500 Days of Whimsy
After several months of browsing due to frequent ModCloth ads popping up on my facebook, I thought I’d share this site since it’s one of the most whimsical and, in the best sense, just-plain-girly places for a female to covet and play mental dress-up with gorgeous, classic threads. If the site were a physical store, my wallet would be in trouble and I’d likely make a day out of a trip since I want to try on almost everything I see.
What connection does this have to LA? Well, every time I scroll through page after magical page of ModCloth’s dresses, I feel as if I’m journeying through what Zooey Deschanel’s closet would look like in “500 Days of Summer”. I can see her wearing so many of these feminine, retro frocks as she strolls Downtown to work, explores the Old Bank District with Tom, and sits on an Angels Knoll bench. That film helped me appreciate Downtown so much more and after wandering around for articles and Art Walk, it is very near and dear to me. Granted, Zooey has a fairly similar style in real life, which makes me appreciate her even more.
This "A Little Bit Indie Rock Dress" is music to my eyes!
I finally got to sit on the famous “500 Days…” bench and take in the view a few weeks ago (photos coming soon), and since seeing the film last summer I’ve wanted to do a “500 Days” photo shoot for fun at some of the locations. I imagined wearing a flattering, 50s-reminiscent A-line dress with polka dots or bright flowers so I could channel Summer and just enjoy wearing my favorite type of garment. This Ready to Retro Dress actually combines the two patterns!
A-line dresses are perfect for my body type–the pouffier the better–and the flamboyant colors and patterns of yesteryear put a good spring–or summer, pardon the pun–in my step. I think Summer’s style is the epitome of celebrating being a woman in a purely beautiful and vibrant way, not the modern, uber-short-tight-skirt-wearing, massive-cleavage-revealing way that usually serves to degrade as oppose to uplift.
I could wear one of these dresses everyday, and the site has hundreds–adding more each day–so it may be possible…if I had a ridiculous amount of money and closet space. I don’t usually order clothing without trying it on, so I haven’t bought anything yet. Some of the higher end prices have deterred me too, though if something were to look really fantastic and I could get a lot of wear out of it, it would be worth it. But what to get? The amount of choices is overwhelming.
Reading the garment names is almost as fun as looking at the dresses themselves. Take The Gingham and I Dress,whose title inspires me to break out into “Getting to Know You”. Speaking of which, Deborah Kerr in that film takes the cake as far as full, feminine attire goes.
Deborah Kerr is elegant, vibrant, magical ("etc., etc., etc.") in every dress she dons in "The King and I".
The Scavenger Hunt Dress is aptly named for a Downtown “500 Days” adventure and the Summer Champagne Dress is perfect for a rooftop soiree at sunset. After putting in a long day at work in the About the Author Dress, put on a ginger Soda Fountain Dress and enjoy some pancakes in a diner. The scenarios and frilly, throwback pieces could go on and on. And that’s just the dresses. ModCloth sells other quirky, lovely clothes, accessories and more so everyday can be summer!
I want to get a dress from ModCloth already, so I’ll narrow down the choices and give it a whirl. If the dress fits well, I’ll definitely have to wear it on a Downtown field trip and perhaps an Ikea excursion. I’ll keep you posted.
