Tales of a lion tamer

Once upon a time there was a fabulous lion tamer.  Well, this lion tamer not only looked incredibly fabulous but had a way with the lions.  One day she came upon a lion that was fierce with beautiful golden locks.  The lion tamer knew that this lion would be a tough one to tame.  After she poked and proded, calmed and soothed... finally the lion nuzzled up next to the tamer.  In honor of her taming skills, the lion tamer won a vintage gold belt.

Perhaps I am a little goofy...  I decided to go full out safari the other day.  You know you have succeeded when your boyfriend says you look like a cute park ranger and your boyfriend's roommate asks if you are going on safari.  The shirt was borrowed from the boyfriend.  To be honest, I just loved this whole look.  I felt incredibly chic and sophisticated but still really fashion forward!  And let's not forget the belt... sorry to say I have never encountered a lion in my entire life.  This belt came from an amazing find while on my trip to Chicago.  Its from a vintage store called Shangri La.  They offer affordable and amazing vintage accessories and clothing.  The owners are incredibly nice and have impeccable music taste.  If you find yourself near Roscoe Village, definitely check it out.  I can't wait to show off some more pieces that I picked up (all accessories not clothing!  I ain't no fool!).

Khaki surplus boy scout shirt: borrowed from boyfriend, Imogene & Willie yard sale
Khaki green shorts: Old Navy
Gold lion belt: Shangri La, Chicago, IL
Camel oxford pumps: Antonio Melani, Dillard's

Totally Neat Tuesday - Dreaming of the weekend, already

I have an obsession with weekend bags.  I own about 3 or 4 weekend bags and I am constantly dreaming of adding to my collection.  The funny thing, is I do not really have any reason to own so many or to expand my ever growing collection of carry on-ables but I just love their hugeness.  I am not even a huge weekend trip taker... which is what makes it even more odd.  Oh well, a girl can dream of being whisked off to fabulous little weekend trips to the beach, or the mountains, or Paris...

marroon weekender from nobletown vintage -Sold, drats!

 

weekend bag delacyonline, etsy - $380

cranberry red weekender, GetReadySetGo, etsy - $74.95

70s vegan weekender, KingDog Vintage, $35

KT Shop Shoulder Bag, YesStyle.com, $25

Repeat Offender

One of my favorite movies of all times is the movie Raising Arizona.  There is this line in the beginning of the movie where a state (or county judge?) refers to Nicholas Cage (H.I. McDunough) as a "ree-peat OH-fen-der".  This is how I feel about this outfit... definitely repeatable.

The sun was going down and I had the hardest time getting shots that were not blurry.  This is the only shot that worked!  But I can't wait to wear this outfit again. 

Vintage, spring plaid button up: Thrifted (I honestly cannot REMEMBER where I got this shirt!)
Blue high waist skirt with pockets: courtesy of Leproust Vintage
Gold elephant necklace: Shop Idee's Closet
Gray Mary Jane flats: off the street in Chicago

Isn't that random?  Now looking back on this outfit, it is very random.  All of these items came from people or places, and are one of a kind type items. 

By the way, something very important occurred yesterday.  It's gentle passing went unnoticed until this morning when I updated my day count.

150 days without shopping

yes!

Killer Coral & DIY Necklace

Yes, this post is very picture heavy.  Sam was taking shots of me in this outfit, and they just kept turning out better and better. 

Can I just get something off my chest?  I had the oddest morning.  I decided to forego washing my hair this morning so I could sleep in a little bit, and I was going to use the new dry shampoo that I got.  BIG MISTAKE.  I understand that dry shampoo gives a certain amount of texture and "dirty" volume to the hair...  giving a little fun bedhead-ish style.  However, this stuff made my hair look so dirty, the last time it was that dirty looking, I was in Mexico on a mission trip and couldn't wash my hair for a week.  DISGUSTING!  So, I had to emergency shampoo my hair and spray on some leave in conditioner and get my bangs dry before running out the door.  If anyone has any dry shampoo tips, let me know, I'd love to hear them.

Okay, I feel better.  Onto the outfit!!!  I was so excited at how GREAT this outfit turned out.  Last Monday night I decided to work on a little DIY necklace project while I was watching Gossip Girl.  There really was nothing to this... I just took a black t-shirt, cut it into strips and started playing around with knots and shapes.  I wish I had some better shots of the blazer.  It is a khaki and white striped blazer with 3/4 sleeves and lots of cute pockets.  I was a youth leader for my church back in my hometown for an event one weekend 5 or 6 years ago, and I had completely forgot to bring something to wear to church that Sunday.  I maniacally ran into Old Navy during an hour of free time we had, and pulled together this outfit of light blue chinos and this jacket.  The chinos are long gone, but this little jacket has stayed with me.  I just loved the shape and the stripes are adorable.  Moving on, the skirt was a fabulous thrift store find at a hidden gem here in Nashville.  I think I paid $4 for it.  Its most likely vintage, and 100% silk with pockets and its in AMAZING condition. 

Khaki and White striped jacket: Old Navy
White V-Neck T-shirt: Urban Outfitters
Dark Coral Silk Skirt: Vintage, My Sister's Closet (Consignment Store)
Black Pumps: Vintage, Clothing XChange
Black Jersey Necklace: DIY, made by me!

In the event of a water evacuation...

Hooray!  I am back from my little bloggy break.  It felt so good to just step back, but I did end up really missing blogging.  First off, I want to say HELLO to all my new readers.  A huge thanks to Independent Fashion Bloggers for choosing my post for Links a la Mode last week and to Kjrsten of {have a cute day} for dropping my name in her post this past weekend.  I know I say this a lot, but the more that I dive into the fashion blogging community, the more that I absolutely fall in love with how generous and spectacular all these women are.  I think that's why the post on IFB totally took me by surprise because it just kind of solidified that I am being heard, and that my insights are.... worthy? 

Let's get on to this outfit!  If you follow Kristin of Leproust Vintage then you know where this outfit was featured on her Etsy appreciation photos.  Like I said a few weeks ago, Kristin was so generous and let me raid her vintage closet.  I put on this dress and immediately loved it.  I couldn't wait to take it home and style it up.  I decided to just completely roll with the whole sexy 70s flight attendant vibe.  I told my mom that surely, this looked like something she would have worn in the 70s.  The day I wore this dress I got so many compliments on it!  I think it was more than just the dress but I just felt so confident.

Orange and brown striped polyester button up dress: vintage, courtesy of Leproust Vintage
Red patent leather and elastic belt: Forever 21
Brown leather riding boots: Anthropologie Tawny Acres Boots
Purple heart sunglasses: Fred Flare

Do you believe in lucky clothes?

Can you guess what inspired this outfit?  Oh its this:

I love Kirsten Dunst.  I love her style and the characters she plays.  She is quirky and pretty.  This red hat made a huge statement in the film and since then I have wanted one.  Well, my senior year of college I asked my roommate at the time Rachel to knit me a red hat.  On Tuesday, I got the hat in the mail (and I don't even mind that it was 3 years late haha).  And it is beautiful!  I couldn't wait to wear it.

The reason I bring up the quote about lucky clothes is because, I think this might be a lucky outfit.  Sam and I went bowling with some friends last night and I, for the first time in my life, got a turkey.  What is a turkey?  It is when you bowl three strikes in a row.  I did that... I DID IT! 

Back to the outfit.  I am a huge fan of it.  I felt comfortable, casual, and incredibly chic for being in jeans and a t-shirt.  I think that has something to do with the pumps I was wearing.

Red knit slouchy hat: Knitted by a friend!
Black Beatles Abbey Road T-shirt: Forever21
Creased skinny jeans: Forever 21
Gold pendant necklace: courtesy of Modcloth Mobile Contest
Red leather cuff: ModCloth
Black and brown pumps: Flieschman's Vintage, Clothing XChange

You can judge the whole world by the sparkle that you think it lacks...

First off, THANK YOU.  Thank you to everyone who has gone and RSVP'd for Sam.  If you haven't yet, you need to.  Right now (or before the 16th).

Do you ever find those items in your closet, and you wear them and you realize, "How could I ever forget about you?  You are so darling?"  Oh, you don't talk to your clothes?  I'm a freak for talking to my clothes?  Well I can deal with that.  This skirt is one of those items.  I loved it so much I wore it two days in a row.  And I wore it last week.  Weather was so nice, I got to bare my legs. 

Finally, do you like me?  Oh!  You do?  Okay well then can you become a fan of me on facebook.  All you have to do is click Become a Fan in the widget and probably login to facebook if you are not logged in.  I did this in an attempt to curb the constant updated on my personal facebook profile. 

Gray V-Neck: American Apparel
Pendant Necklace: Vintage costume family heirloom
Eggplant tie belt: Gap (taken off a dress)
Shirt sleeve skirt: Urban Renewal, Urban Outfitters
Suede loafers: Target

Title from "When My Time Comes" by Dawes.  It was playing while I was writing this.

Fashion Tip Friday - How to find a good vintage store

One of my favorite things to do when I go vacation or out of town is to check out vintage and thrift stores.  It is difficult to find the good ones though, especially when you do not have a native around.  So, how do you find some of the best thrift and vintage stores without really knowing the town?  I wanted to share a few useful tips on hunting out the best thrift stores in a new town.

Know the names
You really cannot fail with Buffalo Exchange.  They always have a great selection, are always on trend, and I personally have a hard time walking out of the store without grabbing something.  Other great names to recognize are Plato's Closet (especially if you like more juniors type apparel), Goodwill (duh), Saver's (select locations), and Salvation Army.  Usually when I end up going out of town, I always hit up a Buffalo Exchange.  Hopefully, you can also find some great stores in the same area.

Vintage or Thrift Organizations
In a few cities, the local vintage and thrift stores will form some sort of loose organization so that you can find more of the same type of stores.  For example, in Austin, Texas, if you walk into a vintage store you will most likely find a little green brochure featuring several vintage and antique stores throughout the city.  Look out for these throughout your journey's as well as fashion related literature that may be in locally owned periodicals or fliers.

Scour the internet
The biggest one is searching the internet.  I could write an entire how-to on how to search for thrift stores on the internet however, I am going to try and sum up as much as I can so I don't bore you to death.

Go into Google maps and bring up the city you will be visiting.  For example, let's use Chicago, IL.

Once you have searched for the city, you will be taken to a page that looks similar to this.  Click on Search nearby and a drop down menu will appear.  Type in thrift stores and hit search.  Not only will this help you find places close to where you are staying but also help you have a plan of attack.

Here is your list of vintage stores.  One of the great things that google maps offers is a reviewing function.  I really cannot tell you how important these are and just want to say if you end up going to one of these places, please use some of the following sites that I am about to mention to review them.  You will not only be helping out the company but also help out fashionistas like you who are searching for good thrift and vintage.

Once you have a list, you will want to cross reference some of these places using sites like Yelp, City Search, and Fashion Dig.  All of these sites allow anyone to post information about the places on them.  They will include reviews, websites for these places, locations, phone numbers, and even hours of operations.  You may also be able to find a few gems that may not have shown up on the google maps search. 

Another great resource was started by Jessica (of What I Wore) and her fiancee Adam .  This site is called Vintage Where?

Vintage Where is mostly user operated with the opportunity for you to update your favorite vintage stores as well as browse for stores in other cities.  The site is a breath of fresh air when you may be heading to a city and you have no idea where to start.

Ask people.
Find fashion bloggers or just locals to that area and ask them their favorite places as well as any gems that may be hidden and off the beaten path.  You never know what you will find.

How do you find vintage and thrift stores in your own towns?  I am pretty familiar with the areas of Nashville that have great vintage, and will frequent these places (not as much since I'm not shopping).  I do have my favorite stores and my favorite areas of town that usually have a lot of really great finds but I am also always on the lookout for some hidden gems.

Thank you for all of your support and encouragement.  I am so thankful for the comments and the love.  Hope everyone has a great weekend!