They Just Don’t Make Them Like They Used To

Vintage Dresses – Something near and dear to my heart!

I swear I was born in the wrong era sometimes. The 1950’s would’ve been my jam! (rockabilly at heart 💛)

Once upon a time my 3 boys were ages 4 and under. I rarely made it out of the house most days, and I of course rarely put on a dress. One fine day, my oldest was watching a show on TV and my middle son was napping.  I was sitting on the couch nursing the baby in one arm and surfing Etsy on the iPad with the other. To be precise, I was checking out 1950’s floral vintage dresses, they are just so pretty to look at in my opinion. Then I saw it. This beautiful yellow floral vintage 1950’s dress, size small, in “excellent vintage condition”, ON SALE!

But it was still a lot of money and I couldn’t justify spending $125 on it, that’s a decent amount of money in my book. So I marked it as a favorite and carried on with my days. Every now and then I’d look at it again.  It would still be available, and that made me happy, like there was still a chance it could be mine some day. Then one evening, Nate and I actually made it out of the house together, alone, and met up with our friends Dan and Nicole for dinner. I started to tell Nicole about this dress on Etsy. We looked it up on my phone and we discussed further the pros and cons of purchasing this beauty. There were no returns on the purchase (con), but I figured I was handy with a sewing machine so, if needed, I could make my own alterations (pro). Before I knew it, I had clicked the purchase button.  I immediately panicked a little because I just took a chance and spent so much money…but I have never looked back!

They just don’t make dresses like this anymore!

One very talented 1950’s seamstress at a dress shop somewhere delicately hand-cut and hand sewed this fabric for a specific girl in mind…and that girl just happened to be the exact same measurements as me, because this dress fit like a glove! I still can’t believe how well it fits to this day.

I wear the heck out of this dress  – Graduations, Easter, weddings – and it’s still holding up beautifully.  You can throw a jacket or sweater over it too, give it a modern flare.

Where to look for your vintage dresses

Thrift stores are often gold mines but it’s hit or miss. If you have the time to check them out definitely go for it.
Online, Etsy is such a great source too. I found my floral gem here, at Style and Salvage.

Some other Etsy finds I’m hearting:

Before purchasing, be sure to go by measurements they provide on the listing, not the actual size.  Vintage sizing is very different from modern sizing, and usually the sizes “S”,”M”, “L” are best guesses for a size.  A good tip to try is to grab a dress you already have that fits you well. Take those measurements from that one and see how they compare to the measurements on the listing.  Also read the descriptions carefully, as well as return/exchange policies.  Go ahead and contact the shop owner and ask questions about sizing and condition.  They are typically very helpful and responsive.

I’m grateful people still hold on to all this great old stuff and take care of it. It inspires us for today, we can learn a thing or two from the past.  Where else have you found vintage dresses? I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to comment below 🙂