Vintage Hawaiian Peasant Dresses & The Friends Who Find Them

From Amber

Of the many, many, many wonderful customers Sasha & I have had the pleasure of getting to know through our Etsy shop, it is Malloy, a vintage enthusiast of the highest order, who we have grown the closest- and shipped the most clothes off!- to.

It's gotten to the point where we shop for each other- Sasha & I find things for Malloy while out on our shopping adventures and Malloy sends us links to items on Etsy she thinks we'll like. As I wrote to her recently, the only people who know my taste in clothes better than her are Sasha and my mom!

Recently Malloy sent me a link to this beauty, for sale at Clementine's Closet:

I fell in love immediately, but the waist measurement was too small. When I told Malloy this she, like any good clothes-obsessed girlfriend, insisted that I pursue it and write to the shop keeper. And I am so glad I did, because it turns out that the waist had two extra inches that had been missed on the first measure! I had been on a self imposed shopping sabbatical but the adorableness and SUPER awesome price on this dress compelled me to snatch it up before someone else did!

Our relationship with Malloy has been so beneficial for all of us. She recently recommended the novel The Clothes Off Their Backs to me, just as I was getting into reading fiction again! She also recently sent off a package of goodies in the mail for Sasha and I- can't wait to see what's in there! And she has taught me not only to double check with shop keepers about pieces I'm interested in, but also that I apparently have a thing for vintage Hawaiin peasant-style dresses.

Who knew? Not me. But a while ago Malloy also sent me the link to this dress, still for sale (she says begrudgingly- you know it kills me that I can't spend any more money right now!) at Grace Vintage, and fell just as in love with it (but it was a bit pricier than the above dress):

Now you know, dear readers, that I'm not exactly the Hawaiian shirt type gal. I have no special love for hibiscus, pineapple, or palm tree print clothing, but there is something about these dresses- both of which have tags which indicate they were actually made in Hawaii- that I find so lovely, whimsical, and (what every mama needs) practical.
I hearted this one months ago, but it sold sometime between now and then. It was for sale through Jennie's Junque n It:


I definitely have a love of peasant dresses in general, but many of them are just too ornate or, well, silly to really wear. I am a mama-on-the-go and I need clothes that can go there with me! These dresses are just that, walking the line perfectly between too fancy and too plain. I ain't afraid of a maxi dress for every day living, nor does lace or an empire waist lounge in my closet waiting for a special occasion. 
Life's too short not to wear clothes you absolutely love every single day of it. I'm looking forward to reading that book soon and pondering the meaning of clothes from someone else's point of view, looking forward to further developing our relationship with Malloy and so many others through Etsy/this blog/Flickr/MySpace, etc., and majorly looking forward to receiving my new dress and Malloy's package in the mail!