I’ve been known to chase my fair share of rabbits into Vintage Wonderland. Despite the resolutions every so often that I’m cutting back on vintage purchases or enforcing a spending ban (I swear I mean them at the time), pieces like these will swan across my retinas and suddenly I’m completely powerless. I mean, the perfect border print dress? A vintage wicker novelty handbag shaped like a BUNNY? Show me the rabbit hole and wish me luck – I fall every time.
One of my favorite dressmaking adventures ever, The Counterdanse, was featured on the website Cut Out + Keep! You can head over to see my step by step tutorial on embellishing the skirt of my dress. They also interviewed me for the site, to get my thoughts on my style, my fashion icons, and some of my favorite blogs.
In addition to a lot of online vintage hunting, I also am lucky enough to do a fair bit of traveling. So, it should come as no surprise that, on occasion, those two worlds collide in a Bermuda Triangle of events, whereby I get to visit a brick and mortar of one of my favorite shops, and get lost in all of the vintage…
Some dresses feel like Christmas morning and Mardis Gras and my birthday presents all wrapped up into one. And then in certain other dresses, I AM the present. This beauty from SwaneeGRACE Vintage, with her border print of puffy bows hinting at secrets within, manages to be both at the same time.
After every trip I ever go on, I always end up on the couch with a raging cold. As this was one of my most ambitious trips to date – with 5 weeks of travel across 12 flights, 5 cities, 2 coasts, and an exhilarating but exhausting mix of work and play – it’s no surprise I was rendered incapacitated. I arrived home and promptly collapsed. My body was DONE with me and, to show her rage at what I put her through, promptly robbed me of my voice and demanded antibiotics.
One of the greatest things in my life is being able to watch my niece grow up – granted, much of this observing has to be done from afar via FaceTime, but every time I get to spend time with her I’m in awe of the person she is becoming. The amazing person she already is. My second greatest thing is probably the fact that, for every dress I make myself, I can make her a miniature version and marvel in the unending cuteness.
There is something about a springtime vintage floral print that can bring a bit of sunshine into the dreariest of days. As if the minute you slip it over your head, the sun perks up and pushes her way through the clouds just to get a glimpse. And it doesn’t matter how many I own, the minute I spy another I am powerless to resist. I just love to love them.
I have probably seen the Sound of Music about 12 billion times. The music, the family dynamic shift, the historical context, Julie Andrews twirling on a mountain top – I just love it all. I remember coveting Liesl’s dress in “I am 16, Going on 17” and having serious wardrobe envy over the drapery-meets-dresses, make it work moment (clearly). But, the song I find myself still humming today always starts with, “Raindrops on roses…”
It’s no secret that I have a weak spot for border prints…but a vintage border print masquerading as eyelet lace? That is definitely something I can get behind. I love the concept of art imitating life imitating art, and this might be one of the most beautiful pieces of vintage art imitating floral printed lace that I ever did see…
I’m a huge fan of mixing prints and rather enjoy trying to push the boundaries of fashionably acceptable on a daily basis. A lot of ladies ask about the basics of combining two seemingly disparate prints, which can be intimidating if you don’t do it often. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to mixing prints, but I have the best success with a few basic guidelines.