Baby I'm Howling For You

If you didn't already see it, yesterday I posted my list of Black Friday deals and coupons, including really fantastic coupons from TheBestVintageClothing.com, Chronically Vintage on Etsy, and ReVamp Vintage. Go check it out! Better yet, spread the word. I'll be posting the coupon codes throughout the week on my Instagram account (@cakesvintage), so repost at will.

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When I was in college I took a class on fairy tales and folklore, and Little Red Riding Hood was a really fascinating one to dissect. It's a generally accepted premise that fairy tales are told to children to help them understand how the world works, and they reflect our subconscious fears and desires. That's why there are so many similar ones across different cultures around the world. Little Red Riding Hood expresses the fears of growing up, of women reaching maturity and exploring their sexuality, and the dangers inherent in that. If you're interested in a modern, feminist interpretation of the story, Angela Carter's short story The Bloody Chamber is a really good.
This weekend was surprisingly warm, if damp, so I made a point to get a little dressed up and take some fun photos. I've been feeling very inspired by fairy tales and folk inspired details, and a cheeky take on Little Red Riding Hood just kind of spontaneously came together.

Ok, so I'm not wearing red, I don't have a hood, and I'm not particularly little. I sort of liked the implication of Little Red wearing a nice *cough* fur cape, though, as if she'd handled the wolf problem and had a little something to show for it.

I've worn this dress before, most recently here, and I was happy to discover that it actually works pretty well as a layering piece. A prim, peter pan collar blouse with a brooch at the neck and another, shorter skirt in a coordinating color pretty easily took it from summertime sundress to something folkloric and fall appropriate, like a dirndl with an apron.

I was actually pinning up the skirt to hem it, and when I tried it on, I realized that I liked the look of the slightly longer underskirt. I didn't leave it this way, but I thought for the photos it was a fun touch. I might replicate the look with a longer petticoat or cotton slip in the future.

I've been trying to find different ways to use my backyard, just so that I'm not taking the same photos over and over again, and I think I like this higher vantage point. I don't have a remote trigger for my camera, though, so it's probably pretty amusing watching me run up and down a flight of stairs umpteen times to push the button.
Do you have a favorite fairy tale? I'll be honest, while I like reading them, it tends to frustrate me that, because of when and where they come from, the women are always helpless damsels, waiting for men to rescue them. I usually enjoy reading interpretations of them that give the women in the stories a little more agency and power. Neil Gaiman has some decent ones like that, and the aforementioned Angela Carter does as well.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

After approximately three days of beautiful fall weather, winter has decided to stake its claim. Rest in peace, Autumn. We hardly knew ye.
Whatever. Seasons change, and soon enough I'll be bitching about getting slapped in the face by summer heat and humidity every time I step outside. The one nice thing about winter is that if your outerwear game is on point, minimal effort is required to look polished and put together.
Although I have three really nice coats, I feel like I could stand to get a couple more. I think bright colors and bold shapes help keep things interesting when you start defaulting to basic, "I'm tired and have to get dressed in the dark" outfits. 
Yellow Textured Coat

This sunny yellow would definitely help brighten up your day when it's gloomy out. The relaxed shape makes it easy to layer a chunky sweater underneath.

Polka Dot Dropped Waist Coat

Admittedly, this one is a little on the light side for a Chicago winter, but the dropped waist and the pretty pattern meant that I had to include it. 

Red Felt Coat

I love a red coat - it just makes me think of sledding and caroling and roasting chestnuts over open fires. This collarless version would be great to wear with tops and dresses with collar details (assuming they aren't hidden under a thick scarf).
Plaid Mohair Lilli Ann Coat

This is the kind of coat that you can throw on with boots and jeans and be the best dressed person on the street.
Houndstooth Princess Coat

I debated about posting this one because I don't want any of you bitches to snatch it out from under me. The shape, the pattern, the colors - freaking love it.
Reversible Wool Wrap Coat

Wrap coats are having a serious moment this year, and I love that this one is basically two coats in one. 

Deco Inspired Velvet Coat

Another one that has me not-quite-figuratively drooling. Wouldn't this be perfect for a decadent New Year's Eve?
Burgundy Princess Coat

This pretty princess coat is perfect for everyday wear with a scarf, full skirt, and a thick pair of cable knit tights.
 

This Lilli Ann coat is my favorite of the ones that I own. It's ridiculously warm, and you could probably fit an entire other person in there with me, much less a thick sweater. I didn't know as much about vintage when I bought it as I do now, and I feel vaguely guilty for talking the girl who sold it to me down to $60. But not that guilty.

What's your favorite coat? Do you like bolder outerwear choices, or do you keep it chic and subdued?

There's a mouse in my kitchen and he's eating my cheese

There is, in fact, a literal mouse in my house. An entire family of them, actually. Despite what cartoons have taught me about how cute, spunky, and good at cooking mice are, it's fair to say that I am freaked out about this development. I actually had dreams last night about wearing a dress made of live mice. It was not a good one.
We set traps last night and caught a few, but some of them seem to be clever enough to nibble the peanut butter off without setting off the trap. I'm predicting the rise of a race of super mice that will take over first our apartment, and then the world.
Until that happens, I'm having some fun exploring a style era that I hadn't really been attracted to until recently - the mod style of the 60s.

It's not that I didn't like mod style up until now, but more that I didn't think it was a style that I could wear well. A-line shift dresses, which obscure the waist and place all the emphasis on the legs, are a tough sell on my body. I was also avoiding mini skirts this summer after discovering just how short my big old butt was making them. Now that it's tights season, though, minis are back in the game, and I'm finding that as long as there's some waist definition, I don't have to be totally cinched in to look like I have a shape.

One of the things that made me revisit 60s styles is the place my hair's at right now. When I came back from vacation, I realized it's long enough now that I can start styling it as a bob. I cut some bangs and trimmed the back, and ended up with something somewhere on the spectrum between flapper and Sgt. Pepper. It's funny how much it's made me rethink styles that I'd pretty much categorized as "not for me."

Something that I like about mod style is how playful it is with things like color. I felt a bit funny adding these mustard yellow tights into the mix with burgundy shoes, a pink skirt, and a charcoal gray sweater, but I think it's actually fairly coherent.

This dress was a total impulse buy. I picked it up from The Vintage Mistress for less than $10. The fabric is pretty much the Platonic ideal of polyester - thick, vaguely chemical smelling, and completely lacking in breathability - but it's surprisingly perfect in cold weather. It was something like 35° when I took this photo, and aside from my hands, I was pretty comfortable.

Feeling like a proper dollybird.

The print and my pose here are transforming my hips into an M.C. Escher drawing.

I'm enjoying looking at other eras in fashion and seeing how I can make them work for my body and my style. Maybe I'll finally make a drop waist flapper style work for me, possibly with the help of super-intelligent rodents.

Cheap Thrills - Etsy Edition

I've been bad. I've got a trip coming up that I should be saving for, and after I splurged a little bit and basically bought all of the stuff that I decided I needed for fall, I said I wasn't going to do any more shopping. It's just soooooo haaaaard not to when people are practically giving clothes away, though. A mere $10 for a cute, mod, 60s dress? Another $10 for a cream colored duster length sweater? $20 for a 50s dress that's a dead ringer for a Birdie dress from PUG? Some things you just can't say no to.

Pickled Vintage
Pickled Vintage specializes in super cute party dresses, and right now the entire store is 35-55% off.
70s Maxi Dress - $18.90

Not quite my style, but a really cute piece for a bohemian babe.
50s Brown Polka Dot Dress - $60.30

If this weren't several inches too small all over, this would absolutely be in my closet.
50s Suzy Perette LBD - $81.90

This sophisticated black velvet wiggle dress would be perfect for any holiday parties.

Capsule Vintage
Capsule Vintage is another store with a beautifully curated selection of dresses. Everything in the store is 20% off through Thursday.
80s Navy Cardigan - $30.40

This classic cardigan would make a great addition to any vintage wardrobe.
50s Black Floral Skirt - $49.60

Another selection of the petite lady, this beautiful floral skirt is the sort of piece you reach for day after day all year long.
50s Red Plaid Dress - $51.20

This cute plaid dress would look so sweet with a pair of boots and tights on a crisp fall day.

Simplicity is Bliss Vintage
Another shop with fantastic dresses. Usually a little out of my price range, but with 30% off most of the store, it makes those beautiful pieces a little more attainable.
60s Mustard Plaid Skirt - $26.60

Who isn't mad for plaid this time of year? Perfect for adding a little schoolgirl chic to your wardrobe.
50s Novelty Print Dress - $31.50

This toy soldier novelty print dress will look amazingly cute on someone, perhaps with a peter pan collared blouse underneath.
50s Diamond Print Dress - $47.60

Bring the diamond print that was so popular this summer straight into fall with this awesome long sleeved dress.

The Vintage Mistress
The clearance section here is off the charts cheap. This is where I found my killer, could-not-pass-them-up deals yesterday.
Persian Lamb Coat - $39.00

Fuzzy wuzzy was a coat, fuzzy wuzzy was a goat. Wait, no, that's not how that goes. But seriously, this 50s style double breasted coat looks cozy and pettable as hell.
50s Yellow Linen Shirtdress - $9.50

This sunny yellow dress with cute patch pockets will be perfect once warmer weather hits again, and you really can't beat that price.
60s Black Dress and Shawl Set - $12.00

Get in on the fringe trend with this amazing dress and shawl.

Jumblelaya Vintage
I think Jumblelaya is a pretty well known store already, and it looks like their well chosen wares are all 20% off.
40s Ivory Blouse - $25.60

I don't know about you guys, but I've always got my eye out for nice vintage blouses, especially ones that aren't super tiny. Love the collar detail on this 40s gem.
50s Plaid Shirtdress - $62.40

Didn't I say I was mad for plaid? This just makes me want to go pumpkin picking, or whatever one does at a pumpkin patch.
50s New Look Pink Taffeta Party Dress - $70.40

Ok, so this one is still a little bit of a splurge, but isn't it just jaw droppingly gorgeous. If I hadn't already spent all my money I'd be all over this baby. Drool.

Other great sales:
HoneyTalk Vintage, 25% off the entire store.
Vacation Vintage, 25% off the entire store
Aiseirigh, 50% off the entire store, including a great selection of Gunne Sax
Rockabilly Raven Vintage, 15% off
Livin' Vintage Shop, looks like 25% off most items, including their great selection of plus size vintage
Edited to Add: I just saw Chronically Vintage is offering 31% off the entire store through November 2nd!
Fly, fly, my pretties! Go buy things before someone snatches them out of your grasp and you spend the rest of your life thinking about that dress that you should have bought!

Leopard is a neutral

You know what's weird? I felt like I had so many hats until I started wearing them every day, and now I feel like I need more of them. Just a fun, colorful one. And maybe a cute cloche. And a gray one. And maybe a leopard one...
Obviously, at a certain point, I reach maximum hat density, but it could take a while.
I'm starting to feel like hats both are and aren't accessories. It's sort of like shoes - sometimes you just grab your black flats that go with everything, and sometimes you have to build an outfit around a particularly interesting pair. I'd say most of the hats that I bought so far fall into the interesting category, so I've found myself reaching for sleeker, more modern, more subdued items in my wardrobe to let the hat stand out.

Well, sort of. I don't know if two tone shoes, bright blue, and leopard really count as subdued for most people, but hey, I'm wearing plain black pants! That never happens!

Something about this outfit made me feel like Michael Jackson. Maybe the shoes. I just felt like I had to try and dance around and get up to antics.


 I don't really have a good enough camera or sense of timing to capture said antics, but you get the drift.

I'm bending over backwards (well, sideways) to get good pictures!
This is actually the hat that Brian bought me that sparked my interest in vintage hats. I don't wear it very often, just because it is such a HAT, but I found it really fun with an outfit like this.
I love the combination of yellow and gray, and I think these photos turned out pretty well, but I would probably not wear this outfit this way again.

I don't know what it is, but I'm just not totally happy with it. This hat, I believe, is from the 30s, but there's a slightly Edwardian feel to it that I don't think meshed as well as it could have with the rest of the outfit.


For someone who usually is like "fuck rules, fashion should be fun!", I'm actually kind of weird about matching my tights to my boots. These tights are just slightly bluer than these boots, and it drives me crazy. I actually own a few pairs of gray tights because last winter I kept buying them, trying to find a perfect match. Seriously, how hard is it to find mushroom gray tights?

I'm still going to be in hat wearing mode this weekend, so hopefully I have something fun to show you guys on Monday. It might be a new hat. You don't know my life.

Bad Hattitude

I mentioned yesterday that I'm trying to justify the slightly ridiculous number of hats that I own by actually, you know, wearing them. I fall in love with them when I see them at the store, but when it comes to incorporating them into my every day life, I either forget that I have them, or put them on, decide they're too outlandish, and take them right back off. Hence, this project where I make myself choose a hat to wear every damn day for the next week. I'm actually considering extending it for two weeks, just because I realized I have that many languishing in a big pile o' hats, sad and unworn.
Of course, human beings have a long and storied history of wearing crazy shit on their heads.

This one is actually pretty simple, by the standards of medieval noblewomen.

And this caricature of Marie Antoinette is certainly a little exaggerated, but only a little.

Hats didn't really get any saner when we hit the start of the 20th century either.

You guys know I love Carmen Miranda, but the woman was not a minimalist.

Shoes on heads and vagina flowers in the background. Tres chic.

Beautiful, and comparatively simple, but this would require some serious hat pins (and possibly some super glue) to stay in place.

This hat may be the least complicated thing that she's wearing, actually.

Compared to all these other fabulous ladies, I'm feeling a little plain Jane. (By the way, I'm not saying I took this picture while sitting in my bathtub, but I'm not saying I didn't take it there either.) It's good to get a little perspective about what really constitutes an outlandish hat.