Retro Chic and The Perfect Dress

It happens every once in a long while, you buy a dress that you absolutely fall in love with. This is no everyday occurrence. In fact, it probably is not an annual occurrence either. It usually happens on an unexpected shopping day. It might be a bright sunny day or a perfectly dowdy day.

In my case, it was neither. It was a smokey day in Los Angeles due to all the fires. I decided to pop my head into my favorite shop, Anthropologie and “just look around”. With one deep breath I walked into my happy place. A shop filled with beautiful clothes and who always burns the same scented candle which I have at home.

There it was hanging in all its glory, a beautiful silk dress in my favorite classic color, navy blue. I quickly searched to see if they had carried it in my size. Voila! They had my size. I was promptly asked if I would like a dressing room to be started. Mais bien sur! (Click on the photos to find out where to buy these clothes.)

What attracted me to this dress was that it reminded me of a dress that I once owned when I was 19 years old. It was a silk navy blue dress with little cream flowers that had a little belt around the waist (just as this one does). My new dress is not truly similar in style, but it took me back to the time that I wore my little navy blue dress on my first date with the man who I am married to.

I remember so clearly as if it were last week. I got ready for our first date one night in February 1996 and slipped into my navy silk dress which I had bought on sale at Banana Republic. We went to listen to big band music at a restaurant in Long Beach, California. I am not even sure if the restaurant is still there. As I tried on this pictured dress in the dressing room it took me back to that lovely night; how I felt, how he smelled, and the thrill of holding hands for the first time. And even then, just as he does now, he wore a Pollo shirt with Docker pants. I remember feeling so feminine as he led me to the dance floor in my vintage styled navy dress that I paired with black Mary Janes. What a great night it was.

Trying on the new dress, I stayed in the dressing room for 30 minutes admiring the dress that was soon to be mine. And I thought of the comment my hubby made to me recently after watching the movie “500 Days of Summer”. My hubby told me that her style reminds him of my style and that the clothes she wears in the movie he can picture me wearing. Retro Chic is the name of this fashion style that I adore. It is not easy to find this type of clothing, but when I do, it is one of those days where shopping meets bliss. Finding a dress that is worthy of love is just another day in my European Style Life.