I can't get over this shape...

...the wiggle with the arm-slenderizing sleeves. Not to mention this pattern. What a pattern. 

Forget that drab brown belt, however. Match this lady with a pair of dark red heels and a belt to match. 

I need some dots in my life.

Polka dots are always in, right? Here's to hoping. I'm feeling inspired by these lively numbers. 

Dress shown above - $42 @ Bloombird

Totally work appropriate and adorable. If only my waist were miniature. 

$14 @ A Glass Jar

I want to steal this whole look. How simple and stylish is this dotted blouse?

$20 @ Recycling History

I think my mom had this shirt when I was 12 and I think I wish she hadn't tossed it.

$24 (Canadian) @ Honey Moon Muse

This dress should belong to a lady with curves. Navy is a great color to dot because it tones down the spunk of the polka.

$55 (Canadian) at Tarantula Sisters 

Go dot your closet. You won't regret it.

Rain, rain don't go away...

Happy Earth Day! It is raining in New York today and I'm more than a little bit pleased about it. You see I just planted my veggie garden behind our apartment building and I'm sure my little snap pea seeds are just loving the shower. 

The only problem is that of footwear. I'm headed to the city for a must-look decent screening of One Day on Earth and I've simply got no appropriate rain-proof shoes to wear. 

I only wish I had a pair of these green vintage rain boots stashed in my closet. Then I'd be all set. Happy Earth Day all. 

Things I wish I had today...

Last night I was dreaming of Brimfield. It is less than a month away and I'm already thinking up fun things that I'll find there. So today, to bide my time before the big weekend in May, I'll just dream of things on Etsy and hope that their cute cousins will find me at the greatest of all antique fairs when I step into its grasp.  (photo #1, gorgeous gilded mirror - $40 @ Davey's Vintage)

Every girl needs some every day earrings and this girl has none. These hand-carved mother of pearl earrings would go with just about everything. $40 @ Mae Clara Vintage

Wiggle dresses! I'm in love with wiggle dresses. I want them all. Especially this one. 

$44 @ Atherton's Vintage

This is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen. Period. $69 @Violet's Emporium.

So there's what I'm swooning over. Le sigh. 

Things you don't think about.

Things I didn't think about that I now realize I need: nice belts. 

A nice belt really holds together an outfit and I find myself with a dearth of them (at least work-appropriate belts, I've got a stash of cowboy buckles that I adore). Vintage belts are so inexpensive and so fun (the one above is just $6!) where new fun belts are so expensive and therefore take away a lot of the fun by scraping the depths of your wallet. 

So go vintage belt shopping on Etsy today. I am eyeing the one above and this turquoise beauty. 

Got drawer pulls?

My dresser is still pull-less. Why are there only two of these? I need SIX. 

Old Gold: APC's Seventies Schoolgirl vs. Etsy

Phfew. I'm back. Nice to see you, I've heard you feared I'd left. I haven't and I'm here to tell you that the Old Gold ideas are running rampant in my head now that I've got this whole "get dressed and go to the office" thing going on (it's going well btw).


Today I'll take you on a tour of a brand stealing an entire generation's wardrobe for their Fall Winter 2012 Ready to Wear collection. The brand is APC and the generation is the ever-sexy and chic school girls of the sixties. My mom had that look, your mom had that look, the moms of the designers at APC had that look and it's being stolen right out of the pages of Seventeen magazine and the backstage queue at a Beatles concert. So let's take this lovely red woolen dress and see if we can't find a vintage match for this saucy, yet buttoned up vision. 


Before I move on, let's point out that this silhouette looks good on only a small percentage of woman. You must be very slim, very sexy and without a bosom. Otherwise, ladies, you need a waistband to show the world that you've got some womanhood under all that fabric (if you don't point it out it will rear its head in all the wrong places). Thus, I will choose some Old Gold examples that offer any lady, of any shape a touch of an hourglass figure (something that went out of vogue oh so quickly in the early 1907's) while keeping this cherry red idea in mind. 

And with a lovely detail to match. Here's our silhouette, with red wool and gold nautically inspired buttons. I love a good button detail. Now, I couldn't wear this dress -- I've got to many curves to make it work -- but it is adorable none the less and has the sass and class of the APC look. 

$65 @ Persephone Vintage

I would wear this in a heartbeat. It has all of the styling details of the APC look but with the added bonus of a waist enhancing belt. How cute are the flared sleeves? This dress could easily be found on the racks at a modern department store as well as in your mom's high school yearbook pictures.

$45 @ Hakther

I'm straying a little here but I know some ladies like to wear their dresses snug. This wiggle dress has a hint of a collar like the APC garment, pulls out that 60's school girl card with the dainty pattern detailing and has the cherry red flare to match. 

$64 @ Off Beat Vintage

Oh dear, I love this too much. How classic is this dress? What else is there to say? 

$180 @ GlamAmor

And now that Mad Men is back and tearing into the era we're now talking about, how could I get through this Old Gold without giving a shout-out to Joan. Can't you see her in this? It is so New York in the 60's doing Parisian chic. I adore it. 

$165 @ Created and Collected

So there you have it. More and more brands are looking into the past pages of fashion magazines to make your modern clothing buying experience feel like eras gone past. So, why not just go back to those eras? Forget modern Twiggy, just buy what Twiggy would have bought. With APC dresses running from $250-$350 why not get one of these lovely pieces for a fraction of the price and not an ounce of poorer quality.