Here's lookin at me kid

Wardrobe Wednesday

Nothing beats the warmth of a cozy scarf on a chilly day.  But really, I'm not much of an accessorize-with-scarves kinda girl.  I bought this ruffled yellow and brown striped scarf at Lenny & Me in Chicago (one of my favorite vintage clothing shops) last year, but it looked so wimpy and sad each time I attempted to work it into an outfit.  So I haven't worn it since.  Then, it dawned on me.  Pair it with another scarf!  So I did.  And here we have it.  Layered scarves.

I found this early 90s floral denim shift dress at The Salvation Army last week.  I put a yellow belt on, only because I wanted my scarf to make more sense.  But to be honest, after I took these pictures, I decided I liked the dress better without a belt cinching it.  Sometimes baggy and comfy is just the way to go. (I guess I kind of preach that a lot here, don't I?)

I live a block away from a park called Dogwood Park, and there are so many lovely trees to shield you from the neighborhood beyond.  Not that my neighborhood isn't cute.  It's a lovely little 1920s bungalow, 4-square house, and gambrel Dutch Colonial kind of neighborhood right next to the historic Hoover Company.  But the park is so lovely for photos.

Phil has been taking most of my wardrobe pictures lately.  I know a lot of you ask if I use a tripod.  The answer is, sometimes yes.  Last week's photos were taken with my tripod.  But usually the park pictures are taken by Phil.  He has gotten quite good with the camera!  Although, usually I take a photo first, show him the screen, and say "Take it like this, only put me there..." and point to where I will be standing.  He's a good study.  And it saves me a lot of time running to a fro while the self timer ticks away impatiently.

Just a little reminder, if you haven't commented on Tiffany's ring giveaway, be sure to do so!  It's a lovely giveaway, and I will be randomly choosing a winner this evening.

Vintage accessories

I'm already getting into the holiday mood, kids! (Don't hurt me, I'm terribly festive and this is my favorite time of the year!).  Of course, Christmas music must wait until the day after Thanksgiving, but I've already started to pull together little baubles and bits for my holiday accessories.

I found these green thigh highs at an antique shop, still in their original packaging.  Brooches are a new love of mine, and I love this little deco era dear.  Obviously, I have a new thing for bow ties.  So the bow tie brooch was a no brainer, and the real bow tie is a clip on.

I'm also super excited for this lace collar, and I think I'm going to use it as a template to make additional collars.  Perhaps a tutorial is in order?  I haven't done one of those in a while....

New at Half Caf

You can find new things in the shop, perfect frocks for a nice transition between holidays.  I absolutely adore the peter pan collars and bows.  Find them here.

 

Guest Blogging

Today I'm honored to be guest blogging at Smile and Wave, the inspiring blog of Mrs. Rachel Denbow. Come on over for one my favorite posts I've ever written. 7 Rules for the thrifting maven, plus loads of eye candy. See you there!

Wardrobe Wednesday

I remember after fashion week last Spring, everyone was freaking out about the return of shoulder pads.  And I'm quite aware 99% of America is not ready for it.  I'm still deciding whether or not I fit into that leftover 1%....  But in the meantime, I'm still really enjoying puffed sleeves.

Puffed sleeves and circle skirts are the prettiest silhouettes of all, in my opinion.  They're kind of like shutters and fireplaces.  A modern girl doesn't really need them, it's simply the romanticism that draws us to them.  I think it harkens back to my days of Disney princess loving and Anne of Green Gables watching (which, by the way, those days are not over...). 

This circle skirt was a diy.  I found a long ankle length denim skirt such as could be seen on a 90s schoolmarm back in the day.  Then I took it home, chopped it off, and hemmed the bottom.  Now it's one of my favorites in my closet.  The jacket is part of a vintage two piece sweater set which will soon make its way into Half Caf. 

This blouse is one of my favorites from the shop.  It's been there a while, so I thought I'd take it out for a spin.  I love the buttons and the yoke neckline is adorable.  I'm kinda bummed that you can't see it in this photo, but you can check it out in the shop here.

Before I sign off, I wanted to remind everyone to leave a comment, if you haven't, on Diana's giveaway I hosted last Friday.  I'm picking a winner this evening!

Spit Spot

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend!  This Halloween was perhaps the most fun yet.  I bonfired and traipsed about Kent (which was absolutely flooded with elaborately appointed costumes and fabulous creatures) with my friends, and once again didn't shut my eyes until 6 a.m.  Halloweens here are epic.

(Phil took these photos before we went out.)

Part of the fun was that every one of the 30,000 people we passed in the streets seemed terribly excited to see me.  They would call out after me (like I was a friend from their past, which I guess I kinda was...), take pictures with me, and ask me to sing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  It was seriously fun and I felt like I was a real life character at Disney world.

When I told my brother I was going to be Mary Poppins for Halloween, he said, "Oh?  What are you going to do, just wear what you normally wear?"  And actually, the costume was created with items from my own wardrobe, save the hat, which was a straw hat found at a vintage clothing shop (that I decorated with silk flowers and pop dots).  I know I'm missing my umbrella and carpet bag, but I would have had to go out and buy them, and so I decided it would be a waste of money to buy something that would be a burden to lug around the entire night.  It's okay, because I still managed to snag a best costume trophy at one of the parties.  No joke.  There is a five inch plastic trophy sitting on my mantle right now.  Ha!

So did you dress up as anything for Halloween?  Do you have any pictures?  I'd love to see them!  I was seriously inspired by everyone's costumes that I saw- I'm already planning next year's character!

Wardrobe Wednesday

I can hardly believe how beautiful the world looks each time I step outside. I want to take hundreds of photos of every tree I see, and then keep them in a box until winter when It's miserably cold and barren. The last week has been beautifully chilly, but warm enough to keep the layers down to the minimum.

I bought this lace dress from Etsy last Spring and wore it bare legged with my hair in a pony tail. I actually haven't worn it since, but definitely had it in mind when I purchased this faux fur collar from Etsy two weeks ago. I think they make quite the happy couple. I found the bag at an antique store last week when I was searching for pieces for my Halloween costume. I think I could hide a ball of yarn and knitting needles in it should I decide to learn a new hobby this season.

I've been enjoying sweater tights and putting off wearing boots. Soon enough I'll need the warmth of boots to make wearing dresses possible. And actually, lately I've been wearing dresses almost every day. I just don't feel pretty unless I have a dress on... which is a sad situation for my cute blouses. (Must invest in some new skirts soon!)

These shoes were another Etsy purchase I made last season. It's always slightly terrifying buying vintage shoes online, as the sizes marked sometimes run small, but not always.  It's quite a gamble, but I've been pretty luck so far.

So, now that I've manage to ramble for an entire post, I am wondering... what is your go-to-source for cute skirts?  I think a purchase is in my near future...

Wardrobe Wednesday

I think I'm in for a season of lots of black paired with brown. Something that would've made me cringe in high school. But hey, it's a new day and age. Right? I will admit, this outfit stemmed from all of my black tights being dirty. But it works.

Oh, and did you hear?  Peach is the new pink. I forget where I read that. But I'm so ready for it. Even if it reminds me of the wallpaper in our dining room back in the 1980s.

Here's this week's purse. I have another one much like it that isn't patent and has an ever so slightly different shape. I found it at the thrift store, along with this blouse and these shoes. The skirt and tights are from Urban Outfitters. But, I must warn you, I thought these tights were deceptively comfortable when I first wore them, but the truth is, they are so weirdly low rise and tend to roll down as the day progresses.  Kind of weird, but I put up with it because I love the subtle pattern they add to an outfit.

Next week... perhaps a grey purse?

Wardrobe Wednesday

When you're in college, specifically for interior design, purses are really more of a nuisance than anything else. So, my purse love is quite unjustifiable, as I can't seem to fit them in my arms along with my laptop bag, bookbag, contract documents, and sometimes even my art box.

 

In the winter, my coat pockets bulge out with my cell phone, lipstick, wallet, and keys.  It's quite sad, really. So, I've made it a goal of mine to actually start carrying a purse. I'm hoping this way I will be able to keep track of my belongings... you see, I'm rather renowned in my circle of friends for my ability to abandon my wallet at a moment's (or a cocktail's) notice. This little alligator purse is this season's first attempt at breaking into my embarrassing purse collection.

 

I thought it worthwhile to note that only two items I'm wearing here are actually thrifted (the blouse and the purse). I guess I talk a lot about thrifting, so one might think that I only ever wear thrift or vintage clothes. Eh, that's mostly true. But with an 80s pinafore front shirts like this, I would feel a bit too out of date pairing it with other vintage items. So, I've paired it with a denim skirt from Anthropologie, a skinny belt from UO, super fun tights, and some modern mary janes from Dillards. 

I've noticed that I don't have a lot of pattern in my wardrobe. Since I don't have a lot of money, I invest in solids that will go well with pretty much anything. These crazy tights add a little life to my boring solids. But what would be really nice is if I found a great patterned cardigan. I've been looking everywhere and still haven't found *the one.*  I haven't lost hope...  And so the search continues indefinitely.

The Antidote to Sweat Pants

I woke up late, and all I wanted to do was sleep the day away and take back those cookies I ate the night before.  Oh, and sweat pants.  I wanted sweat pants.  But if there's one thing I've learned in the past year, sweat pants only make things worse.  So, here's my antidote.

Seriously, I don't think any sweat pants I own are more comfortable than this tent dress.  I paired it with some stretchy tights, comfy long socks, a warm but pretty scarf, and an oversized blazer I found at the thrift store last week.  And the hair?  Forget it.  I just pulled it up in a bun really quick and rushed out the door.

I made it to class on time, and after about thirty minutes in this outfit, I totally forgot that ugly feeling I had when I woke up.  In fact, I even felt put together and (dare I say?) sexy.  The point is...  A cute comfortable outfit can change a crappy morning into a productive day.  Say no to the sweat pants!  (P.S., I don't always say no to sweat pants, but let's celebrate in our moments of victories, shall we?)