By JEN CHEN
I stopped in Donna's Dress Shop recently to talk with its owner, Donna Foulk. The 28-year-old was wearing an adorable dress emblazoned with little red hearts. Cat-eye glasses, teased hair and hand-beaded moccasins completed her look.
“Ever since I could walk, I’ve been going to the flea market with my dad,” she said about her love of vintage clothing. When it comes to her personal style, she’s drawn to the clothes from the ‘50s and early ‘60s. “I think they fit my body really well,” she said. In general, she said, the big skirts of the ‘50s are good for women with big hips, whereas the sparse styles of the ‘60s flatter long, angular women. She also likes the prints of the ‘50s, and says she piles on the petticoats under those poufy skirts.
More importantly, I wanted to know how she did her hair, which was puffy on top and pulled into a low ponytail. “It’s really easy. It takes five minutes,” she said. So: Rat it on top, then take sections and spray it so that it’s really huge. Smooth over the top layer (“I use a horsehair brush,” she said). Then, pin the top sections back so that it’s kind of like a bun. “Every day you do that, it gets bigger and bigger – it builds texture,” she informed me. Get some Aqua Net and start practicing now, ladies – Donna says that she’s thinking of having a big-hair contest sometime soon at the store.
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I think her shop is pretty cute and I do like her personal style and set up, but I wish it had more selection and slightly lower prices. Too bad Uptown Monkey Bottoms isn't around anymore - it was pretty much my perfect store - lots to look through (both vintage and low priced modern basics - easy to mix and match), cheap goodies, and you could find the occasional, just delightful gem in there. I understand that vintage is getting harder and harder to come by as years pass, and she's got to cover the rent just as much as the rest of us, but I do enjoy a nicely priced find that I don't have to pull out a credit card for, and that type of store just isn't around KC hardly anymore (the exception being the Vintage Warehouse - that place is a riot to look through, his pricing isn't bad, and a lot of your finds can be repaired if you know how to use a needle and thread - getting a bit crowded nowadays, though).
But, good luck to her! I'm pleased that she's found her bliss - wish I could raise the scrap to do the same!
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