What I Wore: The Wishful Thinking Edition

If you build it, they will come, right? That's how the world works? Following that logic, if I build my spring wardrobe now, spring will come! Soon. Please, dear holy everything, make it soon. We had one week here in Chicago that felt kind of like spring, close enough anyway. So I tried to take advantage of it and pull out some spring gear. Today, it's back down to the tens. As in, we have a high of 10 degrees today. Woo hoo! I'm going to savor this photo shoot and think of better days. Anyway, this is the kickstart of my spring wardrobe! (I can't promise it won't be back to winter next week)

What I Wore: The Bomb Girls Edition

It's been freezing in Chicago. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a big baby when it comes to the cold, it's literally been dangerous to set foot outside for the second time this month. As you can imagine, taking outfit photos or wearing anything that doesn't make me look like the Queen of the Bag Ladies has been next to impossible. I am sick of it. I've even been wearing pants. PANTS! What is the world coming to?

The never-ending polar vortex has forced me to discover new shows on Netflix as well, because, well, what else am I going to do? After I finished all the seasons of MadMen (yes, I'm incredibly behind on tv), I had the urge to keep watching a period television series. That's where Bomb Girls comes in. The show follows a group of women working in a munitions factory in 1942 Canada and aside from the drama, the outfits are to die for. These 1940s style dresses have seriously re-newed my love of all things vintage.

What I Wore: The Lady in Red Edition

Let me tell you, there is nothing better for the confidence than a little rouge. I am dead serious about this. Feeling blah and don't want to put any effort into your outfit today? Throw on jeans, a sweater, and some red lipstick and you'll see. It really is that easy. I know the color on this 40s style vintage dress is one of the reasons it's totally an instant confidence booster!

Tuesday Love: Gatsby Me

My general sentiment about this collection that I found at Dear Creatures is as follows: squeeeee! The dresses are adorable and they styled them for the shoot in such a winning 30s-40s fashion to make even these modern dresses have the perfect touch of vintage to them. I love the model's hairstyle so much and I want every dress in this collection. And as much as I hate the term "modern vintage" (what does that mean?!!? How can something be modern and vintage?), this would be the closest thing to me accepting something as modern vintage. Of course, a lot of it has to do with the style as a whole. You can easily take these dresses and make them more modern, but I love the vibe of the shoot. And the shoes are to die for, but you know, women love shoes and all that. The cute short dresses make me think of this Great Gatsby shoot I found a while back. Maybe I'm just loving 20s, 30s, 40s style right now since I've had a 50s and 60s overload. The housewife look is over done for my tastes.

source

Vintage Love: 40s Style Dresses

I don't know what it was, maybe the Depression, maybe wartime, maybe coming off of the roaring 20s, but dresses from the late 30s into the early 40s were these pretty, structured, dainty pieces that flattered every figure. They almost always had collars and pretty little sleeves that were often three quarter length. They weren't quite the full skirt, ornate piece of the 50s, they were simpler than that, but just as pretty and perfect for the every day girl. It was the 40s that coined the shirt dress - a look that drags me to it like flies to honey.

via VTGSewingPatterns on Etsy

Vintage Love: Baubles and Jewels

I love jewelry. It's one aspect of my outfits that I can never omit because I think that accessories really are the topping on the cake. Jewelry, shoes, etc. can make or break an outfit, so I have an absurd collection of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. And especially since it's trendy to wear tons of these at once, it just gave me an excuse to collect even more. Most of mine is pretty cheap and costume-y, but that doesn't matter to me (as long as it doesn't turn my neck green). Long story short, I love jewelry and I feel naked if I leave the house without it.

Now, I collect a lot of vintage clothes and accessories both for myself and the shop and a lot of times things that I pick up for the shop end up living in my closet (sorry guys!). Jewelry though is something I have never been good at picking up at estate sales or thrift stores, so I really admire vintage Etsy sellers that have a large collection of vintage jewelry. Clothes is one thing, there's almost always a tag to help you figure out what era a piece is from, but with jewelry it's such a crap shoot. I'd love to expand my collection, but I hate putting things in the store that I can't date. So anyway, today I pulled together a collection of vintage jewelry pieces that I though were really awesome and definitely amazing finds. I'm jealous of every last one of these. Anyone know where to find cool vintage jewelry in Chicago?

'Retro Baubles and Jewels' by StrangerThanVintage

Vintage Natasha Stambouli Go... ATestOfTime $55.00	Vintage Necklace Purple Glas... boylerpf $35.00	Vintage Southwestern Tiger&#... antiquario $115.00	Vintage Floral Brooch - Milk... PinkAstilbe $12.00
Lily // Vintage Molded Glass... FunWithVintage $65.00	Vintage Sterling Silver and ... VisforVintageO... $175.00	Sterling Silver Enamel Pheas... Elsewind $95.00	50% SALE - KJL Frog Earrings... BentenDesign $75.00
Vintage Turquoise, Coral, an... VisforVintageO... $95.00	Rhinestone Earrings Couture ... EmbellishgirlV... $450.00	TAKAHASHI BLUEBIRD Brooch H... Cleoras $175.00	80s Dark Purple Square Earri... StrangerThanVi... $5.50
Lovely Deco Pink Star Sapphi... acrazeelady $120.00	Vintage BEAUJEWELS Rhineston... RaeOfLight $9.95	Vintage Gay Boyer 4 Strand G... CherryOrchardA... $65.00	LARGE 14kt Carved Shell Came... vintagebitsbli... $595.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Do you ever buy vintage jewelry? What's your favorite type of jewelry to wear?

Photo Friday: Stanley Kubrick's New York - 1940s Photography

For most of us, when we hear the name Stanley Kubrick our minds go straight to movie titles, not iconic photography. When I hear Stanley Kubrick, I will forever think of A Clockwork Orange and those chilling suspender clad gangsters. However, I was pleased to find these photographs that Kubrick took in the 1940s in New York. Mostly because I love vintage photographs and movies since they're the closest thing to traveling back in time I'll ever get. The fact that they're the work of a director that I'm a fan of, just makes me more likely to love them. Which I do. Who knew Kubrick hung out with so many showgirls?

Anyway these kind of vintage photographs make me happy. Even though times were probably not easier, they at least seemed simpler, which is something I feel we might never get back. So enjoy these old black and whites of showgirls and circus performers!

Have a great weekend!