Sunday morning...

Posting from my iPad, sitting at Starbucks with my sweet baby. I put this together this morning and my husband was so smitten with it, HE said, "I need to take a picture of you when we get outside." Well okay!!

And sticking with my ever dominant thrifting theme, the dress/blouse is thrifted. My pants, which are barely visible are J.Crew. I bought them almost 3 years ago and paid $80 for them which, for me, is an incredible splurge! However, the fit is so perfect and they look exactly the same wash after wash, that it hardly feels like a splurge at all. And I can use them in so many different looks, that I think I could wear them every day for a week and not look the same at all! I may have to try that!

More and more, I'm committed to not jumping on trends or filling up my closet with a bunch of "stuff". Given the recent tragedy in Bangladesh, this also seems to be a socially conscious approach as well.

The boots belong to my daughter. I traded her a pair of her grandmother's flat heeled vintage black boots for these. Both pair now seem to be in the more appropriate domiciles!

The jacket is Doncaster Tanner and passed down to me from a good friend. This is the first time I'm wearing it and it seems to look great with long blousey tops underneath.

Linking up with Patti on Visible Monday!

And please please take a look at Bella's post on "Shop Second Hand First" and consider making the pledge.  I'm so glad I've taken that pledge at the beginning of 2011 and shocked myself by making only 2 retail clothing purchases that entire year.  This year, I don't think I've made more than 2 or 3 either and you know what, it's actually been really easy!  

Sometimes Drama is Good!

Adding dramatic pieces can spice up your wardrobe!

I've decided that one of the things that draws me to items I love is a dramatic effect.  Like this long robish kind of thing.  I found it at my local Goodwill and it just jumped out at me.  I tried it on immediately and knew I had to have it!  $5 later, it's like we've known each other forever.  I've got lots of ideas on how to wear this.....belted over a pencil skirt, hanging open over white jeans and heels, with an opaque slip underneath and a skinny belt and worn like a dress.  It's new home is adorning the dress form that I have in my room.

Here are a couple of gorgeous girlies who inspired me with their long flowing numbers.  The Stylish Wanderer and the effortlessly chic Karla's Closet!

Via

Via

Do you like to add drama to your wardrobe?

I've added some great accessories to my store!  Take a look if you're so inclined!  

***Meaningless Numbers***

Silk blouse:  Thrifted and chopped off the arms, Skirt:  Thrifted, Shoes:  Lela Rose for Payless via eBay

I found this skirt at a new favorite local thrift store.  I saw it on the racks on a couple of visits and finally decided to just get it to sell because it has such great details....side zips that go all the way up the thigh, a great stretchy fabric and tailored seams.  It's a size 2, so as much as I loved it, I was fixated on the size.  But as I was in the dressing room trying on some other things, I eye balled the skirt laying in my cart and thought, "MAN!  I swear that looks like it would fit me!" and so I went for it and braced myself for a few moments of sweating, pulling, grunting and possible tears!

But guess what!?  BAM!  FABULOUSNESS was born!!!  It fit so great that I knew it was meant to be
AND an object lesson was learned.....

FORGET ABOUT SIZES.....THEY MEAN NOTHING

Perusing my closet, you'd find everything from 2 to 16 and everything in between!  That size 2 no more makes me tiny than the size 16 makes me full figured!  I'm just me and those sizes just don't mean a thing!  Makes you wonder why we put so much significance on a number, eh?  

Do you wear a slip? Why you may want to start...

 I recently read in More magazine (magazine for women over 40) that slips were items of clothing that are apparently now unnecessary.  I couldn't DISAGREE more!  Call me old fashioned, but slips still serve our wardrobes and when you're talking vintage slips, well, the possibilities are plentiful!

Here's why I believe every woman (with the possible exception of women who only wear pants and jeans) need slips in their wardrobe.  

Coverage:  According to the magazine article, everyone knows we have legs, hence using slips for coverage is now obsolete.  In my opinion, sheer dresses and skirts look better with coverage underneath.  Even a light slip will provide enough opaqueness to give a clean look.

Proper Hang:  Especially in the cooler months when tights are worn under many skirts; I have found that having a thin slip between my tights and my skirt allows my skirt to hang more freely without getting caught on the texture of my tights.  Nothing looks worse than a straighter skirt clinging to colored legs!

Lengthen:  Do you have a dress or skirt that's just a tad too short?  Add a slip with an interesting hem and get an Anthropologie worthy new look!  That inch or so of slip peaking out from beneath the hem will give you the length you want and add a touch of the unexpected.  Be sure to color coordinate.  You wouldn't want a white slip dipping below a black skirt (ever heard the expression "It's snowing down south"?); but why not play with the possibilities of mixing colors?

Expose:  Truly, Desiree (Pull Your Socks Up) does this best.  Wearing vintage slips as clothes themselves.  The red slip below is the perfect example.  The color is deep enough and provides enough coverage, that I could wear this as a dress.  My sweet husband is all for this idea and when he first saw me in it, it was the first thing that came to his mind!

Lounge Wear:  Terri (Rags Against the Machine) commented months ago that she now uses thrifted vintage slips to wear around the house in the warmer months.  When you're lounging around the house anyway, why not look pretty?  Again, according to Terri, husband approved and appreciated!

Take a look at some of my favorites in my collection.  They're all thrifted and all vintage and all used quite often!

My all time favorite!  In the deepest, will never fade, red!!  And how about that bodice?  Fits like a glove and has the BEST details!

A black half slip.  Just necessary!  This has given length to some shorter black skirts.

I wear the fool out of this one!  Short enough to go under everything and those button front dresses are more comfortable with some coverage beneath. 

Full slips probably get even less wear than half slips, but I just love them!  Talk about a nice clean line under your clothes; these will give everything the perfect silhouette!

This one is a favorite!  That adorned bodice and again, a great fit just make me feel pretty, in an old school kind of way.  And what woman doesn't want to feel pretty?!

Seriously, I don't know how I could do without my slips. 

 Do you ever wear slips?  Or does it seem out dated?

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks.....

Guess what!  There's a dress like this in a thrift store near you.  There really is!  I mean, this is just a plain, vintage, jersey dress that wears like a dream.  It really couldn't be more simple.  But that's the beauty of it.  It's like a canvas and your accessories are the paint.  I have worn this with flats and a simple belt.  I've worn it with brown accessories.   I ALWAYS wear it with a statement  necklace!

When I wore this on Monday, a coworker told me, "Serene, you look very svelte today!"  Svelte you say?! Buh BAM!  I'm ALL OVER svelte!  I think I can count on one hand....okay, maybe one finger the times I've been called "svelte".  But that's what a monochromatic look will do for you.  It'll SVELTE you right in the face!

~Channeling Little Miss Fancie Pants!

Skirt:  Thrifted White House Black Market, Vest & Shirt:  Thrifted, Shoes:  Thrifted, Necklaces:  one set real pearls inherited from my mom and the longer from JC Penny

When I took a look at the pictures of me in this outfit, I thought, "What does this remind me of?  HMMMMM?"  And then it hit me!  Susan, of Little Miss Fancie Pants!!  Susan is like a modern day Grace Kelly.  She's always impeccably dressed and an aura of royalty about her.    Susan is one of the first bloggers I "met" when I started blogging.  She ALWAYS has a smile on her face and I love that her photos are transparent (okay, not literally!); she just is who she is and I can tell she gets a kick out of dressing up.  I love that about her!

This entire outfit is thrifted, with the exception of the jewelry.  I can't even imagine how much the skirt would retail for.  I love White House Black Market, but MAN, it can be on the pricey side!  It just goes to show you.....thrifting isn't all about vintage, even though that's what I'm really drawn to.  Thrifting is just about being wise with your dollars and still getting things you love just as you would in a department store!

~Everything old is new again....

Vintage Dress...Thrifted and sleeves altered

Liz Claiborne Sweater, Chico's belt (inherited from my fabulous mom!)

Two of my favorite bloggers who wear vintage almost every day are Vintage Vixen and Pull Your Socks Up.  They are so adept at being as comfortable in vintage as most Americans are in jeans and tee shirts!  While my own personal style is no where as adventurous as theres; I must say that my passion for vintage is growing.  For a number of reasons, actually:


Vintage connects the past to the present.  My vintage clothes remind me that someone in generations before me felt lovely in our shared article.   And in that partnership, I feel connected to the past.


Vintage gets back to the basics.  What is it that most women want, in terms of style?  I think it's to feel pretty. To express themselves, to be sure.  But don't we all love FEELING pretty, even if we're the only ones who think we are?!  Vintage clothes are an ode to being pretty, because they cut through political correctness and feminism and give us permission to just be pretty - no explanations needed!


Vintage is dress up!  Like dressing up in your mom's clothes when you were a little girl and feeling so glamourous in them.  Vintage allows me to play dress up without my brain saying, "Oh please Serene!  Just grow up already!!" I am grown up!  I'm wearing this to my grown up job, thank you very much!


Vintage is current.  And this really is the most important.  With so much "vintage inspired" like Modcloth and Anthropologie, why not just go for the real thing?  Modcloth and Anthro have such beautiful pieces!  I go in an Anthropologie store and just revel in all the beauty of EVERYTHING in the store EXCEPT the prices!  When I have picked up so many gorgeous vintage pieces for a song, why go broke buying inspired when I can eat well and look pretty wearing authentic?


My next post, I'm going to give some practical tips on wearing vintage and some bloggers to check out who really master this.  What I'm wearing above is a little black dress that I finally rescued from the local Hospice Thrift store after seeing it neglected and looked over during several visits.  I shortened the sleeves and funkeyed it up a bit and it's an absolute favorite!

~*~And now I'm back....from outer space!

Vintage Skirt, worn often.....Sweater & Belt:  Thrifted

Shoes:  Franco Sarto from TJ Maxx

Vintage belt worn as a necklace

Husband's Seiko watch and Mom's bracelet

What can I say?  Vacation is FABULOUS!!!  An entire week with no responsibility!  AMAZING!  It was just what I needed.  To be honest, I've completely been in a funk creatively lately.  My computer's been on the blink and so I took those two combined conditions as a sign that maybe I needed to step back and reevaluate.  Vacation was a great time to do that.

As I was scouring foreign (isn't Florida foreign?) thrift stores, so many ideas and theories came to mind.  Since I began blogging, it's been a very experimental time for me.  Most of my life I've been complimented on how I dress.  Not that I've got the fanciest clothes; but I know how to make due - to turn something not so great into something useable and hopefully with an elegance about it.  But as I started on this blog and putting my personal style out there; it's caused me to really define what my style is.  While I don't like to be pigeon holed, I do like to have a direction.  Hence the name, "Elegant Bohemian".

The Origin

I came up with the term "Elegant Bohemian" in describing my style because in some way, I feel like I'm drawn to opposites.  Maybe it's a balance thing.  I love the bohemian look.  The colors.  The fun style.  The ethnic influences.  But as much as I'm drawn to the gypsy leanings, I equally love the elegance of Old Hollywood.  The clean lines of the film stars of the 30s.  The drama of Hollywood glamour shots.  The ease with which the clothes just hung on the body.  Two very different looks and the refusal to abandon either in favor of the other.    So the solution for me was to combine the two......a bohemian look with an elegant twist.

The Journey

I've read Jentine's blog where she describes her thrifting beginnings and journey.  She said that to begin with she seemed to buy EVERYTHING because she saw potential in everything.  I SOOOOOOOOO get that!!!  I literally laughed aloud when I realized that that's been my dilemma.  It's as if I want to rescue EVERYTHING!  So what happens is that I then come home with a bunch of stuff that really leaves me scratching my head as to how to wear it or has me wanting to rip it off my body at the first opportunity.  I'm now settling into my comfort zone when it comes to my style.  When it comes to style, your comfort zone is exactly where you want to be.  That doesn't mean your comfort zone can't be expanded; but why should any of us wear the latest trend when frankly we're just not that into it.  That's why we're not calling back!  (wink wink)  

My trip and the time alone really helped me sort all of that out.  I really believe I'm not alone.  There are a handful of blogs that I just absolutely am captivated by the blogger's style.    Tons of blogs I love and I love those bloggers; but you know what I mean.  There are just some that you think, "I can so see me in that" to photo after photo or "Man!  THAT'S the look Im trying to achieve!"  One common thread I've noticed in all of them is that when I have gone back to the beginning of their blogs it's evident that their style has been refined throughout the life of their blogs.  I realize, much to my surprise, HEY!  THAT'S NORMAL!  At least it's normal for them, and I think for me also.  I'm curious as I continue blogging and putting my style up for public scrutiny, how my personal style and esthetic will continue to evolve.  I'm looking forward to seeing my blog sister's styles evolve and grow as well!  We're in it together, eh?

Quick Outfit Note

Everything except the shoes are thrifted.   My husband has owned this watch more than twice as long as he's known me!  He put another one on lay-away last year and just recently got it out.  I mentioned to him that I would love to wear his "old" one.  So at the jewelry store when he was picking up his new one, he got a few links taken out of this one.  I've worn it everyday for 2 weeks now and love it!  I love the contrast between the girly bracelet and the masculine watch.... a marriage of jewelry! How romantic!

~I break with thee.....

LETTER TO MY HALF PANTS:
Dear Half Pants,

You are SUCH a tease!  When I first saw you, I thought, “Hmmmmm, How inn-TER-esting!”  You were so different.  So unique.  So unlike anything that had come into my life before.  So then of course, I had to try you on.  The hips, the legs….PERFECTION!  The waist….SHEER TORTURE….  But I was not to be deterred.  I realize that anything worth having is worth a little work.  And you, dear half pants, I felt sure, would be worth the work.

I snipped away at your constricting, impossibly small waistband.  I added the necessary elastic.  Our first moments together were spent modifying you and trying you on until I thought  I had made the perfect adjustments.  Awww half pants, I just couldn’t wait to wear you.  I knew you were something special.  I just KNEW we were meant to be together for a loooong time; sharing special moments, making memories and basking together in the spotlight that we were MADE for.

I styled you wonderfully for our first date.  It was SUPPOSED to be special.  It was SUPPOSED to be the first of many.  But YOU!  You turned on me!  You slowly squeezed me.  This was no lover’s embrace.  NO!  This was boa constrictor-slow torture-excruciating-oh.my.gosh. please let me die-how quick can I get these suckers off-that’s okay, I’ll wear these dusty overalls right out of this thrift store-please make it END-forget the blindfold and just kick the stool out from under me already-she was murdered by her pants-I think I may have a tree sized tumor growing out of my stomach, I didn’t realize that I could be vertically cut in half PAIN! SERIOUSLY!  Are you KIDDING me?!?!?!  I thought we meant something to each other! 

Well guess what!  You wanna piece of me?!?!  BRING IT!  I’m yure HUCKLEBERRY!  Have fun at the LAND FILL BUDDY!   I hope some big maingie possum sneaks up on you and uses you as his fancy new bathroom!  We could have been something, but you and your short crotch and shrunken waistband ruined everything.   In short……I think I truly HATE you!  Half Pants…..I BREAK WITH THEE!  I bid thee ADIEU and may God have mercy on your soul!

JACKET, BLOUSE & BELT:  Thrifted

SHOES:  Gift

HALF PANTS:  Satan’s child

Small changes....

These weird weather days really mess with my wardrobe. The deal with wearing weather related layers is that each layer has to be able to look great on it's own. If I wear a scarf, the outfit sans scarf has to still look great. Ditto for the sweater. For an outing with my sweet baby, I decided to do long shorts. I put this all together and the only thing I'd change if I could would be put on some gray ankle boots with this. I have been wondering if I could pull off the ankle boot with bare leg look and after trying on a pair yesterday, I am in LOVE! It just goes to show you what a difference small changes can make.

I think the small change-big difference philosophy translates to so many areas of our lives. Adding a vase of fresh flowers to a room - small change but takes formal straight to friendly! Drinking out of a pretty glass or coffee cup. I'm on a never ending quest to find just the right pretty coffee cup to drink my coffee from. I just feel prettier when I'm holding something pretty! I've noticed small attitude changes make a big difference for me. When I get a funky feeling, I try to immediately shift the focus from the feeling to what I'm thankful for. Most of the time it works like a charm....and when it doesn't? Well, that's what make "psychologically therapeutic pizza" for. Meat Lover's with jalapeno add ons is known in psychiatry circles world wide for it's mood enhancing properties. By the way, the last pic is of me and Sweet Baby. My man does the "crazed eye" look so well!

Shorts...... White House Black Market($35?)

Top......TJ Maxx($ 7?)

Sweater.......Thrifted ($3.50)

Shoes.......Belk (gift)

By the way, I've been toying with the idea of doing an online clothing, shoe, accessorie exchange. Maybe where we post a few things that have lost their excitement for us, that someone else may be feeling the love for. I would love some input on how to make this work. I'm all about the "One man's trash...." theme and what a great opportunity for everyone to have access to unique items from all over the country!

Sunday morning breakfast: Bacon, Eggs and a hot cup of Marvin!

Jean Harlow

Iabsolutely love the idea of mixing things up with what you have. I got these jeans at TJ MAXX and they are bordering on jeggings. I could not believe that I found a pair of jeans that fit me so perfectly. So, I've worn them twice this week with a minor change, the first time I rolled them up slightly. I know, I know, versatility with blue jeans is not necessarily a monumental, alert the press, blogging moment. Still, there are ways that even the most mundane garments can be tweaked for a slightly different look.

This is a vintage top that I picked up for about $1.50. It's the sleeves that roped me in. I believe it's actually a pajama top....I do love these vintage pjs!

This was on our way to breakfast this morning. Basically, I got out of bed and just threw on jeans and white tee shirt - one of my all time favorite combinations. Then, layer on the necklaces! This is the quickest and easiest way to turn "MYEH" into "OH YEAH!" We've all got tons of necklaces flying around and they don't even have to be expensive. Try it sometimes and then send me a pic....I'd love to see how others get creative with necklaces! You may also recognize this sweater as one of my thrifting treasures from last weekend. I can see already this baby's gonna see alot of action!

Blogging has really helped me overcome some photo anxiety. I have always hated the way I look in pictures. I'll nitpick myself apart, hone in on the thighs, or some goofy expression on my face and within 5 minutes I'm wanting to crawl in a hole. Well now, I REJECT THAT WAY OF THINKING! My 44 year old body has been wonderful to me! I'm certainly not going to bad mouth it now. Putting it all out there helps me to say, "Yup, that's me and I like it!"

Jeans...... TJ MAXX ($12)

Brown Boots......Sears about 15 years ago ($ no idea)

Black Boots.......Spiegel about 8 years ago ($ can't remember)




Maybe not FOREVER! How about just sometime?