Venice Nights

While my love for Trashy Diva holds true, my experience with with the Venice Nights collection was quite a journey!  I'm one of those fans who loves to watch the launch videos of each collection on their Facebook.  Not even joking, I carve out time whenever they announce the day/time it's going down.  I was ridiculously excited when I saw all the fun styles at their launch and I quickly purchased a dress that day.  Read more about this gorgeous collection below!











Dress- Trashy Diva
Shoes- Chelsea Crew
Belt- From another dress
Hat- Jeanne Simmons

The Venice Nights collection is made from their new stretch rayon fabric.  Much like the Ruffled Feathers collection, it feels like butter, has a good amount of stretch, and is really light and airy.  While I ultimately ended up with the resurrected Circle Day dress, I initially purchased their new Gia dress.  I loved the cut of the Gia, but my waist is very long and the Gia accommodates a much shorter torso.  Trashy Diva has amazing customer service and happily exchanged my dress for the Circle Day dress.  Here's the thing: this dress is also hard to style on a longer torso!  It hid in my closet for some time until I moved into my new home and it caught my eye.  While I still wasn't head over heels, I added a black belt and it made all the difference.  I love it so much more!

I tend to go between a size 2 and 4 in all of Trashy Diva's styles.  Because of the stretch rayon, the size 2 was a perfect fit.  The Circle Day dress features a wide set collar, full skirt with one side pocket, and a side zip closure.  The side zip is usually a deal-breaker for me, but again, that stretch rayon is magic and it doesn't bother me at all.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I will buy everything in this fabric!

Today Bianca and I are headed to Disneyland with my mother in law.  She hasn't been in a very long time and she's never had the pleasure of enjoying the park with Bianca so we're all super excited!  Bianca is really looking forward to showing grandma where all the princesses live and I can't wait to document our journey!  Make sure to check my Instagram and maybe even my Snapchat for all the fun festivities!

xoxo

Ashley

Repro Roundup: Bernie Dexter

My first introduction to the world of reproduction vintage clothing was with Bernie Dexter.  At the time, I curated a massive true vintage closet but had the constant fear of wearing my pretties out and ruining them.  Vintage was getting expensive (especially if you live in a large city like Los Angeles) and I wanted to get more bang for my buck.  Bernie Dexter really spoke to my sense of style because the cuts of her dresses really flattered my frame, she offered a wide range of cute and romantic prints, and her clothing was made here in the USA.  I've been one of her biggest fans for several years and my love has stayed true!  Here's a roundup of some of my favorite Bernie Dexter pieces and some fun facts about her brand:


Open Book

Bernie Dexter is a pinup model turned fashion designer.  Much like most ladies who turn to reproduction vintage styles, she was looking for alternatives to wearing true vintage.  She offers her wide range of styles in sizes XS-4X.


Like A Fox
All of Bernie's dresses are made from 100% quilting cotton.  It's a breathable but sturdy cotton that holds its integrity over the years.  Almost all of her swing skirt styles come complete with side pockets too!


Kelly  

A few of her newer styles (Kelly, Lauren, Nicole) have zip front features.  This means you can wear a shirtwaist dress without worrying about button gaping.  I'm not the bustiest person, but I've always had problems with wearing anything with a button front.  Without a doubt, this is one of the biggest reasons why I keep buying these styles!

Deck The Halls

Bernie also offers holiday inspired prints.  One of my favorite dresses is her Winter Wonderland Jubilee dress (seen above) and it's available in a few different styles.  I just happen to own three... Oops!  She also has a New Year's Eve print and has offered a 4th of July inspired print as well.  I can't wait to see what she has in store for 2017!

Three Roses  

Bernie's dresses are great for everyday wear.  I wore them when Bianca was a newborn, I wear them to work, and they're even great for date night!  While I choose to dry clean my Bernie dresses, I know many ladies who either hand wash or machine wash on delicate cycles, and hang dry their dresses without incident.

Nothing Like A Saturday Night

Inspired by dresses of the mid-century era, Bernie's classic styles give you that perfect pinup/rockabilly look for the modern woman.  She also offers skirts, a line of denim, tops, matching men's clothing, and outerwear too.  I'm dying to own her new Kitten jacket... It's seriously cute!

Mine This Time

Bernie's website always has the largest selection of her dresses, but you can also find exclusive styles at Unique Vintage.  Her line can also be found at Pinup Girl Clothing, Retro Glam, That Shop, and if you're on a budget, you can find a select amount of styles for a discounted price on Zulily!

Hide In The Hydrangeas

Because I've been wearing Bernie Dexter dresses for years, you can find the entire archive of my closet HERE.  Have any questions about certain styles or fit?  Do you have a Bernie Dexter collecion of your own?  Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

Ashley

Hermeline

It feels weird wearing a dress that I normally wouldn't pick out for myself.  It's a lot shorter than I'm used to, it has sleeves, and it totally throws me out of my comfort zone.  But I noticed while I was packing and unpacking my closet that almost everything I own looks the same.  I'm totally guilty of buying the same piece in multiple colors/prints if I love it, but I think I really do take that to the extreme.  I've always adored the print of this Hermeline shift dress from Hell Bunny and I figured this would be the perfect piece to help me take more fashion risks.











Dress- Hell Bunny
Shoes- Pinup Girl Clothing
Hair scarf- Vintage
Lipstick- c/o Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Candy Apple

I'm not going to lie, it's been quite a struggle when it comes to blogging lately.  Not only have I been busy settling into my new home (I haven't quite perfected my daily "groove" yet), I've also been down on life due to the recent election.  Blogging has literally been the last thing on my mind.  I ended up having some much needed time alone, and I decided to go to one of my favorite photo locations.  Being completely alone in nature really brightened my spirits and helped me realize that there's still so much beauty and good in this world.  It really inspired me to not only get back into shooting/writing, but to do my best to put more good into the universe.  Here's to hoping that with enough people putting out positive energy, we can make a change for the better!

xoxo

Ashley

Lilac Atomic Debbie

Since I've featured the gorgeous Lilac Atomic circle skirt from Trashy Diva on my blog (seen here), I've yet to actually wear this Debbie dress.  When the collection was released I was initially drawn to this dress, but I loved the print so much that a second piece was "accidentally" purchased.  Funny how that happens, right?  The Debbie certainly looks more fancy but feels extraordinarily comfortable to wear.  I felt/wanted to style it extra fancy today, but I can see myself rocking this with a belt and a pair of flats to dress it down.











Dress- Trashy Diva
Shoes- Modcloth
Brooch- c/o Erstwilder
Lipstick- c/o Anastasia Beverly Hills in Soft Lilac

The Debbie is a new style but hails from the classically cute Deb dress.  It shares the ruffled bust but leaves the ruffled trim on the skirt behind.  I love the sweetheart neckline and the fitted bodice, but my favorite feature is the full skirt with side pockets.  I feel like this mid century inspired print was the perfect match for this new dress!  The entire Lilac Atomic collection was made from a high-quality cotton sateen and it feels like heaven when you wear it.  I'm not even joking, I buy at least one piece from every one of Trashy Diva's cotton prints.  They're too comfy and cute to turn down!

Well, I'm pretty much all settled into my new home.  It's just the greatest feeling to finally live in place you consider your dream home.  My bedroom has massive windows which allow me to fall asleep to the twinkling stars and wake up to the gorgeous sunrise.  It amazes me every morning!  I can't wait to share some pictures once all of our decor is up!

xoxo

Ashley

How To Tie A Hair Scarf

Having perfectly styled vintage hair everyday is seriously impossible.  Taking shortcuts when I can is pretty much my way of life since I became a mom.  I love wearing hair scarves because it gives the illusion of putting effort into my hair when I really didn't.  There are lots of ways to incorporate a hair scarf into your vintage look, but my favorite is wearing it as a hair bow.  While this may sound easy, I get asked how I tie my hair scarf like this quite frequently.  I decided to do a quick and easy tutorial for your viewing pleasure!



What you'll need:

• Hair scarf (I prefer nylon scarves because they don't slide off)
• Long duckbill clips
• Bobby pins

 

 
I'm pretty particular with my hair scarves.  They need to be square and at least 26" x 26" to look right.  To get the right shape, fold the scarf in half to make a triangle.  Then take the middle point and fold it in half, towards the opposite side.  This will create a thick headband shape, but if you prefer something smaller, fold it in half one more time.  We're now ready to tie it on!



I take two long duckbill clips to clip the front portion of my hair away from my face.  This isn't necessary, but it makes it much easier.  I'll then take my folded scarf around my neck and tie it at the top of my head.  For added stability, I like to double knot my scarf before I tie the bow portion.  Because I have bangs, I like the bow to hit at the line between my bangs and the rest of my hair.



I'll then tie a bow, just like I would tie my shoes.  This will leave two "tails".  Some people like to keep them visible, but I'll either tuck them into my bow or into the headband portion.  Whatever looks cleaner!



I happen to have thin fine hair, so I need to use bobby pins to keep the headscarf in place.  I'll use two on each side, going in opposite directions, and crossed like an "X".  I swear this is the best way to keep it in place, it never moves!

And there you have it!  Have any questions for me?  Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

Ashley