This dress was sent to me from Le Bomb Shop on ebay. I am *so* excited to be collaborating with them, you have no idea. A little backstory:
When I was 13 I started watching classic films religiously, and I wished so badly I could dress like the glamorous ladies in the movies. Despite the fact that my dad owned a small mail-order business and had already set up an online shop by that time, I didn't realize internet shopping was an option yet. I still felt confined to the stores at the mall, so I made do with what was accessible to me. I begrudgingly wore jeans and polyester shirts from Rainbow, all the while wishing someday maybe I could dress like Elizabeth Taylor or Lauren Bacall. Occasionally my grandmom would take me to the thrift store with her, but I could never find anything older than me. I wanted 50's glamor but the selection seemed to consist mostly of 90's pantsuits.
Then when I was in high school my dad set up a shop on ebay, and occasionally let me use his account to look at Frank Sinatra memorabilia (have I mentioned that I'm a Sinatra superfan?) Anyway, one day my search shifted to clothing and somehow I stumbled upon Le Bomb Shop (at the time it was called "Bombshell Vintage"). I had NO IDEA that vintage reproduction was even a thing until that moment. I was in heaven! I begged my dad to let me get one of the dresses. It was a black v-neck dress that reminded me of this dress from Suddenly, Last Summer. He relented and I made my first ever vintage-inspired purchase. I wore that dress constantly! I saved up and bought the same dress in green and black and white stripes. In 2007 I wore the black one to my first art show in New York --and I won an award that day, so not only was it my first vintage-style dress but it was a lucky one to boot! :D
Le Bomb Shop opened up a whole new world for me, one of vintage fashion (I got my first ever vintage dress from them, too!) retro styles and individuality. I didn't have to limit myself to what was readily available in my area, I could dress to the beat of my own drum! Perhaps even more importantly, I realized that if they were selling these clothes then there must be other girls out there buying them as well. After feeling for years like I was drowning in a sea of sweatpants and t-shirts, I finally discovered that I wasn't alone. There were other girls who liked to dress up, too. There were other girls my age who liked classic movies! I was bullied in school for liking old stuff (having crushes on dead actors isn't exactly something that makes you super popular, apparently) and the whole time I felt like an outcast. It may seem silly or corny, but just finding this one dress, this one ebay store, was the start of finally feeling like I fit in somewhere.
Ok, that ended up being a lot more sappy than I intended! Long story short -- Le Bomb Shop is absolutely awesome. I love them a bunch and you should too! :)
Dress - c/o Le Bomb Shop | Headband - Sunshine & Carousels
Sweater and belt - forever 21 | Shoes - from my grandmom
