I've no idea when I'm going to wear it, the girl replied calmly, I only knew I had to have it. When I tried it on, well.........She shrugged, the dress claimed me.
Isobel Woolf A Vintage Affair
My heart skipped a beat when I spotted this vintage gown in the window of charity shop last week. Weighing over 2 kg and with its intricately boned bodice, layer upon layer of underskirt and exquisite appliqué & glass embellishments, it wasn't so much a dress as a piece of art. I bought it without a moment's hesitation. Too small to adorn my mannequin, it hung on the bedroom door for six days before I tried it on a whim last night. I was amazed to find that it fitted me perfectly.
But when to wear it? Asda, Lidl and the corner shop have been done before so I plumped for Pets At Home, a pet food superstore on a grim out-of-town retail park. Flanked by Matalan & Farmfoods, if anywhere ever needed an injection of vintage glamour on a wet Wednesday in Walsall then that place certainly did.
Funny, the other customers seemed a bit camera shy.
One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.
Oscar Wilde
 |
| Early 20th Century embellished silk velvet evening gown worn with fake Lita style leopard print platforms (car boot sale), armfuls of second-hand brass bangles and a brass tribal choker from Orissa, India. |
Did anyone bat an eyelid? Of course not (or if they did I was far too busy scanning the shelves for bargain cat food to pay much attention).
See you soon!
Such a great foil for you and your glamorous dress! Prrr! The cats will be lining the aisles wanting a look at this glamorous queen who knows how to dress for an important occassion...buying cat food! What could be more important. They will be following you home soon, as someone who knows how to treat a cat. Walsall's pide pipier! xo JJ
ReplyDeleteit is lovely and suits you to a tee! I bet its the first time that dress was in a Pet Food store!
ReplyDeleteIf anything will entice Ginger Alan to move in permanently, a couture-frocked mama will!
ReplyDeleteZxx
I love these photos!
ReplyDeleteI love this stunning dress and it fits you so well !!
ReplyDeleteTilly
What a fantastic dress! All that intricate work!! The dress deserves to be shown off and not to be kept for some special evening.
ReplyDeleteLooks fantastic - I was in our local pets at home this week, wish I could have made any entrance like that!
ReplyDeletelove it! looks to me like you and the dress were reunited~definitely made for you. thanks for the great post, and happy wednesday!
ReplyDeleteoh my goddess!!!
ReplyDeleteyou look to beautiful for words! i was loving this gone as soon as i saw it - but on you it comes to it´s true life. magic!!!!!!
xxxxxx
Love it xxx
ReplyDeleteLove it xxx
ReplyDeleteIt is exquisite and you look fabulous!!! xx
ReplyDeleteHaha, you are too cool to be true!!
ReplyDeleteYou look absolutely stunning!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you didn't try it on sooner!
MeOW! Purrfect!
ReplyDeleteOh my, it looks even more beautiful on, you look amazing! xxx
ReplyDeleteYou are keeping it aren't you?
ReplyDeleteIt's bloody gorgeous and I'm GREEN with jealousy. x x
I'm so glad you decided to try this on, hello! Vix you are just stunning in this gown, I'm speechless! Seeing you there in Asada reminds me of that other picture of you in that 50's green dress, looking fab in that store. You have cracked me up before sun up! This is why I love you!
ReplyDeleteXxxxxxxxxoooooooooooo
oh i love this vix. you are so cool. come visit us here in LA! x
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! and that dress! This must be on of my favourites on you. Just beautiful.
ReplyDeletebisous
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com
Stunning! It was made for you. I love that you wore it to the pet supermarket, yes. xox
ReplyDeleteGorgeous and totally stunning ! Perfect fit for a queen Vix !
ReplyDeletexxx
Puuurrrrrfect x
ReplyDeleteBless you :-) One of the many things I love about you is that you are just YOU. You are comfortable in your own skin to not worry about what others think of you. Not everyone would have the guts to wear an evening dress to a shop to buy cat food, but you look stunning as ever. Rules what are they....life's to short live for today and enjoy, dee xxx
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I audibly gasped when I saw you in this spectacular work of art that is a dress, in the first picture. It is incredible and looks wonderful on you.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I laughed throughout the reading of your post. You've got it going on woman! I love your spirit and will now repeat an often thought sentiment, 'oh, how I wish we lived nearby one another'!
xo
I absolutely love this, Vix!! I saw your post on FB about where to wear this gorgeous amazing frock - you rock!
ReplyDeletePS: Husband and I started watching 'Peaky Blinders' last night - we would have binge-watched continuously but he had to go to work this morning.
I also went to the giant pet food store , and you would have brightened up the polar fleece and sweatpants crowd. Granted it had been raining since Saturday, at least I didn't see too many flip flops.
ReplyDeleteThat dress is gorgeous
Wow, it was meant for you - it looks amazing! You sure class up the supermarket :)
ReplyDeleteBHF in old square are closing down and everything is £1. I have found a jacket today , dont know if you have heard of it, its called bridget for strawberry studio. anyway i got this ink blue velvet blazer for my daughter for £1 and the best bit is, she likes it !!
ReplyDeleteThat dress is completely stunning, and you look amazing in it. I wonder who it belonged to, and how it ended up in a charity shop in the Midlands? I'm always fascinated by how such incredible couture pieces end up being given away.
ReplyDeleteSo Pets at Home - that's as good a venue as any for frocking up in a museum-worthy evening dress! But put your coat on, love, you'll catch your death!
PS. Our feline family like Wainwrights cat food, what do yours have? xxxxx
That dress is indeed a stunner and a great idea to wear it at the pet store.
ReplyDeleteArianexo
Cor, good for you, looks super cool!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the best dressed cat lady out there. And truly made for you. You must wear it routinely, everyone, everywhere needs at least a glance of such incredible art in motion once in their lives. yea Vix.
ReplyDeleteFantastically perfect fit, amazing work of art, both your dress and you! You look like a million bucks my dear Vix! And my cats are proud of you! :) xxxxx
ReplyDeleteIf ever a dress and a woman were meant for one another, this would have to be it.
ReplyDeleteStunning frock and you look fabulous in it.
You are the best! Shoppers probably thought you were on your way out somewhere very special.
ReplyDeleteLove the glamour puss look in the cat food aisle. It's a beautiful dress and I'm glad it's found a good home with you.
ReplyDeleteFabulous frock and glamour in the pet food aisles on a wet Wednesday - perfect.
ReplyDeleteI stopped off at the charity shop on the way home from work today to buy a party frock for a Christmas night out and came away with three. The lady on the till asked if I had lots of 'dos' to go to and I replied no, just one but I may dress up just for the hell of it - you are giving me ideas Vix . . .xx
That dress is beautiful beyond words and you look just sensational in it! (Sensational? I've turned into Tony Blackburn in 1977, but I can't find a good enough word). Beautiful, gorgeous, lovely, amazing. All of them. I love it and if I had it I wouldn't want to take it off either. The construction sounds amazing, I'd love to see all the boning and layers. See, that's a way to liven up your life and the lives of people all around you. I bet they thought you were a film star. Xxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteHa! Bloody fabulous. I knew you'd take it somewhere suitable. It is such a gorgeous number and you look beautiful in it.
ReplyDeleteLoves ya glam bits.
xxxx
I want one! Exquisite.
ReplyDeletexx
Ha! Brilliant! Perhaps you should visit a hardware shop in it. I bet there'd be men falling over their dropped jaws in there! It truly is a work of art! You look wonderful! xx
ReplyDeleteGood for you, I am glad you wore it out! It just looks so fabulous on you! :)
ReplyDeleteI marveled at how stunning that dress was when you first displayed it here, but it's even better on you. I'm so glad you wore it out, especially to a place that needed a little Vix glam.
ReplyDeleteOne word GORGEOUS !!! xxx
ReplyDeleteI saw this post on my phone without my reading specs and without glancing at the title STILL recognized the shop as PAH, how sad am I? I think most suitable adjectives have already been used to describe you in that frock, but 'seriously striking' is how I would phrase it. Please tell me Jon had your coat at the ready? What next, glamour shots at the tip? Now there's a thought. xxxx
ReplyDeleteOh my, you really do look stunning!!!! x
ReplyDeleteIt looks beautiful on you, and so does the gold coloured jewellery, you should wear more gold!
ReplyDeletehi, small world about the strawberry studio. i will let you know if she gets fed up with it. i only caught sight of the sale by accident, afterwards i went to the new shop and i too thought it was expensive and mentioned it to the cashier. she said its because of the new rent. cant make wednesbury at the weekend but may see you at the christmas one in december. cheerio :-)
ReplyDeletePets at Home must have been thrilled!!! Beautiful Vix in the most magnificent of dresses sashaying up the aisles! it fits you so perfectly and is exquisite, it's a gasp worthy dress - love the Oscar Wilde quote too x x x
ReplyDeleteYou look so glamorous!
ReplyDeleteLizzie's Daily Blog
HUZZAH! It's fecking gloriarse, and you look STUNNING in it. It works in beautifully with the Priscilla hair, in fact! Made for YOU, and for buying cat food. In would go down well in Bollywood, except the weight of it would kill you in the heat!
ReplyDeleteMy local supermarket ladies look forward to my outfits, so I like to think I'm doing a public service by jazzing up their dreary days by rocking in for a bottle of milk looking like a million bucks. It's the least we gals can do!
Love Helga XXX
Oh Vix. I just love you so much. You are catnip for people.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful dress.
ReplyDeleteSimply sensational that is all. X
ReplyDeleteThat dress was made for you, gorgeous! Those cats have the most glamorous "mom" around! ;-)
ReplyDeleteExperiencing vocabulary failure here...but I don't think one could top Oscar Wilde's remark which applies to you, Vix, as being art and wearing it.
ReplyDeleteBreathtakingly gorgeous! That dress was made for you!
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful dress! Looks amazing on you.
ReplyDeleteI say wear what you want, when you want. Life is too short. I would have had to say something to you if I'd spotted you - probably 'I love your dress!'
xx
"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." Oscar Wilde knew a thing or two about living. Perfect. Like that dress. Especially in a pet food store. It's simply splendid. I hate that people do not dress up anymore. You go girl! x
ReplyDeleteThat dress looks like it was made for you! It's stunning. Do the cats appreciate the glamourous goddess that feeds them?
ReplyDeletewouuauauaa, I'm loving you in an insane way now!! love love love your dress and fabulous attitude and sassiness!!
ReplyDeleteyou're Inspiring, dear lady!!!
besos
Those other customers don't know how lucky they were - to catch a glimpse of you in this astonishing dress. Truly amazing find of a dress. Please don't ever sell it - it was clearly made for you, long before you were even born!
ReplyDeletesix days before you tried it on!!! How did you resist the temptation? The dress is gorgeous and so are you. The shoppers don't know how lucky they are to be share the same oxygen as you.
ReplyDeleteThat dress is PERFECT … absolutely PERFECT!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's also the perfect outfit for cat food shopping ;0)
xx
That beautiful dress was just made for you :-) You must have been the most glamorous shopper to ever grace that supermarket!
ReplyDeleteHaha I love this so much! I would love to see someone so fab at my grocery!
ReplyDeletehaaha! Brilliant! you are a work of art in that dress!
ReplyDeleteOh. My. GOD, it's THE DRESS!!!! SQUEEEEEE! There, now I can comment calmly. It's fate that the dress fits you perfectly, because if anyone else had bought it, it would have spent its days in a closet, waiting for that perfect occasion that never came. I love how you can make a dress like that look as easy to wear as a pair of jeans and a sweater. It's a rare talent.
ReplyDeleteYou're such an inspiration - XO
OH MY!! This has to be the best charity shop find ever? I am inordinately jealous! It's so beautiful, pets at home should be honoured to have such beauty wander it's aisles! I love that Oscar Wilde quote, it's truly how I try to live each day! XX
ReplyDeleteCrazy (cat) lady! I love it!
ReplyDeleteWowie! That's a magnificent dress. It's such a please to see it being worn and loved.
ReplyDeleteOMG! You are perfection in that dress!! It was made for you. You're like the Queen of the Night in the magic flute, all dark twinkling drama. Love it! I'd have been staring in open mouthed admiration if I'd seen you in my local Asda.
ReplyDeleteAmazing amazing dress, I hope you don't sell it it looks so great on you. I am always on the look out for an over the top dress like that - it's quite indian looking, the layer upon layer of gold embroidery. And Oscar was never ever wrong.
ReplyDeleteOh, wonderful dress Vix! Perhaps Jon can take you out somewhere special in it? Pets at home is not worthy! xxx
ReplyDeleteCat food couture indeed! I think what would have completed this was if you had a trained cat, or even an ocelot on a leash shopping with you. How glam and exotic would you be then! Not that you aren't already!
ReplyDeleteDestiny!!!
ReplyDeletePure feast for our eyes.Great work and fit! And you wear it with such grace!And the cat shop is so extravagant but somehow matches the dress!
ReplyDeleteLove your beautiful dress (best outfit yet!) and your hair here, Vix.
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, who needs an occasion to wear a great gown like that! You look marvellous! xx
ReplyDeleteThat dress is so gorgeous, it hurts!! YOU, madam, are HOT!!!
ReplyDeleteSuch an incredible find! I LOVE you wore it to the pet food store - you really do make me smile :D I think its far more sensible to wear a 2kg heavily beaded ball gown to the shops that ugg boots and track pants, I know which I would rather wear xoxo
ReplyDeleteYou look so amazing. and Beautiful outfit!!
ReplyDeleteI followed u..please follow me back.
http://twinladybug.blogspot.com/
http://instagram.com/twinsladybug
much love from Twins ladybug.
Such a beautiful dress, it looks like it was made for you! I love that you wore it to buy cat food xx
ReplyDeleteWow...what a find! That frock IS a work of art and you my dear are a masterpiece! Xx
ReplyDeleteno girl never ever looked that good shopping groceries! this dress is a stunner!
ReplyDelete