That thing called work 2

Okay I admit it, messing around with outfits on polyvore is extremely fun. But not without good reason. Often I feel like my wardrobe might be limited, as in, "ohhh if only I had the perfect pink skirt to go with this." I'm sure we all feel the same at some points. In any case polyvore allows me the entirety of the internet for clothing options and erases any financial concerns when constructing an outfit. Basically, I can dream I would be so much more stylish if I just had the chance. Anyway, below is my latest construction for those work days I'm not going to yet.

Outfit consists of:

Vintage pleated pink polyester skirt by Devon. Measurements: 26" waist, 36" hips. Available at Plaid Pony Vintage for $24.

Victorian buckle designed bracelet with floral motif. Available at Lang Antique and Estate Jewelry for $450.

Dark gray cotton short sleeved sweater with lace inserts by Chloe. Available at Browns Fashion for 240.00 GBP.

Antique styled earrings. Available at The Marlene Harris Collection for $400.

Gray suede peep toe Destiny pumps by Paris Hilton. Available at zappos.com for $93.

Gunmetal colored zippered wallet. Available at Botkier for $275.

1950s gold metal handbag. Available at ESTATEments Handbags for $65.

That thing called work

The day before yesterday I got a job interview for later in the month. As much as I like to spend my days lolling around thinking about blogs and writing poems, I'm eager to get back into a job. I like to keep myself busy and enjoy new challenges. Going back to work also means being able to wear career clothes. So while I haven't yet secured a new job, I certainly have been on the hunt for things to wear once there. Here's an outfit I'd wear to work in a second if I had a job and money. Note the coat and warm pants, because yes folks, the jobs I've been looking at are back east.

Outfit consists of:

Blue polyamide bow neck blouse by Marlene Birger. Available at net-a-porter for $225.

Black patent leather heels by Report Signature. Available at Revolve Clothing for $187.

Vintage chain belt with lion's head clasp. Available at Archive Vintage for $125.

Paul and Joe dark gray wool flannel pants. Available at net-a-porter for $510.

1930s 14k white gold floral earrings with diamond centers. Available at The Marlene Harris Collection for $275.

1960s lightweight wool Lady Forecaster overcoat. Measurements: 38" bust. Available at Monster Vintage for $49.99.

1980s leather Ferragamo convertible clutch. Available at Vintage Bag for $77.75.

A Find From Every Era Friday

Today's FFEEF was a bit delayed as I caught up on all of my lost sleep. A 5 hour nap tends to cut into blogging time. I must admit there were no guiding principles to today's finds. I simply gathered together clothes that I think are beautiful.


1910s

I've always wanted a skirt with interesting fabric on the inverted panels since I saw one in a magazine. There's something surprising and refreshing about the whole look. Since the skirt is really the show here, I'd pair it with a soft gray cashmere sweater and some ballet flats and head off to work. It's a simple yet elegant look.

Blue linen skirt with gray and white stripes on inverted panels. Measurements: 34" waist, 38" hips. Available at Woodland Farms Antiques for $145.

1920s
I know it's a bit confusing to guess what this is by the picture above, but it's the only one I could nab of it. It's actually a gorgeous shawl and you can click the link below for a full view of it. Some places play movies in the park during the summer. If I lived some place cooler than Phoenix, I'd wrap this around myself while taking in a good classic movie. I like versatility though, so I'd also convert this to a wrap skirt. It might take some finagling, but simply wrap this around, pin it with something equally pretty, grab a tank top, find some boots with high heels (height dependent on length of the shawl's fringe) and go. I love this idea so much that I'm wondering why I'm sitting around in pajamas instead of wearing it.

Printed silk jacquard shawl with fringe (click the link for full view). Measurements: 49" square. Available at Contentment Farm for $395.

1930s

I'm sure I'll be blogging next week about my love of ruffles. Until then you can get a glimpse of my obsession with this gorgeous top. I love how feminine and elegant it is. Lately high-waisted pants and skirts are making a comeback which works marvelously with this top. I'd choose some wide legged trousers or a pencil skirt to tuck this blouse into. The ruffles would end just before the skirt or pants began. Now how's that for a pulled together look?

Ivory chiffon ruffle front blouse. Measurements: 36" bust, 24" waist. Available at Contentment Farm for $95.

1940s
I know summer is ending for most of you in the US, but it's still in full swing in the southwest. It's hard for me to think sweaters quite yet, so it's no wonder I'm still coveting gorgeous summery dresses. This one has such amazing color and really it wouldn't take much thoughtful wardrobe planning. With accents of black and white there must be plenty of accessories already in your closet to use with this. Buy it now and take it on vacation as you head south to escape the winter chill.

Cotton batiste dress with applique accents. Measurements: 38-40" bust, 32" waist. Available at Ballyhoo Vintage for $79.

1950s

Oh skirt how I love you! Seriously how often do you see skirts in this pretty of a color? You could pair it with a neutral top or sweater in gray or taupe, or you could liven it up even more with something wild in apple green. Personally I'd put it with a white corset cover or camisole like I featured last week and add a cardigan for good measure. See I can think fall/winter.

Coral pink Evan Picone pencil skirt. Measurements: 29" Waist, 37" hips. Available at etsy seller Green Eden Vintage for $37.

1960s

As winter approaches you may want to start thinking about gloves. I can clearly remember the days back east when getting in the car and putting your hands on the steering wheel meant cold hands, not burnt ones like out here. Protect your fingers and look stylish at the same time.

Dark blue Italian leather gloves with lambswool knit lining. Size: 7 1/4. Available at Ballyhoo Vintage for $22.

1970s

I feel like this dress could go anywhere that there's a party. Grabbing a martini with friends, heading to Vegas to play the slots, going on a tropical trip. Just add a few coordinated accessories and look super sexy.

Yellow polyester knit dress with banded floral trim. Measurements: 42-32-38. Available at Rusty Zipper for $34.

1980s

I confess, I have a shoe problem. I have so many shoes that every once in awhile I come across a pair I'd forgotten I even had. In one day I bought 8 pairs. My mother seems to think I should follow the declutter rule of buy a pair and remove a pair. I don't know who she thinks she's talking to, but if it's me she clearly doesn't understand the need to have shoes in every color and shape for any occasion. These shoes are clearly party shoes and they have a lot of life left in them. I think they need to go dancing. I'm sure you'll agree.

Bronze silk shoes with pastel rhinestones. Size: 9 1/2N. Available at Vintage Martini for $135.

Vintage Love: Embroidery

Today will mostly be a blog in pictures. I've been a bit absent today and yesterday given that I rescued a puppy from the parking lot of my apartment complex this week. While she's a sweetheart, she's not the best at sleeping at night and needs to be taken out during the day as all puppies do. The problem with that is that it's still over 100 here and the AZ heat just sucks the energy right out of you...or well does if you're not a puppy. I'm about ready to fall asleep right here in my chair, but before I do that I'm blogging about one of my favorite details in some vintage clothing, embroidery.

My grandmother taught me how to embroider when I was eight or nine. She set me up with a hoop and fabric, let me use her thread. She had iron on transfer patterns from the sixties that she put onto clean white fabric for me. I started on a cardinal sitting on a branch. I carefully stitched away at the branch, crosshatched red for the body of the bird and used a knot of black for his eye. While my stitches at the beginning were neat and even, toward the end they were rough and large. I think I had figured out the larger I made the stitch the more ground I covered, which is not exactly a characteristic of successful embroidery. This is why I realize the effort that goes into an embroidered piece. Sure, some is probably machine constructed, but I like to think someone took the time to stitch it.

Here's some cute embroidered pieces just dying to be a part of your wardrobe:

1970s cotton gauze shirt with embroidered bib in a floral design. Measurements: 36" bust Available at Rusty Zipper for $24.

1960s orange layered cotton with brown trim and gingko patterned embroidery. Measurements: 36-30-38. Available at etsy seller greasywaitress for $118.

1920s white cotton dress with white floral embroidery. Measurements: 38" bust, 32" waist. Available at ebay seller Lynne Marzilli Textiles with a current bid of $24.99 and a reserve.

1980s Frank Usher cream summer dress with embroidered flowers. Measurements are 38-28-34. Available at etsy seller Lady Day Vintage for $175.

1950s black chiffon dress with embroidered vines and leaves and fabric flowers. Measurements are 34-35" bust, 26" waist. Available at ebay seller traven7 with a starting bid of $29.99 and a buy now of $339.99.

Art Explorer: Philip Curtis

In moving from a small rural community to a huge metropolitan city like Phoenix, I expected to be overwhelmed with museum and cultural options. That didn't really happen. The metro Phoenix area is still young in some ways, still finding its feet and deciding what sort of identity it wants to adopt. Given that, the museum options are sometimes lacking. The Phoenix Museum of Art has all sorts of interesting pieces that I adore, but it takes no time at all to make it through the exhibits. The are two things that really keep me going back to the museum: their fashion exhibits (closed this last time) and their Philip Curtis room. Curtis was an American surrealist artist who founded the Phoenix Art Center, what is today the museum. He worked on his art out of a studio in Scottsdale until his death in 2000. His work is simply gorgeous and often depicts American sideshow circuses and barren desert landscapes.

I could spend all day in that room at the Art Museum so I wanted to create a look based on a painting by Curtis. The title of the piece that inspired this look is "Parasols by the Shore."

Outfit consists of:

Chocolate and cream Italian style umbrella. Available at Umbrella Heaven for 18.99 pounds.

1980s 14k gold leaf and frond engraved bracelet. Available at The Marlene Harris Collection for $250.

Brown wool felt floppy hat. Available at Forever 21 for $13.80.

1980s brown wool Escada skirt with a 29" waist. Available at vintagetrends.com for $75.

White cotton blouse from Marc by Marc Jacobs 2007 collection.

1880s coral cameo mounted on 10k gold. Available at The Marlene Harris Collection for $375.

Linen colored leather Jennica pump by RSVP. Available at zappos.com for $65.

Aqua blue leatherette oversized bag. Available at fashion junkee for $58.

Imagined Travel: Caribbean Cruise

Clearly I'm just dying to travel since most of my posts are these Imagined Travel ones. It's been a few months since I really traveled so I can't wait to get out there again. I like to think of myself as relatively adventurous so the idea of a cruise never seemed exciting to me. All that time on a boat with the same people sounds way too stifling. At the moment though, I wouldn't mind some relaxing water and tropical breezes, kicking back with a good book and plenty of sunscreen. I don't know if I'll ever take a cruise, but I know plenty of people do each year. I'm imagining here a Caribbean Cruise. Peak season is all year round so even though summer has faded here in the States, beachy warmth is still occurring out there on the water.

PS. Today's picks are far from wallet friendly, but I couldn't help myself.

Outfit consists of:
Black zebra beach towel. Available at Debenhams for 5.40 pounds.

Tape cassette plastic tote. Available at Fred Flare for $16.

Vintage inspired tiger and smoke sunglasses. Available at House of Sunglasses for $9.99.

Vintage Rudi Gernreich wool polka dot bathing suit, size 10. Available at Archive Vintage for $298.

Black and gold snake print Bernardo sandal. Available at Urban Outfitters for $59.99.

Flame Diane von Furstenberg cotton knit tube dress. Available at net-a-porter for $365.

Gold mesh Art Nouveau purse by Evans. Available at Antique Peek for $240.

Givenchy key necklace. Available at Archive Vintage for $298.