Monday, May 21, 2012

Sweet new-fashioned girl

Once upon a time, when I'd see a little girl wearing a dress like this and there seemed to be no special occasion, I would assume her to be a very quiet and ladylike child. Timid and bookish, perhaps. 

Then ViMae came along and set me straight. Ladylike when she chooses, this girl also runs and tumbles and climbs and digs in the dirt with the best of them. She is usually just a step behind her big brother Augie. And while he's in t-shirt and sweat pants, she's in a dress with a swirly skirt. Usually pink, often ankle-length. And sparkly shoes. She is a girly princess and an active child.

I was aiming for an over-the-top princess dress when I picked up this smocked corduroy dress at Once Upon a Child and glammed it up with jewels and lace. I made a shimmery, sheer overskirt, but instead of attaching it I put a ribbon on it and left it separate so she can wear it any time. It twirls very nicely, as you can see. 


The dress also works perfectly well at the park, when paired with tastefully matching pink pants. Good thing it's washable!


Recently, I bought Vi a handful of mix-and-match clothes on sale at Gymboree. On this day, she wore coordinating pieces together. But she has her own sense of style. Picking out her clothes each day, she loves to find combinations other than the original ones. She nearly always has a rationale for her choices: the greens match, or the flowers go together. Which, of course, is exactly what we say about the pieces that came together in the outfit.

One lovely morning she was in a dress that was part of the new duds, and I wanted another photo. Pa suggested she pose for me in the garden, near the bleeding hearts. So this is what she did.
This past weekend, Vi went to her daddy's grad school commencement in the afternoon and Rock the Barn, the preschool's big fund-raising party, in the evening. Two days before, I asked what she was going to wear and she answered, appropriately, "I want to wear something beautiful." Grandma Anita provided the perfect answer, making Vi this new princess dress as an early birthday gift.

It seems to me that we who worked so hard to expand the range of choices and opportunities for women can take pride in the fact that new generations are exercising those choices with ease. And style. 


12 comments:

Ms Sparrow said...

What a charming and independent little girl! She's got a lot on the ball.

TxFarmhouse said...

Oh my, the picture of her in the garden behind the bushes is priceless! I bet she keeps ya'll in stitches constantly!
by the way, love the dress.

Red said...

This one's got more than style...she's got flair!

Jeanie said...

I like a girl with style and it looks like Vi Mae has her own unique style. What a cutie. I love the climbing picture.

Linda Myers said...

She gets to choose! How wonderful.

Sharon Longworth said...

How great to have all that fun of choosing your own clothes and none of the 'what shall I wear?' anxiety that seems to come for me with every occasion. Long may her pleasure in clothes last!

DJan said...

She does have style, are we born with it or is it developed? I think she is showing how innate her sense of style and panache really is! You are a lucky grandmother to have her in your life! Thanks for sharing her with me. :-)

Jenny said...

She is a doll! xo Jenny

Grandmother Mary said...

Well, she'd get along great with my granddaughter, the fashionista! I think they're cute as a bees knees and celebrate their sense of style. They're so lucky to be able to develop it from such a young age to such an adoring crowd!
p.s. Cute outfits!

Far Side of Fifty said...

Twirling is a very important thing..I believe all little girls like that activity. Her dresses are darling! The last raspberry pink one looks like a real party dress! She is a beautiful girl! :)

Sally Wessely said...

Vi Mae does certainly have a sense of style, and she wears what she wants where it suits her. I love her spirit!

I love the idea of the sheer and sparkly overskirt. What a great idea. She reminds me of my oldest daughter. Keicha was just exactly like Vi Mae at this age. Active and in her swirly skirts which she preferred.

Marie Loerzel said...

My girls never liked dresses, while I pined for them to wear them just once in a while. But then they never liked dolls either, which I was completely thrilled about. I guess we'll call it a wash!

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