My 1960s Paper Dress

What an incredible birthday gift I received recently from my husband....an original paper dress from the 1960s- 1966 to be exact! Part of the reason I've been absent lately is that I've been working on a series of articles I am contributing to a new volume of fashion textbooks. I wrote an entry on paper dress of the 1960s and thus when my husband located one of the original dresses produced by Scott Paper Company on eBay, he grabbed it for me!

Wondering what paper dresses are all about? I know I wrote the entry but I'm still slammed :) so check out here and here to learn more. I will say that the dresses are surprisingly sturdy. Please pardon the fold lines as its been folded up for almost 50 years!

"Paper Caper By SCOTT."  "Your Paper Caper is an all-paper dress and is intended for one time wear only. It is flame resistant but washing, dry cleaning, or soaking will make the dress dangerously flammable when dry."

 

A Frugal Girl's Guide to Tree-trimming

This will be my husband and I's first Christmas together and we don't have a go-to stash of Christmas decorations and ornaments. I can't bear the thought of purchasing these items at full retail so- I challenged myself to see if we could actually decorate a tree using only items already in the house. I felt confident that if we could stick to whites/silver/gold we couldn't mess up too bad! ( I must reveal that we did already own a few special ornaments and the pretty angel topper- a gift from Therese.)

Garland= alternating rows of old thrifted lace trim and rows of broken necklaces
Ornaments= existing + metallic drink umbrellas, jewelry (pearls, pendants, brooches, earrings) using a pack of dollar store ornament hooks, fake roses, white feathers from an old hat
Tree skirt= a thrifted 80s full-skirted tulle dress  
Presents under the tree= sequin pillows and a Victorian-look collage chest (holds our DVDs!)

-Bride & groom ornament for our 1st Christmas (a gift from The Wilson's)
-A cameo from a thrifted dress gets new life adorning a tree branch 
-Metallic drink umbrellas in gold/silver/greens add much needed glitz and glimmer
-Vintage silhouette pictures (a gift from my Aunt Sandy) re-purposed from wall to tree hanging

Recent Work: Vintage Glamour

Makeup- Jules De Jesus Fritz @ Dollface by Jules
Photography-Dylan Wilson
Model- Sarah J. @ RISE MODELS
Styling-me

The Beales of Mobile: Part II

Hi Guys,

Sorry posting has been so scant lately! I have been (and will be) extremely busy with work projects until the end of the year so there will likely be minimal posts until I get a moment to breathe. For now, here are some fun photo mementos from my trip to Mobile and visit with my friend Mary at her shop Mary Parker Antiques. Fun, feathery hats, furs, and even an old newspaper from 1918...

Recent Work: Bathing Beauty

Styling-me
Makeup-Dollface by Jules
Photography- Dylan Wilson
Model- Julia, RISE models

Recent Work: Strong Lip

Styling-me
Makeup- Dollface by Jules
Photography- Dylan Wilson 
Model- Katlyn, RISE models

The Beales of Mobile

Just a quick snapshot of my friend Mary and I at her antique store- Mary Parker Antiques during my visit to Mobile last weekend. We were kind of channeling The Beales, although I do realize that we are matching way too much to pull that look off (we threw on the closest wearable items we saw for a quick cameo on the way out)! Speaking of Grey Gardens, which I utterly adore and am inspired by, it's definitely due time for another watch. Have you guys seen the sequel as well? It's great.

I will share a few more photos soon of us having fun in her store with antique treasures so stay tuned...

Recent Work: Thirties Glamour

Here's a photo I styled from our Beaute Social shoot with Dollface by Jules and my husband- Dylan Wilson. This photo has stood out to me ever since I first laid eyes on it. I think it's because it has this wonderfully glamorous, dramatic quality about it.  It seems to capture a 'moment' and I love the shape of her body against the stairs.

Refashion Rescue: 60s Style Earrings

I loved the shape of these drop earrings when I scooped them up for $1 at a local flea market- however, I wasn't in love with the color so I just painted them! This is super simple and very similar to my vintage hand mirror refashion post. Now I love their 1960s look and they will be much more versatile!

Refashioning a Jewelry Piece:

1. Gather Supplies.
• Jewelry piece you want to change the color of (Could be anything! Jewelry with details that are semi-flat or flat are easier)
• Krylon silver foil metallic spray paint (or whatever color you prefer)
• Cosmetic wedge sponge
2. Spray your paint on the sponge and press onto the piece.
3. Repeat until you get the desired effect/ level of coverage.
4. Let it dry and enjoy your new jewelry piece! 

Do you have any other jewelry refashions or DIY's? I'd love to hear them!

Vintage Bride In the Neighborhood

I came across this photo that my husband Dylan took of me when I was still living in Mobile, Alabama last year. This was a fun vintage bridal look we did, featuring my dear friend Mary's dress that she wore for her wedding in 1965. This picture makes me miss the beautiful historic neighborhood I lived in- so quaint and quiet. I will be back to visit next weekend and I can't wait to catch up with my sidekick Mary and have a ball being silly putting together outfits and thrift shopping just like old times! You can see some of the other photos I shared previously here.

1 Piece 3 Ways: Colorblock Skirt

Here's the final look for my installment of '1 Piece 3 Ways'. See the other looks here and here.

Look 3 was all about breaking the color blocking up with bold punches of black. My inspiration was this cool vintage fabric I draped as a top- it shared the colors in the skirt yet added interest when paired with it. I finished with sharp black accessories and an earring that would blend in with the color palette party going on in the top so the black accents remained strong.

The Details:
Dupioni silk skirt- Sonia Says Boutique (gift from Therese)
Vintage fabric draped as a top- thrifted
Clutch- thrifted
Hat- thrifted
Earrings- c/o Jules 
Platforms- Steve Madden

1 Piece 3 Ways: Colorblock Skirt

Here's Look 2 of my styling installment ''1 Piece 3 Ways'. See the other looks here.

Ok, so I think its obvious I had a bit too much fun with this one! For this look I wanted to play up the color and fun factor so I went with orange and added crazy punches of gold. My inspiration was 60s airline stewardess meets futuristic fashionista! I actually wanted to work with the shape of the top so I created this peplum look by belting it. The Vintage Soda was a fun addition (my husband's idea!) provided courtesy of our friends Angelina and Blake. Not only are they yummy but apparently they make a great fashion accessory too!

The Details:
Dupioni  silk skirt- Sonia Says Boutique (gift from Therese)
Top- thrifted
Belt- thrifted
Sequin pillbox- antique store 
Gold Mary Janes- hand me down

Stay tuned for the final look!

1 Piece 3 Ways: Colorblock Skirt

I've been in love with this color blocked skirt since I first laid eyes on it! Today I wanted to share one of the looks I put together featuring this piece....

This look is a good way to let the skirt stand out as a statement piece by pairing it with a classic white button down shirt. I thought this was a sophisticated, simple look that would be appropriate for the office, church, or a meeting.

The Details:
Dupioni silk skirt- Sonia Says Boutique (gift from Therese)
White dress shirt- Talbots (from Therese)
Silk esapdrilles- Ralph Lauren
Louis Vuitton/Stephen Sprouse Pochette- gift
Watch- antique store

Stay tuned for Look 2! 

Refashion Rescue: Vintage Hand Mirror

I picked up a vintage hand mirror recently for $2 while out thrifting. I was excited because I had been wanting a mirror to use functionally to see the back of my hair (since I never look at it!) Instead of going out and buying a cheap mirror at the drugstore I decided to wait for something pretty (and vintage) to catch my eye! However, thanks to the thrift store's method of pricing- when I took the clear tape off it also removed some of the design. I figured that was just a good excuse to embellish my mirror.... so here's what I did.

Supplies:

• Hand mirror 
• Krylon silver foil metallic spray paint (or whatever color you prefer)
• Cosmetic wedge sponge
• Super glue adhesive
• Old brooch (this was actually a cheapy necklace pendant and was a bright blue color)

Steps:

• In order to get your brooch color to mesh with your design, spray some of the spray paint onto the sponge and press onto the part of your jewel that you want to cover. Continue until you get the desired look, letting the paint dry a few minutes in between applications.
• Apply your adhesive to the back of your brooch and press onto the center of your mirror.
• Enjoy gazing at yourself in your new jeweled vintage hand mirror :)