A few weeks ago, I had someone DM me saying they loved my style, but felt they couldn’t pull off a vintage look themselves. I always hate when I hear someone say they can’t pull off wearing something. I definitely believe in dressing for your body type or style, but I also believe that if you like something, you should just wear it. I definitely used to hold myself back from dressing more vintage in the past because I felt like people would judge me or make fun of me. So I wanted to share some tips for how to pull off a vintage look incase anyone else needed some encouragement to try out this type of style for themselves. 
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make it modern:
I think the easiest way to feel more comfortable dressing vintage is to modernize your look. If you’re wearing an actual vintage item, some simple alterations like removing shoulder pads, raising hemlines or shortening a sleeve can make a vintage piece more modern. Vintage reproductions, like the dress I’m wearing here, automatically look more modern. For instance, while this is clearly a 50’s inspired silhouette, in reality, its much shorter than an actual 1950’s dress would be (it would be calf length, rather than knee length). Accessories can also help modernize a vintage piece. For example, I thought the polka dot socks added a quirky touch here. 


find the right decade:
I think finding the decade that suits your body type the best is key. For example, I do not look good in drop waist dresses, which is one reason I don’t gravitate towards 1920’s pieces. Since I have some curves, I think 1950’s definitely looks best on my body. However, I still wear 60’s dresses too, even though some of them are definitely better suited for someone who is flat chested. 


have confidence: 
At the end of the day, the best way to pull off vintage, or any style for that matter, is to just be confident and have fun with it!


If you’d like to shop my dress, you can find it here:
https://www.dollyanddotty.co.uk/may-v-neck-50-s-style-spot-dress-in-black-white


Dress:
c/o: Dolly & Dotty
Headband: Lysande; Bangle: Retro Luxe Resin; Socks: Hansel from Basel; Shoes: Eastland Shoes
Location: Regina’s Grocery (Lower East Side, New York City)

As you may or may not know, I grew up in South NJ, about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Both of my parents were born and raised there, most of my extended family lives there and I went to college there, so safe to say I spend a fair amount of time in the city of brotherly love. To be honest, I don’t vintage shop there much, since when I am there, it’s usually to visit family, and most of my family members don’t share the same love of vintage as I do. But since I was in Philly with one of my vintage loving friends a few weekends ago, we made the trip to South Philadelphia, my favorite area to vintage shop. Here are a list of the stores we went to. 


We started the morning by having breakfast at the Famous Fourth Street Deli. It’s an old school Jewish deli with a retro interior and great food. I highly recommend it!

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Tucker’s Digs
611 S 4th Street
Open 11am-7pm daily

Come Here For:
A few clothing items, but mostly home decor and furniture 

This place was definitely the most "expensive" we went to, but the prices were still extremely reasonable and they had a lot of amazing pieces!

Retrospect Vintage
​508 South Street
Open 11am-9pm daily 

Come Here For:
•Women’s Clothes & Shoes
•Men’s Clothes & Shoes 
•Home Decor 
•Records, Books, Magazines  

This was definitely my favorite stop of the day! They had an amazing selection for really great prices. I scored a hankie and Elvis magazine for only $4 total. 

Philly AIDS Thrift
710 S 5th Street

Open:
11am-8pm Monday through Thursday 
​11am-9pm Friday & Saturday
11am-7pm Sunday

Come Here For:
Literally everything- clothes, furniture, home decor, records, etc

I didn't take photos aside from the outside because this store is HUGE. Since it's a thrift store, it's obviously not as well curated, but you can definitely score some good finds if you dig around. And proceeds go to benefit local AIDS organizations. 

Sazz Vintage 
​618 S 6th Street
Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
Open 12-7pm Wednesday & Thursday 
Open 12-8pm Friday & Saturday 


Come Here For: 
•Men’s Clothes, Shoes & Accessories 
•Women’s Clothes, Shoes & Accessories

Great selection for both men's and women's here. A little more on the "pricey" side but still very affordable overall!

You probably wouldn’t guess it looking at me (because I am so pale), but I am a total summer girl. I love beach days, warm summer nights, rooftop drinks, ice cream, you name it. Sometimes I still feel like a kid because I feel sad when the summer starts coming to a close, even though I’m not heading back to school anymore. When I was little, although I didn’t want summer to end, I did look forward to fall for back to school shopping. And even now as an adult, I still get excited to wear my new fall clothes. But with global warming, or whatever it is, it feels like we don’t even have fall weather anymore. However, I still like to dress seasonably appropriate, while still dressing appropriate for the weather. I thought this Smak Parlour dress was the perfect example of how to start incorporating fall styles while still dealing with summer temperatures. Here are some of my tips…


P.S. if you’d like to shop my dress you can find it here:

https://www.smakparlour.com/collections/new-arrivals/products/for-keeps-dress-in-black-white-grey-gingham


be selective when wearing fall colors, fabrics or silhouettes:
This dress is the perfect transitional dress because while the fabric feels like fall, because of the colors, pattern and texture, the cut is still appropriate to wear during summer since it is sleeveless. In a few weeks it will be Fashion Week here in NYC, and I always hate seeing girls dressed for full out fall in the sweltering heat. I know we’re all excited about fall clothes, but I personally just think it looks ridiculous to be layered up in leather jackets and knee high boots when its still 90 degrees outside. I prefer to start adding pieces that have a fall feel to them, whether thats the color, fabric or silhouette, but don’t go crazy. 


wear closed toe shoes:
Switching out your sandals for a toe closed shoe immediately takes your outfit from summer to fall. 


step up your accessories game:
​I don’t know about you, but during the summer I definitely don’t wear as many accessories as I do during the rest of the year. I feel like they just make me feel sweaty and weigh me down, so adding accessories can easily take an outfit from summer to fall. I am in no way ready to start wearing tights, but I think these polka dot ankle socks elevate this look and make it feel more fall. I also added my watch, gold jewelry and velvet bow to my hair. I also carried a structured faux leather handbag (not pictured here). 


Dress: c/o Smak Parlour 
Bow: Claire’s; Earrings: Brightside Boutique; Necklace: In God We Trust; Watch: MVMT; Socks: Hansel from Basel; Shoes: Eastland Shoes
Location: Empire Diner (Chelsea, New York City)

Stopping by with a quick blog post to share some photos I shot for Fat Boy Ice Cream a couple weeks ago. The last few summers when I've gone to Florida with my family, my mom always buys Fat Boy Ice Cream sandwhiches for the house, so eating them always remind me of summer and vacation. I can't believe it is almost halfway through August already. Although I am over the humidity, I am not ready for the summer to end...

Dress: Dolly & Dotty; Headband: Lysande; Bangles: Retro Luxe Resin; Saddle Shoes: Eastland Shoes
​Location: Hoboken, NJ