into the woods

Photos by Neil!

Cream Cable Knit Sweater, Tapestry Satchel, Wool Hat - Thrifted

Peter Pan Collar Blouse, Black Chiffon Skirt - American Apparel

Vintage Reddish Leather Zodiac Boots - Thrifted gift from Rhi

I was lusting after cable knit sweaters from H&M and American Apparel, complaining to my friend that I couldn't find a thrifted (and affordable!) version in that awesome shrunken fit.. until she suggested that I look in the little boy's section for one. Well, I found one.

These photos were taken at a park near the Belle Meade neighborhood in Nashville. It's a park that Neil loves.. he's gotten into trail runs lately and it's perfect for that. Somehow, all of the golden leaves were preserved all winter long on the trees, which makes everything look frozen in autumn. That is, until the new pushes out the old and we have warm weather and flower buds everywhere. I forget how beautiful Tennessee can be sometimes.

Not much to say tonight.. it's late and I'm dead tired. I finished my Valentine's dress today! My prize for finishing? Organizing the 500 photos I took of the process after I was done (literally! note to self.. learn to take less pictures). I watched Amadeus while I uploaded and now my mind's racing with all sorts of ideas and plans. Somewhere in between when I graduated college and now, I became randomly obsessed with motivation.. and I learned how to finish the things that I started. Do you guys get that way? I don't know where it came from. It definitely wasn't school.

Happy weekend.. it'll be here soon!

swingy capes and wide brimmed hats

Photos by Neil!

Navy Military Cape - Pre to Post Modern

Vintage Felted Wool Hat, Blue Ribbon, Plaid Shorts - Thrifted

Peter Pan Collar Blouse - American Apparel

Studded Suede Clogs - Urban Outfitters

I'm getting out all of my winter-y impulses before I dive head first into spring style.. which, after all, can't be too far away.. I went all day today without a coat and felt completely comfortable.

(I'm full of it. It's only January. But it's really hard to stay focused on cold weather when all you want to do is sew cotton crop tops and chiffon skirts.)

But in the spirit of giving winter its due, I recently purchased a great wool cape from Pre to Post Modern in Nashville. The offer was way too good to pass up. Ever since I saw my friend wear a military navy cape with gold buttons earlier in the fall, I've been on a pseudo-subconscious hunt for one of my own.. and I found it!

The felted wool hat is a thrifted find (that I shared with you last week) from the 1950s. I removed a gaudy flower with studded rhinestones and it became a simple wide-brimmed hat with black grosgrain ribbon.. a dream for me, especially considering how close I was to spending 50 dollars on a new one from ASOS.

Really loving on this Spring 2011 trends film that Topshop just posted.

recent glittery finds, future spring projects

A bit of sad news.. I'm still waiting on my Valentine's Day dress sewing pattern, which means I couldn't start it this week after all. So instead of beginning my holiday dress, I thought I'd fill you in on a few pieces I've found recently - as well as a couple of sewing projects in the works for spring!

The glittery UO oxfords, cameo necklace, and sewing serger are some of my favorite Christmas gifts.. I can't wait to figure out the serger! Already, I've bribed my friend Lauren with coffee and dessert in return for instructing me how to use it. The black wide brimmed hat, sheer knit sweater, cable knit ivory sweater (currently in the shop!), and 1960s plaid dress were all thrifted finds. The ribbon was thrifted as well - a huge lot that I found for only 5 dollars. That pastel pink dress was a gift from lovely Quincy, and I found the quilted liberty print apron at Pre to Post Modern.. I'm definitely planning on making some Valentine's baked goods in that guy.

The rosy pink broadcloth will be used on a peter pan collar blouse I'll be making as soon as I receive the pretty pattern. And I have every intention of sewing wide legged, high waisted trousers come spring. Not to mention, detachable peter pan collars. I purchased a plain antique white cotton for the collar, but I'd love to mix it up as well.. maybe with some navy dotted swiss fabric or in polka dots? Any suggestions?

Neil and I are headed to Atlanta in the morning, and I can't wait.. happy weekend!

a prairie look.. railroad overalls and liberty print in the spring

Photos by Neil!

Vintage Striped Denim Overalls - Local Honey Vintage

Vintage Liberty Print Dress (worn as a blouse) - The Cat's Pajamas Vintage

White Thigh High Socks, Wide-Brimmed Straw Hat - Forever21

Cutout Lace Up Heels - Urban Outfitters

Here are the overalls and the dress I've been talking about.. and I love them both. Jessica and I made an Etsy trade (her shop is adorable.. check out this mohair cape, it's pure awesome) and I've been wearing the liberty print dress ever since.. even as a blouse sometimes, as you can see in these pictures. I wore it on its own to my fun blogger meet up that I'll post about in the near future, and I'm probably going to wear it out tonight to the movies with friends. I've seriously been wearing it too much.

And the striped overalls are another favorite, from Local Honey in Nashville! They might be the first pair of overalls I've ever owned. Like I said before, I've been searching for the ideal blouse to wear underneath (a white button up with ruffles, but not too ruffle-y, and three quarter length sleeves and maybe a high neck), and I haven't found it yet. So I improvised with this outfit because I loved the contrasting patterns. It's very Little House on the Prairie.

Imagine my surprise when Neil and I go to Borders the exact same night that we took these pictures and I find an awesome Nylon spread all about liberty prints and overalls. It was really beautiful and if I had caught it before we took pictures, I would have cited it as inspiration.. check it out, before the next issue comes out! Katy Perry's on the cover, but don't let that scare you away.

When we were at Borders, I also caught a glimpse of the latest British Vogue with Alexa Chung on the cover. It had great articles about a couple latest trends.. lacy, feminine items and a lot of whites/creams/nudes.. all so beautiful. The article on Alexa Chung was written by her and featured denim. I read most of it. I don't know. When people talk about jeans I lose interest, even if they throw in stuff about dungarees and chambray in the process.

I think I've gotten so sick of the prevalence of jeans.. sure, there is something elusive and kind of magical when you find the perfect pair of jeans simply because all jeans are shaped so differently and frankly, so are we.

But jeans are everywhere. Men and women and kids wear them to work and to church and to the movies and the grocery store and everywhere in between (I don't buy into the comfort myth.. I am a million times more comfortable in tights and an oversized button up or romper than I am in jeans). If you wear a dress or tailored trousers or a suit jacket or a skirt outside of a wedding, people ask you why you're dressing up. I remember in high school (and much of college), I had about seven or so identical pairs I cycled through. Long sleeved shirt, jeans. Cardigan and tank top, jeans. Different long sleeved shirt, jeans. I wore brightly colored socks just because I was desperate to add some personality to my wardrobe. I'm not vehemently against jeans, they can look spectacular and sometimes, a certain top or jacket calls for them. And everyone should probably own them. But they don't need to be an outfit staple every single day of the week, like they used to be for me.

I think that's enough ranting for today. Hope you guys are having a great week!

black, blue. chambray trousers and wide brimmed hats

Photos by Neil!

Chambray High Waist Trousers - Thrifted

Black Velvet Bodysuit, Brown Belt - Forever21

Wide Brimmed Hat, Lace Up Heels, Heart Tights, Wooden Heart Necklace - H&M

More chambray! These pants (found at Goodwill last Saturday on half off day) are lightweight and so comfortable.

Light blues are all over the place.. probably because they embody spring, which everyone seems to be lusting after right now. Ahh, to wear navy playsuits and sailor shorts. These bright dresses are recent spring-y finds of mine. The polka dot pink and yellow hand smocked dresses were traded, Etsy style, with super sweet Corky of Cork Spork.. I absolutely love the pastels of the yellow and green dress, and I'm thinking it may become my Easter dress this year.

The other two - the red and white ruffle dress and the pink puff sleeve dress - are both thrifted finds I'll be putting in the shop on Monday. The red and white dress is really perfect for Valentine's Day. Too bad I found it a few days too late.

Neil and I are headed out tomorrow morning for our St. Louis Valentine trip! Since both of us went to college at a school near St. Louis, we made a lot of visits to the city and therefore have a million memories there - we went on our first date in St. Louis and celebrated anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays with friends there. Neil also proposed to me there! It's a fantastic urban city with a wonderful culinary scene and a ton of unique traits (and no, I'm not just talking about the Arch). It'll always be our city standard to compare all other cities by.

Besides reliving some memories and being romantic and couple-y, we're going to eat a lot (dinner at Niche and brunch at Rooster!) and shop a lot (H&M!). And stock up on a whole lot of wine (Trader Joe's!) and local St. Louis brewery beer (Schlafly!). While all of this is wonderful, I just can't wait to have 48 hours alone with Neil Winter.

Happy Valentine's Day! What are your plans?