Aiming Hyacinth

How it all started

Do I repeat myself? Sorry. But I need to explain about these dresses, because they really are how the dressing like Britcom reruns idea got started.

The floral dresses on “Keeping Up Appearances,” when I first encountered them, were unlike anything I’d seen in real life. What was this? Who dressed like that? It seemed terrible. But what if it was actually… great?

But then maybe five years ago I saw a neighbor Elizabeth dress on an outside rack in the Kensington Market. I was intrigued. I didn’t buy it but should have. I should have at the very least held onto the photo I took of it. Regardless, an idea was planted.

Then came the prairie-dress trend, which, while not the same thing, meant that suddenly, these dresses were available. Kind of. They’re mainly not in fast-fashion stores, but rather at Siberia Vintage on Bloor near Dovercourt. The florals, the gathered waists, the long, puffy sleeves but without an overall This Is Modest Dressing look.

It’s not really the season for these, now that it’s October in Toronto. But maybe in this post-covid-ish age I will have someone over for COFFEE AT 11 and if so, the outfits are set.