What I Wore: The Modern Vintage Edition

You're all a smart bunch of people, I'm sure it hasn't escaped you by now that I love vintage and retro style and even sell my own finds on Etsy. Well, when the Internet first starting being a huge shopping hub (wow, that sentence makes me feel ancient even though this was probably only 10 years ago or so), it opened up a whole new world of vintage possibilities! I spent so much time searching online for the perfect 40s style dresses and rockabilly handbags. It was a sickness. Still is, I guess. However, back in those days, your options for true vintage and vintage reproduction were limited and pricey. I would drool over styles from Stop Staring! hoping that I could one day afford something from their collection. And I still do.

Of course, now the Internet has made it easier than ever to find vintage reproduction styles for any price range. It's really nuts how easy it is and I find a new favorite site every day. The dress below is from a store in the UK called Voodoo Vixen that I just discovered a few months ago!

What I Wore: Sheer Vintage Dresses Edition

Oh some days it feels like spring will never come. We'll get one nice day accompanied by three chilly ones. I'm starting to give up hope here. But, it just means that I try to take advantage of the nice days when we have them, like this past weekend. It was the perfect day to test drive this little vintage number. This lilac vintage dress is one of my favorite finds, but it's super sheer so it really only works on warm days. But when it does work, oh it works.

What I Wore: The Winter Wonderland Edition

We've had quite a few inches of snow here in Chicago the last few weeks. Meaning that I've hardly been away from my Dr. Martens and fleece lined leggings at all and while I do adore both of those things, sometimes you do start to hate wearing the same shoes every single day. This is why I own like 40 pairs of shoes - I like variety. Winter does not like variety. It's cold and bleak and snowy pretty much the whole time, meaning there is no place for tights or heels or anything cute unless you want to freeze and you like having everyone look at you like you're a maniac.

What I Wore: The 60s Shift Edition

Ah, estate sale shopping. That is the life. If my day job could be hunting for gems at estate sales, I'd be one happy camper. Unfortunately, it's just a hobby for now, but when you hit a jackpot it's oh-so-satisfying! I stumbled across a gorgeous collection that belonged to a little stylish lady who travled a lot in her lifetime with her husband. The collection of souvenir plates in their home was out of this world. But, naturally, I gravitated towards the closets and I was not disappointed. This little number is definitely one of my favorites that I picked up recently. So simple, yet so eye catching with it's delicately detailed collar and sleeves.

What I Wore: The Winter Has Arrived Edition

Yep. This is not a false alarm. It's here people. Winter has arrived already and it freaking sucks, already. Can you believe it? Well, actually if you're a born and bread midwesterner like myself, then yes. You can believe it and you think it's silly that I'm even talking about it, but I'll talk about what I damn well please and I hate the cold, dammit! 

Anyway, the point of this post isn't to bitch about the cold, it's to bitch about dressing for the cold. Does anyone else go into a panic when the temp drops below 40? It's like I forget how this works and start putting together some really odd combinations. Anything to stay warm, you know? One thing that is definitely essential is a good winter coat. If you can find one that's cute on top of good, you better buy 10 of them. After several years of attempting to look fashionable in the cold, I just gave up and decided that I need a large collection of warm coats and I'm always on the lookout for a good buy. When it's 20 degrees outside, your best bet at fashion is 2 chunky sweaters, a cute coat, a colorful scarf, and a big hat...under your hood, of course.

What I Wore: The Flasher Edition

I'm not one of those girls that's "secretly" excited that fall is here. Fall in Chicago isn't really anything to get excited about for too long. However, I do love dressing for fall. I always have so many outfit ideas for fall. I think it's the season where I'm most capable of looking the most put together with the smallest effort. Dress, tights, and an open sweater? No problem. I do feel like I can get into a little bit of a uniform though, so this year I'm trying to break it up with a few new fall outfits. Step 1: new fall coats. 

What I Wore: The Missing Paris Edition

As much as I wish that this post was set in Paris, I completely forgot my camera remote when I went on vacation, so I wasn't able to grab any outfit photos for the blog on the streets of Paris (my life is ruined). I'll just have to settle for a dress from Paris on my regular old back porch in Chicago. I think even if I had brought my remote, I would have been too nervous to take pictures of myself on the busy streets of Paris. Oh, well.

What I Wore: The Vintage Office Wear Edition

There is something about this style of dress that always makes me think, "70s secretary". Why, I have no idea, but it does. Always. Maybe I watched too many episodes of Charlie's Angels growing up or maybe I'm just crazy. Either way, I love the style of this dress. Every time I find one, I have to pick it up. There are actually a couple more in a similar style hanging out in the Etsy store right now. I know that's really biased of me to do and I should stop, but I can't! I love the way this vintage cut looks on me, so I keep buying them - whether they fit me or not. It's a sickness. I have a buying sickness.

What I Wore: The Time Travel Edition

I've been obsessed with 70s style all summer. I don't know why or where this love of all things 70s-biker-chic came from, but I'm into it. So into it, in fact, that all I can do is daydream about moving to California and riding on the back of a motorcycle over winding trails. I better re-watch Sons of Anarchy or something.

Anyway, that's where today's outfit inspiration is stemming from. Ever since I started this weird, retro 70s obsession, I've been hunting for a pair of high-waisted, tight, bell bottom jeans. They were surprisingly hard to find. Or maybe not so surprisingly, if you're a sane person, unlike me. But find them I did and my world will never been the same.

What I Wore: White Summer Dress Edition

A few weeks ago I talked about my love of summer whites, especially when you've got that sun-kissed summer glow going on. Something about that summer heat just screams a need for bright whites and bright colors, which was definitely the inspiration for today's outfit.

What I Wore: The 70s Summer Edition

Summer is here! Minus all the rain, it's been a pretty perfect start to summer. With music festivals, movies in the park, pool parties, and long days at the beach all around the corner, it's time to start finalizing that summer style. My style? 70s gypsy/biker. Does it suit me? Nope, I don't think so. Do I care? No! I'm going to make it work because I want to and that's that.

What I Wore: The Starting Over Edition

If you've been following along with the blog lately, you'll know that I've been in the throws of a big move to a new apartment (and, by consequence, missing from the blog for the last month). It's been a very weird transition for me because I went from living in a trendy, busy neighborhood to a really residential part of Chicago. It's definitely been a change of pace - almost like starting over with a whole new life. Even though I still live in the same city, Chicago is big enough that moving across town feel like a whole different world.

What does that mean for my personal style? I definitely feel the pressure to be more laid-back an conservative around all these families, but, at the same time, I still love my crazy prints and crop tops. How can I stay true to my personal fashion without scaring my neighbors? Maybe it's not possible.

What I Wore: The Pencil Skirt Edition

There are certain things you always need in your closet. One is a dress perfect for your body type that makes you feel great. Another is a pair of jeans that works for errands or going out. And the last thing is a an office appropriate pencil skirt. I don't care what you think about your body type, a pencil skirt makes anyone look hot and classy - that's a dangerous combo. I think my collection of pencil skirts will forever be growing and changing because whether you wear it with a cardigan and heels to work or a t-shirt and boots out to a concert, it always works. Always.

I have a collection of a pencil skirts for every season, but finding a good sweater skirt can sometimes be a hassle. They point of a pencil skirt is that they are slimming and sweater ones can sometimes look bulky. However, this vintage skirt is just the right mix of sensible and adorable.

What I Wore: The Simple Things Edition

I am going to preface this post by saying that I am not an American Apparel girl. Generally, I think they are totally over-priced for basics. That being said, I spent way too much money at American Apparel the other day. Even though I know I can get most of the same stuff for way cheaper, they still suck me in some times. This was one of those times. I'm not a big "pants" person. If you follow my blog, you'll see that I mostly wear dresses and tights or leggings. This isn't because I think they look better on the blog, it's because I hate pants! They're constricting. What's the point when I can be in tights all day? However, I do have an unfortunate affinity for mom jeans. I think it's my irrational fear of the muffin top. Anyway, they don't make a lot of mom jeans that make me feel like I'm working it. The American Apparel Easy Jean is one of those.

What I Wore: The Thrifted Sweaters Edition

I know I talk about this every week, but I am so tired of winter. More sickened by it than I have ever been. There was a glimmer of hope with some 40 degree days and then it snowed and the temp dropped again. I'm moving. Enough of this.

Anyway, due to the never ending Siberian weather, I thought I'd talk about my sweater collection. It's gotten a little out of hand. I could probably wear a different sweater every day for a month - unless we're counting cardigans, then make that three. How did I amass such an insane collection, you ask? Easy. Thrifting. One thing I've become great at finding in a sea of ugly 80s sweaters is the 1-2 good ones. 

I buy them too, of course, but when your wardrobe consists of fleece leggings, a skirt, a sweater, and Doc Martins for 5 months out of the year, it can become expensive. So I thrift!

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 Winter Brights Edition

It's snowing as I write this, so I feel confident in saying that winter is not going anywhere any time soon. And I am SICK of it! Winter has taken my closet hostage and I want my damn shoes back most of all! In Chicago, temps have not gotten above 30 degrees in a few weeks, with all of last week hovering around the 10s. As you can understand, that means snow boots and ALL OF THE LAYERS! That doesn't mean I haven't been trying, but it does mean that when I try it stays covered by sweaters and jackets. Even this shoot was challenging.

To break free from my back-to-black wardrobe, I wanted to start adding colors back to winter and knew this purse was the perfect fit! 

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 Winter Coats Edition

The weather outside being frightful is an understatement. It's a nightmare out here in the big, windy city right now. If it wasn't so bitterly cold, I could have maybe enjoyed the first snow over this past weekend. I did, however, try to make the most of it for today outfit shoot!

What I Wore: The Vintage Holiday Sweater Edition

Well, shit. It's December already, huh? Here I am, once again, not prepared for any sort of holiday season. I thought that I would get the apartment decorated this week, have started my holiday shopping by now, and have ideas for what I was getting everyone on my list. Planning is so much easier than executing. #amirite If you're ahead of me at the point, you go guuurrrl! You deserve some sort of expert-holiday-wrangler award or something.

The only thing I have been able to get on top of is planning holiday party outfits - never mind that I have no holiday parties to attend yet.