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Feeling Groovy in a Reverend Mother Go-Go Dress

1960s shift dress with burgundy boots.

Blessings and Glad Tidings to you, my dear readers. Now let’s get groovy.

1960s shift dress with burgundy boots.
I edited the background of this photo using a photo of some vintage 60s fabric I found on Etsy. Find the original by clicking the photo or click here.

This dress is a handmade jobbie I found on eBay last year. It’s a simple shift dress that dates back to the 1960s. The gray color, the cream cuffs, and the modest long sleeves give it a Reverend Mother feel. I envision Maria wearing it before she fell in love with Captain von Trapp. Or maybe after….

Sound of Music Maria and nun.
Climb every mountain, girl.

Of course, the hemline of my dress takes it out of the running for Nun of the Year, but that’s what makes it groovy, baby.

1960s gray shift dress with burgundy boots.

A hemline like this tends to be longer on my petite frame than on my taller comrades. Given my more nunlike dressing tendencies, that can be a good thing because I don’t have to lengthen it.

It’s in the Details

In all its simplicity, this little gray dress packs a boatload of subtle details.

Take, for instance, the little white cuffs. If the dress is not handmade, the cuffs were certainly added on by hand. It’s hard to see in the photos, but the under-stitching has a “rustic imperfection” about it. The material is gauzy and lightweight compared to the heavier cotton of the dress.

1960s gray shift dress with handmade cuffs.

In addition to the cuffs, there are cute little pockets on the front. They’re not particularly deep, but they are pockets nonetheless and that makes me love the dress even more.

Plus, the back has a belt that is purely for decoration. Its job is to sit back there and give my waist some visual cinching.

1960s gray shift dress with burgundy boots.
The background of this photo comes from a photo of some vintage 60s fabric I found on Etsy. Find the original by clicking the photo or click here.

Quiet Style, Bold Layers

Over the last couple of years, I’ve come to learn that simple styles like this are anything but basic. The quiet tones and structure give a solid foundation to bold pops of color from accessories and shoes. This gives me freedom to try all kinds of layers and that suits my personality to a tee.

1960s gray shift dress with burgundy boots.
Another background created from a photo of vintage 60s fabric I found on Etsy. Find the original by clicking the photo or click here.

For this look, I went with my all-time favorite tights by HUE and a pair of duo-toned Aquatalia waterproof boots. Aquatalia is one of my favorite brands because many of their styles are waterproof and stylish at the same time. These boots are another eBay purchase. I wear them all around Seattle without worry about ruined suede and soggy toes!

Aquatalia boots in red and burgundy.

The necklace is an oldie but a goodie. I’ve had it for so long I don’t remember where I purchased it. Like the dress, it has a 1960s vibe but feels right at home in 2018.

1960s gray shift dress with burgundy boots.

Now let us bow our heads and give thanks for vintage styles that work well in the modern day.

And may you all have a day that makes you want to climb a mountain like a spunky nun, twirl around a few times, and sing like there’s no tomorrow.

Outfit Details

None of the elements of this outfit are new but if you’re in the market for similar things, I’ve provided a list below of items from different sources that are similar.

Reverend Mother Gogo Dress:
New shift dress styles at Nordstrom here.
Search for vintage 1960s shift dresses on eBay here. Etsy here.

HUE Tights:
Wine color no longer available.
A variety of other colors available here.

Aquatalia Boots
Find new Aquatalia boots at Nordstrom here.
Search for Aquatalia boots on eBay here.

Necklace
Similar style at Nordstrom here.
Etsy has some fun, vintage tassel necklaces here.


Linking up with the lovely Patti over at Visible Monday.


Affiliate link disclaimer: Please note, some of the items linked may be affiliated with companies I am associated with. By clicking the affiliated links and purchasing from those stores, I might receive a small commission. By purchasing from these stores, you support the work I do here and I greatly appreciate your support!

About Author

Freelance writer about food and fashion. Obsessed genealogist and history nerd. New to sewing. Love all dogs and one hubby. Seattle

(17) Comments

  1. Wow, I adore a simple dress with groovy details like this one. And how adorable was Julie Andrews as Maria? Love this whole look and the sensational boots! xox

    Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

    1. Thank you, Patti! Julie Andrews was the most adorable as Maria. Such a classic in every way.

      Hugs,
      Sherry

  2. You are completely adorable. And this will help me to recognize you in what I call real people clothes. Sometimes students look so different in those.

    Love your creativity with your clothing and your photos!

    You’re a gem.

    1. Ha ha! Yes–I can imagine it being difficult recognizing students in street clothes sometimes. Did you notice I channeled some yoga moves for these photos? I thought of you when I decided to try out those poses. 😀

      Hugs,
      Sherry

  3. Marilee says:

    This is about as 60’s mainstream (sans boots) as you can get!! I remember lots of my girlfriends having dresses very similar to this. In fact, there was a popular sewing pattern that many girls used that was exactly this style. A daisy flower brooch was often used in the center of the chest to embellish the dress.
    I also remember having a pair of hot pink tights that I wore and loved. I think the popularity of tights were part of the inspiration for panty hose! The skirts were very short and it was really difficult when we only had garter belts and stockings. The garter belts were very utilitarian, ugly and uncomfortable.
    You are perfect in this outfit Sherry! Your backgrounds look like something right out of the TV program, “Laugh In” which launched the career of Goldie Haughn!

    1. Oh, Jude! You got the Laugh In reference! The other night I was trying to come up with a fun way to present this outfit and I kept thinking about Laugh In. I LOVED that show as a kid, although I think it was in reruns by the time I watched it. BUT, it was awesome and Goldie Hahn was a knockout in so many ways–so funny!

      So–thank you for catching my attempts to recreate a bit of that fun television history.

      I can just see you running around in an outfit like this with pink tights and fun boots. Now I’m going to look for a big daisy flower brooch. I need one, don’t you think?

      Hugs,
      Sherry

      1. Marilee says:

        Any luck finding a daisy brooch? I’veseen some cute leather ones that could fit the bill quite nicely!
        Hey! Where have you been Sherry dear?? Both you and Rena feel very absent from my life for a while now!!

  4. Groovy baby!

    You did a decent job of erasing the background, especially on the first photo. It is hard to isolate hair like you did. I used to do photos like this but the time involved turned me off so I appreciate the work you put in doing this. It really made the post fun.

    BTW love those boots. I’d never heard of that brand but apparently after looking on Ebay Kate Middleton wears them and now everyone has them priced crazy high for the model she wears.

    Suzanne

    1. It is definitely time consuming to put in these backgrounds but it was novel and fun to try. I am going to keep playing with different things all year so I’m hoping my skills at merging photos will get better and, maybe one day I’ll be rocking it out on Photoshop!

      I knew you’d like those boots! They’re really Suzanne Boots.

      You’re right about the markups on some of the ones on eBay. I purchased my first pair of Aquatalia new. They are pricey–an investment. That was about 10 years ago and I still wear them. In fact, I wore them all over Toronto one year–walked 3 miles without painful feet. The initial cost hurt my wallet but I haven’t had to replace them in 10 years.

      These days I try to find Aquatalia on eBay for under $100 if I can. I paid just under $100 for these red ones and they were brand new–no scuffs. Sure, they’re an older style but they are fantastic and comfy and I’ll keep them forever.

      Hugs,
      Sherry

  5. I can picture you straight away in a Austin Powers movie! You ve got mojo baby!

    1. Ha ha ha! Thanks, Nancy!! ❤️💕

  6. Super duper groovy!! I love how you used the vintage fabric backgrounds to up that groove factor. This looks fantastic on you. I think this is pre-nun for Maria. The captain would think it’s perhaps unseemly for the mother of all his children, although the drapes went over not too badly… And waterproof boots, one less thing to worry about in foul weather. Love this post.

    1. Thank you, Melanie! I thought of you as I added the backgrounds because I know you do similar things with your photos. After dinking around with Photoshop for half of yesterday I decided to go this route on PicMonkey.com for no particular reason. There are a few mistakes around my legs and some of the edges, but don’t tell anybody.

      Also, I think you’re right–Captain von Trapp might go all moody sourpuss again if Maria decided to wear this outfit in front of the kiddoes. It’s a great dancing dress, though. She’d rock it dancing through Salzburg singing Do-Re-Mi. But maybe the curtains are more appropriate.

      Hugs,
      Sherry

  7. jodie filogomo says:

    Are these your tights from Drizzle & Shine?? I wore my teal ones in today’s blog post, and I love my red ones too.
    And you are so amazing in using these backgrounds for your photos….how on earth did you think of that?
    I think this is so gorgeous, Sherry!! I’m going to have to copy this ASAP!!
    XOXO
    Jodie
    http://www.jtouchofstyle.com

    1. Hello, my sweet friend! These are not the Drizzle & Shine tights but they are similar! The D&S tights are a bit thicker than these and they are more of a berry color. I hope to showcase them before too long since they are so cozy and lovely!

      I used PicMonkey.com to edit my photos for this post. They have a “texture” tool that allows you to upload your own texture–in this case, a photo of fabric. It laid over my original photo and then I used the brush tool to erase the “texture” from my outfit. If you look closely around the edges of my legs in some of the photos you can see where I got a little overzealous with the brush, but there was no way for me to fix it (that I know of) without redoing the whole thing.

      You are welcome to copy all you like! It makes me happy to know you like it so much!

      Hugs,
      Sherry

  8. You are adorable and wonderfully creative! I love the dress, the boots and everything. I also love those backgrounds from vintage fabric. What a great idea. You are so stylin’ cutie! – Amy
    http://stylingrannymama.com/

    1. Thank you, Lovely Amy! This was a fun post to put together. It makes it even more fun to know you enjoyed it too!

      Hugs,
      Sherry

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