Mary Van DAAAMN! – Prairie Chic in the City
I got this dress in Portland, OR–my vintage clothing mecca. I make a pilgrimage at least once a year and I find such gems in that city. This blue dress was a measly $12, sales tax free. Special thanks to Joanna Newsom for bringing back the prairie chic look in her Milk-Eyed Mender days.
I pair the dress often with my favorite pair of ALDO boots.
Altogether this look has brought me much joy. I’ve performed in it on some good shows (though I don’t think I’ll wear it on stage again). And it became the reason why famous people spoke to me!
Mainly Sarah Silverman who said, “I LOVE your dress!” and to whom I said, “Thank you.”
And Margaret Cho who said, “I LOVE your dress! It’s a Gunne Sax and I totally appreciate that!” and to whom I said, “Thanks.”
Ah, to be awkward and insecure.
I would’ve liked to have told her that it’s actually a handmade dress, inspired by the popular 1970s Gunne Sax dresses by Jessica McClintock and so on and so forth and yeah, I’m a comedienne in San Francisco, yeah I totally know that person, hell yeah I’m into that kinky shit! And then we would’ve been bffs.
I’ll leave you with the inspiration:
And possibly my favorite song of hers:
July 15th, 2009 at 4:07 am
“Sawdust and Diamonds” absolutely terrifies me. I feel like it’s one part the nature of the song, and one part the fact that I associate it with a seriously creepy temp job in Woodland Hills.
For one month, I listened to that album on the bus for an hour, then I spent five hours in a bizarre daze, proofreading legal depositions, a surprising number of which were about medical malpractice and injuries. Pictures of amputated limbs, people suffering personality-altering brain damage because furniture fell on them, etc. Then another hour back. Also, my boss’ boss was legitimately insane, and I eventually got fired — from a temp job, mind you — for not talking with people enough. I still don’t understand that. But then again, I’m sure I was going to work with some kind of weird haunted look in my eyes half the time. Maybe I creeped people out. I don’t know.
I don’t know whether the fact that a song can instill that kind of dread in me is a testament to Newsom’s talent as a writer, or evidence that I have problems, or both. All I know is, I ended up making “Ys” no. 2 on my year-end list that year, even though right up to the end, I was convinced it HAD to be no. 1. I can’t give the top spot to an album I’m afraid of. I can’t!
(Also, after I was fired in November, I spent a lot of December listening to Camera Obscura, and remembered how much I had liked their album at the beginning of the year when it had come out. And now they’re my favorite current band. So it all worked out for the best, really. Unless you were that poor bird.)
July 15th, 2009 at 5:16 am
Hawt!
Do you have any shows coming up in the LA area?
July 21st, 2009 at 4:24 pm
@Erik That’s too bad Ys has a negative association for you. I’ve listened to it so much at different times, so I don’t have any associations with it. I even run to that album, which is kind of funny because you wouldn’t think that would be an album to pump you up for sweating and burning calories. I’ve been listening to her so much lately she was in my dream the night before last. My friend and I were hanging out with her and she was playing songs for us. I requested songs for her to play, but to all my suggestions she said, “No. That song is too long.” What does it mean when you’re defeated in your own dreams?
I should check out Camera Obscura. I’m not familiar with them.
@Donovan No shows coming up in LA. But I should try to make that happen. It’s been a while.
July 30th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
That dress is adorable! I sometimes let people think the wrong things about items I own when I don’t feel like explaining them…I awkward too.
July 31st, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Oh thanks for your comment! I LOVE your blog.
January 19th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
[...] Back in the day Portland was my vintage mecca and I found some amazing pieces there that remain some of my favorites in my wardrobe. It’s been a while since I’ve been back. Last time I [...]