houndstooth swing coat & muted vintage florals

Cosplaying Madeleine today, though I’m not sure I’d enjoy having twelve of me. I’ve read too much Calvin & Hobbes not to understand the dangers of duplication.

For the past three weeks, my views have tanked. TANKED. I’m talking, like, ~20 per day. Sometimes up to 70 if I’m lucky.  My stats have climbed steadily upward for the past year, but I think I might – perish the thought – have peaked. January clocked in at 4,095 views. February sank to 2,419. March is young yet, but I’ve had only 254 views, which averages out to ~40 per day. I don’t know what’s happening, and I’m kinda freaked out.

My content hasn’t changed. I mean, it’s evolved over the past almost-three years I’ve blogged here, but there’s been no jumping of the shark. Nothing so radical as to shrink my hits counter by a good third. It’s gotten better, I think. I get better at photography with every shoot. I refine my knowledge of vintage every time I get dressed.

Maybe this kind of thing isn’t up to me. Maybe the internet tells you when your expiration date has arrived, and you roll with the masses or risk total irrelevance.

I’m not grubbing for views, I swear. I’d sooner gag on a spoon than be so publicly maudlin. But I would like to know if I’m alone in this. Has anyone else ever experienced this kind of drop-off, precipitated by basically nothing? Talk to me. Others’ stories just might alleviate my finger-chewing neuroses.

new in the shop

Featuring New Look dresses and some really luxurious coats. I’ve decided to focus on selling fewer things at higher prices. I don’t just want to sell old clothes, oh no. I want to be known for my cache of real vintage treasures. I’ve always wanted to play the ageless crone with the ring-weighted fingers, rummaging through silks and pawing velvets. I just want to preserve beauty.

As usual, click on each item to see its listing.

new items in my etsy shop!

Here’s what’s brand spankin’ new at Dressed in the Dark Vintage. Click each photo to see more!

Also, all previously listed items have been marked down. Dresses are all $40 or under, and hats are all $90 or under.

i’ve always wanted a tarantula

It’s true; I have. I can’t commit to caring for one at this point in my life, so I’ll make do with a shiny metallic equivalent. (Maybe I’ll get one when I move to New York for mortician school. Let’s see how many stereotypes I can fulfill, shall we?)

I took these pictures immediately after coming in from the wind and soft rain. My hair looks the way I wish it always would.

Here’s an example of how a mature coat can look simple and youthful. An interesting contrast to yesterday’s permutation.

I really like outerwear as the centerpiece of an outfit.

I like my face here. I feel all spunky and devil-may-care.

Coat: Old Gold Pants & Spider Necklace: Christmas Orange Necklace: Boutique in Maine Boots: Handed down from Mom

i’m going to look like estelle costanza in my old age

I’ve already got the “bottle redhead” thing down.

  

I like dressing too old for me. I’m tired of “vintage with a modern twist” – why the obsession with renovation? With youth? Make no mistake: I’m all for mixing. But some outfits are really better worn as they were intended. Committing to one solid look from head to toe is often a damn sight classier than more eclectic permutations. I don’t want “vintage-inspired”. I want straight-up vintage. Wearing something old enough to have been made in America, something preserved but still important, is a privilege. You’re wearing history.

Today I’m playing “well-dressed elderly Manhattanite”.

Minimal jewelry here. The blouse is gaudy enough. I wish my webcam picked up how stiff and shiny it is.

Why am I not a flapper? (Answer: because booze is legal now.)

I got $100 to Old Gold for Christmas, and I spent $48 of it on this coat. Money fabulously spent. It smells like dust and forgotten grandeur. It puts me into a role I’m very comfortable playing.

$1 sunglasses at Old Gold! Marked down from $12, believe it or not. I feel gorgeously lavish.

Coat, Blouse, & Headwrap: Old Gold Skirt: Battery Street Jeans Tights: Christmas Shoes: Stella Mae