Please. These are so Fair Finley, even down to the name.
Her tights'll make more of a show in STAY AWHILE.
Wallpaper Tights
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, tights
Subverting the Big Reveal
The Big Reveal in a story or film has always charmed me. Two potential sweethearts spend much of a film looking slovenly or at least very casual. Then, in the final act, they suddenly appear at the dance or the ball or the wedding and, wow, are they suddenly fancy and gorgeous.
The girl often swans down a grand staircase into the guy's arms:
"Wow," says the guy. "You clean up nice."
"So do you," says the girl, nearly losing her balance in her new high heels.
He catches her elbow and their eyes meet.
One of the freedoms of going the self-publishing route with the WILFAIR books is being able to try what I want to try and toy with the standards. This isn't to say traditionally published writers aren't given awesome freedoms to stretch and subvert and experiment; I'm quite sure they are. And, as I've said before, I'm sweet on the traditional route. I'll never harsh on anyone's mellow regarding self-pub vs. traditional. To each her own and high fives all around.
WILFAIR's first two potential sweethearts (oh yes, there are more to come -- hi, Carly) are Fair Finley and Gomery Overbove. The hotel heiress and motel employee deserve their Big Reveal, too, but because Fair is usually in vintage movie gowns and Gomery's in his tie and button-up, their Big Reveal naturally has to go in the opposite direction.
In short: Can two characters go from dressy to dressed-down and still wow each other? Would it be kind of exciting to see your crush, a person who is typically gussied up, appear in your doorway clad in a t-shirt, denim skirt, and clogs?
Nope, it isn't a major subversion of a tried-and-true theme and I'm not saying I'm rewriting any rules. Goodness no. But I am gaining plenty of pleasure from lining up a bunch of tiny subversions, one after the other, in these books, and seeing how they stack up. Because the tiny and quieter subversions, I find, ultimately pack more punch.
I hope you're enjoying them, too.
Gomery's Corduroys
These are pretty close, although I suspect Montgomery #1's corduroys are a bit more worn. The shoes and the wristwatch fit, too. Thanks, American Rag, for unknowingly dressing a certain fictional motel employee!
Labels: clothing, Gomery Overbove
Shoes
These are Fair Finley. Find them at daisyclub on Etsy.
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, shoes, vintage
Betsey Johnson Sugary Confection Dress
You can just taste this frock, right?
Very Fair Finley.
Find it at ModCloth
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, vintage
Casual Fair
Hugging this look with my eyes.
Find the dungarees at Nicole Katherine Designs.
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, vintage
How Fair Dresses
So very this.
Find this beauty at Mill Street Vintage
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, vintage
Green 1950s Dress with Bolero
Everything about this look is Fair Finley.
P1xie is on Etsy. Pretty items being pretty.
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, vintage
1950s Airliner Dress
You'd certainly see this beauty being worn around Wilfair. It's for sale at Red Dress Shoppe.
Big red shoulder bow = *cat call*
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, vintage
Zigzag Dress
The manager of Wilfair would wear this vintage beauty. Plus, it came from Bullocks Wilshire, a famous Wilshire Boulevard department store from back in the day.
ccriley/Etsy
Labels: clothing, Fair Finley, vintage
Brooch Love
The lovely Annie Korzen is a well-known around The Wilfair's neighborhood. She's a vintage maven, and TV shows (coughMadMencough) often shop her vast collection.
I recently stopped by one of Annie's fab sales and admired her brooches. Fair Finley, with her evening gloves and little hats, is a brooch fan. But the brooch she chooses for the day is probably meant to telegraph her mood to anyone who approaches. Could be a rhinestone-y flower, could be a twisty knot that says "go away."
A go-away brooch shouldn't be worn every day, of course, but some days it could come in very handy. Very handy indeed.