Halloween Style: Phryne Fisher

Consider yourself warned: photo-heavy post ahead! I've been planning this Halloween costume post for so long, and I'm incredibly excited about it. Ever since Kate wrote about her love of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, I've been hooked on this fantastic show (all 3 seasons of which are available on Netflix!). Both my mom and I are huge fans of crime shows/mysteries and pretty much any period piece out there, so it's no surprise that we are both obsessed with the Honorable Miss Phryne Fisher. The show, set in 1920's Australia, has gained a lot of popularity recently (and for good reason!); Phryne is a wonderfully written character – she's strong, sexy and smart – and the entire cast of characters is superb. There's a lot of contemporary political commentary, and oh, the costumes! She might just be my favorite television character ever (and Essie Davis is divine in the role)... so I knew I had to be her for Halloween this year!

Unique Vintage was kind enough to send me one of their gorgeous flapper dresses for my costume. I also wore it for my performances in the historical ghost walk last weekend (my character was a flapper, conveniently enough). This Isadora dress (above) is absolutely stunning, and although I was initially really nervous about wearing this type of silhouette, I ended up feeling amazing in it! It's a surprisingly comfortable dress, and the bead work is incredible. My body type isn't really ideal for a 1920's look, but I was really happy to discover that I can wear this style and feel confident in it (though admittedly, this Rago waist cincher helps). I felt every bit as fabulous as Phryne in my get-up, and I feel awesome about how it turned out. I even made a golden gun (one of Phryne's trademarks) out of metallic felt – and I can barely sew! (Credit goes to Amanda and Ashley for the DIY idea.) I really love putting together costumes, so this was tons of fun for me!

I also received this gorgeous green flapper dress as a birthday gift from my mom, so in true Phryne fashion, I had a bit of a costume change! Although I bought a cheap bobbed wig for my first look, I actually created a fake bob with my own hair for the second! It's a super-easy process, and it's probably the only hairstyle I could ever do a tutorial on (in basic terms, you make a low ponytail and tuck most of your hair underneath and pin it). I ended up loving these looks so much that I had to include both in this post, but I'm going to wear the Unique Vintage dress for Halloween – it's special and spooky!

Some of my favorite looks from the "real" Miss Fisher!

Outfit Details

Outfit #1: Red Isadora Dress: c/o Unique Vintage  ||  Black slip: c/o Unique Vintage

Hair chain: Fashion Diggers ||  Gold felt gun: made by me (with felt from A Market Collection)

Shoes: Amazon  || Earrings: Studio Vintage  ||  Wig: eBay (bangs trimmed by me)
Faux fur wrap: Amazon  ||  Stockings: Urban Outfitters

Outfit #2: Cabaret Soiree Dress: ModCloth (gift)  ||  Fur stole: vintage

Bettie Page shoes: Amazon  ||  Star hair comb: January Rose Boutique

Earrings: Earthen Dreams  ||  Stockings: Urban Outfitters

Which look do you like better? Do you have a favorite Halloween costume from your past?

Have an awesome (and safe) weekend!

PS: Don't forget to enter my Big Birthday Giveaway! You can enter to win 1 of 3 incredible prize packages from some awesome brands + artists (including Unique Vintage and ModCloth)! Get all the details and enter here.

Birthday Balloons

Well, I'm officially 27 today! Somehow 27 feels way older than 26... I guess because I don't think I can say I'm in my mid-twenties anymore. Mid-to-late twenties, maybe. The last couple of birthdays were a little strange (as anyone who has gone through a bad breakup will tell you, celebrating alone can be a difficult adjustment), but I'm in much more of a birthday mood these days. Although I'm still indecisive about what direction I want to take as far as my career is concerned, I feel (mostly) pretty good about where I am right now. I'm trying to learn to take things as they come and to enjoy them as they happen – as much as a type A personality can, anyway!

I've actually been so busy that I didn't have much of a chance to think about what I'd be doing today. I'm in rehearsals for a project that goes up around Christmastime (it's a stage production of Holiday, which was made into a film starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant), and I also performed in a historical ghost walk last weekend, which was a fun experience. Once I finally had a moment to breathe, I finally decided on having afternoon tea with my mom and going out for BBQ with my parents and best friend Wayne tonight. I have a rare night off from rehearsal, so it'll be nice to be able to relax and have fun today. Now I just have to decide what to wear!

Outfit Details

The Party Dress: Pretty Parcel

Cake brooch: Not Forgotten Vintage

Spectator heels: BAIT Footwear

Enjoy your day!

PS: Don't forget to enter my Big Birthday Giveaway! You can enter to win 1 of 3 incredible prize packages from popular brands + artists. Get all the details & enter here!

BIG BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY! [CLOSED]

My (27th!) birthday is this week, and longtime readers of my blog know what that means: it's time for my annual Big Birthday Giveaway! You guys make me feel special 365 days a year, so I like to celebrate by showing my appreciation for all of your support. This year's giveaway is extra-awesome because it features a bunch of brands and artists I absolutely love... and there are three incredible prize packages up for grabs! Read on to find out more...

In the past, I've always had one huge prize package for one winner. This time, you can enter the giveaway to win 1 of 3 awesome packages that I've put together with my amazing sponsors (which means more chances to win, yay!). I've put all of the entries into one big widget, so once you've completed the mandatory entries + whatever optional entries you'd like, you'll be entered to win all three packages. In the interest of fairness, prize package selection will be determined by the order in which the winners are chosen (i.e., the first winner chosen will be awarded prize package #1, and so on). These prizes are so good that it almost makes me wish I could enter my own giveaway! :) Here are the details on each prize package:

Prize Package #1: Cherry Tierney Halter Dress from Unique Vintage, choice of Mandie Bee Sweet Sweater + accessory goodie bag from Heart of Haute, your item of choice from Erstwilder, Disney jewelry pack from Femme de Bloom, butterfly hair bow from Beauxoxo

Prize Package #2: Choice of cardigan from Voodoo Vixen, Retroversible Crop Top from Julie Mollo, Super Floozy pink & black purse from Sourpuss Clothing, pink lucite Disneyland jewelry set from Match Accessories, vintage brooch + barrette set from Mane Message

Prize Package #3: $50 gift certificate to ModCloth, floral headphones + other goodies from Ankit, a Leslie Knope brooch from Kate Gabrielle and a unicorn brooch from I Love Crafty, disco travel mug and kissing booth + Sims hot date lapel pins from Hello Holiday, adorable cupcake novelty purse, copy of Style Me Vintage: Tea Parties, e.l.f. eyeshadow palette, 1/2 lb. bag of salt water taffy (my favorite treat!)

Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below. Three (3) different giveaway winners will be chosen at random through the widget; prize packages will be determined by the order in which the winners are chosen. You must be a follower of The Soubrette Brunette to enter (no unfollowing after the giveaway ends, please!). The giveaway is open internationally and will run until 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, November 4th. Winners will be contacted via e-mail (so be sure to provide a valid e-mail address!), and must respond within 48 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for entering + best of luck!

Pink princess

I don't think anyone can accuse me of not being a girly-girl. It's not that I feel like I have some obligation to be ultra-feminine or anything; I just happen to like it, and I feel like the most "me" when I'm wearing something pretty. I think it goes without saying that I feel like a total princess in this Unique Vintage dress – and I love it. It's the perfect birthday dress (pink AND polka dots!), which is very convenient, since my birthday is in just a few days!

The one drawback of this dress is that when I first received it, it was a little too revealing on me. I had initially asked for the next size up, but it proved to be much too big on me. The strapless top portion in this size isn't quite accommodating enough for my body, but this was an easy fix with a trip to Jo-Ann Fabrics for some ribbon. I have a really good color memory, and I happened to find some beautiful ribbon (in the clearance section!) that matches this dress perfectly. My mom sewed the ribbon onto the bodice to make halter straps (thanks, Mom!), and it instantly transformed the dress! I love it even more now, and it looks even more birthday-like – I look like a literal present!

Outfit Details

Dandrige Dress: c/o Unique Vintage
DIY halter straps: Jo-Ann's (similar)
Cake ring: Le Petite Bonbon

Bettie Page shoes: Amazon

Necklace: gift from Mom

Petticoat: similar

Have a great weekend – and don't forget to check back on Monday for something really exciting! :)

Friday Favorites #109: Birthday Wish List

My birthday is fast-approaching (it's only 5 days away!), so this week's Friday Favorites is doubling as my birthday wish list. I'd be lucky to get just a few of these items (and I've essentially resigned myself to the fact that I may never own a Kate Spade bag), so here are some of my ultimate birthday dream presents:

a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d   ||   e   ||   f   ||   g   ||   h

i   ||   j   ||   k   ||   l   ||   m   ||   n   ||   o

   p   ||   q   ||   r   ||   s   ||   t

And speaking of presents... be sure to check back here on Monday. If I'm getting gifts, my readers will be too! If you've been following my blog for a while, you might know what's coming... and let's just say you don't want to miss it! ;)

Have a great start to your weekend!

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 absolutely love. Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

Happy Haunts

This post – or the idea of it, anyway – has been in the works for quite a while. My dear friends Rusty and Henry have appeared on my blog before (find other posts here and here), but we've wanted to do a post with all three of us for at least a year. Since Henry is moving to New York City in a couple of weeks, and Rusty is busy doing youth theatre tours out of Auburn, NY for the next 8+ months, I'm so glad the stars finally aligned in time for us to do this spooky Halloween post!

As a group, we tend to play a lot of quirky characters and villains, so a ghostly post seemed pretty perfect for us. We headed to Mount Hope Cemetery (where Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, among many others, are buried) to snap a few photos. In all honesty, I generally dislike when people pose on or near gravestones, but Mt. Hope has some really beautiful spots and I would like to think we were as respectful as possible (except when we accidentally stayed in an hour past closing time and actually got locked in... whoops!). 

Apparently, this has been unofficially proclaimed Skirt Week, since I'm totally embracing these new Pinup Girl Clothing skirts for fall. This spiderweb print Jenny is obviously longer than the Darling Dames fetish print skirt I wore in my last post, but I absolutely love it with the addition of a petticoat. I don't know why I waited so long to get this Tatyana coffin purse, either – I'm obsessed with it (and my parents brought me back the pink version from their recent trip to Vegas!). It may not be the most versatile of looks for year-round wear, but I love this as an alternative to dressing up in a specific costume for Halloween!

Outfit Details

Jenny Skirt in Spiderweb Print: Pinup Girl Clothing

Vintage fur bolero: hand-me-down (from Mom)

Jack Skellington brooch: Femme de Bloom

Coffin purse: Tatyana via eBay

Shoes: Chase & Chloe via Amazon

Seamed stockings: Urban Outfitters

Vintage hat: Etsy

What's your Halloween style? Spooky? Sweet? Funny? Let me know in the comments!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!