My Vintage Tea Party
Ramblings and Reviews From a Lover of Tea and All Things Vintage
Hi, everyone! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas-- mine was busy and full of socializing with family, which was very enjoyable but also exhausting. One thing that I look forward to most about the Christmas season is being able to put together holiday outfits. As you all have probably gathered, I love any excuse to dress up. My first outfit is from December 23rd, when I went to eat with my dad's family at my grandmother's house. This one was probably my most "Christmassy" outfit as it featured a bright red sweater and plush gingerbread man pin: The sweater, which has a few rows of faux pearls around the collar came from Talbots, one of my favorite stores. Some of their clothing items are rather plain, but I am always able to find tops and accessories that are elegant and timeless. The skirt is from a shop in New Orleans called Trashy Diva. Whenever I go to New Orleans, I *have* to visit their clothing, shoe, and lingerie shops. It is a vintage lover's dream! Their clothing designs and fabric choices are reminiscent of the 1930s to the 1960s, and although they tend to be pricey and their sizes run small, I always feel right at home when shopping in their stores. One issue I have with the skirt, though, is that I hate the fabric. It wrinkles easier than anything else in my closet (I put it on, sat down, and when I got up it was terribly wrinkled in the back), and it seems to be pretty delicate as I already have a run in it after only wearing it once before. For shoes I went with a black, heeled mary jane in leather, and I finished off my look with a black and red rose hair clip and adorable gingerbread man pin that I picked up at Cracker Barrel some years ago. My purse came from H&M about 6 years ago and is a giant patent leather heart with ruffles around the edge. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of my Christmas Eve outfit, but my dress was from the brand Hell Bunny and has old fashioned bicycles (penny farthings) all over it. The cut is more 1930s, but I decided to put a petticoat under it anyway and I think it looked pretty good! Of course I had to wear pearls, and my shoes were black leather t-strap heels. My outfit for Christmas Day was not exactly what I had wanted to wear, but it reached 80 degrees farenheit that day so I had to do my best to choose a decently festive outfit that I would not burn up in. So, I went with a burgundy dress from Modcloth with small white polka dots. Again, too much was going on for me to get a very good picture of it but here I am with my sweetheart at his house: The New Year is right around the corner, though I doubt I will put together a special outfit for it. I don't think I'm going anywhere in particular so my outfit will probably be some sort of lounge wear so me and Stephen can stay in and watch movies.
Thanks for reading; as always I appreciate your time <3
2 Comments
This weekend was an adventure. Me, my mother, and grandmother went up to Huntsville to do some shopping so of course I had to take along something both cute and comfortable. The dress is a lucky find from Talbots, and I believe it pairs perfectly with a belt for a splash of color. I'm kind of known for gravitating toward black and red-- even though pink is my favorite color, black and red is my favorite color combo to wear. The purse is something I bought the previous evening at this fantastic shop at Hunstville's Bridge Street shopping center called Retro Fitt. They sell a large variety of retro and vintage inspired clothing, shoes, and accessories, so I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area! I'm not sure if you can see it, but I am also wearing a little rhinestone crown pin. I have a weakness for pins/brooches...they really can make an outfit more fun. I could kick myself for not getting a picture of my hair, but I'm wearing my hair in a ponytail (I do that a lot. It takes minimal effort, and young ladies sported ponytails quite often in the mid century) topped off with a red rose clip. Since there's not a good picture, I guess you'll just have to take my word for it. I did bring along a red cardigan to sort of finish off the look, but the weather was in the upper 90s so actually wearing it was simply, and unfortunately, not an option. I had my mother take pictures of my outfit at a fun antique store called University Pickers. The owner of the stall I was in (they had all kinds of snacks and drinks) made their area look like an old fashioned store complete with tables and chairs that are similar to the ones you would see in ice cream parlors long ago. The lighting was not the best for a mini photo shoot, and I'm afraid it resulted in some unflattering shadows on my face.
I really hope to do outfit posts more often in the near future so do stay tuned! For some reason, I am positively smitten with nautical inspired clothes and accessories. The square collars, the bright colors, the neckerchiefs...it's all so neat, polished and classic looking. So when I spotted this full skirted, adorable sailor dress on Unique Vintage's website, I knew I had no option but to buy it. A year and a half has gone by since I bought this dress, and even though I haven't worn it much it is, without a doubt, one of my favorite clothing items. Pretty much everything about this dress is perfect. I prefer the look of full skirts and dresses that fall below the knee and have a defined waist. In my opinion, the silhouette of a defined waist and a full skirt just can't be beaten. It's so feminine and elegant! The dress also fits like a dream-- it can be difficult to buy clothing online because sizes aren't always consistent (and don't even get me started on inaccurate sizing charts...), but I couldn't ask for this one to fit any better. I believe this is the only thing I own from Unique Vintage, not because they don't have clothes that I want-- I have a pretty extensive wish list on there-- but because I try very, very hard not to order more than one or two clothing items a month and there is a seemingly endless number of other clothing sites that I drool over on a regular basis. Unique Vintage stocks a wide variety of retro brands, but this dress happens to be by their very own Unique Vintage brand! The purse I'm carrying is by Tatyana, formerly known as Bettie Page Clothing, and has two compartments-- one on each side. The little yellow guy you can see hanging off of it in the picture above is a Winnie the Pooh Tsum Tsum keychain that has an eco bag inside. It's nearly impossible to tell from the pictures, but my bow has little anchors on it to match the sailor theme.
I know that my overall look is more on the girlish side and not entirely "mature" or "glamorous," but sometimes I like looking a bit like a doll. I used to wear the Japanese Lolita style everyday, and even though I've moved more towards the retro/vintage look I still feel most like myself in outfits with a cutesy, innocent twist. I'm afraid I'll always have to be content with looking more doll-like-- a big reason being that I can't wear heels on a regular basis. I would love to be able to, but like I mentioned in a previous post my ankle and knee problems prevent it. So, it looks like I'm stuck in mary janes, saddle shoes, and comfortable sandals like the ones I'm wearing here. Oh, well. I think I do pretty well coordinating outfits even though I have limited shoe options! Dress: Unique Vintage Shoes: Clark's Purse: Tatyana (Bettie Page Clothing) My Freddies of Pinewood clamdiggers, that is. For my second outfit post, I am wearing them and my saddle shoes again-- but this time I have paired them with one of my new sweater sets that I picked up on vacation. I wore this outfit to go bowling with my boyfriend! (Of course it was as hot as one would expect it to be in July in the South, but I just had to include the cardigan in the shot). Sweater sets, or "twin sets" as they are also called, were very popular in the 1950s. I love them because they can be dressed up or down, turning a casual outfit with jeans into something more cute and feminine. A classic ponytail with a scarf, kitschy pin, and retro purse are other accents that add to the 50s vibe. I think it is also rather obvious that my saddle shoes are my favorites for the casual 50s look. I have to wear pretty thick orthotics in my shoes due to a condition of my ankles and feet, which can be a huge downer when it comes time to go shoe shopping. Most styles of shoes designed for prescription orthotics are just.....not pretty and it's difficult to find regular shoes that both have a vintage or "cutesy" feel and accommodate my orthotics-- and shoes can really make or break an outfit! I can't just throw on a pair of classic flats and be done with it like I see a lot of vintage- loving ladies do; I would be in excruciating pain within an hour. I absolutely adore ballet flats, but it crushes my soul to say that I have yet to find any that will work for me. So, whenever I stumble upon a retro-esque find like my saddle shoes, I take them and run! There's a lot that I could have done accessories wise with this outfit-- pearls would have gone wonderfully with the pearl bracelet, and of course earrings would have been a nice touch. However, I have to admit that I am far lazier than I should be with putting on earrings. Part of it has to do with how allergic I tend to be to a lot of metals. I am also not a make-up fan. That is one thing that really separates me from most of the other vintage ladies-- I don't go out in full make-up unless it is a special occasion and I rarely wear lip color. It's just a personal preference I've always had to go fresh faced with a dash of pressed powder and I know it takes away from the vintage look, but it's hard to change a life-long practice (or lack thereof?). It sure was hard to keep my eyes open for this picture. It was bright outside!
Well, there we have it! I could add more I'm sure, but I want to avoid too-long-posts with extraneous details so I will conclude with an outfit breakdown: Sweater set: Dillard's Pants: Freddies of Pinewood Purse: Tatyana Boutique Bracelet (which is hard to see): My Flat in London (a brand owned by Brighton) Pin: Walmart! After two tea related posts in a row, I figured it was time to do an outfit post featuring a couple of my vintage-inspired items. Aside from the clothes I wear to work, I try to incorporate at least a little bit of mid-century charm into my outfits. I work at my local library checking in and shelving books in a back room, and there is quite a lot of dust and sharp edges lurking around every corner and mystery...stuff...on the surfaces of books and DVDs. In short, it can be dirty and not the best environment to wear some of my cuter things. I did wear some of my nicer outfits when I first started, but one day I snagged one of my favorite sweaters on the corner of a metal bin and from then on I decided I was going to be more selective about what I wore; at least until I acquired a much sought after library assistant position (where most of my time would be spent at a desk). The weekends are when I feel like I can wear my vintage inspired leisure wear without fear of ruining it. Recently, I discovered the brand Freddies of Pinewood, which is based in England and specializing in 1940s and 1950s style jeans and tops. I just don't feel like myself when I'm in regular pants, and modern jeans are simply not an option for me; I would feel like a slob. I am so glad I came across Freddies and took the plunge and ordered some. They are unbelievably flattering, have that true vintage look, and are fantastic quality! I love that they allow me to add some vintage flare to my leisure time outfits without sacrificing comfort. I currently have three pairs and I plan to buy more. Pants: Freddies of Pinewood clamdiggers Top: Talbots. Basic, solid color cotton shirts are invaluable and versatile Shoes: The children's department....I have small feet Belt: Dollz and Dames in New Orleans Purse: Ordered from Disney Store Japan Headband: Urban Outfitters I have such a soft spot for anything cute. While a lot of my wardrobe is vintage inspired, I also have plenty of items featuring Disney characters, cats, teddy bears, etc. etc. I suppose I like to mix vintage with "kawaii" sometimes. Don't ever feel like you have to limit yourself-- you might love vintage but still love cute. If you like it, wear it!
|
About Me
Greetings, readers! My name is Jordie, and I am a tea obsessed, history loving young lady who just happened to be born about 60 years too late. Archives
February 2017
Categories
All
|