Celebration

Although this print is ideal for ringing in the New Year (in fact, I wore the other colorway of this dress in my last NYE post), I decided to put it on the other day – just because. For me, fashion itself is a celebration, and it brings me so much daily joy that I'm able to express my creativity and my personality through my personal style. I've also made so much progress in my life lately that this dress felt appropriate; I feel like this is a new beginning for me, and that I've finally started to transition into adulthood. I just feel really happy about where I am in this moment. And speaking of "where I am," below is another little sneak peek at my apartment! It's still not ready to show you all yet, but you can take a glimpse into the living room... and this gate outside is part of my driveway! My little place has so much character, and I feel so content here.

On that note, I think I can finally share my Exciting Life Update. So here it is: I left my customer service job, and ended up finding a position with another company... and I'm ecstatic to say that I'm now a full-time writer!! Basically, I'm writing content for articles and blog posts for a company that specializes in marketing solutions. It's such interesting work, the office is right near my apartment, and I'll eventually be able to work from home when I want. Although it's a totally new venture for me, I'm so happy to be writing all day long, and I'm already learning a lot. This is much closer to what I had in mind for myself, and the opportunity came along at the perfect time (thanks to a friend from high school, who also works as a writer there). I don't want to jinx it, but things do seem to be falling into place: in addition to my new job and my lovely apartment, my best friend just received a long-awaited kidney transplant and will be back home soon! And I also have an important guy back in my life. I know I don't consistently share a ton of personal stuff here (for numerous reasons), but I have to say that I'm feeling really good these days. Also, between all of that and Stranger Things and RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars Season 2, there's a lot of stuff to celebrate. :)

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter New Year's Eve Paris Dress: Zulily

Belt: from another dress

Flats: Amazon

That's all for now! What are you celebrating lately? 

Wonderland

Oh, how I've been waiting to get to this post! I had been planning for these photos for quite some time, and all of the elements finally came together for me to take them. When I found out the sky blue Jenny dress was coming back at Pinup Girl Clothing, I knew I wanted to showcase it in an Alice-inspired post. I thought that the grounds at the George Eastman Museum (which I visited before in this post) would be an idyllic setting, and after a delicious breakfast at The Mad Hatter (you know I love a good themed outing!), we headed over to the gardens.

The Mad Hatter also serves high tea on Saturdays, and their menu looks incredible! It's a definite on my to-do list.

When I was looking for accessories to go with this dress, I came across the most perfect book brooch from Tangerine Menagerie. The little details on Julia's work are absolutely incredible (look at the little "A" and adorable White Rabbit!), and this brooch is so well-made and was clearly produced with a lot of care and love. I feel pleased as punch that I was finally able to add one of her beautiful pieces to my pin collection. Her brooches often sell out lightning-fast, so if you've got your eye on one, it's best not to dawdle! She's always adding new designs, so be sure to follow her shop!

It's not often I spend an exorbitant amount on shoes, but when you can't get a particularly special pair out of your mind, you sometimes have to bite the bullet and make a frivolous purchase. I watched for my size in these beauties like a hawk, and I ordered them as soon as they arrived. The "All in the Golden Afternoon" scene is one of my favorites from the film, and the intricacy of this design is really incredible. This post is actually good timing; although these particular heels don't seem to be available anymore, Irregular Choice just released a second Alice in Wonderland range with some really adorable pairs of shoes – including another version of the ones I'm wearing in ballet flat form! You can see the full second installment of this delightful Disney collection here.

Outfit Details

Jenny Dress in Sky Blue: Pinup Girl Clothing

Alice in Wonderland book brooch: c/o Tangerine Menagerie

Flowers Can't Talk Heels: Irregular Choice (similar here)

Belt: available here  ||  Petticoat: available here

Have a "wonder"-ful start to your week! ;)

Ladybug

One thing about being a fashion blogger is that it can be really tough to silence the little voice in my head that tempts me to buy all the things. I tend to get excited about wearing or reviewing freshly acquired pieces here, and sometimes I get carried away. I have to admit that I do enjoy showing off my new purchases, and I don't especially like repeating myself, probably out of fear of boring my readers. That's silly, I know. I've always tried to be better at remixing the items in my closet, and rationally, I know that showcasing that would probably make me seem more authentic and relatable (ah, blogger buzzwords!). And although I've definitely cut down on how much I spend on my clothes, there's still that compulsive urge that eggs me on, and tells me that I need that new dress...

The closet in my new apartment actually collapsed over the weekend (sob!), and it got me thinking even more about something that's crossed my mind lately: I really need to get a handle on the emotional attachment I have to my clothes. Fashion is incredibly personal, and there's a reason why I feel so connected to the clothes I wear: namely, they serve as my creative outlet and bring me infinite amounts of joy. But I definitely need to practice letting go of the things that don't instantly provide those things for me. Letting go is hard. I have difficulty with it in most aspects of my life, to be honest. I'm a pack rat, and it's hard for me to get rid of things if I think I might use or need them one day, or if I'm afraid I might miss them. But enough is enough. I've been facing some of my fears this summer, and frankly, it's been the season of Getting Shit Done. So it's definitely time to clear out what I truly don't need, and keep only the pieces around that make me without-a-doubt happy. Once I go through everything, I'll be listing a TON of pieces in my Shop My Closet store, so keep your eyes peeled.

Neither of these pieces is super new, but I've never worn the top here before. It's still available at PUG, but I bought it second-hand in a Facebook group because I can't resist the vamp tops (I have most of the colorways at this point). I've worn this skirt on the blog before, though – it's the Retroversible skirt by Julie Mollo. She's having a huge sale at the moment, and I have to stop myself from getting the lavender/gingham one (remember, Sammi: you don't even have a functional closet right now!!!). I honestly just wanted to dress like a ladybug when I took these photos. So I did. No matter how many articles of clothing I may or may not have, I always want to have fun with fashion. :)

Outfit Details

Retroversible Circle Skirt: c/o Julie Mollo

Vamp Top: available at Pinup Girl Clothing

Melissa wedges: similar

Belt: from another dress

Necklace: similar

Have a wonderful Wednesday! Oh, and by the way: the winner of my giveaway with Le Bomb Shop has been chosen! Congratulations to Ruby and a big thank you to everyone who entered!

Lilac Atomic

Trashy Diva may have just released their new Psychadelic Ferns collection, but I'm just getting around to styling my acquisition from their Lilac Atomic range! As soon as this Debbie style dropped, I knew I had to grab one for myself; from the beautiful periwinkle background, abstract atomic print and the ruffled bust, it just called out to me. Since I missed out on getting the similarly styled seersucker version in my size (side note: if you have the "Apple Tart" dress in size 10 you're looking to get rid of, let me know), I didn't want to wait on this beauty!

I decided to go explore an arboretum out by my parents' house (which I didn't even know existed!) for these photos. Since I don't have super-easy access to my parents' backyard anymore, I'm having a lot of fun finding new locations. I'm branching out of my comfort zone quite a bit lately, and I have to remind myself to take time to appreciate that. I'll be delving more into another change in my life (fyi, I'm not engaged or pregnant, don't worry) very soon, but I'm keeping it mostly under wraps for now. Suffice it to say, it's exciting and I feel very optimistic about what the future holds.

Outfit Details

Debbie Dress in Lilac Atomic: Trashy Diva

Opal necklace: similar

Bettie Page heels: Amazon

Have a great Monday!

Friday Favorites #139

Happy Friday, all! This week has been a surprisingly low-key one for me (for reasons that I will go into very soon!), so I actually had time to put together a Friday Favorites post! Here are some of the things I've been loving as of late...

These landscape skirts are super pretty!

a    ||    b

And I adore this dress, too.

These shoes are so cute!

I have the t-shirt version of this, but I might need this print to frame for my place! PS: Sophie's shop, Dreaming of Johnny (formerly known as You Were Swell) is back!

How amazing are these dresses!? I Dream of Jeannie and The Sound of Music prints?! I died a little bit when I saw them.

a    ||    b

This iPhone case is so fun!

Of course, I had to include some novelty purses!

1    //    2    //    3

I want this cherry pie print for my kitchen.

I might need this dress – for work purposes, of course!

And finally... since one of my main style icons growing up was the one and only Claudia Kishi... this definitive ranking of the Baby-Sitters Club cover outfits is EVERYTHING.

Have a great weekend!

PS: Don't forget... you have just a couple of days left to enter my giveaway with Le Bomb Shop! You could win your own "Soubrette Brunette Dress"(!!) – get all the details and enter thru Sunday here!

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I may receive a small commission, which helps to run my blog. I promote only items and brands I absolutely love. Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

Starburst

As most of you know, I've been a loyal fan of Erstwilder's intricate, quirky designs for the past few years. They recently launched an out-of-this-world galactic collection, and I'm totally over the moon for it. ;) I'm not always the biggest sci-fi fan, but I really love this retro-futuristic range. I'll be showing off another piece from this collection very soon, but for today's post, I decided to pair this vibrant star burst brooch with my new pastel yellow Jenny dress from Pinup Girl Clothing for a real shining star feel! Be sure to check out the whole Erstwilder Goes Galactic range for even more fun pieces.

Most of the Erstwilder brooches I own would qualify as "statement pieces," but I think that's particularly true of this collection. These pins are so detailed, brightly colored and just plain fun. I didn't want to go too over-the-top with my actual outfit, so I went the simple route. It's been so hot here lately, so I couldn't even wear a cardigan with this outfit, but I can definitely picture myself wearing a bright pink or turquoise one to complete this look in the cooler months. I actually wasn't sure I was going to purchase this yellow Jenny dress, but I quickly found myself powerless to resist (oops!). It's definitely getting to be time to list some more pieces to sell in my shop my closet store... I'm running out of room for all my pretties! Keep an eye out for that within the next couple of weeks.

Outfit Details

Pinup Couture Jenny Dress in Yellow: Pinup Girl Clothing

Star Burst Brooch: c/o Erstwilder

Shoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

PS: Did you enter my latest giveaway with Le Bomb Shop yet? One lucky gal will win her choice of The Soubrette Brunette Sweetheart Dress! Get all the details & enter here!