Jingle Bells

Well, I went from Chanukah straight into glorious Christmas! I'm absolutely obsessed with this Retrolicious ornament print skirt (the best gift ever from Ashley!) and couldn't wait to put it on. I'm so happy that they started making longer length pieces and this skirt fits perfectly. I have so many tops I could pair it with, but I decided to go with a classic red and gold accents for a classic holiday look.

This weekend marks the closing of the show I'm in, which means I'll be delving into all things holiday very soon. I am a little sad to see the show end, actually. As difficult as it was to juggle everything, it was a great experience and it feels really good to sing and perform again after taking a year off. That said, I am glad to have some much-needed downtime back for blogging and decompressing. 

Outfit Details

Skirt: Retrolicious (gift from Ashley)

Red Boatneck Top: Target

Hair Flower: NicCoCoCreations

Shoes: B.A.I.T. Footwear (similar)

Have a great rest of your week!

Label Love: Retrolicious by Folter Clothing

I'm sure most of you know by now that I can never say no to a novelty print.  Luckily (or unluckily, for my bank account), the Folter Clothing brand always has me covered when I'm jonesing for a fun or funky printed dress.  Because I've been a longtime fan, I'm highlighting some of my favorite prints from Folter's sub-label, Retrolicious, in today's installment of Label Love.

Original posts: 1  //  2  //  3 (borrowed from Marisa)

Founded in 2005, Folter Clothing is an L.A.-based brand that likes to juxtapose tough + creepy with pretty & delicate.  Skulls, zombies and spiders often adorn their dresses, but in a way that manages to be much more charming than off-putting.  Retrolicious is Folter's other line, which focuses more on vintage-inspired prints that are often colorful or kooky.  As I am more inclined to be drawn to dresses that are more silly than scary, I tend to prefer this line to Folter's main label.

Original posts: 1  //  2

Folter sells their clothing on their own site, and is also carried by ModCloth, Unique Vintage, Sourpuss Clothing and Amazon.  From personal experience, I've found that their dresses tend to run a little small (especially since their fabrics typically don't provide stretch), so I've learned to size up if I'm between sizes.  Their dresses are usually unlined (which makes them good for summer ensembles and as layering staples), and their dresses usually range from $60-$115 in price.  If you're on the hunt for a unique yet wearable print, this brand is a great place to start.

Original posts: 1  //  2

I have a pretty sizable collection of Retrolicious dresses, but here are a few I'm still coveting:

a   //   b   //   c   //   d

On a separate note, it's strange to look back at some of my old posts!  I haven't worn some of these dresses in quite some time, and although I'm never fully satisfied with the quality of my photos, peeking back at some of these photos from early on make me realize how far I've come with that (though I still have a lot to learn, since most of what I pick up is through trial and error).  One thing that has stayed the same, however, is my love of whimsy when it comes to fashion, and Folter has no shortage of that in their pieces!

Original posts: 1  //  2  //  3

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What about you?  Are you a fan of the Folter label?

If you own any of their pieces, let me know which ones you have in the comments!

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Do fries go with that shake?

Happy Wednesday! Between planning out my meals with Weight Watchers and celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I have food on the brain as of late... so I thought it'd be a good time to wear this dress! This print is really fun, but to be honest, this dress wasn't even on my wish list. I love a good novelty print, but this one always seemed a little too loud and busy for me. It's cute in person, and it's a great layering piece, but I'm definitely not as attached to it as some of my other kookier dresses. It's definitely grown on me, though. Plus, I felt like I had to get it after I got this purse! Out of my entire collection of novelty purses (which is ever-expanding), this one is probably the least practical. Although my other novelty purses are a little too silly for certain occasions, they are at least large enough to hold the necessities. My iPhone won't even fit in this bag! But it's a really cool piece to have, and it's by Kling (a brand I really like), so it'll stay in my collection for now.

The big news from last week is that I finally got my driver's license! I was incredibly nervous for this road test, and frankly, I thought I did worse on this test than the first one... but I passed, thank goodness! I haven't been driving myself a ton (I have to coordinate car usage with my mom for now, and because I've been working a lot of half-days and we have to pay for our own parking, it's been a hassle), but I drove by myself for the first time on Sunday -- and for the first time at night! I know it seems silly to be excited over something like this (especially when people 10 years younger than I am manage to do the same thing), but I feel a huge sense of accomplishment in conquering my anxieties about driving. I'm really happy about it, and feel very confident in my abilities -- not just with driving, but also with the idea of taking on other things that seem scary. I think doing something that scares us is the best way to grow as people, and I feel really good about about what I'm capable of doing.  :)

Outfit Details

Good Enough to Eat Dress: ModCloth

Eyes on the Fries pouch: ModCloth

Boots: ModCloth (similar)

Brooch: sweet and lovely

Ring: Claytime Designs

Blouse: old (similar)

iPhone case: eBay

Tights: similar

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

You're the cat's meow

Outfit Details

Hooked on a Feline Dress: ModCloth

Black flats: jc penney (old)

Belt: from another dress

Wicker purse: yard sale

Kudos to June for the title of this post!  This dress doesn't get enough love from me.  I recently lent this dress to sweet Lauren, who styled it in a few different ways on her blog (here, here and here), and it definitely renewed my love for it and inspired me to wear it more often.  It's sort of a loud print, and the dresses I own by Folter Clothing tend to fit me a little snugly in the arm region, so that might be why I don't wear it a ton.  But it's a really cool dress, and I really do love this length.  I'm becoming increasingly more uncomfortable with shorter dresses these days, and I love that this can work with or without a crinoline.  Plus, when it's windy, I don't have to worry so much about flashing anyone!  

I don't really wear my hair up very much on the blog (or all that much in general, really).  My hair absolutely provides a sense of both security and femininity for me.  I always end up feeling sort of masculine/unattractive when I wear my hair up.  This hair style was sort of an accident, but I ended up liking it a lot.  I was wearing it half up, half down with a lot of extra volume to create a more 1960's look, and then it got too hot, so I ended up pulling up the rest of it.  I think the extra height does wonders on me, so I'll have to remember this for the future.

Have a great Sunday!

xox Sammi

Cat and mouse

Outfit Details:

Hooked on a Feline Dress: ModCloth

Lady in Rad Boots in Ink: ModCloth

Mouse ring: gift (get it here)

Black belt: from another dress

Cropped cardigan: Target

Tights: similar here

I would like to go on record saying that Retrolicious (by Folter Clothing) is a terrific brand.  ModCloth carries a lot of their pieces, and they always have the most fantastic prints -- and this cat dress is no exception!  This dress is actually the exact same style as this dress that I wore for Thanksgiving, and I really love the shape.  I've also worn their other designs here, here and here.  Their dresses have a little bit of wiggle room too, which I like (for vanity's sake, I enjoy when I can wear a medium in a dress that doesn't necessarily have a ton of stretch), and even though they're bold prints, they can be casual.

This ring was a gift from my ex.  It feels really weird to be wearing it, but I also refuse to not wear something I love just because the person who gave it to me no longer wants to be in my life.  Yes, it's sort of painful to wear a reminder of my heartbreak, but I think it actually helps me accept things, rather than avoid any kind of reminder of what's happened.  I'm doing much better than I was even a few weeks ago though, so I have to feel proud of myself for that.  I still get sad and I still get angry and I still mourn -- because it's a great loss, and I have to deal with that -- but when I have little victories, they should still be celebrated.

loling @ that scaredy cat's face

Have a great Monday!

xox Sammi