Frilly Frou-Frou Evenings on a Budget

How is it possible women in the 1930s wore these beautiful silk nighties to bed?
Surely they were tempted to wear them as dresses sometimes?
I snapped up this little cream silk and lace beauty on eBay, while in the throes of Frilly Knicker Fever.
Alas FKF shows no sign of abating.
But if I can't afford the 1930s dresses that are (understandably) becoming prohibitively expensive, I will continue to hunt down the next best thing.
Knickers and nighties.

These silken treasures are wonderful for creating looks that are intensely individual.
Vintage camisoles and PJ tops worn as blouses with structured jackets look great and of course if you want daring, you could wear your undies on the outside.
I've been dying to wear this 1920s jet beaded headpiece for ages.
I love the way it feels on my forehead and ears - tiny tickles:).
Plus it's great for a bad-hair day.
The bag is a 1920s or 30s gold-embossed leather evening clutch and I think the blood-red feather earrings add a bit of "how's your father" to the ensemble.

You can see the lace detail here - it's extremely soft and a darker shade than the silk dress.
More red with Rimmel's Alarm lippy and my leather red rose and cocktail rings.

Boobs get a bit of much-needed shaping here with the gathered bodice.
The fur cape is from the 1940s.
Sarah of Misfits Vintage had me smiling at her post about her late mother's fur that she's planning on selling and donating the proceeds to orphaned animals in Japan.
You can donate to the cause on Sarah's blog too.
I do wear vintage fur and adore it, but many think it's gross.
Perfectly understandable in these enlightened times.

Let me share a dress-fitting secret with you.
If you're planning on wearing 1930s bias-cut gowns, DON'T buy them to fit your measurements.
Buy them slightly larger as the extra couple of inches in all the right places will create a better drape.
Believe me, if you size up and go for at least 2-3 inches more in the waist and hips, the gown will fit better and be more figure-forgiving.

The shoes are vintage leather dancing shoes.

When I do my sums, I'm quite impressed with the cost of my evening outfit:
eBay headpiece: AUD$16; 
eBay dress: $12; 
eBay fur: $60; 
thrifted shoes: $4; 
thrifted clutch: $12; 
new earrings: $15.
Total: $119.
Hey not bad for evening wear and if you swap the fur for a faux or fabric cape you might get a better deal, although capes are really popular at the moment so prices are high.
I have a costume sewing pattern for capes with and without hoods - think it's time I made one and if I use thrifted or stashed fabric it'll cost next to nothing.


Desiree xoxo