Martian Woman

When Erstwilder released their galactic collection, the "Deep Space Donna" design particularly spoke to me, and here is why: I think I've mentioned before that my parents were in a band in the 1980s, and released an album on Atlantic Records. I used to listen to their songs when I was little, and although one of their music videos appeared on MTV, one of my favorite songs of theirs was a wacky tune called "Martian Woman," about an alien lady who comes to Earth and has trouble fitting in. It's so delightfully weird, and (because I learned from the best) my mom used to dress up in iridescent green outfits when she'd perform it. It was too hot to wear her jacket from those days in these photos, but I'm carrying it in one of these photos as an homage. Her outfit looked a little like what "Donna" is wearing in my brooch!

I decided to go for an 80s-does-50s vibe with this outfit: classic black and white with pops of pink. I've been on the hunt for more basics lately, because I don't have a ton of them in my wardrobe and they're realistically more versatile than my loud prints. This Vivien skirt from Unique Vintage is a great piece for almost anything. It doesn't require a petticoat, and I can easily throw it on and go if I need to look put-together in a hurry. I had initially planned to take these photos in front of one of the few murals I've found in Rochester... but between terrible lighting and a heckling from a bunch of d-bags, those plans went awry.  It's always a bit of a bummer when a plan for a post doesn't quite pan out, but at least I'm finding new places to take photos (and I'm closer to most of them now that I live in the city)!

Outfit Details

Striped top: c/o Unique Vintage

Black Vivien Swing Skirt: c/o Unique Vintage

Deep Space Donna brooch: c/o Erstwilder

Kate Spade flats: 6pm (on sale!)

Hair scarf: Amazon

"I've made such a long trip in my shiny new ship
Just wait 'til you see how much fun it can be
With a martian woman!"

Favorite Labor Day deals and discounts!

Happy almost Labor Day! I spent the better part of last week feeling pretty crummy, so I didn't get around to putting together a Friday Favorites post. But because Labor Day weekend has some great discounts, I wanted to make sure that you didn't miss the chance to get a great deal. Here's some of what I'd love to get this weekend, and how you can take advantage of these Labor Day deals:

Pinup Girl Clothing: 25% off – promo code: cclabor25

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

Betsey Johnson: 35% off + free shipping – promo code: LDW

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

ModCloth: up-to-50%-off sale (select items only) – no code needed

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

Ankit: $15 off orders $50+/$35 off orders $100 + free shipping – promo code: ANKIT15 or ANKIT35

1   ||   2   ||   3   ||   4   ||   5

Unique Vintage: 20% off site-wide (exclusions apply) – promo code: LABORDAY

a   ||   b   ||   c   ||   d   ||   e

Have a great holiday & happy shopping!

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!

Celebration

Although this print is ideal for ringing in the New Year (in fact, I wore the other colorway of this dress in my last NYE post), I decided to put it on the other day – just because. For me, fashion itself is a celebration, and it brings me so much daily joy that I'm able to express my creativity and my personality through my personal style. I've also made so much progress in my life lately that this dress felt appropriate; I feel like this is a new beginning for me, and that I've finally started to transition into adulthood. I just feel really happy about where I am in this moment. And speaking of "where I am," below is another little sneak peek at my apartment! It's still not ready to show you all yet, but you can take a glimpse into the living room... and this gate outside is part of my driveway! My little place has so much character, and I feel so content here.

On that note, I think I can finally share my Exciting Life Update. So here it is: I left my customer service job, and ended up finding a position with another company... and I'm ecstatic to say that I'm now a full-time writer!! Basically, I'm writing content for articles and blog posts for a company that specializes in marketing solutions. It's such interesting work, the office is right near my apartment, and I'll eventually be able to work from home when I want. Although it's a totally new venture for me, I'm so happy to be writing all day long, and I'm already learning a lot. This is much closer to what I had in mind for myself, and the opportunity came along at the perfect time (thanks to a friend from high school, who also works as a writer there). I don't want to jinx it, but things do seem to be falling into place: in addition to my new job and my lovely apartment, my best friend just received a long-awaited kidney transplant and will be back home soon! And I also have an important guy back in my life. I know I don't consistently share a ton of personal stuff here (for numerous reasons), but I have to say that I'm feeling really good these days. Also, between all of that and Stranger Things and RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars Season 2, there's a lot of stuff to celebrate. :)

Outfit Details

Bernie Dexter New Year's Eve Paris Dress: Zulily

Belt: from another dress

Flats: Amazon

That's all for now! What are you celebrating lately? 

Wonderland

Oh, how I've been waiting to get to this post! I had been planning for these photos for quite some time, and all of the elements finally came together for me to take them. When I found out the sky blue Jenny dress was coming back at Pinup Girl Clothing, I knew I wanted to showcase it in an Alice-inspired post. I thought that the grounds at the George Eastman Museum (which I visited before in this post) would be an idyllic setting, and after a delicious breakfast at The Mad Hatter (you know I love a good themed outing!), we headed over to the gardens.

The Mad Hatter also serves high tea on Saturdays, and their menu looks incredible! It's a definite on my to-do list.

When I was looking for accessories to go with this dress, I came across the most perfect book brooch from Tangerine Menagerie. The little details on Julia's work are absolutely incredible (look at the little "A" and adorable White Rabbit!), and this brooch is so well-made and was clearly produced with a lot of care and love. I feel pleased as punch that I was finally able to add one of her beautiful pieces to my pin collection. Her brooches often sell out lightning-fast, so if you've got your eye on one, it's best not to dawdle! She's always adding new designs, so be sure to follow her shop!

It's not often I spend an exorbitant amount on shoes, but when you can't get a particularly special pair out of your mind, you sometimes have to bite the bullet and make a frivolous purchase. I watched for my size in these beauties like a hawk, and I ordered them as soon as they arrived. The "All in the Golden Afternoon" scene is one of my favorites from the film, and the intricacy of this design is really incredible. This post is actually good timing; although these particular heels don't seem to be available anymore, Irregular Choice just released a second Alice in Wonderland range with some really adorable pairs of shoes – including another version of the ones I'm wearing in ballet flat form! You can see the full second installment of this delightful Disney collection here.

Outfit Details

Jenny Dress in Sky Blue: Pinup Girl Clothing

Alice in Wonderland book brooch: c/o Tangerine Menagerie

Flowers Can't Talk Heels: Irregular Choice (similar here)

Belt: available here  ||  Petticoat: available here

Have a "wonder"-ful start to your week! ;)

Ladybug

One thing about being a fashion blogger is that it can be really tough to silence the little voice in my head that tempts me to buy all the things. I tend to get excited about wearing or reviewing freshly acquired pieces here, and sometimes I get carried away. I have to admit that I do enjoy showing off my new purchases, and I don't especially like repeating myself, probably out of fear of boring my readers. That's silly, I know. I've always tried to be better at remixing the items in my closet, and rationally, I know that showcasing that would probably make me seem more authentic and relatable (ah, blogger buzzwords!). And although I've definitely cut down on how much I spend on my clothes, there's still that compulsive urge that eggs me on, and tells me that I need that new dress...

The closet in my new apartment actually collapsed over the weekend (sob!), and it got me thinking even more about something that's crossed my mind lately: I really need to get a handle on the emotional attachment I have to my clothes. Fashion is incredibly personal, and there's a reason why I feel so connected to the clothes I wear: namely, they serve as my creative outlet and bring me infinite amounts of joy. But I definitely need to practice letting go of the things that don't instantly provide those things for me. Letting go is hard. I have difficulty with it in most aspects of my life, to be honest. I'm a pack rat, and it's hard for me to get rid of things if I think I might use or need them one day, or if I'm afraid I might miss them. But enough is enough. I've been facing some of my fears this summer, and frankly, it's been the season of Getting Shit Done. So it's definitely time to clear out what I truly don't need, and keep only the pieces around that make me without-a-doubt happy. Once I go through everything, I'll be listing a TON of pieces in my Shop My Closet store, so keep your eyes peeled.

Neither of these pieces is super new, but I've never worn the top here before. It's still available at PUG, but I bought it second-hand in a Facebook group because I can't resist the vamp tops (I have most of the colorways at this point). I've worn this skirt on the blog before, though – it's the Retroversible skirt by Julie Mollo. She's having a huge sale at the moment, and I have to stop myself from getting the lavender/gingham one (remember, Sammi: you don't even have a functional closet right now!!!). I honestly just wanted to dress like a ladybug when I took these photos. So I did. No matter how many articles of clothing I may or may not have, I always want to have fun with fashion. :)

Outfit Details

Retroversible Circle Skirt: c/o Julie Mollo

Vamp Top: available at Pinup Girl Clothing

Melissa wedges: similar

Belt: from another dress

Necklace: similar

Have a wonderful Wednesday! Oh, and by the way: the winner of my giveaway with Le Bomb Shop has been chosen! Congratulations to Ruby and a big thank you to everyone who entered!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lilac Atomic

Trashy Diva may have just released their new Psychadelic Ferns collection, but I'm just getting around to styling my acquisition from their Lilac Atomic range! As soon as this Debbie style dropped, I knew I had to grab one for myself; from the beautiful periwinkle background, abstract atomic print and the ruffled bust, it just called out to me. Since I missed out on getting the similarly styled seersucker version in my size (side note: if you have the "Apple Tart" dress in size 10 you're looking to get rid of, let me know), I didn't want to wait on this beauty!

I decided to go explore an arboretum out by my parents' house (which I didn't even know existed!) for these photos. Since I don't have super-easy access to my parents' backyard anymore, I'm having a lot of fun finding new locations. I'm branching out of my comfort zone quite a bit lately, and I have to remind myself to take time to appreciate that. I'll be delving more into another change in my life (fyi, I'm not engaged or pregnant, don't worry) very soon, but I'm keeping it mostly under wraps for now. Suffice it to say, it's exciting and I feel very optimistic about what the future holds.

Outfit Details

Debbie Dress in Lilac Atomic: Trashy Diva

Opal necklace: similar

Bettie Page heels: Amazon

Have a great Monday!