Lilli Ann Dreams

Well, if you follow my blog, you all know how crazy I am about Lilli Ann garments.  I have two posts to share on Lilli Ann acquisitions.

I wanted to start out with this beautifully structured gray Lilli Ann suit.  The texture of the suit is quite interesting and I hope you can pick up on it in some of the photographs.  I'm thinking it is an early 50's Lilli Ann.  If I ever find a similar dated vintage ad, I'll be sure to share it.  I bought this suit on ebay for just under $50.  The lady who originally owned it had worn it to her wedding.  I love hearing the stories of past owners.  It had a couple of small stains on the skirt which I was able to get out very nicely.  This suit is so well made and of course, madly divine to wear.  It is a big anomaly that I should pay this low amount for a Lilli Ann suit but I'd like to think that it was meant to be that I should own such a lovely suit.   I prefer the length of the skirts on 40's and 50's suits.  I think designers get a bit carried away today and also did in the 80's with skirts that were (are) way above the knee.  I bought a very inexpensive 80's Dior suit that I will talk about in a future post where I love the top (has a very retro feel) but the skirt I'll need to part with.  

 

For some reason, I ended up with no photograph of my shoes!  But, no worries they will show up in my next post.  They are really lovely 40's black shoes that I recently purchased.

I also wanted to mention that I am giving true vintage 40s stockings a go.  These were fun to wear and it is interesting to immerse oneself into period fashions.  I do feel a difference in that these panty hose did not seem to "hug" the leg like modern day but they do seem a lot more durable and able to stand more wears than the modern counterparts.

This Lilli Ann suit has very beautiful accents as you can see with the rhinestone buttons and the flip multi-colored arm cuffs.  It's a shame they don't make such lovely suits like this today.  I added a rhinestone 50's brooch that I purchased off of ebay ($18) and I was sure to check that it wouldn't leave any marks in the suit before I fully added it.

I bought this beautiful canary yellow sterling deco ring off of ebay that will need a trip to the jeweler to be resized.  This ring has some beautiful details etched around the stone and on the sides.  I think this  I love all the details in the rings in the deco period along with all the colorful gem stones.  If I'm lucky, one day I might own a nice platinum one but I honestly I think some of the costume and sterling versions can be quite nice.  The bracelet is from Claire's and I thought it had a very retro feel. I normally don't buy jewelry that isn't vintage because I find I can have a piece of the past for the same amount if not less than something that is cheaply made today but this bracelet sparkled and caught my eye.

Here's another up close visual on the ring:

The blouse I am wearing is truly a work of art and amazing.  I saw it listed on Shrimpton Couture during the summer and immediately snapped it up.  I believe they are having a 25% off sale right now. This knit blouse has some beautiful beading and lace work in the collar area and is from the 1940's.  I think it fit the suit perfectly.  And, with a beautiful blouse like this there is no need for a necklace.