Friday Favorites #51

Happy Friday, everyone!  I hope you all had a nice week!  Here are some of the lovely little finds that recently caught my eye.  Lots of novelty purses, pretty dresses and kitsch ahead!

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You can always depend on Nasty Gal and Aldo to provide some kooky novelty bags!  Aldo actually has a pastel rotary telephone clutch(!!!!) carried only at their accessories stores... the closest one to me is in Albany (though there's one on Staten Island - my old stomping grounds!).  I'm determined to make it mine, somehow.  I wonder if a regular store can order it from an accessories one?  I must find out.  The bags below are from Aldo, too -- they sometimes do knock-offs of other brands, I think (the license plate one reminds me of Kate Spade, and the telephone one I mentioned must be a Betsey influence), and these particular ones remind me a bit of Lulu Guinness, but they're too cute to not mention!

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Aren't these fruity sunnies the best??  I love Nasty Gal's collection of crazy shades.

This little apple ring is darling!  It's a perfect combination of delicate and silly.

I suppose these shoes are both delicate and silly, too... and they're so pretty!

These tops from Trollied Dolly are ideal for summer!  They have a sprinkle print (which is perfect for days that require ice cream), and I love the shape of them.  They come in great colors, too!

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I love how this dress has a high collar and frog closures but a sunny, stripy summertime look.  It's such an interesting combination.  It seems like it'd be a good hat-wearing dress, too.

And that's not the only yellow dress that tickled my fancy this week!  I have this dress in coral, but I think it might be even lovelier in this happy shade of yellow:

These scalloped heels are so cute!  (And they come in other colors, too!)

I'm glad this shape seems to be coming back in again.  It's much less severe than the peplum, and it's usually way more flattering across the board.  Plus, it doesn't scream "80s" like the peplum!  I love the particular color combination on this top.  I think I need more red in my life.

Chelsea Crew makes some of the most drool-worthy shoes I've ever seen.  They always have such a pleasing look to them.  I'm especially smitten with the red and white ones!

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This I Love Lucy brooch would be a great addition to any retro-loving gal's collection!

Lady V London makes such sweet retro dresses, and I'm especially enchanted with this floral one:

Speaking of sweet, this iPhone case from Mallory is simply scrumptious!

This welcome mat has me all starry-eyed!

And if you think that's out of this world, check out this solar system swimsuit:

(top // bottoms)

Fairies have always been my favorite mythological creatures (mermaids and unicorns are obviously my other favorites), and goodness, do I want this fairy book!  I love this dainty fairy necklace, too.

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Whether you're a Disney princess or one from Beverly Hills... you have to admit that these crop tops are kind of great.  I can't pull them off, but I know some of you can!

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How amazing are these dress sketches that incorporate flower petals?

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Isn't it funny how you can never find the kind of thing you're looking for when you need it, but when you've stopped looking -- there it is?  I looked everywhere for green heels like these last year!  They're not really a priority anymore, but I love the silhouette of them!  And the cut-out flats are really fun, too.

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This might be sort of sexist (on my part and the meme creator's part)... but this is very true for me:

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For those who might not know, This Is Spinal Tap is my favorite movie of all time.  I gasped out loud when I saw this Spinal Tap tank for sale... and then gasped again at the price.  It's cool and everything, but there's no way I'd shell out that much unless it was signed by Christopher Guest himself!

And then I realized that you can get this Spinal Tap necklace for way less -- and support a small business in the process!  (The I Love Lucy brooch is from this same shop.)

Finally, I leave you with this video of the brilliant Uzo Aduba, auditioning for every role on OITNB.  Speaking of which, who's watching?  I'm five episodes in.  I planned on binging, but I realized I want to savor it!  I've managed to avoid social media spoilers so far!  I'm dumb and can't figure out how to imbed it (it's not up on YouTube yet), so click here!

Have a fantastic Friday!

xox Sammi

Mint chocolate chip

Outfit Details:

Vintage dress and petticoat: Cricket Capers

Mint ice cream brooch: sweet and lovely

Mary Janes: estate sale store

This is, I'm sad to say, not one of my favorite outfit posts.  Today's post is quite short -- an unfortunate result of not getting many good shots in this outfit.  I really love the color of this dress, but it's pretty clear that it's a "1980's does '50s" reproduction (as evidenced by the shoulder pads I had to remove and the synthetic material), and it's a little too big on me.  Although I love any dress that comes with a matching belt, I can't say that this dress is going to become a wardrobe staple for me.  I ordered it with this dress from the same shop, and I actually anticipated liking this mint one more, but that wasn't the case.  I can't decide whether I want to sell it, have it altered, or keep it as is and see if I change my mind.  I did want to post it though, because I loved pairing it with my ice cream brooch, and maybe because I'm not quite ready to give up on this dress yet.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Sideshow

Outfit Details:

Circus print dress: ModCloth (available here)

Pretzel necklace: ModCloth (similar here)

Black bolero: Forever 21

Black flats: jcpenney

I'd been watching a lot of this series called Freakshow on Netflix.  It originally premiered on AMC, but I'd never heard of it 'til recently.  It's pretty fascinating.  There's obviously some scripted material involved, but it centers around the performers involved in a freak show on the Venice Beach boardwalk.  The performers are pretty extraordinary, both in terms of what they can do and the kind of people they are.  There are some people who are hesitant to use the term "freak" because of its negative connotation, but I think it's sort of great that these people are taking back the term and making it into something positive.  They even decided to ban the word "normal," since they felt that was actually a negative term.  I'm sort of inclined to agree.  Kind of makes you wonder what "normal" actually is.  Boring, maybe.  I don't ever want to be boring.  What I've chosen for my career isn't "normal."  How I dress isn't "normal."  I don't want to fade into the background and settle for "normal" in most aspects of my life.  It's definitely not the easier route to go, but it's way more interesting.

I love the print on this dress!  ModCloth carried it only in this color (it also comes in a really pretty shade of blue), and actually carried a pair of high-waisted shorts in the same print.  I'd initially ordered the shorts (the back pockets were heart-shaped!), but the stretchy fabric was really unforgiving, and I loved them way more in theory than on me.  I'm so glad I ended up getting the dress version though, because even though it's tight-fitting (I'd recommend sizing up, even though it has stretch), it's really flattering.  I ended up wearing this to a little adventure to a casino (with my high school boyfriend, of all people), which was fun and interesting.  Next time I wear this dress, I definitely want to add a petticoat and some kind of retro up-do.  I seriously need to figure out how to do victory rolls.

Have a great Monday!

xox Sammi

Cherry picked

Outfit Details:

Best Birthday Ever Dress: ModCloth (on sale!)

Mel by Melissa wedges: Urban Outfitters (available here)

Cherry fascinator hat: c/o Paulie Antiques

Cherry pie ring: gift from Kate

Frilly socks: similar here

Oh Nishe, how I love thee!  It seems like each Nishe dress I acquire is better than the last!  This one definitely takes the cake, and I can see why ModCloth decided to name it the "Best Birthday Ever" dress; I'm pretty sure I'll be wearing it on my birthday next year.  It's just that sort of dress.  It's so gorgeous and has so many details I love: scallops, polka dots, a peter pan collar.  It somehow manages to encompass both a retro and a twee aesthetic, which sort of perfectly describes my style.  It also reminded me of Mary Poppins!  It'd be perfect for a Disney trip.  This dress has quickly earned a spot amongst my all-time favorite frocks.  Oh, and it's on sale at ModCloth now, too!

These accessories were patiently waiting for the perfect outfit to come along.  I scored these Mel by Melissa wedges from Urban Outfitters on sale (they're sold out there now, but are still available on Amazon!), though I will say that the sizing was a little different than I'd expected.  I'm usually a pretty solid size 9 US (sometimes an 8.5 in flats), and since Mel shoes don't come in half sizes, I thought I'd be safe with the 9.  They were huge on me, and even though they have ankle straps, I didn't trust that they'd stay on.  I ended up exchanging for a size 8, which fits much better but is actually a tiny bit too tight in the toes.  If they made half sizes, it would have been a perfect fit!  All in all though, they're such darling shoes (and they remind me of Minnie Mouse!) and they're really comfy, despite the toe issue, so I can't complain too much.

I feel very lucky to have such kind, creative friends in the blogging world.  This fascinator was a gift to me from my friend Polly, who blogs over at Paulie Antiques and runs a fabulous vintage shop of the same name.  I was actually planning on buying this fascinator myself, but she wouldn't hear of it, and ended up sending it to me for a Christmas gift.  I was so incredibly touched by her sweetness, and I am so thankful to have her as a friend.  This cherry pie ring was a surprise gift from Kate, who sent it to me along with a couple of pieces I purchased from her "shop my closet" section of her shop.  I'd mentioned wanting a pie ring a while back (to go with my pie dress), and I was so shocked that she even remembered, much less made one to send to me!  I really believe that one of the best parts of blogging has been getting to know wonderful bloggers -- they've truly touched my heart.

Have a super Saturday!

xox Sammi

French Lavender (Flock Together)

 Hi, everyone!  First of all... HAPPY ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK DAY!!!  I will be busy binging my brains out over the next few days, I'm sure.  Secondly, I'm posting on Flock Together this morning, remixing this beautiful lilac dress from Hannah!  I really ended up loving this outfit (and it finally gave me a chance to wear my lady tie!).  Check out the rest of my photos and see how the other FT girls styled this dress here!  Thanks so much again to Hannah for letting me borrow this!

 

 

Have a fantastic Friday!

xox Sammi