Friday Favorites #85

It's Friiiiiday, it's Friiiiiday!  These are a few of my favorite things from this past week...

These photographic print dresses from Yumi are giving me spring fever!

a   //   b   //   c

These book-shaped vases are so darling:

These printed dresses are awesome (the second one reminds me of Kaylah from The Dainty Squid!):

a   //   b

An apple juice purse!

I adore these pretty blue dresses:

a   //   b   //   c

I saw this dress at the Tatyana store when I was in New York last weekend, and it is so beautiful in person (the photo doesn't do it justice)!  I totally forgot to try it on, but I might have to order it at some point.

I'm SO over winter, but even I must admit that these coats are lovely:

a   //   b

This daisy flower crown is so sweet:

This scalloped cake stand is perfect.

I want these ice cream earbuds!

What could be more scrumptious than a candy print dress?

And these hand-painted lollipops from A Secret Forest Patisserie look amazing:

(via)

Sugar and Vice just launched their Afternoon Tea Collection, and their pieces are so cute!

a   //   b   //   c   //   d   //   e   //   f   //   g

This oven mitt pocket skirt from Book of Deer is so... well, dear!

Why have a boring bottle opener when you can have one of these parasol ones?

As a Friends fanatic... I think I need this t-shirt:

Is this not the cutest hand cream you've ever seen?!

OMG, panda shoes!

I've been thinking a lot about body image lately.  I've been struggling with my eating habits and self-confidence, and I'm determined to implement healthy eating and exercise back into my routine.  On the other hand, I also don't want to place my self-worth on how much I weigh.  So I think this book is a really nice idea, since it has lots of ideas on how to love and appreciate your body without focusing so much on appearance.

In the same vein, this article really resonated with me.  It's been pretty impossible for me to forget all of the mean comments people said about my appearance when I was younger, and it's certainly affected my self-esteem as an adult.  I admire the responses of these women!

Finally, I saw this commercial the other day, and though Dove has gotten a bit of flack in the past for their ads, I thought this one was pretty great:

Have a great Friday!

xox Sammi

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I may receive a small commission, which helps to run my blog.  I link only to items I absolutely love, from companies I wholeheartedly support.  Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

Enchantment Under the Sea

I'm so glad to be surrounded by balloons (40,000 of them, in fact!) instead of snow for today's post!  Every year, the Rochester-based balloon folding artists known as Airigami put together an amazing exhibition called Balloon Manor, and this year, it's all ocean-themed!  They're even holding an event on Friday that's based off of the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance from Back to the Future.  Since I can't attend the dance (which is a shame, since there's even going to be a vintage costume contest!), I was able to convince my friend Henry to take some prom-inspired photos with me during the day, when Balloon Manor is open to the public. 

The artistry of Airgami's work is truly astounding.  They make everything from epic scale sculptures to wearable balloon dresses!  I don't have a balloon print dress (shocking, I know), so I opted to wear my Nishe seashell dress and add some vintage accessories.  Henry is a vintage fiend, so I knew he would be the perfect partner for these shots (and he kindly did my hair for the occasion, too!).  

 Outfit Details

Dress: ModCloth (old)

Hat: vintage (Etsy)

Pearls: similar

Clutch: old

Shoes: ModCloth

 Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Chamomile

Guys.  I finally figured out how to do victory rolls!  They're definitely not the best, but this was the first time I was able to create something that looked passable (every other time I've tried, I can get the first one and fail miserably at the second).  I was bummed when I realized it was raining outside, and I thought my chances of documenting this feat were ruined... but then the sun miraculously came out for the last bit of daylight!  I suppose it just goes to show that things have a way of working out in the end.

I don't wear this gorgeous dress from Tatyana very much (it's such a special piece), but one of the only good things about winter is that I can pull this out of my closet again.  The neckline is probably my favorite part.  I wore this dress last year on the blog, but my favorite styling of this dress has to be Ashley's recent post of the wiggle version!

Outfit Details

Dress: Tatyana (no longer available)

Petticoat: eBay (similar)

Tights: ModCloth (similar)

Brooch: ModCloth (similar)

Shoes: ModCloth

I spent this past weekend in New York City with my mom, and we're coming back home today.  I was glad to get out of town, even for just a few days, and we did lots of fun things!  We saw A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder with my college roommate on Friday, went shopping and saw John Cameron Mitchell in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (the whole reason for the trip) on Saturday, and we're meeting up with some family to have tea at Alice's Tea Cup today before we leave for the airport.  I'll have a post devoted to the trip soon, but suffice it to say that I've had a very nice last few days.  :)

Hope your weekend was wonderful, too!

xox Sammi

Friday Favorites #84

Today's Friday Favorites is a bit of a quick one, because I'm currently on a plane for a little weekend getaway to NYC!  I'll tell you all about it once I'm back, but in the meantime, here are a few things that caught my eye this week, starting with the most darling + springy Kate Spade purses:

a   //   b   //   c   //   d   //   e

These dresses are pretty springy, too!

1   //   2   //   3

I love this carousel horse brooch from Tatty Devine!

And this unicorn purse is quite magical:

I'm fawning over these dresses from Kitten D'Amour!

a   //   b

This swimsuit from Unique Vintage is so sweet:

As a true '90s girl, I can't turn down a good jelly shoe, and these two pairs from Mel by Melissa are adorable!

a   //   b

And finally, I love Emma Munger's drawing of the ladies of Twin Peaks as pin-up girls!  See more here.

(via)

Have a great Friday!

xox Sammi

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links, I may receive a small commission, which helps to run my blog.  I link only to items that I absolutely love, from companies I wholeheartedly support.  Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

Flora

This endless winter has really been getting me down, but I came up with a fun little way to escape the 0° weather!  I knew I didn't want to take photos of this beautiful Lady Vintage dress in my frozen tundra of a backyard, so I was racking my brain trying to come up with an alternative... and then I remembered this little conservatory in one of Rochester's larger parks!  My best friend Wayne came with me for this little adventure, and it was so rejuvenating to spend an hour in a faux tropical oasis!  Hopefully it'll be enough to tide me over until spring arrives.

I'm ecstatic that the timing finally worked out to collaborate with Lady Vintage on this post!  Their beautiful spring line recently arrived on their website, and they allowed me to choose this gorgeous dress to review.  I'd never been particularly drawn to orange before, but when I saw this dress, I fell in love!  The colors are so saturated and scrumptious.  I really love this particular cut, and though I opted to wear it with a thinner pettislip, it also looks great with a fuller petticoat.  I found this dress to run true to size (though buyers should note that it contains no stretch), and I love the addition of the sash tie in the back -- it's a feature that definitely flatters my figure!  The fabric is fantastic quality (it feels far more expensive than it is!), and I can't wait to style this in the summer.  This particular style is a limited edition, so if you have your eye on it, I'd act fast!  

Outfit Details

Orange Floral Eliza Swing Dress: c/o Lady Vintage

Cropped Cardigan: Trashy Diva

Pettislip: Amazon (on sale!)

Heels: similar

Necklace: old

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Rococo

I had been on the hunt for this dress for a long time.  I had seen it on a couple of bloggers when I first started taking a real interest in fashion, but by then, it was gone from the ASOS website.  I had searched for it on eBay and through closet sales with no luck.  And then back in the fall, Kate sent me a huge and unexpected box of clothes she didn't want anymore.  As I sorted through all of the pieces, I gasped out loud when I realized that this dress (which had eluded me for so long!) was among what she sent me.  It's such a romantic and unique piece, and I'm so happy it's found its way into my life.  I guess it was closet kismet!

It's been unbearably cold and incredibly snowy here over the past couple of weeks, so it's fortunate that I have a backlog of outfit photos to post.  The temperatures have hovered anywhere from 0-20 degrees, and the snow in my backyard is knee-height!  I'll eventually have to brave the frigid weather, but goodness, I'm already desperate for spring to arrive.

The show I'm in closes today.  I've really had a lot of fun (and I honestly wasn't really expecting to), and though it's not a show I'd want to do forever, I'll be a little sad when it's over.  I won't be in another show until May, so I'm hoping to tackle some of the items on my resolutions list (like learning to sew and starting to exercise again) in March.  The Oscars are on tonight, but I'm probably going to continue the tradition of watching The Great British Baking Show and Downton Abbey.  I love Sunday evenings these days.

Outfit Details

Dress: gift from Kate (Oasis brand from ASOS)

Cardigan: Trashy Diva

Heels: similar

Have a great day!

xox Sammi