Willow Weep For Me
Hello dearies! I'm finally back with a post after a two week break. Last Friday I found out that I had a bad case of strep throat with a double ear infection (go figure)! So there was absolutely no glamour but I was able to get a lot of much needed rest and watch a great deal of old films. (If you have Criterion Channel, I highly suggest checking out their Western Noir section!) I spent about four days cooped up in my quaint apartment even on the really hot 90 degree days. So needless to say, I really longed for outdoors this week. I've been back on my one hour walks around the neighborhood and even enjoyed a picnic this week near the lake. In my hometown, Cleveland, Ohio, there are some really wonderful outdoor gems that are often overlooked. We have a lovely museum with a cute duck pond nearby that I wanted to go to. The duck pond has a bunch of beautiful trees including quite a few willow trees which are some of my favorite. Anytime I see a willow tree, I immediately think of Frank Sinatra's rendition of the lovely song "Willow Weep for Me."
When I want to wear something comfortable but that makes me feel glamorous, I often wear this dress. It is one of my all time favorites and a piece that I've had since senior year of high school purchased from Cynthia Deering at the now closed (and dearly missed) Deering Vintage. This light mint green leaf print dress is a 1960s beauty that was made by Maier Shops Hawaii. To be exact the label says: "Polynesian Casuals: Maier Shops Hawaii" and includes the lot number. I could not find much information on Maier Shops Hawaii except that it was possibly a specialty shop that carried different Hawaiian brands. Polynesian Casuals appears to be a brand that existed during the 1960s/70s that made these beautiful tropical dresses and Hawaiian shirts. This dress was originally a floor length gown but I opted to hem it to calf length for a more 1950s look (and to ensure no falls).
I love the details of this dress such as the V-cut at the collarbones and the seaming that begins under the bust and goes down to the hem creating beautiful lines for the body.
The best feature of this dress is the back detailing! The neckline drops to show a bit of my back and the under bust seaming continues on the back with two seaming going down the side backs. At the center back sits two ties that are meant to be tied together to create a bow which in turn creates a beautiful dramatic pleat. The bow can be adjusted for comfort level and overall the dress is very flattering.
For my hair I decided to curl it which I do by creating a wet set using Flexi-rods in no particular pattern. I just roll each section sort of randomly and then brush it out the next day. On this day I decided to take the front left section and roll it under like a pin curl (held with a bobby pin) to create more of a 1950s look. For makeup I continue to opt for a bright pink coloring on my lids and cheeks. And I absolutely cannot live without a liquid cat eye and falsies. My earrings are gold floral earrings made up of huge rhinestones. I believe I purchased these at Charming Charlie's a year ago!
My gorgeous cream colored vintage clutch was gifted to me by my dear friend and costume design colleague Lady Jen Ryan. My heels are a favorite of mine that you have seen in countless blog posts! These are my olive green suede heels from Payless. My small cat eye sunglasses are 1950s shades purchased at Attenson's Antiques & Books (visit this antique shop if you live in or visit Cleveland). They're a lovely pair of cream sunglasses with little rhinestone detail on the frames.
It was nice to get dolled up and go somewhere nice. This was a very lovely day and I hope that you all are able to enjoy some lovely and safe days outside as well.
And I hope that you enjoyed this little blog post for the week! I will see you next week!!