Wardrobe Wonders: Outfit Post #5

Yesterday, Chicago was sizzling hot, with temperatures reaching damn near 90 degrees! For a good portion of the afternoon I tried to stay inside as much as possible, first spending two and half hours at the thrift store hunting for new merch for my etsy shop and then working on some things and thangs from home (etsy shop and non-etsy related) in the good ol' a.c.

I had several AMAZING finds while out vintage hunting yesterday, one of which being this incredible late 50s Mexican themed wicker picnic bag that I had to keep for myself. I spiffed it up and took it out on the town to work last night and then out with my some of my girlfriends after that.



Halter top: 1980s swimsuit top
Skirt: 1950s cotton cherry blossom print full skirt
Handbag: 1950s Mexican themed wicker picnic bag
Shoes: thrifted deadstock italian dance shoes with peep toes (these are my go-to's!)
Earrings: vintage (70s?) native beaded drop earrings

Wardrobe Wonders: Outfit Post #4

This is the first in a series of new posts I'd like to attempt to tackle today. The photo shown below is just a quick snap shot of what I wore to work at the lounge I cocktail at for our Soul/Psychedelic/Funk/Garage Rock night a few days back. I got that early 70s mini skirt from my fabulous friend Niki over at BombshellShocked Vintage months ago, and I've been dying to wear it out for the perfect occasion. And with the weather in Chicago being so unusually rainy for this time of year, it's been a rarity to be able to wear my afro out as large and in charge as I was able to that night.

The evening's ensemble was completely inspired by one of my favorite songs ever, Funky Nassau by the rare funk band The Beginning of the End. Most particularly the following lyric, "mini skirts, maxi skirts and afro haired dudes...people doin' their own thing, they don't care about me or you...Nassau's gone funky, Nassau's gone soul". If you've never heard of them or this track before, listen and enlighten yourself below.



xoxo

Wardrobe details:
Mini skirt: early 1970s rayon & polyester blend mini skirt w/ word print
Top: 1950s smocked picnic blouse
Thigh highs: purchased at the most amazing secret dollar store in the world
Shoes: 1960s Bass wooden heeled loafers w/ tassels
Hair: ALL MINE.

Wardrobe Wonders: Outfit Post #3

So today, before the temperature dropped about twenty degrees (as it did this past hour), I had to run some errands out and about, one of which included picking out an incredibly badass pair of shoes for my wedding next week (!!!!!!!!!). Before I headed out for the day, I snapped a quick photo of the dress I wore (which, unfortunately because of the whacky weather here, doesn't get out of my closet as much as I'd like it to)....



Dress: 1950s cotton day dress
Shoes: Vintage inspired Italian leather dancing shoes
Bra: early 1950s Hollywood Vasserette Black Lace scalloped bullet bra
Earrings: Mexican coiled silver drops

Oh, and don't you worry, I'll have pictures of my whole wedding ensemble soon enough!

The Vintage Bazaar Part Two

Yesterday, I was able to snap a few more photos of the lovely finds I scored at this past weekend's Vintage Bazaar held in Chicago's Pilsen Arts District.

I was especially pleased with my fabric finds this time around, as I was able to get some new wardrobe wonders for a steal!

Pictured below, I purchased lime green sequined bloomers solely so I could base my next burlesque act on them! My hope is to be squeezing limes in these bad boys sooner than later...


And next up, was this super adorable 1970s mini sailor-ette swing dress I bought from pop up dealer, Bummertwon Vintage. Loveeeeee this! (And it fits like a gem!)


After that, at the end of the event, I scoured Milwaukee's Pineapple Mint Vintage's racks and came across this amazing late 50s, early 60s two piece sailor skirt suit. The jacket is ideal and the skirt fits perfectly on my tush, yay!

Here's a back side view of the jacket:

(This set still needs a good steaming)

There are still some more goodies to share, with more pictures to come. I came across a heaping pile of decorative border trim and supplies, perfect for motivating me to revamp and create some new insane costumes for this summer's burlesque adventures. And perhaps I can even turn out my own garter for my wedding, which is just 18 short days away by the by! But more on that later....

;)

The Vintage Bazaar: Why yes, I WILL go on a shopping spree!

Yesterday was a big day for vintage lovers in Chicago, as a great deal of us migrated down to Pilsen for this season's Vintage Bazaar, which is a lovely culmination of vintage clothing, jewelry, antique and kitsch dealers held as a single day event. Although I do sell vintage as well, I was not a dealer at this event and for once, had the day off, so I decided to head down to see some dealer friends and get a little healthy dose of shopping in before I start two new jobs this upcoming week.

Usually when I go to vintage expos and fairs I shack up in my dear friend Niki's booth, owner of BombshellShocked Vintage, who I work and model for weekly and who's selection I not only drool over, but am fortunate enough to get first pick of, but this time around, I made sure to hunt around the booths of some other local dealers I know for some new spring and summer additions to my wardrobe and household collections. (P.S. Both Niki and her booth were stunning, as per usual!)

And though I kept telling myself I would only be looking and buying for the sake of neccessity, needless to say I treated myself to things that were super cute and I just flat out wanted! Hopefully my fiance won't be too frusturated with me coming home with yet another bag of vintage marvels....

Here are the new black glazed ceramics I got from Kokorokoko Vintage to add to my collection at home:

(Note, I could NOT pass this unicorn up.)


(And I loveeeeeee black cats, especially with green eyes, though it's kind of hard to tell in this photo)


And I treated myself to a new pulp book for my bus & train reading time:

(the illustrated babe on the cover totally sold me)

I have to spiff up my new wardrobe finds, so consider this post a part one, and I'll shoot a few sneak peaks of all the clothes I scored in just a bit.

Yay! Now if this damn weather here would just balance out, I could take the spring/summer wardrobe out for another spin....

xoxo

Wardrobe Wonders: Outfit Post #2

With yet another day of miraculously wonderful hot and sweaty weather in Chicago, as it appears as though we've just missed spring completely and gone straight for summer, I figured I'd attempt to keep up with the wardrobe "Joneses" thus far. Today, it's been so damn hot, my closet picks don't seem to make a whole lot of sense, but the idea was to pretty much wear as little clothing as humanly possibly, as it's about 90 degrees outside right now.

After fiddling around with this and that, here's what I ended up walking out in:


Top/mini-dress: 1960s Fuschia Hawaiian Tiki Print beach mini-dress
Shorts: an old & overwashed pair of Sass&Bide cut off shorts
Belt: vintage Southwestern Woven Scorpion belt
Shoes: 70s inspired chocolate suede and wicker wedges by MIA
Earrings: from Crossroads Trading Co.

xoxo

Wardrobe Wonders: Outfit Post Numero Uno

Now that it's finally getting warm enough in Chicago to blow the dust off of my spring/summer wardrobe, I thought I'd give this whole outfit post thing a whirl.

The photo in this post was shot by a patron at my most recent burlesque show with Scarlett Deville & The Devillettes at Debonair this past Wednesday for the Wild Women Review Rockabilly Night. I had such a blast with those fine ladies, and have to say it was one of my most stress-free and totally wild and improvised performances to date.

Here's a flyer of the show:


And here's what I wore after my set:


Dress: 50s inspired 80s tropical wrap dress, courtesy of BombshellShocked Vintage
Fishnets with Cuban seam: 40s inspired, from Silver Moon Vintage
Shoes: Chocolate Leather 40s inspired pumps by Naughty Monkey
Hair Flower: by Original Cenz, purchased on Etsy


xoxo