Spoils and the Spoiled

Many time I do not plan on keeping a garment that I bought for the shop until I start creating the listing for it and then a little lightbulb goes off in my head and I think "hey! I would totally buy that if it were in someone else's shop!" Such is the way with all of the above items. I was in the middle of listing the floral skirt last night when I just flipped for it and now, it's mine! So then I decided to combine my outfit post for the day with a little view of some of the items I have recently decided to keep, for now. The dress I am wearing included, I bought it for the shop completely, and while steaming it it worked it's magic on me and today I am wearing it as
this week is the Last Hurrah of Summer Dresses week!

Summer's last bits

This week will be beautiful, it will feel like summer's last hurrah. The nights will be perfectly chilly for sleeping and the days all in the mid-70s. I know I will be trying to wear every dress fit for summer that I own that I have not worn yet. This dress notwithstanding, it's quite possibly the easiest dress to wear, it's like a daytime nightgown, gauzy cotton, super soft, no waistband and two soft layers. I love all of the super soft 1970s cotton, gauze, crochet, knit, pale garments, and unlike most other style/eras of clothing it doesn't really have a bonefide name that one can search. If you want a 1950s dress there is a vocabulary you can access to search for one, likewise with 1960s, mod,hippie,1930s, flapper, etc. But this whole super-natural, sort of bohemian, natural fiber, pale and easy way of dressing is without a name. When I search on Etsy looking for something like this dress, or one of the many pale cotton 1970s blouses I have I am always stuck as there isn't a surefire way to search knowing I'll find what I am looking for. Perhaps it makes all the garments that I have like this, all the more special.

Fall in

The weather here in Michigan has already decided it's autumn and I've officially turned the corner in the shop. Today's update is inspired by this summer's passing and autumn's insistence in arriving in August!

These are the days

To me this is totally a State Fair outfit, or at least it *was* until I actually went to the State Fair. I actually ended up in a completely different outfit, but nonetheless, the first half of my day was spent in this little getup. I wanted to wear something with the final hurrah of summer in it, and I wanted to wear something sweet. This dress is a 1930s dress that I found years ago at the Salvation Army, yes I nearly fainted when I found it, then I looked around to see if perhaps I was on Candid Camera or something. I mean, one does not just stumble upon super pretty 1930s rayon dresses. But I did! The cardigan is one that I cannot sell as it has some flaws, but those flaws don't bother me. The straw hat is from a vintage store in my town. The sock that I could not wait to wear are from the thrift store, I have had so much trouble trying to find these little thin nylon socks for women in retail stores! I think JCrew has some but not in ivory. Anyone know where to get them? The character shoes are my old standbys from my days in musical theatre.

The above are some scenes from the People's Art Fair in Detroit. It is at an industrial space that is now used for artists of all mediums.

A new little French cafe opened in Detroit so we thought we'd check it out. We only live about 40 minutes from Detoit and try to keep up on all the new things happening in the city. Detroit gets has such a bad reputation and while it's not unfounded there are some amazing things happening there all the time and new businesses opening. There are also the standbys that have survived the impossibly rough years and we love those too. This cafe was opened recently by a man from Martinique and serves up all kinds of things with goat cheese which is all I really need to be happy with a restaurant I swear.

Before heading to Detroit I shopped two outstanding vintage shops near Detroit and spared my pocketbook no pain, I bought nearly everything thing I wanted and it was so fun! I bought this plaid dress and needed to put it on right away, so the second half of the day I spent wearing it! Just sitting here now thinking of the things I got yesterday makes me so excited, I can't wait to show them to you!

Scenes from the Michigan State Fair, the country's oldest state fair. I did not think I would ride any rides for fear of dying on some carnival ride, but alas, I did and it was dare I say, utterly exhilarating. I rode the scariest one, twice! There were also more chickens there than I had ever seen in my life, and I never knew that there were so many different breeds and so many beautiful breeds! I suppose was the whole intention of state fairs in the first place - to expose city people to rural life and really vice versa, it was a way to bring everyone together. I would have loved to go to the fairs of yesteryear...

Our final destination was in the Polish section of Detroit which is very much authentic and wonderful. We went to the Polish Village Cafe that is on garden level and crazy cozy. We drank Polish vodka and ate pierogies and stuffed cabbage until we had to waddle out of there. Mario Lanza saw us out...all said and done it was a utterly perfect way to spend our anniversary, we were like tourists in our own state!

1920s Fashion

It seems like every year, once the weather turns from summer to autumn my love for 1920s (and 1930s) fashion is revived. Specifically my affinity for cloche hats. This year I have been trying to grow out my hair so looking at 1920s fashion is a very bad idea, I feel like I bob my hair nearly every single autumn just so it will look cuter in my hats. I have a lot of hats, in fact I found some last night in the basement that I forgot I even had (can wait to wear them)! While I do love the whole Mad Men fashion inspiration that is taking hold of nearly everyone, I have to say my first love is 1920s and 1930s fashion all the way, with a load of 1940s mixed in for sure. Today I am going to one of my favorite vintage/antique stores, it's not near my house so I don't go often. They have tons of gorgeous clothing and also tons of hats, so I am feeling a hat purchase on the horizon...