::: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof :::

How did I get into wearing so much vintage?

If I wasn't in the theatre at night during highschool, I would be at home watching old films & drawing instead of going out. Basically, my adolescence was a classic artsy-introvert-misfit tale (with emphasis on the word "classic"). I often pondered if I would fit in more if I had been born in a  different era, so I escaped into yesteryear with old films.

Not only were the stories intoxicating and beautiful, the male stars were far more my type than any tangible boy at the time -- I was infatuated with the charms & talent of Dean Martin, Cary Grant, Paul Newman, and James Dean... their screen personas were immortal, so who cared if they were dead in real life? The gifted, hard-working & gorgeous women back then were great to look up to during America's over-worshipping of talentless reality stars.

Obviously my personal style has been greatly influenced by the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Recently, Red Light Vintage (Portland's funky-amazing buy/sell/trade store that's been my favorite since I discovered vintage doesn't have to cost tons of money or come strictly from Goodwill [I trade so much, it's rare that I end up paying money at the end of my visits]) helped me feel like a modern Elizabeth Taylor from the theatre/film classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in this sexy dress. Taylor's character Maggie is famous for wearing a white slip during the film/play, which is now an iconic look that transcends decades & has a solid place in cinematic fashion history.

My white 90's dress is comparable to a slip with its short & tight bias cut, but the texture makes it a lot more casual. I would be far too shy to wear a dress like this without an outer knit layer.

Though Taylor was famous for her sparkly baubles and Maggie wore a minimal collar necklace, I wanted to keep this bombshell look simple around the neckline and went for darker-toned, ambiguously ornate accoutrements to balance out the black in my b&w pumps (that I've had since I was 15!). Of course I had to finish the outfit with a classic red lip (thanks occ cosmetics!), which was the number one staple of Old Hollywood glamour.

Photography Copyright: Morgan Stone Grether

Edits by Ammalynn