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

the basics of style

I often find myself in situations where people ask me why I spend so much of my life surrounded by the past.  Why do I dress in vintage clothing?  Why do I set my hair nearly every night?  Why do I spend countless hours researching novelty prints, various silhouettes, and hat styles?  Why do I only buy vintage clothing?

 

Now I know it sounds simple, but I feel my most comfortable in vintage styles, I love my hair when it spent the night in pin curls, and vintage clothing is simply better quality than most of the clothing produced today.  There's just something special about taking the time to curate a wardrobe and knowing that behind every piece is a long history and a long list of women who have loved it as much as you do now.

It's all about attention to detail.  It's about the silhouette.  It's about the colors, and the textures, and the accessories.  And it's also about the journey - you can't walk into any old store and find a new addition to your wardrobe.  It takes time, and patience, and trial and error to find your style.

 

And it also takes a new attitude.  In a world where casual is king, it takes gumption to be the most dressed up person in the room.  Expect stares.  Expect comments.  And expect the all-to-common "wow, you're dressed up" remark.  But more than that, you have to be confident in your own ability to wear the clothes, instead of letting the clothes wear you.  You have to be comfortable in your own skin.

 

I always think of my grandparents - both exceptionally well-dressed - who always gave me pieces of advice, whether or not they knew they were doing it.  When she was grocery shopping, entertaining grandchildren, or cooking for Thanksgiving, even when she was in the hospital, my grandmother always wore lipstick.  The same shade, the same brand, for my entire childhood.  She kept a small box in the bathroom with lipstick, powder, and a small bottle of perfume.  She kept her nail polish in the fridge because she swore it lengthened its life.  Her hair was always done, even when she could no longer do it herself.  She didn't do it to impress anyone, she didn't do it to please society - she did it for herself. 

My grandfather was always meticulously dressed.  He was a man who owned approximately 14,000 blue button down shirts because they were his favorite.  A man whose closet was better stocked and more organized than a Prada warehouse.  And a man who could rock a bathrobe and slippers just as much as he could rock a tweed suit.  He taught me that one doesn't always need to be daring in one's appearance.  Sometimes the basics are simply the best.

Now, I don't keep my nail polish in the fridge, and I have a really hard time sticking to the basics, and therefor my grandparents are probably both wagging a finger at me right now, but these lessons can be adapted to fit your own lifestyle.  Welcome to my three rules of style.  These are by no means strict, and are open to interpretation, but when I'm having trouble coming up with a new outfit or find myself feeling gross no matter what I'm wearing, here are the rules I fall back on:

1.  Don't overestimate simplicity.  A fitted black skirt, a white blouse, and black ballet flats. Black and white stripes.  Black cigarette pants.  You don't always need to be loud to be stylish.

2.  Find your length.  Also known as, Mini Skirts Aren't for Everyone.  As someone who owns five miniskirts, I clearly have both a problem abiding by rules, and getting rid of clothing, but I also know that I look best in mid-length skirts that hit three inches below the knee.  This knowledge comes from years of wearing super short skirts in ballet class that barely grazed the derriere (over tights and a leotard, and point shoes), and another number of years wearing maxi skirts in the summertime so I wouldn't have to shave my legs. One was too short, one was too long, and one was just right.

3. Dress by the silhouette.  When you begin to think what you want to wear, instead of thinking about colors, patterns, and particular styles, think about your ideal silhouette.  What shape do you want to wear?  If someone took a high contrast photograph of you, so that everything was split into light and dark, what would your silhouette look like?  Once you know what shape you want to achieve, then you can work from there.

 

And the most important rule?  Life is too short to wear boring clothes, and too long to hate what you wear.  So build up from the basics, and never be afraid to be the most dressed up person in the room.

xoxo,
Eliza

~ one hundred hats ~

Someone wise once said that once you hit a certain number, a hobby becomes a collection, and once you hit another number, a collection becomes an obsession.  From then on, you (and everyone who has the great misfortune to visit your house) enter, dangerously, into hoarder territory.

I think, now, of my grandparents.  One who kept everything that contained one speck of sentimentality.  Another who routinely vacuumed the floor under the table after every meal with such tenacity that even the smallest of crumb didn't stand a chance.  One who kept every single dress, hat, baby shoe, and letter from summer camp neatly tucked away in boxes, garment bags, and heavy trunks.  Another who would gladly have thrown away everything that wasn't nailed down.

Wager a guess as to which one I'm most like.

I might as well point out that I have excluded two hat boxes, one travel hat case, one suitcase, and the countless hats that liter my vanity table (and every level surface in my bedroom).

As of last week, the grand total hits somewhere around 50 - a number that makes me both proud and a little scared for the sagging shelf in my closet where nearly all fifty hats are stored.  Now what, you may ask, do I DO with all of these hats?  Despite my mixed emotions (equal parts adoration and fear), and the baffled looks on the faces of those who are not hat collectors, this question set me out on a mission: style and photograph all 50 hats that are currently in my collection, and the 50 more that will inevitably take their place on the closet shelf.

Welcome to the OneHundredHats Project!  Watch my Instagram (@vintagerosegirl) for photos, information on the hat style, label, age, and where I found it.

Hat No. 1

Hat No. 2

Hat No.3

Happy collecting!

xoxo,

Eliza

~ flower power ~

Do you ever buy a new (old) dress and suddenly feel that, for that moment, everything is right with the world?  Or is that just me?  Yesterday my friend Alex and I walked in to Other Side Vintage in Railroad Square and this dress caught my eye within the first ten minutes.  It was too hot to try on the 50s plaid skirt or the 70s knitted dress I had also picked out, so I stuck to the 60s dresses and 50s button ups.

Maybe it was the soul-draining heat or the power-punch of protein from having just eaten a veggie burger the size of my head, but yesterday was undoubtedly one of those everything-is-right-with-the-world experiences.

A 1960s blue/green/white explosion of flowers that can be worn with sleeves rolled up or down, with a (matching) belt or without, can be worn at any time of year, and is currently my favorite thing in my closet.

The tag reads Shannon Rodgers for Jerry Silverman, a brand that dates back to 1959.  

How strange to think that a design that is nearly 60 years old is still as relevant and stylish as the day it was produced.  I don't know how Shannon Rodgers and Jerry Silverman would feel knowing that their design is being worn and loved all those years later, but I like to think it would make them proud.

So thank you for your design, gentlemen.  And don't worry - I'll take good care of it.

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

~ vintage ephemera ~

Throughout my life I've collected everything under the sun.  Stamps, marbles, vintage patterns, Nancy Drew books, vegan recipes (do those count as a collection or an obsession?), vintage clothes, vintage hats, vintage hankies.....I could go on.

But recently my attention has been drawn in a different direction: vintage ephemera.  That is, books, sheet music, magazines, catalogs, recipe books, etc., etc.  And over the weekend, I hit the jackpot!

Books for 25 cents, sheet music for a dollar, postcards for 45 cents.  JACKPOT.

First up: 1953 South Carolina Mills catalog

     

     

       

      

1957 Conquering Outer Space

Look For the Silver Lining sheet music

Oh, and one last thing (even though it doesn't qualify as ephemera)....

Paul Revere and The Raiders

I'm quite sure I didn't NEED another obsession, but I'm sure enjoying it.

xoxo,

Eliza

~ throwback thursday ~

This semester, Tuesdays and Thursdays have become my dress-up days.  Vintage dresses, bright lipsticks, my favorite shoes, actually putting effort into my makeup, and even attempting to match my socks.  Now as I write this, it's Friday, and I'm in my pajamas, have my hair in a knot on the top of my head, and a dab of honey on my cheek (FYI guys, gals, and everyone in between - honey works miracles on an overnight pimple), but I was too happy with yesterday's outfit not to share it.

Usually I have a pretty solid idea of what I want to wear when I wake up, and thanks to a week-long bout of insomnia, I've had more time than usual to think it over.  This not only makes my morning go smoother, but enables me to spend less time standing half naked in front of my mirror, holding up two different shirts to see which one matches the dark circles under my eyes best.

When in doubt, go with black (which, thanks to a house full of kitties, require some awkward positions with a lint roller).  I wonder if Audrey Hepburn had the same problem.

Slowly but surely my wardrobe is transitioning into that of a spy from the 1960s who specializes in jewelry theft and international espionage.  Not that I'm complaining.

xoxo,

Eliza