Perfect Little Dress

Valentino pre-fall 2013 // via 

Sometimes a dress just... gets you. How cool and pretty and sweet and strange are these numbers from Valentino? They incorporate just about every aspect of my wardrobe preferences into one garment—the length, the fabric, the silhouette, the neat pointy collar. Valentino holds a very special place in my heart for several reasons, not least of which is the way he incorporates punk references into his designs. Pyramid studs and patent leather find their way into so many of his collections, but he uses them sparingly; just enough to take the childish edge off of the designs, producing pieces that are unmitigatingly beautiful, and—to put it elliptically—that read as knowing. I saw him once, seven years ago when I worked at a fancy boutique in West Hollywood. If he had anything to say, he would said it to an assistant, who said it to another assistant, who relayed it to yet another assistant, etc. etc...  it went on like this until his words reached an assistant deemed lowly enough to talk directly to you. And I'm almost certain he drinks perfume. These are reasons to love him even more. 

I've been on a quest for patent leather as of late. The mister bought me this navy blue vinyl top for Christmas, which kicked off endless keyword searches on Etsy and more closely peeled eyes at thrift stores. When I was a Junior in high school I tried to convince my mother to make me a black vinyl gown for the winter formal dance. She declined out of sheer confusion, but nevertheless... the point is my love affair with impractical fabrics goes back a very long time.