Tuesday, May 2, 2017

WDW's Spring Dapper Day 2017: The Best Fashions!

I'm putting my Star Wars Celebration coverage on hold for a sec, peeps, because DAPPER DAAAAY!


That's right, Disney World's Dapper Day was last weekend, and this year it lasted two whole days: one in Magic Kingdom, and one in Epcot. That's two days of scorching, 95 degree heat and 3000% Florida humidity, during which we were expected to wear layers and makeup and have our hairs done and hike a million miles on blistering asphalt in fashionable shoes.

Oy.

Suffice to say every dapper there would like to have words with whoever scheduled this in late April. [meaningful glare in Dapper Day's direction] Still, I want you to know I persevered, fellow Dizgeeks, so you, too, could enjoy this glorious bounty of fashionable eye candy.

 Each of the ladies has a different Disney dog on her poodle skirt - and the gents are dressed as dog catchers! Eeee! SO CUTE.

Dapper Day is a fan-run event that started in California's Disneyland, but has spread to include WDW and Paris. While the organizers suggest "sophisticated style" from any era, vintage looks and Disneybounding are the two most popular choices - or for the ambitious, vintage-style Disneybounds!



The two camps (vintage vs 'bounds) co-exist pretty well together, though there are a few disgruntled purists on the vintage side. Personally I love it all, so you're going to see a little of everything here.


Besides, so many of my favorites - like this Hook and Tick-Tock - bridge the gap between vintage and 'bounding beautifully.

This baby Pluto was easily the most adorable of the day. The ears! And the shoes! 


Plus I love those colorful dresses on the two Tweedles.

Parasols were everywhere, and those of us who didn't have them, wanted them:

I love this cheery orange and yellow dress - and socks with heels! YES. I love that look.

A lot of Disneybounds were quite subtle - though the giant horns on "Beast" helped give his away:

And that's two Gastons!

A colorful UP group:
 


And Wreck It Ralph!

Let's talk about the incredible hairstyles, too: victory rolls, pin curls, and vintage updos GALORE. Let's just say I've been watching a lot of Youtube vids on bumper bangs since.

 This couple on the left is always so kind; they have a way of welcoming everyone in and insisting on group photos no matter HOW un-dapper your shoes are. (Guilty.) They also have a tradition of getting a photo kissing in front of the castle, and I got to take the photo! (With their camera, or I'd share. :))


That trio on the right makes me feel like I've stepped into a time machine. Perfection.

I'm not sure which category these quilted jackets fall into, so I'll file them under FABULOUS:

Allow me to remind you: it was 95 degrees. And dripping humidity. But dang those are gorgeous coats.

A super chic Prince Ali & Jasmine:


And a gorgeous rose fascinator:


...plus gorgeous purple hair! She looks like she stepped out of Tokyo in that outfit. LOVE.

If you're noticing all of my pictures are on Main Street, that's because I staked out the hub for over 4 hours to get these photos. Where there was no shade. It was worth it, though, since I caught most folks just entering the park, before they melted.

Haunted Mansion dappers! 
And look closely at the girl in yellow: She's a dapper Pluto! (Her hairstyle is brilliant.)

Flapper style Eric and Ariel:

A lot of off-duty cast members participate in Dapper Day for fun, btw. You can often pick them out because they're the ones reeeeallly good at posing for pictures. :D

These two are 'bounding as characters from the Festival of Fantasy parade - do you recognize them?

My favorite is the steampunk Maleficent; look at her hat and horns! And the skirt has overlapping sections like armor. Sooo goood.

And not 10 minutes later, I spotted a young gentleman ALSO bounding as steampunk Maleficent:

He made it himself, and the clock in his hat even worked! Look at the dragon pin, too. Gorgeous.

This safari pair is straight out of Jungle Cruise:

Plus a subtle 'bouding Cruella and Jane.


One of my favorite outfits all weekend:

Sweet watermelon goodness! Even her glasses are pink. Love love love.

Patriotic pairs:


And the sweetest Charlotte from Princess and the Frog:



Here comes another favorite: DAPPER ELEVEN from Stranger Things!

 Also crushing on that checked pink dress - and her matching shoes! 

Jane, Cindy, & Merida:


And Moana!

And finally, the dapper Maui I chased down the street, because look how perfect:

The parade was about to start, so I couldn't back up very far for her photo - but you have to see her hand-embroidered skirt:

The little heart & hook Maui signed Moana's oar with! D'aww!

Ok gang, I'm about halfway through my favorites. (Which were impossible to narrow down, I might add, since I have nearly 300 fantastic outfits I'll be posting on Flickr later!) So stay tuned for part 2, which includes more looks from Magic Kingdom, plus my favorites from Epcot!

33 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh! It makes me want to stop my jewelry-making and start making amazing costumes (not gonna happen, but. . .)
    Can't wait to see the rest!

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  2. So cool! :D (Aesthetically, that is - NOT meteorologically...) ;)

    I know it's been said here before, but I REALLY appreciate how in posts like this you always show a range of ages and body types. I think everyone in this post looks absolutely gorgeous. As someone who doesn't fit the "mainstream U.S." beauty or body standard, that means a lot to me. So thanks!

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    1. That's actually my favorite aspect of Dapper Day here in Florida: *everyone* joins in. If you see the pictures coming out from California's DD last week it's easy to get the impression only 20-something runway models participate, which can be super intimidating. I don't know if that's accurate, or only what gets covered online, but either way I want you guys to see all walks of life, style, and body types Rock the Dapper here in O-town. ;)

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    2. Yeah, I'm sort of afraid to see what the Parisian version looks like. But I'll definitely take photos if I go. Fingers crossed I'm pleasantly surprised. I think I'll go, but the weather's not looking great, and I'd be SO tempted to stay for the Star Wars Celebration that's happening the same day, and that costs extra outside my annual pass, so we'll see how strong my willpower is....

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    3. As someone who attended the Dapper Day in CA I can attest, every age and body type participates. Its awesome to see. I have felt snubbed, however by people taking professional media pics who skip over our excellently appointed dapper bounding group in favor of young model types. But trust me, a huge variety of people participate.

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    4. I was really intimidated, because even Jen's inclusive pictures are full of beautiful people. However, I got to go twice last year, and lots and lots of people look like me with 2017 hair (I gave up on vintage hair), boring makeup (winged eyeliner and I are not friends), and sneakers. Dapper people are indescribably friendly, welcoming, complimentary and kind. If you ever get a chance, GO!

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  3. My fave fave fave post! Yay! Thank you!
    I think the winner for me goes to Pluto - so subtle but so effective. Lots of close runners up though. It is amazing to what people come up with.

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  4. I've been waiting for your Dapper Day post. I really want to try to get to the November one this year.

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  5. I googled that watermelon skirt. I was hoping for a tutorial, but I was actually able to find it for sale!!

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  6. My favorite ? The lady in the watermelon dress !!

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  7. I love that Stitch is considered a Disney dog. So fun!

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    1. Thanks!! :) My daughter was adamant he is a 'dog' since he is referred to as one in the movie - haha. :)

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  8. Squeee! So much dapper, so much fun! I do hope someday I can go on Dapper Day. I'd imagine the updo hairstyles are cooler than the down and fancy. Adore that Maui!

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  9. The Patriotic Pairs... the picture on the left is Captain America and Spiderman (note her "webslinging" pose)

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  10. So cute!! That watermelon dress is too adorably sweet. I LOVE the poodle skirts with all the different Disney dogs, and the Abu climbing Dapper Ali's umbrella made me laugh. Thank you for sharing all these great pictures!

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  11. This makes me want to find every excuse to dress up!

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  12. Oh, my goodness, that Merida bound!!

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  13. I love the Maui one, especially because it was done with no cultural appropriation! Just homage to the character.

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  14. Thank you so much for featuring us! It was great meeting you guys!!! <3 And thanks for braving the humid Florida heat!

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  15. Oh my gosh, I'm really starting to think I should put "Visit Disney World on Dapper Day" on my Bucket List!

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  16. So gorgeous! We had a great time this year and recognize many featured here!!! Everyone looked amazing!

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  17. What a great idea with the Disney dog poodle skirts! All of these pictures and outfits are gorgeous.

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  18. The only thing I dislike about Dapper Day (there's things to dislike?!) is some of the elitism you touch on briefly here. I have a Dapper costumer (lifestyler??) on my FB feed, and her complaint this year was that the event has become 'too broad' in scope, that it no longer feels small and intimate (a fair concern I suppose), and a fellow Dapper friend complained that it's become 'teenagers in costume - which is still better than big guts hanging out over flip flops!'

    Classism AND body shaming, who wouldn't want to get into this event??? 9_9 It's attitudes like those that make me hesitant to even begin looking into an event like this - even though the resulting photos are SO beautiful. :)

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    1. I think classism and body shaming are definitely not the norm. Truly, I've never met people more kind and encouraging than Dapper folks. I can't encourage you enough to try to go sometime.

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    2. Thank you for the kind words!! As a bigger person (who often wears flip-flops or dresses strictly for comfort for long days at the park!), her callous words cut me pretty deeply. Who is she (or anyone?) to judge what someone else wears, especially on hot, long days in a park, probably chasing after your hyped-up kid? California and Florida can both get VERY hot, so to judge someone for not wanting to wear 3-4 layers of historically accurate fancy clothing to suit your taste level seems absurd, at best.

      Still, I'd love to go one day in a cute outfit! There's so many options now for cute Disney-themed clothes, I need to decide on a theme and just make it happen!

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  19. This is still on my bucket list! Thanks for sharing!

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  21. So bummed I miss you every Dapper Day! I love your blog and am obsessed with your photos. Maybe I'll be able to run into you this fall. My best friend and I got engaged at this Dapper Day so it was my favorite yet! We went as Roger and Jessica Rabbit. I make our costumes every year!

    The Rabbits

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  22. Thank you for the squee-inducing pics!

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  23. Dapper Eric and Ariel are my favourite! That shell flapper dress! His expression! <3

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  24. My girlfriend and I took my nieces and we all had a great time. Also, thanks Jen for allowing me to take up a few minutes of your time to say hi and talk about some geeky things

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  25. Eugh I love these posts so intensely and absolutely know I will have to attend some.
    Do you think the dapper and bounding is easier in women's or men's clothes? Because I always think the female dressed have so much more to play with PLUS a skirt breathes.

    This leads me to my main question Jen: I know you've featured many a gender-cross character and a fair few women rocking dapper men's outfits, but have you ever spied a man in full dapper drag at one of these?

    Everyone in the above is saying how lovely and inclusive the days are, would be welcoming if that option were something I didn't have to worry about!

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