Retro Rack

I neglected to get a good photo of this one, but frankly given how fast everything was on this particular day, I'm glad I got any photos at all. It was all my author friend Lea Kirk, she rocks. She also writes some sexy sci-fi, if that's your thing check her out.

Anyway where was I?

Oh yeah, gold dress.

Here it is...


Me with awesome reader fans!

I paired the dress with some turquoise jewelry (to better match the cover), a vintage shell hat, gold sandals, and a big old octopus ring.



The dress in it's original form:


As you can see I lengthened the hem, added short sleeves, and changed the neckline, making it way more retro looking, because, you know, that's my JAM.


Here I am hamming it up as we marched down the street to Tattered Cover. Yes I'm wearing flats to walk a mile, I'm not a complete idiot. Of course when I got there I changed into gold sandals.

Outfit Breakdown! 

• Gold cocktail dress - eShakti (no longer available, but check the sales after New Years for this kind of awesome bling-dress)
• Shell hat, vintage, nothing similar, sorry! 
• Turquoise choker & matched earrings - similar $20
• Cream belt - similar $13
• Gold platform sandals - similar $32
• Teapot bag - Etsy $69
• Cat eye sunnies $11

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

You can shop my recommendations via the following lists:
Steampunk, Retro Jewelry, Makeup, Retro Clothes, Lifestyle

Product links on this blog are usually to Amazon using my associate code. At no additional cost to you this means I get a slight kick back if you make a purchase. Thank you! This allows me to continue to produce this blog without sponsors.

Ball Gown  Emile Pingat, 1860  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

2014 Altuzarra

Ellipses Shirt

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

quotes Gail likes

Evening Dress  1890s  Antique Dress

2014 Dolce & Gabbana

Tea Snob

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

quotes Gail likes

1900  The Philadelphia Museum of Art

2014 Sass & Bide

Hail The Victorious Parasol Shirt

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

quotes Gail likes

1949 Venus  Christian Dior  The Metropolitan Museum of Art

2013 Fall Gold

Octopus T-Shirt

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

quotes Gail likes

So this was the first eShakti dress that I purchased after the Rack Reduction. It's a little bit big and I need to work on the measurements that I give them if/when I order from them again.


I ordered this just after the holiday season because I love the fabric. It's better in person but it has a peacock component with blues and pinks within the gold.  It's no loner available. It came with a sash belt and pockets (!) and I had the neckline altered to a wide V and short sleeves added because I wanted it to look more 1950s like this:

Party dress, 1950s via shewhoworshipscarlin tumblr

I'm wearing it with short beaded cotton gloves (because of the heat in Kansas City) similar $15 in satin.


The multi-colored hair flower is a gift (similar $10) and the shoes are modern MJ almond toe pumps (similar $30). I love them but they are wicked painful. The tassel necklace is a modern jet piece that I love (similar $17). I got it from Dark Garden years ago. I have a THING about tassel jewelry.

Tassel Jewelry a Retrospective

Watch Fob  1850  Lang Antiques

Pendant  1910  Bonham’s

Brooch  Cartier, 1920s  Christie’s

1920s Necklace  1stdibs.com

Brooch  Cartier, 1925  Christie’s

Diamond and Pearl Necklace  Sterlé, 1955  Christie’s

2014 via 13 Amazing It-Bags to Seriously Invest in for Fall and Beyond on WhoWhatWear.com

2016 Saint Laurent Lolita tassel choker at ysl.com

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

You can visit the following shopping lists: Travel Dork, My Steampunk, My Wardrobe.

Product links on this blog are usually to Amazon using my associate code. At no additional cost to you this means I gets a slight kick back if you make a purchase. Thank you! This allows me to continue to produce this blog without sponsors.

My dear fashionable reader here is what I wore to the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley California over the weekend.


Gold eShakti cocktail dress with custom modifications. (I added short sleeves and a wide V neckline.) I love the deep gores on the skirt and the sash belt. This is an old gold color (better on my skin then true gold or white gold) and it has a kind of peacock pattern with threads of black, blue, and pink throughout. I adore it. It looks great with a wide range of accessories. It's the only eShakti dress I've bought since the Rack Reduction, and it isn't a perfect fit, but I do adore it.

Alex White, author friend and date, dressed to match.

I paired it with a dark tan AM CLOTHES Flower and Feather Hair Clip Fascinator $15. They have a number of different styles and colors. I have a couple of them and they pack nicely flat so I love them. Good for day or evening. I added steampunk earrings (gift from a fan, similar $20), gold gloves (similar $5), and robin's egg blue 1940s style platform sandals from Miz Mooz (discontinued, similar $36).

Photo by Jacqueline Yau (@jyauzer)

My daytime look for Sunday's panel was this eShakti black poof skirt (discontinued, similar $35), and a long ago purchased red top from H&M. I paired it with Guess black wedge sandals with leopard heels (similar $27), vintage leopard bucked bag (similar $35) and a leopard skinny belt (similar $9).


On top I am wearing leopard gloves (similar $15), a vintage leopard pillbox hat, and steampunk earrings (similar $17).

Any questions I haven't answered about my outfits? Ask them in the comments!

Retro Rack is also on facebook where I post additional images and fashion thoughts.

You can visit the following shopping lists: Travel Dork, My Steampunk, My Wardrobe.

Product links on this blog are usually to Amazon using my associate code. At no additional cost to you this means I gets a slight kick back if you make a purchase. Thank you! This allows me to continue to produce this blog without sponsors.