Holiday Lace

Fletcher for Lyell top, Anthropologie floating lace blouse, Fletcher for Lyell velvet jacket, Duskin black eyelet dress, Night Spirits dress from Dear Golden Vintage, Rules of the Game top from 13bees, black lace dress from TinyCatVintage

For some reason it just hit me that the holiday season is quickly approaching. This time of year always has me looking at pretty party dresses even though I really don't have any fancy parties to attend. This year I'm especially drawn to black lacy things - dresses, blouses, tights. The more I look, the more I realize I'd like to try to incorporate some black lace into an everyday sort of outfit instead of saving all for a holiday soirée. I was hoping to walk out of the thrift store last week with a black lace blouse but everything I found was tight 90s era grunge lace and I want something looser and more flowy (is that a word?). Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

Half of the time we're gone but we don't know where...

- 60s shift dress
- 70s leather boots
- thrifted belt
- vintage wool beret
- vintage Coach purse
- listening to Simon & Garfunkel "The Only Living Boy in New York"

Things I'm Loving

photo credits: fish bear, hello mr fox, bloom grow love, yyellow bird, emerson merrick, ginny branch, helveticaneue, lina scheynius, bee hives

Things I'm loving right now:

• Watching the WWII in HD series on the History Channel. It's like crack for history nerds.
• Dry shampoo! Thanks so much for all of your recommendations. What would I do without you gals? I ended up buying Bastiste because, well, it was the first one I found at Sally's Beauty and it was cheap. Now that I know I like it maybe I'll try something different next time (or try a DIY home version?).
• Listening to Simon & Garfunkel. For some reason that music just sounds like autumn to me.
• The My Parents Were Awesome tumblr page. So funny. So good. So true.
• Looking throught the archives of William Gedney's photography. Especially the San Francisco series. This deserves a post all its own.

Vintage Finds to Keep

I feel like it's been a while since I showed you some of the things that have made their way into my closet. I've been pretty good lately, saving most everything I've found for the shop. But every now and then I'll let something slip through. They can at least hang out in my closet for a little while!

The two dress have fallen victim to the "needs buttons" pile by my sewing table. That pile is higher than I would like to admit. The first dress is a lovely 30s wool jumper with pleats that just melt my heart. And it's got the cutest little Scotty dog on the tag. I'm always a sucker for a cute vintage tag. It's missing two buttons and I can't seem to match them so I think I'm going to have to end up replacing all twelve. Luckily I have quite a stash of vintage buttons after exploring an abandoned coat factory a while back. The second dress is in perhaps my favorite color of the moment - a nice mustardy yellow. It doesn't need buttons replaced as much as it needs buttons rearranged. They're a little bit wonky don't cha think? Seriously, who sewed these on? After reading this post I think I'm finally motivated to get on the button sewing bandwagon so I can wear these before the seasons change again.



A while back I mentioned finding a collection of cashmere skirts at a vintage shop. There were three in all and this pretty purple one made its way into my closet (I've still got to list the other two in my shop). I love it but I'm torn about the length. It hits well below the knees and I think I might like it more if it were a bit shorter. I just can't bring myself to cut into the fabric. Seriously, it's the most luxurious thing I think I've laid my hands on. I wish I had some sort of tele-touch screen technology so you could feel it yourself. And it weighs a ton!

The last piece is a 50s-60s era riding coat that I found at the thrift store yesterday. It's a good thing I found it because otherwise I thought my head might implode right there in the Salvation Army. I guess that's what I get for trying to brave Half-Off-Family-Day. The place was packed and I'm not a fan of crowds! It was elbow to elbow in the dress section and I'm always paranoid that someone is going to find all the good stuff before I do. And to add insult to injury, I heard Miley Cyrus not once but twice while I was there. Luckily the trip was salvaged when I found the riding coat. It's far from perfect. Check out that stain on the arm! And there are a couple of small holes but nothing so terrible that a little TLC won't bring it back to life. Now I just need a pair of riding boots and a slick bun to do my best Betty-Draper-goes-riding impersonation.

Sneaking up the spine of the world...

- Dear Creatures dress
- American Apparel tights
- UO boots
- vintage wool beret
- vintage Coach purse
- listening to Danzig - Lucifuge "Long Way Back From Hell"

Etsy Update

I've got a big ol' shop update in the works. A few of these pieces are already available and the rest will be soon! Thanks so much for stoppin' by!

Waldemar and Max

Monday, Monday. Another busy weekend has left me a bit drained! So now I'm trying to catch up on a bit of rest by snuggling on the couch with the kitties and watching a little Dexter. Nothing like serial killers for relaxing, right? I'm also taking the time to catch up on a bit of blog reading. I just ran across these dreamy images from Waldemar and Max. They've left me trying to figure out how to get some birds to cooperate the next time I'm out taking photos. Bread crumbs in my pockets? Oh boy, I must be really tired.

There's a ship that sails by my window...

- Anthropologie dress
- UO tights
- UO shoes
- vintage denim jacket
- vintage wool beret
- vintage Coach purse
- listening to Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See "Blue Light"

Family Affairs

I just discovered clothing line Family Affairs. When I checked a bit further into it, I realized it's literally a family affair - a mother/daughter design team! How cute is that? I don't do a lot of prints, but I'm really loving this black and white star print. And I'd love to get a better look at those velvet (?) high waisted pants. The first two photos are from their current collection while the bottom two were found in their archives. They make me want to pack up an old timey suitcase and take a trip on a train!

Messy Hair

Most days I like to wear my hair long and loose. But we all have those bad hair days when nothing seems to work and not even a hat is fixing the problem. My inclination on those days is to break out the pony tail but what I'd really like is a nice messy bun a la cool French girls. That's one thing I've never quite been able to master. Until today that is! I discovered this cute tutorial via A Cup of Jo yesterday and couldn't wait to try it out. It seems so simple but it really did the trick. No more walking around with a hair rubber band on my wrist! Now I just need to find a good place to stash a few bobby pins instead.

Oh, and I also really want to try out some dry shampoo. Anyone have any experience with that? Recommendations?

I'll never know what it takes for you to feel this free...

- H&M dress
- vintage cardigan
- vintage Aigner oxfords
- vintage wool beret
- vintage Coach purse
- thrifted belt
- listening to: Open Hand - You and Me "Tough Girl"

Etsy Update

I just finished a little update in the shop! I also have a stack of pretty dresses that I was going to include in this update, but somehow I ran out of sunlight before I got all of the photos taken. I'm obviously not used to the time change yet. But not to worry - my new light kit arrives on Friday! I'm so excited. No more relying on the whims of the sun for shop updates. Woo hoo!

Wendy Bevan

I'm in love with these dreamy vintage inspired images by Wendy Bevan. See more here.