Merry Christmas, Darling

I tend to use upcoming holidays as excuses to buy new dresses – i.e., "this would be perfect for my birthday/Christmas/New Year's Eve/some other day we only celebrate once a year!" I feel weird wearing this Bernie Dexter dress at a time other than Christmas, but since I first bought it a couple of years ago, I've gotten a fair amount of use out of it. I wore it for a Christmastime post two years ago (you can read it here), but it seems like such a long time ago and I wanted to style it a different way. My style has evolved in a lot of ways, but even more importantly, I've changed a lot as a person since then, both emotionally and physically. Maybe I'm still sans boyfriend on Christmas, but I'm definitely not in the same place I was two years ago (thank goodness!). I sometimes beat myself up for not achieving the goals I set for myself, but when I look back on old posts, I realize how far I've really come. Who knew that one dress could act as such a pivotal reminder?

My first weekend of shows went well, and we have off until the day after Christmas, which is going to be a little strange. I do, however, need the time off because I still need to wrap all of my gifts, do lots of baking and (most vital of all) watch a few Christmas movies. I'm a little disappointed that it looks like we're going to have a green Christmas this year (a very rare event for Rochester), but I guess I can't really complain too much. I'm just glad the holidays are almost here – I think most of us are in dire need of a little break. We're doing our usual Christmas Eve festivities (aka opening all of our presents and eating a lot) and then seeing a movie (maybe Star Wars?) and going out for Chinese on Christmas Day. What are your plans for the holiday?

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter dress: ModCloth (old)

Name necklace: c/o Onecklace

Faux fur stole: Target (similar)

Shoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear

Petticoat: Pinup Girl Clothing

Have a great start to your week!

Merlot + Gold

I can't believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow! I've always found that having pretty dresses for the holidays makes me even more excited for festivities, and this oxblood colored dress from Unique Vintage is no exception. I love the scalloped neckline and rich color, and the addition of the sleeves to this style comes in very handy for the cooler weather here. I found this particular style to run smaller than some other house brand vintage dresses, so I'd recommend sizing up – especially if you're like me and would prefer to have a bit of wiggle room in the waist to make it through Thanksgiving dinner!

I don't wear a ton of jewelry, but I do love delicate necklaces (especially in gold for the holidays!). I've featured my custom name necklace from Onecklace before on my blog, which I wear often, but when they reached out to me again to review another item, I wanted to try something different. It's weird: music is such a huge part of my life, but I don't actually own that many music-themed pieces! As a singer (and as the child of two musicians), I had to go for this beautiful treble clef necklace. It's the perfect length (which you can choose yourself, along with your choice of chain and finish), and it's of excellent quality. Although I opted to review a necklace, Onecklace also makes earrings, bracelets and rings, and they have a huge selection filled with awesome gift ideas! If you're looking for something special for the holidays (for yourself or someone else!), you can use the code Sammi10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase!

I'm also totally thrilled that I finally have some Loly in the Sky flats to call my own! I love these dressy gold flats (aren't the squared-off toes such a cute feature?), and they're going to become a staple for many of my holiday outfits. Pretty much all of their shoes are so charming and sweet – I have about five pairs on my wish list right now, like these sprinkle flats(!) and these quotation mark flats. Although I normally wear a size 9 in heels, I sometimes wear an 8.5 in flats, and I was advised to size down to the 8.5 on these; the fit is absolutely perfect, and they're super comfortable and padded on the inside. Even the packaging the shoes came in was adorable!

Outfit Details

Roman Holiday Dress in Merlot: c/o Unique Vintage

Treble Clef necklace: c/o Onecklace

Eliana flats: c/o Loly in the Sky
Hair flower: ASOS (similar)

I'm feeling very thankful for all of the new and exciting things that have come my way this year: lots of new creative opportunities, achieving personal goals, new beginnings. I still have lots of work to do on myself, but that's always going to be the case. Right now, I'm glad to be where I am, and I feel very lucky to be surrounded by lots of love and constant support. I'm also thankful for pumpkin pie and my mom's mashed potatoes. :) What are you most thankful for this year?

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Blogger Interview: Shermy from Shermette (+ Onecklace giveaway winner!)

Hi, everyone!  Happy June!  Since it's the first of the month, that means it's time for my monthly blogger interview.  I love highlighting and getting to know new bloggers, and this month, I'm featuring the gorgeous Shermy from the blog Shermette!  Shermy's blog focuses on all things vintage, and I'm absolutely enamored with her style and stunning photos.  Here's your chance to learn all about this Canadian beauty!  Be sure to follow her over at Shermette.  (Oh, and the winner of the Onecklace giveaway is listed at the bottom of this post!)

Name: Shermy

Age: 25

Where you blog: I blog at www.shermette.com!  My blog is about vintage and vintage-inspired outfits, findings and travels.

How did you get into blogging?  I started blogging as sort of a creative outlet. There isn't a vintage scene at all where I live, so I just decided to share some of my endeavours online!

Where you work or what you studied in school:  Since I was a young teenager, I have worked for my family's school bus company.  Aside from that, I am an eyelash extension stylist!  My dad and I are also known to shoot a wedding here and there as well, as I'm also a photographer.

What's your dream job?  I have never really pondered this question much before, but I think my dream job would be a fashion stylist (preferably vintage).  I thought I'd like to run a vintage shop, but heck, I like buying and finding vintage, not selling it!  I'm also always trying to dress people, so maybe it's my calling!

Your favorite musical artist: I am very passionate about music and love so many genres and artists, but I really believe Perry Como is my all-time favourite, for many different reasons. Not only did that man have the voice of an Italian angel, but listening to his music as a kid just made me plain ol' happy. I feel so lucky to have had his music as a soundtrack for my life! Nowadays, older music is sometimes viewed as "silly" or "cheesy," but honestly, I think the general population would have happier lives if they listened to it!

Your favorite musical:  It was a toss-up, but South Pacific. I watched this so many times that when I was 11, I broke the VHS tapes.  Balllliiii Haiiii...

Drink of choice:  Not to be unhealthy, but Coke in the glass bottle. It tastes totally different than the can.

Favorite food in the world?  POTATO SALAD.  I'm pretty sure this song is about me.

Favorite book (from childhood or now):  No book has ever inspired me more than the first Harry Potter book.

What's your favorite season and why?  Fall has always been my favourite, as the climate where I live (Ontario, Canada) is the most ideal in the fall, and there's just something magical about the colourful leaves.

 Do you have a celebrity crush?  Clint Eastwood.  More specifically, "young" Clint Eastwood.

Which actress would play you in the movie version of your life?  So this ended up being a community question, as I had no idea! But my friend suggested Elizabeth Banks, and I really think that suggestion hit the nail square on the head!

 If you could live during any other time period, what would it be?  Clearly, I'm a huge fan of the 40s, 50s and 60s, but sometimes I really just wonder what a real home-cooked meal in the 1800s/early 1900s would have tasted like. I know that's random, but everything today is so genetically-altered, and our generation may never know how food was intended to taste. Mind you, I am accustomed to some modern conveniences, so I guess I would like to be my age now, maybe living on a farm in the late 1940s.

How would you describe your personal style?  Vintage with a side of kitsch.  As much as I love vintage, it can look dowdy if you're not careful, so I always try to spice it up with a little kitschiness!

Your favorite place to shop or favorite clothing brand:  Hmm, I really enjoy any flea market, vintage clothing store, or antique mall. The thrill of the hunt gets me every time! As brands go, my favorites are likely Pinup Girl Clothing and Trashy Diva. 

What's the most beloved article of clothing you own?  I searched through my things trying to decide, but I think my favourite piece is a little boys' 50s rayon Hawaiian shirt I found at an antique mall. It works perfectly for me as a crop tie top, and the colours are so vibrant! I'm crazy about anything tropical!

Shermy's favorite Hawaiian shirt

Do you have a style icon?  If so, who?  I find myself drawing inspiration from so many sources, but if I need to choose one, I do really love Betty Grable.

Go-to accessory:  I've been a purse girl for a long time.  (Yes, Sammi, I've been eyeing all of yours!)

If you could only wear one outfit every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?  Well, let's pretend the weather is nice all the time here, and I'll say probably just one of my vintage cotton day dresses. One with pockets. I'm trying to approach this question with some logic, as I'd normally want to say my puffy pink 50s prom dress!

What's been your favorite post from your blog so far?  Reading back through my posts, I have decided my favourite post is Washington Bound! I really liked my outfit (maybe not my favourite), but my husband and I really had a great time that day. Washington was really something to see, and the weather was so beautiful. Back home, we were still in snow drifts!

from Shermy's favorite post, "Washington Bound!"

Anything else you'd like to talk about?  I want to mention the Toronto Vintage Society, and suggest that anyone in and around Toronto check it out! There's plenty of "old time fun" events to attend, and plenty of opportunities to wear your favourite vintage outfits. Also, stay tuned, as in the near future, I'm launching a line of tropical hair flowers! More info will be up on my blog soon!

Thanks so much to Shermy for agreeing to do this Q&A on such late notice!  Be sure to follow her vintage adventures over at Shermette to see get all the latest!  And without further ado, the winner of the Onecklace customized name necklace giveaway is....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations, Carla!  Onecklace will be in touch with you about claiming your prize.  Thank you so much to those of you who entered! :)

Have a great Sunday!

xox Sammi

GIVEAWAY: a personalized necklace from Onecklace! [CLOSED]

Hi, everyone!  Some of you may remember this post, in which I gave a glowing review of my personalized name necklace, courtesy of Onecklace.  I wear my "Sammi" necklace all the time; the quality is top-notch, and the style is perfect for my retro-inspired ensembles.  Plus, I can never find my name on pre-made name necklaces, which makes me love my customized piece even more!  Onecklace has a great website of their own, but they've also just opened up their own Etsy store!  I'm obviously a huge fan of Etsy, and I think it's a great platform to promote their high-quality jewelry.  The kind people at Onecklace actually contacted me about picking another item for review, but I opted instead to work with them in another way: a giveaway for my lovely readers!  Hooray!

One lucky follower will receive a customized necklace in the same style I have, which is the 24k gold-plated name necklace in their "Italic" style (seen here).  It's truly the perfect typeface for any vintage-loving gal.  You can customize your chain length, too (I chose the 18" one, myself), and obviously, you can have it say whatever you'd like!  Just enter the Rafflecopter below to be entered to win!

The details: Giveaway starts at 12:00 AM (EST) on Monday, May 26th and will end at 12:01 AM EST on Saturday, May 31st.  You must be a follower of The Soubrette Brunette (no immediate unfollowing after the giveaway ends, please!), and you must leave a blog post comment with your favorite item from the Onecklace Etsy shop.  The winner will be announced no later than Monday, June 2nd.  Please remember to leave an e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you if you win!!  Best of luck! :) 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Name game

Outfit Details:

Customized name necklace: c/o oNecklace

Top: ModCloth (similar here)

Pants: ModCloth (similar here)

Cardigan: Forever 21 (similar here)

Character shoes: old

As a blogger, one receives an influx of e-mails from companies looking for exposure for their products or services.  Many times, the company's offerings will not be in-keeping with my personal aesthetic (or "brand") -- or sometimes will be totally impersonal or just plain bizarre -- and I will have to decline.  But sometimes, a new company will reach out to me, and I'll find that their products are a great match to my own point of view.  I always want to stay true to who I am, and I would never accept any item or service for free if I would not fully endorse or purchase it on my own.  Luckily, when oNecklace contacted me, I found that their jewelry was perfectly suited for my taste, and I'm ecstatic to have a necklace that bears my name!

I was tempted to give in to my desires to emulate Carrie Bradshaw with this necklace, but then I saw the retro-inspired script of this necklace, and I knew it would be a perfect fit for my many rockabilly dresses (though I am wearing pants in this post -- so rare!).  The chain is actually a bit longer than what's shown here, and the quality is fantastic.  Most of my jewelry is definitively on the cheap side (I don't often spend more than $15 on any one piece), but this necklace is 24 karat gold plated, and the difference between this and my inexpensive, now-tarnished necklaces is pretty obvious.  I'm also a sucker for customization, and not only can you customize exactly what you want on the necklace (you can get initials and monograms, too!), but you can also customize the type of chain and its length!  You can even preview how your name would look in different fonts before you order.

I've turned down jewelry sponsorships before, but I'm really glad that I decided to partner up with oNecklace.  I can be really picky about the kind of jewelry I wear (I dislike flashy things, and I'm drawn to either kitschy, unique pieces or very simple, delicate ones), and I can say nothing but positive feedback about my communication with the company representatives, their prompt shipping, and quality of the necklace itself.  If you'd like to snag your own customized piece, the kind folks over at oNecklace have offered a 10% discount when you use the code soubrettebrunette at check-out!  :)

Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post, but did receive a product for review purposes.  All opinions are completely my own, based on my experience.  Any company or product endorsed on this blog is one I fully believe in and support, and would continue to do so, regardless of whether items are gifted or are paid for by me.

Have a great Thursday!

xox Sammi