My Alice Dress

Being a girl who prefers vintage over contemporary clobber,
my wardrobe is filled mostly with one off vintage pieces.
The reason why I love vintage clothes is not only because
they are unique pieces but also because they always have
a story to tell.

So I always chose to splash my cash in vintage rather than
designer clothes, with a few exceptions. One of them, is my
favourite dress in my wardrobe. My Alice dress.

It is an electric blue, pure silk and beautifully pleated dress
with a vintage feel – even though it was made in 2007 – and
it reminds me a lot of the dress that Alice in Wonderland wears.
One of the reasons why I bought it. Well… a grown up Alice.

My dad named me Alice -as my middle name- because he
loved Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He would
always read me that book, it was our favourite.

As soon as I saw the dress on the model just hit the store of the
luxury retailer that I used to work for back then, I though OMG that
is my Alice dress! but I knew full well that it was going to fly off the
shelves immediately and that there would be no way on earth that
I could afford the price tag: 850.00 GBP

So I tried looking away and my little heart broke each time that I had
to talk to one of my clients about it. As I wanted it so much, I was ever
so enthusiastic whilst selling it on the phone. Once I had lady say to me:
Gosh dear you sound like you really want that dress. I said, of course I
do, who wouldn’t? it is the loveliest dress in the world. I love it, it is my
favourite. Then perhaps you should buy it. Said the lady kindly. Oh no
darling, I don’t have the money for it. You have it. I said and the lady
bought it.

That was it, the stocks were sold out and my dreams of having my Alice
dress evaporated like rain drops on a hot summer day. In the back of my
mind though, I still thought about it every day, as I imagined it hanging in
my wardrobe.

3 months went by and the store went on seasonal sales. I was going
throught the sales page, desperately looking for a black dress that one
of my clients really wanted and she said she had seen on the sale section.
So there, among a discounted sea of Oscar de la Renta’s, Burberry’s,
Stella McCartney’s and Celine’s, I found it… My Alice dress!!!

I knew right then that that was my Alice dress and I could not believe
my eyes. It must be a large size. I thought. Checked the sizing and stock
and yup, there was one dress left, in a UK size 8!!! – How rare is that!?
Most sale items end up being a size one million- if that size exists-but no,
it was a UK size 8 (my size) and it was on sale, for 30% off its original retail
price. I could not believe it as the dress had been really popular. I thought
that perhaps it might have been a stock discrepancy or a returned item and
I went off to check it and it was not either. There it was, brand new, immaculate,
in its lovely designer bag.

Ok, so still it was not cheap, but it was not ridiculously out of my reach this
time, so I didn’t think twice and I bought it. My very first brand new designer
dress, which also reminded me of my favourite book read to me by my Dad
every night, when I was little. It was worth its price and more!

I didn’t even try it on, I just bought it, got home and hung it in my wardrobe,
exactly where I had been dreaming that one day it would be.

I love, love, love my Alice dress and whenever I wear it, I am in wonderland.

I only wear it to places where my Dad and I would have loved to go together,
like to the Royal Opera House or The National Theatre.

I wore it once to ‘The Yvy’ -one of the poshest restaurants in London-
where a date once took me for dinner, in a bid to impress. I thought
that it would be a nice place to wear my dress to, but it turned out to
be just a place full of tacky celebrities and greasy pub food. Ew.

So now I only stick to the ballet and the theatre, if Alice is to go out.

Here it is in full swing, on Alice Temperley’s Fall 2007 collection- one of my
fave Temperley collections ever, love the music by Prokofiev, The dance of
the Knights- My dress is the one that the 4rth model wears…

Isn’t it beautiful? I love it so much and I will treasure it forever!
Thank you so much for designing it Alice Temperley!!! It is my
favourite dress in the world!

Now here is another one of my favourite Alices… Alice by Jan Svankmajer:

The lovely Alice under water images are by the fab photographer: Elena Kalis.

Love,
xoxo
Nonita

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