Retro Swim Picks || Unique Vintage Style Society

It's finally getting to be swimsuit weather around here, so I'm sharing my vintage-inspired swim picks (and talking about why I love this style of suit so much) over on the Unique Vintage blog today! Unique Vintage carries a huge selection of retro swimwear, and there are so many suits on my current radar! If you love these modest-yet-sexy suits as much as I do, follow me over to UV to read more! <3

Strawberry Patch || Unique Vintage Style Society

I hadn't been strawberry picking since I was a little girl (the farm we used to go to stopped offering pick-your-own strawberries years ago), but when I received this amazing strawberry print dress from Unique Vintage, I knew I'd have to find a new place to go picking! A lot of farms weren't offering picking this season – it's apparently been a particularly bad year for strawberries – but we decided to visit Gro-Moore Farms, which is about a half hour away, and we got a TON of beautiful berries... which we later enjoyed over frozen custard. ;)

I'd been wanting this delicious dress by UK brand Collectif ever since I saw it on their site, but because I've had bad sizing luck when ordering directly from them in the past, I was delighted when I saw it at Unique Vintage. One of the things I love about UV is that they have exact size charts for every garment they sell, which is incredibly helpful when certain brands don't run true to size. For instance, Collectif is a brand that tends to run very large (for reference, another dress I own of theirs is a size small  – with room to spare – and I'm never a size small!), so I was very grateful for the size chart Unique Vintage provided. I probably could've sized down to a small in this dress as well, given the fact that the elasticized back provides a lot of stretch, but the medium works just fine. The coolest thing about this dress is that it can also be worn multiple ways! You can wear the bust wings down like I did, or wear them up for a full print dress; the straps are convertible and can be worn halter style or in a criss-cross fashion, or you can remove them completely to make a strapless dress! I think this dress needs a fuller petticoat, but that wasn't exactly a practical option for traipsing through a field, so I'm going to wear it a completely different way next time. I love pieces with built-in versatility! For more vintage dresses, check out Unique Vintage's website!

Outfit Details

Strawberry dress: c/o Unique Vintage

Necklace: Sourpuss Clothing (available here)

Flats: Urban Outfitters (similar)

Pettiskirt: Amazon (similar)

Have a sweet start to your week!

Springtime outfit round-up

Since tomorrow marks the first official day of summer, it's time for another seasonal outfit round-up! I enjoy looking back at my outfits from the past season and picking my favorites to highlight here. There were a bunch of outfits that I'd totally forgotten about (and I'd also managed to block out the fact that the wintery weather lasted into April this year)! Here are the ones that stood out this spring:

March

Cutie π  ||  Enchantment under the sea  ||  Chamomile

Spring fever  ||  Skyliner diner  ||  Eucalyptus

In March, I ventured beyond my own (freezing cold and snowy) backyard for certain posts – and was joined by my sweet and stylish friend, Henry! I think my favorite post was my 50's diner post, wherein Henry and I visited the Strong National Museum of Play, and I wore one of my favorite Bernie Dexter dresses and brand new Erstwilder brooch.

April

Easter bunny  ||  Mint julep  ||  Really good hair club

Some other spring  ||  Dahlias + leopard spots  ||  Indigo

There was still snow on the ground throughout much of April, but not even that could dampen my spirits when I found out I'd be a part of the Unique Vintage Style Society! My term with the Style Society will be up at the end of June, and I've so enjoyed the time I've spent working with this company. My favorite post from April was probably my first Style Society post, featuring the dreamiest, mintiest dress in all of creation.

May

Puppy love  ||  Cherry pink & apple blossom white  ||  Orange crush

I've got no strings  ||  Hydrangeas  ||  Tick tock

Thankfully, the weather finally started to warm up in May! May also features some of my favorite outfits in this whole post, which made it very hard to choose my favorite, but I think I'd have to pick my cherry blossom post in Highland Park. My best friend and I visited at precisely the right time, so all of the flowering trees were beautifully in bloom, and I thought my outfit was the epitome of spring.

Spring never lasts nearly as long as I'd like, so I enjoyed looking back through my outfit posts! Which outfit was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!

Friday Favorites #98

Good morning! I don't know about you, but I'm pretty glad it's Friday. Here are some things I've found this week that'll hopefully give you a nice start into the weekend! 

I already adored Olympia Le-Tan, but this collaboration with Disney takes the cake! I'll never be able to afford any of them, but they're wonderful to look at.

1   ||   2   ||   3   ||   4   ||   5   ||   6   ||   7

This Olympia Le-Tan Sleeping Beauty bag is gorgeous too:

More silly novelty bags!

a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d   ||   e

f   ||   g   ||   h   ||   i 

Here's another one I love (and could actually afford):

I guess I must really like v-neck dresses, since these pretty pastel beauties are all on my radar.

a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d

Calling all mermaids! I'm especially obsessed with the Shell Phone (get it?) case by Valfré!

a   //   b   //   c

This scalloped dress is so sweet:

I also really like these pretty patterned dresses!

1   ||   2   ||   3

Cute & punny pajamas forever!

a   //   b   //   c

I don't wear a lot of t-shirts, but I might need this one:

And finally, I'm really proud of my blogging besties, Katie & Amanda. The collection that Pinup Girl Clothing designed with them in mind will soon be hitting the site, and the photos featuring the two of them (and our other bestie, Ashley) started appearing on the site this week! I like that this collection is a bit more work-appropriate, and I can't wait to get my hands on these dresses! You can see the whole Junebugs & Georgia Peaches collection (and sign up for arrival notifications!) here.

Oh, and I also want to mention that Katie, Amanda, Ashley and I will be posting a bunch of our clothing for sale over at @junebugscloset tonight on Instagram! The sale starts at 7pm eastern / 6pm central / 4pm pacific, and we'll have lots of brands (and bargains) you'll love! <3 

Have a great Friday!

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!

Poppies + Popovers

There are quite a few dresses that have gotten away from me – so-called "unicorns" that I missed out on when they were readily available and now spend a fair amount of free time trying to track down. This Bernie Dexter beauty was one of those dresses, until I spotted it in a swap & sell Facebook group and managed to get my hands on it. It was only sold at ModCloth (though this print is still available in three other styles on Bernie's website), so it was a stroke of luck that someone happened to be selling it in my size. 

Another such stroke of luck was stumbling upon Hurd Orchards, where these photos were taken. Hurd Orchards is a family-owned fruit and flower farm in Holley, NY that's been in existence for decades. They have pick-your-own fruit, fields of beautiful flowers, a shop full of preserves, jams and other delights, and themed luncheons (based on what flowers and fruit are in season). My mom and I decided to make reservations for the Poppies & Popovers Luncheon without knowing exactly what was in store, but eager for a bit of an adventure. We had a beautiful afternoon, and a delicious lunch! We learned a lot about poppies and ate some poppyseed-filled treats, and then explored the grounds a bit before heading home. They're currently offering pick-your-own strawberries, but I'm planning on going back for pick-your-own cherries; not only have I never done that, but I have the perfect cherry outfit in my closet for the occasion! If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend taking the time to go (even just to take a peek in their gorgeous gift shop).

The poppies were essentially on their last legs, so unfortunately, my idea of being able to take photos in a poppy field went unrealized. But I was pretty content to be able to look at them (and eat part of them!) in such a lovely atmosphere. I've come to the conclusion that it's really important to make the time for things like this that bring joy, especially during the work week. Sometimes it's not possible to drive an hour to a luncheon during the middle of the day on a Friday... but when it is, it's all the more enjoyable. It's definitely one of the perks of working from home! :)

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter dress: Facebook swap group

Belt: from another dress

Shoes: similar

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

ice cream daydream

Is there anything better than ice cream? I have an overly-developed sweet tooth by nature, so I'm generally a fan of desserts, but there is something pretty wonderful about ice cream on a hot summer day. It's only fitting that I have a dress that proclaims my love for ice cream... and now, thanks to Just Daydreaming, I have an ice cream necklace to match! Just Daydreaming is an adorable UK-based online boutique that specializes in whimsical, carefully-curated creations. They carry everything from unique stationary to quirky jewelry to housewares and knick-knacks, and they were kind enough to send me a surprise package with a bunch of fun gifties (which included this necklace).

Even though it's totally impractical, I love this pink telephone purse! I bought it from Lizzy at Shop Bananas (who you might know as @theconoisseurofcute on Instagram), and it usually just ends up on display most of the time – but I couldn't resist! It looks like her shop is closed for the time-being, but I hope she'll reopen soon so that you can check out all of the adorable things she has for sale. For now, follow her Instagram or official site for updates!

Outfit Details

Ice cream dress: ModCloth

Necklace: c/o Just Daydreaming

Telephone purse: Shop Bananas

White flats: similar

The items pictured above are what came in my generous c/o package from Just Daydreaming. Although not all of the items fit my particular style, I love that they have so much variety (I could browse their pages for hours!), and they're a fantastic place to look for artsy gifts, for stocking stuffers, for kids, and any number of other occasions. I'm very passionate about supporting artists and small businesses, so Just Daydreaming is a great one-stop-shop option to be able to do that – plus, the prices of their items are very reasonable, and everything arrives beautifully packaged. If you're interested in snagging these items for yourself, here are the direct links for each piece:

ice cream necklace  ||  cupcake pin  ||  cherry hair clips

bird temporary tattoo greeting card  ||  pocket mirror  ||  cat buttons

Have a great Monday!