Tag: seasonal

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Outfit of the Day: More vintage Alfred Shaheen

I love kitschy, tiki things and my favorite fashions are mid century designs inspired by Polynesian and Asian art. After falling in love with a pretty blue Alfred Shaheen last year, I recently obtained another, very different Shaheen style this month!

Vintage Alfred Shaheen Dress
Vintage Alfred Shaheen Dress.

This one’s a strapless mid-1950s dress with a pleated shelf bust and full skirt. I’m not usually a fan of brown, but the fabric on this one is gorgeous! It’s a rich, cool brown Polynesian texture with gorgeous, creamy white blossoms. The pleated upper bodice is a nice, sharp white that contrasts nicely with the brown texture of the main dress.

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New Year, New Year’s Eve Fashion: Trashy Diva’s Lena Dress

Trashy Diva Lena Dress
Trashy Diva Lena Dress.

I didn’t end up doing anything for New Year’s Eve, but I had plans. Even a nice dinner out deserves a special dress, and this time around I chose Trashy Diva’s new Lena dress. She’s a gorgeous 1950s halter dress with a circle skirt and very festive Swarovski-style crystals and glass beading on the bodice and halter straps. The dress was intended for the holiday season, but it’s actually rather seasonless and the color flatters many skin tones!

The bodice is beautifully pleated with a nice “shelf” detail that pulls up into the halter straps. For those who hate the neck-pulling that happens with many halters, this one’s worth trying. The bodice is very structured and form-fitting, which takes some of the pressure off the neck. The halter buttons at the back of the neck, too, which alleviates the pull that often occurs with halter ties.

I got the size 14, which fits a bit closer than the stated measurements on the Lena size chart. At 43-32-48″, the bodice fits perfectly without a bra.

Trashy Diva Lena Dress
Trashy Diva Lena Dress.

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Spring is coming! Pantone heralds the change in seasons with Spring 2014’s colors…

This spring’s Pantone Palette for women is half brights, half pastels. Pantone claims this is emblemmatic of designers’ and consumers’ interest in establishing “equilibrium,” whatever that means. There are three blues, four if you count “Paloma,” a light blue-gray.

Women's Spring 2014 Color Report - Pantone Fashion Color Report - from Pantone.com
Women’s Spring 2014 Color Report – Pantone Fashion Color Report – from Pantone.com.

The “Freesia” yellow would make a pretty halter dress. “Dazzling Blue” screams accessories to me. And minty, pastel greens are always pretty, so “Hemlock” would work for just about anything.

I’m not sure what I think. What do you think?

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Makeup on Monday: Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick

Not very original, but a feature that gets the point across. When it comes to makeup, there are certain products I rely on. While I’m in no way a professional, I feel like I should share the stuff that thrills me so others can benefit from my happy – and sometimes not-so-happy – experiences.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Beso.”

My current favorite is Stila’s Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick, a vibrant, heavily pigmented opaque lipstick that applies like a gloss. It’s got an almost gel-like consistency when it goes on, yet it dries quickly. Once dry, there’s very little transference and NO feathering, which is something your traditional oil/wax lipsticks do when they hit warm lip.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in “Beso.” Alternatively, Kali Looking Weird.

The colors are beautiful, especially for the vintage red lipstick fiends out there. Their flagship color is a true red shade called “Beso.” It’s similar to Besame Red and MAC’s Ruby Woo, but without the runny consistency of the Besame lipsticks or the drying effect of the MAC matte lipsticks.

I got mine in a limited edition Stila set presented by Sephora. The set is no longer available, but the single tubes are available at places like Sephora and Ulta for around $22 each.

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Black Friday holiday dresses: Madeline, Grace, Honey, Erin, and Jenny

Madeline Dress
Laura Byrnes Madeline dress with matching bolero.

Now that I’m back from the barfs, it’s time to share some of my Black Friday purchases from Pinup Girl Clothing and Trashy Diva!

My favorite of the lot is the Laura Byrnes Madeline dress in plaid taffeta, a dress I desperately wanted last fall but never got around to ordering. Since the piece didn’t drop until after the holidays, I didn’t have an immediate reason to buy it when it first came out. Another big reason for the delay is the cost. MSRP for this number is $200, and that’s not factoring in the additional $76 for the matching bolero (which is kind of necessary to complete the look). Throw in the fact that several of the gals who first purchased the dress back in January mentioned the odd fit provided by the elasticized side panels on the bodice and I was skeptical.

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Winter holiday dresses: Collectif Faye Floral Doll and Deadly Dames Folly Flair

Collectif Faye Doll
Collectif Faye Floral Doll dress.

I promised pretty vintage inspired holiday party dresses, and now you’ll get them!

I recently purchased the beautiful Faye Floral Doll dress from Collectif on a nice sale. It’s a gorgeous black, full-skirted 1950s style with a built-in petticoat. The entire dress has an overlay made of a beautiful sheer mesh fabric, including the illusion-style sweetheart bodice. There are hand-cut, hand-applied lace flowers scattered on the skirt overlay. The same appliques line the bodice’s sweetheart edge.

With Collectif employee Julia’s kind assistance, I selected the size 14 (I’m 42-32/33-48″) and have no regrets!

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What I’m wearing this winter: Heartbreaker, Pinup Girl Clothing, Mode Merr, and Trashy Diva

Hearbreaker Flannel
Heartbreaker flannel separates! Click to enlarge…

Now that Thanksgiving is over and nighttime temperatures drops below 40 degrees Farenheit, it might as well be winter. That means it’s time for warm, vintage-style daywear and festive holiday frocks! This post is about the daytime stuff!

Known primarily for their sunny cotton dresses, Heartbreaker Fashion (soon to be “Heart of Haute”) brings you something entirely new this season: cozy flannel dresses and separates in great mix ‘n’ match color schemes.

I picked up the Margie skirt in red and the Gretta top in coordinating red check, which you can see at left. I got my regular Heartbreaker size, XL (42-32/33-48″). As usual with Heartbreaker, the Gretta top arms run on the lean side and the waist is roomy. The Margie skirt waist is true to the stated size chart measurements.

I wear mine with tights and a Deadly Dames velvet belt. Warm, comfortable, and festive!

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Instagram and Black Friday!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There’s the food, the family, the official start of the Christmas season…and Black Friday sales. I celebrated with some fun vintage-inspired items from Pinup Girl Clothing and Kate Spade, several of which I was able to share on my brand new Instagram account.

Black Friday Haul
Black Friday Haul: Odds ‘n’ ends.

Yes, I caved, and you can follow me as Instagram user “magicskyway.” Among the odds and ends I’ve deposited there are some collages of my Black Friday haul, which included 1940s-style Rita pumps by Remix, Kate Spade bow flats, a Pinup Couture Jenny skirt featuring a vintage Venetian scene, the Laura Byrnes Madeline dress in green plaid with matching bolero (finally!), and more.

Black Friday Haul
Black Friday Haul: Madeline dress and matching bolero.

That’s my Black Friday story for this year. What’s yours?