A Dress A Day Keeps the Demons at Bay

Originally posted on Outward Expression.

I have bought a dress every day for the past three days. All of them were on sale, however, and all of them were under $20. One was $6. Unfortunately, none of them were vintage, but I love them all the same.


This first one was purchased at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. It was made in India and is 100% cotton. It is white with black stencil-styled flowers and has lace detail and buttons with a tiered full skirt. It twirls beautifully. I love this dress. For some reason, it has a Victorian feel to me, even though anyone who wore this during Victorian times would be told immediately to put on some proper clothes. It's probably the combination of buttons, lace, and a full skirt.
The second dress was a Target sale-rack find. It is a classic wrap dress in a beautiful, bold teal. The waist is a little high, as is often the case with Target dresses for some reason, but I really like it all the same. This was the $6 dress. I like not only the look of wrap dresses, but also the ease of taking them off and putting them on.

This last dress I got at TJMax. It's a strapless, button up dress with a tie in the back. I love the color and the rose pattern.

Undergarments

Originally Posted on Outward Expression.

I think bustiers are a lost art, honestly. Sure, they're not comfortable, or practical, but I feel sexy and sophisticated when wearing one. I got this one at Target yesterday for $6 (it was on the 30% off rack, and I was curious). I really like it, and now i have something to wear under dresses that gives me a nicer shape than I usually have.

I Am Now A Working Girl

Originally Posted on Outward Expression.

Uniforms have always intrigued me, mainly because of the challenge of expressing your individuality in something meant to repress it. Here is my work uniform. It consists of a supplied name tag, shirt and hat and black pants, a belt, black socks and shoes I have to supply myself. I got the pants at JC Penny's with my mom. The belt is hers.

Fabulous Second Hand Outfit

Originally posted on Outward Expression.

I usually don't wear yellow as a general rule, but when I found this dress, I fell in love with the little cornflowers. It was $8 at Ragstock, so I figured, why not?



I paired it with a hat that I think belonged to my grandmother, but I'm not sure. It's a simple straw hat with a giant red rose. I like it. I feel like i'm ready for a day at the races in this outfit.

MORE HATS!

Originally posted on Outward Expression.

I love hats. Hats are my favorite accessory, by far. My mom says you shouldn't wear a hat that has more character than you, but I think I have a lot of character and therefore I can wear whatever the hell I want.

This hat I just got from Everyday People yesterday with Hannah. I also got a beautiful rainbow tie dye dress that will be wonderful at Pride, anyway, this is a gray beret that laces up the side. I loved it the moment I put it on. It made me feel sophisticated. I don't know if I'm wearing it right, but as Sylvia Plath once said, "If you do something with enough arrogance, no one will question you".


This next hat is one I wore today to the beach with my bright green sunglasses. I have several different flowers that I can pin to it, and today I wore the orange one. This hat was new from Ragstock, but I still love it to pieces.

Little Red Dress

Originally posted on Outward Expression.

This is one of my favorite dresses. I got it at Everyday People, a consignment store in Minneapolis. It's 100% silk and a beautifully pure red with embroidery. It was $15. Such a find.

Since we're on the subject of vests...

Originally posted on Outward Expresson.

This Worthington vest is one of my favorite pieces of clothing. It never ceases to make me feel chic and sexy. I got it at Turnstyle, a favorite consignment shop of mine. It fits me very well and adds a sophisticated flair to my outfit. I am not usually one for gray, but in this case I think it looks stellar. It's not vintage, but that's fine by me because it's a great piece of clothing anyway.

This vest is very different from Hannah's. It just goes to show you how different styles can be.

~Inga

My Vintage Hats

Originally Posted on Outward Expression.

These three vintage hats are my absolute favorites.

The first is my mother's hat she wore with her wedding dress when she married my father. It's late 1980's, not really sure what the designer is. Someone added the flowers after the wedding.


The second hat is my grandmother's. It is soft and beautiful. I'm not sure the era or the designer. I love to wear it with a long coat in winter.

The third hat was actually made by my neighbor, so it's not exactly vintage. It's another faux vintage piece. She made ice skating costumes for her daughter, and I got them when she was done with them. I really love this hat. It makes me feel sophisticated.

~Inga

One of my Favorites

Originally posted on Outward Expression.

This is the first piece I found at The White Rabbit. It's a vintage, 1960's shirtwaist dress. I love the cornflower color. It doesn't have a label and the material isn't that great, but it was only $5, so I'm not complaining.

The belt is also vintage. It was my mother's back in the seventies. Now it's mine. You can't really see in the picture, but it's got a griffin on the buckle. This is my favorite belt ever and I love it.

~Inga

Because Spring Is Almost Here

Originally Posted on Outward Expression.

I thought I would share my big find this season: A Larry Levine coat at Ragstock. It was around $10, if I remember correctly. Larry Levine coats sell for upwards of hundreds of dollars new. This one was a spectacular find. There is some wear on the lining, but it is still a classy, double breasted wool overcoat.

~Inga

To give you an idea of what we're dealing with,

Originally posted on Outward Expression.

Here is a pile of my vintage/secondhand clothes.

And here they are neatly laid out. I will introduce each item individually and give the story behind it.

~Inga

Some Thoughts on Footwear

Originally Posted on Outward Expression.

Good, vintage shoes are hard to find. Shoes used to be made of natural materials that broke down over time, and people used to wear their shoes out. So when it comes to vintage footwear, it helps to be creative. These are horseback riding boots. I used to ride horses. Honestly, I did. Anyway, I have had these forever, and not had the heart to give them away. They're my stompy boots. When I started playing around with my look, I found they came in handy. They look old (goodness knows they've been worn), but they still clean up nicely. They're not the most comfortable (I made the mistake of wearing them to the Mall of America with fishnets instead of socks. Long story short: blisters) and they look really out of place, but I still like them. If you want boots like this, by all means go to a place that caters to horse back riders. You'll pay way too much if you try to buy them from a normal people shop.

The Newest Piece in my Collection

Originally posted on Outward Expression.

I went shopping the other day while killing time. I was really hoping not to find anything, because goodness knows I don't need any more clothes. Well, I did. I found this gorgeous floral pleated skirt at The White Rabbit (my favorite store in Iowa city; it's all vintage and locally made stuff). I couldn't leave it. It's all my favorite colors. The thing about this skirt is I feel like it completely describes my style: Flirty, yet sophisticated and a little on the dark side. I am completely in love with it. By good fortune, I had purchased these tights at Ragstock a couple weeks before, and they go perfectly. Now I just need a top that actually matches. This white one is not my first choice. I don't know what era this skirt is from, because it did not say on the tag (usually The White Rabbit is good about those types of things), but I suspect it's from the nineties. Anyway, it is a welcome addition to my vintage wardrobe.

~Inga

The First Piece of My Collection

Originally Posted on Outward Expression.

This is my mother's cameo necklace. It was given to her by her in-laws back when she was still married to her first husband, I think. Anyway, it's my favorite piece of jewelry. I had coveted it for so long, and my mother never wore it, because she doesn't like chokers. So, now it's mine. And I love it.

~Inga