All Black Everything.

I've been trying to stay away from all black looks but after not finding anything new to wear for my niece's Bat Mitzvah and trashing my closet, I finally pulled out this Jack Bryan for Saks vintage dress that I thrifted for $20. My family was literally waiting in the car for me when I put it on. Because the dress is so beautifully embellished I needed to keep my accessories to a minimum. A few key accents, a bright lip, and I was out the door - and only a few minutes late.

I wore this dress last year with my Loubs but this time I wanted to wear shoes that I could actually dance in. Luckily I have my new Jimmy Choo Swarovski Whistler heels that I practically stole for $100. Sometimes when I'm in a rush some of my happiest accidents occur. I was shocked with how many compliments I received. I personally love vintage designer pieces but I know I'm not the norm. Like I said, I was literally grabbing accessories as I was running out the door. I think it worked because the accessories are so modern and unexpected with a vintage dress (that can easily look like you stole it from your grandmother's closet).

From head to toe:

• Earrings: Rebecca Minkoff, sample sale, $5 (RV $128)
• Dress: Jack Bryan, thrift store, $20
• Bag: Dannijo Viper clutch, sample sale, $75 (RV $698)
• Shoes: Jimmy Choo Swarovski Whistler heels, sample sale, $100 (RV $2,450)

So for $200 I have a look worth several thousand. Not bad.

I'm wearing my Toxic Tale lipstick by MAC again. It's my favorite bright coral lippie for summer. It brightens your face up in a flash. It's long sold out but you can try Vegas Volt or Flocking Fabulous instead. Right now thanks to price matching, they're on sale at Nordstrom for just $14.45 each.

My super cute niece is wearing a customized Zoe LTD McKenzie dress that her mom purchased for her. Their dresses are spectacular. I went to one of their recent sample sales hoping to score some gorgeous gowns for my girls and was not successful. I got her sparkly sandals at the Rack for $25 - which was the cheapest thing she wore that night LOL.

My Choos are pretty comfortable but my 40+ year old knees can really only handle them for 4 hours max. By the end of the night they sparkled on the table next to my clutch.

Thank you to my niece M for taking my pics. It's so helpful to have talent in the family. I did ask the event photographer to snap a few shots too - we'll see if those ever surface.

Congrats to Mylah D., winner of my Rebecca Minkoff earrings giveaway! I've emailed you - can't wait to get them out to you! If you didn't win, thank you for participating :) I grabbed something special from the A.V. Max sample sale (today's the last day if you want to go too!) for my next giveaway. Stay tuned...

XO
Shoppinggal

Fringed Fashion, Bargainista Style

I just lost my entire post so here we go again...

Yesterday my parents were honored at my old elementary school so I pulled out my thrifted Tom and Linda Platt vintage fringe dress and paired it with my shiny new YSL heels and Jimmy Choo purple clutch for a pop of color.

From head to toe:

• Lipstick: MAC Victoriana, Isabel & Ruben Toledo collab, $17.50 (free with Nordstrom Notes)
• Earrings: A.V. Max snake earrings, sample sale, $4
• Dress: Tom and Linda Platt, thrift store, $15 (their dresses retail for $500-1000+)
• Bag: Jimmy Choo violet Charm satin Swarovski Clutch, sample sale, $250 (last retail I found online was $2,600 but that may have been the sale price)
• Bracelets: A.V. Max crystal bangle, sample sale, $5 and spiked cuff, Nordstrom Rack, $5
• Shoes: YSL, Nordstrom Rack, $131.23.

My brother's girlfriend thought it would be fun to take a slow-motion video of me twirling. Here is the abridged video. All you're really missing is me stumbling out of frame. Spinning + little alcohol + heels = not the best idea LOL.

Thank you to my nephew, Bin who took my pics so my husband wouldn't have to LOL.

I'm linking these pieces and similar so you can shop my look :)

And in case you missed my Insta post, Clear the Rack at Nordstrom Rack is going on now thru January 3rd! In addition to an extra 25% off red and blue tag clearance, they are offering a whopping 50% off clearance dresses in store only!!! I hate shopping on Saturday nights but when I heard I ran over because that's a game changer.

I totally cracked up when I saw a SA walking around with stickers on his shirt clearly explaining what was on sale and what wasn't. Hats off to my girl Wanda who had everyone in the shoe department sporting these tags today.

Can't wait to share all my finds in my next haul post! Would love to hear what you picked up this CTR :)

XOXO
Shoppinggal

How to wear a vintage dress.

As a long time vintage lover it seemed it was about time to share my thoughts on how to wear it. Most of my favorite thrift finds are designer vintage pieces. When you're styling them you have to be careful because it's very easy for things to go costume-y. Rule number one is to avoid obvious cliches and dressing in head to toe vintage. This Jack Bryan for Saks beaded caftan that I picked up for about 20 bucks can easily go grandma or over the top. By pairing it with current accessories it creates enough balance to make the look modern enough to wear.

I kept it simple with the shoes, clutch and earrings because of all the detail on the dress.

Because the dress is big on me I needed the highest heels I could find to create as many vertical lines as possible. Plus I'm the shortest of all my siblings so with these 6 inch Christian Louboutin "Highness" heels I'm right up there with them :)

They were refurbs and I never put red vibrams on these.

From head to toe:

• Earrings: H&M, $3 sale
• Lipstick: Miley Cyrus Viva Glam, free with Nordstrom Notes
• Dress: Jack Bryan for Saks 5th Avenue, thrifted, $20-ish (may have been less, don't recall)
• Clutch: Badgley Mischka, Century 21, $11.88 (90% off sale!)
• Shoes: Christian Louboutin Highness, Nordstrom Rack, $250

This past weekend was my newphew's Bar Mitzvah (yes, I have a lot of nephews LOL) so we headed to Baltimore to celebrate with my oldest brother and his family. Out of my six siblings everyone except one sister (who lives out of the country) showed up at some point. My brother David loves fashion as much as I do. He just loves his black suits, white shirts, black hats and long sideburns. I'm a little more eclectic LOL. Here is my nephew modeling his new hat that he acquired for his coming of age. He's such a ham.

This is one of my more modest looks (I needed to cover up) so I sewed the neckline together. However, because there was so much material I couldn't close it up completely. Too much fabric/coverage can easily overwhelm you.

Someone on Instagram asked how I could walk in these heels. I said - very slowly LOL. I like to run in my heels (small kids and all) but these are more for pictures than anything else. I have to confess that I had my Crocs under the table just in case...

Would love to hear how you do vintage. Feel free to leave comments/feedback below :)

XOXO
Shoppinggal