I always wanted a vintage dress form. It is the cross section of beauty for a girl who loves sewing and loves vintage. I’ve been looking for one for about a decade. But a month ago in a random search online, I found the perfect one off of Craig’s List. No picture. It just said vintage dress form for sale. The lady who was went to FIDM in NYC in the late fifties/early sixties.  She took the class mannequin with her when she graduated.
As I twirled the gorgeous dress in great shape, I noticed the name “Blanche” written in pencil on her shoulder. Â The lady told me that the students would name the mannequins after their least favorite teachers. Â She said Blanche was something of a “tough ole bird” but was a great seamstress who had a great eye for style.
The lady selling the dress form said it still had the original linen and apologized for the stains. I like the natural aging patina. And I love thinking of all of the gorgeous dresses and outfits it wore in the sixties straight from the minds of young fashion students. Cost: $60. I tossed three twenties at her and ran.
So Blanche is now the patron saint of our dining room and quickly became fast friends with the Peach, who now likes to stand next to Blanche for photos! Hurrah! Â I managed to get a toddler to stand still long enough to capture the vintage goodness of her little outfit.
Vintage dress with striped tights from Kawaii Kids and Livie and Luca red shoes. And boy is she tired. This was the best photo I could take out of the six that I quickly snapped.
So, now that Georgia has a friend to stand next to, hopefully, I’ll be able to take more outfit shots of her and share some of the vintage goodies I bought for her over the years.
PS: And don’t you like our new header? From MK’s BFF, the lovely and so so talented Ms. Pilgrim. Â It is perfection, just like her and the perfect way to welcome in this special time of year. Â Thank you Pilgrim for giving Modern Kiddo the perfect holiday outfit. YOU ROCK!!!!
love blanche! really love the peach tho, she is getting so big!!
Ha! Big and fast! Too fast to take photos that aren’t totally blurry.
I feel bad because she is just so tired in this picture. Poor thing!
Your daughter is adoable and of course Blanche is lovely as well. Love her livie and luca shoes! thecoolkidsblog.com
Aww thanks, Betsy! Those live and luca shoes are now covered with mud thanks to a little play date little miss had yesterday. But they are the best shoes. And one of the few brands that fit her wide little footies!
GAH!!! dottie peach is a doll in that vintage dress!!!! and lucky you on your new friend “blanche” i love that you know the story behind her that makes it worth even more than the 3 twenties you paid!!!!!
Aw thanks! I love Blanche! And those dress forms usually go for at at least a few hundred, so I’m equally chuffed!
BTW, how do you get Miss Pip to stand so still for your photo shoots? I had to put a book down and tell Miss Peach to stand on it, which she did for ten seconds. Oof!
i have her well trained! i don’t know i guess it has become so normal to her that she just does it. we do have many days where she is “just too busy” ha
OK, the Peach is beautiful, we all know that–but Blanche is gorgeous! AND THAT DRESS! Like a little red Snoopy, snooping for clues! SO CUTE!
Second the photo help, by the by!
Totally green with envy!! I wish Blanche had a sister. She is in a perfect spot with a vintage typewriter behind her and the always adorable Peach beside her. LOVE THIS!!!!!!!
I love BLANCHE (when you told me a mannequin, I thought she was like a store mannequin! hee….this kind is totally cooler….I love it!).
Also can we please discuss PEACH in that Inspector Bloodhound jumper??? I love it. She is SOOOOO CUTE i’m dying. I love that she can wear it now!
I have one too. Mine was purchased from college’s fashion dept. Apparently, they’d sat in a storage room for ages. Mine is a Wolf too but the brass part is so dark, it’s black now and the linen is rubbed through on the boobies! Poor ole gal!
My daughter is Georgia, too. She is 2!