A modern look but it's all vintage

Hello, blogland! It's been a long time but I'm finally getting the hang of this double diaper duty thing and I'm back to my old self again! I haven't made any new posts but I've been reading your blogs to keep me inspired.

One of my very favorite bloggers, Tara from The DC Metro Retro made a post a few days ago that really got me thinking about wearing vintage from head to toe 24-7. According to list of fashion do's and dont's that she found, wearing 100% vintage is a fashion faux pas! Of course, Tara and many of the rest of us vintage gals totally disagree with that statement but it does lead to some interesting ideas. Do skip over to The DC Metro Retro to check out her thought-provoking post (and be sure to follow her fantastic, inspirational blog!)

I always wondered what would happen to my beloved wardrobe if I ended up on an episode of What Not To Wear. Would my historical garments join the trash pile or would my classic, timeless pieces be allowed to remain? Can an all vintage outfit make it in the modern world without looking like a costume? I think so!!

Yesterday, Pj and I went out on our first kid-free date night since Rhys was born. We went to historic main street in St Charles for dinner. These pics were taken at Frontier Park by the currently flooding Missouri River. I decided to use our outing as a chance to challenge myself to put together a modern looking ensemble using 100% vintage pieces. Here it is from head to toe...

my 40's middy plus haircut- unstyled
green bakelite poker chip earrings-etsy
vintage pussy bow blouse-thrifted
deadstock men's work trousers- Leo's Old Clothes, Columbia MO
40's wedges-estate sale
various bakelite bangles
vintage tooled leather handbag-thrifted
alice in wonderland umbrella- antique shop in southern MO, kind of a middle-of-nowhere joint

I had to add a modern cardigan later in the day- it got really cold all of a sudden! My awesome chartreuse cardigan is from Target. I loooove this color, so excited that the modern fashion world has decided that chartreuse is "in" this season

If you can create a modern look using all vintage garments, do leave a link below, I'd love to see it!!

16 comments

StevieMay 6, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Good post! Your outfit is lovely! All the better for being all vintage.
My favorite cardigan happens to be chartreuse too! I love it but it is getting holey. Just need the fabric to make a nice new one! Hope your little ones are doing well x
Stephanie LynnMay 6, 2011 at 11:30 AM
How cute! What not to Wear actually had a girl on recently (last month I think) who wore vintage! They did let her keep some of her pieces (if they were in good condition and fit her.), but of course, really modernized her. (She did this weird thing where she wore plastic pole dancing stilettos with vintage!! How bizarre! Glad they broke her of that habit.) I guess the take home lesson is make sure it fits and looks good on you!
Lauren HairstonMay 6, 2011 at 11:45 AM
We're so used to seeing modern clothes that are styled to look vintage that it's really refreshing to see vintage clothing that's so casual and contemporary. I love vintage clothing, but I don't wear it very often, because I'm really just a sweater-and-jeans gal (plus, I'm so messy I'm afraid I'll ruin what I'm wearing!). I do wear vintage jewelry, though, on a pretty regular basis.
art deco dameMay 6, 2011 at 1:54 PM
I love chartreuse too!
Hello JodiMay 6, 2011 at 2:09 PM
I totally disagree with her: I LOVE polyester!
Also I'm now going to be hyper-aware of looking like a period movie extra.
JemimaMay 6, 2011 at 2:32 PM
I love that umbrella. I absolutely think that you can wear vintage without looking like a movie extra. I think that what you do with your hair tips it over the edge - I tend to keep mine natural unless I am going to a vintage event.
TaraMay 6, 2011 at 4:53 PM
Brittany,

Thank you for mentioning my post and blog! I love your look here too! It is very chic and classic! The basics, no matter what era they are from, are always in style! I adore your green cardigan! Target can be such a great place to find cute stuff! I have to check my local one out. It has been a while.

@Hello Jodi,

I hope my quip about poly did not offend you! I am just biased since I grew up in the late 70s and 80s. I know that not all 70s poly is bad. My mom had a polyester Diane Von Furstenberg-looking dress that was amazing. It was a deep burgandy and she wore it with these gorgeous snakeskin heels. I think poly works if the cut and style leads the way.
Betty2ToneMay 6, 2011 at 5:02 PM
I would have guessed that your outfit was a modern outfit with a vintage look, not the other way around. So good job with your "challenge" :)
SaraMay 6, 2011 at 5:23 PM
Hey doll! Love your blog :] I noticed you were having the same issue I am- I am unable to see my followers updates! It is saying I am not following anyone, when I know I am! You can see all of them on my "profile". How did you fix this problem please? Thank you so much pretty* ♥
Brittany_Va-VoomVintageMay 6, 2011 at 6:05 PM
Tara, thank you for the inspiration! I know what you mean about Poly. Some of it is so yucky and scratchy but I actually have a few 70's does 40's poly dresses that I love- one of them is light and flowy like silk. I love Target too! I haven't shopped there in ages but when I saw chartreuse cardigans, I couldn't resist, even though it does need to be shortened a bit.
Sara, thank you! I have no idea how to fix the follower issue. Sometimes I can't see any blogs that I follow so I just come back to blogger about 5 minutes later and it's fixed. I wish I could be more help! :(
GabriellaMay 6, 2011 at 9:23 PM
This post makes me so happy!
DearHelenHartmanMay 6, 2011 at 10:03 PM
Everything old is new again... makes me think of the small town where I grew up where one of the department stores' mottos was - Nothing is permanent in fashion but good taste!
Mickie Mueller ArtMay 9, 2011 at 9:13 PM
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Mickie Mueller ArtMay 9, 2011 at 9:15 PM
Brittany, You look totally cute and I'm sooo glad you got to have a date night,what a perfect spot for it! :o) Tara, I understand, I am also a child of the 70's and 80's, and it's hard to think of polyester as being a good thing ever, just because we see fashion through that lens, we lived it! LOL Brit occasionally comes over in something polyester and I'm always surprised it's polyester, it's not our fault, we just can't forget the jumpsuits, can we?! :oD
fashion bucket.May 10, 2011 at 8:16 PM
Hello!

I found your blog on IFB and decided to stop by since you had some inspirational opinions.

Anyway, I have to say that I love vintage clothing - I raided my mums wardrobe about 5 years ago and am still wearing these things today! I constantly get asked where I bought this or that, and I get a little chuffed at being able to say it was my mothers..

On that note I do find vintage or op shopping quite a time consuming process - you either have to trawl through heaps of bad to find one treasure, or go to the shops who have picked out all the treasures but are charging brand new rates!

In the end I stick to doing it from time to time, but dont have the energy to solely wear vintage :(

Thanks for sharing!

-fb X
UnknownMay 11, 2011 at 4:09 AM
I love that the umbrella matches the outfit too! Accessorize accessorize :)
Very cute baby pictures in the last post - congratulations again !
Lydia

www.styleindependent.com

I read every single comment (even on old posts) and they make my day! If you have a question, please email me at brittanyvavoomvintage@gmail.com. Thank you for reading me!