downton abbey style: advocating the 'dress up' movement

i too have been swept into the allure of downton abbey
its grandeur, its beauty, the fascination of that time period where excess met destitution
and of course the beauty of the clothing
one of my favorite 'coffee table' books is decades of beauty: the changing image of women 1890s to 1990s by kate mulvey
expression of socioeconomic, political, and artistic movements through fashion is such a fascinating topic to me
downton has represented these fashion trends so beautifully
as you may have inferred from my tutorials of mr. bowlerman & miss charleston appliqué and my gatsby girl headpiece , i have a particular lovefest with the 20s
straight line chemise, drop waists, pleats, cloche hats, short hair

as a relatively new mother of a girl,
it has already been evident that I would easily buy something for her before i would for myself.
i'm working on creating more balance in this equation
as truthfully i enjoy new, stylish clothing myself
'dressing up' also seems more readily acceptable amongst little girls than women
my talented seamstress sister in law Karen is a self-proclaimed advocate for the 'dress up' movement
and wrote a great post on this notion of 'dressing up for you' on her blog Sew Stitchin Cute
she writes

As a stay-at-home mom I sometimes feel like I don't have the "right" to dress nice because I'm knee-deep in little kids all day, every day. But so what? Why should only those with a job outside the home be able to dress nice? Why is it that when I wear a skirt or *gasp* a dress do people ask "where are you going?" or "do you have a hot date later?" Why is it such a stretch to believe that I like to dress nice for me? And my hubby? or that I just really like skirts and dresses- I always have....Now, I'm not saying that everyone should dress this way. I'm just saying that you should dress in a way that makes you feel good about yourself and gives you confidence. The outside should be a reflection of the inside (as hubby always says). And if that means you're considered to be "overdressed" by other's standards to drive carpool and pick up groceries at Wal-mart, so be it.

i am also one that enjoys dressing nice.  lately i have been disheartened by some of the morphing i mentioned in my 'acceptance' post, in part the morphing of my body shape.  it takes greater effort to get those few clothes on the hangers that fit, to be thrown together in some sort of stylish way. 
but i'm working on it...
both through physical exercise and in the process, exercising some creativity with my wardrobe

for the little girl in your life who may be donning more stylish clothes than you have seen in years,
you may join me in my elation at the discovery of these incredibly elegant dresses for little girls
that just rang out downton abbey
the delicate colors, flowing pleats, vintage lace, and luxurious touches of pearl and sequin
these amazingly affordable dresses come in sizes 2T to 6 and are now being pre-sold over in my new friend Kendra's shop
Adorn Me Girl
filled with modern and vintage adornments for you and your little one

aren't they stunning?

with prices ranging from $26 to $36 you'll need to hurry...

to guarantee stock in your darling's needed size, you may only pre-order til tomorrow night, 

saturday, january 19th til midnight

afterwards she will carry remaining stock on hand

and for those of us who can't fit into the pleated sequined peter pan collar dress
here are a few pieces to incorporate into your wardrobe
lets think about jumping on the 'dress up' movement

1. passion within pleated dress in ivory from Ruche

2. pearly-cue top from Modcloth

3. troopa Steve Madden boot from Nordstrom

4. ghita headband from Anthropologie