08 September 2011

The Story Behind the Dress

A guest post by Deborah of Jezzy Belle's Vintage. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Vintage clothing and antiques always have a story to tell. I'll be honest, I've been known to shed a few tears while fingering a particularly beautiful and obviously handmade dress. In a throwaway culture like ours we have lost something really precious in the ways we decorate our bodies.

50's prom dress lavender tulle
For example, think of a lovely frothy tulle skirted 50's prom dress. Now think of the girl who wore it. It's quite likely that she and her mother or grandmother or aunt, or even some of her friends worked together to make that dress. It could have taken weeks, or even months. There might have been last minute hysterical scrabbling to make sure it was done and perfect and on time. And all of that would have culminated in her zipping into it, getting her hair and makeup right and feeling like the prettiest girl in the world.

And when you take that dress home and care for it, you're not only caring for a beautiful dress. You are taking those memories on and adding to them. In my mind it is a wonderful gift! Not only are you reusing things that could easily end up rotting in a landfill, you are keeping the feelings and memories associated with that particular piece alive. Think about it like this: if you are holding an item that is twenty, thirty, forty years old or even more and it is in great condition… that is because it meant something to someone. It was important to someone else and they cared for it.

Those are the kinds of things I try to bring to my customers in Jezzy Belle's. I want to take things filled with memories and pass them along to new homes. I just love knowing that things which meant so much to someone so long ago are getting a new life!
 
Deborah is the owner of Jezzy Belle's where you will find a little vintage, a little hand made and a lot of sass. Her handmade accessories are all inspired by bad girls of history, film and literature. Check out her blog for a glimpse behind the vintage scenes, or follow her on Twitter for previews, coupon codes and early info on upcoming sales!


5 comments:

  1. Oh yes - the best name to describe these dresses is "pre-loved" ... hard not to want a pretty dress that already carries love with it:) Great nostalgic guest post from Deborah, I might try and submit one soon Sonya!;)

    Magda

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, Magda, one can tell that Deborah has a thing for pre-loved dresses. I love her attitude and enjoyed her guest post myself, because it is so emotional.

    And, now you've said it, I can't wait to see what you come up with!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderful post. You can feel the passion she has not only about that beautiful dress but for all vintage items.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a great way to think about it!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This post is a reminder of why I love vintage and antique. If only those items could talk and tell us their memories!

    ReplyDelete