Golden Girl

Dress? Thrifted, vintage (similar but pricey) Shoes? Aldo Bag? Thrifted Necklace? Vintage Matisse ( a lot of options on Etsy, I borrowed this one from my mom and she wants it back...ha)

It was warm again this past week and so I carefully lay aside my autumn plaids and reached for a dress that I just thrifted but had already put away for next summer. I love me some good autumn layers but I will gladly take the chance to wear this beauty if the weather decides to give me summer at the end of September.
And I know that the dress looks a little high maintenance with its sparkles and pleats and drapes but honestly, it's the most no fuss thing ever. It came out of the hand wash (it could likely have taken a gentle cycle in the machine but I'm kind of the hand wash princess at this point...) ready to go; it did not even need a steam! On top of that, the material is stretchy, the waist is elastic and the cut is super flattering. It's a fancy dress/track-pants hybrid really, and it's nothing short of a beautiful thing.

Shop Girl Looks

A little look at what I've been wearing to the shop as we transition from summer to autumn. Can we maybe get a polite golf clap going for the fact that I got two posts up in one week? I am killing September. Roar. That's all, carry on...

But actually, about September... The last two weeks have had both the warmest and the coldest days of the summer. Which is annoying but it keeps weather conversations titillating. Both blogging and small talk are built on the foundation of weather conversations so I should really be grateful... 

Dress? Vintage 90's Boots? Steve Madden Necklace? Unikati (here)

I found this dress in a bin of summer stuff that never even made it unto the shop floor this year. Now it's never going to make it unto the floor next year because I am keeping it... weird how that happens.

Dress? DvF (found the exact one here on consignment) Boots? Joe Fresh

I bought this dress last winter and I like it with tights and boots but the flirty full skirt is even more fun with bare legs. That DvF was not messing around with her wrap dresses. 

Jeans? 7 for all Mankind (love them, all washes here) Plaid? Joe Fresh (men's, current selection here)

Bag? Thrifted Necklace? Clyde's ReBirth

I love a good plaid and leopard print mix. Throw in a couple bouquets of cheerful sunflowers and my favourite jeans and I'm a happy shop girl.

Jacket? Zara, thrifted Hat? Vintage Boots? Joe Fresh 

This is probably a glimpse into what I will be wearing all winter. Black on black because I have my life together and my ducks in a row. Obviously... not. The fisherman's cap is a little dash of quirkiness in between all that seriousness. 

Dress? Vintage Boots? A Winner's find from 10 years ago! (similar here) Vest? F21

This picture does not capture the crazy amazingness of this 1970's Holt Renfrew maxi dress. There are all fancy ladies along the hem and it is just so good! I can hardly move my arms but that's ok. I had help in the shop that day so I just nodded at what needed to be done without lifting a finger. That's some boss lady business right there...

Just kidding, I actually ripped the seams on the arms but I'll fix it and wear it again. The dress deserves a full outfit post because it is that good. At the rate I am slowlllllly posting outfits, it will likely be 2016... Giving you something to look forward to in the future...

B & W

Dress? Vintage (via VintageWhimsy, my fave insta shop) Boots? Nine West Glasses? Warby Parker, Duckworth (here) Leather jacket? Costa Blanca Clutch, earrings and bracelet? Vintage Cat hair? Kyle's

I'm in a bit of a monochromatic rut and so I told myself that my next outfit post would be something ridiculously bright and colourful. But then this 60's embroidered wiggle dress arrived in the mail and that threw a wrench in those colourful intentions. 

Speaking of intentions, I also intended to do the whole fashion blogger thing of  not putting my arms through the sleeves of my jacket as little as possible but... I kinda dug it this time. Two years ago it seemed to be some quick trend and now it looks to be sticking around. I feel like in real life people wonder why you don't just put your arms through your stupid sleeves, but Pinterest makes it look so cool...

And that's kind of the biggest problem with Pinterest isn't it? It makes everything look cool. I was on drink duty for a party a while back and I pinned a drink that would fit the theme perfectly and of course it tasted like... eh, can't think of a proper analogy but really, it was terrible. Some nice wine would have been just fine but Pinterest had me convinced that that wasn't enough...

From here on out, I'll take my Pinterest with a grain of salt. I will keep my arms out of my sleeves only on select occasions but I think my drink mixing days are officially over*...

*except for at the cottage,  ok Elisha?

Contradictions

Bag? 70's Gucci (borrowed from the shop, here) Boots? Steve Madden (similar here) Shorts? Vintage 

Tee? Old Navy (here, on sale and the best basic) Hat? U.O. (here)

Ahhhh... denim high-waisted shorts. Some days I make fun of them and the other days I wear them. So full of contradictions I am.

Seriously, I think one of my greatest marketing ploys this summer was putting a rack of denim shorts in front of the shop. It brought in the young 'uns... I remember one mom questioning her daughter's sanity over the fact that of all the things in the shop, she wanted a pair of basic shorts. It can be frustrating to spend hours on a fancy vintage dress, that everyone admires but no one really buys because 'where can I wear this?', while the denim shorts fly out the door... But I also get it. Jeans have come a long way in the last few years with a little lycra and some top secret denim research work (at least, I picture a lab with chemists and fit models) but what gives modern jeans a more sleek look also often does not translate as well into shorts. It's that 3% lycra... Anyways, vintage 80's jeans cut into shorts work because the denim has no stretch and a baggier leg that doesn't sausage the legs when you sit down (you know what I mean right...?). And with jean shorts no one ever has to ponder when they will ever get use out of them, because any day that ends with the word 'day' is a good day to wear denim shorts. 

And the Gucci bag? No big deal right? It just came in from a sweet lady who sold me her mother's Gucci and Ferragamo collection. I just borrowed it for the weekend from the shop to make sure that it was in good working order... or something like that...