This week I have featured two takes on styling a tulle skirt, or adult tutu. A classic look and a vintage look. Today’s look? A modern twist on the tutu.
You know I love a good statement necklace, and I’ve been finding some great inexpensive ones on eBay lately. The one I’m wearing can be found here.
Who says leopard can’t be a neutral?! I’ve had this pair of velvet leopard heels forever but you can find a similar pair here. 
Pink lips are one of my favorite looks and I am currently obsessed with this Stila All Day Liquid Lipstick in the Bella shade.
And of course, my lovely tutu is from the Jessica Kane collection on Cool Gal Blue and I paired it with a soft chambray shirt from Target’s plus size line, Ava & Viv.
Category Archives: vintage
Pretty in Pink Continued…
Earlier this week I featured a “classic” look using my Cool Gal Blue tulle skirt with a promise of two more looks to come. Today’s look is the tutu styled with a vintage look or, as the butcher call it, your Audrey Hepburn look. I’ll take it!
Thanks to the inspiration of one of my favorite fabulous Plus Size bloggers, Tanesha Awasthi from girlwithcurves.com, I found this adorable bow top from Forever 21’s plus size line. The quality and feel of the shirt is very good in comparison to some of their other pieces and you can’t beat the price!
This alligator leather envelope clutch belonged to my great grandmother. It still had a compact mirror and a 1942 calendar inside when I received it. It’s probably one of my most prized accessories.
One of my favorite beach hats, bought years ago at Kohls, just stood out to me as I gathered my accessories for this shoot. I thought it might add a nice flair to the outfit but I was still unsure about wearing it. When my two photographers from Copper & Co. Photography saw it, they said I just had to wear it. So I did!
This bow belt has also been in my closet for years but when I got this top I guess I went a little bow crazy and just had to pair the two together! Side note, I love the way the gold is reflecting off the light of the room. Photography is so cool.
Twirl honey, twirl! So there you have it, my “vintage” inspired way to style a tulle skirt. Stay tuned later this week for the third and final installation, with a modern twist to styling a tutu.
Thrifter’s Delight
If your “good old days” included a hula hoop, a Beetle and The Beatles—or you just wish you lived during those “mod” years, then my most recent thrifted treasure will make you smile and nod with nostalgia. You’ve no doubt seen these iconic serving pieces but may not know that the line is called Blendo and was manufactured during the 1950s and ‘60s by the West Virginia Specialty Glass Company of Weston, West Virginia. There’s even a glass museum there, as the town apparently was well known for its glassware. The website for the museum says they only have one employee and I can just picture a little old lady, with glasses on the tip of her nose, sitting at the desk waiting for people to come in, meticulously dusting all of the beautiful glassware, probably full of knowledge that she doesn’t get to share as often as she’d like. Maybe I’ll go visit her sometime…although truthfully West Virginia isn’t high on my destination list, but hey, you never know.
Blendo glassware was a staple at summer barbecues during the era, with its cheerful “frosted” colors and sturdy feel, reflecting a time when rock music reigned, rockets were racing to the moon, and women wore pearls and gloves just to go to the market. Sigh, I really was born in the wrong decade.
The style is characterized by a bright neon/pastel solid base that fades as it goes up the glass and a gold rim. The Blendo line was at the peak of its production mid-century and came in a wide variety of colors and sets: juice, water/lemonade and cocktail pitchers and glasses, and serving ware (salad bowls and dishes, chip-and-dip trays, oil and vinegar cruets, and salt and pepper shakers). The serving pieces were popular wedding gifts at the time. As the cocktail era, recreated today on the TV series “Mad Men,” boomed, so did the sales of Blendo. I’m sure the release of such shows have also increased the popularity of these now vintage pieces. But I liked Blendo long before Mad Men, my first pieces were a gift from my, at the time, soon to be mother-in-law before our wedding, they had belonged to her mother-in-law.
Over the years I’ve collected a few different styles, the unique pitchers are my favorite.
But this past week I stumbled upon my most favorite set yet. Browsing a small thrift shop a few towns over, I spotted it from across the room and squealed with delight (literally squealed-people were looking) when I saw the price tag, $3 for the entire set! I couldn’t believe it, especially since I know for a fact that a set like this sells for $80-$100 online, so I high tailed it out of there with my treasure before the shop owner changed her mind! Behold the beauty…
Doesn’t it just make you thirsty looking at it? Lemonade, mojitos, gin & tonics, the list goes on and on…
Now who’s ready for a cocktail?!
In love with my DIY midcentury coffee table
I’ve gained quite a few readers since I first started blogging so I decided to repost one of my favorite projects, and the first project the Butcher and I did together! It was so inexpensive, SO easy, and truly one of a kind!
First, you’ll need a pencil, drill, sandpaper, and measuring tape.
Now your materials. From Lowe’s I purchased…
1 piece of pre-cut 20×45 wood
1 small can of walnut stain with polyurethane mixed together
1 paintbrush
4 angle top plates (make sure they are angled, that’s very important to get the right look) they look like this
4 metal hairpin or wooden taper legs (I bought mine on ebay, they are real vintage legs from the 50’s!) but you can find new ones here
Sand your table and prepare stain according to package directions. Apply stain to table and legs. I did two coats on the table and one on the legs. Let dry according to directions. Once dry, turn the table over and measure for the leg placement to be centered on all 4 corners (ugh math). Finally, screw legs into table. Turn it over. Take your hand and reach around to your back, all the way, you can do it. Now pat yourself on the back and prop your feet up on the table, maybe even with a cocktail…just don’t forget to use a coaster!
Blog Update:
I just received an email from one of my readers, Rebekah Selle, with this picture along with the message… “Here’s a picture of the table after I finished it. Turned out great, it was such a helpful tutorial!” I am tickled pink that I not only have people that follow and read my blog but that actually try out the projects and recipes I post! She made the coffee table featured here. Comment on a post that you’ve tried or email me at Lorirao@gmail.com and I’ll feature you on the blog too. Thanks to Rebekah and all my readers!
Waist not, want not.
As usual I hope you were able to determine that the title of this post was merely a play on words and not a spelling error.
At first glance these pictures may look exactly the same, but if you look closely at the bottom of the butcher’s vest, or waistcoat, you’ll see the difference.
Recently, a friend of ours came up to my husband and complimented him on his “sharp suit” but she then looked down at his waistcoat, tsk’d, and unbuttoned the bottom button. (she’s an, um…”older” friend of ours which is the only reason why I didn’t smack her hand away haha!) “You’re supposed to leave that open”, she said.
Now, to my credit, my husband is usually pretty well dressed (complete with matching pocket silk) but this was totally new information to me! It got me thinking about waistcoats and whether to button or not to button. So like any good blogger, I went straight to the internet. I found an article that satisfied my curiosity. According to Robert Johnston of GQ Magazine, there are, in fact, four possible answers. Johnston says, “All four would be equally acceptable as there is no definitive explanation as to the origin of this sartorial quirk. The four theories are: first, that when the future Edward VII was Prince of Wales he became so fat that he couldn’t do up the bottom button on his waistcoat so court followed suit to make him feel better about his body image. Secondly, that there was a time when young dandies would sport two waistcoats at the same time so left the top waistcoat’s bottom button undone so that you could see the one underneath. Thirdly, that it is all to do with comfort while in the saddle and to stop the waistcoat rising up the chest while riding. Lastly, that it was an affectation of members of Pop, the exclusive club at Eton, that was spotted and adopted by Savile Row as these spoilt young bucks tended to grow up to be good customers. I personally lean towards the first one, as there is nothing so weird as court etiquette.”
So there you have it, are you a “young dandy” or will you go against the grain and button all the way down?
Eloquiint
I know, I know, the title of this post is not really a word. But since my look is from one of my favorite brands, Eloquii, I decided to make a little play on words.
You know I can’t resist a black and white outfit combination with a red lip! This black crop top and patterned midi skirt were both on clearance on Eloquii’s website and I absolutely love them. Check them out! As with all their clothes, these pieces are flattering, comfortable, true to size, and well made. Kudos Eloquii, kudos.
Sunday Style
You know I can’t resist a polka dot. And this sweet little number from Gwynnie bee (plus size clothing rental service…if you didn’t know that- where have you been?!) had an extra sweet price, only $8 to keep it! I wore this to the baby shower today (it’s a boy so I thought the color would be appropriate) and I got so many compliments! I added my adorable cherry earrings from eBay to this SAMYA Polka Dot Dress With Collar In Blue and a pair of red patent leather wedges along with my signature red lip. We were in Tarpon Springs, Fl and when I saw this soap shop named after ME, I just had to stop for a photo op.
“It’s easy to see, I have confidence in me…”
Whether you’re a young nun on a hilltop (incase you didn’t catch it the title of this post is a line from sound of music duh) , a mom sitting at the computer in sweats drinking coffee and paying bills, or a 95 year old Polish immigrant, artist, and style icon named Ilona Royce Smithkin, you can have confidence.
“I came into my own, maybe ten, twelves years ago…”
Her eyelashes flutter against her wrinkled cheeks as she describes, with perfectly painted pink lips, how she cut pieces of her own hair to create perfectly matching false lashes. She, along with many other beautiful ladies, is the subject of a fabulous documentary I came across on Netflix called, “Advanced Style”. Originally a blog, then book, now documentary and phenomenon, it features fashionable women over 50 on the streets of New York City.
It took Ilona 83 years to fully figure out who she was. She and the other women were so inspiring to me, not only because of their incredible sense of style and artistry but also because of their confidence. I’m beginning to learn from so many women I speak to, my mothers (I have two mothers, I hope you’re as fortunate) friends, and even myself as I get older, that the older you get, the less you care. Care what others think about you. When we’re young we have so much insecurity about what we look like, what we say, how others perceive us. It’s so nice to grow and let some of that slip away.
“At my stage of my life I’m more interested in the air, the sea, the feeling of freedom within myself. I don’t have to prove anything to anybody else, I don’t have to impress anybody, and I wouldn’t want to because I’m really enjoying myself at this stage of my life and I really feel good about me.”
Maybe it was the fashion, the thick New York accents that reminded me of the women in my husbands family, or the fact that these women were just so darn cute, but I couldn’t get enough of Advanced Style. You have to watch this film and I just know you’ll feel like running to your closet, putting on some red lipstick, a feather boa, and dancing around the room. Or not. But I know you’ll really enjoy it and get a kick out of these ladies, even if you remain seated the whole time.
Sunday Style…thrift store transformation edition
I found this lovely vintage frock for, you heard it right, A DOLLAR at a thrift shop. Even though I’m always up for a cute shirt dress, this particular one wasn’t very BBF (big bosom friendly) but I still loved the pattern, length, and comfy cotton feel. So I decided to make it into a midi skirt! Now, if you have any sewing skills at all then this is most likely a very simple project. But although I DO own a very lovely sewing machine…well…to quote Cosmo from Moonstruck, “I don’t wanna talk about it!” so…I decided to take it to my reliable local seamstress Liz. If you live in the area and would like her info let me know, she works out of her home, is the sweetest woman, and does impeccable and affordable work on both men’s and women’s clothing. She cut the top off the dress, put some elastic in the waist of the skirt according to my measurements and, voila, a brand new skirt! ( I feel like I say “voila” quite a bit in my posts, who knew I was such a fan of that word?!) Next time you see something you like but it just doesn’t quite work, get it anyway and try to do a thrift store transformation!
The Crinoline Dilemma
When I was a little girl, nothing made me feel more utterly girly than a fully lined poofy dress. The key to that poofiness? Crinoline. And the great news is that it’s not just for little girls. I’m kind of obsessed with my crinoline slip which I purchased here on eBay, check out this eBay store, they have all sorts of cool items for weddings, parties, etc with extremely reasonable pricing. You know I’m a sucker for anything vintage, especially midcentury 50’s-60’s so of course a poofy skirt and a cinched waist is just the ticket for that look. You’ve seen me wear the slip in other posts like this one and I’m absolutely in love with it. Which brings me to the title of today’s post, the Crinoline Dilemma. You see, I love the way it looks so much that every dress I put on now with a regular skirt just looks hum drum and ordinary. I literally put something on, look in the mirror, think bla, then go add my crinoline and ding ding ding! It’s contagious too, I recently got a message from my friend Ashley who had a floor length crinoline slip from a formal gown that she was inspired by my blog to repurpose into a fabulous new look! Check it out…
Even if it is sometimes extremely itchy (spanx help), crinoline really does making everything better! So here’s my most recent dress purchase (you can buy it here but I got it for way less thanks to some great in-store sales plus coupons!) and dilemma, to crinoline or not to crinoline??!!
You see how the second look transports you right to another era? The slip expands the pattern so you can see the full beauty of the dress and something else I noticed by comparing these two pictures is how the width from the crinoline not only makes my waist look smaller but also balances me out from top to bottom whereas in the first picture I look more top heavy (which is bound to happen with those things! But like my mother in law says, “they’re attached so I have to bring them with me!”) This is one of my potential convention dresses next month so please help me to solve…dum dum duuuuum (perry mason music)…the crinoline dilemma!
beauty & the butcher 