Flashback to the 1980s (and 1990s) Estate Sale: Skirts and Dresses

While I photographed many of the estate sale items on me, I didn’t for some of them because it was either to large or small for me; or because of the hanger it’d been on. Some of the hangers (for dresses and blouses) had those sponge strips on them (so they’re less likely to slip off the hanger). Well, after however many years these items had been sitting around, the sponge had rather disintegrated; it became a dust that went everywhere. It made everything feel grimy and disgusting, so I couldn’t bear to try them on until they’re washed.

I got a lot of skirts; they’re older so they tend to be longer—about mid-shin.

Purple wool polyester skirt. (Top photo) I love the deep purple of this skirt and I like the pleating. (I wished it was lined, but for 50 cents, who cares?)

Black polyester wool skirt with slit in the front. I didn’t think I would like this skirt as much as I do, but I think the fit is pretty good.

Gray wool skirt. It’s a fairly loose fitting skirt; the best part about it is the pockets.

Navy blue skirt. It’s a simple skirt and a nice color.

Gray pleated skirt. I really like the pleats in the front and I like the lightweight material it’s made of. It has pockets too (which is always a plus). It’s one of my favorite new skirts.

Olive green wool culottes. I’m not really a culottes person (or an olive green person), and this pair is large on me, but worst-case-scenario I got some quality material to use.

Red button-down wool skirt. This isn’t the cutest skirt (I’m not a fan of the waist with the belt loops). I like the color; maybe it can be altered into a short skirt.

And then here’s five skirts that didn’t fit me. Red skirt: wool nylon. Gray skirt: wool polyester. Dark gray skirt: wool polyester. Light blue skirt: wool. Black and white skirt: wool viscose.

And while not photographed, I also got two slips that still had the tags on them; truthfully I’m not sure what all I can wear them with since they’re fairly long slips (below the knee).

Next, I got some dresses.

Blue plaid polyester shirt and skirt. I was on the fence on getting this outfit… It’s not my favorite piece (but for whatever reason I thought it was kind of interesting); I have yet to try it on so I have no idea what the fit will be like.

Blue silk dress. This dress has sun damage along the shoulders. Really I bought this dress thinking I’d either make it into a skirt or tear it up for the fabric.

Red silk shirt-dress. This is a very simple dress. It does have a small hole in it (maybe the hanger poked it?), so that will need to be fixed.

Blush silk dress. The shape of the dress is fairly simple; it has a tie to bring it in at the waist. I like the covered buttons that go down the back of the dress. I am not a fan of the sleeves or the beaded shoulders. While I can appreciate the workmanship it may take to create the beaded detail, I can’t see myself wearing this as-is…ever. It’s so 80s—like what you might see on Dynasty. I thought I could just use the fabric for something.

I think I got all my skirts and dresses for around $10. Pretty great deal.