summertime

I'm a big believer in having wardrobe staples - a brenton striped top, a black skirt, nude ballet flats, and the like.  And I'm also a big believer in mixing things up and not letting yourself live only within the confines of those staples.  But I'm ALSO a big believer in having a uniform for each season.  To say I'm indecisive would be an understatement, and having an outfit that I can fall back on during my frequent times of indecisiveness is a necessity.

So this season I'm getting ahead of the game and piecing together my uniform BEFORE I spend an ungodly amount of time standing in front of my closet in nothing but my skivvies.  Though with the heat we get in Florida, standing around in nothing but my skivvies would solve many problems.
  

 

So here it is!  Vintage shorts + sleeveless button up top + cateyes.  I call it "Betty Draper meets Sweaty Floridian." 

         

And it wouldn't be summer without a new pair of sunglasses.  These, from Curio Goods here in Tallahassee, are a beautiful cream color with little rhinestones in each corner.  Perfectly cool for this awfully hot weather. 

Stay cool, wherever you are!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ mrs. robinson ~

For someone who loves cats of all kinds as much as I do, you would think I would own more leopard print than I currently do.  But for now I only have two large leopard print scarves, that when skillfully placed, can give the appearance of a leopard print top, leopard print turban, and leopard print lingerie (see below).

Now, this is definitely a good start, but in order to reach my dream wardrobe, I'll need to take a leaf out of the book of these rad ladies and go into full-leopard mode....

And of course, saving the best for last...

After all, what's life without a little leopard?

xoxo,

Eliza

~ chicka chicka boom boom ~

If you're one of the poor souls who didn't grow up on Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers movies and think that music from the 40s is boring and outdated, then let me catch you up on a bit of history and introduce you to the coolest lady who ever walked this earth in platform shoes and a headdress made out of fruit.

Meet Carmen Miranda.  Now go to google images and drool over all of her amazing costumes.

Carmen Miranda (Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha) was born in 1909 in Portugal and moved to Rio de Jeneiro when she was only a baby.  Her father was abusive towards her mother and highly disapproved of Carmen's love for performing, but her mother supported her passionately.  When her sister got sick and was sent away, Carmen started working in a hat shop to help pay for her medical bills - she later opened her own hat shop, which continued until she was discovered in 1929 and by the next year she was the most popular singer in Brazil.  She is widely considered to be the first Brazilian pop star and recorded nearly 300 songs in her career.

If you know her at all, you probably recognize her for her iconic style (fruit headdress, platform shoes, colorful beads, etc.) but she did not adopt this style until 1939.  If you haven't seen her first American film, Down Argentina Way, go watch it now.  Seriously.

She was in 14 American films in total, but also stared in many Brazilian films, however towards the end of her career, many Brazilians felt she was becoming too "Americanized."  But being the strong woman she was, she responded by recording a song called "Disseram que Voltei Americanizada" (or "They Say I've Come Back Americanized").  After WWII, her career began to dim, as the American peoples' tastes slowly changed.

Her personal life was wrought was sadness - from an abusive marriage, to a miscarriage, to years of depression and drug use.  When she died after suffering from a heart attack, the Brazilian government declared a national period of mourning. 

My deep love for Carmen Miranda has been festering since I was 8.  I have a clear memory of cleaning my room (which from the years 2000-2006 was a lost cause) and singing to her music at the top of my lungs.  That was the same year I discovered high heels and Revlon lipstick, and all three (as you can clearly see) had a huge impact on my life.

Though I may be quite a bit older and several inches taller (but every bit obsessed with platforms as I was then), I still occasionally pull out my handmade headdress (which took a lot of hot glue and a lot of fake fruit), slap on her greatest hits, and shimmy around my room with a vacuum cleaner in tow.

Oh Carmen, how I love you.  Thank you for being such a big part of my life.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ the scarf queens ~

Though the verdict is still out on how long I can go without washing my hair (because I am a very lazy person and I have a LOT of hair - i.e. hair washing is a major production and will only be done when absolute necessary), the verdict has definitely come back in regards to headscarves and I'm pleased to say they have passed with flying colors!  Blue ones, red one, white ones, floral ones, plaid ones, striped ones - you name it, I've tried it.  And thanks to my grandmother who was meticulous in her treatment towards her clothes and accessories, I have enough scarves (in perfect condition) to last me a lifetime of bad hair days, lazy hair days, rainy days, and just plain blah days!

Now here are a few Scarf Queens that deserve your attention.

One of each, please.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ betty grable ~

Ohhhh Betty.  The queen of pin up.  The quintessential renaissance woman.  The envy of all.
(the reason why I wanted to dye my hair blonde when I was 12).

How I love you.

Years ago, after my obsession began, I couldn't pass a mirror without practicing the classic Betty pose seen above.  I'm pretty sure I can attribute many sore muscles and hurt necks to her.

But since then I've moved on from posing and into the territory of hair styling.  It's a lot less taxing on the back.

{pardon the terrible quality of these photos.  It was 10 pm and I was too lazy to get out my photography lamps}

Although I'm quite proud of my curls, considering this was the day after I washed my hair and the humidity was off the charts, I'm not quite on Betty's level.  

Clearly I have a lot to learn.  Luckily spring break is right around the corner, so I'll have plenty of time to practice!

xoxo,

Eliza