Gingham girl

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend. Mine was filled with performances, all of which went really well. People seem to be really liking the show (we've been fortunate to have awesome audiences thus far), which is always a nice feeling. I'm exhausted and very grateful I have the night off tonight, and then we gear up for 6 shows straight – which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but this is such a high-energy, jam-packed show that it really takes a lot out of you. It's such a blast though, and I'm going to be sad for this one to end.

Now, about this lovely dress: like many retro-inclined girls, I love wearing gingham in the summertime! This Hell Bunny dress from Unique Vintage is a great piece because even though it's a lightweight piece, it could potentially be worn for a lot of different occasions. I'm really into off-the-shoulder necklines lately, and I think this dress has a great balance; because it shows a bit of skin on top, the hemline is a bit longer, so it's both sweet and a little sexy. I probably could've worn this dress with a fuller petticoat, but I wanted something a little breezier in this heat, so I added a boater, belt and ballet flats and called it a day. For more retro clothing, be sure to take a peek at Unique Vintage's fantastic selection!

Outfit Details

Hell Bunny dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Jessica Simpson flats: Amazon

Boater hat: similar

Pettislip: Amazon

Belt: similar

Have a great start to your week!

Retro Swim Picks || Unique Vintage Style Society

It's finally getting to be swimsuit weather around here, so I'm sharing my vintage-inspired swim picks (and talking about why I love this style of suit so much) over on the Unique Vintage blog today! Unique Vintage carries a huge selection of retro swimwear, and there are so many suits on my current radar! If you love these modest-yet-sexy suits as much as I do, follow me over to UV to read more! <3

Strawberry Patch || Unique Vintage Style Society

I hadn't been strawberry picking since I was a little girl (the farm we used to go to stopped offering pick-your-own strawberries years ago), but when I received this amazing strawberry print dress from Unique Vintage, I knew I'd have to find a new place to go picking! A lot of farms weren't offering picking this season – it's apparently been a particularly bad year for strawberries – but we decided to visit Gro-Moore Farms, which is about a half hour away, and we got a TON of beautiful berries... which we later enjoyed over frozen custard. ;)

I'd been wanting this delicious dress by UK brand Collectif ever since I saw it on their site, but because I've had bad sizing luck when ordering directly from them in the past, I was delighted when I saw it at Unique Vintage. One of the things I love about UV is that they have exact size charts for every garment they sell, which is incredibly helpful when certain brands don't run true to size. For instance, Collectif is a brand that tends to run very large (for reference, another dress I own of theirs is a size small  – with room to spare – and I'm never a size small!), so I was very grateful for the size chart Unique Vintage provided. I probably could've sized down to a small in this dress as well, given the fact that the elasticized back provides a lot of stretch, but the medium works just fine. The coolest thing about this dress is that it can also be worn multiple ways! You can wear the bust wings down like I did, or wear them up for a full print dress; the straps are convertible and can be worn halter style or in a criss-cross fashion, or you can remove them completely to make a strapless dress! I think this dress needs a fuller petticoat, but that wasn't exactly a practical option for traipsing through a field, so I'm going to wear it a completely different way next time. I love pieces with built-in versatility! For more vintage dresses, check out Unique Vintage's website!

Outfit Details

Strawberry dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Necklace: Sourpuss Clothing (available here)

Flats: Urban Outfitters (similar)

Pettiskirt: Amazon (similar)

Have a sweet start to your week!

Hydrangeas || Unique Vintage Style Society

Is this not one of the prettiest prints you've ever seen? As soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew I had to have it! Hydrangeas are some of my favorite flowers (third only to lilacs and peonies), and a hydrangea print is very rare indeed. I thought I had missed out on it when Heart of Haute ran out of these dresses on their site, so I was elated to find that Unique Vintage started carrying them! This dress is the same style as the cherry dress I posted last week, but it looks a lot different with a petticoat! I actually ended up wearing this dress for a callback I had last week (in the throes of a bad cold, no less!), and I think it brought me good luck! For more vintage dresses like this one, head on over to Unique Vintage to check out their fantastic selection!

This month has already been a whirlwind, and it's only the 13th! Auditions, callbacks, birthdays, Mother's Day, seeing family, seeing shows, performing and rehearsing. I'm exhausted, but in a good way. I've gotten used to having a lot of downtime, so I had forgotten what it was like to be in a constant busy state. I sort of feel like I'm trying to maintain a balance between two distinct parts of my personality – the dolled up girl in dresses vs. the grubby performer in sweats. These two halves are both authentically me, but they do sort of have to be mutually exclusive in some ways. I like having options, and I like not being completely defined by one or the other. And I love both of these parts equally, and I don't think I should have to pick just one. I think it's something that actually makes me a little more interesting and complex, and I guess I like to challenge expectations and impressions a little. It's yet another thing that makes me a little unique, I suppose!

Outfit Details

Hydrangea Dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Shoes: Amazon

Petticoat: similar

Ring: Etsy

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Dahlias + Leopard Spots || Unique Vintage Style Society

This is my second outfit post I've done as part of the Unique Vintage Style Society, and I'm a bit excited about it because this ensemble is a bit different from what I normally wear on my blog. I'd been looking for a versatile LBD that could be dressed up or down, and this black dress definitely fits the bill. I normally look for a longer hemline, but I like that this dress can transition through the seasons and isn't pigeonholed into one particular style. I opted to wear it with a new-to-me cardigan, dahlia hair flower and my Melissa jelly wedges, but I can already envision 20 other ways to remix this dress. I actually enjoyed the fact that this outfit is a bit more casual and practical than what I usually pick; it's refreshing to venture outside your comfort zone every now and then! From retro clothing to classic LBDs, Unique Vintage always has such great options.

I had the hardest time coming up with a title for this post. Normally, post titles come to me pretty quickly (sometimes I even think of them when I'm taking the photos), but this one had me stumped. Full credit goes to Amanda on this one. Aside from the #iamunique Style Society, I'm very lucky to have been a part of several little "societies" of bloggers I adore. It's been such fun to be a part of Flock Together (sadly, that blog will likely be shutting down in the near future), and I'm really grateful for my little girl gang of bloggers. We talk constantly, and it's kind of magical how deeply you can connect with people you've never meet in real life. As irritating as the internet can be at times, I'm still in awe of the sense of community and connection it can provide.

Outfit Details

Dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Hair flower: c/o Unique Vintage

Cardigan: Heart of Haute (similar)

Melissa wedges: Urban Outfitters

And speaking of community: thank you so much to everyone who entered my Hey Viv! giveaway. The winner has been announced on the widget below. And don't worry if you didn't win – I have another giveaway in the works for you all very soon!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a great Tuesday!

xox Sammi

Florals Galore || Unique Vintage Blog

Spring has finally sprung here in Rochester, so it's high time to break out my floral print dresses! Personally, I'm of the mind that floral prints can be worn at any time of year, but there is something that feels so much cheerier about wearing them when everything is starting to bloom. I'm sharing some of my favorite florals over on the Unique Vintage blog today, and sharing a few tips for making the most out of your floral frocks and pretty prints.  Follow me over to Unique Vintage, won't you?

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

PS: Don't forget to enter my giveaway with Hey Viv! The winner receives a peasant top of her choice, plus an awesome retro accessory prize package. Enter here!

Mint Julep || Unique Vintage Style Society

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my exciting news: I've been chosen to be part of the Unique Vintage Style Society!  The #iamunique Style Society is comprised of some truly awesome and stylish bloggers (all of whom I've admired for quite some time), and I feel very humbled to be in their company.  I'm so excited to be a part of this inclusive and supportive campaign that celebrates confident, passionate and extraordinary women who love to express their uniqueness through fashion.

Some of you might remember this post, wherein I talked about all of the reasons #iamunique.  I've always put a lot of emphasis on the importance of honesty and vulnerability, but nevertheless, it's still a little daunting to share your insecurities in such a public way.  All of the responses I received were incredibly supportive, and I was actually a bit surprised to learn that many of you could relate so closely to my experiences.  I'd venture a guess that the vast majority of us have, at one point or another, been made to feel like we aren't pretty enough, like we aren't thin enough, like we aren't smart enough, like we aren't feminine enough, like we aren't good enough.  Like we aren't enough.  Even if we rationally know that these things aren't true, we all need a little reminding from time to time.  This is one of the many reasons why I love the #iamunique campaign.  It may seem like a simple hashtag might not make a difference, but it has the power to remind us to celebrate ourselves.

I used to hate that I wasn't "conventionally beautiful."  But now I'm overjoyed that I'm anything but conventional.  My particular brand of beauty is entirely mine and it makes me special.  My supposed "imperfections" make me memorable.  I think self-acceptance is a lifelong journey, but I'm learning to love a lot of the things I used to think of as flaws.  I may not be 100% satisfied with myself all the time, and that's okay (because if I were, I'd never grow!).  Like many women, I still struggle with my body image and self-esteem; sadly, this is not one of the things that makes me unique, because it's such a common problem.  But I'm learning to love myself unconditionally -- regardless of the number on the scale, the number of blemishes on my face or the number of times I've heard the word "no."  I've spent too long letting those things keep me from loving the compassionate, imaginative and beautiful person I am.  #iamunique, and that's definitely worth celebrating.

One of my favorite ways to celebrate myself is through what I wear.  It may seem superficial to some, but I believe that personal style can be very powerful, and I certainly believe in having fun with fashion.  I dress the way I feel on the inside; what I wear is a direct reflection of my joie de vivre.  I think life is too short for boring clothes, and I have to wear what makes me happy!  Those are my only real "fashion rules," and this gorgeous Unique Vintage brand dress ticks all the boxes on my checklist.  I feel like a vintage mint princess in this dress, and what's not to love about that? For more beautiful vintage dresses like this one, be sure to check out Unique Vintage.

Outfit Details

Garden State Cocktail Dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Necklace: similar

Shoes: thrifted

Be sure to use #iamunique on social media to celebrate all of the things that make you so wonderfully you!

Have a great day!

xox Sammi