Sock hop

Outfit Details:

Classic car sweater: Forever 21 (similar here)

Black circle skirt: Hey Viv!

Black button down blouse: Target (similar here)

Outfit Enhancement Tights: ModCloth

Lady in Rad Boots in Ink: ModCloth

Black belt: from another dress

Watch ring: Mom's (similar here)

Petticoat: eBay

This is going to be another short(-ish) post.  I've been cooped up since Friday, recovering from my wisdom tooth surgery.  I've been in quite a bit of pain (one of the teeth was impacted, which apparently means it's more painful and a slower recovery process), and haven't been able to do much other than rest.  One half of my face looks very swollen, and the other is pretty normal, haha.  Luckily, I have today off, so I'm hoping the extra day of rest will help.  The hardest thing is having to be on this mostly-liquid/super-soft-foods diet!  I apparently can't really start incorporating any foods that require chewing until the end of this week.  Which of course means that I can't stop thinking about all the food I can't eat!  I just want all the pizza and Chinese and pasta and bread in the world.

Since I look like I'm part chipmunk, these photos were obviously taken before my surgery.  It's absolutely freezing outside these days.  I hope it's supposed to warm up a little soon, since the lighting in my room leaves a lot to be desired.  I sort of put this outfit together at the last minute; I wore the sweater to work with high-waisted skinny jeans, but I wanted to see what it would look like with this circle skirt.  It's hard to see, but this skirt is more of of a costume piece than something for everyday wear (plus, it's too big, so the belt is essential).  It was fairly inexpensive though, and it works in a pinch for a '50s look.  I wore this sweater back in March, and it was such a great find from Forever 21!  I wish they would carry more retro-inspired pieces again!

Some fun news: I was contacted by our local newspaper to be interviewed for a piece on the popularity of vintage clothing, which is pretty exciting!  I always worry that I'm not knowledgable enough for these kinds of things, but I think I have a pretty good grasp on the basics, and I know what kinds of silhouettes I'm drawn to.  I wish there were more brick and mortar vintage places here in Rochester; there are a couple, but there are far more thrift stores than true vintage ones.  I'll probably want to touch on vintage repro labels too.  I'm not really sure what she's going to ask, but I'm stoked that I would be contacted, and it was seemingly through my blog (since she e-mailed my "bloggier" e-mail address), rather than through other personal connections.  I've been doing my research insofar as possible talking points, but be sure to leave me a comment if there are specific points you think I should mention!  :)  I'd be very grateful for any advice.  I'd hate to leave out something important!  The phone interview is going to be early tomorrow morning, so let me know before then (or shoot me an e-mail)!

Have a wonderful Monday!!

xox Sammi

Lilacs and daisies

Outfit Details:

Lilac dress (worn as a skirt): Bernie Dexter

Purple sweater: Bettie Page Clothing

White belt & petticoat: eBay

White heels: jcpenney

Daisy brooch & ring: Mom's

Today's post is going to be a little quick.  Not only has it snowed like crazy over the past few days (which explains these indoor photos -- normally, I'd brave the snow, but it is simply far too cold and too windy to venture outdoors), but I'm also still recovering from having my wisdom teeth taken out yesterday.  I'm guessing I won't feel like editing this post before it goes live, so I'll have to give an update on Monday or something.  Here's hoping everything went well!  :)

This Bernie Dexter dress is probably one of my top five most-prized dresses I own.  Lilacs are my absolute favorite flower in the world (my new bedding even has lilacs on it!); not only are they beautiful flowers, but they have the most wonderful scent.  I wore this dress back in May, when we went to the Lilac Festival (the lilac is actually Rochester's official flower, and there's a festival here every year that's centered around it).  I love the top of this dress, which you can't see here, but I wanted to figure out a way to get more use out of it.  It's such a springy print, but I think layering a sweater over it makes it work for almost any season.  I'd normally wear lilac-themed accessories with it (since, let's face it, I tend to dress like I'm wearing a costume), but I opted for daisies instead.  Both the brooch and ring are my mom's, and my mom very nearly named me Daisy.  She still regrets not naming me that to this day!  I don't think I'm a Daisy though, as adorable as the name is.

I'll be resting up for the remainder of the day, but I hope to be feeling better by tomorrow.  Thanks so much to everyone who gave me wisdom-teeth related advice!  I stocked up on soups and other soft foods, and hopefully my mom is making mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes (yum!) at some point.  Between that and the ice cream I bought, maybe this won't be so bad... :)

Hope your weekend is wonderful!

xox Sammi

Violet mints

Outfit Details:

Jenny Dress in Lavender Sateen: Pinup Girl Clothing

Dream of the Crop Cardigan in Mint: ModCloth (similar here)

Dainty Dramatist Heel in Mint: ModCloth

White floral tights: Forever 21 

Heart ring: Forever 21 (similar)

Necklace: Forever 21 (old)

Petticoat: eBay

Before anyone asks: no, it is definitely not still warm enough for me to not be wearing a coat (sadly).  I took these photos a couple weeks back, on a much warmer afternoon, but I kept forgetting to post them.  This outfit is much springier than I meant for it to be, but I really do love this color combination!  It makes me think of these violet mints (I tried them when I went to Paris, when I was younger), hence the title of this post.  In looking them up, I learned that they've been referenced in episodes of Mad Men, which sort of works with my aesthetic.  I have a gray coat with mint and periwinkle buttons (which you'll see on my blog quite soon), which I planned on wearing with this outfit, but petticoats make outerwear quite difficult.  They do, however, make my waist look smaller, so I am okay with the trade off.  I think petticoats have become my answer to making more summery dresses transition into cooler weather.  I'm not sure why this is, but maybe it makes them somehow look better with tights?

These shoes are truly gorgeous, but they are also truly uncomfortable.  The name alone was enough to make me want them (I'm a sucker for ModCloth products that have anything theatre-related in the name, for obvious reasons), but they are mint with celery velvet ribbons, and they are so beautiful.  I'm not the best with really high heels, and these definitely fall into that category.  They're totally impractical for me; I could only wear them to something where I'd be sitting down 95% of the time.  I also don't EVER spend that much on shoes, and 9 times out of 10, unless the shoe is *incredibly* special, I won't buy shoes over $40.  But these are definitely special.  Sorrynotsorry.

I had a nice girls' night in with my mom last night (after sleeping for almost the entire day - I had a horrible headache that I just couldn't get rid of).  We caught up on Project Runway All Stars and then watched The Artist and Populaire.  I'd seen The Artist before, but I desperately wanted to watch Populaire after reading this post from Solanah over at Vixen Vintage.  It's set in the late '50s, and it's about a French girl who sets out to be the fastest typist in the world.  The film was every bit as gorgeous and charming as I had hoped, and oh dear god, the costumes!!!  I wanted them all!  Gorgeous vintage frocks in every shot!  I was sold by the very first frame.  It's streaming on Netflix Instant, so you should go watch it immediately.  You won't regret it.

The plan for today is that I'll be working 'til the early afternoon, and then I'm supposed to grab dinner with my friend/former director, Sean, and then I'm hoping to catch the performance of Exit, Pursued By a Bear that two of my dear friends are in.  Here's hoping it all pans out!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

xox Sammi

She's a full-on Monet

Outfit Details:

Best of My Love Dress: ModCloth (no longer available, similar here)

Clueless sweatshirt: Forever 21 (old, similar here)

White heels: jcpenney (similar here)

Heart ring: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

White belt: eBay

Petticoat: eBay

Ever since I was asked to be a part of Flock Together, I've been challenging myself to wear my existing pieces in new ways.  I bought this Bernie Dexter dress during one of ModCloth's big 70% off sales, after eyeing it for a long time, and I'm glad I did.  I've become enchanted with the color pink lately, and I love the collar and matching belt it came with (not pictured).  However, it's a really light, summery dress, and I wanted to figure out a way to transition it into cooler weather.  I'd seen some other bloggers layer sweaters over dresses (and thus turn the dresses into skirts), which I think is a fantastic idea -- especially since I actually don't have that many skirts in my wardrobe.  

I decided to try out the idea with this fantastic Clueless sweatshirt I snagged from Forever 21 a couple of summers ago; it's a size small, which I NEVER wear at F21, but it was the only size they had left... and it was $10(!!)... and it's one of my favorite movies... so I'd ordered it and prayed that it would miraculously fit me... and it did!  And I love this sweatshirt even better with a skirt/dress than with jeans.  This outfit is one of the few times that I've conceptualized an outfit in my head and it works just as well in real life.  With the addition of a petticoat, I felt like a 1950s version of Carrie Bradshaw!  :)

This definitely makes me want to do more of the turning-dresses-into-skirts layering trend.  I have a bunch of sweaters that are a little too short to wear with pants, so this might just be the perfect way to make use of them.  Would you try out this idea for yourself?

Have a lovely Saturday!

xox Sammi