Vintage Glory

White Elephant, a sweet little shop on James Street, is having their annual vintage dress sale next weekend on May 10th and 11th. The ladies of White Elephant asked if Julie and I wanted to frolic in some vintage dresses and we said yes! Actually, they probably didn't exactly say that but Julie and I both translate everything into an opportunity to have a photoshoot and so indeed, to frolic...
We didn't have a ton of time or a super clear vision of what we wanted for the photo shoot but we were definitely thinking vintage-inspired. Which really can mean anything... I had some grand visions of ponies and puppies (vintage ones, duh...) but it's always wise to temper my enthusiasm. Besides, vintage tulle dresses and larger animals should perhaps not mix.
What we did end up with was my brother's '77 Cougar. The car was in storage and he rushed to have insurance and license stickers placed on it the very next day so he could take us out in a legal fashion. Thank you kind sir! We appreciate your car, your good nature and your photography! Besides the car, we got some floral bouquets, a few Dollar Store balloons and I wore fake eyelashes (not Julie, that natural minx...) and we called it all vintage inspired. Because we can. The weather was perfect and even though the dresses and the car (and those balloons) are from different decades, I think that to an undiscerning eye some of the pictures could fit in as old car ads in National Geographic. At least that is what I tell myself...

Seriously though, there is not much that sets my heart racing like beautifully made vintage. I love that vintage is dated, but with a few modern accessories can look fresh year after year. Trends happen so fast that it is hard to keep up. I'm over a lot of the trends that I jumped on last year; I could live without seeing chevron for a few years. But I'm finding that I'm never over my vintage dresses. Because they aren't on some short lived trend cycle, they make it through every closet clean out.  I have never regretted the purchase of a vintage dress, well, except for that one that was too snug. But then I more regret the burger than the dress, I guess... What I'm saying is, if you live in the area and have a wedding, a prom or a Tuesday to dress up for, then get yourself to White Elephant on May 10th or 11th. And get yourself a hellium balloon too... Vintage dresses and hellium balloons, both in limited supply and both pretty fun as well.

Page 125

Skirt? h&m (old, similar here or longer here) Shoes? Sixty-Seven c/o DNA footwear (here)

Crochet shirt? Thrifted (similar here) Jacket? Old Zara (similar here) Purse? Thrifted

Necklaces? Thrifted iPhone case? c/o Caseapp

I got the inspiration for this outfit straight from the latest Lucky magazine; page 125 to be exact. A printed skirt, a crochet top and a military jacket topped off with an embellished purse. I saw the outfit in the magazine and thought 'I've got all of that in my closet!'. I always feel a little smug when I can recreate a look without buying anything new... of course, it could be argued that that would be because I have a crap ton of crap in my closet to choose from.

And yes, that is a custom iPhone case with Kyle's fuzzy face on it. I freaking love it, look at that little pink nose! I am going to create a special one for Matt as well, a case with a collage of pictures of the two of them (like these ones, what cute little best friends forever they are). I can think of nothing more attractive than a handsome man (with dimples and a beard no less) carrying a cat covered iPhone case... 

Potential Uniform

Jeans? J. Brand Lovestory (lighter wash  on sale or darker wash) Shirt? Vanilia Jacket? Vintage, gift from Jessie 

Purse? c/o Jess Rizzuti (here) Shoes? Sixty-Seven c/o DNA shoes (here)

When I put this on, I had a moment where I thought 'why haven't I been wearing this every day?'. Double denim and a red blazer? This should be my uniform.
And then I remembered that if I wore some version of this every day, there would be a lot of sequins and vintage dresses that would not get their time to shine. I consider it my duty to equally represent the casual and the fancy in my closet... I hate dealing with hurt feelings, so every item in my closet gets their big day out.
 
But if I were to ever get over the idea that I need to placate a wardrobe of inanimate objects, I would certainly wear this combination a lot. It's pretty hard to get the simple combination wrong...
Funny how fashion bloggers took over double denim from men with mullets and Bryan Adams... Though technically we didn't take it over, we are just standing united.

Friends in Thrift Places

Dress and blazer? Thrifted Shoes? BCBGeneration Hat? Joe Fresh Clutch? Danier, thrifted

This is Elisha, she is not a friend from the internet, she is from real life. Shocking, someone without a blog... though you might have seen her in a post this last summer in all her wedding finery...
I noticed a few weekends back that she was wearing a great outfit that was primarily thrifted. I thought it would be cool to feature her on the blog, so Merl took her outfit pictures, while I sat back and giggled... because getting outfit pictures is fun but mostly ridiculous.
Elisha was nervous to pose. I gave her my most sage advice 'laugh at nothing, glance to the left and dance like no one is watching'. I'm kidding, she was clearly not laughing at nothing. That smile was genuine. I'm pretty sure I was saying some witty one liners off to the side. And even if they weren't that witty, she still would have laughed. That's the mark of a great friend right there....