Happy November, my lovelies! This is the second of three fashion features that are the result of a last minute photo shoot with Kel-Z Photography. Kelsey is a local photographer from Ogden and we had a great time capturing some of my favorite outfits for themed posts that also bring out my random fashionista side! Enjoy!
First of all, I want to thank all of you for kicking ass and taking names by reading my first November fashion feature, Mandatory Metallica. It set a record for most views in a 48 hour period and for that I say thank you. Woo hoo! Rock on! No pun intended...
This week's feature is a thrifted wonder meets victory rolls meets fishnets meet pointy shoes. What more could a girl need?? As you've read before I am a woman who loves to thrift. I affectionately call it thrifting goodness. And why not? Finding one person's junk and making it my treasure is awesome! There is always a funny story behind my favorite thrifted items. Remember the pink polka dot number? And for the record 1988 still hasn't phoned in telling me they want their dress back....
This dress was found purely on accident. I had a load of my junk to take to the thrift store and I decided to run in real quick to the actual store (always a little dangerous) just to take a peek. I didn't have a lot of time which is a challenge I thoroughly enjoy and I found this dress in the wrong size section of the dress rack. Initially, at first glance, I thought this will be a perfect transition to a skirt piece, but when I tried it on it FIT! All of it! Together! Winning! As soon as I bought this dress I knew it was time to book another professional photo session since my beYOUtiful shoot. Email sent and phone calls made to Kelsey and we were ready to roll!
The location for this outfit was the Ben Lomond Hotel on Historical 25th Street in Ogden. There is so much history in Ogden so I will share some tidbits on this building. According to the hotel's website, "Ben Lomond Suites Historic Hotel started life as the five-story Reed Hotel in 1891. In 1927 the hotel was completely reworked in an attempt to create a fire proof hotel. Eleven stories were added and the hotel was renamed the Bigelow Hotel. In 1933 Marriner S. Eccles aquired the hotel and renamed it the Ben Lomond Hotel. Then in the 1980s the 350 room hotel was completely renovated and converted to a 120 suite condo-hotel. The Ben Lomond is the last of the three “grand hotels” in Utah that is still being operated as a hotel. Evidence of this legacy can be seen in the crystal chandeliers, marble floors and decorative ceilings as you enter the lobby of this historic hotel, which is listed on both the Utah & National Historic Registers." It is a magnificent building as you will see by the last picture in front of the windows. When you walk into the lobby it is like going back in time. Sometimes I feel like I should have my hair done up fancy and my flapper dress on and my pearls swinging....cuz I totally have that outfit on stand-by at all times....
Now to the actual fashion stuff! I just want you all to know that I pretty much LOVE fishnets. And the best day of my life was when I found plus-size (ugh, that word) that actually fit and didn't look ridiculous. When I was dressing up to the nines every single day for my previous day job, sometimes I would mix things up a bit and wear all black, fishnets and RED shoes. That gets my point across real well. The point being, "don't mess with the sassy red shoes or the woman wearing them." The other thing that I love so very much are pointy shoes. When I was in college on the East Coast, I remember doing some work on Capital Hill in DC and I saw a girl wearing pointy toes stilettos for the first time ever. Now let's keep in mind that I grew up in rural, po-dunk Southeastern Montana town. Anything with a pointed toe usually was accompanied by a pile of shit and a blingy belt buckle. In recent years I've had to limit my stiletto heels wearing due to feet problems so when I found these flats on Instagram I had to have them. They are edgy and comfy. And another piece of advice. Whenever you find a pair of shoes that fits BOTH of those categories....BUY THEM.
The earrings. Aw, the sweet flower earrings. This picture may seem a bit overwhelming with a good view of my very clean ears, but you all need to see the detail of these great vintage earrings. I purchased them from one of my most favorite online thrift stores (ya, they exist!) It is called 8th Ave. Thrift and she is wonderful and has impeccable taste in earrings, among other things. Her Etsy Shop can be found here. I love that earrings know no size. Well almost. I don't particularly dig the dangly earrings that nearly rip my earlobes or look like I'm headed to prom circa 1991. Just not a fan. But, for the most part I enjoy a vast number of styles in the earring department.
Last, but not least, let's talk about my hair!!! If I could brag about one character trait it would be my hair. It has always been a conversation piece for perfect strangers and friends alike and I love it. However, it is thick and coarse and kind of a pain at times. For a lot of years I didn't have it thinned when it was cut and that has substantially helped with the weight problem. This is probably the longest it's ever been in my life and I surprise myself when I get dolled up. I wanted to attempt vintage hair for this outfit and specifically I wanted victory rolls. My friend Mandi is an expert vintage hair doer and I petitioned her one Sunday evening to teach me by doing my hair while I photographed it. Totally goofy and ended up being the best part of my night. Here's the picture to prove it! ...you're welcome....
A great history tidbit on victory rolls can be found on another blog called Happily Ever After. If you're not up for reading her entire post here are some points I found interesting about the hairstyle. "Along came World War 2, and with it, a shortage in metals due to pretty much all metal being used for the War Effort. I even found a reference to women using pipe cleaners to curl their hair when metal bobby pins became scarce! But I also read that the hairstyle got the name from the "V" shape you get from the rolls when they're pinned directly on top of your head in an upwards way. Another item I read said they named the style "victory" rolls to honor victorious soldiers." Whatever the real story is behind this hairstyle I think it is way classy and I had fun creating my own version. I will admit it made driving to the photo shoot a bit of a challenge (high hair in an SUV=awesome), but I loved how it completed my look. It's also purely coincidence that this post is going live the week of Veterans Day here in the United States. I am the proudest granddaughter on the planet for my Grandpa who was an air pilot in the United States Air Force during World War II. He was stationed in Germany and we grew up hearing all sorts of cool stories about his time in the War. We also heard an equal amount of stories from my Grandmother about being a wife during this time in history. She and my Grandpa spent the first bit of their marriage apart as he was flying in Europe and she stayed in the US to teach school in Idaho. Times were tough, but their handwritten letters kept their love alive.
The moral of the story: a good polka dot outfit with some fishnets to make a point always has a way of turning a cloudy day into a sunshiney rockin awesome victory day! So roll with it and strut your stuff!
Until next time, my lovelies and God Bless America and Freedom!
-R
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