Anthropolotique

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Summer Dress Inspiration

Nothing says summer to me like summer dresses. Carefree, lightweight, easy, airy.... What makes a summer dress even better is when you can throw it in your bag for a quick beach getaway. Summer should be a time for fun and relaxation and your clothes should show it!

I started following this fabulous lady Shirley in Europe who's effortless vintage style I find very inspiring. She just recently went on a trip to Greece and posted her summer vintage outfits on Instagram. Breathtakingly beautiful and chic. Once you fall in love with her vintage taste, you should head over to her Etsy store singlegreenfemale and see what treasures she is passing on! And before I start I should apologize for the screenshot photos. Instagram doesn't make it easy to share photos (which is probably a good thing), but don't worry I have her blessing to share!

When she first found this dress I tried to convince her to sell it to me :-) However I'm glad she kept it because she looks amazing in it! Maybe one day she'll pass it on and you'll have to fight me for it.

This is a dress she "upcycled" by shortening the hem and removing the puffy sleeves. So cute and effortless!

Well this isn't a summer dress, but it is a vintage look and it's amazing so I had to share.

Be sure to follow her on Instagram or her BLOG. Very inspiring!

Now that you're feeling inspired to get some of your own summer dresses here's a couple that I'm loving right now

This nepolitan shimmer dress from Anthropologie is very easy and summery looking.

And here's a 70's maxi dress on Etsy for $45.

This Rachel Comey Dress is gorgeous! I'm not quite daring enough for cut-outs...

But maybe if the cut-outs were in the back like this yellow dress on Etsy I might go for it :-) $44

At the moment I'm really into button up dresses like this one from Anthro. Just something about the buttons make it's seem so effortless.

Here's a button up facconable dress that's in my shop right now.

Button Up Plaid Dress

I'll leave you with this amazing Midi Dress that's in Shirley's shop for an absolute steal at $26.

Good night and happy summer dress shopping!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Tropical Print - A fresh take on floral!

For the past couple of months I've had a new obsession when I'm out vintage hunting... tropical floral prints. Everyone these days is into florals and I love all of them! But I'm finding tropical prints to be a little fresher to me. Maybe it's because I'm dying to get to the islands or maybe it's because I'm from Florida but I can't get enough of them! Hibiscus, Hawaiian prints, Birds of Paradise... they're all a nice break from all of the 90's small muted prints I'm seeing everywhere.

I always look forward to Coachella. I've never been to Coachella but I love to see the street style photos from Coachella every year. Gets me looking forward to summer! When I checked out some of this year's photos I was so happy to see that I wasn't alone in my love of tropical prints! I highly recommend checking out Harper Bazaar's Coachella Street Style photos. Every year they have a great compilation. In case you don't have time here is some of my favorite tropical looks at Coachella 2013.

Tropical dress! Wish they showed the whole thing!

Tropical shorts. I'm on a hunt for a pair for myself:-)

Tropical maxi skirt! A fresher take on boho!

AND here is a couple of tropical looks that I love from Etsy, J Crew and Anthropologie of course!

Anthropologie's Kahanu Maxi Skirt $148

Would be adorable with a crop top!

OMG. J Crew has tropical print shorts. I can't figure out where they are online but I need to figure it out soon.

This mini dress on Etsy would be perfect with boots or gladiator sandals to keep in modern. Only $24!

This button front maxi skirt is definitely a fun way to brighten up your boho wardrobe!

This skirt is in my shop. I realize I'm biased, but I think it's the perfect subtle piece to add some tropics to your summer wardrobe!

And here is two more tropical looks from my shop!

Richard Douglas Made in Honolulu Dress

Jams World Dress

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Christmas and New Year's Eve

I got so busy with the holidays and the holiday Etsy listing and shipping that I didn't have time to blog. I'm not complaining though. Finding time to ship is a good problem to have, it means my store is making sales and that is always encouraging and welcome.

My goal right now is to be stocking up on some spring merchandise which is fun because it means SHOPPING. But as much as I love Spring, it's not as fun as sparkly New Year's Eve pieces I'm currently obsessing over. Check out the finds below!

First however, I'll share with you some pictures of my Anthropolotique style Christmas decor. Advance apologies for the pictures, I took them all on my iphone out of laziness. I'll try an remember to take some on my Nikon before I take all the decorations down.

I bought these jars a yard sale and I love them! I change the contents with the seasons and it's alot of fun. The clear and silver ornaments on the left for a from a thrift store. The pretty silver ones are from BIG LOTS! Got them for $3.50 a package. They look very vintage, but they're not. Anthropolotiquing doesn't always necessarily mean vintage and garage sales.

This is my Christmas Dinner table. The tablecloths are all vintage finds, the tree is another Big Lots find (I know, who knew!). The flowers and pots are from the 99 cent store. The cinnamon sticks that I used on the napkins, Trader Joe's.

Another view. I love how this table turned out.

AND now finally to some fabulous New Year's Eve attire....

The blouse below is in my shop right now. It's gorgeous and comfy too! Great with a pencil skirt or high waist black pants.

Sequin Gold Blouse

This dress caught my eye and I wanted it badly! While I debated whether I could shrink my bust down by 3 inches it sold. Too bad, it was a great price too!

Vtg Dress

I love a good peplum! This one is perfect for a NYE party.

Peplum Dress

So this one isn't gold or sparkly, but I just adore it. Spring dreaming I suppose.

1920's Dress from Dear Golden

Friday, November 23, 2012

Free People Vintage

Have you ever gone over to Free People's website? They have a vintage store that sells "one of a kind" vintage clothing and accessories. They have awesome stuff that is styled well but it is SUPER EXPENSIVE. Super duper expensive in my opinion.

I wonder why with all the vintage that is online now-a-days why people purchase stuff from their site... Is it because they style it well? I don't think so, lots of shops online have great style. I've gone through this over and over in my brain and I think it's because people feel it's been validated as "cool" because it's in their vintage shop. Or maybe they feel it's worth more because they paid more? I get that and if I had that kind of money I might buy something from them as well.

This isn't an attempt to put down their store, it's a great store! I've just been pondering and trying to figure out why some vintage stores get away with charging huge prices and make lots of sales and others charge little and sell little. I guess that's the big secret to selling vintage!

Anyhow whether or not you have the money to buy from them it's worth a browse over there to see what they have! I like how they break up there shop into "themes". Right now a couple of my favorite themed sections are "Pretty in Pink" which is vintage special occasion pink tulle dresses. They also have a "Tartan Traveler" section which features lots of fair-isle sweaters and tartan shirts (which also sell for close to $300).

Here's a couple of vintage items from Free People that I would buy if I had that kind of money and some similar finds on Etsy.

This dress is in FP's "Black Sheep" Section which has black and white and lots of lace. I love how they photographed it, but like to see the clothes on models to get an idea of fit.

Free People Vintage White Lace Dress $698

Vintage white strapless lace dresses are hot right now and very hard to find. If you find one at a decent price, snatch it up fast because they sell quick. If you can't find one in your price one, perhaps you could pair a vintage bustier or corset with a white lace skirt? Lots more of those online.

This bustier would be great with a high waisted skirt. I love the look of this particular one and you can't beat the price!

Vintage Bustier $18

There are lots of options on Etsy, search for lace skirt, petticoats, slips etc. I particularly like this one.

Vintage Lace Skirt on Etsy $42

This sweater on FP is Ski Apres Chic for sure.

FP Skier Sweater $248

So this one doesn't have the cool skiers, but the colors are similar and it's still ski apres chic and it's almost 90% less....

Ski Sweater on Etsy $29!

From the "Tartan Traveler" section (which I love how they styled) is this plaid jacket

Free People Vintage Plaid Wool Coat $268

This one on Etsy is very similar and it's Pendelton!

Vintage Plaid Coat on Etsy $115

I love this tapestry purse on FP. You can find lots of them on Etsy. Search for 'needle point vintage purse' or 'tapestry purse vintage'

Free People Vintage Needle Point Purse

These military anorak type jackets are very trendy. Love them!

Free People Vintage Military Jacket

Anorak at Anthropolotique

Needle Point Purse at Anthropolotique

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Because I'm from Florida....

I love fashion and I love putting together outfits but when it comes to Fall layering I'm CLUELESS. There are days when I honestly feel like a little kid trying to get all the pieces to work together and getting look right and not looking bulky....so complicated with all those pieces!

I'm clueless because I grew up in Florida... South Florida. In South Florida it's really hot and humid 90% of the year and you don't want to wear many clothes (have you been to South Beach?). So when it finally drops from the 90's to the 80's in November not much changes in your wardrobe.

In the Fall in Florida your "coat" is a jean jacket, your "boots" are your closed toe flats or even (gasp) socks with your sandals. Granted I went to school in a lower income area and I'm sure the girls in the prep schools had fall boots... and I'm also sure I made fun of them for wearing them when it was 85 degrees out. No scarves, gloves, beanies.... you get the point.

In the winter when the rest of the country was bundled up we'd have days at the beach. On the rare occasion when we would have a "cold snap" and the weather would drop into the 40's people brought blankets to school. No joke. So if you ever see a Floridian like me in Canada at Christmas time looking like a total winter fashion disaster have a good laugh. We sure laugh at you all when you bring your pasty selves to the our beaches :-)

Now here I am in Southern California. It's not a cold weather climate, but it is definitely colder than tropical Florida. Layering is essential here. The weather changes throughout the day by 20-30 degrees and I get so confused as to what to wear. I often find myself staring at girls in cute fall outfits trying to dissect them and figure out how they made it work. I'm getting better at it, but I must admit there has been quite a few times where I attempted a cute layered look and changed at the last second because I felt foolish.

Anyhow I'm trying to get better at Fall styling and have been doing some online research. Here is items that I would love to buy for my SoCal layering.

J CREW Button Up

J CREW Excursion Quilted Vest

What's better than the skinny jean? Skinny cords. I love them.

Free People Cords

Here's a great winter coat for my fellow Floridians and it's vintage :-)

Vtg Wrangler Jacket

And of course fall boots! I found these at an estate sale. I adore them, but they don't fit! But the perfect fall boot, don't you think? They are military issued from the early 1900's. Sigh. Shrink feet, shrink...

Vintage Wing Foot Boots

I wore Birkenstocks like these year round and when it got cold I threw on some socks! Who needs boots?

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Old Picture - Help me ID???

I picked up this old picture yesterday at a garage sale and I liked the looks of it. The price was only $5 so obviously I bought it.

Didn't think much of it but when I looked closely at it I noticed that it was dated 1854. Upon closer inspection it seemed to be an original drawing.

I'm am not an art expert at all. I googled different variations of what the artist name seems to be Wendler? Mendler?

Anyhow nothing has come up. Not sure what to do now. An art appraiser? But then I might feel like a fool when it's nothing:-)

Anyhow here is the pictures I took of the front of the picture, the artists name and the back of the piece.

Let me know if you have any thoughts! Or suggestions of what the name might be.

When you look at it in person you can see the metallic of the pencil markings and it is different than the color spots. That's why I think it's original.

Between my hubby and I, we've come up with many variations of what this name is. What do you think?

Even it's not a famous artist, if it's original and really from 1854 it should be worth something, right? I told you I'm not an art expert:-)

All I can decipher from this is "French man". Thoughts?

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Sweater Season!

Yay! It's finally cooled down enough in Southern California for me to be able to start thinking about sweaters again. I love sweaters. They're cozy and they can make great statement pieces. I headed over to Anthropologie's website to see what they had. I'm going to be honest, I was a little un-inspired this time. There are seasons where I just drool over Anthropologie's sweaters and this season I was a little let down. There were a couple of cute ones, but hopefully next fall will be better. Fingers crossed.

Anyhow between looking at street style blogs, popular internet searches, and just plain ol' shopping I've noticed some sweater trends. Oversized is huge right now, pun intended. Fairisle is still going strong. Cable knit, especially big chunky cable knit is being worn by lots of fashionistas. Anthropologie seems to be liking polka dots and dots in general. Dots are all over Pinterest too.

In my opinion though (and not because I have a vintage store on Etsy) I think this year that vintage is the way to go. There are some really cool ones on Etsy, so make sure you see the photos at the bottom of this post. Don't miss the NKOTB one, amazing.

This one below from Anthropologie looks cozy and I love all the color. I've noticed "Spacedye" sweaters have been a popular search on Etsy lately. This would be cute with high boots.

Pallava Cardigan Anthropologie

Yes, this one is in my shop but it's awesome. I love the bright color and those striped sleeves are awesome.

Spacedye Sweater Anthropolotique :-)

This is one of several polka dot sweaters that Anthropologie had on their website. Very versatile. If it was in my closet I'd wear it with a pencil skirt.

Tweed Dots Pullover - Anthropologie

This one Etsy is polka dot AND Fair Isle. Too cute! I'm personally too busty for that high neckline. It's only $18, so if you want it you'd better move fast!

Vintage Polka Dot Sweater ETSY

These throw on sweaters are great for Southern California where the temperature changes like crazy throughout the day. You always need a cardigan to throw on. The one below is probably my favorite on Anthropologie and I LOVe how they styled it.