Uninsightful Fashion Tip!

I read a lot of fashion magazines, and one thing I tend not to enjoy is when there is an article on "remixing your wardrobe" or "shopping your closet" or "get more out of your outfits!" because usually all the tips are the same and most are, for lack of a better word, like DUH. Yeah yeah, wear a blazer "for night" instead of for day. Wear a t-shirt for a fancy thing. Wear a scarf as a belt. Groundbreaking! (Actually, irrelevant - like, all those tips are from 2003 but I still see them in these articles - and condescending.)

I find it is usually tips from fashion designers that are the most condescending. I'm pretty sure I once read Tory Burch recommend wearing things inside out - if you're such a poor plebeian that you can't afford her $800 tunics in order to mix things up, well, jeeze, I dunno, maybe show off all the seams and tags of that Old Navy t-shirt, that will be so tasteful!

(On second thought, it might've been Isabel Marant, but I could see her actually doing that so it's not as condescending. Or it might have been Kelly Wearstler and that is pretty much the same as Tory Burch.)

Anyway...

I do have one of those tips that I just needlessly ranted about. I found this 90's dress at work and thought it was just so almost cute, but not quite what I'm looking for... until I turned it around! The front is just a little too My So-Called Life, but the back is kind of dreamy fifties, no?

 Could it work? Well, let's take that Dalmy's tag off first and find out...

Verdict: yes, it works. A lot dressier than wearing it the conventional way - as Pete says, good for a wedding reception!

I love the high boat-neck neckline and the 1/2 sleeves, and even the little shoulder pads. Plus, the back is now a deep-v with lace, and it buttons all the way down. Kind of blah as a front, but quite pretty as a back! 

And finish it off with a little belt (found at Ardene) 

Remixing is fun! Looking forward to an occasion to wear this dress!

Outfitted: Early winter Canadiana

When the weather starts to hover around the freezing mark, I start to give in to what most other Island ladies are all up in: skinny jeans, work socks, and ankle boots. I would love to get a pair of hand-knitted, made-in-PEI, Island wool work socks from Northern Watters Knitwear, but for now, I'll settle for any old pair. To up the Canadiana ante, I've added a pristine vintage cinnamon Danier suede drawstring jacket and vintage men's flannel. Cozy and very Canadian indeed.

+ thrifted vintage Danier suede jacket

+ thrifted vintage royal blue scarf

+ thrifted vintage flannel from work

+ thrifted vintage men's braided leather belt

+ Old Navy Rockstar jeans

+ Sears-house-brand work socks

+ Leather lace-up ankle boots, Corney's Shoe Store

+ Sky-blue floral earrings from Love Charlie

New items on Milk & Amber Etsy Shop

Well, it took most of my afternoon and early evening, but I managed to upload quite a few new items on my Etsy shop. Pop over to check out all my items, including this neat stuff!

*Remember, if you're on PEI, I offer 30% off your purchase if you'd like to do local pick-up. Making Islanders more stylish one vintage item at a time, haha...

Pastels

It's interesting. In the past few months, I've taken to a few trends that I might not have gotten so caught up in if it weren't for the ubiquitous Instagram photos of top-knotted, Michael Kors watch-wearing, Peter Pan-collared ladies on Pinterest (Follow me here!). Coral, mint, peach, lavender, sky blue - yes, these pastels have always been favourites in my colour repertoire. But something about the way they've been presented to me has really made me so much more aware of my preferred palette, and I've become more adventurous with colours in my wardrobe as a result. Even my little sister and I joke about the ubiquity of certain trends on Pinterest - "wow, that's a nice Pinterest outfit" to refer to pink high-waisted shorts with a mint lace top.

Anyhow, I've taken to searching for these colours and have started offering some on Milk & Amber after combing through my stores. Here are some of those items!

Four-pack of vintage pastel enamel earrings, sourced around PEI.

Vintage mint green plastic hoop earrings

Vintage multi-coloured pastel belt

It's safe to say that fall will change my colour preferences a bit, but it's been  a nice summer experimenting with these looks. I'm looking forward to blending these with fall colours too - mint with brown leather, lavender with forest green, peach and midnight blue... Exciting!

Finds: Thrifted pattern belts

Nothing like some funky graphic, colourful belts to spice up any outfit - or to make 'em more casual.

From left:
Teal, coral, orange and royal blue aztec belt with ornate silver buckle, 2.99, Value Village
Vintage pinks-and-blues navajo print belt with silver buckle, 3.99, Value Village
Vintage red, green and white beaded belt with bronze clasp, 2.99, Value Village

Multi-colour beaded leather belt attachment, 50cents at a flea market, on a vintage skinny tan Ralph Lauren belt, also Value Village