Vintage outwear= very wearable

The weather here today is rain, rain, rain, which is perfect drinking-coffee-and-blogging-about-vintage-outerwear weather. So lets do some of both shall we? Especially since I don’t know when the actual cold weather will kick in. Here in Central Florida we have to maximize our outerwear worthy days as they are few and far between!

One of the most accessible areas of vintage (aside from scarves and jewelry ;D) has got to be outerwear. As long as fur is not involved, you usually can get it at the same or cheaper than retail prices, and although trends may come and go, the staple outerwear pieces like peacoats, trenches, and blazers are timeless and readily available. Of course, although I love a classic, I prefer to own vintage with a fun twist. Enter 80s fab trench and its glorious shoulder pads:

Once a child of the 80s, always a child of the 80s...

The jaunty red beret is me made! Oui!

Shoes: Old Target

Are there any Blade Runner fans out there? I love the noir Philip K Dick novella, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,  that the movie is based on, but even if: the movie plot sucked, it wasn’t directed by Ridley Scott, Harrison Ford was not in it, and the soundtrack was not composed by Vangelis…  I would still adore this movie for its costume/set design alone. Stylistically this movie is so i Sean Young in dark red lips and large film noir shoulder pads in a moody post apocalyptic Asian infused society? Yes please! Happily, this jacket reminds me a bit of Sean Young’s outfits from the movie. Don’t you agree?

Today’s lesson:

1. Vintage outerwear is a perfect gateway for the vintage-shy.

2.Classic looks are easily accessible, but for a bigger impact, go for something with a little pizazz.

3. Blade Runner and/or shoulder pads are amazing ;D

A few outwear options for you ladies from Etsy: Ooh purple, classic, greylove, hot pink? yes please, only $10.00, somebody buy this crazy one for me please,  and houndstooth.

A few Opie sized options: plaid cuteness, bird appliques, adorable peacoat, navy trench , and a camel blazer.

]]> http://angelynpg.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/vintage-love-2-outerwear/feed/ 1 Ang IMG_4666 IMG_4659 IMG_4660 IMG_4663 Sean+Young+Blade-Runner+1982+(2) tumblr_lm25wzHdsp1qgezqbo1_500 http://angelynpg.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/finally/ http://angelynpg.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/finally/#comments Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:48:36 +0000 angelynpg http://angelynpg.wordpress.com/?p=781 Keep reading →]]> Sometimes persistence pays off.

It has taken me 1.5 years, but I have finally scored a pair of these babies: The best part? I didn’t have to pay inflated Ebay Target Go International gouger prices, just normal Ebay prices. A tip for clothing/fashion stalking: email subscribe to your saved Ebay searches. It is a great way to have technology do the leg work for you (also a great way to learn the ‘market’ of an item before you decide to bid and maybe pay too much for it).

My only concern is that they are size 7 and not the size 6 that my beloved tribal wedges from the same collection are.

Please ignore the lack of pedicure and the yoga ball, and instead focus on the fab shoes , k thanks ;D

However, I think I might be in between sizes as those wedges are a perhaps a tad bit too small, and probably only fit me well because they are adjustable with velcro (which these are not), so I’m hoping it will all work out.

If not, one of my fellow smaller footed readers, might get to benefit with the same screaming deal

Wearing vintage is the cat's meow!

It may or not have been obvious during my 30 Day Challenge, but I adore vintage clothing. It might have something to do with my Mom taking me out antiquing at a young age, or maybe it was all the costumes I wore back when I danced in a ballet company, but I just love the idea of wearing something from another era! I really like that my vintage clothes/accessories have a story apart from me, its that little touch of mystery that helps keep my relationship with my wardrobe fresh ;D

One feedback that I keep hearing from people that are reading my OOTD posts, is that this lil blog is helping inspire them to try something new fashion-wise in their lives.

World peace, it ain’t, but I think it is wonderful that we can encourage each other to put that little extra effort into what we are wearing to make ourselves feel good, and maybe even special. (Especially my fellow mommies who get so little time to think of themselves!)

I also know that it is so easy to get into a style rut. One of my favorite ways to help prevent the t-shirt and jeans blahs is to inject my style with a little vintage flair. So without further ado, my new (mini)series: Vintage Love.

Love #1: What goes around comes around.

“Solomon” (traditionally attributed to Solomon anyway, but hey this is not a religion blog so lets just say it was him), said it best when he said that there is nothing new under the Sun, and fashion is no exception. If you keep something for long enough, it will come back into vogue. Pack-rats rejoice! Seriously though, it is true.

One of my favorite trends going on right now is horizontal stripes. They are everywhere, and I am such a fan. One thing I am not generally a fan of however is wearing something that I’m going to see on a bunch of other ladies around town (Tank-top-dress-with-high-elastic-waist-and-a-full-skirt, I’m looking at you)! This is where vintage excels- although perhaps theoretically possible, you are not likely to find your vintage garment’s doppelganger staring back at you from across the bar, thank goodness! This is triple-ly (not a word) true when your vintage is handmade….which today’s dress just happens to be. Oh and it is striped too? Imagine that:

Hello OOTD:

Dress- Handmade Vintage. Shoes-Charlotte Russe. Belt/Sunnies- XXI. Necklace- Soveneir from Hawaii circa 1992

I totally broke you in easy, this dress is so wearable! I can imagine this style looking good on a variety of body types, and even the most stylistically challenged can pull off (small) stripes. The pockets, of course, are a bonus too. My only critique is that it is impossible to BF in. Yup, the person that made this definitely fed her child out of a bottle. Luckily, at 15 months, Opie is not feeding that frequently during the day, so not a complete deal breaker here.

I decided to style it with my new favorite straw belt and my old favorite Hawaiian necklace, it is a bit kitschy, but in a subtle fun way. I’m a firm believer in having a sense of humor with your clothes. The heels are a brown floral that I bought secondhand and I just love them! They are a tiny bit naughty, but didn’t you know that I am also a firm believer in adding a touch of naughty too.

So today’s lesson in a nutshell:

1. Vintage is awesome, you should wear it.

2. Fashion is derivative which means your vintage is also in style. Huzzah!

3. Fashion should have a sense of humor and be a tiny bit naughty.

If you are in a shopping kind of mood, here are some links to vintage dresses with similar looks on Etsy: here, here, here, here, and here.

And for fun, here are some in Opie sizes: here, here, here, here, and here.

My vintage pin-up pose needs work

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Shall I take a bow?

This is day thirty of a series I’m doing that features a month of outfits. Read my intro here, find out about the Challenge here, and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, Day 28, and Day 29.

…And Day 30 For the Win! Ye-ah! I’m so excited! I feel like I should be singing Queen songs while fist pumping, or something to that effect. But alas, we have some business to take of, and so I bring you our final (Lucky’s) OOTD:

Does this outfit make me look accomplished?

Details: Dress, Sunnies, and Flower pin- XXI. Jacket- Juicy Couture. Shoes- Oh Deer!

This flower is workin it!

Calliope looking way too chic at the Park

Working on our balance

Dress- XXI Baby/handmedown from Zoey. Sunnies- Baby Gap. Necklace- Tweet Baby Designs

Calliope and the infamous Micralite Superlite FastFold

Since this is the last 30 Day post, I feel pressure for it to be extra witty, inspiring, and/or thought provoking, but the truth is, it was just another day (of looking fabulous ;D). The girly-girl in me was happy that we ended with a dress, and I added the crazy/beautiful silk flower to give it a little something extra. I’m not sure it is ‘finale’ extra enough (really what would be), but it is fun in a ladies-who-lunch sort of way. It is too bad that it is so freaking hot outside, because I liked Lucky’s Day 30 unexpected pairing of the moto-jacket with the print dress.

Although not actually on the same day, these Iphone photos of Calliope are really doing it for me today too. I cannot believe how fast she is growing up. Such a cliche, but I love her more everyday- she is such a little toddling bundle of joy, and what’s not to love about a baby in crazy hipster glasses?!

Day 30 on a scale of 1-10: Ease of Wear: 9. Personal Excitement: 7.5. Flower Power: 8.

So………. um……. what to do now? Should I write an additional wrap up post discussing favorites, hits and misses etc, or should we just call it a day, do that here via comments and let my blog move on to something new? What was your favorite/least favorite combination of the challenge for me and/or Opie? And what do you think (if anything) it has taught you?

On a slightly serious note, thank-you so much for reading. I hope you all have enjoyed these past 30 posts, I’ve truly enjoyed writing them. You all are the best. Ta-ta for now!

All good things must end.

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Easy Peasy

This is day twenty-nine of a series I’m doing that features a month of outfits. Read my intro here, find out about the Challenge here, and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, Day 27, and Day 28.

I guess I take comfy dressing very seriously

The scarf is a definite 'no' until fall actually arrives in FL

Earring closeup

I

I know, not exactly my peppiest photo shoot?! But do you know who is all smiles today (although scandalously lacking in clothing)?

No clothes to detail about here! ;D

Please forgive me for that lack of joviality, but on this day I was battling some sort of weird 1 day miasma, and wasn’t feeling particularly like taking photos, or wearing clothes for that matter!

I have to say, that of all the 30 Day Challenge outfits to wear while sick, Lucky’s Day 29 was as close to my jammies as one could hope. This was definitely a bonus for me, and I was grateful to be relatively comfy, but on the other hand I wouldn’t call this outfit inspired by any stretch of the imagination. On any other day I would have found this outfit forgettable and a tad boring. I did try to jazz it up with my Juicy couture bird hoops (which I love), but Opie kept grabbing them (not that I blame her!), so not long after the ‘photoshoot’ they were taken off.

Guess it was just one of those days!

Day 29 on a scale of 1-10: Ease of Wear: 8. Personal Excitement: 1. Miasma getting in the way of my enjoyment of the challenge: 10.

Iphone pic of us in healthier days!

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Life is good

This is day twenty-eight of a series I’m doing that features a month of outfits. Read my intro here, find out about the Challenge here, and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, Day 26, and Day 27.

Wowie Day 28!

I feel more than a little like Aesop’s tortoise, but even at this super slow blogging pace, 28 posts is nothing to shake a stick at, right?! <———-Consider this my virtual self-pat on the back, because I’m good enough, smart enough, and gosh-darn it, people like me.

Now that our self-esteem is firmly in place, lets check out the OOTD:

Brown and Teal- one of my favorite combos to wear this Fall, whenever Fall comes to Fl, that is.

The way the backside fabric of this dress photographs always slightly annoys me ;D

La D'tails: Dress- Anthro. Shoes- Charlotte russe (!). Necklace- AE. Earrings and Sunnies- XXI.

This necklace is getting so much Challenge love!

Such a little poser

Someone is camera shy today!

On Opie: Romper- Calypso for Target. Necklace- Tweet baby Designs. Diaper- Bumgenius (not shown obviously

Those of you that have (awesomely) stuck with me throughout this series might have noticed something a little fishy about the shoes! I’ll admit it, I’m a darned cheat.

Partially I was trying to incorporate the blue/green family for my lovely MIL, and partially I thought they looked too cute to not wear. Lucky’s Day 28 had me wearing the flats, and I really wasn’t feeling it, so a rule breaker I am! At least I’m looking oh-so-stylish while doing it.

On this particular day of the challenge we had a hot breakfast date with my husband Andrew, +my grandfather, +Mom, and + one brother (twin), so this outfit was perfect for the mixed company. We ate at Cracker Barrel, so I might have been a tad overdressed, but since I like to wear dresses and heels, I am regularly overdressed for the average Sunshine State’s uniform of flip flops, a tank, shorts, and bikini top. C’est La vie no?!

 Day 28 on a scale of 1-10: Ease of wear- 10 Personal excitement factor-9 Chances that I’ll put this combo on again- 10 Guilt for cheating-0.

What are your thoughts? Do you think its o.k. to overdress if it is what you want to wear, or should I change my fashionista ways to the FL usual? Are you digging the brown and teal color combo?

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The dreaded pattern mixing day has arrived

This is day twenty-seven of a series I’m doing that features a month of outfits. Read my intro here, find out about the Challenge here, and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, Day 25, and Day 26.

Good Morrow fairest blog readers!

I am attempting to wow you by posting two posts in as many days. What can I say, I’m a chronic underachiever/overachiever. Just trying to keep you guessing! In not entirely OOTD related news, yesterday was the release of Target’s Go international collaboration with Missoni. Unfortunately, their website crashed and the shelves were stripped bare within hours (though sadly, most of it is available on Ebay at poacher prices. Creative income during this recession?)

You may or may not have noticed that a huge chunk of my 30 day wardrobe came from the various collaborative collections from Target. It is a great way to get fashion bang for your buck, I highly recommend it, if and when you can snag the items. For this collection I managed to find a cute pair of flats for Calliope and I in their famous print, AND since I have small feet, I got away with buying the girl’s size flats (in 5s, though weirdly the 4′s fit too) thus saving myself $5.00+ dollars, exciting for you to know, I’m sure. This collection has not been my favorite so I am a little bit of a loss for why everyone went crazy for it, but whatever, maybe it’ll keep people away from the Ebay auctions of some of the earlier items that I have my eye on (Cynthia Vincent platforms and Tucker herringbone jacket, I’m talking to you).

Anyway, I digress. Or maybe I’m stalling b/c Lucky’s Day 27 is the Waterloo to my Napoleon.

Let me show you the OOTD pics, and then if you still aren’t seeing it, I’ll explain:

Details: Shirt- ON. Shirt- URBN. Shoes- Target. Necklaces- been in my wardrobe a long time, not sure.

For some reason I feel obligated to show the backside. Some outfits look great from the front, but from the back. not so much.

Necklace shot

My sentiments exactly Calliope!

I'm out of OOTD photos for Opie, so here is a cute one from a brunch few weeks ago with friends

Eating donuts. Shirt- Threadless. Jeggings- Target?

I know my daughter’s pictures are distracting you, but can you see what my issue is with today’s ensemble?

I consider myself an ‘artsy’ dresser, so I am not afraid of a little color/pattern mixing, but this was just awful. Yellow floral with multi-madras would have been challenging enough, but then add black booties into the mix and it is just impossible! I tried to bring in the black by adding the chunky black necklaces, and I think it was moderately successful but I still hate it. I’m pretty thankful that I didn’t actually have to go out in this get up.

This mama is definitely giving Day 27 the stink face.

Day 27 on a scale of 1-10: Ease of wear- 2 Personal excitement factor-2 Chances that I’ll put this combo on again- 0

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Nearing the home stretch

This is day twenty-six of a series I’m doing that features a month of outfits. Read my intro here, find out about the Challenge here, and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, Day 24, and Day 25.

Hello everyone! How is every lil thing?  I think it’s about high time I brought you another 30 Day post. We really need to wrap this baby up so I can write about something new (I have a few ideas up my sleeve- don’t worry still OOTD’s, I’m not about to start writing about serious issues ha!)! Its been 26 days so it is fair to say I am getting outfit fatigue, plus it has been weeks since I actually finished the challenge and my feelings on each day are starting to go a bit dim.

I say that, but this day I vividly remember b/c it involves my beloved pencil skirt. Cue OOTD pics:

Secretary chic

Slit may or may not be mommy friendly depending on your perspective ;D

Deets: Shirt- Old Navy. Cardigan- Guess. Skirt and belt- Vintage. Shoes- Oh Deer.

Bag: Hayden Harnett for Target, but if you're local, Nico and I just saw it @Plato's closet for $14! Score!

Earrings:Nico will have to help me on this one, was it PacSun?

Cutest pot belly eva!

On Opie: Mysterio Shirt- an awesome gift!, Skirt: Baby Gap, handmedown. Necklace- Tweet Baby Designs

Before I talk about the OOTD, I have to purge my Mommy thoughts on the page: Calliope is growing way. too. fast. It seems like it was just yesterday when this shirt was too big and now it is plumbertasticly small…in an awesome way of course, because Opie can rock some plumbers tummy, but still. Sniff. sniff.

Alright now that I’ve said that:

Lucky’s Day 26 was a great exercise in layering done right. The layers add interest, but were not bulky. The silhouette is wonderfully retro, which is always a plus ’round these parts, and I would consider this outfit as skewing on the more conservative/modest side (at least for me)- hooray for dressing my age! ;D

I should also point out that I love the color palette (not that Lucky knew what my wardrobe was, but good job anyway!) no monochromatic here, no sir.

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before, but it is worth repeating: I continue to be amazed at how versatile the vintage rainbow belt has proved to be..and on trend too. In fact, Nico, Opie, and I were mall walking today (with our new stroller, which deserves a blog of its own, it is that lovely) and actually saw a rainbow skinny belt in the window of Macy’s!

It’s too soon to say for sure, but this may just be one of my favorites from the challenge.

Day 26 on a scale of 1-10: Ease of wear- 8 Personal excitement factor-9 My side Bun-8 My vintage Rainbow Belt- 10

What are your thoughts? Is Opie showing too much skin? Am I showing too little? Does anything about today’s outfit inspire you? Leave me a little bloggy comment and let me know!

Buddha head snuggle pics, why not!

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Who wears short shorts?

This is day twenty-five of a series I’m doing that features a month of outfits. Read my intro here, find out about the Challenge here, and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 23, and Day 24.

Oh hi! What is going on in your world? Things here are hot hot hot. It is this time of year when I remember that our AC is on its last legs, and wish that our windows were about 30 years newer. I don’t know why I choose to spend all my time in the hottest room in the house (psst it has the comfiest couches, nice natural light, and carpet for Calliope [at least until we can afford to swap it out for something wood-like], but also the only room without an overhead fan- boo!) but just the heat of my laptop is making me grumpy and long to be in a cool pool somewhere.

Luckily, Lucky (can I even put those two words together, hmmm haha) is taking pity on me and let me wear shorts on Day 25. Lets looky-loo at the OOTD:

Top- XXI. Shorts- Target and acquired at Nico's swap. Shoes- Target. Necklace- bought in Hawaii when I was 12 and visiting my Papou! Wood Bangle- Gap.

trunk shot

Mommy muscles!

Water table-ing, kinda.

Purse- old Guess.

Dress/tunic- Baby Gap. Headband- Me made. Diaper- good question!

Love those cheeks!

Lucky’s Day 25 had me wearing one of the belts low slung on the hips, which caused two problems: 1. My belt was not big enough to wear on the hips, and 2. There is no way a low slung hip belt would look flattering on my body, so I omitted it all together, and added the Hawaiian necklace for interest. The wooden bangle is one of my favorites, so I added it to for good measure, cute no?!

Although some could say it lacks originality, I really liked this outfit, though I will say that because of the fitted T-shirt and short shorts, this is not an outfit I would want to wear when I’m feeling less than svelte. Usually when I wear this shirt it is layered or tucked in under a high waist skirt, but I was feelin a-ok on this day, so even though I rarely have time to fit in post baby sit-ups, no gripes. The shorts actually are sewn to cuff a little longer, but it really didn’t do much for my shorty leg line, so I cuffed them up once more to keep the proportions looking right. Such a hussy, I know!

Calliope, who sadly, is not into headbands anymore, actually asked to wear one and kept it on for a whole 20+ minutes, such a little thing, but it made me so happy. So cute, my lil hipster!

Day 25 on a scale of 1-10: Ease of wear- 7 Personal excitement factor-7 Staying cool in the Fl summer heat- 10++

So my dear readers, what are your grownup shorts policies? Do you wear them teenage short, finger tip length, or avoid them altogether? And what are your tips for staying cool during the summer heat?

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Where have I been?!

This is day twenty-four of a series I’m doing that features a month of outfits. Read my intro here, find out about the Challenge here, and Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16, Day 17, Day 18, Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, and Day 23.

Good evening class! Boy did I take a long break from blogging about my challenge! Seriously I’ve been completely off the grid, no Facebook, no Twitter, barely email. Although I really love being plugged in, it has actually been kind of nice to be off the grid, but I certainly have been keeping a few (a very few ;D) of you hanging, so back to posting and being social again and the OOTD:

Express, acquired at Nico's swap. Skinny jeans- Gap. Shoes- Target. Scarf- Vintage.

Hello flash?!

Day 24 was a few days before Andrew went back to work at UCF, and we spent a good chunk of the day at UCF in his office drilling and hanging things in an attempt to make it more home-y. As another jean day, Lucky’s Day 24  was perfect for getting my hands semi-dirty and full of drywall dust. I was supposed to wear a chunky necklace, but I think that the vintage scarf made a similar impact, so I substituted. This outfit wasn’t my favorite, but it got the job done, and so I had no complaints.

Calliope had a ball walking down the hallways of the at-the-time mostly deserted campus, and the pink boots made another adorable appearance too:

On Opie: Dress- Target. Shoes- Iplay.

Day 24 on a scale of 1-10: Ease of wear- 9 Personal excitement factor- 7 Calliope’s hall walking: 10 ;D

How about you all? You ever go “off the grid” or are you always available online? Do you have happy memories walking the hallways of your college?

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