$10 outfit challenge #8



well hello again.  today i'm here to show you another one of my favortie junk store finds.  this one was so dusty when i bought it, it made me sneeze when i picked it up.  it took 4 or 5 cold water rinses in the tub to get it clean enough to put through the washing machine.  it is navy blue raw silk with a silk lining.
  the collar is hand crocheted.

i imagine this would have been a dress that a lady would have worn to lunch, back when lunching was a verb.
my guess is that the dress is from the 60's or 70's.

to carry on its tradition i wore it to brunch.





navy silk dress (redlands thrift) - $4
navy tights (marshalls) - $1
navy kitten heels (goodwill) - $3

total - $8


choose love today.


xo
janet

75 comments

  1. Hello Janet:
    Oh yes, the perfect dress for 'ladies who lunch'. Such dresses are wonderful chameleons of the fashion world, capable of being effortlessly transformed from day wear to evening wear at the touch of a string of pearls. We love it!

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    1. thank you jane and lance. it is ladylike and versatile.

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  2. What a find Janet, you and Dani are the most perfectly stylish women I know. All of our second hand shops are just filled with HIgh St rubbish, I'd love to find a place to pick over.

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    1. tabitha our thriftshops are 99% junk (duh) but so are most retailers. i'm really just cheap.

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  3. omg, this is crazy! Unbelievable what perfect things are hiding in those thrift stores. But of course you need a good eye to spot it. I can also see it worn with chunky shoes and colorful bag to give it a modern twist.
    xoxo,
    Anita

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    1. ahhh, anita! been wondering what your real name is! yes a colorful bag would be perfect with this if i had one. i also don't own chunky shoes b/c they look awful on me but i agree with you wholeheartedly on the styling of this for a modern twist.

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  4. I can't believe it but these outfits just keep getting better. Janet you are a seriously skilled treasure finder. It must be so exciting when you find something like this!
    Perfect outfit for brunch.
    What a nice compliment from Tabs!!

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    1. dani i am not skilled but i am determined. it is thrilling when i find something like this for so little $ but i wade through piles of awful stuff to find one gem. it is like retail shopping just dirtier. and yes, what a lovely compliment from tabitha.

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  5. This outft looks FANTASTIC on you. It's one of my favorites. Love the navy tights and navy kitten heels with the navy dress. It looks elegant. It's a keeper.

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  6. This dress is fantastic! Serious proof that I have to start wearing some of my vintage finds! You're a great inspiration. (taking photos and posting them on my blog is another thing, I'm working on that)

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    1. veronica you are right about the picture taking and posting. it's like another job!

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  7. So gorgeous and classy and elegant and a total bargain to boot! x

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  8. Janet you find the most amazing bargains.
    This dress is lovely on you...

    I've never been to a Marshall's shop but I read in the local newspaper that one is coming to a mall nearby!

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    1. we have a marshalls here in redlands and they have a good home section. they carry a lot of rl things.

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  9. Absolutely Stunning!
    Danette

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  10. Great find! Just curious if you had to have this dress tailored to fit you so well (or maybe you altered it yourself)? I've wondered that about your other thrift dresses as well. I often have to have my thrift and consignment store items tailored to get a perfect fit.

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    1. anon, i won't hesitate to get something altered if i need to but this dress needed nothing but a good wash.

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  11. Great find...aren't you amazed at how much higher the quality is on those older pieces? I am a thrift store junkie, but I always come out with a runny nose and itchy eyes!

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    1. yes, the quality on older pieces always just blows me away. thank goodness i'm not too bothered by dust!

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  12. Wow. Gorgeous dress. What a great find. Have you tried your boots with it? That mix may be pretty cool.

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    1. hi daryl, i don't think i could do the boots with this dress. maybe someone younger could pull that off but not me!

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  13. everything looks good on you. I was talking about bringing back the "ladies lunching" concept. I'm planning on hosting one very soon :)

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    1. thanks julie and i wish i could come to your luncheon.

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  14. That dress is simply gorgeous, what a clever shopper you are.

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  15. What a great find Janet! Love the lace collar. You look sensational!!! Just my sort of dress.

    Madelief x

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  16. lilac and madelief, thank you both so much!

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  17. How elegant and regal you look! I do hope brunch was just as sophisticated as you.
    I'd love to know more about your laundry skills. Care to share a tutorial?
    pve

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    1. patricia thank you. i don't think i have any laundry skills. but i'll think about it.

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  18. Just charming, Janet. And the fit is wonderful. Makes me nostalgic for the days when "fit was all."

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    Replies
    1. thank you swissy. i was so fortunate to find this dress and that it actually fits perfect.

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  19. Janet, You look as if you could lunch in the finest restaurant, anywhere. You are the best shopper I know. Smiles, Susie(She Junks)

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  20. you look fab! Love your commitment to thrift.

    The whole thing's very Anna Wintour x

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    1. anna would probably cringe but i appreciate the compliment.

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  21. you astonish me with your ability to pull together these great outfits and look so fine! :)

    xo terri

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  22. I LOVE this! Navy is my go to colour for clothes.

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    1. deb, i'm really just now getting into navy. other than jeans i've never really worn much navy. but this dress and the navy shoes is a great start.

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  23. YOU RULE! :-) I am guessing your heart went pitter patter when you found that dress! I know mine would have pitter-ed patter-d for days! What a lovely, lovely dress--you look so beautiful!
    -Suzanne in Illinois

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    1. thank you suzanne and yes there was def some pitter patter!

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  24. Love it, I wish my thrift stores offered such treasures.

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  25. Elegant find....truly a beautiful dress on you!

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  26. Wow. This is just wonderful! Navy is my favorite color, anyway, and a lace collar just seems so perfect.

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  27. Janet, Cute dress. I just bought one very similar if you can believe it from H&M. It also reminded me of something my mom would have worn to work or lunch in the early 70s. We all could use a dress like this. It looks so flattering on and is perfect for so much.

    Love your blog.

    Kim:)

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    1. thank you kim. i'd love to see the h&m version. i think what makes this dress standout is the 3/4 sleeves.

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  28. Beautiful sense of style and very nice blog! Congratulations on your work!
    Would you like to follow each other?
    xoxo,
    Fashionhypnotised girl

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  29. You look stunning! I am so impressed with all that you do. I'm so glad that I discovered your blog ;)

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  30. Oh Janet...I absolutely love this outfit! Navy is one of my favorite colors, and I think it looks beautiful on you! You should definitely wear more of it. :)

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    1. thanks ffm. i'm loving the navy too and i'm in love with the rl dress on your blog today.

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  31. You are so incredibly stylish. You remind me a lot of Anna Wintour. Only much nicer -- and therefore more beautiful. I enjoy your lovely blog. Please keep writing.

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    1. evangeline - wow what a compliment. you just made my day!

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  32. I found your blog through a link on another blog and spent a few days reading through ALL of your posts! I am ad that I don't have anymore to read, lol! Thank you for the inspiration!

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    1. mat emily, thank you and i'm sorry this blog sucked you in for a few days. :) i apologize.

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  33. I love all the thrift store clothes you find. I never have any luck around here at the thrift stores and we have alot! Mind you if I had your figure it would be easy to find beautiful clothes like you do. Around here it's impossible to find nice size 12-14 clothes. Other than muu-muus! lol!

    Keep the pics coming. I'm living vicariously through your blog.
    Lisa

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    1. lisa it's funny you say that b/c i mostly find amazing things here in larger sizes. it's very hard for me to find the smaller sizes. i really need to do a post on just how hard it is to find good stuff. it's doable but it takes a load of patience!

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  34. Dear Janet, You are very getting very sleepy.....send dress to jane....

    xo J.

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  35. Love the idea behind this - and the look is so pretty and suits you. A classic style and shape dress with an adorable collar. Love this!

    >'.'<

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  36. So worth the elbow grease to get her in tip top shape.
    I die.

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  37. Love second hand shops and love your dress - a classic - it looks really well on you.

    Sharon

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  38. How did I miss this post? You look amazing...I know I say that all the time. The dress fits you beautifully...Every single time I see you and then a post on what you eat...i think maybe I should go vegan...okay, if my husband were reading over my shoulder he would be laughing hysterically. (Well not exactly, he's not a laugh out loud kind of guy)...but you know what I mean. Makes a gal think....
    xo
    annie

    p.s. I just laughed out loud at jane's comment...because i am a laugh out loud sort of person!

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kindness is never out of style.

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