Garden song

This Blutsgeschwister dress is one of my absolute favorites.  It's a dress that never fails to cheer me up if I'm feeling low.  It's such a bright and fun piece, and I can't help but smile when I wear it.  I've worn it on the blog before, but it's definitely better suited for the warmer months, I think.  It's also a piece that I was especially thankful to find; I had spied it on the brand's website well before it was available anywhere in the USA, and because the Blutsheschwister site ships only to Germany and its surrounding countries, I thought all was lost.  Luckily, it ended up being available at ModCloth, and I knew I had to make it mine.  This plaid is so enchanting, and I love the sweet floral border.  I felt it would be a perfect pairing with my watering can novelty purse!

I actually had a fairly relaxing weekend, and it's rare that I even have much of a weekend at all these days, since I normally work on Saturdays.  My mom and I went to the Public Market on Saturday morning (it's a huge farmers' market here in Rochester), and we got a ton of yummy stuff, including more peaches and nectarines than I ever could have imagined!  I've been eating one with every meal, and it's been delightful.  I wish we could go every weekend.  I also had a lot of time alone, which has been kind of nice, and I was able to take photos and work a lot on my personal acting website.  I'm slowing checking things off my to-do list, which is a nice feeling.

Outfit Details

Prairie Extraordinary Dress: ModCloth

Spectators: BAIT Footwear (similar)

Boater hat: River Island (similar)

Pettislip: American Apparel

Watering can purse: eBay

Daisy ring: Mom's

On a serious note, I was so saddened to hear of Robin Williams' passing last night.  He was one of my favorite actors of all time, and he always astounded me not only with his comedic abilities, but with his incredible dramatic talent.  He was my first actor crush.  He made me believe in magic.  The world seems a little less magical without him in it.  Too many brilliant artists gone far too soon.  Be kind to each other.  <3

Have a great Tuesday.

xox Sammi

Tease

This dress is a true work of art.  It's definitely one of the more scandalous items in my closet -- aside from the burlesque girl depicted in various stages of undress, it's also very low-cut on me.  It's not a dress that would be appropriate for many occasions, but I absolutely love it (and it's plain to see how high the quality is).  I'm thinking that I'll probably wear it some time during the Fringe Festival this fall, though I'll probably wear a cardigan over it and opt for black heels.  I think this dress is a showstopper, for sure!

This blue glitter jelly wedges are really fun, but they aren't nearly as comfortable as I had hoped they'd be.  I have two pairs of Mel by Melissa jelly wedges that are fairly comfy, and I think the difference between those and the ones I'm wearing here is that the Mel shoes are made of a much softer, malleable plastic.  The plastic of these wedges doesn't mold as well to my feet, and it's much less flexible for walking.  I really do love them though, so I'll just have to find occasions to wear them that don't involve a ton of walking!  I had a tough time deciding between the wedges and these plastic heels (which would've matched the dress perfectly!), but I was too nervous about the heels being even less comfortable!  You can't win 'em all, I guess.

Outfit Details

Lydia Dress in Burlesque Performer Print: Pinup Girl Clothing

Blue Glitter Jelly Wedges: Pinup Girl Clothing

Petticoat: eBay

Have a great rest of your weekend!

xox Sammi

Friday Favorites #58

Happy Friday!  Here are some of this week's favorite finds:  

I'm going purse-crazy lately, mainly because I need a good purse for traveling!  None of these picks are very practical, but gosh, are they cute!  I'll always pick adorable over functional.

a  //  b  //  c  //  d  //  e  //  f

1  //  2  //  3

All of the above purses and shoes are from Amazon!  Many thanks to Jana for showing me one of those pairs (which I now own in lavender)!  The amount of variety on that site is kind of astounding.

Not only is the lilac color of this dress divine, but I love that the print is of constellations!  Swoon!

Litographs is an amazing company that makes visual and wearable art out of works of literary art.  Their designs are made solely out of the texts from classic books and plays.  When looked at from far away, they illustrate a theme of the work in question; when looked at up close, one can actually read the text (of up to 40,000 words)! 

1  //  2  //  3

Speaking of classics... the whole Disney line at Black Milk Clothing is incredible, but I especially love this Beauty & the Beast skater dress.  I love all the stained glass depictions of the story!

I think Belle would have loved these book-shaped bookends (they're also vases!):

I think I'm really into sweatshirts lately.  They're cozy and I actually really love layering them over dresses and skirts.  I don't want summer to end, but I do love sweater weather.  The one on the left reminds me of something from Little Golden Books.

a  //  b

And I'm dying over these new deer shoes from Irregular Choice!

I really adore companies that offer customization of their clothes, and Bow & Drape is a great example of one that's getting some great exposure lately.  Their pieces are already really fun and tie in to a lot of pop culture references, but I really like all of the other options they offer for creating your very own items!

1  //  2  //  3  //  4  //  5

These Loly in the Sky flats are so darn cute.  

I love this music-themed Kate Spade watch!

I always end up liking heels that look like character shoes, and these look so much like character t-straps (but are actually far less expensive)!  They'd be perfect for retro looks.

a  //  b  //  c

THIS BETSEY JOHNSON PURSE IS EVERYTHING:

 And I just want to hug this Shiba Inu who "works" at a shop in Japan:

Have a great weekend!

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 only link to items I absolutely love, from companies I wholeheartedly support.  Thank you for supporting The Soubrette Brunette!

I'm in the Sunglass Warehouse Summer Lookbook!

I have some exciting news!  I was chosen to be a part of the newest Summer Lookbook for Sunglass Warehouse!  Their new collection is retro-inspired, so when they reached out to me to see if I'd like to style a pair for them, I jumped at the chance!  I'm totally obsessed with these new cat eye frames they sent me to style, and they've quickly become a staple in my summer wardrobe. 

I hadn't really been familiar with Sunglass Warehouse prior to working with them, but I was happily surprised to see what a huge selection of frames they carry and how reasonable their prices are.  I can justify splurging on a lot of things, but because my sunglasses get so much wear (and often live at the bottom of my purse), I definitely require frames that are stylish, durable and inexpensive.  Luckily, they have tons of sunglasses that fit the bill, and which made it incredible difficult for me to choose!  These retro cat eyes were right up my alley, and I knew I had to style them with 1950s flare!  I opted for a casual yet put-together vibe, so I chose to wear this nifty printed dress and red Mary Janes with my new sunnies. 

I was also thrilled to see that I'm amongst friends in this lookbook!  Three of my favorite blogger ladies are also featured -- June and Amelia (from Junebugs and Georgia Peaches) and Hannah (from The Braided Bandit) are all in it!  We all did fun little interviews, as well.  You can check out mine here!  I love being able to draw inspiration from fellow bloggers (especially ones that I know well and already adore), and I feel very honored to be in their company.

Outfit Details

Cat eye sunglasses: c/o Sunglass Warehouse

Yumi '50s print dress: ModCloth

Red Mary Janes: Urban Outfitters

Many thanks to the kind folks at Sunglass Warehouse for allowing me to be a part of this Lookbook and letting me style these lovely frames!  Be sure to go check out all the retro-inspired sunnies on their site and take a peek at my interview!

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Toadstool

Outfit Details

Dress: Lindy Bop

Shoes: BAIT Footwear (similar)

Mushroom brooch: ASOS (Cath Kidston)

Mushroom purse: antique co-op

Isn't the collar on this dress wonderful??  This is my second dress from Lindy Bop (I have yet to wear the first one the blog).  I've featured a lot of their dresses in my Friday Favorites posts, but hadn't taken the plunge into purchasing anything until very recently.  I think their pieces are fantastic for girls who want to achieve a 1950s or pin-up style look without breaking the bank.  Their dresses tend to be made of a lighter weight cotton, which is a nice option for summer.  Both of my dresses came quite wrinkly (God bless the portable steamer!), but I suppose that's a small price to pay for a difference in price.  Sites like Pinup Girl Clothing have pieces of excellent quality, and it shows in the craftsmanship and the fabric itself (many of their dresses are made of heavyweight sateen), but even so, I can't often justify the $150 price tag when I can get a dress like this for less than $50.  I will say, though, that the belt that came with it is really not of very good quality, as it's very flimsy and seems like it might rip easily.  Luckily, I have other belts that will go with this dress.  My guess is that I may actually get more use out of this dress than I will with my PUG dresses, simply because this is something that can be styled in a multitude of ways, for a variety of occasions.  Lindy Bop carries an incredible variety of silhouettes and styles, and their pieces are perfect for a budget-friendly treat!

On a non-dress note, I had a driving lesson yesterday (my first since last year), and it went way better than I'd thought!  I have a lot of anxiety about driving (it stems from high school, but has gotten worse since, after having avoided it for so long), but I have a new instructor now that has made me realize that I actually have a lot of natural ability and don't need to stress nearly as much about that as I have been.  It's really amazing that a different instructor can make all the difference.  Sometimes you simply click better with certain people.  That's been a factor in other areas of my life (like past acting teachers and vocal coaches), but it's applicable here, too.  It's a really nice feeling when someone can make you believe in your own abilities, and it's such a great motivator.  I've been struggling with a lot of things lately, but finally facing my fears -- in a non-threatening way -- has done wonders for my mood!  :)

Have a great Tuesday!

xox Sammi