Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

I Am Not a Puritan

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As I mentioned in this post, I am not now nor have I ever been a Puritan, despite my appearance in this 1994 photo (short hair, no-dancing policy).


I am a Sex-ay Pilgrim!


I call this vintage Donald Brooks gown the Sex-ay Pilgrim Dress because of the combination of severely tailored black wool and plunging neckline. I got it on eBay for $60. The work on the sleeves is amazing. They both zip and snap closed at the wrist.


I think the first photo was taken in 2003. The second photo is definitely from 2004. The first time I wore this dress was in New York, and I actually overheard more than one woman say, “Look at that beautiful dress!” as I walked by. It was so exciting! The 2004 event was in Los Angeles. Let’s just say this dress isn’t a very L.A. look. I am sure everyone thought I was a Puritan. “Oh no! A Puritan is here. Does that mean no dancing? Hide the drugs!”

(This post was inspired by Leah and Tracey.)

Separately, I am still obsessed with fish feet, so I was very excited when I got an email from Jildor Shoes with this subject line: “Blowfish Shoes at Jildor.” My hopes were quickly dashed.

“Hobbit” bootie by Blowfish
$59 at Jildor Shoes

Not exactly what I had in mind. But here are some other blowfish links:

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Yo, that dress is super sex-ay! Stupid L.A. people… they probably thought you were all Kelly McGillis a la Witness. Oh, wait, she was a Pennsylvanian Dutch in that movie. Um… wait. Amish! Darn it! Pinot’s messing with my brain.

  4. you look stunning! Great dress!

    I love Blowfish’s boots too!! I wrote a post about two months ago, and I still didn’t find where to find them in Europe (I guess I didn’t put much time in it 🙂 Cheersss! Mer (http://elfashionista.net)

  5. Those boots are in the middle of a major identity crisis. They’ve got rivets similar to blue jeans, and a wierd plaid-ish print that not even the lamest Scotophile would fall for. Are they a pair of shoes, a pair of jeans or a kilt?
    Verdict: Offesive Shoewear in the 1st degree. Punishment: To have them worn by 25-year old rudderless mall rats or vegan EarthFirsters with names like Sunwolf or He-sparrow after they’ve fished them out of the dumpster in the back.

  6. OMG if i were to see u in THAT dress ill walk rite up to u and ask u where u got it from!

  8. Wendy! That dress looks absolutely breathtaking on you! Can I just say how envious I am of your natural ability to rock the hell out of red lipstick?

    You know, I just went back to the post for a sec to take another look at those eyesore boots, and seriously: you look amazing!

  9. So happy that Leah and I could inspire this post. You are clearly a very unpuritanical pilgrim! As I am a big fan of the “sexy secretary” and “lusty librarian”, I also love the Passionate Pilgrim. My first pair of shoes I bought on Rodeo Drive looked like Italian suede pilgrim shoes with the most beautiful gold lining. I miss those shoes.

  11. AppleV, you made me LOL! I knew that dress reminded me of some movie. And @ GCA, “He-sparrow” is a stroke of genius. Mad genius, but still. Thank you for kind comments, other peeps.

  15. You look amazing! Great makeup, great hair and great dress! Even in L.A. the women would be envious – they were probably trying to figure out where they could get one made entirely of sequins and cut “up to there.”

  17. It’s good to know where you stand on the whole dancing rule. Such a steal on that dress!

  19. Thank you, Diana. My hairdresser thinks I should look more mysterious and tells me “stop giving that big toothy smile”! But unfortunately I am the opposite of Posh Spice and can’t NOT smile for the camera. If I’m not smiling, I just look anxious! Shelly, this was an unbelievable find for eBay (it’s Donald Brooks COUTURE too). I think it went for so little because it looked pretty scary in the pictures. Yards of black wool and a big giant daisy on the bust! I had my doubts too.

  20. Hot dress – Incidentally, I found myself really admiring your haircut in the 2nd and third pics. I am printing this post out and taking it to my hairdresser next week (random comment i know, but just so you know. 🙂

  23. VG, with full hair and makeup I do okay…you’ll notice most of the pix I post here are full hair and makeup! I’m not that crazy about the natural look. I wish I could go around all the time with someone to primp me ’round the clock like the big stars do!

  26. Well, all I can think of to say is these photos are not of the sort of Pilgram I used to happily color in elementary school. No sir-e-e-e-e. What a dress! I imagine you were extremely pleased when you got in the high bid! Both you and it look splendid.

  27. i’d say it in ny, i’d say it in l.a., and i’d say it in all points between: my god what a beautiful dress!!!

  28. that is an awesome dress! why oh why do I have the WORST possible luck on ebay? I have spent hours on there and never won anything great!

  29. It’s such an awesome dress! You look really cool, and only for $60… I’d start looking for more clothes on e-Bay!!

  30. Not sure if my comment went through, trying again 🙂 Love the dress and the lipstick. Who makes th lipstick? That dress is puritanical, but oh so sexy!

  31. Naki, I think then I wore Scarlet by Chanel (discontinued) and Rio by Trish McEvoy (possibly discontinued too!). I’ve been wearing a lot of “Lasting Lust” by MAC lately.