transretrogurl

I haven’t done a Frock Tale in a while, and having just had the pleasure of a weekend of streaming cold (and it was my first ‘earned’ weekend off for a while, did a hugely busy week last week including a 19 hour in-and-out day in London where, surprise surprise, I picked up a cold), reaching the ‘everything is dry and cough-y phase, I’m trying to get game-fit for Wednesday when I am going to tick another task off of the bucket-list.

Pictured – not *this* bucketlist entry, although I am building up to it…

I plan to have a make-up and go at Patti’s in Manchester, grab a taxi by myself, and go enjoy the sites, sounds and bars of the Gay Village by myself. Never been out without a ‘handler’ before, so it will be fun.

Thing is, apart from the weekend of literally soaking a handkerchief approximately every 45 seconds, I have not a clue what to wear. I have bought a ‘sensible’ outfit; expensive figure-hugging black knee-length, sleeveless, class dress and a pink crop-top leather jacket. Which is fine, and would work, but there’s a part of me, buried at the back behind, first of all, drab idiot, and then sensible Sarah, that wants to wear something, well, floral.

Pictured – have I mentioned I like floral frocks? Once or twice?

Floral frocks aren’t really the rage any more. There’s this post-feminist reaction to them; they are seen as being a little ‘old school’. Which is a massive shame, or not as the case may be, as I love them to pieces.

There’s something delightfully femme about a floral frock. Partly because, outside of a 1970’s sitcom, you won’t see a bloke wearing anything with flowers on it, and partly because it just sums up a different age. Give me a flowing frock with roses on it, a couple of substantial squirts of Chanel No.5 and the taste of lipstick and I’m beyond happy.

Pictured – ‘happy’ in a single image

I’m not going to analyse why, it just taps into what my mind says is female (and ticks a lot of my wanting to be a housewife in a previous era boxes). Plus the retro fashion industry really love floral prints.

Some of my favourites come from, of course, Vivien of Holloway. She does a lovely purple and a pink print of flowers which I have had both a Kitty and a Tea Dress. And I have one of her lovely ‘Peggy Lee’ dresses in ‘Roses in Bloom, Pink’. It’s a little big for me, because I tend to order a size larger from VoH and in the past I was a little wider, but, like all of her frocks, it’s an adorable fabric that feels, well, ‘quality’.

Pictured – how gorgeous is that dress??

I also have some different style floral prints from places like ‘House of Foxy’, ‘Rock-n-Romance’ (who do some of the most pretty 1950’s rockabilly dresses) and of course Collectif. I have so many Collectif frocks now it’s getting silly, but they seem to nail the styles I love. The picture at the top is one of their new ‘Sunflower Swing Dresses’, and I’m sorely tempted to take that as well as my ‘sensible’ LBD.

So the question is this, and by the time you read this, dear reader, I will be probably have decided and gone down whatever route I think of, but do I stick with the LBD (which is attractive; I can imagine, in a swooning way, of getting chatted up a couple of times at least in that outfit), or do I go with my heart and wear a retro floral dress, which people aren’t that keen on (but I utterly love)?

Pictured – or even, gasp, a floral modern frock.

Do I conform to everyday fashion or throw on a circle skirted frock and petticoat? Classic 21st century first world problem….

Anyway, either way, wish me luck. As I said, never been out and about in public without a handler before. It’s going to be deliciously fun.

Stay beautiful and be yourself, however many people that ends up being…..

Pictured – or maybe I should just go out as the 1950’s housewife I am dying to be. Not sure what reception I’d have in a pub though. Apart from being mistaken for the barmaid.