A 1940s Ball Gown and a Vintage Starlet

Wendi and Teresa at the Ball. Teresa in Sarara Vintage 1940s Dress. Image from Teresa's collection.

I love a good gown. Maybe it's the possibility slipping into it for a fabulous party or feeling like a silver screen diva for just a moment....  Ever on the lookout for a great one, I remember finding this chiffon gown, with shoulders Joan Crawford would be proud of in upstate new york. A woman had called me out to look at her mother's collection. This particular gown was sort of stuck to the side- under the others when I first caught a glimpse of it. It was wonderful to hear that last December, it had a shining moment once again.  A few months ago, Teresa Schmidt, a new customer, had order it for a holiday ball.

When she purchased it she mentioned that there was also a 40s pageant at the event.  I wondered, would she win? Immediately I thought YES, this dress is stunning if I do say so myself.  So, when she emailed me to say thank you recently,  she also told me that she did, indeed, win first prize. I was delighted and intrigued. What after all was this event? The 3rd annual White Christmas, A 1940s Christmas Ball... Turns out, it was kind of the place to be in Denver Colorado this past December. The Huffington Post had even agreed!   This event was all about the mood, the clothing, and the nostalgia of the 40s.  The theme was a tribute to Pearl Harbor, so they chose Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, a large airplane hanger with 1940s bombers and X-wings to boot.

The competition part of the party was to crown a vintage starlet.  I was enthralled by Sarara Vintage's very own starlet, so I interviewed Teresa about her win.   This was not an easy thing to enter, she was one of only 10 picked to compete based on an application that she had filled out. She even had add images to the application. She included a picture of her in a 1950s style Tiki dress that she had made for a party. She and her friend Wendi looked amazing, her dress is great. Who knew Colorado was so much fun?

Teresa and Wendi at the Tiki Party. Photograph from Teresa Schmidt's collection.

Once accepted, Teresa had to find the dress and do the hair.  Well, we know where she found the dress, so what about the hair? Her friend Wendi Malone, above, did her hair, which let me tell you looked amazing-see the photographs and Wendi's blog for a tutorial on how to create finger waves.  I was also interested in why Teresa entered the contest and her relationship with vintage clothing- so I asked:

"My friend, Wendi, nurtured my love of all things old. But my grandma was the one who instilled it in me. I loved listening to her stories as a child, especially her first date with my grandpa. He tried to impress her by taking her to a speakeasy! She taught me how to do rag doll curls when I was in 5th grade. I also love to collect pearl necklaces and cameos, which my grandma loved also. I love the style of women from 1920s-1950s. They were so feminine yet strong.......Deciding to go into the competition: It was part support for Wendi (who entered and got in the top 10 also), part my love for getting dressed up in vintage (I wore 2 dresses that night, a 50s dress before and my competition dress).  The other part was just for the fun! I like to think my grandma would have been proud" (Teresa Schmidt).


I love getting a glimpse into the new life of a vintage item that I have sold. Instead of the trash, it ended up on a stage.  I appreciate Teresa sharing the story of her grandmother and the roots of her love of vintage style.  Congrats -Grandma would have loved it!

303 Magazine photograph, rights reserved.