Amazing Gracey

Happy Memorial Day! I don't get the day off, but I am back to working for my mom (I had to take the last three weeks off for my performing gig). As much as I've loved feeling like a professional actor this past month, I'm kind of glad to be getting back to some normalcy for a bit. I guess I'm sort of out of practice; not only did I become really dehydrated during the rehearsal process, but I also really messed up something with my hip. My body is definitely telling me I need to take it easy right now, and that I need to start taking care of myself better and build up some stamina and strength. I'm already in rehearsals for my next show (but the process won't be anywhere near as grueling), but I'm definitely going to make that a goal for this summer.

Now, a little bit about this adorable Voodoo Vixen dress! Seriously, who doesn't love gingham? I think this tiffany blue gingham is incredibly sweet, and I like the fact that the neckline is a little more sultry in contrast. The buttons are a lovely detail too (though all are purely for show), and I always appreciate a back zipper in a dress (I am very anti-side-zip!). I normally like my skirts a little bit longer, but this would definitely be a good option for hot summer days. The cotton fabric is on the thin side and the skirt is unlined – which, again, is good for the heat factor, but it's a little too sheer for my taste (though wearing a slip underneath helps). This dress does run true to size, but if you're in between sizes on the Voodoo Vixen chart, I would recommend going with the larger size in this particular dress, since it doesn't contain as much stretch as some of their other pieces. All in all, the Gracey is a great option for summertime BBQs, picnics or simply enjoying the sunshine.

Outfit Details

Gracey Dress: c/o Voodoo Vixen

Sunglasses: c/o Unique Vintage (similar)

Flats: Aerosoles (old)

Have a great day!

xox Sammi

Orange Crush

Picking a favorite Bernie Dexter dress is next to impossible, but this vibrant orange print one is pretty high up on the list. Bernie's Paris style is definitely one of her best silhouettes, in my opinion, and it's the sort of dress you can put on and instantly feel pretty stellar about your bod. I do wish we had orange groves in Upstate New York (for the sake of blog photos), but my backyard will have to do for this post.

I'm currently in the midst of performances for the workshop/reading I'm in, and I'm totally wiped out. I had planned on doing a Friday Favorites post yesterday (especially since there are a bunch of good Memorial Day sales going on), but I passed out almost immediately after getting home from our Thursday night performance. In case you're in a shopping mood: Unique Vintage is offering 20% everything (including this orange print Bernie!) with the code MEM20, Pinup Girl Clothing is offering 25% off everything with the code CCSAVE2015, ASOS is offering 20% off full-priced items with the code LONGWKND, Tatyana is offering 20% off all dresses and separates with the code FLAG, Amazon is offering 20% off all fashion-related products with the code FUN20SUN, and ModCloth is currently having an up-to-40% off summer sale!

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter dress: Crush Boutique

Boater hat: similar

Petticoat: eBay

Flats: similar

Have a wonderful weekend!

xox Sammi

PS: you have until Sunday night at midnight (EST) to enter my current giveaway! The winner will receive a $30 gift voucher to Beauxoxo! Get all the details & enter to win here.

Flower carts

This springy, scalloped dress from Tatyana was destined to be part of my wardrobe. It's absolutely darling, and well-made to boot. My one complaint is that Tatyana's sizing is very inconsistent, and they don't provide specific size charts for each garment they produce. I had to guess on my size, and since the dresses I tried on while visiting the Tatyana store were both larges and mediums I went with the large on a gamble. It turns out that I should have ordered the medium, because this dress runs quite big. You can't tell too much from these photos, but I want to see if I can get it taken in a bit. It's also more see-through in the top than I would have liked, but even with these flaws, I think it's still going to remain in my closet. I'm such a dress hoarder!

I'm normally a lot better at thinking of creative blog post titles, but I have to be honest: not only was it really difficult with this dress, but my brain is absolutely fried from this rehearsal process. On paper, our rehearsal hours don't look like much (typically, they've been 5 hour days with 1 day off per week), but I am physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. It's been a great experience to work with industry professionals and this kind of opportunity is really rare around here... but that being said, it's going to be a relief once it's over. I'll definitely miss being able to feel like a "real" working actor, and this has kind of lit a fire under my tush, but I also really need a break (especially since I ended up getting really dehydrated and was kinda messed up last week and this week from it). Taking care of yourself – even when you don't think you're doing anything particularly strenuous – is so important, and I certainly won't forget that any time soon! I feel like "self care" has kind of a negative connotation, but it's totally necessary.

Outfit Details

Dress: Tatyana

Belt + petticoat: eBay

Shoes: BAIT Footwear (similar)

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

PS: Have you entered my current giveaway yet?? The winner receives a $30 gift voucher to Beauxoxo! Get all the details and enter to win here.

GIVEAWAY with Beauxoxo! [CLOSED]

It's no secret that I love girly accessories. It's also no secret that I have an insane sweet tooth. So when the lovely Georgie from Beauxoxo recently sent me this darling hair bow that combines two of my favorite things... you could say I was immediately hooked! Licorice Allsorts are one of my favorite kinds of candy (I know I'm in the minority there, but that's alright – more for me!), so I couldn't resist styling this bow. Georgie makes all kinds of bows – everything from gingham to pastel to cupcake print! – and I absolutely loved my choice. This print looks good enough to eat!

Outfit Details

Dress: c/o eShakti (similar)  ||  Hair bow: c/o Beauxoxo  ||  Cardigan: ModCloth

Belt: ASOS  ||  Shoes: ModCloth  ||  Petticoat: eBay

Although I personally love her bows best, Georgie also makes the dearest headbands, flower crowns, butterflies and other hair goodies. It was very difficult for me to choose just one... but one of you lucky readers won't have that problem, since you can enter to win a $30 gift voucher to Beauxoxo! Just read the rules below and enter the giveaway through the widget!

GIVEAWAY RULES:

One (1) winner will receive a $30 (USD) gift voucher from Beauxoxo. Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below. You must be a follower of The Soubrette Brunette to enter (no unfollowing after the giveaway ends!), and you must leave a blog post comment to be eligible to win. This giveaway is open internationally, and will be open until Sunday, May 24th at 11:59 PM (EST). The winner will be chosen at random through the widget and will be contacted via e-mail on Monday, May 25th. The winner must respond within 24 hours, or a new winner will be chosen. Thanks for entering and best of luck! <3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday Favorites #94

Goodness, it's already Friday again? This week has flown by for me. Here are some of the things I've been lusting after lately, starting with something I can't get enough of: fruit-themed pieces! I especially love the apple – it's a battery charger for your iPhone or iPad!

a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d   ||   e   ||   f   ||   g

This swimsuit is so romantic!

A girl can never have too many polka dots or pastels in her closet, so I love these skirts that feature both!

1   //   2

This 50's print dress from Voodoo Vixen encompasses so many things I love!

A hot air balloon novelty purse! I feel like I've been waiting for this forever!

Apparently, Nishe isn't really being carried by other vendors anymore, but these two dresses are still available for order through their own website. The prints are a little hard to see, but the first has a cherry print and the second is all ice cream cones!

a   //   b

This popcorn necklace is adorable:

I'm seriously considering this entire ensemble:

a   //   b

And finally, because I think having flowers around is very important... here are 23 perfectly valid reasons to buy yourself flowers.

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

Hydrangeas || Unique Vintage Style Society

Is this not one of the prettiest prints you've ever seen? As soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew I had to have it! Hydrangeas are some of my favorite flowers (third only to lilacs and peonies), and a hydrangea print is very rare indeed. I thought I had missed out on it when Heart of Haute ran out of these dresses on their site, so I was elated to find that Unique Vintage started carrying them! This dress is the same style as the cherry dress I posted last week, but it looks a lot different with a petticoat! I actually ended up wearing this dress for a callback I had last week (in the throes of a bad cold, no less!), and I think it brought me good luck! For more vintage dresses like this one, head on over to Unique Vintage to check out their fantastic selection!

This month has already been a whirlwind, and it's only the 13th! Auditions, callbacks, birthdays, Mother's Day, seeing family, seeing shows, performing and rehearsing. I'm exhausted, but in a good way. I've gotten used to having a lot of downtime, so I had forgotten what it was like to be in a constant busy state. I sort of feel like I'm trying to maintain a balance between two distinct parts of my personality – the dolled up girl in dresses vs. the grubby performer in sweats. These two halves are both authentically me, but they do sort of have to be mutually exclusive in some ways. I like having options, and I like not being completely defined by one or the other. And I love both of these parts equally, and I don't think I should have to pick just one. I think it's something that actually makes me a little more interesting and complex, and I guess I like to challenge expectations and impressions a little. It's yet another thing that makes me a little unique, I suppose!

Outfit Details

Hydrangea Dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Shoes: Amazon

Petticoat: similar

Ring: Etsy

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xox Sammi

Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White

Ever since I purchased this Bernie Dexter dress from That Shop, I knew I wanted to take photos in it when the flowering trees were in bloom in Highland Park. Highland is a beautiful space in the city of Rochester, and it's home to the annual Lilac Festival, which is currently going on; the lilacs aren't in full bloom yet, but I'm planning on heading there once they are to take some photos in another Bernie Dexter favorite. But last weekend was the peak time to be amongst all of the beautiful pink trees, so I was really glad I was able to take advantage of the gorgeous weather!

A little bit about this dress: this Paris version of the Cherry Tree Lane print is available exclusively at That Shop. The only problem is, they're based in Australia and they don't actually have a website where you can place an order. I despaired that I would miss out on this dress because I don't live in Australia, but luckily, you can also place an order via e-mail or Facebook message. They reply very promptly and I received my dress quite quickly, so I was elated that it all worked out. If you'd rather use more conventional means for attaining this print, Bernie has an adorable skirt and crop top set available on her website, but since the Paris silhouette is one of my favorites, I decided to go for it.

In other news, I've been in constant rehearsals for the workshop I mentioned in one of my previous posts. It's been exhausting, but great. I'm not finding a lot of time or energy for much else, but it's been awesome to work with such professionals and have this type of experience (which is pretty unique for my current situation). I always love music rehearsals the most, but I'm excited to move on to the next part. I've been struggling a lot with trying to figure out if I want to move and try to pursue performing, or if I want to settle for something creative that will pay the bills and perform on the side. My heart still wants to try for the former, I think, and maybe this will push me a bit in the right direction. Also, on a related note, after this workshop is over, I'm going right into rehearsals for Beehive the Musical, which is going to be really fun (another 1960's show!). Lots of good stuff on the horizon!

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter dress: exclusive to That Shop

Cardigan: available at ModCloth

Shoes: available at ModCloth

Brooch: Tatty Devine

Pettislip: similar

Have a wonderful Sunday, and Happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful mamas out there (especially mine)!

xox Sammi