If you've been following along with my Instagram stories for the last few months, by now you probably know I'm the queen of turning vintage maxis dresses into minis. When I'm thrift or vintage shopping, I often find a lot of dresses from the late sixties with amazing prints, but are ankle length, which is just not my style at all. Since I can't pull of the prairie dress look, but can't pass up the print, I end up chopping several inches (sometimes up to 16") off the bottom and turn it into a mini dress. 

Lexi from Lexi Goes Thrifting, who is one of my Instagram pals, reached out to me and said she'd love to send me a dress to deconstruct. Lexi is a vintage seller and blogger. You can check out her blog and Etsy shop here:
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/lgtvintage 

Blog: http://lexigoesthrifting.com/blog-2/

Instead of just chopping off the bottom as usual, I knew I wanted to make something out of the excess fabric, so I decided to go with a wire headband. I put up a step by step DIY on my Instagram stories, and will keep it in my story highlights if you're interested in trying this sewing tutorial for yourself!

Dress: c/o Lexi Goes Thrifting 
http://lexigoesthrifting.com/

Ring: FlowerMoon by Kittoune; Tights: Target; Shoes: LF/Life
Location: Hoboken, NJ

I studied fashion in college, where we learned about color, symmetry, proportion and other design elements that make a garment "successful". It sounds silly, but I apply the same things I learned about designing a piece of clothing to my Instagram feed. For me, color in particular is one of the most important aspects of creating great imagery and curating an aesthetically pleasing feed. Many people think using the same filter is all it takes for a consistent feed, but it's important you shoot the right colors in the right locations as well. Below are some tips for a consistent feed and photos that pop. 

•utilize complimentary colors:
I am big on utilizing complimentary colors in my photos, which are colors that are opposite on the color wheel. If you need a refresher, the complimentary color combinations are as follows: red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple. I feel a lot of bloggers go the monotone route when taking photos. For example, if they're wearing a primarily pink outfit, they'll place themselves in front of a pink location. I personally prefer to find a location that is opposite of my outfit. These photos are a perfect example, since I'm wearing an orange sweater in front of a blue wall. The neon orange sign in the background perfectly ties the whole photo together since it coordinates with the sweater as well.


PS if you'd like to shop my sweater, you can find it here:
https://joanieclothing.com/product/gertie-guten-tag-slogan-jumper/ 

•stick to one color palette for your feed:
My Instagram feed is mostly primary colors (red, yellow, blue). I also have neutral colors, like brown and black, in there as well, to tone it down and add to the vintage feel. In general, I make sure whatever photos I'm posting fall into this color palette. 


•stick to the same color tones:
In addition to utilizing the same colors, stick to the same tones of those colors. For example, I usually have a lot of red pops in my feed. However, there are so many shades of red, from bright cherry red to burgundy. Some reds are cool with a blue undertone, others are warmer with a more orange undertone. I personally usually aim for a more red-orange in my feed.


•balance out photos:
If you do find yourself wanting to post a photo of something that is a color outside of your usual palette, find a way to balance out the photo. For example, in my last blog post, I was wearing a pink dress, but I hardly ever have pink in my feed. However, I think the photos still worked overall because of the background colors, there was a good amount of brown and blue, two prominent colors in my palette. 


•ignore the rule of 3:
I know a lot of bloggers follow "the rule of three", when they post three photos of the same color in a row, or strategically place the same color photos so they make a diagonal or a triangle. I don't follow this rule, because it's too time consuming and honestly will just drive you crazy trying to get everything so precise. It's nice when my photos happen to align that way, but in general I just make sure my photos have the same feel and flow nicely into one another.


•use the same filter:
Using the same filter every time you edit really helps to give your photos a consistent feel. I'm thinking of doing a tutorial on how I edit my photos, as I get a lot of questions about what apps I use and how to get the vintage effect, so stay tuned for that if you're interested!


Sweater: c/o Joanie Clothing 
https://joanieclothing.com/ ​

Skirt: May 68; Collared Shirt: Forever 21; Bow: Claire's; Shoes: LF/Life
Location: Joe's Steaks (Fishtown, Philadelphia)

I couldn't think of a more perfect place to wear this Voodoo Vixen diner print dress than to The Arcade Restaurant in Memphis. The Arcade is not your average old school diner. It is actually Memphis' oldest eatery, and considered a historic landmark. It first opened in 1919, but was renovated in the 1950's. Not much has changed since then, so The Arcade has a very authentic retro vibe. Elvis used to be a regular here, and he even has his own booth dedicated to him. Sadly, the booth was occupied when Desirae and I arrived, but we still very much enjoyed dining here. Desirae and I both coordinated our fifties inspired outfits to match the pink and blue interior of the restaurant.

If you're interested in shopping my dress, you can find it here: 
https://www.voodoovixen.co.uk/leona.html

Dress: c/o Voodoo Vixen
Tights: Express; Shoes: Steve Madden; Bracelet: J. Crew
Location: The Arcade Restaurant (Memphis, Tennessee)

While in Memphis, Desirae and I were lucky enough to stay at the beautiful and historic Peabody Hotel. Everything from the lobby to the rooms are gorgeous. Aside from being aesthetically pleasing, the hotel is iconic in Memphis for several reasons. 

Elvis visited the hotel multiple times, most notably to attend his prom in the hotel ballroom in 1953. He allegedly was too shy to dance, and spent the evening sitting at a table and drinking Cokes with his date (which honestly still sounds like a dream night to me). He returned to the Peabody in 1955 where he signed his record deal with RCA. The hotel also has a store in the lobby called Lansky Bros, where Elvis used to shop. He befriended the owner, Bernard, in 1952, before he rose to celebrity status, or even had any money to shop there. But as he became famous, he continued to support this local Memphis store and bought much of his wardrobe here. Bernard, dressed Elvis for his first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and is responsible for starting the menswear trend of wearing black and pink together, which became an iconic color combination of the 1950's. 

The hotel is also home to the famous Peabody Ducks. The ducks first came about in 1933 when the hotel manager placed ducks in the lobby fountain as a joke. Now the duck march happens daily. The ducks come down in the elevator from the penthouse at 11am and march into the fountain, where they stay until 5pm, then they march out of the fountain and back into the elevator and back up to the penthouse for the night. We spoke to the Duck Master, and he told us they keep the ducks for 3 months at the Peabody, then they release them back into the wild.

They take their ducks very seriously at the Peabody, and there is duck themed decor everywhere. Everything from the soap in the bathroom, to duck design tile on the elevator floors. They even had duck shaped deserts, including a white chocolate duck they were nice enough to send up to the room for us one night.

Overall, The Peabody is a gorgeous hotel, which I would definitely recommend! I know I would love to stay here again if I am ever back in Memphis.

Thank you to The Peabody for comping our room for our two night stay!

If you'd like to learn more about The Peabody, you can check out their website here:
http://www.peabodymemphis.com/ 
​
Top: Madewell; Skirt: Forever 21; Shoes: Franco Sarto; Bow: Claire's
Location: The Peabody Hotel (Memphis, TN)