Perfect Picks - Vintage from Shrimpton Couture and Market Publique

As you may know, I'm a fan of vintage.  Hats, gloves, shoes, jewelry, bags, you name it, I love it. And, if you don't know them already I need to introduce you to two of my favorite vintage online stores.

The first is the classic and classy Shrimpton Couture -

If you need an amazing, fabulous, and probably collectible piece, Cheri is the gal to to go.  She's recently introduced me to Swirl dresses and I plan on getting as many has I can.  Here's two so far - a Parisian scene sweetie and lush roses.

My favorite faux leopard jacket is from Shrimpton as well. It was smashing for a blogger outing in New York last year.

Market Publique is my other vintage fave.  Filled with vendors from all over the web, MP gives you options in every clothing category at prices that are well with in the range for day-to-day pieces. I've even sold a few pieces there myself but I've founds some great gems.

This sweet woven clutch in bright yellow was just what I needed this summer and is in pristine condition.   Market Publique is full of fun pieces like this and the individual stores do an amazing job at giving them fun styling.

Market Publique is also a part of Vintage Coalition which holds a pop-up capsule collection each week around a theme and features vintage clothing from- Everybody's Buying Vintage, Hella Vintage, Hold My Gold, The Kissing Tree Vintage, Market Publique, Lucky Rabbit, Rock Paper Vintage, Sleepwalker LA, Trashy Vinage, Twitch Vintage, Vanda Vintage, Vantage Point Vintage, and Wicked Plum Vintage.

I'm not the greatest at thrift or consignment searching.  I wish I had the skill and the patience.  But I know that these ladies have the right eye and they're a great resource to go to whether its a special event or a unique piece for every day.

Instant Access - 7/4 - 7/10

Last week was a great and short week.  Are those things mutually exclusive?  Probably not.  Must Venn diagram.

An impromptu trip to Asheville for lunch and truffles...

Ladylike nails...

 

Flower feet (a la Kate Spade circa 1998 or 1999?)

I discovered I have quite a collection of chicken jewelry.

We put on a bubble-blowing event for our city.

And whole bunch of new goodies to try out.

Secret project materials!

Movie Night was perfect!

But late nights mean morning snuggles.

Hope your short week was good too!



SD Review - Sinful 24-7 Neon Pink Nail Polish

Just a quick review.  I've been searching and searching for true neon pink polish and this is it - Sinful Color's 24/7

It goes on pretty well, I used two coats, and got the great neon below.

It's definitely bright.  So much so that even my totally white skin looks almost tan.  It's a perfect punch of neon and worth grabbing.

Featured Shoe: Manolo Blahnik Uliepe Yellow

This post is all about the pictures.  I love these pretty Manolo Blahnik Uliepe pumps.  The shape classic, the heel height is perfect for walking around a while and the color is striking - canary yellow.

Mine came from Barneys where they still have a few other colors.  The yellow is still there too, but in limited sizes.

Ensemble du Jour: 7-9-11

I couldn't wait too long to wear the red version of the black & white dress from the other day.  I paired it with an olive embellished cardigan, also from Target, a skinny patent yellow belt and this cool vintage purse.

The purse was from an antiques fair I go to twice a year.  There a few favorite vendors that always have the best stuff.

The purse is strips of wood and opens from the top.  Perfect to take to our group lunch event.

The heels are Manolo Blahnik Uliepes - the perfect pump - and an awesome yellow.  They're so pretty I took a bunch of shots so they'll get a post of their own.

I had to redo my nails so I chose a neutral dark taupe - Zoya's Pasha.  It's a bit conservative for me so I'm not sure it'll stick around for too long.

This was for a group lunch with folks I hadn't met before.  Fun, comfortable but with some interesting color matching.  I hope I don't bore you, because I love these two dresses and they are going to be fun to play with.

Inspiration = Flattery? Paris Hilton and Valentino

I just received an email from an online store and one of the shoes that were being promoted, a Paris Hilton heel, look insanely similar.  Except for materials, the Paris Hilton Senorita d'Orsay heels look just like Valentino's d'Orsay heels.

Can you tell which is which?

Shoe 1:

Shoe 2:

What do you think?  Is this making styles affordable for the mass shopper or leveraging(aka ripping off) the work and design talent of a higher-end brand?

As I've said before, inspiration is fine.  I get that.  But I feel brands and companies at all price-points can put out good and fun designs of their own without blatently copying the hard work of others.  I want cute styles at all levels and price points.  It IS doable!

SPOILER:

Did you guess correctly?

The top shoes are the Paris Hiltons - $94.99 at Heels.com (still not cheap if you ask me and trying to rip off the Louboutin red sole).

The second shoes are the Valentinos - in black at Bergdorf Goodman for $695 or in taupe and red at Nordstroms for $645.

Ensemble du Jour: 7-8-11

In spite of the fact that it's a million degrees out and I'm not happy in/with this image, I'm sharing it because, well... I'm wearing a "mullet" skirt for WendyB.

I had actually fallen in love with a asymmetrical (aka mullet) skirt last fall but missed out on the one I really wanted.  I had called all over to no avail and over the winter put it out of my mind.  But I found this light jersey skirt at Nasty Gal (in two colors!) for only $38 and picked it up.

The fabric is very comfy and floaty.  It is actually perfect for summer as you can wear it with sandals or knee-high boots (not those tragic ones in the photo) or heels and while it's as easy breezy as a maxi skirt or dress, it's more interesting and attention grabbing!

I paired it with my custom Paraphernalia necklace and Camila Skovgaard Chastity Sandals. A strong graphic and sexy heel, especially with an ankle strap, works great with this skirt.  But I'm also planning on wearing it with a jacket and my Ann Demeulemeester triple-lace boots in the Fall.

I think Wendy is planning a round up of more skirts, so I'll link to it here when that happens.  I can't wait to see all the other outfits!

UPDATED:

Here is the Huffington Post feature on "mullet" styles written by Wendy Brandes.