I was lucky enough to have not one but two new bathing suits for my Palm Springs trip. This one was sent to me from Happy Socks. They just launched their swimwear line this season and they're so cute! They have a few different novelty prints all in this same style body. This bathing suit is a little more bare on the bottom compared to the Red Dolly suit I wore in my previous post. It is definitely more of a modern cut and comes up higher on the hip and exposes more of your behind, but I felt secure up top and over all comfortable wearing this suit. I recommend choosing your size off of the recommended height on the size chart, I'm wearing a medium for reference. 

If you'd like to shop this suit, you can find it here:
https://www.happysocks.com/us/watermelon-swimsuit-1.html 

Bathing Suit: c/o Happy Socks
Sunglasses: East Village Vintage Collective; Headband: American Apparel 
Location: The Monkey Tree Hotel (Palm Springs, CA)

After a dreary NYC winter, I was excited to enjoy some sunshine by the pool in California. I was even more excited when Red Dolly Swimwear sent over this midcentury modern one piece because the print was absolutely perfect for Palm Springs. I wrote about Red Dolly last summer, and I have to reiterate how much I love their swimsuits. I am top heavy, so I used to always feel self concious in a bathing suit. Even their two pieces have amazing coverage, so I never feel uncomfortable at the pool or beach when wearing one of their suits. The quality is amazing too, I highly recommend investing in one if you're looking for a new swimsuit this summer.

If you'd like to shop it, you can find it here:
https://www.reddollyswimwear.com/shop/pre-order-womens-mid-century-modern-boomerang-print-one-piece?category=Women%27s+Swimsuits

Bathing suit: c/o Red Dolly Swimwear
Sunglasses: Beacons Closet 
​Location: The Monkey Tree Hotel (Palm Springs, CA)  

We've moved the clocks forward and the weather is supposed to be in the 50's this week here in New York, which means one thing...I've officially caught spring fever. Although I'm ready to break out the sundresses and go tights-free, we're not quite there yet. 

This might not surprise you considering I do most of my shopping at second hand stores, but I'm really cheap when it comes to buying clothes. There are sometimes exceptions, but in general, I usually don't spend more than $40 on an individual item. I blame this on working retail at J.Crew and getting such a big discount, it made me not want to pay full price for anything, ever. With all the end of the season sales going on right now, its tempting to make discounted purchases, but I'm not a fan of buying something that I have to save until next year to wear. 

One of my favorite vintage inspired brands, May 68, recently sent me some pieces from their fall/winter collection. May 68 is a 60’s inspired brand that is designed and manufactured in LA. They seriously create the grooviest pieces and everything is amazing quality. I love the fact that their clothes are ethically made and the quality is still exceptional (because the two aren’t always mutually exclusive). They sent me this plaid skirt and detachable collar I am wearing in these photos, as well as another dress I will share soon. Although this plaid skirt definitely feels fall, I styled it with a bit of spring in mind. I thought I would share some tips as well for how to style your off season purchases so you can get some wear out of them now.

•legwear makes all the difference 
Styling this skirt with black tights would have been a no brainer, but it would have definitely felt heavy and dark, so I opted for white knee high socks instead. Since it was cold (only a high of low 40's) when I shot this look, I decided to add tan pantyhose underneath the socks for an extra layer of warmth. The same rule can be applied for wearing spring/summer stuff in the fall. Adding tights to a floral dress can easily make a summery dress feel more fall appropriate.

•pass on anything that's too holiday 
There are certain things I don't consider worth buying this late in the season. Anything that scream holiday, like fur, sequins and velvet, I wouldn't buy at this point (unless it's a classic silhouette you know you'll wear next year).

•add accessories 
Adding the right accessories can also make a difference. I thought this daisy bag would add to the sixties spring vibes I was going for. 

If you’d like to shop my skirt, you can find it here:
https://www.may-68.com/collections/sale/products/nancy-skirt 

If you’d like to shop the rest of the sale, click here:
https://www.may-68.com/collections/sale  

Happy Shopping!

Skirt & Collar: C/O May 68
Sweater: Century 21; Loafers: Eastland Shoe; Bag: Dandy Boutique; Bow; Claires
Location: Casa Magazines (West Village, Manhattan)

You might not know it from looking at my beehive or bun, but I have extremely thin hair. I usually avoid wearing ponytails because of this, so I was excited to try the Pony Puffin from Puffin Beauty. It gives your hair a little life to make your ponytail appear fuller. Here is a step by step guide of how to use it. You can find it on Amazon or their website if you're interested in trying it out for yourself. It comes in hot pink, brown and clear. I've listed the direct links below. 

Shop it on Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Ponytail-Enhancer-Volumizer-Original-Germany/dp/B079SDCB6V 

Shop it on the Pony Puffin website here:
https://puffinbeauty.com/de/produkt-kategorie/styling-tools/
​
Dress: Dolly & Dotty; Saddle Shoes: Eastland Shoe (bought from DSW)
Location: The Pop Shop (Collingswood, NJ) 
​

I happened to get this adorable orange dress from my friend Emily's vintage shop the week of Halloween. I'm not sure if it was just because Halloween was on everyone's mind at the time, but as I was trying it on, everyone around me kept saying it'd be perfect for Halloween and calling it a "pumpkin dress". Yes, it definitely was seasonally appropriate to wear that week, but that hadn't even dawned on me to wear it on Halloween. Orange (specifically red-orange) is one of my favorite colors, so I decided to share a few tips for rocking orange all year round and not look like you're dressed for Halloween.

wear as little black as possible: 
Black and orange together is inevitably what makes orange a Halloween color. I only have a tiny bit of black in my look here (pretty much just in my saddle shoes). I opted for grey tights instead of my usual black and decided against solid black shoes as well.

choose other neutrals:
Since black is out of the question, you have to turn to other neutral colors. I absolutely love navy blue with orange. Grey, like the tights I'm wearing here, or chocolate brown also work well with orange too. 

add just a pop of another color:
Adding TOO much color could look a little clownish, especially since this dress I'm wearing here is so bold. I love baby blue together with orange, so I thought this bracelet would make for a fun little pop. Another color I love together with orange is hot pink!

Basically when it comes down to it, opt for other neutrals to avoid black and orange together and you can rock orange all year round!

Dress: Vintage c/o Lulaverse 
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lulaverse
Tights: Target; Shoes: Eastland Shoes; Bracelet: J. Crew
Location: Schnackenberg's (Hoboken, NJ)

You may have heard me mention this before, but I don't wear pants. I only own 3 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of "pixie pants" (which are basically glorified leggings from J.Crew) and a pair of faux denim polka dotted jeans. It's a rare occasion I actually wear any of these because I just don't feel comfortable or like myself when I wear pants. People often ask me how I survive the NYC winters wearing skirts and dresses everyday. I've even had a guy yell at me to "put some clothes on" because I was wearing a skirt on a day it was snowing, but little did he know I was actually plenty warm. Here are some tips for keeping warm while still looking stylish. 

start with your core:
I almost always wear a cami top underneath any dress or top during the winter months. I tuck the cami into my tights, so there's no bare skin anywhere exposed. I feel like if your core is covered, it will help keep your entire body warm. 

add a collared top:
I love layering collared shirts under my dresses and sweaters. Not only does this elevate the look and make it more interesting, but it's another layer to keep you warm!

layer tights and socks:
Another trick I do is layer tights with thigh high or knee high socks. Again, having two layers helps keep you warm while also elevating your outfit!

If you'd like to shop these knee high tights, you can find them here: 
https://www.viennemilano.com/luxury-hosiery/knee-highs/green-knee-highs  

find a vintage coat:
My favorite coat, which you've probably seen me wearing on Instagram, is a faux fur, leopard print coat. This coat is from the early 90's and I found it for $35 in Housing Works, a thrift store chain here in NYC. When I bought it, I had no idea how much use I would get out of it. Because it's (technically) vintage, it's super heavy duty and well made, so it keeps me so warm, but it was so inexpensive. Coats today just are not made with the same quality, even if they're expensive. 

don't forget your hat, gloves and scarf: 
Growing up in the suburbs, I rarely wore hats, gloves or scarves during the winter. We drove everywhere, so I was never outside for extended periods of time. Now I don't leave the house without gloves. Walking around outside so much, if I don't wear gloves, I often can't feel my hands. I also don't go anywhere without a hat (usually a beret) or my over the ear headphones to keep my ears covered. 

Dress: c/o Tallulah’s Threads 
if you'd like to also shop my dress, you can find it here:
https://www.tallulahsthreads.com/shop/green-tartan-dress-2/ 
Knee High Tights: c/o Vienne Millano
Polka dot tights: H&M; Shoes: Steve Madden; Bow: Claire's; Purse: Vintage; Locket: Vintage 
​Location: Hoboken, NJ

Happy Halloween! I love dressing up, but store bought costumes are extremely expensive and cheaply made. I'm a big believer in putting together a costume from items you already own, so here are three costume ideas you can make from a black turtleneck and pants. Just change out the accessories and you're a different character!

Last week I received these super cool mood changing sunglasses from Rainbow Optx. I thought the orange pair would pop nicely against this blue dress I thrifted last weekend from L Train Vintage. 

You might have caught the before photos of this dress on my Instagram stories on Saturday. This dress is from the 80's (or possibly the early 90's), complete with shoulder pads and all. I know most vintage enthusiasts turn up their nose at clothes from the 80's, but I really loved the color and print, so I thought I could salvage this dress (especially since it was only $6). It turns out I could, as I was really happy with the end result. To make this dress more modern, I removed the shoulder pads, shortened the sleeve length by about 1-2", and took off 9" from the bottom of the dress. Sometimes all it takes is a few little tweaks to make a vintage dress modern. 

Sunglasses: c/o Rainbow Optx
https://rainbowoptx.com
​Dress: Vintage; Tights: H&M; Shoes: Eastland Shoes; Beret: old; Watch: MVMT
Location: Square Diner (Tribeca, New York)

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. 
​

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)

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)