Recalling Rita Hayworth

This is what I wore for my birthday, as my followers on Instagram may remember.  I wanted to wear something special and ultra classy.  The vintage fur coat I bought the day before at a thrift shop and the vintage tapestry handbag I got the day before also at a yard sale.  Plus the faux fur bolero was another birthday thrift shop acquisition.  It was a very cold, blustery day in February so the coat definitely helped keep me warm.

This is the first time you're seeing this location.  These were taken at the front door to my apartment because I didn't want to risk taking my fur coat over to my mum's house full of dogs.  So I wore it here whilst she took photos and then put a different coat over my outfit.  I just knew if I took it, something terrible would happen.  Though her dogs aren't trained hunters, they certainly have that ingrained in them just because of their breeds.

This outfit just transformed me.  It made me feel very va-va-voom.  It certainly has something to do with the way the dress fits me like a second skin.  The dress is what you would call a "wiggle dress".  I always feel sultry with back seam stockings on.  Plus throw in fur and red lipstick and it's enough to make a girl feel like an old Hollywood film star.  I felt like I could be a modern day Rita Hayworth.

I had a really good birthday which I've wrote to you all about in a previous post.  It's hard to believe this Sunday it will already be a month since I've entered into official spinsterhood.  Time really does pass much faster as you get older.

Outfit Details:

vintage fur coat, vintage dress, vintage hat, vintage handbag, faux fur bolero, belt {thrifted}

backseam stockings {eBay}

heels {Baker's, gift}

As I mentioned earlier, it was very windy and cold.  So unfortunately, a lot of my shots are wind blown and you can't really enjoy the dress for all it's worth.  Suffice to say, I only managed to stay outside long enough to get a few shots before I hurried inside to warm up.  I ended up changing clothes afterwards because I decided I didn't want to sit in yucky cinema seats in my very nice outfit.  I wore this dress to WWII Weekend last year and it's still one of my favourites and a contender for this year's event.

Of Shoes and Hats

Wow, can you believe that it is March already?  I nearly wrote May, wishful thinking I suppose.  But I will most definitely take March.  I keep seeing photos on Instagram of people that live in California or Australia where it's warmer and it makes me long for the shedding of layers.  I am constantly seeing photos of all these lovely ladies in their sweet summer dresses or even skirts with no stockings.

 

This cardigan my mum got me for Christmas, and though it's not real vintage, I love the classic look to it.  I don't have that many lace pieces in my wardrobe and this was a nice addition.  Especially since it's a lace that I can wear during the colder months.  I've worn this blouse and cardigan combination many times, probably because purple and green are my favourite colours.  I am also wearing this knit skirt here again because it's just so darn comfortable and I love the way it conforms to my curves.

I had the bright idea to wear these peep-toe wedges that I just bought off of eBay.  Not exactly the smartest idea I had.  Besides having very cold, wet toes, I also got the new shoes completely covered in mud.  It was cold enough out to still have snow on the ground but warm enough that it had started to melt.  That resulted in very, very mushy ground.  Not the easiest thing to run around taking photos in.  I had to curl my toes up in the shoes as I walked to keep the mud from squishing into my shoes.

Here are the elusive muck shoes.  I adore them and cannot wait until I can wear them again.  They're not vintage but they still have that look to them, and that's good enough for me.  Plus there is just something about wedges that I like.  I've got a few pairs of wedges so it's nice to add these to the family.

I must admit, I do have a bit of a shoe addiction.  But truly, that's not too strange for a woman.  Shoes are definitely starting to take over my closet though.  I think they must multiply when I'm not looking.  I haven't bought any too recently except a pair of vintage Ferragamos and this beautiful floral t-strap peep-toe pair that I'm longing to wear.  Those will probably be the first I strap to my feet when weather permits.  T-straps are just so sexy to me.

I can't believe I haven't worn this fur hat more yet.  It's perfect to keep my head warm in the cold and it was quite a steal, price-wise.  I really must work it into my wardrobe a couple times in the next month or so.  The poor thing isn't getting it's fun out in the world and is just hanging on my wall with some other vintage hat friends.  I seem to wear the same few hats in rotation and don't share the fun with others.  Some hats I have are more for display.  One is very fragile and the netting is in very bad shape.  The other is a gorgeous 1920s turban type hat that I just love but it's rather snug on my head.  I would most definitely wear it though if I had a 1920s outfit to wear it with.  I'm so glad I wrote this, because as I just did, inspiration struck.  I now know that I do have a flapper-esque dress that I can wear with the turban and am longing for warm weather even more so now.

Outfit Details:

vintage fur hat, vintage skirt, vintage blouse, vintage handbag, belt {thrifted}

cardigan, tights {target}

peep-toe wedges {eBay}

necklace, bracelet {Etsy}

This was a really good photo shoot for me.  I feel it turned out really well and I hope you all feel that way as well.  I'm getting better at taking my own photo.  Unfortunately, now I'm going to have to get used to a whole new camera setup.  Still, this new camera should take better photos.  Even though the camera is around 10 years old, my dad said he bought it for around $1,000 new back then.  So we shall see.

Want to see what photos didn't make it onto the blog?  Be sure to go to Facebook to check out the rest, because there were some nice ones that had to get cut.