Lovely in Leopard

Winter to me screams the perfect time to utilize fur into as many outfits as possible! I have been so inspired by the late 1940's and early 1950's to put this look together. I am posed in front of a local abandoned movie theater that I so desperately wish would come back to life. As soon as I read that movies such as "To Have and Have Not" were shown here, I knew that this was the perfect location for this shoot. 

Everything you see is vintage! The purse was gifted to me by my mother, and the 1950's dress is from Vessel Vintage http://vesselvintage.com/, given to me by my boyfriend for Christmas. He has such great taste and always knows what to get me. 

The coat and hat were bought separately but were so close to being a match! 

A very special feature goes to my grandmother Dot in honor of her birthday. I was far too young when she passed but I know I had so much in common with her, and that she was a wonderful woman to everyone who knew her. She was a dancer back in the day and dreamed of one day becoming a Rockette. 

The black leather gloves you see were passed down to me from my very thoughtful aunt Natalie, along with a white pair I will also be wearing soon. I was so honored to receive these because I've heard so many stories about how kind and also how glamorous she was, as you can see for yourself in the photos above. In the package my aunt sent were so many old photos of her and I was in awe to see her look as chic as she did!

I have so many different sources of inspiration for this not only coming from my grandmother, but also the likes of Marilyn Monroe's outfit from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, one of my favorite movies. She wears a leopard cape and matching muff to board the cruise in the movie, and for me this is one of my all time favorite looks I've seen her in. 

Next, is this beautiful coat by Christian Dior made in 1947 when he came out with his revolutionary "New Look". Most people think of the famous white jacket top with the black skirt that made it's debut in the Paris show in 1947, but this was another one of his looks that played a huge role in the New Look image. 

I have loved this photo for such a long time, but surprisingly the mirrored pose by me was not planned. 

Up close features of the accessories! 

"A woman carries her clothes. But the shoe carries the woman." -Christian Louboutin

Happy Holidays! 

Afternoon at Neiman's

Neiman Marcus is a great place to go for holiday's. Especially the flagship store located in Dallas, Texas. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. 

Neiman Marcus was established in 1907 by Herbert Marcus, his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman, and A.L. Neiman, Carrie's husband. The original location was at Elm and Murphy Street, downtown Dallas, Texas. Herbert's goal was to bring the highest of women's fashions of New York and Europe out west. The store became a success, but the year of 1913 brought a fire to the store, destroying all inventory and the building. 

Reopening in 1914 on Ervay and Main Street, Neiman Marcus has remained in it's same location to this day. They continued their success through revolutionizing the way the public viewed fashion. They were one of the first of their kind to send out a Christmas catalog each year starting in 1926. Some said that they were just about the size of a magazine and people began to love the annual tradition.

(photo from the 1930's)

To see more information and a historical timeline go to https://www.neimanmarcuscareers.com/story/timeline.shtml.

(http://style.time.com/2012/12/11/refined-retail-lifes-look-inside-neiman-marcus/photo/01_111333756/)

The above link is an amazing article by Time magazine showcasing photos of Neiman Marcus taken by the legendary Nina Leen (one of my favorite fashion photographers) in the 1940's. Here were my favorites.

Carrie Marcus Neiman was a strong advocate and the voice behind what started the weekly fashion shows in 1926. It became a hit and people flocked to see the newest fashion shown at the Baker Hotel. 

Now featuring the founders themselves:

Herbert Marcus 

Carrie Marcus Neiman

A.L. Neiman

I wore a 1950's inspired outfit featuring a vintage skirt by Mr. Fine of Dallas. I posed on Ervay Street next to the same entrance you see in the photo below taken in the 1940's.

I like to take posing advice from the mannequins. 

The hat featured is one of my original designs and made by my mother. I am slowly getting the hang of making them but my mom is the talent behind creating it for right now. It is a smooth brown suede fabric with hand sewn flowers, pearls sewn in the middle of each. 

Also, earrings given to me by my late cousin Ruth.

I had Santa watching me while taking some photos. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit?

So, off I went inside fairytale land. 

The best way to get the full experience is to take the escalators to each floor (there are six floors). I tried to transport myself back in time and pretended I was back in the day. 

They call this area the "glassroom" or "glasshouse". It was a very nice place to sit and relax after being SO exhausted from shopping on so many floors. 

After spending a good hour inside, I left with a smile on my face and the happiness that comes along with the holidays. I hope you might feel inspired or motivated to visit if you haven't. It is the original store after all!

Although, if you can't visit, at least take a look online at some things guaranteed to make you drool at http://www.neimanmarcus.com/.

Home for the Holidays

Yes, I'm one of those people that made a holiday post the day after Thanksgiving. I just couldn't help myself with all the Christmas decorations everywhere. I love the style of the 1950's to help bring out the bright holiday colors. I am also a sucker for red velvet and my very thoughtful boyfriend bought me this dress a while back from Vessel Vintage, located in Shreveport. Check out their website at http://vesselvintage.com/. It's one of my favorite stores and I suppose we're considered regulars there.  

This coat I am wearing is from a great vintage inspired clothing website called Alice's Pig at http://shop.alicespig.com/! They are based out of London and will give you a fabulous British flair this holiday. You can find the coat I am wearing at http://shop.alicespig.com/products/debbies-dallas-red. The reason I loved this coat so much was because I live in Dallas and this piece just so happened to be named after it. It's also inspired by Christian Dior's "New Look" that he made famous. So many reasons to be a fan of Alice's Pig and such an honor to work with them. 

I recently had one of my boyfriend's cousins send me this beautiful train case/hat box. She said that she thought of me when she saw it! This is something so special to me. The fact that someone actually went out of their way to send something to me just because they thought of me is what means the world to me. Thank you so much Karen! I don't have very much family so I am thankful for those who I am not even related to that support me. 

(Sidenote: I was so thrilled that it matched this outfit perfectly and just in time.) 

The shoes you see are one of my favorites by Manolo Blahnik!

My last feature is this jewelry set that I am proud to say was designed and made by yours truly! It was made with vintage chandelier crystals that I arranged into a pair of earrings with a matching necklace. I was inspired by Old Hollywood glamour of course, and I believe that you can wear this set any time of the day, whether you are at the office, on a lunch date, or during the evening at an event. 

I will be selling handmade jewelry at my school in the next couple weeks for the holidays and I just might continue making these to sell if it works out. I love creating little works of art that you can wear and I hope people enjoy wearing them as well. 

I know it's early, but Happy Holidays!

World War Two Weekend

This past weekend I got to indulge in one of my favorite hobbies! Living through the past, of course. I attended the annual WWII reenactment held in one of my favorite cities, Waxahachie, Texas, where I used to live. I was decked out in 1940's clothing head to toe. I purchased this suit online and everything else was found in antique or thrift stores. My wonderful boyfriend bought me this mink to go with the outfit!

All photos are taken by my mother Mindy Smith unless stated otherwise.

The shoes I am wearing are 1930's/1940's Sears and Roebuck. I am also wearing authentic nylon stockings with a beautiful seam!

Now featuring my boyfriend, who I met at this same reenactment exactly a year ago! We celebrated by taking photos in the exact same place we did last year. 

(Photo with Emily Seamster)

We ended the night at the Roger's Hotel, one of my favorite dinner spots. (Photo from Lance Armstrong)