· Effortlessly Chic ·

We're having one last blast of winter weather and this seems like the ideal time to share my latest, greatest thrift store find!  Whenever I wear this coat, I feel like I'm a model in some 1950s ad and like I should probably be hanging out in Paris or somewhere else super cool.  Consequently, I try to wear this coat as much as possible.

I went thrifting with a friend at the best charity shop around- the prices are rock bottom and there are always vintage knick-knacks to call our names... This time I got preferrential treatment and was ushered into the secret inner sanctum storage room- since I was wearing vintage styles, the woman working behind the counter knew that I'd appreciate some of the coats they currently had in storage.  I ended up coming away with several and since then, I've added a few more to my rapidly-expanding collection.  One can never have too many vintage coats, right?

I really like cold weather anyway, but now every autumn I start itching for temperatures low enough to break out my collection of vintage outerwear.  This coat quickly became one of my standbys and it's just perfect for the commute to work.  The style is not as suited for bitter, windy days... but that's what I have a complete coat wardrobe for- options. ;-)

The coat is made from a soft thick wool felt, unlined.  The scarf is attached at the back of the neck and its exact purpose is a bit open to interpretation, but I am fond of the styling shown.  The coat closes with just one button- and a giant one at that!

The construction is very simple, with a few details that make it stand out.  I love this aspect of vintage clothing- I can tend to overthink all of my own projects, but it's a good reminder that sometimes less is more!  The loose swing style is versatile for layering over full or narrow skirts and is so cozy to wrap up in!

The back is angled and overlapped at the back. The sleeves are a gentle bell shape and have a slit with rounded edges.

The pockets are accessed through slits in the front of the coat and just "float" on the inside without being attached to seams- ingenious!

This hat is one of my all-time favorites!  Delightfully quirky and flattering to a variety of hairstyles!

Overall, this coat just makes me feel super chic. And what's not to love about that??

Shoes- Marilyn by Royal Vintage

· Photos by Kathryn! ·

· Checking It Off The List ·

I am SO excited about sharing this dress!  Check out this fabric- isn't it the most adorable ever??  What's not to love about a dress covered in checklists, right? The moment I saw this fabric line (Five and Dime) from Penny Rose fabrics, I knew I had to jump on the chance to make a work dress out of this ever-so-motivating print.  I mean, with a dress full of checkboxes and checkmarks, how can you not stay motivated all day long??  Coincidentally, my job just so happens to involve using lots of checkmarks as well, so it really couldn't be more appropriate!

I found the pattern for this dress at an antique mall somewhere along the line and it seemed like a great fit for this fabric- streamlined, but with a few details to set it apart. I can never keep things simple, so I took the opportunity to highlight the details with a narrow piping.

It also pairs rather nicely with my vintage black wool sweater, so it works for cooler weather too!

I was a little hesitant to use a cotton print for a sheath dress, but I wear a linen slip under it and I've never had any complaints about the way it behaves- yay! Penny Rose is also a nice-quality fabric, so I can rest assured that the dress will wear well and remain professional-looking for a long time.  Penny Rose very generously gifted me the fabric and I'm so grateful!  All opinions are still my own. :-) 

The dress buttons all the way up the side of the dress and that was one of my favorite elements of the design!  I'm so glad I ended up finding these buttons that can do such justice to the idea!

While I was in the production process of this dress, I visited a friend down in Dallas and we stopped by Dallas Button Supply in the warehouse district. Thousands of buttons! SO. MANY. BUTTONS.  I was glad I had very definite parameters because otherwise I never would have decided.....  I ended up with exactly what I was hoping for AND at wholesale prices!

One of my perennial favorite colors is green, but it's a rather uncommon color for fabrics. I had to jump on the chance to add a completely green dress to my wardrobe!

This dress checks every box for me (pun not intended)  (wait, who are we kidding? that pun was totally intended.) - it's appropriately quirky, vintage, and green!  Hard to get much better than that!

I finally, finally, finally took the plunge and ordered my own pair of Marilyns from Royal Vintage!  A perk of having an office job is that I now have an excuse for wearing cute heels 5 days a week and consequently.... I can justify buying more pairs! The shape of the Marilyns is a flattering, classic style that works well from the 1940s into the 1950s and since they come without extra embellishment they were the perfect candidate for these fabulous vintage shoe clips that I got for my birthday!  I love them so much and they add such a fun detail!

(link contains an affiliate code- which gives a little boost to my shoe fund! thanks!)

The final detail to this dress is the asymmetrical pocket. Between the cute pocket flap and the pointed collar, I knew I'd need to accent them so they didn't get lost in the printed fabric, and the narrow piping was just the trick!

· Photos, as ever, by the inimitable Kathryn! ·