New Year's Eve Fantasy Outfits

1. dress: Forever 21, shoes: Anthropologie, tights: AA, headband: Buddug, purse: Topshop 2. dress: Delias, shoes: Delias, tights: UO, hairclip: ban.do, purse: Topshop 3. dress: Topshop, shoes: UO, tights: UO, hairbow: LouLou, purse: UO

I have to confess that I'm just about the biggest homebody you could imagine. The perfect night for me means staying in and wrapping up on the couch with Tom, a big cup of hot chocolate and an old movie. But there's something about New Year's Eve that seems to bring out the party girl in just about all of us, right? Perhaps because it's one of those nights of the year that you can get away with dressing to the nines and no one bats an eye. Chances are I'll be staying in and keeping the couch warm but on the off chance that I find myself at a New Year's party here what I'll wish I was wearing.

Merry Christmas to Me

I've had my eye on these shoes for months on the Urban Outfitters site. They're the perfect mix of modern and vintage and will look good with everything from skirts and dresses to wide leg jeans. I put them in my virtual shopping cart and there they sat for weeks and weeks. I finally noticed that they'd been marked down on sale and I was sure they'd be out of my size. But alas, they weren't and now they're mine all mine. Yippee!

Tag, I'm It

photo by Tom b.

As I'm sure you all know by now I'm notoriously bad at responding to tags. My apologies! I will try to get around to all of them eventually. However, this one from Jayne at Plain Jayne is so easy to do, I'll get right to it. The rules are:

1. Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.
2. Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

Here's my photo. It's from this past May when a couple of friends from Alabama came to visit Lancaster. We went for a ride on the Strasburg Railroad and then stopped by the Hans Herr house, the oldest home in Lancaster. One of the Amish work horses at the neighboring farm had a foal and I was feeding it hay through the fence. I'm not sure who hasn't been tagged with this yet, so if you'd like to play along, consider yourself tagged!

Also, I've just restocked the store with a few more clearance items. Nothing is starting at more than $5! Now that the holidays are winding down, I'll be back to business as usual. Look for more new auctions this Thursday! Yay!

What I'm Wearing

photos by Tom b.

sweater: vintage (it's so warm I hardly need it!)
shirt: ?? (just an old black t-shirt)
jeans: Superfine
boots & beret: vintage

One of my favorite places to visit when down at my parents' cabin is the old mill pond. I tried to find out more about the old mill that used to be here by researching it online but it's such a small town that there's really no information on the good ole internets about it. It's such a beautiful, peaceful place with little water falls and all sorts of brightly colored mosses and lichen covering the rocks and ferns growing from the trunks of cedar trees. Its the sort of place that makes you think things like fairies could exist.

On another note entirely, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who left such kind notes about the passing of our cat, Rocky. Losing a pet is always a hard thing to go through and all of your comments were very much appreciated. I've met so many wonderful people through the world of blogging. When I first started out, I never expected that to happen. It's been a very positive experience for me. I know a lot of people have to deal with negative comments or other such things, but I've been blessed with the best readers who always have such nice things to say. I think the holidays might be making me a little sappy! So thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you!

In The Beginning...

Spending a few days at my parent’s cabin gave me the opportunity to rummage through all of our old family photo albums. The original plan was to dig up embarrassing bad-adolescent-fashion photos but I when I came across these earlier snapshots I couldn’t resist. I guess this is hard evidence that I’ve always loved dressing up and having my picture taken. ;) I think you can see that I'm still using some of the same poses. Please try not to laugh too hard at my attempt to dress up as an Indian for Halloween. I was stricken with a terrible case of chicken pox and still have the scars to prove it. I think that grimace on my face says it all. For years after that (so many years I’m embarrassed to admit how many) I thought that chicken pox was something that happened to children only on Halloween night.

At Sloss Furnace

coat: H&M
sweater: from Goodwill but not really vintage
skirt: vintage
boots, belt & hat: vintage
tights: AA

Today Tom and I walked around Birmingham's Sloss Furnace. The furnaces have long been shut down but the whole place is open to the public as a National Historic Landmark. It's supposed to be haunted and if ghosts indeed exist, then this would be as good a place to find them as any. Legend has it that dozens of men died in the harsh working conditions when it was in operation. I don't know if it's true but the city does turn it into a huge haunted house every Halloween.

aka: Rock Star Super Kitty

Every once in a while I veer off topic here on the blog - nine out of ten times about our cats. After working from home this past year it seems that they've become an even bigger part of my life than they've ever been before. I guess that's to be expected when I'm spending pretty much 24 hours a day with them. At any given time we have quite the motley crew of cats hanging around our apartment. We tend to always gravitate towards those scraggly one-eyed, one-eared sort that no one else seems to want. Rocky, my constant lap companion and frequent photo supervisor, was a street cat living under cars in east LA when a kind stranger picked him up. I saw him in a cage at an adopt-a-cat day put on by a local non-profit group in LA. His white paws were brown from grease, his head was three times too big for his scrawny body and his face was covered in scratches. One look and I knew he had to come home with me. That was a year and ten months ago. The only downside to bringing home those older animals is sometimes they don't get to spend enough time in your life. Today my lap is empty. Goodbye Rocky. You'll be missed.

I'm taking a couple of days off from blogging. I'm sure you understand. We start our holiday road trip to Alabama tomorrow. I'll be back soon with lots of photos and stories of our adventures.

All Work and No Play

I've been wanting to try out a couple of wool knee length skirts that I found at a vintage store a while back. Since they aren't a style I normally wear I was having a hard time figuring out what to pair them with. My vintage brown knee boots were a given since they're all I've been wearing lately anyway. But what to wear on top? At first I reached for a frilly white blouse but quickly realized the weather was ruling that option out so I grabbed a grey cashmere turtle neck I just picked up at the thrift store instead. I looked in the mirror and was happy with the combination but for some reason it looked very familiar. Suddenly it struck me... Wendy Torrance! Not that that's a bad thing. As long as I don't run into any ax-wielding maniacs.

* I realize that the image on the left is not from the movie but I just love that photo of Shelley Duvall. The only images I could find from the movie were blurry screen captures. Ick. If you haven't seen the movie - do it!

End of the Year Clearance

Lately it seems like things have been piling up a bit around here. I've got dresses and shoes coming out of my ears and I need to do some serious end of the year cleaning. So from now until New Year's I'm going to be selling of some of my stock with super low starting bids. Now's a great chance to try to grab yourself a bargain! Thanks so much for stopping by. Love ya! - SJ

Dress Rescue Help

One of my favorite vintage stores here in town is closing its doors at the end of the month. I'm sad to see it go because it's one of those shops that I can go into and spend hours digging through piles of sewing notions, boxes of old photographs and racks of vintage clothes. There's even a closet in the back that's stacked to the ceiling with vintage hats boxes. In other words, it's a little bit of heaven. Every time I've gone in to snoop around I've eyed this 40's brown velvet Jonathan Logan dress but it was priced a bit more than I wanted to pay. Since the shop is closing and everything is on discount, it was the perfect time to pick it up. When I went to try it on, I discovered to my dismay that the side zipper was stubbornly stuck and some of the teeth were missing. There's also a splotch of white paint on the front of the dress near the bottom hem. Well, despite its flaws I decided to take it home anyway. I figured it was worth trying to rescue.

First I took out the side zipper which was easy enough. I've already begun replacing it with one I had lying around. I was able to try it on and it's a perfect fit which was a relief since I couldnt try it before bringing it home. Now, here's where I need help. The white paint spot on the front of the dress is about 6 inches from the hem. I've tried to remove it but it just takes the nap of the velvet right off with it leaving a bare spot. So... I'm left with two options: leave it as is and just deal with the paint spot or cut off about 6 inches from the bottom and rehem the dress. Right now the skirt portion is about 28 inches long and falls completely below my knee. If I rehemmed it, it would be about 22 inches long and fall right above my knee. I would also use the extra fabric from the hem to make a belt since the original one is missing.

On one hand, it would be nice to get rid of that paint spot but on the other hand it always seem such sacrilege to cut into a vintage dress. What should I do? You can vote in the upper right corner. Thanks for your help!

The Heimstone Jacket

jacket: Heimstone
dress: Topshop
sweater: vintage
wool tights: Mastermind
boot: vintage (I'm sort of wishing I hadn't sold these!)
purse: vintage

I was thrilled to be asked to take part in the Modepass traveling jacket project. I had worked with Beth on a similar project and knew how much fun it was to see how different people would style the same piece of clothing. When it was my turn to wear the jacket I knew I wanted to pair it with a feminine dress to contrast its structured military style. My inspiration came from the colorful leaves that were still changing and blanketing the ground as they fell from the trees. It also happened to be freezing cold that day so a lot of layers were in order. I stuck with an autumn color palette and piled on a sweater and wool tights. Tomorrow the jacket travels all the way to Punky B.

Holiday Wish List

It hardly seems fair to publish a Holiday Wish List since I've told everyone I know not to buy me anything for Christmas. Honestly, none of these are needs in a time where lots of people are in need of many things. But I always have a little running list of things that catch my eye. Occasionally I'll indulged when something goes on sale but for the most part these things stay on the list until they get bumped off by some new shiny thing that catches my eye. Here's a little sampling of things that are on that list right now.

• Floral suspenders (or braces, if you wish) from Lowie
• Lots of knits - both of these are from Forever 21
• Shoes from Anthropologie - just about any would do, but these are especially nice
• Madeline dress in mocha from Nasty Gal
• Bees have special meaning around our house so this Erica Weiner necklace is perfect

What I'm Wearing

photos by Tom b.

coat: H&M
dress: vintage (thanks again Effie!)
boots, belt & purse: vintage
hat: Miller's Hats

Today Tom and I attended a guitar recital for his eleven year old niece (hi Liv!). It reminded me of my own piano recital when I was about her age. I was so sunburned I could barely move. I just remember wearing a very itchy dress and playing my music much too quickly.

Supermarket

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

If you're looking for a great place to buy unique gifts (or a little something for yourself) and support independent designers at the same time, you should definitely check out Supermarket. They have everything from clothes and bag to cards and prints to furniture. I spent most of the afternoon just browsing through their collection, saving photos of things I like.

To Market, To Market

coat: H&M
scarf: H&M
beret, belt, gloves & boots: vintage

The wardrobe remix photos have been few and far between lately because this is pretty much what I look like everyday since it's been so cold. Don't even bother asking what's on underneath the coat because the answer is whatever was the warmest thing I could find in my closet. I took my tripod and camera out with me when I walked to the market but couldn't be bothered to stop and take a photo for fear of freezing to the ground. The store was rather empty so I stole the opportunity to quicky set the tripod up and snap a couple of photos before anyone saw.

More of This Week's Auctions

Since it's pouring down rain outside, I'm dedicating the entire day to getting this week's auctions ready to post. All of these items and the ones below will be in the store tomorrow afternoon (Friday). Please note that these auctions will only run for seven days and will end next Friday (as opposed to the usual Sunday end time).

This week I've got lots of little dresses, a few cute wool skirts, the warmest hooded plaid jacket and lots more. I'm super tempted to keep those brown buckle boots, but I'm doing my best to be good and put them in the store. And for the first time, I'm putting a few things for the guys in the store: a couple of plaid western shirts and a suede trimmed vest. So tell your brothers, your boyfriends and your dads! Thanks as always!!

***A huge thank you to Tom for being my model!!

This Week's Auctions

What I'm Wearing

dress: H&M
tights: Mastermind
coat: vintage
hat, gloves, purse & shoes: vintage
shawl: DIY'd from vintage materials - see below :)

I've had this vintage fur collar lying around my closet for weeks and I've been wondering what to do with it. I also had a dress that I'd bought just so I could take the little beaded collar from it. Suddenly I realized that I could use the satin cord belt from the dress to make a little tie for the collar and wear it over coats and sweaters (see the post below for a little more detail).

I have to admit that even though I have a vintage coat with a fur collar that I've worn to go out, I felt a little funny wearing this collar. I kept thinking someone was going to pelt me with flour or throw a PETA flier in my face. I know with a post like this there's always the danger of opening up the fur debate. I guess my stance is that there's enough fur in the world already. If we can demonstrate a way to repurpose the existing fur, there's no need for one more single animal to die. But then again, you could argue there's really no reason to wear fur at all.

A Little DIY

I almost feel bad calling this a DIY project since all it requires is a needle and thread. It's about as simple as it gets. The collar was taken from a vintage coat and the satin cord was the belt for a vintage dress. All I had to do was cut the belt in half then stitch the raw ends to the inside of the collar, right at the edge. One tip... for jobs like this I prefer to use a millinery needle. It makes it much easier to sew through the thick fabric. Once the satin cord is secure you can wear the collar over any coat or sweater. Voilà!

Carnivàle

After many recommendations I finally got around to adding Carnivàle to my Netflixt list. The little red envelope arrived in my mailbox late last week and I had my Sunday afternoon all planned. I was going to turn on the fireplace, wrap up in a cozy blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and watch the the first season while I did all of my small sewing projects and mending. My perfect day was ruined when I opened the envelope to discover that the disk was completely split on one side. I put it in the DVD player anyway, hoping against hope that it would miraculously play. Of course all it did was spin and make terrible whining noises before spitting the disk back at me. Oh, well. It was worth a shot. A new disk is on its way and I can’t wait to get started watching it. If these stills are any indication, this show just might change the way I look at my closet. Just like when I watched Control and wanted nothing more than to dress like Annik Honoré.

Abandoned House Photos

blouse: H&M
skirt: vintage
shoes: Topshop
hat: vintage
tights: Banana Republic (they're nude fishnets, but you can't see them here)

It's officially too cold to take my outfit photos outdoors. I was afraid it might come to this. With the temperatures dipping below the teens this morning (that's about minus 11 for you Celcius folks) whenever I'm outside I'm all bundled up. I don't know how all of you Scandinavian girls do it! Instead, I'm posting a couple more photos from the shoot I did in the abandoned house. I was a bit embarrassed to post these because it seems as the day went on, I was having a little too much fun and became more and more dramatic with my poses. These photos just make me sort of laugh. But... I liked my outfit. ;) I'm trying to come up with a way to share outfit photos that doesn't require risking frostbite. I've got something in mind but it won't be nearly as fun as the photos I'm used to taking (or as fun for you to look at).

Belgian Autochromes

Last weekend I wrote about a collection of color photos from the 30's and 40's. If it was hard for me to imagine the world in full color during those years, it was nearly impossible to imagine the world in color during the early 1900's. But that's just what this collection of Belgian autochromes show. It's a glimpse of color that is rarely seen; a soft focus world that conveys such a sense of romanticism. I think my favorite is the one with the two girls collecting flowers in the field.

Thank you to reader Jennifer Anne for leaving the comment that led me to these wonderful images.

Chloё, Chloё, Chloё...

This morning I awoke with what felt like an ice pick stuck in my head. I don't often get headaches but this one was a doozy. I was supposed to accompany one of our cats to the vet but instead ended up curled up in bed with the blankets over my head while my boyfriend braved the vet alone. Soooo... In lieu of any in depth post I could have written today I've decided to cop out a bit and just post photos and a magazine article I scanned. The subject, I trust, needs no introduction. I've been a fan ever since high school when I first saw her appear in Sassy Magazine and then on screen in Kids. I love her independent spirit, her unabashed love of off-beat fashion and they way she embraces her non traditional beauty. The last time I was in H&M I picked up a copy of their magazine. Since I don't think it's available anywhere but in-store and H&Ms are few and far between (at least in the States) I thought some of you might enjoy taking a peek at her interview. Just click on each page to see full size.

My Vintage Finds

I almost waited too late to take these photos. It's amazing how early the sun is going down these days. Like I said before, most things I'm buying lately are going straight into the store. Even if a piece slips through to my closet I usually wear it once or twice and then sell it anyway. For now, these are the pieces that are taking a little detour through my closet.

I love to wear dresses year round but since moving to PA I've found that the cold weather sometimes wins out over wearing a cute dress. This black Bobbie Brooks wool dress should cure that problem. I've been searching for a vintage Girl Scout dress for, well, perhaps years. I'm not sure what year this one is from so I'll have to do some research to find out. I can't wait to wear it but first it has a date with my iron and sewing machine. The little hand beaded collar came off of a dress I bought. I didn't really like the dress at all but couldn't resist that collar.



What a pain it is to photograph black clothes! You can never see all of the pretty little details. This sweater has a see-through mesh neckline with floral appliques. I'm not usually a fan of a lot of 70's fashion. Lately though I've been searching out longer skirt lengths (again, blame the cold weather) and the 70's seem to be the decade for that. I'm going to try to work these knee length skirts into rotation. Otherwise, you know where they'll end up!

This Week's Auctions

In 1926 Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel published a picture of a short, simple black dress in Vogue. It was calf-length, straight, and decorated only by a few diagonal lines. Vogue called it “Chanel’s Ford.” Like the Model T, the little black dress was simple and accessible for women of all social classes. Vogue also said that the LBD would become “a sort of uniform for all women of taste.”

Every girl needs a little black dress in her closet, and that's never more true than during the holiday season when parties abound. So, this week's auctions are dedicated to the little black dress. There's a little bit of everything - from neat 60's cocktail dresses to 80's avant garde draping, from rich velvet to sheer chiffon. All of these dresses will be in the store tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon. Grab one for all of your upcoming holiday festivities!

*Black dresses are notoriously hard to photograph. If you see something you like, click on the photo and it will take you to a much larger image. Thanks!

Orla Kiely Winner

Thank you to everyone who participated in the All About Cute Orla Kiely give-away. The contest is now closed to submissions and we're ready to announce the lucky winner. Drum roll please... and the winner is "Zaidy from PuerTo RiCo". Zaidy please contact me at sallyjanevintage(at)yahoo.com to find out how to receive your prize. Thanks again from me and Juli at All About Cute!

What I'm Wearing

sweater: Anthropologie
blouse: H&M
skirt: vintage (altered by me)
tights: AA
shoes: vintage

Today has been filled with preparations for this week's auctions. I'm planning something a little bit special this week. I'm hoping that it all works out in reality the way I have it planned in my head. It helps that after days of dreary grey skies and drizzling rain I see a little patch of blue sky up there. Not that it helps my plan at all, but it certainly helps my mood.

About a year ago I purchased these shoes online. I don't usually wear heels but I fell in love with these and thought they looked sturdy enough for my klutzy feet. I had my eye on the black ones but when they sold out in my size I order this cream colored pair instead. They're a perfect fit and, for heels, are really quite comfortable. I think I could actually walk in these. The problem is I just never wear this color shoe. I see girls with dark tights and light colored shoes on style sites all the time and always love how it looks but somehow it just doesn't work for me. I always feel like my feet are really conspicuous. I know that I would get more use out of them if they were black or, on the second thought, a nice chocolaty brown. I don't think dying leather is something I should try to DIY. It seems like a really daunting task. Has anyone had any experience in having shoes dyed? Either DIY or professionally? I'd love to know if it actually works before I jump in. Thanks!