Outfit Post: Oktober Festive

Q and I love adventures, and we love making adventures part of our family story.  Aurora has certainly picked up that adventurous spirit. Sometimes, we start to feel restless, and the only cure is a little roadtrip--this beautiful weekend, we took off for Fredericksburg, VA, which just so happened to be having a huge Oktoberfest celebration.

And this is what Aurora I wore to: drink beer (well, mostly Q), eat pretzels bigger than our heads, and walk around the quaint little town overrun with drunk college students and girls in overly-sexy bavarian costumes.

Outfit details:Aurora: dress worn as top-vintage Polly Flinders, jeggings-random, moccasin booties-Old Navy  me: scarf-vintage, dress-UO, belt-thrifted, cardigan-vintage, tights-random, boots-vintage, sunglasses-UO

(How hilarious are those pictures of Aurora doing poses?!)

We couldn't have asked for a better day together! There was a stage with music, so Aurora entertained us with dance steps, and the people-watching and eating/drinking kept us pretty occupied. So occupied that I didn't even go in any of the antiques shops!  We'll do that next time. 

To my DC/VA friends, Fredericksburg is seriously a great day trip! Go have an adventure!

xo,

Amanda

Splurge & Steal: Autumn's Arrival

 Autumn is such a huge time for fashion.  I know it's my personal favorite time to shop--there's just something about the transition between seasons that makes me want to completely revamp my wardrobe at this time each year!  This year I'm thinking fun prints, lots of boots, leather bags and of course...all things vintage!  Our shop has some great fall pieces...and prices that allow 3 of our pieces for LESS than the cost of one designer piece.  Here's some of favorite splurges and steals, perfect for your autumn outings:

The STEALS from Miskabelle:

The SPLURGE:

This soft crochet dress is the perfect offset to 

the masculinity of the the camo jacket and heavy boots.  Tres 90's...which I love.

The STEALS from Miskabelle:

The SPLURGE:

I have kind of been obsessing over ankle booties this year.  I really want something just like these...but with a wedge (for more stability when walking).  These boots seal the deal for making any fall outfit super put-together looking.

The STEALS from Miskabelle:

The SPLURGE:

Okay, so it's a bit sexy for coffee with the girls...but if you picture the outfit with the scarf tied in the hair (and the shoes aren't crazy heels or anything), I think it's just enough sass.  And by the way-- that's three designer pieces (Diane Von Furstenburg shoes, Givenchy scarf and Liz Claiborne tunic) for less than a third of the price of ONE!

You can't beat fall fashion!  Such a fun time of year to get dressed up....layers and jackets and scarves and tights....yes, please!  Happy shopping.

xo

Jayme

Everyday Vintage Mondays

Hello again, little darlings.  Monday is almost over here on the East Coast--I do realize that.  But it doesn't mean I wasn't inspired today!  In fact, I've been so overwhelmed with fashionable inspirations that nothing in my closet is appealing and all I want to do is SHOP.   However, take one look at how these ladies from Chictopia style their vintage and you'll see how you can take an everyday piece and make it fabulous with just a bit of creativity.  That's what I LOVE about this week's muses.

Haiku_Ambulance
There are so many different colors going on here: Yellow headwrap, light blue tee, black blazer, blue jeans, pink shoes, purple (mahogany bag?) and yet their muted tones strangely complement each other.  She adds the perfect, simple accessories (long necklace and geek glasses) and voila! Super street-chic.
MissOhioVintage
Classic dressing at its best.  These vintage high-waisted trousers (which, admittedly do NOT work on everyone--the unfortunately shortwaisted) look SMASHING on her, paired with a simple black top and a few bold bangles.
slanelle
Of course she's French--how else to explain such effortless chic (and the ability to pull off skinny, acid-washed jeans?!).  I love how the florals and the matching lace-up booties and tooled leather bag give a Bohemian feel to denim that might be otherwise clichedly-styled with a ripped up old concert tee.
classietrashie
I'm in love with knee socks, but my legs look like sausages (especially post-pregnancy) so I can only admire them on other people.  I like how she's layered the dress with a slip for an eclectic look, and another case of the matching leather accessories: shoes and belt.
poorlyfashioned
This gal is not "poorly fashioned" at all!  The high waist of the floral skirt makes the top a little more modest (though it's daringly sexy).  I love the unexpected pairing of a soft pastel floral with the dark top.  The multi-strand necklaces tie it all together, and to top it all off, she's rockin' the SIDEBRAID, one of my fave hairstyle trends of the season (if only my layers would grow out another inch or two...)
luluetty
THIS is how you style a poncho.  The little brown bag/belt is tres adorable!  And I like the combo of black jeans with brown leather accessories--there's something effortlessly chic about it.  The light denim shirt is a hot accessory this spring into summer, but I love how she's dressed it up for cooler temperatures!

Sigh.  Such dreamy vintage fashions.  This weekend, we went shopping in a new locale (shhhh...it's a secret) and found some totally amazing pieces!  We're excited to take some pics and post them tomorrow.  We are definitely VERY inspired by this week's looks! (A sneak peek, below, of one of the dresses coming your way--I'm getting back into model-mode as I lose the baby weight...plus-sized model mode (according to our culture's standards anyway), but I feel gorgeous all the same.  And, as many of you probably know (if you read celeb tabloid sites like I do!), Esquire voted size 10 Christina Hendricks (from Mad Men) the Sexiest Woman Alive right now. I think she's also one of the smartest.  I love this quote from her about how women view men's bodies (as opposed to how it seems they view ours):

"If we're in love with you, we love your body. Your potbelly, everything. Even if you're insecure about something, we love your body. You feel like you're not this or that? We love your body. We embrace everything. Because it's you."

So true. (Must give a sickly sweet-shout out to my honey because this makes me miss cuddling up with him--I love you, Q!)

Voluptuous is back!  Remind me why it ever left? Curve-accentuating vintage, comin' your way soon, lovelies.

Stay gorgeous,
A

(<----hot pink belted a-line shirt dress! in our shop TOMORROW!)

Everyday Vintage Mondays

Welcome back--it's Monday again!  And the sunshine and warm breezes is making me all about spring dresses!  I found a lovely one for myself while halfheartedly thrifting this past week, but these ladies--this week's Chictopia muses--have me dreaming of filling my whole closet and never wearing anything else!

 1.  LubaShmukler
I love how she's accessorized this striped dress, especially with the thin belt and vintage bag.  The red lipstick totally vamps up the whole look.
2.  chelsea956
This dress is an amazing color, especially against her gorgeous red hair (jealous)! So girly, sweet, and summery. 
3.  kellyshoestrings
A great vintage dress paired with some adorable boots--done and done. I also happen to have a "thing" for dresses with belts and pockets. 
4.  ApeApeApe
This photo is so cool in itself, but the outfit--a lacy little dress with some little white socks and suede heels (a sexy schoolgirl look we've been loving for spring!)--is even cooler.
5.  junebabie
This is another perfect spring floral dress.  The belt and tights make it work for cooler weather, and the red shoes are a hip, unexpected touch.
6.  Leproust
I love how the mustard cardigan stands out against the floral dress, as well as how she layered beneath the dress because it was a bit short.  Knee socks and Swedish Has-Beens?!!! I die.  (My top three spring wants have been:  Green military jacket, Swedish Has-Beens, and a perfect, soft white tee.  So far, I'm zero for three...sad.  But impressed with my own will power--or the fact that I have no money, which isn't impressive at all).

I hope these looks have inspired you too!  Break out the dresses, ladies--they're not just for special occasions.  These Chictopians have styled them in different, easy, and unexpected ways.  You can too! (And so can I!  Just as soon as I shave my legs...)

Stay gorgeous,
A

Everyday Vintage Mondays

My newest goal is to post here 3 days a week (at least), so I'm trying to set tiny steps in that direction, beginning today.

I love nothing more than browsing Chictopia for inspiration (as well as posting some of our own looks in our fashion blog).  So I decided to search for looks tagged "Vintage" and wanted to share some of my favorites.  Every Monday, more fun and funky looks from the lovely ladies of Chictopia coming to you.  Hey, you might even show up here...

all images courtesy of chictopia.com

Currently, my looks are trending toward girly and romantic vintage.  I've always had an eclectic style--I wear what I like and (hopefully) what looks good on me.  I'm not a slave to trends, but if I really like something, in any fashion genre, I typically try it out.  This spring, it's neutrals and lace and florals and clogs and booties and skirts and dresses and pretty hairdos.

You can find the above muses on their Chictopia fashion blogs when you click on the highlighted links.

KelleyAnne

KellyAnne is so cute--like that Librarian that My Morning Jacket sings about ("take off those glasses and let down your hair for me...") I love the combo of the scarf with the belt--it turns a sweet vintage dress into a totally eclectic look when paired with the tights, hats, and boots.

Amandromeda

So simple, so chic:  vintage plaid top.  vintage pencil skirt.  bare legs.  wedge sandals.  cute bangs.  I love the way she uses vintage in her outfits!

Rosemud

A gorgeous photo that actually looks vintage itself.  The socks with the oxfords toughen up the look of a vintage skirt and lacy top so it's not too sweet.  She has great taste in vintage, as evidenced on her whole set of looks.

BigHair

If you can get past that gorgeous braid (a hair trend I'm loving for spring), check out the cuteness of the vintage florals paired with a button-down oxford and tiered black eyelet skirt.  What you can't see here:  she paired it with simple white Keds!

Tranish

Vintage meets high fashion--a lacy vintage dress with designer booties (in PINK!).  The floppy hat pulls it all together.  Not sure I could wear this out, but I'd love to have a reason to (a trip to the races?)

These are some looks that are inspiring me right now...as I sit here in sweatpants and a teeshirt with unwashed hair, looking out at the gray sky. I'm dreaming of this upcoming weekend's anticipated warm weather and sunshine when I can bust out my own vintage loveliness!

Stay gorgeous,
A

Our Favorite Fall Vintage Trends, Courtesy of Etsy Vintage Shops!

Is July really the last time I blogged?! Yikes. I'm sorry. I'm sure all you've been impatiently waiting for the next installment of fashionable wisdom! Well, now that life is more in the groove, I expect to keep up.

Let's start with some quick updates: Miskabelle is six months old! We've had 130 sales and continue to sell regularly. We had an amazing fall photo shoot with professional photos, and are planning our next shoot in a few weeks (just in time for holiday shopping!). This weekend we are having a birthday party at J's home where our new office/showroom is located--complete with cocktails and cupcakes, goodie bags, raffles, and of course, SHOPPING! We'll give you the rundown (and some inevitably adorable pics!) in the next blog.

Today's matter of business: Fall Trends, inspired by vintage. I'm sharing five of my favorite trends for this season, with example items from 10 different Etsy vintage sellers (we wanted to spread the Etsy love with some shout-outs to our fellow vintage-fashionistas! The online biz is NOT easy! We need all the publicity we can get).

Favorite Fall Trends, Vintage-Inspired

1. Granny Booties

The word "granny" doesn't always conjure up fashion (granny panties, anyone?), but int he case of this fall's hottest footwear, you have permission to search your own grandmother's closet! Lace-up booties are showing up

in all varieties, from riding-inspired to Victorian. We love how they look paired up with cuffed or cropped menswear trousers or thick, patterned tights and a-line skirts and dresses. The funky black pair featured here is from Pascal Vintage and the gorgeous red pair is from Twenty20 Vintage.

2. Fur A delicate subject matter here...I don't want PETA
blood-spattering our blog. I will state my place: I love animals. I also eat them. I don't believe we should be cruel to them, but I also don't think wearing vintage fur is a sin. Because it's so soft and warm and it looks so good! But there are also many faux fur options for the more squeamish, Earth-loving fashionistas out there. We are loving cropped and vest versions--as a matter of fact, I just purchased a big faux fuzzy black vest that makes every outfit (black stretchy pants and a soft gray tee, currently) look GLAM. White jacket can be found at Furburger and the fabulous patchwork vest at Lucky Vintage Seattle.

3. Plaid
A trend for all seasons and for every style and body-type, we're seeing plaid all over the place: purses, skirts, dresses, blouses, even shoes! Wear a little or a lot--we are digging the colorful tartan prints and schoolgirl-inspired looks seen here at Mousevox (paired with yellow top and kneesocks) and RoseRedWinter(the gorgeous Snow White lookalike!).



4. Capes/Capelets
This is one of my personal favorite outerwear trends, being I have a little bun in the oven due in February, and I will be too huge for regular winter coats this year! But it's more than just a case of fashion convenience--capes are elegant and capelets are a fantastic alternative to the outdated sweater shrug for cool autumn evenings. I also hesitate to say it, but a fashion magazine I recently read had a feature on PONCHOS coming back this season as well! I'm still traumatized from the poncho trend return five years or so ago (they were cheap and overly fringey), but these versions are classier and much more cape-like (and you can find some awesome 70s versions on Etsy if you just search PONCHO!). We adored this little capelet from Magpie and Birdie and a fantastic full cape (in another trend: plaid!) from Old Age.

5. Tuxedo Jackets
Blazers are still everywhere this season, but the tuxedo jacket (especially the cropped version we feature here from Ophelia Vintage) is a fashion-forward update. We love the lapels, broad shoulders, and touch of silkiness. The perfect cover up for a night out on the town, whether with jeans or a sparkly, fun cocktail dress. Renouveau Clothing also shows us how to dress down the trend oh-so-chicly with faded skinny denim.



Whoever you are, you CAN do vintage! I think a lot of people this of vintage as costumey, but everyone knows that what goes around comes around: fashion is cyclical. If you see it on the runway, it's probably been done before (if it hasn't, it's probably not wearable for a regular human being). Vintage fashion is a fantastic way to develop a personal style that is one-of-a kind! So check out these Etsy shops, and of course Miskabelle and do some treasure-hunting!!

Now, time to price a huge pile of vintage jewelry for this weekend's soiree! Yay!

Stay gorgeous,
A