Gail Carriger in a Gold Gown at Reno WorldCon 2011

So, on Saturday night at Reno WorldCon, Fashionable Reader, I wore my Fashioned By Flobért gold robe dress.

 

 The dress is stained and slightly faded, in a heavy satin. This makes it only suitable for low-light late evening events, and warm, and in ever great need of ironing. But it is super comfortable. I bought it on sale for $10, it needed repairs and new buttons all up the front. I have a great source for vintage buttons in Petaluma and I sourced 32 abalone shell replacements for $10 plus narrowing every single button hole. It was quite the task. I do like the architectural details in the bodice. I'm inclined to want to find a nice wide brown belt for it at some point.

It actually has a bit of a train, in that the front is shorter than the back, showing off the shoes. I was going to wear it with t-strap dark brown shoes, to highlight the 1940's feel, but these sandals were more comfortable with my blisters from the first day of WorldCon.

Soft brand t-strap shoes, started life pinky-red had them dyed brown, and Calvin Klein wedge sandals, my staples this summer. Both from Nordstrom Rack, probably about $35 each.

I call it a robe dress even though it doesn't have the requisite sash tye, mainly because of the length and the sleves, which remind me of a bathrobe. To me it has a very 1940's feel, but I'm not certain that is the correct time period, it might be more early 1950s.

1941 short winter robe dress; 1944 Charles James dressing gown

1950s robe style dresses.

I paired it with my favorite tarantella brown netted hat and a vintage brown bag from Hubba Hubba and some retro drop golden pearl earrings.

This style of dress is pretty flattering on more figures. And it has been around a long time, since the 1930s. I tend to feel pairing it with chocolate brown tones down the over-the top glamor of the gold.

Left is a Madeleine Vionnet dress ca. 1932-1934 via The Victoria & Albert Museum

 This tone of gold, the more muted rose gold or old gold is more versatile to different complexions. I think anyone from pale blonde to brunette to red head to African American to Asian to . . . . can wear this color and look very very elegant. It's a great alternative to a boring old black evening dress.

What to read when you are wearing your gold gown?

The equally elegant and incomparably well-written Freedom's Choice by Anne McCaffrey. This is the second book in her series started with Freedom's Landing. The series is not about the invasion and conquering of Earth. Like Douglas Adams, McCaffrey essentially blows up Earth in chapter one (well not completely, but Earth is basically irrelevant). The point is, a group of earthlings and other conquered sentients are dumped on an alien world to see if it is habitable, in other words, to survive to be conquered again or die. The main character is a brilliant tough Nordic lass and her hero a disgraced member of the conquering aliens. The books are fun space opera but in a Land of the Lost survivalist vein, with a wonderful romantic element and great alien species. I adore them. Next time I have a real vacation this series is coming with me for a reread. I think there are 4 books total, but you can stop after the 3rd.

Just because it's funny.