What to Wear for the Cocktail Hour...and Dinner

The best of dressing in vintage...
You can mix and match...
It doesn't need to match by year....
Pick a theme....and a color scheme........

Some things that can go together....
and, sure, in my etsy shop now....clicky



a lovely sparkly 50s - 60s black sequin lbd....Take a great vintage basic.....perfect for any fancy occasion after 5 pm....


Be girly with .....romantic 80s black suede tie pumps....


Or go tough with an 80s cropped black leather jacket....



And.....oooo laaa laaa...80s stiletto heels studded black leather pumps....
Now there is a combo you don't see coming and going.....
Sequins, black leather and metal studs....all in Black!



Or go pretty again....with this dress paired with a Black leather jacket and the tough studded stilettos........a sassy 60s black crepe lbd...with lots of pretty lace !




and underneath......and a 50s bullet bra circle stitch strapless bra.....


Just think outside the Closet .....

Fun With Basics, vintage navy jacket Edition

Sometimes a sweater is what I want and then there are times.......
a trim little jacket is it...

Start with a basic navy jacket, a 70s wool blend...because the quality is fabulous, and the dominant style was cropped, nipped waist, and pockets !
yes, these are both listed in my etsy shop.

A cropped style is great on almost all bodies....it doesn't hug the butt like a longer jacket might, or gap over the butt, or cut you off at an unflattering line.....a jacket will only be your new best friend if it fits right.....
this style just skims the hip bones and has panache!





A pearly necklace, a few pearly necklaces would be fab too......a perfect basic to play with....the steampunk queen of romance is only one way to style this.....but it's my favorite.
so I paired it with a white lace dress...which is so sweet
(get out your wedding dress and wear it! kidding.) to start with...

Then I tucked a white millinery rose in the hanky pocket...along with some pink netting from an old hat ....and hung a pair of 50s vintage pink gloves from one pocket.

These brassy buttons have Crowns, and Elephants and Dinosaurs embossed on them....(look!)


Here it is in its plainness........so many things to do! A plaid skirt would look nifty with a white lace blouse...or a print skirt for a feminine look.
Pair it with stripes for even more steampunk Victoriana ...

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And another look from a simple navy jacket....also a 70s one but this one has puffy sleeves. Beware! if you are over 40, it might be too juvenile...or not.

This style is more hunting jacket and the front has nifty pointy hems and I really love the tiny buttons.
I tucked a knit lace doily in the hanky pocket here, and pinned a huge vintage red velvet chrysanthemum on a lower pocket.
For a schoolmarm in the wild west I added an Indian blanket vest. (a rhyme!)
This look would be smashing with a golden brown suede or velvet skirt or dark grey leggings and chunky boots....



It starts with a simple jacket....and the romance, the style, that gives it a fairytale aura is all in the details....
A trim navy jacket is more polished and formal than a sweater...
more "lunch in a fancy restaurant jacket", instead of "brunch on late Sunday with a hangover sweater".

Decisions Decisions........

I have clothes, but sometimes I stare at my closet and can't find anything to wear!
That's when I know I have to spend an afternoon just trying things on, with accessories and the proper shoes......
to, you know,
Play Dress Up with myself.
As the months go by, my color favorites change, the weather gets warmer or cooler, and I simply grow tired of certain things.

I try combinations that are not your usual Cuppa Tea, because, well, sometimes the ordinary can be quite boring...

to wit:
50s atomic pattern dress is basic enough to toss some very interesting accessories at it....or it can be a pure copy of a 50s gal...paired with a hot yellow cardigan, yellow pumps and purse.....or something unusual.............your choice!
I've paired it with a handmade tote to pick up the yellow in the dress print....a fun handmade bag.


Interesting shoes eh? Simple oxfords with a twist.......
Black and shiny, they bring the outfit down to earth in a gothic manner.


Going a bit more conservative....I love pieces that match and mix.......

Here's 2 basic suits....exquisite fabric and work. If you are used to buying your clothes at a mall store or bought new anytime in the last 15 years, You have been cheated!
In contrast....the fabrics....the details.....the overall quality of vintage will just blow your mind. Clothes started to become very cheaply made....throw-away actually.....in the 70s. I'm not gonna count the paper dresses of the 60s.........

I'm talkin' about so many shortcuts while sewing a garment together that it had no seam allowances, shoddy button sewing, and such a lack of cute details. The recent inflow of cheap garments from places like China has really given clothing a bad name!

These 2 suits are designer names, a classic military influenced chocolate brown Escada set and for the adorable 60s set, Curilette Originals from San Francisco, have workmanship that is in the same class as the most famous designers of today and the kind of clothes that used to have those finishing touches that you can only find today in tailored made, or very expensive.

Both are in quality wool, and are in colors that can be worn 4 seasons a year. In summer, the jackets would work with sheer florals and flowing lace summer dresses, to cover bare shoulders when the air conditioning is too cold, or when a late summer evening gets a bit of a chill.



I really love this color, the smooth fabric, and the crisp style with rustic leather accessories like a pair of city huarache sandals.

Pair the pieces with black, white, creams or other pastels....
and get your fashion dollar worn wisely.......

Which is another reason to buy vintage!
Clothes that will last longer than a half-season.
Most of the clothes made in the last decade will end up in the landfill. But these, for instance, have been worn in the past, and now can be added again to a wardrobe for another time around, and then, can be passed on to another generation.





The cut of this 60s suit, this jacket in particular, is curvy.......look at how the bottom button is inset just a bit.....and not to mention the classiness of bound buttonholes.
This looks as lovely with pearls and chains as it would with a necklace of chunky polished agates, or a fat 60s floral brooch. It doesn't have to team up with a skirt.....a great pair of jeans or a floral dress is just as appealing.