Black Dresses and Kitschy Bags

By now, most of you know that I love outfits that are filled with kitsch. I can't resist a good theme or novelty bag! But while my personal aesthetic tends to veer on costume-y, I realize that it's not always practical for everyday wear. However, I think today's outfit proves that you can incorporate kitschy elements into an otherwise classic & conservative look.

First, let's talk about this dress! When I first saw this OUGES dress on Amazon, I wasn't quite sure what it'd look like (or how it'd fit) in real life. However, the plethora of positive reviews and affordable price tag won me over, so I decided to try it out, along with another dress from their online store. Upon receiving them, I was so pleasantly surprised by the fit and quality. Due to the ample stretch of the material, I had more than enough room (I could have possibly sized down to a medium, rather than my normal large). It's definitely one of the more comfortable dresses I own! I really love the scalloped neckline, and the 3/4-length sleeves have come in handy during these cold winter days. It's a nice length too, which can also be a concern with certain dresses you find on Amazon. If you're looking for a cute and versatile LBD that fits in your budget, this one should definitely be a contender.

While I wouldn't normally wear such a plain dress with a purse like this, I think it does illustrate my point: that novelty purses – like one of the Vendula London unique bags I'm styling here – can work with all sorts of outfits. In fact, they often work better when they can be the star of the outfit, since the overall effect isn't overpowering. This diner purse gives the perfect pop to my outfit, and the details are amazing. I styled another Vendula London bag last spring for my Easter post, and the quality is always superb. I went with a smaller, cross-body style this time, and I absolutely love it. There's enough room for all the necessities but it's still the perfect going-out bag. Even the lining is adorable! I love this entire range of Vendula London creative bags, but all of their collections are so much fun.

Outfit Details

Scalloped black dress: c/o OUGES

Diner Box Bag: c/o Vendula London

Jivin' Jukebox brooch: c/o Erstwilder (available here)

Tights: similar  ||  Heels: Aerosoles

Also, the winner of my giveaway has been chosen! Congratulations to Kate R. and thanks to everyone who entered! You've made the last four years of blogging an absolute delight. Stay tuned for more giveaways in the coming months! <3

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Siamese (If You Please)

Like many women, I'm in love with those vintage Lady and the Tramp skirts... but since they sell for $700+, I've resigned myself to the fact I'll never get my hands on one. There's another one inspired by the movie that's referred to as the "Si & Am" print, though the cats on it don't really look like the Siamese cats in the film. This Vintage Inspired By Jackie dress, however, looks exactly like those bad kitties!

After playing a cat in my last show, I'm really glad to have some free time back. As much as I love doing children's theatre (and believe me, interacting with kids was a blessing during this emotionally trying time), I've learned that I don't do well when I don't have ample time to recharge. When I was younger, I wasn't working full-time and would do as many shows as possible in order to stay physically active and creative. But now that I work 40 hours a week at a job that's both demanding and creative, I need downtime to prevent burnout. Suffice it to say, although I enjoyed being a cat for a bit, I'm glad that now I can just wear dresses with cats on them instead. :)

While Jackie made this print into a dress for me, it can also be ordered as a skirt (in several different colors!). Just send her a message – she can make you almost anything! Although I wear skirts a lot more now, I do like a lot of the details of this design. It's made of 100% cotton and keeps its shape without the use of a voluminous petticoat. Personally, I wish the fabric were a bit softer to the touch, but it's not something I notice much when wearing it. Since it's a relatively new design, I made a couple of suggestions to Jackie about fit for the future, which she was gracious enough to implement. One thing to note: this fabric has no stretch whatsoever, so I'd strongly recommend making sure you have ample room to breathe. If in doubt, give yourself at least an extra 1/2 inch. I'll be debuting another design Jackie made for me very soon, and I can't wait to style it.

Outfit Details

Cat border print dress: c/o Vintage Inspired By Jackie

Cropped cardigan: available at Trashy Diva

Black flats: similar

PS: Have you entered my 4-year blogiversary/Valentine's giveaway yet?! I'm giving away an adorable prize package of sweet treats! Get all the details and enter here through Saturday!

4th Blogiversary Giveaway: Valentine's Edition! [CLOSED]

It's pretty astounding, but in a couple of days, I'll have been blogging for four whole years! Time has flown by, and yet so much has happened since I first began. When I started, I had recently moved back to Rochester and wasn't sure what I wanted to ultimately be doing – so I filled my free time with clothes, slowly figuring out my personal style and my voice along the way. I was still living at home, was doing as many shows as I could, still thinking I'd move back to New York at some point. Now, I'm working full-time as a writer, doing shows only when I feel like it, and living in my own place here that I love. In short, my life now looks totally different from what I pictured for myself four years ago. But I really am glad things in my personal and professional life have turned out the way they have.

As is customary on my "blogiversary," I'm holding a little giveaway for all of my wonderful readers! I hope you all know how much I appreciate you. I may not always have the time to respond to comments here or on social media, but I always read them – and every one of you holds a special place in my heart. And speaking of hearts... since February is my blog anniversary month, I decided to make my giveaway Valentine's Day-themed this year! You can enter to win an adorable prize package of fun goodies. Here's what's up for grabs and what you need to know to win:

Valentine Blogiversary Prize Package:

- Red Velvet Cupcake swing skirt from Unique Vintage

- Pink rose hair flower from Stardust Dames Boutique

- "My Funny Valentine" art print by Kate Gabrielle

- Betsey Johnson heart print cosmetic bag/wristlet

- Duo of Valentine heart coffee mugs

Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below. One (1) winner will be chosen at random through the widget. There are a few mandatory entries you must complete to be eligible to win, along with other options for extra chances to win. You must be a follower of The Soubrette Brunette to enter and you must leave a comment (believe me, I check!). The giveaway is open worldwide and will run from now until 11:59 PM (EST) on Saturday, February 4th. This shorter run period will ensure that the winner can get her prizes in time for Valentine's Day! The winner will be contacted via e-mail, so be sure to use a valid e-mail address or leave one in your comment. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Once the winner has been contacted, it will be announced on the blog. Best of luck and thanks to all for entering!

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Twinning in Dita

This week has been a bit crazy, but I'm excited to share this post because it gave me the chance to twin with my bestie! I keep my circle of close friends pretty small for a reason, but living on the other side of the country from your best friend can be really hard sometimes. Luckily, Ashley and I talk almost constantly, so even though she's on the opposite coast, I always know she's there for me. (I just wish it were in person!) We end up twinning all the time, as we own a lot of the same clothes, but when we both got this Wheels & Dollbaby lavender Dita Von Teese cardigan, I knew we needed to do a post together. We haven't done one of these coordinating posts in a long time – it was definitely overdue!

It's not often that I really splurge on something like a sweater. I'll drop a pretty penny on a dress, but I tend to be a bit of a spendthrift when it comes to separates. But lavender is my favorite color, and I couldn't stop thinking about this cardigan for weeks. So I finally bit the bullet and am now the proud owner of an infamous Dita cardigan. This color is no longer available at Wheels & Dollbaby, but they did just release the newest Dita cardigan in a luxe silver hue. I don't know if I'd buy others (not at full price, at least – I can't afford that kind of habit!), but I will say that this is absolutely one of the most beautiful cardigans you could ever imagine. It's incredibly well-made and soft, and the details are divine. It feels truly special and it's certainly not a purchase I regret. And of course, now my bestie and I can match! You can find all of Ashley's outfit details over on Southern (California) Belle! I love how she styled it (and hot damn, that girl looks good in pants). Even though we're separated by hundreds of miles, being able to do posts like this makes me feel even closer to her.

Outfit Details

Dita Von Teese Cardigan: Wheels & Dollbaby

Black Lola Skirt: c/o Hearts and Found

Heels: ModCloth (similar)

It's my first full weekend off in a while, and I'm so excited. I plan on sleeping in (finally!), getting a massage (yay!), getting a new phone (double yay!), catching up on blogging (something exciting is coming next week!), and having brunch with some of the girls from work (yum!). As much as I love performing, I'm realizing how much I need time to recharge and have real downtime. Isn't it funny how we used to hate being bored as kids, but doing nothing is such a privilege as adults? 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Favorites #146

It's been a minute since I did a Friday Favorites post, huh? I finally had time to put one together this week! Here are a few things I've been loving lately:

Coloring books can definitely help reduce my high levels of stress, and this #OOTD coloring book is a must!

How pretty is this polka dot dress from Kitten D'Amour?

Betsey Johnson novelty bags for all!

a   //   b   //   c

And I'm swooning over this Kate Spade typewriter purse (IT'S MINT!):

You all know how much I love novelty prints, and this vintage valentine skirt from The Oblong Box Shop has me looking like the heart-eyes emoji:

I weirdly identify with this pink jellyfish pin.

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know I couldn't resist getting this pretty pink agenda for 2017. I don't always manage to write my schedule in my planner, but it definitely helps me feel more organized.

I don't wear nice stuff during the week much these days (when you work from home, there isn't much point), and subsequently, I wear a lot of sweatshirts. This one is so cute – and could totally be dressed up a bit!

My mom got me this Pixar crock pot for Christmas and I can't wait to start using it. Do you have any favorite crock pot recipes to recommend?

I'm always a big fan of Kate's pins, but I need these ones in particular.

Nasty Woman  ||  Love Trumps Hate

I know today is a pretty dark day for many of us. Personally, I'm actually thankful that I'm spending the day performing for kids because it might make me feel a little optimistic about the future. But if you need a little something to make you smile today, you need to look at this list of perfect pups.

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 link only to items and brands I really love. Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

Leopard

Leopard is one of those ubiquitous, go-to pinup prints, but I've never had much of it in my wardrobe. Over the last year or so, I've found myself drawn to it more and more, especially when it's done well. So when I saw this dress by The Pretty Dress Company – a brand that's carried in the U.S. exclusively by Unique Vintage – I was really eager to try it out.

I've owned a couple of other dresses by The Pretty Dress Company in the past. Their quality tends to be really great and their dresses seem to be universally flattering. Given how their other brand dresses fit me (i.e., quite large in the bust), I expected this style would be a bit loose up top. But actually, this dress was a bit tight in the arms and in the bust area. It zips up and I think it looks quite nice on, but if you're concerned about lifting your arms or know you need a bit of extra room for the ladies, I'd recommend sizing up in this style. Other than that, I found this frock to be just lovely. The fact that it has longer sleeves is a real plus for the winter, and I love that this fabric didn't even need to be steamed when I took it out of the box!

Outfit Details

Leopard Print Hepburn Dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Brooch: vintage (similar)

Hat: vintage (similar)

Boots: Miss L-Fire

Tights: similar

In other news, my show opened this weekend, and we have school shows later this week. While it's been a fun experience, I'll be glad to have evenings to myself again. I've been under a lot of stress (a massage is definitely in order!), so I'm looking forward to taking a break from performing. It won't be forever, of course, but I'm going to be a lot pickier about the projects to which I commit. While I used to be in as many shows as possible a few years ago, my priorities are a lot different now. And that's totally okay. I know myself better now, and for that, I'm grateful.