvise because these beautiful garments had to be shot!
The gown in the photo above is a gorgeous black rayon 1930s gown from Gigi's House of Frills, and I had to fight someone to get it! Apparently when it was posted on Instagram, another person DM'ed them to buy the gown just after I messaged them saying I wanted to try it on and buy it if it fit me. But unfortunately for this buyer, I won out because it fit perfectly.
It's a sheer black with off-white bows sewn into the fabric, it's just so unique and I'm so lucky to have been able to snag it. It's definitely a gown that isn't just for lounging in and could be worn out. Since it is quite sheer, I paired it with another slip I have from Gigi's, a lovely 1950s black number that just looked lovely peeking out of the deep neckline.
A lot of vintage pieces like this gown are quite suitable for outwear and I didn't feel like I was wearing pajamas at all when I was walking around outside, just like I was well dressed! I think it also comes down to the styling, you can make a nightgown look like outwear with the right hair and makeup, I have mine done up in a pinup style and I felt quite glamorous wearing and shooting this gown.
Another beautiful piece we shot is this 1940s robe, also from Gigi's! It looks just like a piece from a noir film, something a femme fatale would wear as she smokes a cigarette and plots to kill a man and steal all his money.
One thing about this robe is it doesn't just tie at the waist, it zips up at the front and is quite a lot like a dress. The sash at the waist is for decoration and to define the waist with the shoulder pads. It gives a true 1940s silhouette and is quite beautiful. It also has pockets!! This has to be one of my favourite details of the piece because not only are pockets the best, they're so beautiful with the raised embroidered fabric detailing on them.
These two items can easily be worn as dresses and so can a lot of other vintage pieces and even some modern ones. There are so many beautiful vintage slips and gowns that could be worn as dresses with the right styling, maybe a slip with a structured jacket or a pretty cardigan with some nice accessories or a bed jacket or robe with trousers. Robes and kimonos are actually quite on-trend right now and they're very easy to wear. I've been wearing robes as outerwear for quite a while now and I usually pair them with leggings and a nice top or over a dress and I've gotten a lot of compliments on them!
Bras can be work as tops too if you're daring, or you can let them peek through your clothing for a bit of the lingerie-as-outerwear look. Celebrities like Dita Von Teese frequently wear lower-cut dresses to show off their underpinnings, and often they're just as beautiful as what's on top. Vintage overwires can be paired with a high-waisted skirt or trousers and modern longline bras can also be suitable as replacements for tops. It may be a bit bold for some, but I think it looks beautiful!
Would you ever wear lingerie as outerwear? Let me know in the comments!