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Halloween Costume Hilarity

Ballerina & Lady Bug -early 80's






Can-Can Girl -1984-85?







Leprechaun -1978





Cave Woman -late 90's





Man & Fairy = there's a joke in there somewhere -1996








Superman & French Maid #1 -early 80's {check the sagging stockings in the first shot!! lol. ....but I wish I had them now!}





Dracula & French Maid #2 -1988







Carmen Miranda & Elvira 1993







Blue Fairy from Disney's Pinocchio 1982 ...my wings were so big and it was so windy I literally was lifted off the ground while walking into school that morning. I was so afraid for the rest of the day I was going to fly away. Thanks mom ;)






French Maid #3 -1995 ...added chains to this one. {borrowed costume}









French Maid #4 @ Dimples when I worked as a Karaoke host ...early 2000's ...and the first French Maid costume I actually made. Corset from Frederick's of Hollywood, crinoline from Trashy Lingerie, made the skirt, hat, wrist ruffles, etc.





Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo -late 90's



...all costumes hand-made by my mom or me except the two early French Maids.

more
Madonna Costume 2003
Cyndi Lauper Costume 1984
Tinkerbell Costume 1980
Vampire Nurse Costume 2000

I'm a Werewolf

...and when I'm in this blood lust, I either have to kill people or spend money, it's horrible. ...from Vegas 2008



2:00 in.

Completely Gratuitous Outfit Post

What I'm Wearing
* Vintage Halston plum v-neck sweater ...I think this was my grandma's.
* Express salt & pepper tweed trousers ...tucked into boots. *Note: while my husband is polite, he's not a huge fan of this look. In fact, I'm not sure any man really is ...or anyone but me and Gwen Stefani ...and Balmain ...and Justin Timberlake ...and of course, soldiers - {I've had these pants for ages} ...seen here
* Dolce Vita knee-high boots ...pushed down. last seen here
* Red Monkey Designs studded leather belt
* Vintage Gucci bag
* Tom Ford "Yvette" Sunglasses
* Black Pashmina scarf

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Completely Gratuitous Outfit Post

What I'm Wearing
* Red/Coral vintage leather coat ...I think this coat is from the 60's. I found it over 10 years ago for $15 but probably haven't worn it in over 5. It's in surprisingly perfect condition, lining too. Tag says Leathers by New England and the photos do it no justice. It's like butta.
* Calvin Klein jeans -cuffed. Also had these for over 10 years. I really only remember the age of my stuff by where I was living when I got it ...fun fact about these jeans? the zipper never stays up. woo! ...last seen here
* Ivory satin camisole. My mom gave this too me recently along with a black one after I asked her if "she had any of those silk camisoles I used to make fun of you for wearing?" lol ...but the straps were unbelievably short so I cut them and stitched on ribbon to lengthen them. {DIY later}
* Marc by Marc Jacobs ivory and gold heels. I think I got these on gilt.com ...a while ago ..last seen here
Marc by Marc Jacobs necklace also from gilt.com ...last seen here
* Gold D&G Check watch
* Tom Ford "Yvette" sunglasses




I'm finding it increasingly stressful and challenging to get great outfit shots in the mornings before work lately. I'm thinking I may have to prepare them the night before ...which I really don't like because I think it loses some spontaneity but I also need to preserve my sanity. I would have preferred better shots ...as these came out so dark you really can't see what this jacket looks like and in lightening them, they sort of get grainy. I dunno ...maybe you don't care ;) but I do. I'm sort of a perfectionist like that. It's irritating.




... also, it's my mom's birthday!


Have fun at Disneyland ;)

What's Old is New classic accessories are always in style

After a little over a year of use, I am finally retiring my Burberry Prorsum zipper wallet {a gift from my father in law, thanks dad!} and upgrading to a newer version ...a gift from my husband LAST CHRISTMAS! {thanks baby!}





Yet another gift from my father in law, my silver Burberry tank watch, which I have religiously worn on my wrist for about three years now ...has a new friend to compete with. A slightly larger and gold D&G Check watch I found on gilt.com about a month ago. ...and when I took my new D&G watch into my local jeweler to have a few links removed, I spotted these three little rings {right} in white, rose and yellow gold and thought they would compliment my new watch oh so well. Price? $35 each. Yep, gold-plated ...but no one will ever know ;) when mixed with the real thing. However lovely, they do not compete with the sentimentality of the three white gold and diamond rings to the left {which my husband and I bought on the way to eloping because our wedding bands were not complete yet} ...although they will now compete with finger time.

Recently noticing a classic satchel handbag trend, I decided to give my Zac Posen bag a rest and dust off my old vintage Gucci bag which I purchased on ebay for about $80 {or was it $130?} about 10 years ago. {also noticing a trend in handbags -smaller & going back to matching outfits -since so many styles are ...well, in style - instead of one ginormous bag that you wear with everything}





You know I love my Tom Ford sunglasses ...I've been wearing them for quite some time now and they are still working for me. They were $425 {2007 I think}. I tend to spend money on A. Classics and B. Things I'll wear daily. For instance, if I spent $425 and wore them every single day for a year {it's been longer} then technically, I pay slightly over a dollar a day. AND if they're classic, you can put them away and 20 years later you can bet they'll be back in style again ...like the silly vintage {and inexpensive} black angled sunnies I've just recently fallen in love with again.

*Lessons learned: Shop smart. Spend your money on classics and get your trends on the cheap. While I'll wear virtually any brand of shoes, my handbags and daily accessories are usually designer {not including costume jewelry}. Mix expensive with inexpensive and new with vintage ...and when gifting holidays come around, ask for that one big thing you would never buy yourself because you'll love it for years to come.

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Completely Gratuitous Outfit Post

I like the photos today but I accidentally shot with the sun behind me so most of the photos are sans details ...and when I try to lighten them, they get grainy. I really hate that actually. I'm in such a rush on my way to work to find a place to pull over and take some photos that I don't always think everything through prior. Unfortunately you can't see any details on this dress, like the stitched/seamed stripes on these amazing puff sleeves ...or the fact that the back is open then buttons all the way down.


What I'm Wearing
* Vintage black dress, belted. Tag says Ronnie Heller for MJ. Found this dress a couple weeks ago at a thrift shop. It's actually calf-length and rather large but I have it belted and bloused ...which I love but leaves the cool pockets unusable. I really just wanted something simple today in this warm LA weather.
* Pour la Victoire platform pumps
* Silver hearts and hoops danglies ...Farmer's Market.
* Vintage Gucci bag
* Vintage sunglasses. I have no idea when or where I got these ...which is surprising really, because almost everything has a story. I have a box of old sunglasses, some that I loved and wore religiously and some not so much. I kind of died last night when I opened the box and found these angled plastic frames. With such a simple look today, I thought the sunglasses added the perfect touch.




. . . Saturday I got my hair done.

If you're in LA and looking for a RAD hair stylist {who's totally affordable and QUICK!} She seriously gets my thick-ass hair done in two hours! I've been going to her for over 5 years now ...and that's a record.

Nikki Shabani
12930 Ventura Blvd. #220
Studio City, CA 91604
818-421-4738

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Chanel Inspired Victorian Collar DIYruffled neck piece, necksessory ...or scarf

Chanel | Karla
























...large with large flower pin



...little one, pinned with two flower pins







*Notes: I used this peachy pink vintage fabric that I've had for 100 years ...actually, I think it was originally my mom's. I remember using it for a project in an pattern-making class in my early 20's. However, I would have preferred to mix it with a similar hued chiffon to add a new texture to it ...but it was too late to make a trip to the fabric store. I usually like to go through and use what I have before buying anything new ...and I was lucky to finally be able to use the rest of this fabric. {I'm guessing it's from the 80's}
* The original length of 80" shrunk to 44" {large} and 40" {small}
* Wear them separately or together. I liked the idea of two different pieces that I could wear together if I wanted a bigger/fluffier neck.
* Create edgy flower pins with your left-over material. Use them to pin scarves in place to create a collar that stays put.
* I actually created a hand-full of modern Victorian collars about a year ago for my then-etsy shop. If you've been following me for that long, you may remember ;)
* A Thank You to Pam, a lovely reader who emailed me in September and asked that I do this DIY. Apologies for the time delay ;) ...but thanks for the inspiration!

* Have Fun!