A Vintage Red

This OOTD revolves around a dress that was one of my first vintage buys verrry early on in high school (9th or 10th grade, I think).  It's a red boucle unlined belted shift from the late 50s-early 60s, and it's one of my favorite pieces of clothing ever.

Dress: Vintage, no label (I think it may have been homemade)

Long-sleeved t-shirt: Coldwater Creek, sz. small

Tights: Merona, sz. small/medium

Shoes: Nine West Riane, sz. 7.5

Necklace: Vintage

This is one of those outfits that really can be made or broken with makeup, so broke out of my routine and went for a '50s-inspired demure pinup look (I know that's an oxymoron, but I AM a teacher, so I gotta tone it down a bit).  I did a black cat-eye liner with a bold red lip and kept the rest of my face pretty plain.  I'd like to think it worked, but since my only audience was a bunch of 14-16 year-olds, I'm not sure that they got the allusion.  Heck, I'm not sure they could even tell me what an allusion is, even though it was a vocabulary word for about a month.  Sigh.

Do you use makeup to complement your "look," or do you have a set makeup routine?

A Bauble and a Bow - OOTD: November 14th

This past weekend, I went shopping with my mom and my cousin, both of whom I look up to immensely.  We had a great time catching up, getting some Christmas shopping done, and looking for deals.  One of the deals that I found was a dress from Macy's.  It was originally $58, and I snagged it for $15.  Woohoo! 

I had reservations about the dress itself because the fit was just a bit odd, and I hated the belt that came with it.  However, once I got home, I replaced the belt with a vintage belt that's attached to a dress I have from the late '50s/early '60s, and I layered a shirt under it to smooth out the fit.  I added a long pendant necklace to draw the eye away from the weird shoulders of the dress and down to the fun belt, and I was good to go!

This is my pre-7:15 A.M. Monday smile.

Dress:  NY Collection, sz. small

Long-sleeved Shirt:  NY and Co., sz. small

Tights:  Merona for Target, sz. small/medium

Shoes:  Nine West Riane, sz. 7.5

Amethyst Necklace:  My grandmother's

Belt:  Vintage, late '50s or early '60s

A picture of the details:

Have you ever revamped something you bought on super-sale to make it work? 



Inspired: OOTD

About a month ago, when J.Crew's November catalog came, I sat around with some of my friends/J.Crew fans at school in the morning before the day started flipping through the pages.  When I came across one of the pages, one of the girls said, "You have that skirt!  You could totally recreate that look."  So, I was inspired to give it a shot. 

Here's the catalog page with the aforementioned outfit (a big thanks to Suzy at Bichonluvr's Closet for scanning this catalog for us!):

I loved how effortlessly chic this look was, and it was really pretty effortless to recreate and personalize.  Here's what I came up with:

Turtleneck:  J.Crew merino turtleneck sweater in black, sz. small

Skirt:  J.Crew liquid silk skirt in bright dahlia, sz. 2 (reviewed here, remixed here)

Socks:  Black trouser socks...honestly, I think I stole them from my mom (sorry mama!)

Shoes:  Nine West Riane, sz. 7.5

Heart and filigree necklaces:  Vintage

Here's a detail box I put together (Don't mind the awful look on my face or the crooked necklaces, it was preeetty darn early in the morning.):

Overall, I was pretty happy with the outcome, but the socks + oxfords made me nervous.  A couple of the sophomores made fun of the combo and said I looked "just like an English teacher" (duh), but I haven't ever taken fashion advice from 16 year-old boys, and I don't plan on starting anytime soon ;) 



I'll post the Polyvore for the outfit below, but before we get to that...

I know I have some new readers, so I want to welcome them to the blog!  :) 

J.Crew Catalog Inspiration with handbag options by alldressedupnoplace2go featuring knit tops

Have a wonderful day!

Channeling Cruella

My school is observing Red Ribbon Week this week for drug/alcohol prevention and awareness.  Our Red Ribbon Week is similar to spirit week because we have theme days in which staff and students are encouraged to dress a certain way.  Monday was "Wear Red" day. 

Would you believe I only own one article of red clothing?  Inevitably, when I wear it, someone makes a Cruella de Vil reference.  Every. Single. Time.  However, while looking for a picture for this post, I was hard-pressed to find anything that even remotely resembled the offending red cardigan.  This was the closest match I could find:

Source

Now, here's my Cruella-esque OOTD:

I guess I can see how the polka dots give off the dalmatian vibe.



Cardigan:  BCBG, size sm.

Dress:  Vintage 1950s-era, size unknown

Tights:  Merona for Target

Shoes:  Nine West Riane (on sale for $62.30!), size 7.5

A quick word about the shoes - if you're looking for a comfy, high-heeled oxford, I can't recommend the Riane enough.  I've had this pair of shoes for less than two weeks, and I've already worn them five or six times.  They're a great basic for the fall/winter months.

Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to don some long black gloves, smoke from a cigarette holder, and scare a hundred or so puppies.