Dapper Disneybound

 Some people buy Disney shirts, some people buy Disney ears, and some people Disneybound. What is Disneybounding? Put simply, dressing in whatever is comfortable for you in your budget that represents Disney. Most fans will pick a theme or character to represent in their fashions. “Disneybounding is a way to express your love for Disney through fashion,” blogger Leslie Kay, who runs the Tumblr DisneyBound, told HuffPost. “It uses clothes to recreate the outfits of your favorite Disney characters without being costume-y. You could go to school or the mall in a Disneybound and not get pegged for being in costume.” Since adults are not allowed to wear costumes at the Disney parks, Disneybounding is a great way for anyone to represent their love of a Disney property while visiting.

I have been on a mission to put the finishing touches on our Dapper Day Disneybound outfits (click here to find out more about our Dapper Day plans). My husband and I unofficially adopted Donald and Daisy Duck as our representative Disney couple. It is only natural that we were inspired by the hot-tempered duo for Dapper Day as well. Mr. Duck Steps Out is a cartoon produced by Disney in 1940 which is considered the first official appearance of Daisy Duck. She is seen in her best known costume – pink bow, blue/purple puffed sleeve shirt, pumps, and bangle – getting ready to go on a date with Donald. The duck himself is without his blue sailor uniform, instead, he appears for his date in a green plaid blazer, red bow tie, and straw hat. I felt like these characters were in clearly defined costumes that could be represented by real life fashion pieces.

Finding a silhouette was the starting point for my Disneybound. Pintrest was a great place to go to collect all of my ideas, inspirations, and other examples of Daisy Duck Disneybounds. I also went to Google to find real images of women from the 1950s. Although part of the inspiration for Dapper Day is getting dressed up like folks did on the opening day of Disneyland (think dresses, pearls, and pumps that suck into the bearly cured concrete), I also was looking for fashions that were accurate to the time period but would be comfortable for all day wear and enjoying the park. What I settled on was a New Look from Dior style dress, stereotypical of the 50s, for dinner/evening and trendy Day Wear capris or cigarette pants for daytime.

New Look skirts and dresses on opening day, Disneyland 1955

For women in the 50s, fashion was a statement but is also needed to be functional. Dresses could be worn to the grocery store, to pick up the children, around the house, and while running errands. Soon however, the full skirts of the New Look gave way to a casual chic option originally part of a collection of designer Sonja De Lennart – capri pants. These pants were high waisted and had a variety of embellishments, fastenings, and lengths. Fashionably paired with turtleneck sweaters, loafers, flats, or pumps, and cinching belts these pants blew the doors off womens fashion. Stars like Audrey Hepburn, Dorothy Daindridge, and Jayne Mansfield could be found sporting these fashionable pants for all occasions.

For those of us who have been to a Disney park, we know comfort is a must. Naturally, the fashion trend of capri pants was perfect for my needs! I wanted to keep in line with Daisy’s usual color scheme of purple and pink with teal/jade accents. To represent her feathers, I was able to find a sleeveless button down with a scalloped edge from H&M with the assist of my sister. After a few variations, I settled on a pair of purple capri pants from Macy’s. While shoe shopping at Off Broadway there was a great pair of blush Bobs with shiny accents that were also added to my list. Other accessories include Amazon for belts, zeroUV for cat-eye sunglasses, and Etsy for hair scarves, pins, and jewelry. @sarahemm and I went antique mall hopping a few weeks ago and I was able to find some 50s/60s jewelry perfect for day and evening. With the help of my husband the clip backs were removed from the earrings. Using E6000 I was able to modify the earrings to posts for significantly more comfortable wear! One of my favorite accessories is the Loungefly backpack I purchased from Hot Topic to carry all my necessities while still matching my theme in the pale pink Castles design. To get a better look at my Disneybound check out my Instagram!

Part of me really felt like I would be missing out on the most dapper photo opportunities, however, without a New Look dress. Another part of me really wanted a REAL one! Suffice to say hours of Etsy shopping later and the perfect nipped in waist and flared skirt in Daisy-esque colors just wasn’t available in my size or budget. Amazon, however, did not let me down. I was able to order a 50s inspired dress in a great shade of lavender. Adding a belt for cinch, a petticoat for fluff, and some t-strap heels for vintage appeal, my evening look for dinner at Cafe Orleans is definitely Disneybound Dapper. Check out my post on our schedule and dining reservations if you want to know more about our itinerary!

My husband’s look is more basic with a sharp-looking green plaid button down with neutral pants, red bow-tie, and straw hat for day with his evening outfit getting an upgrade to green plaid blazer. The straw boater hat was falling out of fashion in the 50s and was being replaced by the fedora and the Stetson hat. How could I resist putting my husband in one though? Plus Dapper Day isn’t restricted to 50s fashion.

On the other days we will be in the parks I have also chosen to theme our outfits. Not so much Disneybounding as couple coordination. Our first day is for #disneysnacks and I have found some great Disney snack shirts and items on Esty! Seriously there are so many creative people in the world that love Disney – if you want something and aren’t confident enough to try and make it yourself someone out there will probably have what you are looking for! Since I may be the one who is #dolewhipwasted our first day in the parks I decided it would be my theme. Hubby didn’t get left out as he also has #snackgoals and a t-shirt to tell everyone about them. Second day fashions include 80s/90s retro t-shirts from the Disney Store. I can’t wait to show you all how our Disney fashions and Disneybounds come together.

What character or theme would you Disneybound? Comment below!