Horse and Pony Show

Pants? Ralph Lauren, Winners
Boots? Stuart Weitzman, Winners
Blouse? Tahari, Winners
Beaded Vest? vintage, borrowed from The Last Hurrah on etsy
Beret? h&m, old
Jacket? Michael Kors, Winners
Horse-print clutch? thrifted
Gloves? ?, Winners

Yes, one of the reasons I started this blog was as a fashion outlet because my city, Hamilton, is not exactly a style mecca. But there are people who dress well and love clothes that live here. In fact, I left a pair of amazing brown brogues on the clearance rack at Winners because I was sure they would stick around and go cheaper. They're gone... Who are you, brogue loving Hamiltonian, who stole my shoes? Reveal yourself...
Further proof of a Fashionable Hamilton lay in the girlfriend of one of my co-workers. He told me that his girlfriend and sister had an etsy shop full of vintage treasure. It's one thing to like clothing but it's another to like vintage. Besides from being unique, the best thing about vintage is the story behind the clothes. That's why I love that they called their etsy shop The Last Hurrah because when you buy vintage, it's your chance to write a chapter in the story of that dress or skirt. Ok, the whole 'write a chapter in the story' line... I can't decide if it's literary genius or horribly cheesy, but nonetheless, the point is clear, I love me some vintage... I was pumped to borrow this sparkly vest from the lovely Hamilton (!) sisters who run The Last Hurrah. It weighs a ton, so I'm looking fabulous and working my chest muscles (pecs?).
When I got the vest, my first instinct was to style it with a pair of broken in jeans and some pumps. Because it always works... Anything Christmas party worthy can be toned down and made everyday, with a little denim. I wanted to try something different, and while it all came out a little equestrian, I love it! And because the look was heading to horse show chic, I thought I might as well wear my newly thrifted horse-print clutch too. I LOVED horses as a child, so the clutch makes me feel a little nostalgic. Yup, I loved horses so much that my Oma would clip out any articles out of the dutch newspaper that had horse pictures on them and send them to me. And when we would sing Psalms at out elementary school (I went to a private Christian school), I would always choose the ones with the word 'horse' in it. So crazy...and then, a few years later, I discovered clothes and now here we are. No horse but a horse clutch.