• Headband with vintage millinery flower, electric blue lace and maroon accents by Louise Black
• 1950s style electric blue lace dress – Buffalo Exchange
• Black stretchy belt – American Apparel
• Alice in Wonderland brooch – gift from my sister when she was in England
• Locket – my 6th birthday present from my grandfather Burch
• Maroon flats – Target

Before I get to work, I need to arrange the wall of Ugly Dolls! I realize that I always take outfit photos outside of the toy store, but I hardly ever show the inside. It’s very colorful and hard to focus on just one background. I like this dress, as I feel it strikes a balance between my vintage style and the colorful background in which I work. We have a selection of vintage photographs, including my boyfriend Clark Gable and a charming poster for Waring’s Pennsylvanians.

We didn’t have an American flag or a Texas flag at my work, but we oddly enough, had an Arkansas flag for me to carry for the holiday. Hooray for the Natural State!
My lucky blouse, given to me by my aunt when I was 15. She bought it in 1986.
Is that vintage yet? I feel weird saying that. Here’s some more photos of me wearing it through the years.

• Navy 1950s tilt hat – flea market in Arkansas
• Kissing Swans necklace – From a trip to New Mexico when I was 17 (I think?)
• 1930s wrap dress with polka dots – Belonged to the radiant Robyn at one time, I’ve had it for a few years now. I always wear it on patriotic holidays.
• Navy knee socks
• Red strappy shoes with a wooden sole

Dear readers, I realize that it’s been quite some time since my last outfit post (nearly two months! notice how the plants behind me have wilted in the July heat!) and I do apologize. My summer school session is over, and I’m back to making ice cream, dressing up, and not waking up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 am to commute to school. Today I’m missing the Vegan Hot Dog eating contest, but I’m hoping to sneak on to some rooftops to spy the fireworks over Town Lake in downtown Austin. July 4th is my least favorite holiday, because of the simple equation of Cheap Explosives + Beer + Clumsy Boys = Me Terrified. I’m content to watch professional fireworks from a distance, thanks!

Have fun, everyone!

• Necklace, two birds and a heart – New Orleans, 2003
• Hand holding boquet brooch – Magpie, PDX
• Navy Dress, Trashy Diva, by way of Buffalo Exchange, ATX
• Avocado Green shoes – Remix Vintage Shoes

This is a very New Orleans outfit. I got this necklace on my first trip there in 2003 when I visited to photograph graveyards and drink gin and tonics at Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop in the evenings. When I’m in New Orleans, I always stop by Trashy Diva to see what kind of pretties are there that season. This dress originally had halter straps, but I began sewing it last night and I like the straps sewn strait to the back as it is now.

This is a very ticklish alligator that just arrived at work. He was born in China (although his sisters are indigenous to Louisiana) and he likes to swing and swat his tail. Bellewether and I walked to a photobooth on our lunch break with the alligator, but the machine was malfunctioning.
We took him on a walk through our grocery store and people petted him and asked about him as if he were a puppy. I don’t’ know why more grown-ups don’t carry large friends around – I made a lot of friends at the ice cream store because kids wanted to pet him.

• red ribbon as headband
• red vintage slip
• blue (dyed) slip
• red stretchy belt
• flower clips from h&m
• seamed stockings
• black maryjanes

There’s a fine line between two slips=a dress and two slips=wearing lingerie out of the house.
I’m still not totally convinced that this is a good outfit… maybe the slip would have to be less of a lipstick red for me to believe it.
This outfit is inspired by:
Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage when she’s strung out and sick.
Courtney Love circa 1994 – lots of lace, red lipstick and mary jane shoes.

• Red corduroy bow – snipped off one of my Hello Kitty plush dolls and affixed to a pincurl clip
• Red Scarf – Thrifted in Lawerence, KS
• Red leather gloves – estate sale, Eugene, OR
• Black jacket with Red/Yellow/Blue flecked Tweed Details – Buffalo Exchange, ATX
• 1930s dress with Primary color daisy details – Buffalo Exchange, ATX
• Red knee high socks – URBN
• Black Patent Shoes – Target

It was actually raining really hard when I took this photo!
Like I’ve said before… I LOVE MATCHY MATCHY!
Just the small bits of primary colored tweed that compliment the dress make this outfit very successful in my eyes
Here are my little bows! I scalped my Hello Kitty plush and now she looks SO much like Dear Daniel with no bow!

I stitched one single pronged pin curl clip to the back of each bow, so I can slip it on when I feel like channeling Hello Kitty.

Last night I went out dancing and couldn’t be bothered to dress up too fancy today.

• Yellow ribbon as headband
• Cherry Red nailpolish
• 1950s picnic yellow/blue/teal plaid dress – bought from Roxanne several years ago
• Yellow peeptoe heels – Buffalo Exchange

When in doubt, monochrome!

• Silver earrings with ladies’ hands
• Headband from Louise Black with vintage flowers and lace
• Vintage navy dress – thrifted (& repaired many times!)
• Bow belt to some old gold dress long lost
• Blue American Apparel socks
• White Tstraps
• Odile (Can Can Cat Blythe) wears a bunny outfit from Devout Dolls

I’m in the shadows waiting for the bus so I can go to Thai Fresh with Miss Allison.

• Red Bandana – had it forever!
• Red sunglasses – H&M, San Francisco
• 1930s wrap dress with scallop border – from Robin via Ebay
• Red strappy sandals with wooden bases

Today I sculpted a fingerwave and decorated it with flowers.

• White Chrysanthemums in my hair
• Teal patina Art Nouveaux-ish earrings
• I’m Vegan & I Love You!& shirt/dress from herbivore clothing in PDX
• 1950s brown pencil skirt
• Brown socks with ruffle stripes on top
• Nonleather white t-strap shoes