I must have been inspired by that rainbow I saw, because this rainbow-striped sweater and bright skirt was the first thing I reached for. I toned it down a bit with a black jacket–hey, we can’t be ALL happiness and sunshine, right?

 Triple-drop star earrings, $90 | Pea Jacket, $275| Striped knit dress, $81 | Yarn Plumes Skirt, $118

Also, if you’re not too busy Friday evening, you should hit Mariemont for the opening of One Mode!

Champagne + fashion + a cupcake shop within walking distance = I’M THERE.

You'll also like:

Sometimes I have trouble finding exactly what I’m obsessing over looking for, but I know it exists! This time, I’m in search of flat ankle boots that are sleek, not rugged.

They need to:

1. NOT look like something a cowboy/biker/member of a grunge band would wear on casual Friday.
2. Have a bit of a heel or wedge so I’m not forced to walk like a duck. Completely flat flats make me walk weirdly.
3. Adjust to properly fit my ankles. Otherwise, my chicken legs look like twigs growing out of a gaping hole when I wear skirts.
4. Be, like, 1/8 of the price of these Chloe ankle boots.

Suggestions much appreciated!

You'll also like:

Time for me to dole out semi-unsolicited style advice again! Yay?

My homies at A-Line passed along this tweet from @kellydobos :

Hey @ALineMagCincy I have to speak in front of major magazine beauty editors in NYC this month, what should i wear? Any tips on styling?

Ooh, that sounds like a fun combination of awesome cosmopolitan adventure (magazine beauty editors! NYC!) + nerve-racking responsibility (public speaking, outfit stress). Let’s see what we can do:

Left: Anthropologie Graublau blazer, $148 | Michael Antonio Musa boot, $59 | Vintage cuff bracelet, $60 | Modcloth B. Jones Style skirt, $89.99 | Gorjana Cleopatra earrings, $30
Right: Farfetch Barbara Bui Blouse, $848 | Endless Dolce Vita Rosetta pump, $170 | Gold chain link necklace, $30 | Blue Topshop trousers $85 | Amrita Singh Georgica ring, $100

This is the sort of occasion where you need to look like you know what you’re talking about and like you just stepped out of the pages of a magazine. No pressure!

Mixing different styles is the best way to achieve both: On the left, a structured blazer (professional), full skirt (feminine), platform ankle boots (fashion-y), and geometric accessories looks polished and pretty; on the right, a softly draped blouse (feminine), tailored trousers (professional), green suede pumps (fashion-y), and bold gold jewelry looks smart and approachable.

This sounds like an exciting opportunity–good luck!

~T

You'll also like:

Just because I’m not shopping doesn’t mean I can’t encourage other people to do so! When I find good stuff, I like to share (I’m generous like that), so let’s Shop Around:

Almost exactly a year ago during Style Tour, I visited Casablanca Vintage and it was a hot mess and a half. There was a mountain of clothes piled on the floor, there didn’t seem to be any order to the way things were organized, and the lights were out in half the store, making any sort of shopping nearly impossible. I swear, it looked like an episode of “Hoarders” had exploded in there.

However, several people have told me it’s been cleaned up in the past year and I’m open to giving second chances, so I stopped by after finishing up some returns in Northside. I discovered that yes, it’s been cleaned up. And yes, it’s goooood:

The first section I hit was women’s skirts, and I was pretty impressed.  There were skirts galore from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, and whole section dedicated to plaid kilts. If you’re looking for vintage skirts, GO HERE.

I also found a pair of perfectly stiff, stand-up-on-their-own high-waisted wide-legged (is that enough adjectives for you?) jeans and a gorgeous sequined shirt dress that I really wanted to take home with me.

Of course I had to check out the men’s section (tip: ALWAYS check the men’s and boy’s sections when thrifting and vintage shopping. Cozy oversized sweaters and tailored blazers abound.), which was full of Junior High Boyfriend sweaters, quirky button-downs, and sharply tailored pleated pants like my dad used to wear.

Over on the left side of the store, there were even more clothing racks and a decent selection of shoes, the most interesting of which were way too small for my modern-day size seven feet. Fun to look at, though.

The racks in that area were filled with beautiful, fragile, high end vintage dresses, from Jackie O.-esque day dresses to brightly colored costumery. The guy working there said that they often rent and sell clothing to theater companies, which would explain the more flamboyant (but still wearable, IMO) pieces.

I also happened upon a rack of fun military jackets, most of which were disappointingly large on me. Sigh. I love a good military jacket, probably thanks to MJ.

Casablanca is what a good old fashioned vintage store should be, with the requisite musty smells and lingering scent of old perfume. It’s full of Izod sweaters and polyester dresses and things your second grade teacher would have worn, a mish-mash of mod and prairie and disco and punk with plenty of sequins for good measure. If you have time this weekend, check it out!

Casablanca Vintage
3944 Spring Grove Avenue
(513) 541-6999

You'll also like:

Urban Renewal tee, Grey Ant jeans, thrifted sandals, no-name bag, Gucci sunnies

Running around sourcing clothes and accessories for photo shoots isn’t necessarily intellectually demanding, but it’s physical enough to call for comfortable (preferably stretchy!) gear. This soft cotton tie-dyed tee and high-waisted jeans are are nice and cool in warm weather, the sandals I picked up on my recent thrifting adventure are perfect for pounding the pavement, and this big ol’ bag holds all the stuff (forms, camera, ice cream) I need to take with me!

You'll also like:

YOU GUYS. You won’t believe this, but I finally got around to doing another video blog! It’s only been, what, a year since the last one?

So, recently I hit my new favorite thrift store intending to pick up one or two items. Riiiight. Being me, I managed to leave with TEN items–including two pairs of shoes, a dress, two blouses, and several pairs of pants–all for under 30 bucks. Watch and learn…

*Note: I recorded in portrait orientation because I’m not that bright sometimes, but have been too lazy busy to re-record. Lesson learned.

You'll also like:

Despite hot weather-laziness setting in (you know when it’s so hot it just makes you TIRED?), I managed to get the couch and enjoy the weekend!

T-Shirt Fest

Friday evening, I headed to Fountain Square to check out T-Shirt Fest. In my deluded mind, I always feel like I don’t have enough casual tees for trips to Kings Island and hanging out on weekends. This is not actually true–I have plenty of t-shirts– but that’s how I FEEL. I am an emotionally complex creature.

Washington Park

On Saturday, 3CDC offered area bloggers a tour of the almost-but-not-quite-completed City Homes, and still-under-construction Washington Park. Yes, my head fits into a hard hat. Barely.

I don’t always agree with 3CDC, but it sounds like Washington Park is going to be pretty dope when finished. There was talk of a playground slide I really feel like I NEED to test out at least once. It’s technically for the bebehs, but believe me, I will push a kid. I can take ‘em.

Cincinnati Boutique Sale

Later, I stopped by the Cincinnati Boutique Sale with plans to find a black top and/or silver earrings. Failing that, I immediately switched to Plan B (in which “B” stands for “Buy Something I Clearly Don’t Need”) and got these cute little espadrille mini-wedges from Morrison & Me. Mission accomplished.

The Best Commercially Sanctioned And Therefore Not Really a Holiday Day Ever

Sunday was National Ice Cream Day, so as a proud Amurrican, I headed to Graeter’s for a specially priced scoop. Hey, I’m nothing if not patriotic.

How was your weekend?

You'll also like: