Outfit Post: The One That Got Away

If you've ever geared up for a little photo shoot only to find that your camera battery is deathly low, this post is dedicated to you.

Unfortunately, there was only enough juice (and daylight) for one shot.  Thankfully, it was a decent shot where my eyes are actually open!

dress-Rachel Pally (old), scarf-random, wool vest-vintage, arrow belt-vintage, tights-random, lace up boots-vintage

I loved this little outfit, though in hindsight, it's a bit Pirate-y, isn't it?  Oh well, I like pirates. Arrrrrgh and all that.

You know what I like even better than pirates, though? THE WEEKEND!  Which is here. So I'm about to go and enjoy it, rainy though it may be.


xo,
Amanda

Outfit Post: Mama's Girl

This weekend my parents came to town...they had been vacationing in Southern Virginia and came to stay with us for the weekend.  Of course, this meant planning lots of yummy meals and fun things to do!

The weather was still steamy, even at dinnertime, but that meant it was the perfect time to pull out a vintage dress I've been hoarding in my closet for a few months. It's a 70s Alfred Shaheen with screenprinted hibiscus flowers. And one of the best parts? It has built in cups, so you don't have to wear a bra and disrupt the "look." (Plus, strapless bras are such a pain when it's so hot and sticky. I'd almost rather go free!)  I can see myself wearing this a lot this summer...next time, I think I'm going to try a different vintage belt.

dress-vintage, shoes-Blowfish

My mom saw my outfit and said, "I guess I'll have to go dress up now!" Of course, fashionable lady that she is, she was prepared, and even agreed to take some pictures with me!

And one more shot with the photographer in front of the camera....I just shaved his head last week. I'm kind of loving it. 

We had a lovely weekend, but we were so sad to see it end. The good news is that we got a huge storm, so the weather is finally bearable....that means Aurora and I can leave the house for more than a half an hour at a time! It's been a beautiful morning so far, sitting here in the sunlight with my coffee.  Happy Monday!

xo,
Amanda

Outfit Post: Double Denim

When the denim shirt came back "in" to style, I kept seeing it paired with darker jeans.  I wasn't sure I liked it.  It felt too denim-y.  But I think the key is structure and accessories.  If the top is slouchier, go with a skinnier bottom half.  If you have a more form-fitting denim on top, try high waist wide legs or bell bottoms (a huge trend for spring that I wish I could pull off). I added a cardigan (you'll recognize it from a previous post--it's my favorite) and some killer shoes.

I wore this outfit on Saturday for a trip to the Philly area to hang out with Q's family and celebrate a bunch of Aquarian birthdays (I believe there are 5 of us, including me and Aurora now). 

cardigan-thrifted J. Crew, top-Walmart (Miley Cyrus last year! yikes.I know.), jeans-thrifted Gap skinny, clogs-Steve Madden (gift from Jayme), bone/turquoise necklace-eBay

A note on my jeans:  I found them, like new, for $4 at this little thrift that is super crowded and junky, but has some good finds if you dig hard enough.  They are a size smaller than I've been wearing at Gap--score!  But they are skinny jeans.

I am not skinny.  Thus, I have always believed I should not wear skinny jeans. But this pair is super dark, has just the right amount of stretch, and a higher waist. I'm still not skinny, but with the platforms, they were more flattering than I thought (and comfortable!)

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend--only 5 more days 'til the next one!

xo,
Amanda

Outfit Post: Blown Away

If only I was less vain, you would be laughing out loud right now.  Today was that crazy, windy day on the East coast where a lot of trees and power lines went down.  Well, when I stepped outside to take some photos on our little back porch/patio, I almost went down too.  My facial expressions are pretty priceless (and now deleted from my computer).

I had to move to a corner of the porch more sheltered from the wild winds.  I wore this layered outfit to shop (thrifting and groceries) and for a little dinner party we had over here with a close friend and her husband:  lasagna, salad, and wine topped offf by coffee, double chocolate brownies, and electronic CatchPhrase, Bananagrams, and Euchre.  It was a fantastic Friday.

army jacket-UO, cardigan-vintage, tee-Old Navy (thrifted), skirt-NY&Co. (thrifted), tights-?, boots-vintage

I still look a little windblown, and in truth, I wore a big black scarf as I gallivanted around town.  I am also wearing really big coral-toned earrings that were a gift from Jayme for my birthday.  I love the color coral--it brings out the peachiness in my complexion and it's a great color for spring.  I thrifted this basic Old Navy tee the other day--what drew me to it besides the color was that is has not just a scoop front, but a scoop back.  I think showing a little back is sexy.  I can't wait until it's warm enough to do this! (Yes, my posts will probably continue to complain about the weather until there's nothing to complain about.)

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

xo,
Amanda

Outfit Post: London Rain

So I'm not in London (obviously and unfortunately), but do you remember that Heather Nova song by the same title (Nothing heals me like you do)?  Circa 1997 or so? It was on the first season of Dawson's Creek when the show was new and really good and it was almost believable that the actors were teenagers. It was the scene when Dawson and Joey were on the swings late at night. So romantic! Jayme had the soundtrack and I remember laying out (yes, in bathing suits in the backyard, sans sunscreen) that summer and listening to it on the ol' CD player, singing along (of course).


But I digress.  This was my first outfit post with props!  One necessary umbrella and one really cute vintage bag because it went great with the outfit and was newly posted in the shop.  I wore this out to get some groceries (breakfast for dinner!) with Q and his girls. Really exciting, right?  I still had fun playing dress up in my Miskabelle closet!  Here's what I picked:

      Outfit Details:  blazer- vintage Miskabelle, secretary dress-vintage,coming soon to Miskabelle, brooch-vintage, tights-?, Dooney and Bourke shoulder bag, vintage Miskabelle, brown oxfords-thrifted

This FANTASTIC vintage Dooney and Bourke bag is in the shop now!  Get it before it's gone!

We've had snow.  We've had freezing rain.  We've had wintry mix.  We've had regular rain.  I think some sunshine is in order.

Until the next outfit--
Amanda

Outfit Post: Mama of the Birthday Girl

Aurora turned 1 on February 11th, and we celebrated with my family in Pennsylvania (that blog, coming soon--I swear--to Miskabelly).  This past weekend, we had a second little celebration with Q's family in Virginia.  It was a bright, sunny Saturday, not as warm as the two 70 degrees days we had, but warm enough that I didn't freeze my buns off while taking outfit shots.  This is what I wore to celebrate one year of being a mom--I mean, hot mama.

fire engine cardi-vintage, linen snap down dress-UO, tights-Target, oxford heels-Sam Edelman

me with Aurora, in her vintage senorita dress. She got a huge orange Koosh ball!

 

We have one last celebration of Aquarians this upcoming weekend, and then no family birthdays for a while! I am excited to share some awesome finds with you--I've been pretty lucky with sales and thrift finds lately.

xo,
Amanda

Outfit Post: Fake Spring

It was 70 degrees here yesterday and I think it's only 40 degrees today.  There is always a tease in February, but just because I knew it was a tease, that didn't keep me from taking advantage of the beautiful weather. I had Q take a few outfit shots.

I love spring and fall the most for clothing choices:  summer is too hot and I hate shorts and baring a ton of skin is not something I'm really looking forward to.  I love spring for its bare arms (so my arm tattoo can come out from hiding!), dresses and cardigans for when it's cool in the evenings or morning, and cute heels and wedges.

Here is what I wore yesterday:

top-thrifted H&M, skirt-vintage, vest-vintage, shoes-Jessica Simpson, magnifying glass necklace-vintage

Q took a few closeups, and I love them.  I let my hair air dry and added the tiniest bit of product so the texture was great.  Plus:  red lips, my favorite.

 I tweeted the other day about fearing bare legs, since I am notorious for forgetting to shave my legs.  I did shave my legs, but what is hard to tell from this photo is that I'm wearing nude fishnets (by Spanx!  They are amazing!)  My legs are pasty and covered in various bruises and scratches  from chasing a one year old around, so the tights, however sheer, make me feel a little better about baring my gams.

I got this tattoo as a way to commemorate surviving my first year of grad school.  It's a stargazer lily, my favorite flower.  I looked into its representations before choosing it:  a sign of aspiration; wealth and prosperity.   It just felt right.  I met a wonderful artist at Jinx Proof Tattoos in Georgetown, and that was that.  I got my third tattoo there as well, and I'm planning another for this summer...stay tuned (unless you're Mom and Dad, then:  ignore this!).

Off to enjoy this beautiful Saturday--it's colder, but the sunshine will do.

xo,
Amanda

Outfit Post: Birthday Suit

Today is my 29th birthday!  I am celebrating by having coffee with a new writer friend this morning, enjoying the beautiful sunshiney spring day with Aurora with a walk to the park, then going out tonight for some dinner, music and drinks with Q and some friends! (He planned it all out but couldn't keep it a secret. So friends, if you're reading this, no need to pretend anymore!)

  This morning, we woke up together and he gave me a new writing book and a handmade gift: a jewelry hanging shelf.  He recycled an old spice shelf, added some dowel rods, hooks, and a thick wire so I can hang my necklaces and earrings where I can see/find them (I have jewelry everywhere around the house).  It's perfect!

These outfit photos are from my birthday celebration with my family over the weekend. It was actually Aurora's first birthday (more on the Miskabelly blog later!) It was a perfect day! We had an awesome morning of thrifting, then a yummy thai lunch, then some antiquing, followed by taco night!

grunge floral dress-vintage, cocoon sweater-thrifted, tights-Target, boots UO

 Here's a little peek inside my (shared) birthday celebration:

Aurora wearing Mama's new hat

1920's bedroom jacket and magnifying glass necklace from the antique shop, gifts from my parents

TACOS!

Strawberry tart for dessert (with mocha almond ice cream)

It was a fantastic weekend of family, food, parties, and Miskabelle goodness.  Will share more celebrations with you later in the week!

Thanks for reading!
xo,
Amanda

Outfit Post: Vintage (Post-)Modernist

Happy February! Can you believe it?

I was so excited to head up to Kensington, Maryland to do some antique shopping with Q and Aurora on Saturday that I even got dressed up. The shops in Kensington are individual buildings that are all connected, so you walk around outside to get to each one.  A heavy coat and boots were necessary for post-snow weather.

Unfortunately, when we got there, most of the shops were closed because they'd lost power in the snowstorm a few days earlier!  I was in a pretty grumpy mood, so we drove into the city and got sandwiches at an old favorite market, which made the day a little brighter.

 hat-Urban Outfitters, 5 years ago!

fur collar-vintage

lace cardigan- ?

lace bubble skirt, Kensie via Loehmann's

brown argyle tights- ?

lace up boots-vintage

 THE BOOTS!  One of my best vintage finds ever.

And the coup d'etat, this camel trench:  it's Banana Republic and I thrifted it for $8!  It's a classic, and I love how it looks with the fur collar.

More outfits to come!  We've been updating the shop, so be sure to check it out!

xo,
Amanda