Spring Collections

I know after the last post when I was going on about reveling in winter and not focusing on spring this post is a bit hypocritical. Oopsy! I've had these spring collection photos piling up on my computer for months and I thought it was about time to organize them. I had no idea I'd collected so many! Get ready for a spring mega-post.

First (above) is Orla Kiely. It's no surprise that I love the collection. I always do! Pretty 60s style dresses will always pull my heartstrings. Also loving the combination of navy blue and peachy pink... I think that'll be a big thing for me this spring.



Next is TBA's Edwardian inspired collection. I love all the dusty colored dresses and the pretty collars! I'm seriously coveting this TBA silk paisley dress right now.



Rachel Antonoff's spring collection is full of fun dresses... there's a white Edwardian mini one, a red sailor style one and one with a pretty twisted back. But my favorite is the pastel cropped blouse with the ties at the front. I'd love to wear it with high waisted shorts.



212 is a collection I just discovered via Charlotte Stokes' styling portfolio. I wish I'd known about it sooner because I'm sure it would have been one of my favorites all along. The pieces are all so classic and I'd love to get my hands of all of them. Especially all the high waisted shorts.



Next is TwentySevenNames. Who isn't in love a little bit with this collection? All the dresses look like they'd be perfectly comfortable even on the hottest day of the year.



Here's a little tease of Alexandra Grecco's spring collection. Isn't that buttoned up romper the best? It reminds me of something right off the set of Boardwalk Empire.



Steven Alan always has the best classic all-American looks. These remind me of cool New York girls with their straw hats and comfy shoes.



Last we have the French label Carven. Once again I'm loving the navy blue and peachy pink combo.

Well, there you have it... the mega collection of spring collections! There's surely more to come... I'm still looking forward to seeing what's coming from Dear Creatures, APC, Secret Squirrel, Nadinoo, Family Affairs and more!

Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...

photos by Tom b.

- dress from Smilin' Gal Vintage
- 60s wool cardigan
- H&M coat
- vintage silk scarf
- vintage wool beret
- vintage purse
- UO boots



We're on our fourth or fifth day in a row of snow and I'm beginning to feel a bit like we're living in a snowglobe. At least today's snow was the pretty kind that only sticks to tree branches and your hair and not the kind that piles up on the streets and sidewalks. I'm trying my hardest to revel in the beauty of the snow covered branches and quiet streets rather than dream of warm days and daffodils poking their heads through the dirt.



I wanted to show you more of this dress... it has really cute deep cut sides and a hem that's longer in back than in front! But, my plans of taking off my coat and double cardigans for pictures were thwarted by the freezing temperatures. It's one of those dresses that will be perfect for spring, so I'm sure you'll be seeing it again!

Thanks so much for all of your comments on my sewing post. I'm super excited that I was able to finish my first project with such great results and I'm already looking through my pile of old patterns to pick my next project... another dress I think!

Etsy Update: Be Still My Heart

I'm not much for celebrating Valentine's Day but that doesn't mean I don't like to wear a pretty red dress! Here's a little sneak peek at the lovely dresses I'm working on adding to the Etsy shop. :)

Matchbook Magazine

Being snowed in, as we are at the moment, leaves lots of free time for things like baking brownies, watching movies and reading magazines. The movies and brownies are taken care of, but I'm in short supply on the magazine front. So it's perfect timing that I've just discovered the newly launched online magazine Matchbook. It's been a looonnng time since I've picked up a magazine and wanted to read each and every page but that's just how I'm feeling about this one.

Some of my favorite pages are interviews the founders of Whit and Marais shoes, a spread of gifts for guys that I would like to keep for myself, a travel section about exploring Peru, a behind the scenes look at Rifle Paper Co. , trivia tidbits about Princess Margaret and a discussion about the classic trench coat. Whether you're snowed in or not, be sure to check it out when you have a moment!

Etsy Update: The Color Purple

Here's a little peek at the dresses I'm working on for today's Etsy shop update. This week's additions are all inspired by Valentine's Day!

January Sewing Project

One of my goals for the new year is to try my hand at sewing. I've sewn a few things here and there over the years but I've never been able to complete a project from scratch that I'm really proud to wear... they've always turned out a bit wonky. So, this year I'm taking on the task of completing on garment from scratch every month with the hopes of adding a few things to my wardrobe I'll want to wear on a regular basis.

Yesterday I finally got around to tackling January's project. I picked a simple 60s dress pattern with a darted bodice and lightly gathered skirt and used an inexpensive printed cotton fabric from a local fabric store. Since it was my first project I didn't want to use vintage fabric or something expensive just in case it all went awry! I was going to take some "during" photos to show you how things went, but this being my first try, I wanted it to be pressure-free. Next time I'll take photos!

As you can see from the photos I actually completed the dress! Most of the sewing was done yesterday under the helpful eye of the best instructor I could have (thanks Mom!). Minimal use of the seam ripper was employed. ;) I couldn't find my zipper foot yesterday so I had to put the zipper in by myself this morning. Truth be told, if I'm going to be 100% happy with the dress I think I'll take the zipper out and try it again. There are a few pesky wonky stitches that I know will bug me if I don't fix them. The dress called for a tie belt, but I wanted to do a button tab belt instead to test my button hole skills. They're not exactly the prettiest button holes I've ever seen, but technically they're holes and a button went through them so... mission accomplished! Now if only it would stop snowing outside so I could actually wear it.

Zap & Co.

Thursday afternoon, after a pho soup lunch, I did a little walking around downtown and stopped into all of my usual spots. Of course no around town walk would be complete without a trip to Zap & Co. There was nothing unusual about the day and the store was brimming to the edges with vintage goodies as it always is. Little did I know that would be the last time I would ever be able to go into that lovely shop. Later that night the store caught fire and everything was lost. Not only was an amazing one-of-a-kind vintage collection lost, but worst of all, the owner was inside when the fire started and was badly burned.

I've had this post sitting in my drafts all day because I wasn't quite sure what to say about it all, but it felt strange not to say anything at all. It's one of those real-life things that makes blogging a bit tough. The loss of the shop has cast quite a shadow over the mood of downtown Lancaster. It was a landmark and a real treasure for the city.