True Confessions.


Here it comes.



So now that I have been open with you all, I feel I can move on...


So on my current agenda, besides the eternal bathing suit hunt, I am busy digging around the internet and the city for summer time appropriate "easy wear." I guess "easy wear" is my own specific euphemism for what others may refer to as "casual wear" (ew.) or "leisure wear" (EW.) I have been evaluating the hot weather ready components in my wardrobe, and for the first time in a long time, I think I may need an overhaul. See, I have A LOT of nice dresses. Since doing a little inventory last week, bringing summer dresses out from their half a year hiatus in the closets upstairs I am actually a little shocked at myself. Not even I realized how many frocks I own. The problem is they are all too nice. As I find myself getting busier and busier, working more, playing hard with an increasingly energetic kid, and having less and less time for getting all prettified in the morning... I am going to need some easier options. Hence, "easy wear."

Please don't get me wrong. I do not see a future for myself in denim cut offs and tee shirts. At least not out and about. I just want to focus on adding dresses (and skirts!)  to my wardrobe that are easy to wear, free fitting, loose, made of non-synthetic materials, and travel well.  The heat and humidity here in Austin are no joke. I have spent too much time sweating through polyester and really wishing my waistlines were less constricting while I am beating the heat with gallons of ice tea (or, you know, strawberry margaritas.) This is not entirely new territory for me, but it is a new focus. 

Needless to say I have already found some great stuff online. So this is a feature I will from hence forth be calling

I've got my eye on you.

On ebay, I have done a lot of searches for "vintage mini caftan," "vintage tent dress," and "vintage free fit dress." I know a lot of people ( my own husband included) don't dig the rather shapeless, possibly even sack dress, look implied by my searches. But I think with the right styling it really can be pretty adorable. And remember, you're not under any obligation to look sexy all the damn time. You can like what you're wearing, feel good in it, and be comfortable, even if it doesn't make anyone want to sleep with you. True story. 

These first two finds double as my official endorsement of the HoneyChild Vintage ebay boutique. So much psychadelic, floral, hippie goodness happening there. It is a little disorienting, what with all the eye-catching vintage knick-knacks and furniture behind the clothes in the photos, but they have a great, covetable selection. And look at all that freee shipping!

Ooooh, I dig this print and it looks like it already has tickets to the summer festivals...


I am actually in love with this print. I want to spoon with it.

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Somewhat unfortunately, Mama Stone Vintage seems to have cornered the market on really cute, vintage, free-fit dresses that are un-matronly. I like perusing her shop for inspirational purposed but can rarely afford to buy anything when the bid prices SKYROCKET at the last minute. It never hurts to have ideas in your head when you hit the pavement though!

I'll be on the lookout for throw-it-on style dresses...

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Moving on to Etsy, I am in love with a whole bunch of items in the SheHeartsVintage shop. I sometimes forget that Etsy can be a great resource! The only problem is that a lot of sellers tend to price themselves right out of my life! I understand setting prices is tricky, but come on. I am now a bonafide cheapskate. I am pissed at Goodwill for upping their prices ($9 a dress!! EGAD!!) I have to reeeeaaallly love a little cotton sack dress to pay $40 for it. A lot.

Still, I love these pieces (maybe) enough. I may just have a girl-crush on the model though. That often clouds my mind.


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I also have my eye on this item over at the TractorDog etsy shop..

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It looks like my "easy wear" focus drifts a bit as I browse. I never fail to stumble into the territory of giant sleeves and polyester... which will not serve me well in July.

So before I go I wanted to tell you guys about my latest thrifting obsession, which is vintage nighties! I won't post too many photos because, come on, they're lingerie, this is a family show. I have 5 or 6 really fantastic nighties from the 50's and 60's hanging in my closet now. I love how it feels to go to bed in something that may as well be a party dress. It feels so much more dignified than falling asleep in whatever sweaty tee-shirt I worked out in...

So Betty Draper!
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And yes, I do wear heels to bed. Night, night.

p.s. Avery wants you to know something very special.



Likes and Dislikes.

 You know what I like about Dita VonTeese? 

One word: Commitment.

Everyone else looks like a sweaty kindergartener at Coachella and she remains STRONG in her image. I mean, to not let it go, not one bit, in bllllazing heat and dust clouds? That is what I call being invested. I love it. 

Dita at Coachella 2008
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Dita At Coachelle 2008
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Say what you will, she is unforgettable.

Do you know what I hate though? When something shockingly relevant to my tastes/interests/life completely escapes me. I blame you. I mean, NO ONE out there in the internet OR the real life world bothered to mention to me that one of my favorite models, Karen Elson, who is married to one of my favorite men, Jack White, just happens to have OPENED AN AMAZING VINTAGE STORE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE!! How did the cosmos see fit to let that bit of information get by me?? The only reason I know now is that I was drawn to flipping through BLACKBOOK magazine in Barnes and Noble a few days ago. I was morbidly intrigued by the awful styling of Nicole Richie hinted to on the cover. Seriously, you couldn't make Nicole less recognizable with 80 pounds and a career. Still, somehow I stumbled upon the article inside that blew my mind.

Karen! (And the other chick who opened the store with her apparently.)
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I sense a summer pilgrimage to Nashville in my future. Don't you??







Just Keep Swimming...


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Just keep swimming is my motto this week. I like to dig deep. Finding Nemoooooooo. When I worked at Starbucks, years ago, when things would get insanely busy the way they can in the worlds most popular yuppie cafe, my co-workers and I would sometimes spontaneously break into the Finding Nemo tune. "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." It is silly but effective and sometimes the only way to break the hate spell that the service industry casts on its minions. You gotta laugh not to cry right? So the problem with the treading water metaphor is that when you stop treading water in the deep blue ocean you drown. There has to be an end, an other side, you may even just call it "land." In reality, the metaphor fails because life never actually stops coming at you. We are always treading water and we continue to do so. No land in sight. I guess the key is to get really, really strong legs and lungs. Learn to enjoy treading water. It burns, but if you're lucky you can get to the hurts so good frame of mind. So for the moment, life is busy and my head is barely above water. The good news is this will always be true.


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You're going to be so impressed. Are you ready for this transition? I started with a water theme (up there!) and now I am going to talk about finding swim wear. Smoooooth. The consensus from the all important internet community and my own feelings have come together on the bathing suit issue. I will be buying one vintage and/or thrifted bathing suit and one new bathing suit for the summer season. Now, I don't know about you but I divide swim wear into really specific categories which is why I cannot just buy one. I have the bathing suit for swimming and the bathing suit for looking adorable. They are worn for different occasions and for different locations. This serves as further proof that I can over-think ANYTHING.  I have actually already purchased one bathing suit (the experience itself will be video blogged for maximum effect) which falls into the "getting sun" category. Yeah, ok, I should just call it the "tanning" category because that's what it's for. I prefer "getting sun" because it sounds healthier. Like I am really out there oiling up to get a healthy vitamin D injection and NOT because deep inside me lives a Laguna Hills cast member who was raised in Orange County and recoils at the sight of a pasty, tan-line free body. The good news is I have FINALLY sworn off tanning beds. I am not proud of it, but I was for years a devotee of the faux tan. It may be a few years before I can give up the tan thing completely but please give me some credit for at least going outside to do it now? Eh? Anyhow, the tanning bathing suit doesn't actually count. I never plan on wearing it anywhere but the pool in my cul de sac. It is essentially style free and serves only the purpose of revealing a lot of flesh to the suns rays.

I feel like I am blogging about a drug addiction here. Should I be this ashamed of wanting to be tan?
Feel free to vote.

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So I think I am this obsessive about swimsuit seasons for abnormal reasons. I am not panicked about my abs, my butt, my cellulite, blah blaaah blaaaaahhhhhhh *passes out from boredom* Actually, I just can't stand to make any style choice without hours of deliberation. I mean, bathing suits are not hard to come by at all. They actually attack you when you walk through a department store. All those straps and beaded strings and brass rings getting caught on your purse hardware and hair while you try to make it across the room. Is that just me? Very possible. I regularly get caught on doorknobs. The point is I am a card carrying attention seeker and since I don't have a bangin beach body to command attention, I have in recent years made it a point to be creative with my by-the-water looks. Last year I think I reached my OVERDRESSED peak at the local YMCA. A large, kid friendly, cement complex with water falls and water toys and gads of harried mommies in tankinis and tee-shirts. We only went a few times last year but I very clearly remember rolling up in a vintage halter one-piece bathing suit, high waisted skirt and wedge platforms. My giant hop earrings, purposefully decorative head scarf and vintage mexican straw tote completed the ensemble. I have never gotten more baffled or hostile looks in one place. Quite the achievement in my warped mind.


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I feel like it is important to highlight what kind of swim suit I would buy if my year long pledge, money, and figure were all non-issues. In that dream world I would buy one color of almost every Norma Kamali bathing suit ever.

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And, these would both look AWFUL on me but one of you ladies needs step up to the plate.

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girl need to eat a sanwich though... just sayin'.


Now, actual possibilities fall beneath the $350 dollar mark, unlike the swimsuits above. I definitely want a vintage reproduction style suit and I have narrowed it down to a few from the iconic Esther Williams swim wear line. 


ooohhh pretty.

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Love, right?

Esther Williams suits available online at Esther Williams web site as well as MyBabyJo.com

As far as an actual vintage swimsuit I am partial to browsing the selection on ebay every week, waiting for the ideal choice. There are some AHMAZING pieces that pop up every once in awhile. No all of them are practical, not all of them are cost effective and very few of them would slide over my baby making hips. Here are a few that have caught me eye... I hope one of you gets your hands on one!!


Sheesh, I mean it's GOLD! This one ends in mere hours, hop on it!

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Find the auction HERE.


I love the sexy tomboy vibe of this striped number.

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Find the Auction HERE.



It's got FRINGE! And it's puke green. Awesome.

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Find the auction HERE.



Saucy.

Find the Auction HERE.



This is just, ridiculous. Adorable on 15 levels. No arguments.

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Find the auction HERE.



Gidget-esque. Love the detail on the top!

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Find the auction HERE.



This is sweet as pie. Congrats on that body too, girl. Monokini lines are flattering. Who knew?

Find the auction HERE.


I am partial to the micro-mini dress as bathing suit vibe.

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Find the auction HERE.

Oh that was fun. I am getting increasingly excited about the arrival of actual summer and not this faux summer that we are in here in Austin. I have already spent several hours at the neighborhood pool with my neighbors, my kids, and my neighbors kids. It is so leisurely and gossipy when we are out there I am thinking of pitching my own series "The Real Housewives of Austin, TX." It would work if any of us were actual housewives, had plastic surgery, or were horrible people. While I am working on correcting all that, I plan on growing my hair ridiculously long and taking lots of photos of Avery in her ITTY BITTY toddler bikini. You may have to avert your eyes though, cute that hard will cause illness. I know, I've seen it happen.

Happy Swimming guys! xo






Family Heirlooms.


Okay guys, bathing suit decision made. It is this or nothing. 

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I bet you think I am joking.

Anyhow,

I don't want to brag, but I am pretty excited about the amazing vintage we have in the Magnolia Family Vintage store right now. I know I get too excited over old clothes but I get an actual adrenaline rush when I find good stuff for the store. Take a look at what is in the shop right now and then scroll down to see all the goodies coming into the store Sunday night...

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and more next week!!!



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Get some while you still can.
You know you want to. Don't live a life of regret. It's that serious!

xo