Moving: Day 1

Today, Arizona, New Mexico, and into Texas. All I have to show for it is 759 miles covered and 10 blurry photographs.

Quick update

It's official, in a week I'll be moving across the country and back to New York. On such short notice, the packing has been out of control. I manage to do a lot each day, but it doesn't seem to put a dent in the amount of things I have to sort through. I've packed up fifteen boxes of books, sorted through my clothes and shoes, tagged items to donate, called movers, tried to get my car fixed, and got a haircut in just the last few days. I'm extremely excited by this move, I think it will be good for us to see family more often and to get away from the city. I think we're both happiest wandering around in the woods and lazing around in fields. That will have to wait until the summer, for now we'll have to content ourselves with making snow angels and building snow people. I'm excited for hot chocolate and warm blankets and resurrecting my vintage coat collection.

Given that this move is rather rushed, posting on this blog will be rather sporadic. Hopefully I can get some more in before I start driving back, but looking around at the state of my apartment I can't make any promises. For now, I'll just leave some photos of my new haircut. I'm in the process of growing it out and my fabulous hair stylist and friend cut it so that the layers will grow out more evenly. I absolutely love it, but then I love every style he's given me. Maybe now that I'm not cringing at the state of my hair I'll actually post more outfit photos.

Oh and on an additional note, that's a vintage embroidered shirt from the 1970s.

Television Inspiration: Swingtown

I know the television show Swingtown was on this summer, but somehow all of the last episodes got away from me. I just recently got a chance to catch up by watching it on Netflix. I know there's been a lot of debate if the show is coming back, but quite honestly it ended at a point that resolved a lot of what I was watching it for. If anyone else caught the show I was mostly interested in the romance between Roger and and Susan and that had a satisfactory conclusion with the end of the season. It would be sad not to see the hotness that is Tom Decker played by the actor Grant Show, but I could learn to live without it.

Given that Swingtown takes place in the summer of 1976, there's a lot of great fashion in each episode. Sure some of it wouldn't translate well into a modern wardrobe, well unless you wanted to look straight from the 70s, but it's still full of wrap dresses, bikinis, and gold hoop earrings. Each of the female characters has a distinctive style. Janet reads mostly like a 1960s housewife in shirt and skirt sets. This fits her more conservative personality. Susan who is trying to find herself and decide what she wants in life swings (haha!) between a lot of what I would call as mommy apparel and sexy dresses for going out to clubs. Trina Decker, the main swinging female of the show, has my favorite wardrobe. All of her outfits are sexy and manage to do so in a way that we would never term as slutty. Perhaps it's the character's confidence that manages to sexify more reserved options than we're used to seeing presently, but I think it mostly just shows that being sexy doesn't require showing a lot of skin or that showing skin doesn't have to come across in a way that seems cheap.

Below are some shots of Swingtown to inspire us all to embrace a bit of polyester and see that the 1970s had a lot to offer.

Imagined Travel: Iceland

We're still debating about where to take our honeymoon, which I suppose is alright since we haven't even set an official date for the wedding. All we know is that it's late next summer or early fall. We both love to travel and so a honeymoon where we get to travel together is extremely exciting. Since we've been together I've traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Alberta, India, China, and Tibet without him. It will be nice to actually spend some time traveling together.

One of the potential honeymoon destinations for us is Iceland. We both appreciate that it's an out of the way location, they have amazing scenery, and they're famed for their hot springs. Airline tickets were a bit pricey the last time I looked, but since the Icelandic economy recently tanked maybe it will be affordable in other ways. This outfit is inspired by my daydreams of traveling to Iceland with Jar.

Outfit consists of:

Green cotton tulip skirt by Erotokritos. Available at net-a-porter for $252.

Vintage brown leather boots by Xavier Danaud. Size 8 (runs small). Available at Archive Vintage for $298.

Brown acrylic hooded sweater. Available at Wet Seal for $22.50.

1940s 14K yellow, red, and white gold earrings. Available at the Marlene Harris Collection for $300.

Cream hammered silk blouse by Development. Available at net-a-porter for $258.75.

1980s brass purse. Available at Posh Vintage for $265.

Film Inspiration: Bus Stop

This weekend I was supposed to be working on a grant application, but feeling overwhelmed I decided to curl up with my computer and Netflix and watch a movie. The kitties and I piled into bed to catch Bus Stop (1956) starring Marilyn Monroe. The basic premise of the film can be read over at Wikipedia if you're interested. As a movie it's interesting and provides quite a few moments to think about the portrayal of women. Monroe as Cherie admits that she's been with men which the male main character comes to accept. At first this seems like an amazing achievement for 1950s film until you take into consideration that the male lead isn't really the best catch.

In terms of wardrobing, Monroe only wears a few outfits throughout the film which is unsurprising considering it barely covers two days of time. Monroe's main outfit is in the pictures above. The look is stunning on her and the belted waist and pencil skirt perfectly emphasize how small her waist was. Throughout the whole movie I kept thinking how much I loved her look. On Saturday I went shopping for the camisoles and cardigans I put on my "must buy list" and came across the perfect black pencil skirt that could have been a replica of Marilyn's. It was at TJ Maxx and was from CC Couture. They had just one so I snatched it off the rack and hurried to the fitting room to find that it was too big. Curse you shopping gods, curse you! I will not be foiled. I will keep looking and I'll let you all know what I come up with.

A Find From Every Era Friday...err Saturday: Accessories

I think there should be more accessories in my life and in yours too. I think the most successful outfits pay attention to the details. Often it's hard to keep or gather together the right accessories, you know the staple kind of accessories, but the ones I feature below are what makes the outfit. They're really the stars of the show.


1910s

This embroidered panel has attached snaps that make it perfect for attaching as a belt. Unlike most belts I wouldn't want to put any strain on it. I think it would be best paired with a dress that already has a waist seam and this could rest over the top. There's so many beautiful colors in this embroidery that could be used to go off from. I personally love the lighter blue in the bark of the trees. This silk belt is available for $35 at Woodland Farms Antiques.

1920s
I love the sage green of this silk velvet hat. What I love more is that there's concentric hearts sewn into it. It's very subtle but so endearing. This hat is perfect for a cardigan and camisole top day. The kind of day you head out and drink hot chocolate someplace cozy. In fact this would go perfectly with my new gray cardigan....hmmm...okay I'm stopping myself now, but that doesn't mean you have to. This cozy hat is at Contentment Farms for $225 and is made by Liberty & Co London.

1930s
I've recently discovered that I need to go belt shopping. I think I may be lying to myself because I have plenty of belts. I daydream about a closet with room for belt hooks or hangers. Ahhhh. In any case I had to share this bakelite belt with you. I imagine it with something on the opposite side of the color wheel like a blue or green dress or over a tunic with some heathered brown pants. This is up for sale by loveforcritters (they say the money goes to a humane society) on ebay with a start of $99.99 and a reserve.

1940s


Look how shiny this is? I wonder if you could see your reflection in it. This really shows you the amazing construction of vintage items. It has mother of pearl on both sides and inside it has the full range of primping items including a tortoiseshell comb. Even better it has a lipstick holder. Sometimes when I'm out I think I need to reapply my lipstick. Somehow my mother manages to stash lipstick in her purse with no problem. Whenever I do it, the cap comes off and suddenly everything is covered in Cranberry Crush. I must not be the alone in this right? Anyway I'd be tempted to wear this purse with an all white outfit. This purse would glow with a bit of color, but still work for a monochromatic look. This cutie is $135 from Antiques & Collectibles by Laura at Ruby Lane.

1950s

My friend Meghan over at Transletics asked me if she could wear a hat to my wedding. A hat? Northern New Yorkers don't do hats unless it's a tuque, that's Canadian for what you all call a beanie. Is that what it's called? Oh and we also do baseball hats. Meghan though is Southern and I've seen her hat shopping. Given that, I know she'd appreciate this one. It's so elegant and would look perfect at a wedding or a horse racing event or going to the store. I think we need more hats in our lives. This one is by Sea Glass Vintage on etsy for $26.

1960s

Scarves are so versatile. I've worn them wrapped around my hair, as a headband, as a belt, and worn jauntily around my neck. They're something unexpected. This one has such a great pattern to it and look at those amazing colors. Imagine using this piece as inspiration for your outfit colors. Most of these colors you wouldn't expect to place together, but they clearly work. This is perfect for fall...it is still fall correct? Back in NY there's already been reports of a first snow. Brrrr. This little scarf is only $16 at Glad Rags & Curios at Ruby Lane.

1970s

Why buy new large sunglasses that look like they're from the 1970s when you could just buy a pair from the 1970s? This pair is made by Christian Dior. I picture lounging on a beach chair in my bikini taking a nap (with plenty of sunscreen on). Or alternately they could protect me from the glare of sunlight off snow. Just sayin'. This pair can be found at Recy on etsy for $36.

1980s

A tiger print perfect sized handbag? Oh I die a little! I know I expressed my love for leopard print in general and on shoes in specific, but really I love all animal print, you know if it wasn't ever actually on an animal. This beauty is faux fur and if you look closely it has amazing clasps. I'd put this with a cute dress, probably something in a solid color so that the purse pops out the most. Seriously this purse needs to get our there in the world and it can at just $45 at The Vintage Merchant on Ruby Lane. Squeee!!!

What my wardrobe needs...

...is apparently a good washing. Over at Q's Daydream there was a discovery of a cute dress hidden in a bag in a closet. After reading the post I realized that I needed to rediscover some of my clothing items. I've been feeling down about my clothes and like I have nothing to wear, but that's not true. Most of my wonderful pieces are crammed into my hand wash only basket. Last night I sorted through the pile and washed four vintage dresses. Today it was three dresses, two tops, and a sweater. They should be dry enough by evening for me to do another round. In the process I've found my wonderful 1970s kimono inspired dress, my 1960s yellow mini dress, and my 1950s floral dress with a chartreuse bodice. I also found my thesis defense dress which is a tricky number to wash. It's that one in the bottom right corner. It's black with white vines trailing down the skirt. While I've had black dresses that have bled grey and even brown, I've never had one that bled red. Has anyone else experienced this? It's such a pain to wash because it bleeds so much that it's almost impossible to keep the white vines dye free.

Since I was on such a roll last night I decided it was time to clean out my closet. I did a huge overhaul a year ago, but clearly I was kidding myself with many of the items I kept. I'm not sure why I need a pilled sweater from high school or a skirt that I've had for six years as I attempted to find just the right shirt to go with it. I have five Target sized bags ready for the donation bin and my closet looks much more organized.

In releasing a lot of my worn-out wardrobe I discovered a problem I'm sure many of us share. There's so many articles of clothing that need a standard camisole or belt or sweater to wear with it. Without them, the outfit just doesn't really work. The problem is that I've at some point purchased all of these things, but never replaced them as they wore out. I need to go basics shopping. My list to start with includes:

Black belt
Brown belt
plain camisoles or tanks (black, red, blue...)
Black cardigan

What else should I be looking for?

Office Supplies

Today brought a job offer back east, back home. I'm extremely excited about this, but I have a lot of details to iron out in general. If I move back home I can finally buy a house and put to use all of my skills and ideas gathered from home improvement shows and magazines. As a writer the space I'd most like to decorate is my office. I've got some art skills so I actually might copy that screen since I obviously can't afford it. The nice thing about a home office is you can sit in it in your pajamas and no one needs to know. Ahhhh.

Lunch Date

I'm having lunch with my friend today. Yum nachos and salsa. Since Jar and I haven't done laundry in a bit, pickings were slim for wardrobe choices. Also unlike you ladies who are happily donning layers because it's getting cold, it's still too warm for that here. It's 75 as I'm writing this so I think it'll end up in the eighties today. Phoenix tends to be hottest not around noon but more toward 3 or 4. So here's what I'm wearing to lunch today, which if you look at the post below is what I got yesterday. It's not any major feat of wardrobe planning and is in fact rather uninspired, but I'm working with limited options here. I'm sorry for the poor picture quality, I'm still getting used to the timer and have yet again chopped off a portion of my head.


Unhappy with this lunch situation is my wonderful kitt-cat Thursday Next. We call her Doodle as a nickname and I'm sure she's not thrilled with that info being posted on the Internet. She's a rather dignified Siamese or Siamese-mix. She does have separation anxiety so me leaving for a few hours is her worst nightmare...well next to dogs that is. She has a cat tower next to my computer so she can be near me. Here's her clinging to my side looking pissed as I type.

Shopping Adventure

I suppose I really haven't said all that much about myself on this blog. It may be surprising given the quality of the writing here, but I guess I should let you all know I'm a writer. I've published some short stories and poems and I'm at work on a novel and a series of poems. The poems fill most of my day. The subject I'm working on is by nature exhausting and probably relates a great deal to why I've been feeling blue lately. I have the ability to not think about my subject when I'm done for the day, but I'm guessing the feeling just carries over. Jar keeps telling me I need to focus on other things to improve my mood so I've been trying to work out every few days and call my friends.

Today I took a break from research and went shopping. Once I leave Phoenix I'll be sad to leave one store, Last Chance. Last Chance gets all of the super discounted sale items from Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. It's the only one in the country and the deals are amazing. Most items are under $10 and the shoe selection is amazing. I've had to restrain myself after getting 8 pairs in one trip. I know they aren't vintage, but I had to share my purchases with all of you and because I was raised to gloat over great deals I had to break that down as well.


Purchase breakdown:

Red Michael Kors shirt for $9.97. Similar tops run $60-$80 at Nordstrom.

White with blue stripes Classiques Entier belted wrap sweater for $9.97. It was slightly too big but I love it so. Classiques Entier sweaters run around $160-$180.

Blue and gold tank top by Lily White that has a slight 80s feel to it for $5.97.

Gray cotton and acrylic Frenchi cardigan for $9.97. It's so super cute. Frenchi sweaters are usually $40-$70.

Nordstrom nylons for $0.97 regular $7.90.

Donna Karen nylons for $0.97. Similar sell for $28.

Wood bead necklace for $1.97 which was regularly $12.

Fabric covered bead necklace for $4.97 which was regularly $16.


Because the necklaces are so cute I felt the need for a close up!

Art Explorer: James Angel

Two years ago I was at a silent auction and celebratory dinner for the Arizona-based organization Child's Play. The auction was full of good stuff like trips, gift certificates, and leather chairs that my friend Charlie over at kinemapoetics purchased. I wasn't planning on going for anything given that I was a poor grad student, but then I spotted James Angel's painting "Fernwood Tonight" and I realized I had to have it. The colors are amazing, the subjects whimsical looking as though they were taken out of a 1940s picture book. I placed my bid and hovered around the painting for most of the night until they announced the close of the auction. A few hours later I was driving home with the painting taking up the entirety of my back seat. As you can see from the picture above, the painting is quite large and hangs happily in my apartment above my couch.

James Angel is a local Phoenix artist who works primarily with iconic images from popular culture, juxtaposing the old with the new. His work uses color to call attention to certain portions of his work. For example in "Fernwood Tonight" the red bird stands out strongly in a painting constructed mostly of muted tones. Also behind the tree is a shot of light blue that is equally out of place. Since I showed my love for Philip Curtis before by constructing an outfit from one of his paintings, I thought I should do the same for Angel. With Curtis I used not only the colors but the women in the painting to guide the outfit, for Angel I primarily used the colors and the suggestion of a 1970s era. The title of the piece I used is "Nature Preserve."

Outfit consists of:

Brown boots from Forever 21. Currently sold out.

Brown zip front cotton hoodie. Available at Wet Seal for $7.99.

1970s tan wool A-line skirt by Young Pendelton. Measurements: 24" waist, 40" hips. Available
at Vintage Trends for $46.

Feather earrings from Miss Selfridge. Currently sold out.

Orange leather clutch. Available at piperlime for $69.99.

Wood bead necklace by Nathalie Costes. Available at La Garconne for $206.50.

Yellow 3/4 sleeve 100% cotton shirt. Available at Dorothy Perkins for 7 GBP.

A Photographic Aside

Today I got up early to take my car in to get fixed. Usually I would spend my Saturday sleeping in and eating waffles for brunch, but with my service engine light on and my car shifting hard it seems like it was a good idea to get it in to the shop. Instead of my usual routine I was up early and off across town...well two towns technically. We then drove back to Tempe and had breakfast at The Farm. It's an actual small farm with artist studios, several small restaurants, and a lot of gorgeous trees. It's set back from the nearby roads making it seem like you really are out in the country. Living in Tempe, land of strip malls and multi-lane streets, it's easy to forget that Arizona can be beautiful. If all of Arizona looked like it does at The Farm I would certainly reconsider moving.

Even though I've enjoyed my day so far, I'm sleepy and might take an afternoon nap. At least I will once the car guy calls me back again. So instead of a full post about clothes I thought it best to honor my other grandmother in my blog. There are very few photos of her and some I'm using photoshop to repair them. There's one of her with her sisters with a huge gouge taken out of the center. Quite the process to fix. In any case below is the photo I think I want to get enlarged. I plan on taking some key family photos and getting them enlarged onto canvas to hang up in my future home. I want them big enough that they come across less like a collection of family photos and more like art prints. We'll see how that goes. For now, here's my maternal grandmother looking all stylish and relaxed.

Outfit Idea

So today won't have a Find From Every Era Friday. Jar gets off work early today so I plan on spending the afternoon with him instead of blogging. The FFEEF post takes quite a bit of time. Instead, I'll be spending the day getting a Chipotle burrito, probably doing some laundry, washing the car, and a host of other errands. At least that's the plan. I'm sure Jar might actually just fall asleep. He did have to get up awfully early today.

Today I'm posting an outfit idea for that Hawaiian print dress from yesterday. I showed Jar my purchases and he made a face. Despite the fact a large percentage of my clothing is vintage, he has a strong aversion to anything used. Out of 50+ items of vintage that I own, he likes just one dress. But since I don't dress for him, I dress to make myself feel happy, I'm quite content to continue to wear what I like. He at least says I look cute even if my outfit doesn't. Ha! So here is an idea of what to do with that dress. Recommendations for other outfit potentials are something I'd love.

Blog Lovin'

I'm catching up with the rest of the world and using Blog Lovin'. For those of you who don't know about it (like me about15 minutes ago) it allows you to track all your favorite blogs through one site. Yay! I'm discovering all sorts of lovely vintage and fashion blogs over there so it's a great resource to finding other fashionable ladies and gents. To follow my blog all you have to do is click that pretty link in the right hand sidebar. Please do, I feel lonely without followers!!

Look what I bought today

Also in order to beat the blues I did some retail therapy on ebay today. I know it might not be the best idea, but I justify small expenditures like this. They were each under $20.

1980s silk leopard print skirt from ebay seller The Mint Mall.


1970s Hawaiian print dress from The Factory Vintage.

I'm so excited. I'll let you all know how they work out once I get them and maybe I'll even take pictures.

A Photographic Aside

Sorry for my blog absence this week. I've been feeling a bit down and somewhat antisocial. In an effort to engage myself in a project, I've been photoshopping old negatives. My paternal great-grandmother and grandmother were big into taking photographs. Most now exist only in negative form since one of our relatives made off with a large percentage of them. I now have over 1,000 family photographs that I'm slowly working my way through. This is a long process of scanning them and using Photoshop to remove the dust and scratches from the image. If anyone has any quick ways of doing either of these things let me know. Until then I'll be slowly working away on them. I think it's a long-term project to say the least.

To capture my grandmother's "style" I have two photos for you. One is her wearing her first husband's suit and hat. The image hasn't been cleaned up at all so ignore the speckles. The second is a combination of flannels (skirt and shirt) which would certainly be useful if not fashionable when working on a farm in upstate New York. Toward the end of her life she only wore dresses that she made herself. I can only remember her wearing pants on a handful of occasions.

A Find From Every Era Friday: Wedding Edition

I know I already wrote about vintage wedding dresses awhile back, but as someone who is getting married in a year I'm enthralled by them. There's something, of course, special about your wedding dress or outfit be it a traditional gown or a suit. Today I'm featuring dresses along the more traditional line, meaning that they're dresses and are in a softer color palette. This doesn't mean that I don't support going in a stronger, bolder color and perhaps in another blog I'll focus on some of these lovely options.

1910s:
It's rare these days to see any dresses with sleeves, in fact it's hard to find out that isn't strapless. This one covers your arms but in such a nice, floaty way. I think I'd wear my hair up, maybe some loose yet intricate braiding. I wouldn't wear a necklace, but I'd get some great dangly earrings.

Embroidered net lace dress, sleeves have a pink satin ribbon trim. Measurements: 34-26-38. Available at ebay seller marguerite729 with a current bid of $103.50.

1920s:

This is technically a flapper dancing dress, not actually a wedding dress, but I think it would be beautiful for such an occasion. I picture this at a garden wedding or even better a wedding on a pier. Jar and I were considering that as an option until we decided to have our wedding in a field on my parent's property. This dress would look amazing with a sunset lighting up the horizon.

Ivory silk chiffon sheathe. Measurements: 48" Bust, measurement carries through garment. Available at ebay seller Carolyn Forbes/Textile Resources for a starting bid of $24.99 and a reserve.

1930s:

I have to admit, this is my favorite gown of the ones I have listed today. It really lends itself to any kind of wedding, but again I'd choose to have it outdoors. In Vermont near my home they have a historic lake house that overlooks Lake Champlain. It's called The Grand Isle Lake House. You can have your dinner on the porch there and I imagine this dress there as the bride weaves her way around to each guest.

White gauze gown with intricate embroidery. Measurements: 23" waist. Available at etsy seller my favorite vintage for $425.

1940s:

I love that this dress has some attitude with it's popped collar. It obviously needs a slip and here's where color would work perfectly. Something that would make each of the flowers in the lace pop. I don't know what I would do with my hair, but I know it would look great for a art gallery or museum wedding. This dress also comes with a wedding photo, the woman in the picture is the original owner of the dress. I think it's amazing that this dress has a traceable history.

Cotton lace in a floral motif. Measurements: Bust 40", Waist, 29". Available at ebay seller Design of the Time for a current bid of $46 with a reserve.

1950s:

One of the top contenders for our wedding location was the Round Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont. It's this gorgeous butter cream barn nestled into the landscape with a pond out front. I'd personally take this dress there, you know if it fit. It's so tiny because it used to be a prom dress, but there's plenty of petite women out there who could make this work.

White chiffon dress with ruching. Measurements: 28" bust, 22" waist. Available at ebay seller The Little Pink Cottage with a current bid of $49.99.

1960s:
In Arizona you can get married at a botanical garden, but this one is filled with desert plants in honor of our arid climate. The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is that they take full advantage of the native climate and all of the surroundings are well, dirt. I imagine plenty of brides go there and don't worry about long dresses, but I like to think that it would be easier with a short dress. Short dresses are so irritatingly difficult to find in modern wedding gowns. The ones that are seem to be disgustingly expensive. Enter this dress. It would be perfect with a small wildflower bouquet.

White lace ribbon dress with mossy green and pastel pink ribbons. Available at Posh Girl Vintage for $189.

1970s:

If you're looking for sleeves, this one certainly has them. Since the lace design is tighter I'd probably go with a softer slip. I think I'd take this one out for a fall wedding or maybe winter. It would be great at a historic inn, you know the ones, where you can get married in front of a toasty roaring fireplace.

Gunne Sax lace dress. Measurements: 34-25-42. Available at etsy seller Grey Gardens Vintage for $150.

1980s:

I never watched Dynasty, but this dress is the very same dress that Joan Collins wore in the show. It's wonderful history aside, I love how fitted the waist is in this. I think I'd be tempted to wear my hair in the same way that I plan on doing in my actual wedding, a low side pony tail.

Nolan Miller Couture gown worn by Joan Collins on Dynasty. Measurements: 36" bust, 27" waist. Available at Antique Dress for $2,450.

Ebay success!

I've been in a bit of an ebay bidding slump lately. Either the clothes I love go for more than I set aside, or I completely space on the fact that something I desperately love is ending soon. Today, in a desperate ebay bidding war, I finally came out on top and won a dress. As you can see from the photo below it's a 1970s cowl neck sweater dress. It's a bit warm for a place like Arizona most of the year, but hopefully (fingers crossed) I'll be heading back to the east coast before I know it.


As an obsessive polyvore user, my first thought was to see what sort of outfit I could construct using this outfit as a base. Perhaps I'm being unimaginative or I'm uninspired at the moment, but I thought this would look great with all of the accessories and additions being black. If anyone has any other suggestions for this dress, let me know.

Below is the outfit I threw together on polyvore. I obviously wouldn't need all of these items. I already have a great standard black purse from Nine West and some pointed toe heels, although mine lack the cute ruffle like these have. I added an additional vintage purse to the mix just to tuck inside the larger one. I like the idea of having a work outfit that can transition a bit more to going out for drinks or a date and the smaller purse could be pulled out of the larger one for this purpose.

Outfit consists of:

Black Kenneth Cole Reaction cotton trench. Available at bluefly.com for $119.

Black leather pumps by Shoes for Lovely People. Available at zappos.com for $136.

Black enamel and metal ring. Available at Tilly's for $3.99.

Black quilted satchel by Xhilaration. Available at Target for $13.99.

Black braided leather belt by Lucky. Available at zappos.com for $72.

1980s black vinyl clutch. Available at Ruby Lane seller That Purse Place for $45.

Vintage Love: Ruffles

Okay I know I should have done the full shot of my outfit, my jeans are awfully cute, but I mostly wanted a close up of my shirt. I purchased it recently on ebay. It's a 1970s button down shirt with a ruffled collar. Just a hint of a ruffle really. Buying this shirt has sent me on the search for more ruffled goodness. Here's some for you too so we can all be ruffled out.

1970s dark brown nylon blouse by Sunny South. Measurements: 38" bust. Available at Vintage Martini for $22.

1980s white cotton top. Measurements: 35" bust. Available at The Urban Collection for $39.

1970s knit sweater. Measurements: 37" bust. Available with ebay seller Wildflowers Vintage with a current bid of $9.99.

1980s sheer black silk mini dress. Measurements: 36" bust, 24-34" waist, 40" hips. Available at ebay seller Bustown Modern for a starting bid of $9.99.

Television Inspiration: Pushing Daisies

Last week, through the magic of Netflix, I was able to catch up on season 1 of Pushing Daisies. I'd started watching the show from the beginning given that I love Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls, but as the pressure to finish my novel grew, I gave up most of my television programs. I'm so happy that I'm caught up and can begin season 2. What I love about the series is not only the premise (man who can bring people back to life with a touch but with some conditions) but also how visually interesting each episode is. The colors are hyper-saturated, almost as though a dial on the world has been turned up. Each setting is familiar yet vaguely surreal. The Pie Hole restaurant's pie crust roof seems like something out of a fairy tale while the houses are all picture book Victorians and Queen Annes.

From a fashion standpoint, Pushing Daisies hits the mark every time. Ned, our main character, dresses in well-cut suits and skinny ties. His partner in crime solving, Emmerson, has a 1970s feel to his wardrobe given the brightly patterned dress shirts he favors. The Aunts each have their own style, one favoring a late 60s early 70s loungewear look, the other in Asian inspried mini-dresses and tops. Olive, my favorite character, has a mod look to her with, for example, acidic green dresses trimmed in white complimented by the occassional sundress. But the real show here, for me at least, is Chuck. Chuck has every 50s-60s inspired outfit that I wish I could buy. She always looks tastefully pulled together from her large sunglasses to her pumps. So here's some Chuck inspiration to get our week started.