Due to the chilly weather this week (it actually snowed on Wednesday) I haven't been very motivated to do outfit posts for the blog. Today, however, the sun decided to peek out for a bit and I also had a willing friend to take pictures of me in my neighborhood.The photos are a bit misleading as I actually had to wear my wool coat over the denim jacket. I'd been wanting to wear this jacket for a while and it's a bit sad it had to act as a layer rather than outwear. Hopefully soon I'll be able to just throw it over dresses before heading out the door.
I walk by L Miller & Sons Lumber on Division Street fairly frequently and have always admired the weathered mural on the side of the building featuring a worker painting the wall. I'm not sure how old the business is but there is 1950s/atomic-looking signage in the front windows so it's been there at least that long.
The crinoline came out again to wear under this 1950s dress. The full skirt and rickrack trim reminds me of vintage square dancing dresses that I own. Depending on the way I accessorize it, the outfit takes on a country flair or could go Southwest (next time I'll wear my tooled leather belt and silver jewelry with it).OUTFIT DETAILS1950s cotton dress: Knee Deep Vintage sale, Chicago Black T-strap heels: Village Thrift, ChicagoScrimshaw Hummingbird Necklace (1970s?): Etsy seller VWayneGAP Denim Jacket: Goodwill Thrift, Madision, Wisconsin1960s sunglasses: Chicago antique store
My sweet friend Tory (who obligingly took my outfit photos) treated me to a belated birthday lunch after she got off work today. We went to my favorite brunch/lunch place, Milk & Honey. I got my usual, a grilled chicken sandwich topped with blue cheese, sundried tomatoes and bacon. YUM. On all of the tables they have tiny glass bottles with fresh flowers and since it was near closing time they were gathering all the bottles together on the table (pictured below).Despite the chill we had a good time strolling through my neighborhood (the Ukrainian Village) and stopped in a few shops including my the Renegade Shop. It's been a while since I stepped in there it was chock full of tempting artist-made goods. There were so many cards I wanted to buy (including one featuring cat eye glasses) and I also took a fancy to a line of laser cut wood necklaces & earrings in the shapes of old fashioned items like rotary phones, typewriters and globes.
For dessert we swung by Alliance Bakery, another neighborhood staple that has been serving pastries since the 1930s (it used to be a Polish bakery but has changed ownership a few times over the years). We opted for French macarons, I tried a chocolate salted caramel and a raspberry rose. The raspberry rose was everything a macaron should be-- airy yet chewy with a creamy filling. Unfortunately the chocolate was a bit too dense, I'm wondering if it was just less fresh than the raspberry?The amazing peacock cake and the Dr. Seuss green eggs and ham cake are Alliance Bakery creations featured in the window. The cakes remind me of Food Network challenges; it's surprising what people can make out of fondant and sugar.
The best part of the dress is the scalloped neckline and the rows of fabric daisy chains bordered by rickrack.
It's going to be a while until I see any hummingbirds but in the meantime I'm wearing my scrimshaw necklace featuring a hummingbird. I'm not sure how old it is, maybe 1970s? It reminds me of one of my favorite vintage fashion blogs, The Hummingbird Girls. The photo was taken by the etsy seller VWayne, I didn't get a chance to take a photo of it today.
On the way back to my apartment we found this little brick 2-flat with worn red steps. I live in a larger 1920s building but have always admired the walk-ups dating from the 1880s/turn of the century dotting the streets around me. Notice the wrought ironwork on the stair rail, a lot of the buildings in the area retain their original metalwork fences and rails; I've even seen old horse hitches in people's yards!