Edwardian dreamland

There are times I walk into antique stores and become completely enamored with any and all 1910's garments on display. Ever-gorgeous and oh-so-delicate, I always feel that they would disappear if I were to touch them. For years I've wanted to wear, if even for a moment, a pristine-white lawn dress or a blouse with perfectly tatted lace details. Alas, I am always too nervous to buy these things when I happen upon them. I don't have the space to display them at the moment and I'm always in a quandary over whether to wear and risk ruining them. For the time being, my quandary has been soothed over by a particular J.Crew dress that I first saw on All This Happiness.

Oh my goodness. Could it be? A wearable Edwardian-inspired frock that's so incredibly lovely it's hard to believe it's actually real? Yes! Is anyone else a little envious that their great-grandmothers, when girls and young women, wore such bona fide things? (Well, with exception to corsets. I like my natural waist and all of my ribs, thank you.) When I look through my great-grandmothers' (two in particular, Elsie and M's) photographs I am overcome with a sense of wonderment at the intricate beauty of it all. For me, three generations removed, their world seems almost like a dreamland. I may be able to read their books, peruse their scrapbooks and photographs, wear their brooches and hear stories about them, but wearing something similar to what they would have worn (at roughly my current age) is connection on a whole other level.

Dress: J.Crew, Sunglasses: TJ Maxx, Sandals: Delia's

I was very fortunate to find this dress on super sale a few weeks ago. That in itself is almost unbelievable. It's still selling online for 3-times what I paid for it. Yikes!