Lookbook: Vintage Holiday Dresswear
Slow fashion for holiday, featuring Peaceful Pagan Vintage & private collection pieces
I’ve been planning this holiday style post for the past few weeks — and on Wednesday I finally got to shoot the looks! It all started as a collaboration with Jen Fox, owner of Peaceful Pagan Vintage, whose vintage collection ranges from 1900s - 1970s (one of my fav decades, disco queen 4ever). Jen and I met at the last Lost & Found vintage market in Portland, where I fell in love with a tiered mesh party dress from her store (featured in this lookbook!). For the collab I got to do a personal pull of pieces for this holiday inspired shoot — amazingly inspiring and so fun. The shoot took place at the beautiful Inn on Carleton, a mid-1800s Victorian townhouse that’s been restored and styled to perfection. Could not have asked for a more stunning location to set the scene for these holiday ensembles.
I’m sharing the first set of looks this week — created with your early December gatherings in mind. I’ll share the remaining styles next week, where you’ll see inspiration for NYE ranging from glitter-blasted to winter-botanical.
LOOK 1
Black velvet cape dress, ($150) Peaceful Pagan Vintage Collection; glass chandelier earrings, costume; leopard handbag, hobo
Wearing a black velvet dress is a timeless holiday look — and this 1930’s dress is no exception. A floor length, form fitting beauty, with a cape that gracefully covers the shoulders to mid-arm. The chandelier earrings are modern costume jewelry — which has always been the perfect low-cost way to add sparkle and shine to a look. A fun and decidedly un-holiday leopard bag (but maybe it should be holiday!?) is a great foil to add cheekiness to this party fit.
LOOK 2
Red velvet dress with white fur trim,($175) Peaceful Pagan Vintage Collection; black satin hair bow, private collection
This is undeniably the Holiday Hostess dress of the year. Fair warning, if you wear something like this, you will forever raise the bar on your future holiday looks. The red velvet floor length gown is another stunning example of rare beauty from Jen’s collection. Detailing such as white fur trim, draping bell sleeves, and braided waist belt are monumentally photographable and create a spellbinding look of Christmas magic.
The hair tie is a satin belt from a 1950’s lace boudoir set, part of my aunt’s private collection used for this shoot. The belt came from a very tiny lace negligée, which was too small to style, however the belt made for a perfect hair accessory.
LOOK 3
Cream satin slip dress & green velvet kimono with fur trim, private collection; glass flower gem necklace, costume
This kimono is everything! It’s part of a huge collection of heirloom vintage items inherited by my aunt, whose mother and aunt’s passed down hundreds of pieces including dresses, coats, shoes, hats, etc from the early to mid 1900s. The kimono is a stunning shade of chartreuse green, with a gentle repeating circular pattern, and giant white fur cuffs, believed to be from the 1950s. It’s pieces like this that make me a devout supporter of vintage.
I styled it with a simple cream colored slip dress, which has a waist the size of a soup dish. Luckily my model (and dear friend / future SIL) is tiny so she was able to slip into this dress. The ruffle hem and elegantly shaped bodice are elevating enough to make what was likely an underdress, into a full-on party dress. There are no shortage of vintage slip dresses out there — and most are very affordable. I love this concept as a holiday party dress alternative — and pairing with something a little bit maximalist — like a beautiful jacket, kimono, statement jewelry or standout shoe — will easily take the look to the next level.
A tiny glass flower necklace adds some subtle shine to the neckline.
LOOK 4
Red slip dress, ($95) Peaceful Pagan Vintage Collection; Rhinestone necklace, ($50) Peaceful Pagan Vintage Collection; Fur coat, private collection
This is the last look for Part I of my holiday dresswear lookbook. More to come in the second edition next week.
This dress is a standout garment — bright red, with a charming black bow detail at the hip, and an asymmetrical ruffled skirt. Party party party!
Paired with a 1950s rhinestone necklace, also from Jen’s collection, this cocktail ensemble comes together with just a few key pieces. The coat is a stunning example of how fur can be worn in an ethical and economical way. It belongs to my grandmother — my sister wore this fur coat at her winter wedding in 2020, and it’s been in her care ever since. A state-ment-piece. And let’s not forget that wearing a coat as part of the outfit is a fully sanctioned style move. Paired with simple back heels and a sleek low bun, the look comes together as effortless chic.
ONE LAST THING
A red shoe! If you are not likely to wear something as overtly red as the last dress, then maybe you’re more inclined to add a red detail to your ensemble.
This red shoe is another one from my aunt’s collection. It’s teeny-tiny (size 5.5) and we were all shocked and elated when J’s foot slid into the shoe a la Cinderella, with a literal picture-perfect fit.
Like the bright shiny red of winter berries, these block heels are illuminatingly rouge, with a loafer style vamp and a gold bamboo-esque detail that adds just the right touch of charm. This shoe was discovered at just the right moment, as gold and red really come to the fore this time of year. I styled the heels with cream colored wide-leg pants, featuring gold lamé threading (see my post about lamé for a fix of metallic holiday wearables) & another velvet top from my aunt’s collection — full ensemble to be shared next week!
I hope these looks have sparked a little holiday magic into your fashion headspace, and maybe you’ll be inspired to find that ~perfect~ vintage garment for this year’s celebrations. Until next week!
xo,
Georgia
If you are interested in any of the Peaceful Pagan pieces featured in this post, please connect with Jen Fox for purchase information. @the_peaceful_pagan_vintage on Instagram, with a studio shopping space located at @cabotmillantiques in Brunswick, ME.
So inspiring for holiday dressing - bring out the glam!!
These shots are stunning!! Those red shoes are just like a pair my grandmother had. Love.