Frivolous Universe

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Tag "thrift"

Kelly: Have you embraced the blouse yet? If not, might we suggest a 2012 resolution for you?

Nicole: In case you’re hesitant, I’ll let you know that Kelly and I only fully embraced the blouse a little over a year ago.  The love affair actually started with the blush blouse  you may remember from last week.  It snowballed from there.

K: What’s the difference between a blouse and any old top? A blouse blouses over some kind of gather, usually at the waist or hips with a belt.  Ninety-five percent of the time blouses must be tucked in, or it just doesn’t work. Girls don’t wear blouses. Women wear blouses. On the first day of 2012, we wore ours tucked in, belted, and layered with cozy knits.  Vintage 70s You Babes floral blouse with billowy sleeves, wool sweater vest, and skinny jeans.

floral big sleeve blouse, sweater vest, jelly belt, etra vintage purse clutch, skinny jeans, bcbg max azria lavendar loafer pumps

K: Lisa Sanchez grabbed this wool sweater vest in a everything-you-can-fit-in-a-bag-for-a-dollar sale at a thrift store and I was the lucky recipient. Because this vest is slim with a crew neck, we thought that a blouse with voluminous sleeves and a high-collar would give the silhouette visual interest. Nicole got me these carved rose studs in Boston last year.

carved rose studs earrings, floral big sleeve you babes vintage blouse, old navy wool sweater vest

K: Ah, another Nicole present, this red jelly belt was in my Xmas package. It faintly sparkles in the sunlight… like vampire skin.

N: I got the belt at a funky little shop in the West Village.

red jelly belt, vintage etra clutch purse chain strap green, vintage embroidered mint hankercheif

K: Oh the power of socks should never be underestimated, young Padawan. Even though this green isn’t in the rest of the outfit, I love the way these mint textured socks look with my lavender loafer pumps.

N: A big lesson we’ve been learning lately is that socks can make or break an outfit!  That little extra detail might be all you need to make your outfit adorably quirky and interesting. (Also, 10 points for your Star Wars  reference)

rolled up jeans cuffs, textured mint socks check, lavendar loafer pumps bcbg max azria chain hardware

K: Enter my grandmother’s vintage embroidered hankerchief in the same shade of mint green as my socks. This way, if I catch some rabid fashionista eying my sock choice, doubting the wisdom of the hue, I’ll whip out my mint handkerchief and shriek, “Does this justify if for you??!!”

Ahem… This vintage 70s Etra suede purse has a chain strap that hides away to convert into a clutch. Repeating motif! Chain strap on purse and chain hardware on shoes.

N: We repeat our mantra once again: details, details, details.

vintage mint embroidered hankercheif, vintage green etra purse clutch chain strap, diamond infinity band platinum

K: At $3.00, this blouse might be one of my best vintage finds. I can’t wait to wear it in warmer weather and show off its sheerness.

pansy print floral you babes high collar blouse top, wool old navy sweater vest green colorwork

N: I’ll call this outfit “what I might have worn on New Year’s if I wasn’t baby sitting 100 twenty-one year olds.”  Unfortunately my New Year’s was spent working a private event for over 100 drunk college kids.  It was messy.  There was blood.  It was not much fun.  I decided to make  myself feel better by putting together a fabulous blog outfit consisting of this vintage silk bow-tie blouse, sparkly cardigan and wool high-waisted trousers.

K: I love how fearlessly you mix three vibrant, saturated colors. The bright blue, red, and magenta are so playful, that they make these classic items (blouse, cardigan, and trousers) feel youthful and modern.

pink tie-neck blouse bow magenta, blue sequined sequins cardigan sweater, wool tweed gray pants grey, argyle pink socks, red round toe pumps

N: When your sweater is as embellished as this, it’s best to keep your jewelry sparkly but simple. So I went for a simple rhinestone stud earring.

K: There’s something very wintery about the beaded embellishments on this cardigan.

bow tie pink magenta blouse top, blue sequined sequins cardigan sweater, rinestone studs earrings

N: I love just the little pop of pink coming out of the sleeves and the neckline.  I actually bought this sweater at a second hand store in Boston on the same trip I got the earrings Kelly is wearing.

pink magenta bow tie neck blouse top, blue sequined sequins cardigan sweater, gray grey wool trousers pants

K: Alternative title to this blog: “How to Wear Socks with Pumps.” This outfit wouldn’t quite work without them.

N: Socks save the day again!  Pink argyle ties into my pink blouse.

pink gray grey argyle socks, gray grey wool tweed trousers pants, red round toe pumps shoes heels

N: The jewel tones of my outfit caused a light explosion in my living room.

K: KAPOW!

pink magenta fuschia bow tie neck blouse, blue sequined sparkly sequins cardigan sweater, gray grey wool tweed trousers pants, red shoes pumps heels

When in doubt, tuck and belt.

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Nicole: It’s officially getting cold here in the city.  No snow yet, but cold. Which only means one thing.  I finally get to wear the best thing I purchased before leaving Boise…the acid-washed, fur-lined denim jacket I bought for 35 dollars at The Lux.  I can wear a tank top under this baby and still be warm.  So. Wonderful.

Kelly: Viva la acid wash! A subtle, sophisticated color palette does wonders in modernizing this much-despised fabric of the 80s (even by some of our fellow bloggers. Gasp!) I love the muted blush, blue, and caramel with a jewel-toned pant.

N: I picked this outfit to go with the jacket: high-necked blush polyester blouse and teal jeans, both purchased second hand.  The jeans are originally from American Apparel. I got them for eight dollars. They usually run around $65.  Woo-hoo! I  love a good, frilly high collar.  So demure…that’s why I wear a black bra underneath.  You don’t wanna be too demure…

N: I love that this thrifted taupe belt has a taupe buckle, as well.  Belts that are one solid color are great because you don’t have to worry about matching gold or silver fastenings to your jewelry.

K: Word, and taupe is a much more interesting neutral than black or brown.

N: My good friend Jaime gave me this antique pendant as a going away gift.  On the back, she had engraved “fall down running.”  I paired it with this crappy old H&M tassle-chain necklace to add a little more texture. I love all the detailing on this blouse.  Pleats and ruffles and poofs, oh-my!

K: This blouse is one of my favorites of yours. We bought it on one of our first thrifting trips when the wide world of blouses first opened up to us. The racks in Savers were full of vintage blouses both ugly and lovely.  For some reason, instead of giggling at them and passing on to the next thing (because blouses are for grannies) we tried a bunch on and found a handful that worked. Not just for grannies.

N: I always aim to tell a good color story when I dress.  These multi-color knit socks have both the blush from the blouse and the teal from the jeans and they make the bottom half of my outfit 10 times more interesting than if I just wore my jeans straight with the black booties.

K: We’ll say it again – details, details, details!

K: Nothing says, “Why the eff won’t it snow?” like my 90s silver velour turtleneck and Christmas-present-from-Nicole jeans. This turtleneck is absurdly out-of-fashion, so I took pity on it at the thrift store and took it home. I bet I can work it into some divinely textural layered looks. Remember the floral shirt Nicole found at the yoga studio?

N: These jeans were in the same backpack.  My ass was too big for them, so I shipped them off to Kelly.  Maybe they were sad to part with the blouse, but it’s all for the better. Really.

K: These pants fit my ass like they were spray-painted on. I could have tried on 85,000-ish pairs of jeans at the mall and not found a pair that fit me this well. I feel that they were meant for me… and most importantly freeeeee.

K: I crocheted two more pairs of these alpaca mitts for gifts this year after making this pair for myself.  This belt buckle is too big to fit between the belt loops, so I improvised. Jeans not recommended for cowboys or wrestlers.

N: I love the mixing of so many textures.  Velour, wool, knits, plaids, denim…so cozy!

K: For some reason this masculine-inspired outfit cried out for a luxe, feminine shoe. When I wore these vintage purple suede pumps in a previous blog, it was with a sweeping skirt worthy of their old-fashioned charm, but I enjoy the contrast of wearing them with jeans and a flat cap.

N: A jeans and heels combo is usually so expected and boring.  Rolling up the cuffs instantly makes the line more interesting.

K: Plus a wool, vintage, thrifted jacket with a contrast color under the collar. Many thanks to Bethany for my pictures.

For us, frivolity and frugality go hand in hand.

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Jason and I were invited to go to a friend’s family cabin on Friday night. Our host, Cordial, treated us to pizza, wine, a hot tub soak and a screening of Reservoir Dogs on a bed sheet hung from the ceiling. Saturday morning, after a breakfast of pecan french toast and potatoes, we took a walk. I was so enamored with Cordial’s shades-of-grey, wool-coat-and-wellies outfit against the middle fork of the Payette River that I had to take some shots.

Coat from Salvation Army.

Rain boots from the garage.

Add a stocking cap and gloves before splashing in the stream.

Fashion of utilitarian origins…

…can still play.

It’s a frivolous universe. Everywhere I look, energy is being squandered.

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