Plaid about you (and a little announcement!)

Outfit Details:

Plaid dress: Exile Vintage

High Dramaturge Tights in Ivory: ModCloth (no longer available)

White t-strap flats: Urban Outfitters (no longer available)
Bringing Down the Horse Ring: Hello Holiday

Wicker bag: Chicwish

White belt: eBay

Truly, plaid is the quintessential autumn textile.  I feel like I need to wear it at least once or twice a week (which would be a pretty big feat, since I don't think I own quite that much plaid!).  This dress from Exile Vintage is so lovely for fall, and I knew I had to snatch it up when it became available in their shop.  The one problem is that it's quite short on me (I'm 5'7", which I don't think of as being terribly tall, but I guess it's on the taller side), so this isn't a dress that I can wear all the time as is.  So I decided to try my hand at remixing it for another post in the near future, and I like what I came up with!  I still consider myself sort of a novice at remixing pieces, but I'm very motivated to keep pushing my boundaries with it, because (drum roll, please).........

I'm starting on an additional blogging venture, as a new member of awesome style collective, Flock Together!  So in addition to blogging here at The Soubrette Brunette, I will also be blogging over at Flock Together, which focuses on remixing swapped pieces from other group members (as well as remixing items already in one's wardrobe and trying new trends in different ways).  If you're not already following Flock Together (and why wouldn't you be?), you should head on over right now and check out these marvelous ladies.  I've been an admirer of nearly all of their individual blogs -- as well as their collective one -- for quite some time, and I'm truly flattered that they would want me to join their ranks.  I feel honored to be in such good company.  My first post is scheduled a little later this month, on October 18th, so keep an eye out for that! 

I love that these are actually snaps, not buttons!  It certainly helps with the obnoxious gaping problem.

Other than blogging news, I've been really busy with rehearsals... plus, I'm now sick for the second time in less than a month!  My immune system isn't the greatest, but this is bad, even for me.  I was just getting over the nasty cold I had a week ago, and now I'm sick all over again (but I'm wondering if it's bacterial this time).  I'm sure stress hasn't helped, honestly.  I'm hoping to get in to the doctor tomorrow morning.  We start up with our school tour on Thursday, so please cross your fingers that I'll be better by the time that starts (though being around little kids, we're all bound to get sick anyway)!  

As of late, I'm struggling a lot with managing my disappointment in people.  I get very much "in my head" and wonder if I am too trusting (though then I wonder if I would really want to be any other way -- for how can you find love and joy if you don't trust?).  Or maybe my standards are just too high.  I know that there are a plethora of good, kind, honest people in this world, and I am lucky enough to know many of these kinds of people.  But it boggles my mind that some of the very people who I have trusted to keep my heart safe are the same people who have done it the most harm.  I know those who keep their hearts and emotions guarded at all times, who are not fully invested in relationships, as a protective measure.  I have always thought I would never want to be that way (i.e., "'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"), but I can now see why protecting oneself at all costs has a certain appeal.  I don't know.  I guess I'm in a weird place, since on Saturday, I realized it's been a month since my relationship ended, and I still don't know exactly how to handle things.  I guess one can never really know how to handle something like this, other than to keep moving forward.  But it's very difficult to do that without my best friend.  And the worst part of all is, I don't even know who he is anymore.  And I guess it's true: how well do you ever really know someone?

I'm keeping my chin up, and I'm going to try and make this week a good one.

Have a great Monday.

xox Sammi

I have a place where dreams are born / And time is never planned

Outfit Details:

Jenny Dress in Neverland Sateen: Pinup Girl Clothing

Storybook Of My Life Flats: ModCloth

Clock necklace: Forever 21

If you know anything about me, then you must know what a sucker I am for a well-executed novelty print.  I am a huge fan of Pinup Girl Clothing, and when I saw that this Peter Pan-inspired piece was available on their site (they also make a skirt version!), I knew I had to have it.  It's pink and whimsical and retro and almost perfect.  I find the fit of their dresses to run a little big in the bust, honestly -- which is usually the exact opposite of my experience with most brands -- but it's not enough to deter my love for this dress.  Peter Pan was always one of my favorite musicals (I watched the one with Mary Martin OVER AND OVER AGAIN ), though I've never done it.  And I adore pretty much any subsequent movie based on the Peter Pan story (Finding Neverland, Hook, etc.).  And furthermore, what is there NOT to love about fairies, pirates and mermaids?  These are actually three of my favorite things.  Okay, I'm gushing.  The only bittersweet thing about this dress, now that I'm really thinking about it, is that Steven and I had planned to be Captain Hook and Tiger Lilly for Halloween this year.  So that's kind of sad.  But I have decided to persevere... and that I am going to be a cupcake for Halloween.  And I'll be in tech. for my show anyway, so maybe things work themselves out (albeit in strange ways).

I really can't wait to wear this dress in the fall.  I took these photos when it was still very summery outside, and so I didn't do much with it (the print kind of speaks for itself).  But I think it would look lovely with a black cardigan and wide black belt, and black heels.  And maybe a petticoat if I'm feeling extra-saucy.  One thing I still desperately want to master is doing something retro-inspired with my hair.  I have an abundance of hair, and it's quite thick and layered, which sometimes makes certain styling difficult for me to deal with.  Plus, I'm just impatient.  But it really would be the cherry on top for all of my vintage-inspired dresses, so I think I'm going to have to hunker down and figure it out.

Look how clever I thought I was being!  Not only is "time" in the lyrics of this song, but I kept thinking of the clock that the crocodile swallowed and all that.  I am big into concepts, apparently.

Now that I have found the entire Mary Martin version of Peter Pan on YouTube... I guess I know what I'll be doing with my Saturday... :)

Have a wonderful day!

xox Sammi

Red October

Outfit Details:

Looking to Tomorrow Dress: ModCloth

Achilles' Zeal Tights: ModCloth (no longer available)

Kimchi Blue t-strap flats: Urban Outfitters (no longer available)

Baby Biscuit bag: Geek Haven

Bow belt: from another dress

Watch ring: Mom's

I fully realize that I look like a walking winter holiday, and I don't care in the slightest.  Yesterday's weather was unseasonably warm for the first day of October, so even though I'd intended to style this with a sweater over it, I ditched the idea when I realized how comfortable I was without one.  I figured that if the weather can be totally inappropriate for the season, then so can my outfit.  I never ended up wearing this dress last winter (I'm honestly not sure why), but I'll be sure to make good use of it this year.  I think the dress is aptly named (obviously, it's a nod to Little Orphan Annie), and I just love this collar.  I almost wish it were a softer color though... a periwinkle version would be so pretty, don't you think?  It's such a Christmas-y/Valentine-y red, which makes it look a little ridiculous when worn any other time.  But I'm sort of embracing that, I think.

Last week and this one have been absolutely insane.  I feel like my life is one endless rehearsal (probably because it kind of IS).  I'm exhausted, but not totally in a bad way.  I do feel badly that I'm so behind on reading and commenting on other blogs, so I need to find some time to do that, as well as time to devote to actually getting ahead on my own blogging... along with doing the literal mountain of laundry that's been piling up AND cleaning my disaster area of a room AND memorizing my lines for two shows.  There simply aren't enough hours in the day.  But really, what else is new?

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi