House of Maryanne Vintage

 

I'm super in love with these 1960s inspired looks from House of Maryanne's fall look book, True Prep. Every fall, I always dream about all the stylish outfits I'll wear, but I almost always end up wearing my favorite yellow cardigan and worn leather boots every week. Maybe I need to remedy that with an oxblood capelet. Who am I kidding, I would never really wear a capelet. That lacy white dress is another story, though... 

via One Sheepish Girl

Inspiration: Mustard Yellow

Let's talk mustard. I absolutely love it (the color, specifically, although the condiment is pretty great, too.) It pops up in my design work all the time and it's all over my home and my closet. I'm not exactly sure when I started loving mustard yellow, but it's probably been a good six or seven years. In college I would go on shopping trips with my bff Arissa in search of the perfect mustard cardigan/bag/shoes/what have you. That's real life.

A few days ago I tried on a pair of skinny mustard crops over my lunch break. I equally loved and feared of them. As much as I love mustard, I'm still questioning the whole colored pants trend. I love wearing color and interesting pieces, but I usually play it pretty safe when it comes to fashion in general. Yellow pants are not safe... but they are awesome. In hopes of gathering the courage to buy the pants, I've gathered up some mustard outfits from the interwebs as inspiration. 

Clockwise from top: 1. A breezy mustard skirt like this one seems perfect for summer.  2. I don't think I could ever pull off this look, but these mustard ankle pants are downright classy and they're so dreamy paired with that minty top.  3. I think I'm going to write an entire post about Moonrise Kingdom because I loved it. Seriously. The main character, Suzy, was quirky and adorable and had a great 1960s wardrobe. I particularly loved this mini dress.  4. This velvety yellow headband has been on my wish list for a while now. I love the way mustard looks with dark hair.

L: The minute Abby pinned this photo from Girl and Closet, I was obsessed with this skirt. I actually found it at F21 on clearance, but it had a major snag running across the fabric. I think I'm going to bust out the sewing machine and make my own.  R: Suzannah's yellow crops are pretty similar to the pair I tried on and she totally rocks them. And who knew red pairs so well with mustard?

The more I think about it, mustard would probably be the easiest way to break into the colored pants trend... they're kind of like khaki pants on LSD, right? Neutral enough to pair with some color, although I'd probably start it off easy with gray/white/navy... playing it safe, you know me. Everyone on Instagram pretty much peer-pressured me into buying the pants (hey, thanks guys!) ... but at $50 I'm definitely going to wait for them to go on sale. Do you own any colored pants?

Classic Coats for Spring

Can we talk weather for a little bit? This spring has been so bizarre -- 80 degree days in early March, snow in April, and now a projected forecast that doesn't hit 60 for a very long time. I really can't complain as long as the sun is shining, but it's just weird. The days aren't cold enough for a winter coat, but they aren't warm enough to go coat-less, either, especially in the morning.

I haven't had a "spring" coat for a while now, and lately I've found myself wishing that I had one.... a classic coat with fun details, like any of these:

1. This polka dot raincoat reminds me of something I would have worn as a little girl. I just can't decide if it would be cute or weird paired with bright yellow Wellies... but I vote cute.  2. Striped, hooded, jersey-ed pea coat: all of the best things in life rolled into one. Thank you, Anthropologie. Too bad it's $300.  3. You can't go wrong with a classic tie-waist trench coat, and I love this deep brown color and the quarter-length sleeve tie backs.  4. I have a super-crush on Dear Creature's Portobello double breasted coat. The vintage silhouette, the ribbon trim, the applique pockets.... I'm pretty sure it's true love.  5. The fun dotted print of this trench from ModCloth is the perfect combination of timeless and . 6. I don't know about you, but I love pea coats in general -- this one comes in such a pretty blush color and is only $29.99!


Of course, I've waited too long to find a lightweight coat in stores -- most retailers have switched out their spring merchandise to summer swimsuits, shorts and sandals. If I want one of the above coats I'd better make a decision quickly. Do any of them strike your fancy, or do you already have a spring coat of your own? I might end up with the Target pea coat... and I think I'm going to stalk polka dot trench and see if it gets any cheaper.

Spring Dresses by Whitney Deal

Featured styles: Rosa, Bellis, Willow, Zinnia

I'm pretty much in love with all of these dresses by seamstress and blogger Whitney Deal. The simple silhouettes are effortlessly chic and the floral prints are so darling. Technically, these frocks are bridesmaid dresses, but if I owned one I would wear it everywhere... work, tea parties, flying kites at park, the gym.

Yes. Even the gym. I don't care how ridiculous I would look. They're that pretty.

Warby Parker Home Try-On

My Warby Parker home-try on kit arrived in the mail this weekend!!! I mentioned Warby Parker briefly in a previous post, but if you haven't heard of the eyeglasses company, they're basically like TOMS for your face. For every pair of glasses purchased, WP will give a pair to a child in need. On top of that, the glasses are reasonably priced, super cute, and from what I've experienced so far, their customer service is outstanding. Totally a company I can get behind.

They also have a great home try-on program: pick up to five frames and WP will ship them to you to try on (all FOR FREE, might I add!) It took me forever to select the styles I wanted to try on, but I finally decided on these five frames:

Other than the Sinclairs (which are so huge they make me feel like a super nerd. Or a super hipster. I can't decide which...but I don't like it), I pretty much liked all the frames. I love the classic shape of the Webb, but they didn't fit comfortably on my face. The Zagg and Japhy are top contenders for my favorite style, but I feel like I might be playing too safe with those... Since I don't wear glasses 24/7, I'd really like to find frames with a little more quirk.

Obviously, dear blog friends, I need your help. Do you like a particular pair above? Should I try a new batch of frames, or perhaps a few other color choices??

P.S. Abby also did the home try-on a few weeks ago (and looked awesome in pretty much all her selections. Geeze.) Like she said, this was a lot fun! If you decide to try a few pairs, too, you should let us know :)

Spring Floral Flats

With all the gorgeous spring flowers that have been popping up outside lately (daffodils! hyacinth! magnolia!), I've been dreaming of flowery flats. It probably has something to do with the fact that I wore boring black flats and boots all winter long. My sad, neglected feet want something festive to welcome spring. I think any of these floral lovelies would do just the trick...

ROW 1: Roses In The Garden Flats in beige  |  Floral Ankle Strap Flats in cream/multi

ROW 2: Floral Flats in cream/multi  |  Roses In The Garden Flats in brown

ROW 3: Ditsy Floral Skimmer in yellow  |  Avoir, Etre, Faire Flat in navy floral

Lets be honest here... I want them all, and I'm not even much a shoe girl. I fell in love with the ones from Ruche when I spotted them in the spring lookbook back in February. They would be perfect with skinny jeans or a flouncy skirt. Sadly, none of these run large enough for my behemoth size 11 feet (the curse of being so tall) so my search continues. Have you seen any cute spring footwear lately?

Girls in Glasses

Earlier this morning, I took a trip to the optometrist for my annual eye examination. It was pretty run-of-the-mill.... "Option one or two? Three or Four? Please identify these ridiculously tiny letters as I try to trick you with Z and 3, 5 and S." You know how it is.

As I expected, my prescription has changed yet again (I've been plagued with progressively terrible vision since the tender age of eight) which means my current glasses are about 3 prescriptions too weak. A blessing and a curse... poor vision, new glasses! I love that larger frames are becoming more popular. With vision as poor as mine, I need all the lens space I can get. Unfortunately, I think bolder frames tend to walk a thin line between sophisticated and outright ridiculous.

On the search for inspiration, I've pulled a few images of my favorite bloggers and lady-celebs who wear big glasses and wear them well...

 ROW 1 Amanda Jane Jones  |  Ingrid Michaelson  |  Kate De La Rosa

ROW 2 Tina Fey  |  Meredith Crawford  |  Zooey Deschanel in New Girl

Seriously, these ladies look great in their bold frames. Smart, feminine, with just a hint of quirkiness. I think one of the keys to pulling off this look is a slightly rounded frame with a subtle cat-eye corner. What are your thoughts on large glasses... yay or nay? Also, can I just reiterate my love for Tina Fey? I love her.  

I'm ordering several trial pairs from Warby Parker this week... I'm excited to have a few samples to try out. Maybe the look won't work for my face type, but I sure hope so!

Ruche Enchantment

Be still my heart! Ruche just launched their newest lookbook for spring and I am completely smitten. Every page of the book (aptly titled Enchantment) is an absolute dream... kites, braids, soft colors and gorgeous spring clothing.

Those shoes. They will be mine.

The pinks and creams, feminine details and vintage accents make my heart ache for warmer weather. I told myself I would enjoy winter this year, but February is so tough. I can only scrape ice off my windshield so many times. It probably doesn't help that my winter wardrobe has been reflecting my mood lately: a dull, depressing mix of blacks and grays. Perhaps I can ease the transition with this and one of these.

I cannot wait for budding leaves, dresses, freckles and bike rides.

All photos by Elizabeth Messina for Ruche.

Sweater Weather

Guys, I love cardigans. You know that, right? They're versatile, stylish, warm... I don't think I could get through Michigan winters without my reliable stock of cozy cardigans.

But as you can see, my collection is decidedly lacking in red/orange and blue. This needs to be fixed. I currently have my eyes on this open-weave rusted beauty and this dashing teal number... just the pop of color I need to get me through February.

I know I can't be the only one out there with this many cardigans. This is normal, right?

Catbird Rings

I'll admit, as much as I love giant cocktail rings and vintage spoon rings, I'm not much of a ring wearer myself (other than my engagement ring and wedding band, that is.) They always feel so foreign on my fingers. But I think I could change my ways for one (or all) of these gorgeous rings from New York boutique Catbird...

Nora Ring

There's something so pretty about the delicate and subtle details of these rings, like the wheat pattern in the above Nora Ring (which has a corresponding "Nick" pattern for men. Love it.) The hand-hewn texture and soft brushed metal are just dreamy.

Clockwise from top left: Silver Ampersand Ring | Tiny City Band | Rosegold Heart Ring

Gold Alphabet Ring | Thin Band | White Diamond Seed Ring

I've been seeing a lot of gorgeous stacking rings lately and I'm totally on board with the feminine, whisper-thin bands. I love the idea of stacking a baby's initial and birthstone as a gift for a new mama, or stacking your lover's initial with a gemstone and a heart.

Did I really just say lover? Yes, yes I did.

Hexagon Ring with Champagne Diamond

Twig Ring

I seriously can't get over how old-world beautiful that Hexagon Ring is... such a great twist on the diamond solitaire. Pretty sure it needs to be on my finger now.

Catbird works with local New York jewelry designers to offer a ton of beautiful, unique jewelry and handmade gifts, but I think their ring selection is my favorite. Pretty, pretty.

Forever 21 Necklaces

from left: Lovely Locket $2.80 |  Antiqued Jewel Pendant $4.80 | Moose Charm $1.50
Leaf Cluster $1.50 |  Delicate Dove Charm $1.50

We should probably not talk about how many Forever 21 necklaces I own. It's so hard to resist their call every time I walk in the store... especially when they're only $1.50!

These dainty gold lovelies are have just the right amount of vintage charm and quirkiness. They would be great stocking stuffers (hint, hint, husband of mine who reads this blog...) I've had my eye on that antiqued jewel pendant for a while now.

Farewell, Fall

I think life got the best of me last week. Chris and I are still trying to work out the some-jerk-stole-$800-from-our-account debacle... we've been waiting a week now for legal paperwork (and my new debit card) to arrive in the mail from the bank. Oddly enough, Chris noticed this morning that the money had been returned to our account. Hooray! -- but this leaves me confused... is everything settled? Do we still need to fill out the paperwork? Has the bank decided to return our money regardless? Who knows.

To top it off, today was nothing but cold, gray, and rainy. As excited as I am for the holidays, I'm sad that fall is coming to a close. It always feels like such a short-lived season. I've rounded up some cozy fall images to help boost my spirits and give autumn a proper goodbye until next year.

Untitled, by fifty-six on flickr

Photo by John Allen via Frolic

Photo by Elias Carlson via design work life

Bittersweet wreath, Amy Merrick for Design*Sponge

Photo by Alice Gao via Live & Enliven

Photo by Eylul Aslan via Abby

Miss Joan headband, $12

Orange Spice Pumpkin Muffins from Good Life Eats

Adorable engagement session by Shannen Norman via Green Wedding Shoes

Last Minute Halloween Costumes

Even though I know Halloween comes every year, I always find myself scrambling around at the last minute with my husband in search of costume ideas. Of course, we can never find exactly what we want, but somehow it always works out. Our best costume to date was made from poster board and Sharpie markers, 30 minutes before our party. 

If you're in a pinch for a Halloween costume this weekend, ModCloth has some great ideas using everyday clothing from their shop. A few of my favorites...

I love how simple and creative these are, especially Elizabeth Bennet's Regency-style dress (or perhaps that's the Austen lover in me coming out.) You may have similar pieces in your wardrobe, and the accessories can easily be made at home. Hello, cotton ball beard and construction paper arrow. Easy peasy.

Just please, please don't wear a tube dress with any form of wings. Go read Joy the Baker's hilarious post, Don't be a Sexy Panda, and remember that fishnets are not acceptable pants. It's October and it's cold out.

Now to work on my costume with Christopher, which involves a mustache, a 70s style velveteen blazer, and the sound of silence. Oh yes.

Alyssa Nassner's Daily Outfits

I was perusing the online portfolio of artist Alyssa Nassner this morning when I ran across a fun illustration project of hers: Daily Outfits, a visual journal of clothing. Love it.

 

 

Nasser captures all the details in each outfit - the buttons, the sweater ribbing, the gray Toms (we're Toms twinsies!) The illustrations remind me of paper dolls, especially since the position of her figure never changes. Do little girls still play with paper dolls? I sure hope so. I'd like to think that my daughter will.

I really enjoy seeing an artist's process of ongoing, self-initiated projects - especially when the artist finds creative ways to work within the limitations of repetition. I've been working on the first illustration for my own daily/weekly project that I'm excited to share soon, hopefully by Friday if I get around to it.

By the way, I totally own that last outfit... minus the scarf and with darker booth.
Alyssa obviously has great taste.

For more of Alyssa's work, visit her website, Etsy shop, or blog.

Wish List: Big Girl Paycheck

Today is Friday, dear friends... and Friday means payday. Since having a full time job, this is actually the first payday I've had with a full salaried check. Although the mister and I are saving up for a house down payment (and lets not forget all our bills and college debt), I'd like to take a minute and dream about all the wonderful things I could spend my big girl paycheck on instead....

1. Bronze and jade are a gorgeous combo, and this necklace from Urban Outfitters gives a polished nod to the geode trend. Yes please.  2. I would love to own an original painting by Michelle Schneider someday. One of my new favorites is "Her Faithful Friends."  3. The first DSL I ever learned to shoot with was a Canon Rebel. I think I'll always been a Canon girl at heart, and I'm hoping this will be my next major purchase.  4. I may just buy this gorgeous skirt from Ruche today, via Rachel on Pinterest. It had me at high-waisted bow. 5. I know thou shall not covet thy neighbor's bike, but I am SO JEALOUS of Abby's gorgeous turquoise and cream Trek bike, Ingrid. I want a twinsie. Real bad.  6. The butterfly motif is usually a little too girly for my tastes, unless it's a real and beautifully displayed Sea Green Swallowtail. The slightly creepy fact that it's a dead bug in a glass balances out the prissiness, methinks.  7. I've been wanting these Tiny Twig hair pins from Woodland Belle for three or so years now. I just need to cave in and buy a pair already.

Who needs groceries or gas for your car when you could have so many preeeety things! If I were completely out of my mind, I would also buy this dress from Anthropologie. Not really, come on. But it's so gorgeous. And impractical. I would never.... but I totally would. Where would you wear a dress like that, anyway?

Have a lovely weekend!

wish list: take me to the beach!

I awoke this morning to snow. SNOW. In mid-April! Big, wet, fat flakes that stick to everything and ruin your hair and your Monday morning. Although it has now warmed to a balmy 42 degrees, I'm still a touch upset about it. So, I'm focusing my thoughts on the beach and dreaming of sunshine and the sea (or in my case, Lake Michigan)...

1. I haven't had a one piece suit in a while, but this Paisley Twist-front Tank from JCrew is so pretty.  2. Cute, cheap sunglasses from good old Forever 21.  3. I've been using Aveeno's Continuous Protection sunblock for years and have yet to be sunburned (or slimy.)  4. Hey there compass necklace from UO. I need you.  5. I love the work of illustrator Catherine Campbell, and her tote is perfect for hauling around sandy towels and magazines.  6. Write the sea a love note with Miniature Rhino's Message in a Bottle kit.  7. Unlike my standard Old Navy flip flops, these Kimchi t-strap sandals wouldn't fall off in the sand.  8. This lightweight sweater from Anthropologie is a cute alternative to a towel or sarong coverup. And who can resist mustard yellow?! 

Sadly, it will be a few more months before the lake warms up enough to swim, so a trip to St. Joe will have to wait. But a girl can dream... and perhaps by then these items will be on sale.

animal head vintage

I love etsy, but honestly, what creative with an internet connection doesn't? Today I found this wonderful vintage clothing shop, Animal Heads Vintage, through a few clicks on Oh Happy Day. The shop owner, Rebecca, runs the store out of her tiny SF apartment, and was recently featured on Martha Stewart Weddings. I can't get over how cute it is!

I'm not sure what I love about her shop more, the clothes or the artistic direction behind the photographs. All of her models wear paper-mache animal masks she bought on her honeymoon in Italy. A few of my favorites...

Clockwise from top left: 1. This 50s Black Party Dress reminds me of my roommate from college 2. Eventhough Spring is three days away, nothing is classier than a Cream Wool Coat   3. The eyelet detail on the 1960s Peach Lace Dress is amazing. So pretty and feminine.

I'm not usually fond of asymmetrical shoulders, but this Strapless Floral Tea Dress is gorgeous. The colors, the silhouette, the pleating. I want it. Too bad it has already been sold.

Of course, these images leave me wanting to draw girls with antlers dressed in pretty frocks. Not exactly original, I know, but I still love the concept. It's so difficult balancing a job, cooking/cleaning, and living with a husband that I haven't really worked on any art projects since being married. Perhaps it's time to change that...