Dark Paradise

How ludicrously charming is this lil ensemble?  The dress with its little print and cute sleeve buttons...the Audrey kitten heels...the lace gloves...the back-seamed pantyhose...

I've worn this dress before, but this is the first time I had a crinoline to go under it.  I never even realized how incomplete this dress was without a crinoline!  Holy moley! 

The cuteness factor was raised by, like, a billion percent.

And I'm really feelin' it in these pics...Can you tell?  :)

Found a new place to take pictures: I can balance my phone on my nightstand and stand in front of my BLUE wall. 
Just a little bit blue, right?  haha Yeah, this crazy color is actually in my apartment.  For now, it's confined to just one wall of my bedroom, but I have a sneaking suspicion this happy color just might overflow onto the rest of my bedroom's walls soon...

Freezin' for a Reason

It's been below zero up here in Wisconsin...but I sucked it up and took some outfit photos.  I also went to the outdoor mall this day, but I think that goes beyond "sucking it up" into crazy person territory.  Oh well...I don't think my insanity is a secret anymore. if it ever was.  ;)

This post features my [thrifted, of course] plaid Burberry bag.  And I thrifted the scarf to match it.  I used to hate wearing black and brown together, but the Burberry plaid makes it sooo easy; it bridges the gap so well!

Loooove this bag...Looooove Goodwill.  :) 
Why do people get rid of this beautiful stuff?  Oh well; lucky for me!

Scarf: thrifted || Sweater: Express || Tee: J. Crew || Jeans: Wal*Mart || Boots: thrifted || Headband: Bangles and Bags || Bag: thrifted (Burberry of London!!!)

I'll leave you with some inspiration: the song I heard recently that got me hooked on Florence and the Machine: "Cosmic Love."

Brocade Babe

I've always loved brocade...It's so luxe and elegant...always makes me think medieval.  The medieval period has always been my favorite imagination playground. 

This dress is a little big (and by "a little'" I mean...about 4 sizes), but it's so pretty, I had to have it when I found it at the thrift store!!!  :)  And I was determined to find a flattering way to style it.

Instead of heels, I rocked some fancy flats with this outfit.  I wanted to add a bit of hipster quirk to the look.

Dress: thrifted || Sweater: Express || Tights: Wal*Mart || Shoes: thrifted

Found this lovely lady at the thrift store, too...

Wanted to show you all the whole dress, even though it's huge.

 

Christmas Eve (Subtitled: Holly Jolly Dotty Hottie)

Had too much fun editing my photos...again...and wearing a flouncy outfit...again...

Wore this outfit on Christmas Eve.  :) 
I had to hide it under a robe while I sang with church choir, but at least my festive shoes peeked out from under the hem!  (I took the hat off for church, of course...as much as that hurt my heart!  I found this hat last month at the thrift store, and knew immediately that it was meant for wear on Christmas!  Isn't it magical?)

I save this Louis Vuitton bag I thrifted for special occasions.  It's in pristine condition, and I'd like to keep it that way.  I think it's vintage...isn't it beautiful?
I also broke out the Armani perfume my hubby gave me for my birthday, so I felt like a cloud of special followed me everywhere.  ;)

How about them tights?  And do you like my polka-dot dress?  It was a gift from my grandma years ago.  My first "real" nice dress.  I had felt terribly underdressed at a wedding, and confided to my grandma in the ladies' room that night.  Two weeks later, she showed up at my door and proclaimed that no granddaughter of hers should ever have to go through that and whisked me to the mall.  :)  My grandma is precious.

Anyways, my loves, stay tuned for more Christmas outfits!  Not quite 12 days of Christmas, but I had 3 days of Christmas this year!  3 days of my favorite holiday...Marvelous!

Chapeau: Goodwill || Dress: White House | Black Market || Belt: thrifted with a diff. dress || Gloves: gift || Tights: thrifted || Shoes: Target || Bag: thrifted VINTAGE LOUIS VUITTON || Earrings: Bangles and Bags

 



Preppy Gal

Here's a sticky-sweet prepster look for you all, my darling readers!  :) 

Like the photos?  My mama took them at Subway over lunch today hahaha... I'm so fancy.  -_-;;;

I do love this look though...I feel prettyyyyy, oh so prettyyyyy.  :D  My new (to me) floral embroidered carpet bag is magical!  Especially for around the holiday season; it holds SO MUCH STUFF while still being utterly adorable (and a semi-fad right now.  BONUS.).  I've been shopping and shopping and shopping lately...mostly for gifts for others, but I do give in to the [more-than-] occasional selfish purchase-whim.  *sigh*  I'm just a girl, after all. 
I've had a blast with this holiday season: writing and mailing cards, running to the thrift store for decorations, visiting the new Penzey's (spices and seasonings) shop downtown (ohhh the wonderful smells), shovelling snow (which we finally got!!!), singing at church and at concerts...it's all so quaint and lovely and gives me a legit warm, fuzzy feeling inside. 
I love Christmas time...it's so...I dunno...SPARKLY, I guess.

Headband: old || Pearls: gift || Rose Pendant: thrifted || Sweater: GAP || Tunic: H&M || Leggings: old || Boots: old || Bag: thrifted

 THANK YOU for reading! 

Sorry for so few pictures today, but just wait until Christmas Eve!!!  I have the cutest lil outfit planned...red, black, white and polka dots. with a hat, of course.  ;)  a fabulous "Sunday-go-to-meetin'" hat. 

HOPE YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS SEASON AS MUCH AS I AM! 

Eeeeeeee I LOVE Christmas!

What's black and white and plaid all over?

 

Sooo sometimes I wear two pairs of tights when it's cold haha...Hopefully this year I won't let Wisconsin winter pull down my style spirit!  Wrapping up in a little fur always makes a girl feel warmer, right?

And now, dear readers, I'm gonna throw out this plea again:

If you have a piece of art that you like, please tell me the name of it and its artist (you can email me or leave it in the comments below).

I want to do a series of outfits inspired by pieces of art (not where I try to look like whoever is in the painting, but where I wear an outfit in the same color pallette that attempts to evoke the same feeling).

If I choose your idea, you'll definitely get the credit for it and a link to your blog/site in my post.

There's no time constraint to this thing, either...in fact, I'll probably be re-posting this little spiel for the next few blogposts so I get as many ideas as possible, because I've always loved art, but I'm not very knowledgeable about it, so I'm looking forward to getting your input and getting exposed to new artists.

 

Scarf: thrifted || Sweater: Kohl's || Belt: Express || Skirt: Charlotte Russe || Tights: old || Shoes: old || Bag: Forever 21

Pink Champagne puts a Feather in my Cap

I think we all know that I love me some glamour...

I wore this to my family's Thanksgiving party.  My hat was a big hit.  :)  Thanks for the inspiration, Anna Dello Russo!  Your fearless, fabulous example gives me the courage to put goofy things on my head, too!
I spent a long time on my makeup and used more than, like, the three products I usually use (concealer, eyeliner, & blush...woo fancy).  And I even curled my hair (I never do hair) so the hat would look its best.  I was INTO this look, people!!!

So, I've told you that my hometown offered some wonderful spots for photos...here's one right across the street from my building: the town's old train station.  They refurbished it into an office building, now, but left all its charm and a bit of the train track to boot! 
The next time I want to really pose some pictures, I'll have to find a steam machine and do some watery-eyed, retro, "farewell, lover"-type shots. heehee

I went shopping on Black Friday chiefly to get my paws on the above-pictured tennis bracelet.  I've always wanted one like that, buuut I didn't want to pay out the nose for my bling-bling.  And the sweater (that's so soft, it feels like bathing in pink champagne heaven a la Dita von Teese) was a bonus Black Friday find!

Did you have any luck on Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

Let me know in the comments! 
I hope to see your finds featured on your blog, soon...

 

Hat: Forever 21 || Sweater: Shopko || Skirt: Charlotte Russe || Tights: ? || Shoes: Payless || Tennis Bracelet & Cholker: Shopko || Bangle Bracelet & Ring: gift