I’m gonna sit right down and write myself a letter…

It’s not every day a girl finds a unicorn.  Since I first started collecting vintage, a 1940s novelty print rayon dress has been pretty high up there on my wishlist.  You can find one, it seems, in any color, shape, size, or theme… if you’re willing to spend enough money.  And therein lay the problem:  I am not willing to spend that much money! So the hunt was on.
1940s novelty print love letters and flowers dress
Years of intermittent Etsy searching later, I took the plunge on this beautiful dress!  It was priced a bit on the low side for some minor “as-is” issues, like a little shoulder fade and a nearly-invisible patch on the skirt.  But the print was to die for and the measurements looked spot-on so I took the plunge.  In person, the flaws are minimal and the print is wonderful (I’m not a brown person generally, but paired with everything else it’s lovely) and it juuuuust fits. I love it.  So naturally I took a million photos.
Summer 1940s tilt hat with novelty rayon dress

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I knew this dress would be a perfect match with a rather under-worn brown tilt hat I got from Modern Millie last year.  And it turns out that it goes pretty well with some of the bakelite bangles in my tiny collection, too.  The 1940s pumps I chose to pair it with were not the right color, sadly, but I’ve since gone out and remedied the complete and utter lack of brown shoes in my closet, so next time I’ll have a little bit more coordination on the accessories front!

1940s novelty print love letters and flowers dress
And check out that scalloped peplum!  Le sigh.  Just lovely.
1940s novelty print love letters and flowers dress
Restored and original Bakelite to coordinate with a novelty print 1940s rayon dress
1940s novelty print love letters and flowers dress
Summer 1940s tilt hat with novelty rayon dress - back view
1940s novelty print love letters and flowers dress
Summer 1940s tilt hat with novelty rayon dress
1940s novelty print love letters and flowers dress
40s? tilt hat: Modern Millie
Novelty love letters rayon dress: Etsy
Bakelite: various places
1940s pumps: Antiques shop in Wisconsin

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