Vintage on Holiday – Lisa of Quarter Life

I am so excited to introduce today’s guest blogger, Lisa of Quarter Life! Quarter Life chronicles Lisa’s love of all things vintage and fashion in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. You can follow Quarter Life on twitter and facebook and shop Lisa’s vintage finds in her etsy store.

Vintage on Holiday

 While I may step out of a plane, train, or automobile looking perky and polished, I can guarantee you one thing about my travels: The inside of my suitcase looks a mess. No matter how early I plan, I always end up throwing things in at the last moment. When I arrive at my destination, I often learn that I’ve forgotten one or more essentials (recent forgotten items include toothpaste, deodorant, and pants).

But enough about my inability to use a packing checklist. If you’re a vintage-lover like me, I can at least share a few tips about how to look darling and nostalgic when you’re on the road.

The key is to accessorize with vintage items. I love to tote along vintage tees when I travel (for comfort and kitsch), but I find most other vintage fabrics to struggle when confined to a suitcase. If you want to spend your time sightseeing instead of lugging a steamer everywhere, stay away from delicate fabrics. Go for the trimmings.My favorite vintage accessories for travel:

Earrings: The bigger the better, since I hate fumbling around to make sure I haven’t lost any tiny post earrings along the way. Even when you’re sticking to neutrals, earrings can add a loud pop of color.

Scarves: Choose a short one to tie around your neck, Frenchie-style, or choose a long scarf that you can wrap around your neck a few times. Scarves are good both for style and functionality—you’ll never be sorry you have one on a slightly chilly day.

Shoes: Really? Yes! If you have a pair of favorite, broken-in vintage shoes, you might as well show them off! I emphasize comfort here. It’s no good if you’re squeezing your piggies into some ultra-narrow pumps. I often grab the vintage Etienne Aigner booties shown here. Comfort + height + laces = happy traveler!

Bags: A bag can really set off an outfit, and that bag gets even better if it can fit your camera, passport, and array of technology goodies. One warning: Load up that bag before you leave home and carry it around for a while. If it seems too heavy to lug around while seeing the sights, it probably is. Opt for a light bag and some restraint in packing!

 What vintage accessories do you like to slip in your suitcase?

 Lisa Rowan is a vintage blogger and seller at Quarter Life.

I went to France, and all I got was this beret

Hi Wore Out readers – my name is Catherine, and I write the blog Small Town, Big Wardrobe. I’m so thankful Caitlin asked me to write a guest post – her blog was one of the first I connected with when I started fashion blogging, and I’ve been a devoted fan and reader ever since.

So confession time – I may have slightly exaggerated this post’s title. I did indeed to go on a vacation to France and get myself this red beret, but that’s not all: I also brought back World War II artifacts (for my dad, brother and stepbrothers), hundreds of photos, a complete awe at Paris and French culture in general, a desire to sell my soul for more Ladurée macarons – and then there were the clothes.

My amazing travel friends Olesia, Rosemary and Nicole and I were walking down the Champs-Élysées one night, past store after store filled with clothes we could not afford. Then we stumbled upon NAF NAF. Holy mother of clothing, it was amazing. So many clothes at affordable prices. On the Champs-Élysées. I was in fashion heaven. And after being warned about the Parisian attitude, we found complete kindness at this store – they even stayed open 45 minutes so we could finish trying on clothes and make our purchases.

I love a special piece of clothing with a story behind it – and when that story is from a once-in-ten-years vacation France, it becomes even more special to me. I still get a thrill out of wearing my special NAF NAF clothes and red beret.

And yes, I was that American tourist wearing a beret around Paris. Dream come true.

Thanks again Caitlin for asking me to guest-post! Come visit my blog or connect via Twitter or Facebook – I’d love to hear from you!

Vintage Style for a Vacation Getaway

I am so honored to introduce Sammy of Sammy Davis Vintage! No one lives, breathes, and loves vintage like Sammy. I’m constantly inspired by her ability to make pieces from every decade fashion forward. Thank you Sammy for sharing your love of vintage and killer style on Wore Out!To honor Caitlin’s bon voyage to her warm weather getaway, I wanted to share a few of my favorite vacation-worthy pieces from NYC boutique ALittleWicked, where I style women in drool-worthy vintage and spread my brand’s motto “to spread vintage love!”

While other stores are still selling sweaters, we take cues from designer “resort collections” and come the New Year, stock our racks with stylish spring and summer pieces for vacationing fashionistas. Funky floral print rompers in January? Yes, please!

 My mission is to make vintagestyle more accessible to the contemporary woman — that means you! I know that every lady has a vintage lover deep inside her. So take a peek at these 5 awesome vintage pieces perfect to pack for a happy holiday, and some jaw-dropping vintage accessories you may just want to wear right now!

xx, SDCan you believe this coral wrap dress is from the ‘80s? I could hardly believe it, either … until I saw the shoulder pads!

 Thankfully, a trusty pair of scissors can snip those bad boys out. As for the wrap dress? I don’t want to remove her sexy silk from my body … ever

This dress is an example of how eras-do-eras. The ‘80s was notorious for taking design cues from the ‘40s and ‘50s. This dress has the hourglass cut of a ‘50s house dress, but designed with some crazy color and print!

I think warm weather is the best time to experiment with one-of-a-kind pieces. The weather is so fun and free. So why not suit your style to match?

The more mini a dress is, the more marvelous I feel … and this dress does just that, and more!

 I predict the maxi is on its way out for spring/summer style. The influence of 1920s fashion had hems rising on the runways. So pull out those scissors, sisters and cut those floor-length dresses down!

 When the skirt is short, however, be wary of when and where its worn. Hide a pair of hot pants below for extra security, and watch where the wind blows as you stroll the beach!

I don’t just love — but lust! — after this dress! Until I met this lovely lady, I’d never seen roses printed on a white base, and thanks to this light coloring the look is clean and chic.

 I definitely would want to wear her over a candlelight dinner with my sweetie. Where’s my island lover?!

My favorite thing to wear in the summer is a romper just like this! It’s fitted to accentuate my waist, and the shorts and spaghetti straps give it a modern edge. It looks like it just came off the racks of Urban Outfitters!

Rompers are great pieces for beachside or poolside lounging. You’re covered up without feeling stifled and sweaty.

 (left to right)

 1, 2, 3 / Add color without style shock with a vintage southwest design bag. Their ethnic-inspired geometric designs and unique shapes are enough statement to last all spring and summer long.

4, 5, 6 / These Peruvian belts are handwoven by a village’s women, who create these one-of-a-kind pieces thanks to a secretive art protected over generations from leaking out to “the western world.”

7, 8, 9 / Hardware isn’t just for shoes and bags. These silver and beaded necklaces are just the bling you need to stand out in your bikini — just watch those tan lines! 

Vacation Song

It’s finally here… VACATION! I couldn’t be more excited. Last night D and I cleaned the whole house, finished packing and managed to get a few hours of sleep before venturing to NYC in the wee hours of the morning to board the ship.  While we were packing this song came on and it’s been stuck in my head ever since. It reminds me of Sting’s early solo stuff mixed with the Talking Heads synth vibe (in a good way). Anyway, enjoy and ciao for now!

Python Pockets

Sunglasses: Dollar Store, Scarf & Dress: Plato’s Closet Blazer: Goodwill, Tights: TJ Maxx, Skull Ring: Downtown Threads Boots: BlowfishIt almost feels like cheating when an outfit is this comfortable and office appropriate. Since I was mean-mugging the last time I wore this dress I decided to try and soften it up this time around and nothing says soft like an over sized knit scarf. This scarf is one of the best purchases I made this winter; it’s warm and adds the perfect amount of texture to looks.

The scarf’s texture accentuates the softness of the suede dress while the exposed zippers over the “python pockets” (as D calls them) add depth and interest to this easy look. I thought the exposed zippers and the studs on my boots worked well together without weighing this look down. I’m always worried about rocking too much hardware at once, the last thing I want is to look like a knight in chain mail.

How do you feel about exposed zippers and bold hardware? How do you “soften” up tougher/rougher looks?

Colorful Carnivale

Hey all, today I’m guest posting over on the Downtown Threads blog with tips on for putting together the perfect Mardi Gras look using pieces that you’ll want to wear long after the parade is over.

Home to the “largest carnivale celebration in the northeast” the annual Magic Hat Mardi Gras Weekend celebration draws hundreds to downtown Burlington for a party in the streets that last all day. Unfortunately I’ll be missing this year’s festivities as D and I are off on a much needed vacation but a word to the wise… Burlingtonians know how to get down when it comes to celebrating Mardi Gras, so you better dress to impress.

What Mardi Gras plans do you have lined up this weekend?

Red Robin

Sunglasses: Dollar Store, Sweater: Gifted, Belt: via Quarter Life Vintage Necklace: Zinnia, Ring: ?, Wrap Skirt: Vintage (originally my mom’s) Tights: Target, Ankle Boots: Old Navy (via Plato’s Closet)My parents and younger sister came to visit last weekend and my mom brought me this wool wrap skirt. My mom started to set aside classic pieces like her camel blazer, silk blouse and this wrap skirt when my sister and I were young and the winds of fashion started to shift.

The good thing about fashion is that trends tend to be cyclical so I’m able to wear the same pieces my mom wore during her late twenties. At first I was worried that the length and thicker material of the skirt would make me look matronly but once I had it on I quickly realized that it when sitting or walking the skirt moves in such a way that it creates a high slit, making me love it even more (especially since high slits are one of fall’s hottest trends).

What pieces from your wardrobe would you like to save/pass on?

Beachy Blues

I don’t know about you but I’m loving the mild “winter” we’ve had so far. D and I have been taking full advantage of the sunny weather and snapped these pictures during a stroll on Leddy Beach in Burlington this past weekend. During the flooding last spring a lot of Leddy Beach was destroyed so it was exciting to see the beach and shoreline back to their natural beauty lass than one year later.

Gingham has been popping up everywhere this spring and is great for pattern mixing so when I found this shirt for $4 I had to have it. Like a lot of my favorite button ups this gingham shirt is from the men’s section at Goodwill. I like wearing larger/looser button ups because the size gives them greater versatility. A long button up can be worn over leggings, under dresses and sweaters or even with sandals and a belt for as sexy mini dress.

To avoid looking bulky in your over-sized button up add a belt or cropped top/jacket that hits the narrowest part of your body to draw the eye in and define your shape. I was going for a more tailored look with this outfit so I layered my gingham shirt under my blazer belted it for a more streamlined silhouette.

Have you added any Gingham pieces to your spring wardrobe? Would you ever wear men’s clothes?

My Life the Comedy

You’ve seen in dozens of movies, a guest of wind plucks an unsuspecting pedestrian’s hat off their head and sends it cartwheeling through the air while said pedestrian proceeds to act a fool trying to chase it down. Yup that was me. Nothing says “Happy Monday!” like a tornado of red hair and cheetah print bobbing and weaving through traffic in hot pursuit of a hat turned Frisbee.

So if you were on Pearl Street this morning you’re welcome for the laugh and don’t worry I caught up with my hat around South Winooski Ave.

When was the last time you laughed at yourself?

7 days from now…

I’ll be off on a much needed vacation, a cruise to the Bahamas.What does that mean for Wore Out…

1) Some seriously stylish ladies will guest blogging. I’m such big fans of each of these ladies, I couldn’t be more excited to have them!

2) I can change outfits multiple times a day (and since it’s vacation D will have to take my outfit photos for me) so stay tuned because I’ve packed some great pieces including a vintage paisley print turban, my new ASOS dress, and the vintage style bathing suit I had custom made (for under $35 dollars!)

3) There will definitely be packing induced panic. I’m the girl who brings two bags for a weekend getaway, so packing for a little over a week is a bit daunting. Sara over at Aqui  recently wrote a great post on packing light in which she suggests selecting a color palette before you start packing. In the past I would plan my outfits ahead of time to make sure I had all my bases covered but like Sara says in her post this left me with outfits that I no longer wanted to wear.

To get the most out of (and into) my suitcase I’ve decided to mix the two packing plans. I’ll select a color palette, sketch out a few outfits and then merge the two. Hopefully this will give me plenty of mixing and matching options while keeping my luggage lite. Now all I have to do is pick a color palette… any suggestions?

What would your vacation color palette look like? How do you pack for vacations/long trips? 

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