Luxulite

Sartorial Saturday–Mary Blair Meets Magically Made

Mary Blair March is finally here!

I’ve been working on a way to combine one of my Mary Blair pieces (my clown print Natalie swing dress) with my Magically Made Celestina reversible capelet from Pinup Girl Clothing:

I love how well these two items go together! The reversible yellow side of the capelet is the perfect match for the yellow in the dress.

And this yellow starburst brooch from Luxulite goes great with both pieces!

This whole look just makes me happy!

I’m so excited to find more new ways to wear my favorite Mary Blair prints this month!

Sartorial Saturday–Inspired by the Olympics

I love a themed outfit. And I love the Olympics. So I’ve been thinking about what kind of Olympics-inspired outfit I could put together. At first, I had no ideas. It’s not like I have a skirt with the Olympic Rings on it! But then, I had a moment of inspiration. I have the gorgeous Skeleton Band print skirt from Pinup Girl Clothing. And skeleton is one of my favorite Olympic events to watch, probably because it completely terrifies me. Seriously. People are going 75+ mph on a sled inches off the ground HEADFIRST. On ICE. So my Olympic-themed outfit was born:

We’ll just call this Luxulite UFO brooch a “curling stones” brooch for now:

And “All that glitters is not gold (medals)” when you have Splendette Duchess glitter bangles to complete the look!

Maybe it’s a stretch, but I think this is a fun outfit, Olympics or not!

The Subject of Brooches

I’m not exactly new to wearing brooches. I remember in the fall of 2004, when Bunny was just a few months old, they were quite popular in mainstream fashion. I had a few (very cheap) brooches then, and I loved wearing them on jackets and in multiples.

My brooch taste has gotten a bit more specialized since then, however. I do have two nice brooches made with Swarovski crystals…one that is a replica of a brooch worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and another that was a Christmas gift from Ryan several years ago:

I have quite a few vintage inspired brooches, from several different companies, as well.

Luxulite makes really cool 1940s style brooches that look like the bakelite models that were popular then:

Tangerine Menagerie specializes in handmade plexiglass brooches in a variety of styles:

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The Oblong Box Shop is selling a few styles (some in mirror acrylic) to coordinate with their skirts, made for them by Sparkle Monster:

Deer Arrow has a wide range of brooches in mid-century designs (including a cool Pyrex-inspired one), but my favorite is one they made to coordinate with a Pinup Girl dress I own:

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My favorite brooch company of all is Erstwilder. They have a wide variety of designs…animals, flowers, beauty, and novelty pieces. Their brooches are also available in pretty much every color imaginable, so they coordinate with everything!

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Many of these brands, as well as some others that I haven’t tried yet, are available through Pinup Girl Clothing. I’m always on the lookout for cool new brooch designs. They’re one of my favorite ways to accessorize an outfit!

Blue Elephants

When Pinup Girl first shared a photo of this Mary Blair circus elephants Jenny skirt at the end of the winter, I knew I would have to add it to my wardrobe. My plan was to pair it with the matching pink stripes peasant top, but my size sold out before I could even log into my account! The new blue Harley top is the same color as the elephants, so I figured it would make an acceptable substitute, and honestly, I think I may like it even better than the top I had planned on wearing with the skirt!

I’ve been wanting to order a pink elephants brooch from Luxulite for quite a while now, and I really love the colors in this one:

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And, just to show how different a skirt can look when paired with a top in a different color:

I really love this fun elephant print! I’m still hoping I may get another shot at the striped peasant top in the future, but even if I don’t, I love the way it looks with what I already have!

Space-Age Skirt

Pinup Girl is still my favorite source of vintage reproduction clothes, but I have also recently discovered The Oblong Box Shop, which has some amazing full skirts, like this Moais in Space print…I love that I found a way to combine my love of space with my love of vintage-inspired fashion!

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And as long as I was already wearing a space-age skirt, I figured I might as well add a flying saucer brooch from Luxulite:

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The Oblong Box Shop currently has a men’s bowling-style shirt that coordinates with the Moais in Space skirt, and I’m hoping to get it for Ryan at some point. I’d also love to get the beautiful Mid-Century House print skirt, which also has a subtle Moai touch!

Pinup Girl

OK, so I’m totally not claiming to be a pinup girl myself, but I do love shopping with Pinup Girl Clothing, and that’s what this is really about…their amazing, well-designed, well-made, made in the USA clothes, which are available in a large range of sizes, so every woman can dress with a cool, retro vibe!

My love affair with Pinup started last year, with the purchase of a petticoat, because I had a skirt that needed a little extra oomph. I was nervous about buying a petticoat, because it was my first real jump into retro fashion, but I love it, and I really love the way it makes my skirts look!

My favorite thing I’ve purchased from them is the gathered Jenny skirt…but, of course, one wouldn’t do…not when they have so many amazing prints! So, I have four Jenny skirts, in different patterns (including one highly-prized Mary Blair train print), that I wear with regularity, because they’re so amazing.

I have to admit, Pinup shirts and I don’t seem to get along. I’ve tried two different styles, in different sizes, and I’m just not comfortable in them. They were both beautiful shirts, however, and well made, so that’s more my issue than theirs. Because of the difficulty I had with Pinup shirts, I was reluctant to try one of their dresses…and then I saw the Amanda dress in red, white, and blue. Something that special was worth taking a chance on, and I’m glad I did! The fit is still not quite right, but I can get it taken in if I decide to.

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I’ve even branched out, and tried an awesome, space-themed skirt from the Oblong Box Shop! I’ll admit, the fact that it’s a polyester skirt scared me a little…one of the things I like best about Pinup Girl is that everything I’ve purchased from them so far has been made of cotton…but the print is so quirky and vibrant, I don’t even mind the material!

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I also have a pair of Crescent and Aurora SparkleLux lucite earrings from Pinup Girl, the Starlite necklace and earring set, which is available from Pinup in a gorgeous retro pink color, but I went straight to the source (MeteorJewelry), so I could get it in blue instead, an Eiffel Tower brooch from Tangerine Menagerie, and a cool flying saucer brooch from Luxulite. I’m really loving vintage-inspired jewelry done in modern ways!

I’m not going full-on pinup or anything, because I don’t have the talent to do retro hair and makeup, or the money to have a full pinup wardrobe. I would eventually love to add another dress or two, like the Mary Blair Nancy dress, or the Mary Blair Lydia dress, and some more jewelry like the SparkleLux Crescent Drop earrings, or the antique-inspired Enchantress Bow earrings. I love including the items I already have in my regular rotation that have a vintage look, but in a totally modern way!