Brolly

I generally don't like to own more than one version of the same print, but there have been a few exceptions – including this one. I currently own both the dress and skirt incarnations of this Mary Blair parasol print. Although I love the style of the dress (which you can see in this post from last year), it's quite small on me and fits strangely. Sadly, this skirt also has a sizing issue; my normal PUG size wouldn't have fit, but the next size up is definitely baggier than it should be. Ultimately, I think the eventual solution will involve getting the waist on this skirt tailored and letting the dress version go. But am I the only one who has a hard time parting with clothes, even when they don't fit correctly? I'm trying to hoard less and limit my emotional attachment to my clothes, but it's proving to be a challenge.

I've sort of stretched out my birthday celebrations for an entire week. I went to tea with my mom this past Saturday and gorged myself on scones, tea sandwiches, and miscellaneous goodies. I'm having a nice meal at my parents' house tomorrow night. But as far as my actual birthday weekend is concerned, I'm not sure what I'll be doing. The boy (ooh) offered to plan something for me, so I guess I'll have to wait and see what that involves. I hope to do some Halloween-y things on Saturday or Sunday though, like getting apple cider, going on a haunted hayride (eek!), or some other slightly spooky activity. At this point, I guess I care a lot less about doing something *big* for my birthday. Ultimately, I'd rather just eat yummy food and spend time with people I love.

Outfit Details

Jenny Skirt in Mary Blair Umbrella Print: Pinup Girl Clothing
Striped Jailbird Top: Pinup Girl Clothing
Flats: Amazon
Belt: similar

Don't forget to enter my annual big birthday giveaway! You can enter to win an incredible prize package courtesy of Unique Vintage, Heart of Haute, Sourpuss Clothing, Voodoo Vixen, and Dreaming of Johnny. Get all the details and enter here before Halloween!

Big Birthday Giveaway! [CLOSED]

It's that time of year again: time for my annual big birthday giveaway! Every October, I love to give my lovely readers a little treat (much more preferable to a trick, if you ask me). My birthday is on Friday, so I'm kicking off my birthday week by giving you all a chance to win some wonderful prizes from some of my favorite brands! Read on to find out how.

I'm keeping this year's birthday giveaway a bit more *intimate* than in previous years. Really, things have just been so busy that I decided to make it a bit more exclusive and less overwhelming for myself. In the past, I've given away a bunch of smaller prizes for several people, but this year, I've opted to giveaway a HUGE prize to one lucky follower. Here's what's up for grabs!

The winner will receive:

- Red and Black Pindot "Diana" dress from Unique Vintage

- Your choice of "Estelle" blouse and circle skirt from Heart of Haute

- Purple spiderweb Backseat Baby purse from Sourpuss Clothing

- Wanda Woodward pin + "Really Good Hair Club" print from Dreaming of Johnny

- "Liv" cardigan from Voodoo Vixen

RULES: Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. There are mandatory entries you must complete to be eligible (one of these is that you're a follower of my blog – no unfollowing after the giveaway ends, please). There are also optional entries you can complete to increase your chance of winning. One (1) winner will receive all of the prizes listed above. The winner will be contacted via e-mail, so be sure to provide a valid e-mail address. The winner must respond to my e-mail within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen. The giveaway is open worldwide and will run from now until 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, October 30th (right on the stroke of Halloween – spooky!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering and best of luck!

Halloween Harlequin

I can barely believe it's already October 20th. Where did this month go?! It's nearly Halloween (and my birthday is next week), so I decided to get cracking on my second eerie ensemble. I was kicking myself for missing out on the Halloween harlequin pieces from Pinup Girl Clothing... but much to my delight, I miraculously now have two pieces in this spooktacular colorway – thanks to Ashley and another kind lady in a Facebook swap group! I'll be styling the other piece later on, but I'm currently obsessing over this Harley top.

I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to dress up as anything for Halloween this year. My birthday falls on the weekend when most people will be out partying... I'm honestly a total homebody and I may just dress in something fun that's already in my closet. Is it weird that I'm looking forward to staying home for any trick-or-treaters that might drop by (and eating copious amounts of candy if no one shows up)? It's funny how your priorities change. But I don't hate it.

Outfit Details

Harley Top in Halloween Harlequin: Pinup Girl Clothing

Little Jun Skirt: Pinup Girl Clothing

Cropped cardigan: ModCloth

Pumpkin brooch: Summer Blue Jewelry

Flats: Amazon

Have a great rest of your week!

Basic Isn't Bad

If happened to see me this summer, chances are good that you saw me in this dress. Like many other girls, I picked up this "Who What Wear" striped bardot dress from Target and found it so comfy and cute that I rarely wanted to take it off. I think the bardot neckline is so romantic, and when it's combined with soft, easy cotton, I'm automatically a fan. Sadly, it's no longer available from Target, but I've linked similar ones in the outfit details section.

Wearing this dress got me thinking a little bit about basics. I tend to be drawn to unique, special pieces... but they usually have to be combined with a good basic to work. Basics are things we always need and want, but they aren't terribly exciting most of the time. And then I started thinking about how we describe other women as being "basic" for liking certain things. Admittedly, I love fall and pumpkin spice lattes as much as the next girl. I shouldn't feel ashamed for liking these things – or for wearing wardrobe staples – but it does have a negative connotation. I'm not sure why. But I'm going to embrace my love of basic things. Just because I'm wearing (or drinking) something basic, that doesn't mean I can't feel special.

Outfit Details

Striped bardot dress: similar here and here

Belt: old (similar)

Necklace: similar

Flats: Amazon

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Friday Favorites #143

Friday Favorites are back this week! Even though my job isn't active in the slightest, I come home exhausted every day. As much as I try to plan ahead, sometimes I'm simply too tired to put a post together. But I wanted to make sure to get the last of my Halloween picks in for this week's post.

I'm not sure what my Halloween costume is going to be this year, but if I opt to just dress "spooky" for the holiday, I might go for an outfit like these:

a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d

Halloween print dress   ||   Skeleton dress

Or a zombie pinup dress is always an option...

You can infuse some fright into any ensemble with brooches like these:

a    //   b   //   c   //   d

a    ||   b   ||   c

Aren't these poison bottle brooches awesome?

And these Hocus Pocus pins are everything.

1    //    2

These Sanderson Sister Funko Pops are AMAZING.

I love this book dress as a subtle nod to spells:

I'm obsessed with these shoes. They'd be perfect for any period costume, but I'd definitely wear them in real life, too!

a    ||    b

And finally, how cute is this monster print by Steph Buscema?

That's it for this week! Have a wonderful weekend!

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 promote only items and brands I absolutely love. Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

Spooked

Well, I completely bypassed early fall and went straight to the Halloween Countdown, didn't I? But with a skirt this fun, I couldn't help skipping over to All Hallow's Eve! I've been loving these printed skirts by Unique Vintage (I've worn the watermelon and cupcake versions here on the blog before), and when I saw this spooky haunted house skirt in their "coming soon" section, my Halloween-loving heart skipped a beat. Even though the skirt is 100% cotton, it feels substantial enough for fall weather -- which is fortunate, because things just got bone-chilling around here.

For these photos, I decided to head to the historic Mt. Hope Cemetery here in Rochester. This is actually where we took photos for another Halloween post (and one of my favorite posts in general) from last year, featuring my friends Henry and Rusty (and the same hat, lol). But it's such a large cemetery that I didn't really use any of the same locations. To be honest, I've always felt sort of iffy about taking photos in a graveyard. I don't want people to think I'm being disrespectful by taking taking photos of myself there. But at the same time, Mt. Hope is a historic landmark where people are invited to come explore (they were holding a tour the same day I took these photos), and I wasn't trampling over anyone's grave. It's all done in complete reverence. It's a thin line, but I think intention makes a big difference. I'm not trying to show off or seem sexy or anything... I just love this spot in our city (and it admittedly does make the perfect backdrop for the skirt).

Outfit Details

Haunted Mansion Swing Skirt: c/o Unique Vintage

Top: c/o Unique Vintage

Hat: vintage (similar)

Bolero: similar

Shoes: similar

Have a spooktacular day!

Boats

Happy Monday! I have autumnal posts in the works, but today marks the last of my more summery sets. I'd been wanting this Mary Blair boat print since I first saw it in the "coming soon" section of the PUG website, and I'm glad this skirt is finally mine. I can't wait to style it with long sleeved tops this season. For these photos, I decided to check out a park I'd never been to before and was rewarded with a beautiful location. I'll definitely be heading back soon to check out the fall foliage!

I have lots of things to cross off my to-do list in the coming weeks. I want to go to a pumpkin patch and go apple picking, I need to decorate my apartment for Halloween, I have to start planning what I want to do for my birthday... October is already going by so quickly! Time, please slow down.

Outfit Details

White Vamp Top: Pinup Girl Clothing

Jenny Skirt in Mary Blair Boat Print: Pinup Girl Clothing

Boater hat: Pinup Girl Clothing

Necklace set: similar

Flats: Amazon

Have a great start to your week!