Gibson girl meets boho

Back in April I made a trip to Atlanta to visit the hubby. During that time, I also explored the thriving vintage scene in a neighborhood known as Little Five Points.

One dramatically adorable piece I found was this little peplum-ish, prairie girl number which I immediately snatched up at Rag-O-Rama.

There's nothing not to like about this dress. It's got pouf sleeves, a sort of "mock" peplum, and a daringly open back!

  Something about the frolic-some cotton is just made to swish! Plus pockets!

 Because the print is fairly busy, we paired it with simple, gold bangles and Mexi-inspired earrings.

And to keep it from getting too precious, I added some open toed, zipper booties to give it some edge.

Honestly, sometimes there's nothing easier than a truly fun, well cut, printed dress. And if you're feeling a little old fashioned, buy the one with the open back!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Thrift, Rag-O-Rama
Heels: Rampage
Bangles: Boutique sidewalk sale, Abbott Kinney
Earrings: TresJolie.com

Country Comfort, Summer Cotton Part 2

Country comfort, Part 2!

Cotton finds us once again at Calypso Home, reveling in the creamy voiles and linens of this summer's home decor and fashion trends.

I've been on the hunt for tunics and caftans. They're the perfect summer garment because they can take so many forms.There's the traditional, maxi length, boho chic style, which we've blogged about (here). And then there's the tunic length version in knee hem.

I fell in love with the "midi" length caftan when I realized it could be worn as a dress, belted, or complemented with leggings for those cooler, LA nights...

I found this cotton shift at Buffalo Exchange Las Vegas and I wanted to wear it loose for an evening beach stroll.

The seed beading and paillettes were so intricate, I almost left it solo. But then this Egyptian style belt caught my eye, hanging on a mannequin along the store's upper wall display. I promptly yanked it down!

And what a great piece! Thick, rich leather with bronze and stone detailing. Looks like an accessory from The Mummy...

I wanted to cinch the tunic's waist and give it some structure. And I love playing gold and bronze tones right up against light silver.

 My trusty Big Buddah summer wedges summed it all up.

 And some bronze dangles chandeliers tied it all together.

And that's our other, SHS take on summer, white cotton trends. Both today's dress as well as yesterdays were found for under 10$ each. So before you hit Bloomingdales for your summer season wardrobe, take a peek at your local thrift stores, flea markets and re-salers. You may find your favorite item of the summer for less than you think!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage, via Buffalo Exchange
Belt: Vintage
Wedges: Big Buddah, DSW
Earrings: Tres Jolie, www.tresjolie.com

Country Comfort, Cotton Pique, Part 1

This summer white cotton seems to be everywhere. I can't remember a season in years in which this much beachy, chic has dominated the runways.

We've been drooling for some time over the various trends in whites and creams. From cotton piques, appliques, muslin, linen, and crochets, to everything in between...

We wanted to showcase two takes on the summer's hottest trend - thrifted, of course! And we couldn't think of a better backdrop than Calypso Home. For all things beautifully beach-y and serene, it was an ideal canvas to shoot in. Since we loved both looks, we thought we'd bring one blog devoted to each. Here's Tanya's take on summer style!

Above, her cotton pique dress was an item I picked up at Rag-O-Rama back in the spring in Atlanta, ((See here). I knew I'd find a way to showcase it, but when I saw white eyelet being double and triple belted at boutiqes.com, I knew that was all it needed.

We grabbed two of my skinny military belts and one of Tanya's trifted beauties and pulled them all together.

Knotting and twisting works wonders. They don't need to be perfectly aligned. The racer-back speaks for itself, and an updo is an easy way to highlight the cut of the dress.

A simple knot, black rosette studs, and Guess spiked heels completed the ensemble.

And that's how we dress up our beachwear for a summer evening out!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage, via Rag-O-Rama

Belts: Vintage and Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Guess, via Nordstrom

Simple Seventies Summer Stunner

This really needs no explanation. It was pulled from Helena's closet - a friend of my mother's and a stunner in her own right, back in the 70's and still today. It was a wonderful gift that I'm glad I held on to. A simple pony, my new fave madden jellies, and off to enjoy this weekend!

 

Rock & Purple

I found this amazing, purple dress at Crossroads in Santa Monica. I'd been looking for shifts with a hemline both just above, and just below the knee. This one was a perfect fit, with no alterations required!

I'm not usually a fan of purple. But this bold color was augmented by such a soft print. Plus, it kinda reminded me of the boxy, pink dress "Andy" wears at the end of "Pretty in Pink". The squared shoulders and drop waist were so retro-80's. I had to have it!

I also loved the cap sleeves and gathers, as well as the waist band tie.

I've been finding that lately with bold color blocks, the use of monochromatic jewelry often works best.

For this number I threw on some wooden bracelets as well as some Israeli, silver bangles. In the winter, I'd worn this shift with biker boots and a leather jacket. To make it springtime ready, I subbed in my new Sam Edelmann, black, studded clogs for an open toed finish.

Silver hoops finished everything off, as well as a vintage, tiger's eye ring from Israel.

Simply put, the dress did all the work on this one. ;)

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage, Crossroads Clothing Exchange
Clogs: Sam Edelmann: Nordstrom Rack
Bracelets: Vintage and street fair
Ring: Vintage

Vintage Boho Love

Few things in fashion are as elusive and potentially beautiful as a really good, vintage caftan. Done wrong, you can look like you're headed to a seance or playing an extra in an early 70's Woody Allen film. But done right..? Well, see for yourself!!

This stunning cream and coral number was a family heirloom which Tanya whipped out to show me the other day. I was smitten! Certainly not just a great caftan, but flawless for the L.A. beach weather as well. How often do you come across that, either in fabric or print??

This retro stunner feels so very Abbott Kinney. The print colors conjure up a seaside vibe, and the addition of the turquoise jewelry sealed the deal!

 From every angle, the drape is perfect.

A statement turquoise ring completed the simple but elegant accessory enhancement. Once again, with a dress like this, you only need one or two bold pieces. The cut and print do the rest...

At the end of the day, tunics, caftans and ponchos can all look incredibly fresh when paired with the right accessories, hair and makeup. Keeping the add-ons simple made this vintage stunner look completely current and fashion forward!

Love,

Tanya D and Noa B

The very first time...

There's a first time for everything. The first time training wheels come off your bike. The first time you see your teeth without braces on. That first kiss. But there's truly nothing like buying your first, vintage dress. This is my first time...

Last August I got together with my brilliant friend, confidant, and stylist, Ms. Tanya Dempsey, and told her I wanted to engage in a closet re-vamp.

After a lot of discussion, pile making, clothing tossing and the like, we whittled down my wardrobe and she convinced me to broaden my horizon's and go thrift shopping.

Our first stop was at the Jewish Women's Council Thrift store. Amongst other things, we bought a skirt that ended up becoming a double blogger post. (See Tanya's blog and post about it here).

So needless to say, I was heartily turned on to the fine art of thrift shopping! And here's the first number I bought all by myself last year, the day after "T" and I had our first vintage expedition! Amazingly, this gorgeous silk sheath still had the original tags on it!

Since it's a bit sheer, I scoured the flea markets for a matching tone slip, which I paired underneath it for a peek-a-boo hem and a little more bust coverage.

To add some bling to this ultra feminine look, we threw on this awesome necklace Tanya culled from last month's clothing swap.

And of course, no vintage dress is complete without a vintage clutch!

Nude toned, BCBG heels completed the look. I'm all about the nude heel to lengthen the thigh.

I'm so proud of my first thrifting accomplishment. It just took a little patience and trust to figure out that I could shop like a champ without spending like a chump!

Thanks "T"!

Happy Hunting Loves!!

Love,

Noa B and Tanya D

Dress: Vintage, Kristina

Slip: Vintage, Melrose Flea Market

Necklace: Swap

Clutch: Vintage (from T's closet!)

Heels: BCBG Generation