It's sad that people don't use these all that often these days. Vintage train cases are like mini-suitcases, intended for carrying luggage or goods for short trips. Think of them as predecessors to the "caboodles" of the 1980s and 90s. I have two myself, one that I use to keep my "for sale" jewelry.
This is my favorite of the two:
It says "Lady Baltimore" on it. How cute?! I got it for $2 at the local charity thrift store. Haven't seen any as good as this one since. Not like I need more stuff... But this is great for me to use to carry all my handmade/vintage jewelry from place to place and makes for a great display too! I'd like to get a few more like this to use for displays at consignment shops/other places that will allow me to sell my jewelry (when I get to that point).
Here are some lovely train cases I found on etsy.com. All relatively affordable too. Click the images to view the sale pages.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="567" caption="From etsy seller PocketFullofHeirloom. (When I first read the name, I mistook heirloom for herion. Eeek, I jump to conclusions when I read.)"][/caption]
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Pastel colorblocking, from chictopia.com"][/caption]
Color-blocking (wearing simple, one color garments all of different colors) seems to be on the rise again! I am not into mixing blues and oranges myself, so if I try this, it will be with pastels like the woman above.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="A great 70s-esque look: flared jeans and kimono style sleeves."][/caption]
The skinny jeans craze has finally ebbed enough to make room for flares and bell-bottoms again! People still appreciate how flared trousers create a balanced silhouette. This woman has a very 70s look going on, which in my opinion, is and always will be CHIC! I love flowy tops and brown leather.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Bird prints are in. Strange but awesome."][/caption]
I've been seeing fabrics with birds on them pretty often lately. It's cute. I have also seen kangaroo prints.
Another common sight right now is empire waist dresses and tops. (Empire waists are below the bosom, much higher than the natural waist.) Dresses with waists like these were very, very popular in the sixties.
My "trend-spotting" is in no way meant to make you feel like you need to follow the trends. I'm just observing and offering inspiration. I am the kind of person who likes the classics way more than the trends. If what's trendy happens to be cute, I might imbibe but following trends that one doesn't even like leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyways, happy Wednesday! Here's to hoping Saturday comes fast! (That's my Friday.) Weeeeee!
Today one of Hollywood's most loved actresses passed on at the age 0f 79. Elizabeth Taylor has faced the limelight since she was a child. She will be sorely missed. Let's reminisce on the Elizabeth of the past...
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="From her most talked about role as Cleopatra."][/caption]
This is probably something a lot of you have already done, but there are a surprising amount of people who have never customized a clothing item themselves. I started getting experimental with my clothes in junior high. My "creations" looked a little shoddy back then but I've gotten pretty good and tailoring my clothes (except jeans. Too thick and I am too cheap to buy a denim needle for my sewing machine. Quit judging me.).
Here is a step-by-step video tutorial of how Kat Von D (I have a small obsession) cuts her t-shirts. No needles involved. You just need scissors and a shirt.
My workweek has been pretty hectic and all around dumb this week. I am half-way through an eight-day stretch of work at Dollar Tree, AND I just got a new full-time job, soooo I worked two jobs today! I put in my two-week quitting notice today, as in I told a manager. It is not bittersweet, it is purely sweet.
My new job is at an optometry office (seems better to just say eye doctor place). I just did a two hour get-briefed-on-every-thing-at-once session today. I will be the new receptionist, but I also get to do the pre-exam eye tests, like administering the air-puff machine and all those fun gadgets. That part is appealing to me. I think it will be fun to shoot sharp gusts of air at someone's eye. There is another machine that magnifies the persons eye and you have to try and center a little circle on their pupil, but it's a challenge since pupils don't hold still. However, there is a lot of less fun information to memorize, like the scheduling procedures and all the various insurance company policies. (That's actually terrifying. I am nervous.)
This new job marks the end of three years of dollar store reign. (I have worked at both Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Sadly, I never got the chance to add Family Dollar to my resume. Shucks.)
Anyways, if you're reading this, what would you like to see more of?
[polldaddy poll=4733158]
<3 Thank you for your feedback and comments. They mean more to me than you know. <3
[caption id="attachment_643" align="alignnone" width="490" caption="Rihanna is just too cool."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_644" align="alignnone" width="405" caption="I kinda want to try this hairstyle. Makes me miss having red hair. (tear)"][/caption]
Rihanna uses black to maker her red hair look even brighter... and she's wearing all-black the right way! Mixing different textures of black like shiny fabrics (leather, PVC, pleather, vinyl, etc) with soft matte fabrics (cotton, linen, chiffon, silk, etc) together.
[caption id="attachment_652" align="alignnone" width="422" caption="Looks to be a Grace Jones inspired look."][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_650" align="alignnone" width="468" caption="Sheer stripes! She wears dresses like this a lot, and it looks good on her."][/caption]
This matador jacket (or bolero if you prefer) was purchased at a consignment shop called "Classy Rags." It was $11.50 which is kind of pricey for me when it comes to used items, but I kept thinking I'd regret not getting it. I am definitely going back there, because there were some really gaudy silk blazers that I am remorseful for not owning. The tuxedo shirt is from the CVAS thrift store, and it was purchased during a "fill-a-paper-bag-for-$5" sale.
Check out the cool detailing! Very soft, but a tad bit big on me. I'll still wear it. Reminds me of this:
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="526" caption="See the gold cording detail."][/caption]
I really want to get some photos of my outfits but every chance I get it's overcast and/or my stupid camera is non-compliant. Don't get a Fujifilm Finepix S1800. It's outdated now, so you probably won't anyway, but just a heads up -- the on/off switches malfunction.
Hello all! For a very long time, this blog got a teeny tiny number of views each day. Recently, I've been getting almost 1,000 views per day, which still might not seem extraordinary but it's exciting to me to have even 100 people reading and looking at what I blog. So, within the next week or so, I will be hosting a giveaway to celebrate and help increase my followers.
I love sheer black blouses like this one. Only problem is I don't have one yet! I actually bought one, but I returned it because it didn't allow for much give in the sleeves/elbow/armpit area, and the store claimed they ran out. (It was the next day! They had a whole rack the day I bought it. Grr.) I have yet to find a replacement at a price I can afford. :( Anyways, I also love wearing gold jewelry, especially with black clothes. It looks so good.
The makings of this outfit are simple: cotton top, jeans, clogs. However, the combination of her hair, and how good floral prints look with leather accessories (like the shoes), makes it awesome.
Time to sharpen your skills in thriftiness, my friends!
In past decades, women knew how to get the most out of their closet and their money. It's seems that here in 2011 we've forgotten how to do that. Gas prices are rising rapidly, unemployment is going up, employers are cutting back hours and wages... Basically, money is getting tight for a lot of us. That doesn't mean we need to cut back on our fashion, we just need to find ways around this whole "money" thing.
Michelle Phan (youtube makeup guru and all around awesome person) posted this awesome video awhile back about how to expand your shoe collection without buying a single pair of shoes, but simply utilizing the pairs you already own.
Now, in the video Michelle and stylist Chrisselle show how adding clip-on embellishments like flowers and bows can recreate the whole look of a shoe. You may be wondering, where can I get that stuff? Michaels, which is a popular US craft chain store, has clip on fabric flowers for only $1 each in the bins that sit in the middle of aisles with other cheap things. I just bought a few a couple of weeks ago, and now that I've seen this video, I may go back and buy some more in pairs. Michael's also has ribbons in all different widths and designs if you wish to fashion your own bows.
Buttons, beads, chains -- almost anything can be used to spice up your shoes. I sometimes like to wrap a pyramid stud belt around the ankle of my knee high boots to enhance them, since I wear them so often.
Another place to find supplies is Dollar Tree. (Get used to me referencing this place a lot. I work there.) Dollar Tree has silk and fabric flowers, headbands in all varieties (literally hundreds of headbands that you can pluck flowers, bow, bits and baubles from), and all kinds of other goodies. The crafting supplies section is getting larger and better every week, so give that a try as well.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="You see this shoe? These are Christian Louboutins, some of the hottest and most expensive shoes around. You can recreate this look with your own basic black stillettos and embellishments like those shown in the Michelle Phan video. For like a dollar. Come on people."][/caption]
But, I do feel the need to point out that Michelle and Chrisselle are not inventing the wheel here... Shoe clips have been around for a long time. They aren't too commonly sold in major stores these days, which is sad, but like I said, we've forgotten how to save money! However, I've seen a lot of vintage shoe clips at flea markets and thrift stores. Or, bypass all that and search etsy. Here are some nice ones:
Also, another extremely common option is clip-on earrings. I see them by the bucket load at every second hand vending place (my umbrella term for places like thrift stores, yard sales, auctions, antique stores, flea markets, etc etc). Just clip them to your shoes instead of your ears! The only downside is that they don't clip to shoes or ears too strongly, so I wouldn't use any valuable or treasured clip-ons.
Finally, we get to see all of the designs she's helped bring to life when she callaborated with the Fred Perry clothing line!
My initial thoughts are that it's nice, but almost a bit boring. However, I guess I should keep in mind that miss Amy is working on cleaning up her image, which could be why this collection is so organized and clean cut.
To view the entire collection, click here. Now, let's hope we see her new album soon! If you haven't heard it yet, why not give her newest song (a cover of "It's My Party") from the Quincy Jones tribute album a listen. It's really good!
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="346" caption="Click to hype and/or fan me on Lookbook.nu!"][/caption]
I wore this on Wednesday of last week when I went to a consignment shop in Carlisle called "Classy Rags." I got a velvet bolero that looks like a matador jacket, a lace scarf, and a big turtle necklace. I am waiting for a sunny day to take photos. (And for my digital camera to cooperate.)
I wore:
A pink argyle cardigan from Old Navy, that was a gift.
An old dress from high school that I got at Ross for around $10. I think.
Vintage lace-trimmed slip from a thrift store, $2.
Zebra print gladiator sandals, also a gift.
Various jewelry, including a $1 Hello Kitty bracelet from the dollar section of Target.
Dolly-kei is a genre of Japanese street fashion that draws inspiration from European medieval times and fairy tales, but also has elements of decora and kawaii fashion here and these. Sometimes, it seems hard to distinguish between lolita and dolly-kei, as I imagine they draw inspiration from each other. It's so pretty! Japanese youth seem to have a lot of fun with their clothes. I am jealous!
Dolly-kei captures what I miss about being a little girl. I loved fairy tales, folklore, fantasy -- all of it. This look captures a sense of whimsy that reminds me of "the good old days" to be cliche and cheesy.
Grimoire Shibuya (pictured above) is a dolly-kei store in Tokyo -- elaborately decorated in whimsical leaves, forest critters, and old-world looking dolls. Truly looks like an amazing shopping experience. TokyoFashion.com has a nice article about it here.
I love the gold-leafed handbag and the corset. This girl captures a renaissance-y feel but somehow it doesn't look too costumey. At least not to me, but I have loose standards.
[caption id="attachment_570" align="aligncenter" width="467" caption="These girls look more costumey, but still cute. It looks like they are mixing elements of kawaii, decora, lolita, cosplay, and dolly-kei. Neat!"][/caption]
Human beings have been decorating their bodies for thousands of years -- and I see fashion as a part of that. If you have the means, why not have fun with what you clothe your body in? I see nothing wrong with it. Dressing up makings the dullness of my day-to-day life (especially now in my poor financial/career situation) just a little bit more exciting and fun. And if someone thinks it's stupid, then fine. I dress for ME, first and foremost, but it's always nice to connect with kindred spirits and share ideas! Blogs are the modern day "salons"! Okay, I am getting out of control. My cat is snoring next to me, and I keep mistaking it for someone talking outside my window -- scaryyyyy.
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