Fashion Friday #6

Spring has sprung in Winnipeg! I was so happy to hang up my knee length parka at the back of the closet last week and air out my spring coats. Could winter really be over already? The birds seem to think so. I haven't bought a new coat in a few years so I decided to look on Etsy for something new and so I present to you:

Five Sweet Spring Jackets
(that also happen to be worn by pretty girls
in front of brick walls)

How's that for theme specific?


The Brandenburg by LittleHouses $115.50
I have a bit of an asymmetrical front jacket fixation (as you will be able to tell from this post) and I think no one does it more charmingly than Little Houses. Her light fall/spring jacket is made to order in sizes S - XL.

Pinktuck Spring Jacket by Cotylee $130.00
Cotylee pairs up her asymmetrical front jacket with 3 chunky buttons and some sweet pintuck detailing. It's made to order in sizes S/M and M/L.

Spring Coat by Sohomode $100.00
This beautiful swing coat by Sohomode is made with a vintage fabric and lined in green satin. It would look great paired up with a wide green belt over a solid coloured dress or wide jeans. It is a one off, one size.

Blame It On The Rain by VeraVague $48.00
Everyone should own a fire engine red rain coat! I adore the patterned lining. Vintage from Vera Vague, size M/L.

Cabin Fever by Wolfcalls $75.00I love the wide waist band and chunky buttons on this shirt jacket from Wolf Calls. It's made from buffalo check flannel and is size small.

Fashion Friday #5

Well well... long time no blog. You might have noticed that I was missing this August from blogger, twitter, etsy, facebook, life, etc etc. I was absent from pretty much everything online and off while I worked on a fantastic wholesale order. As one of my friends said, "It's just like having a real job!"

I took a week off once I finished to enjoy the last bit of summer and now I'm ready to get back to business. I've got lots of new stuff planned for Oh So Retro this autumn/winter but that's for another post... Right now I want to share with you:

Six Stunning Handmade Jackets

Just in time for the cooler weather I thought I'd check out the jackets on Etsy and I wasn't disapointed. These 6 are the ones I would most like to have in my closet, next to my black trench coat.

The Botany Coat by brightpirate $80.00
This great damask print jacket is an altered vintage piece in my absolute favourite colour. The short sleeves would look great paired with a skinny chocolate brown turtle neck.


Olive Coat by Little Houses $210.00
I admit I've been smitten with this coat for some time now. The high collar, offset buttons and slight puffed sleeves make it unique yet still classic. Any girl would look darling in this one.


Blanchett Raglan Coat in Vintage Dot by DeNovoStyle $338.00
It's impossible to pick just one jacket from DeNovoStyle, their shop is filled with classic styles and fabrics. This one is my favourite, with the soft colors of the vintage polka dot wool and the big brass buttons. It's the perfect length to wear with your fall and winter skirts.


Little Red Riding Hood by encouragementaward $150.00
Who doesn't love a peacoat? This one is extra sweet in red with it's clean lines, front pockets and 6 big buttons. The best part? The hood is lined with black and white polka dot fabric.


Hooded Swing Jacket by staciemay $231.00
This is a beautiful jacket with a flattering pleated A line shape, big off center buttons and a charming hood. Available in three fabrics, my favourite is the black Vera Wang fabric with ivory starbursts.


Flared Jacket by lunatepetal $185.00
I won't lie, I actually "squeed" outloud when I saw this listing. It's a modern take on the classic grey peacoat with a gathered empire waist and pleated 3/4 length sleeves. The hood is cute too!

Fashion Friday #4

So I lied! Last week I said I was going to put together a list of end-of-summer Sale items but then I saw "Let's Dance" by Mnemosyn on the front page during the week and I knew I had to do a feature on the amazing handmade skirts on Etsy.

The skirt wearing season in Winnipeg is very short so I try to wear one as often as possible. Usually I wear a long wrap or patchwork skirt around the house and when I go out I love to wear knee length aline skirts with bright patterns, lots of flowers and lots of yellow. I have a very favourite bubble skirt in simple grey that I wear often too. You can see some of them on Flickr in my product shots.

Here's some of my favs off Etsy, all handmade, that I would love to add to my collection one day:

Seven Stunning Handmade Skirts:


Let's Dance by mnemosynedesigns $152.00
The skirt that inspired this entry. Beautiful hemp fabric, fully lined, pin tuck detailing. Size 6.

Less Is More in beige by idea2lifestyle $40.00
This gorgeous and simple cotton linen skirt is made to order in your size and is available in several different colour schemes. At $40 it's a steal and is at the top of my must-own list.

Full and Flowered by littleocean $39.00
This one of a kind vintage inspired skirt has a playful contrast waistband and can be worn high or low. 30" waist.

I'll Try Not To Forget You by zacobe $148.00
Super full party skirt made from pretty sateen fabric. Made to order in your size.

Liquid Blues Aqua Patch by randompatch $35.00
No matter what your style is every girl should have at least one patchwork skirt in their closet. You can't help feel beautiful and feminine when you're wearing one. This one is sweet and simple with an elastic waist to fit 28" - 44".

Picnic Skirt by favoritestyle $38.00
This is an adorable wrap skirt in large gingham print. One-size-fits-all. Also on my must-own list.

Puffy Plaid Taffeta Skirt by couvert $135.00
This gorgeous bubble skirt done in plaid taffeta would be perfect for winter wearing, paired up with leotard tights and knee high riding boots. I love the bow placed on the hips and the texture that the plaid pleats create. Truly a piece de resistance!

Fashion Friday #3

I've developed a strange fascination this season with rainbow sandals. It started innocently enough while hunting for a simple two strap flat, you know the kind from the 80s with the little buckles and padded insole. Since I'm a size 10 my vintage shoe options are extremely limited but I found the perfect pair on eBay, in perfect shape, in perfect primary colours and best of all, in my size. They were the kind of shoes you dream about and think that somehow owning them will make your life more fun. And they probably would have, if I hadn't been outbid at the last second. Now I search the internet for a second pair and think about the summer in rainbow sandals that could have been...

6 Pairs of Amazing Rainbow Sandals

Vintage Multi Color Ankle Strap Knotted Sandals from VintageShenanigans $20.00
These are the same shoes but in size 7. I'd consider chopping off my toes to wear them. This pair is in gorgeous condition too.


80s Rainbow Sandals from DewBerryVintage $16.00
These are quite possibly the sexiest rainbow shoes ever made, and at $16.00 I would actually chop off my toes to wear them. Size 7.


1960s Sandals Kitten Heel Shoes from SmallEarthVintage $28.00
Not quite rainbow, this color scheme reminds me of plastic patio lanterns shaped like owls. They are a size 10 and "vintage deadstock" which are two of my favourite words put together.


70s CORK WEDGE rainbow stripe SANDALS from 28Crash $42.00
There are no shoes more comfortable than cork wedges and they look hot too. This pair is in amazing condition. Size 6.


1970s COBBIES Cork Wedge Leather Sandal from Nuttinover20Vintage $17.00
I love Cobbies & this is a great pair although I wonder if they realized they used the Mercedes Benz logo on the heel? Size 8.5. Nuttinover20Vintage's shop has tons of really fun stuff and, like the name, nothing is over $20. Sweet.


70s Rainbow Woven Platform Wedge Sandals from OrnamentVintage $10.00
These adorable rainbow striped platform wedges are from Sears and in immaculate shape. Size 6.


Next week I'm going to put together an end-of-summer-sale list featuring some sweet homemade and vintage items!

Fashion Friday #2

How is it Friday again already? I'm sorry for not blogging this week, or tweeting very much either. I've been very busy getting the apartment ready for Randy to move in! This involved a lot of emptying closets, sorting junk, making piles (to keep, to donate) and then shoving everything back into the closets, only in neater piles. Will it keep? Lets hope so. Today Randy moves in and my workload doubles, as we attempt to share 500 square feet of basement apartment with no dishwasher! Wish us luck.

But more of that later - today I want to celebrate fashion because it's Friday and what better way to start the day than by shopping for summer clothes. This week I'm sharing some handmade sun hats to go with the vintage sun dresses from last week. A great dress is only made better with a great hat. (and great sandals, but that's next week!)

5 Fabulous Floppy Handmade Hats

Cape Hatter in indigo cotton denim by terrygraziano $120.00
Terry Graziano makes hats; really cool, multifunctional, vintage inspired hats. Her designs are very hip without being silly, her fabrics are beautiful and her whole shop is very aesthetically pleasing. This is Hat Art.


Gidget by Chiahats $48.00
Anyone who knows me knows that I love vintage floral fabric so it should be no surprise that I LOVE this hat. The bold yellow flowers are adorable and the button flap is a nice touch too. Chiahats has several of these hats in different fabrics.


Vintage Hanky Flower Hat by softshelterhats $75
This girlie hat was made with vintage floral handkerchiefs and buttons and is adorned with an oversized rose. I love the soft shape and colours of this hat. As a bonus, softshelterhats donates 10% from every sale to animal shelter programs in their community. Mr Boots approves.


Carmen by HatsbyDenise $50
This is quite possibly the cutest sun hat on Etsy. I love the bright colours and sweet floral pattern with the contrasting twill tape. This would be a great beach hat. Denise has many classic designs in her shop, it was hard to pick just one!


Retro Fabric Hat by pinksequin $45
Not quite a floppy hat, this wide brimmed hat will still keep the sun out of your eyes in style. I love the vintage fabric, especially that shade of green, and hand drawn flowers get me every time. Check out Pink Sequins shop for more of her sweet vintage style.

Fashion Friday #1

Hooray it's July! I hope you're having as nice weather as we're having this summer. It's been warm and sunny almost every day which means one thing... sundresses! I love to look through the vintage section on Etsy for well priced and super cute dresses but since I'm officially on a spending hiatus I thought I'd share some finds with you this morning.

7 Sweet Sundresses Under $30

Red Polka Dot Dress from TheOwlsGo $18


Secret Garden Maxi Dress from roseredwinter $28


Kauai Orchid Halter Dress from mimisgamine $23


Tie Strap Tied Dress from LittleGirlVintage $18


Yellow Floral Sundress from QsDaydream $25


80's Lanz Sundress from wearitoutvintage $28


Red Floral Day Dress by labellevintage $17

Feel free to share your favourite vintage dresses in the comments, I'd love to see them! I have a lot more saved for a future post.