Are you ready for summer?

Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer are just around the corner! I am so excited for summer and fun, pretty summer dresses (even though I can wear them pretty much year round here in Florida). I'm so ready for bbq and picnic season to begin. The 1950s is a great decade for summer wear with bright, fun prints and light full skirts.

I am so in love with this pink polka dot dress that it's seriously making me reconsider the lack of pink in my wardrobe. This dress would be dreamy in a lovely light cotton.

 If pink is not your thing, why not try this lovely black and white number? This darling sleeveless sundress will keep you looking fabulous at all of your summer events. Don't forget your sun hat.

Solids with white accents make a smart look for summer. A great basic dress like one of these will be in heavy rotation all summer.

While florals definitely have a strong spring feel, I adore wearing them in the summer too! Swap your cardigan for a parasol and you'll be ready for summer.

Don't forget to think of comfort when you dress for summer. Whether it's too hot to be bothered or you're having too much fun to fuss with your outfit, stick with styles you love to live in. I particularly love her updo which will stay looking great all day in the summer heat.

Are you ready for summer? What are your plans for Memorial Day weekend?

Spring Work Wear

Spring always puts me in the mood to wear florals! And even though I prefer solids to prints, I do have the most fabulous giant rose print and polkadot skirt for when a floral mood strikes.

About a month ago, I started a new (full time) job and I've been getting used to the new schedule and dress code. It seems like every time I feel like I'm just getting my wardrobe settled, something happens to change my wardrobe needs.

A lot of ladies are afraid to start wearing vintage because they don't know how to wear it to work. Sometimes it takes a bit of creativity but there's usually a way to add some vintage flair to your work wardrobe.

My new office's official dress code is business casual but in my area it's even more casual. Lots of people just do jeans and a polo. This is an example of my work wear.

A nice blouse and skirt combo is a winner for many dress codes. I also love adding my pearls for that extra bit of class.

Accessories are a fun way to express your style at work as well. While the brooch isn't exactly a popular accessory today, they are fun and qwirky. Starting small can help build your confidence wearing vintage at work.

I enjoy wearing crinolines with my full skirts but I leave my really huge ones for weekend wear. Big ones can be a bit impractical for work especially if you have a desk job and will have to sit on it all day!

Personally, I don't have an issue being the person in the office with a qwirky retro style. Some days I opt to wear jeans like everyone else but I really prefer skirts.

And why be boring when you can be fun? I'm in so much better of a mood at work when I'm put together and dressed like myself.

I adore cute shoes! I don't buy or keep shoes that aren't comfortable so my feet can be happy all day too. Flats are my friends in that respect but I also love a good wedge or low heel.

Hair is another fun way to add a bit of retro to your work wear especially if you have a uniform or other strict dress code restrictions. My hair is still a bit short for that at the moment though.

But that's ok since I can still twirl in a twirly skirt!

 What are your favorite ways to wear vintage at work?

A New Patio Dress

I am so excited guys! I finally have a vintage patio dress of my very own! And look how cute it is!

Lately, I've been really wanting to add some southwestern and Mexican flair to my wardrobe. Given that I also live somewhere rather warm for most of the year, a lot of the styles are very practical for me. I'm not generally a fan of anything country/western/cowboy but I'm learning that there are some other aspects of these styles that I do enjoy.

Adding a vintage twist is always helpful. I just adore ric rac especially the yards and yards of it needed for a really smashing patio dress. I've been stalking etsy for one in my size and budget. It certainly helps that I can shop for summer pieces all year round and pretty much where them as soon as they arrive.

This particular dress features teal, lavender, gold and black ric rac. And while they aren't my usual colors, I adore this combo! So pretty! And I'm a sucker for the ric rac with the gold woven in.

I actually have a few packs of just such vintage ric rac that I'm saving up for a special project. I actually purchased fabric for it last summer but when the fabric arrived, it wasn't quite what I wanted so I used it for something else. But I still have my ric rac day dreams.

If you had told me a year ago that I'd love wearing a white dress, I'd have told you you were crazy. Even my wedding dress was ivory. But Florida Stephanie has acquired a slight tan (ie so I look like a normal human being and not an albino) and white looks much better on me now.

Another favorite feature of this dress is the closure. It's super simple. Just a slit in the back that closes with one hook and eye. Yay for elastic waists! I like the little peak of skin especially since the neckline is so high.

It's quite a fun, twirly style of dress. And twirling brings me so much more enjoyment knowing that I didn't have to do any of that gathering! I loathe gathering. It was really interesting for me to find that this skirt is a lot less full than the one I made. Next time I make one, I can cut down on fabric, ric rac and, of course, gathering.

Also new to this outfit are the shoes. I've had several old pairs kick the bucket and I needed some new practical basic shoes I could wear every day. This black pair fit the bill. And as a bonus, they have nice squishy stuff in the soles.

I'm pretty sure I'm hooked on these patio dresses now. I just adore everything about them! Of course, it may be a while before I find another elusive one in my size and my budget.

 Until then, I plan on wearing this one loads!!

A Florida Orange

Over Christmas break, the hubby and I decided to spend a night away across the state in the historic town of St. Petersburg. (Apparently Florida has a thing for towns named after famous towns in other countries...) It's a very cute area with a great arts district and tons of yummy restaurants. And, of course, lots of shopping!

Our first stop was a quick trip gulf side for a few hours on the beach. The water was actually a bit chilly and the beach was very busy! Our local beaches are usually quite quiet so we weren't prepared for that.

Thankfully, there was a cute pier and shopping area nearby so we walked around there first. Lots of touristy type shops. We didn't buy anything (except for some yummy ice cream) but I've gotten fonder of window shopping.

The evening was spent window shopping in downtown St. Petersburg with some yummy Italian food for dinner. We did a lot of walking around and it was quite nice to just hang out together and relax.

The next day, we hit up more of the arts district. Alas, we forgot that many small businesses are closed on Mondays. So much of our window shopping was actually just looking at shop windows.

 I also got to wear my new prescription sunglasses! The sun really is much brighter in Florida and sunglasses are a must.

So I decided to get some prescription sunglasses after my last eye exam. It was actually a lot easier to find cool retro style sunglasses than regular glasses.

At any rate, they pretty much look fabulous with everything including this great orange ensemble. Lots of people really liked this skirt! Floridians love their oranges.

Then we found this great colorful mural and I had to get some outfit shots in front of it. Sometimes it's just so fun to pick a background that is very modern with a retro outfit. Plus, it was very orange!

And right next to it was a huge orange wall with a green door so we shot there too! It was so much fun to be shooting in an urban setting again. I love where we live now but I do miss the downtown living.

 It was so great to be able to walk everywhere and there were quite a few bicyclers out and about too! Unfortunately, our town isn't very bike or pedestrian friendly and I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed walking and biking to work everyday!

 Guess I need to make walking and biking more one of my resolutions for 2016!

A few of my favorite things

The weather here is still quite summery so my brain is still thinking of summery fashions. I've tried putting together more fall and winter feeling outfits to share with you but I haven't been able to make myself. I just adore bright colors and fun lightweight pieces!

I've never been much of a country/western/south western type person but I do love a cute patio dress! I can't get enough of the ric rac! They are so fun to wear plus I do adore a yellow dress.

Alas, I have yet to acquire a vintage one. Most are too tiny and out of my price range but I'm still searching.

This little yellow number is one I made myself. I used a vintage blouse pattern for the top and drafted up my own skirt pattern (so easy! just rectangles). It was quite a project, especially for someone like myself who hates gathering (and gathering and more gathering....)

And the cost of all of that trim can add up very fast! To cut costs, I used some old curtains a friend gave me for the yellow fabric and collected a bunch of vintage red ric rac trim even though they didn't all match perfectly. Some of the red stripes are darker than others but it's not too noticeable.

I also lucked out by finding some pretty vintage jacquard trim at a local fabric store. The trim I was looking at at Joann's would have ended up costing me $75 for the amount I needed. Told you they can get expensive!

And no outfit is complete without some great shoes! I love this Miss L Fire shoes so much. I need a few more pairs from them.

I really love this fun southwestern and Mexican inspired look. And though I was able to add a few more of these style pieces to my wardrobe this summer, I need more! I even have some vintage gold flecked ric rac stashed for just such a project.

 I also need some cute puff sleeved peasant blouses to go with them too! Puff sleeves are one of the few girly details that I do like on myself.

 Do you enjoy bringing bring, summery feeling pieces into your winter wardrobe or do you enjoy the change of color palette that comes with the change of season?

Be a Princess

Disney World is one of my favorite places to go especially the Magic Kingdom! So I was super excited to spend the day there with my hubby and a few friends.

 Ever since I got this Pin Up Girl Clothing skirt, I knew I had to wear it to the Magic Kingdom one day and that day has arrived! It was so much fun to run around in a very princess-y skirt all day.

It was quite busy the day we went so I didn't get any shots in front of the castle but I did stop in a secluded pathway to grab a couple quick iPhone photos for you guys. The weather was gorgeous so a lot of people had the same idea to visit Disney as we did.

I did have a lot of people compliment me on this skirt. It's so pretty! It kind of makes me wish that I had worn my tiara too but the last time I wore a tiara around Disney, it ended up getting broken and I didn't want that to happen again. :(

So who is your favorite Disney princess? My favorites are Belle and Snow White.