If I hit the lottery and had a time machine: Winter White Edition

It is time for a new edition of my coulda-woulda-shoulda shopping regrets. I call it rearview fashionism: looking backward while thinking fashion forward. In other words, this series is lamenting what my closet could have been.

It has been quite chilly lately. And although I have a plethora of street pashminas and a few clutch cashmere numbers, I long for a scarf that will stay put without an annoyingly bulky neckknot. If I could go back in time with lottery money I would purchase the Kyle Scarf by Mike and Chris:

Though they're pretty simple, the slouchy drape is difficult to replicate. I haven't found an adequate knockoff and I've searched through pages and pages of "button scarves" on etsy. Sadly, the financial woes that have hit this line might mean I will never acquire what is now a hard to find piece.

If I could go back in time to Fall of 2006 and buy this Alexander McQueen dress, I absolutely would.

I would put myself through months of ramen noodles and cancel cable for this dress. I fell in love with it immediately and thought it would make the perfect wedding dress for me. I am not really into standard, strapless, white, taffeta fare. I love the antique look of the ivory tulle and its juxtaposition with the gothic victorian lace details. And I would wear it again and again and again to my anniversary dinners and fancy parties.

While I'm on the subject of alternative wedding dressing, I wouldn't kick this other McQueen frock out of my bridal suite:

Granted, it is much simpler and something similar could probably be found for less, I find the subtle print and the muted color tones to evoke exactly what I am looking for in a dress for The Big Day. It is definitely re-wearable, too!

This strapless Marchesa dress has stunning beadwork and although I personally wouldn't wear strapless because of my ample bustline, I would adore a cap sleeved version of this.

So I guess for this item I would need a time machine, winning lotto tickets, and a franken-dress maker.

Finally, this Burberry dress would make a beautiful, interesting, and versatile statement and I could wear it on the big day and days to come.

But the chance to purchase it and everything else in this post has come and gone, save for estalking on ebay. Who knows, though. Maybe when Net-a-Porter launches its outlet called "The Outnet" this Spring I will be offered a fashion reprieve for one of these dresses?!

Maybe this bodes badly for the plans I have to make but the mere thought of hunting for a conventional wedding dress makes me so very sleepy. I'd love to hear about how other traditional and non-traditional, fashionable ladies dealt with the dress conundrum for big days!

Top shelf

New tops interspersed throughout:

I lamented my dire need for tops in the last post. There is a reason for such a discernible gap in my wardrobe. I began a few years ago to slowly upgrade the quality of staple pieces in my closet. It started with coats and handbags, which had always been my two favorite categories to hunt for when thrifting. I amassed an impressive collection of quirky purses and beautiful, classic coats thanks to the wealth of opportunity that is the Mon Valley thrift/vintage/antique scene, where I grew up. I also compiled piles of dresses, tops, fun jewelry, various household ephemera and generally cool stuff. But at the time of my thrifting addiction, I was renting apartments in the city and moving with regularity. Every time I had to move all of that STUFF I grew increasingly resentful of it.
These were no longer my precious, sentimental treasures. They were musty, dust-collecting, low quality, ill-fitting mountains of itchy, poly-blend crap. So I edited like a madwoman. I donated bags and bags of it back to the Mon Valley charity stores I happily patronized years prior, paying forward my treasures to future thrifters. I held a yard sale and sold the nicest things that didn't fit me, because if I hadn't altered them after years of ownership, I certainly wasn't going to have the time to learn to do so after another hectic move. And I sold things that didn't sell at the local "Beacon's Closet" style store in the city.
I kept only the small number of items I actually used: the coats that fit like a dream; the dresses that didn't cause me to wince years later when I saw myself trying to pull them off; the bags that were actual leather, in good shape for their age; and the pieces of jewelry that weren't being knocked-off by throngs of "vintage inspired" labels and Forever 21 also-rans.

Finally, I embarked upon the long, sometimes-costly process of upgrading. As I said above, I started with coats and handbags which were easy to rationalize. Then denim and trousers when I could find deals. I moved on to dresses once I convinced myself to create the occasions to wear them, even if no one else was "dressed up." Shoes were always low on the list because of the extreme cost, but eventually I caved to that category, relatively speaking. I still wear plenty of Steve Madden and Nine West but I try to stay away from the cheap, painful thrill of Payless's all man made uppers. I began buying sweaters only in natural fabrics, like cotton, merino wool, silk, and cashmere. Once I made the transition it was hard to go back to any acrylic or poly-blend pieces.Tops and jewelry were really the only things I hadn't replaced with newer and nicer. I would buy new tops and jewelry periodically. But mostly from the outlets of places like J Crew or Banana Republic. I had a brief affair with Forever 21 but the cost per wear never decreases when a shirt falls apart during its first wash cycle.
I've found many great things at Gabriel Brothers which has long been a staple of my brick and mortar shopping. And I scour the sale section at Anthropologie, online and in person when possible.

If I hit the lottery and had a time machine:

1. I would re-buy the jovovich hawk roslyn dress which I regret returning. But the only place that still has it is net-a-porter and it is way too much there.

2. I would find and at least try on this "Stewardess Dress" by Amanda Uprichard so that I could discover that this style is not right for me no matter how cute I think it is.

3. I would have ordered this Brian Reyes dress:
4. And this Development dress:

But I don't NEED any dresses. I need tops and fabric dye right now. I have a bunch of jeans that fit me well but need to be darker to neutralize the faux-aged effect that was all the rage when I purchased them years back. And I need tops to wear with those jeans. I could also use some cords but those are no fun to buy.

Supposedly there is some crazy secret pre-sale happening dahntahn so even though I was just in there on Saturday I guess I am going to Saks today to see if any tops I like are cheap.