I got these two super lovely vintage dresses from etsy seller miskabelly recently. Their slogan is "For Vintage Lovin' Mamas and Mamas-to-Be" - suits me to a T!
I am in love with these dresses!! Not only are they comfortable (they are a bit nightgown-ish til you belt them, hehe), but they are so pretty. Now that I am feeling a lot better these days than I was before, I find myself wanting to put a little more effort into my appearance again and really showcase the belly! And what makes you feel even better than buying new clothes?? Buying vintage clothes!
I met Kam and some other friends for her daughter's 11th birthday brunch recently - Good God, I can't believe she's 11 already! I still remember the first time I ever held her. And now she loves to remind me how old she'll be when my child is however many years. lol Anyway, I wore the blue dress to brunch and had Kam snap some pics outside the restaurant, hence all the cars and lovely scenic backdrops. ;) Then I just put the pink one over top. Much less effort than going inside to change!
The blue floral dress is polyester but is thin enough where it's nice and cool, not hot. It's just a perfect springtime/summer dress. It also looks really cute with a white cardigan. The belt was my mom's.
The pink one is pretty tent-like without the belt, but belted, it becomes a stylish maxi dress. I'm debating whether I want to shorten it to just above the knee. I think it would be a great dress either way. And it has pockets, which is pretty fabulous! The purple belt came from miskabelly as well. I don't know if you can tell from the pics, but there is purple amidst that plaid, and a purple belt is so much fun.
The key to both of these dresses is belting them above the belly, and they were modeled so perfectly online with belts that I couldn't resist them! I had actually meant to don a floppy hat and sunglasses and totally forgot. Maybe next time. I had on a full face of makeup, and now I'm reminded how you really have to amp it up for photos or else it gets lost.
The sandals are the only shoes I've ever bought from Goodwill...I bought them a couple years ago for a Halloween costume and decided I liked them for everyday wear!
miskabelly is run by two sisters, Amanda and Jayme, and they not only have really unique and cute vintage maternity clothes but also vintage clothes for the wee ones as well! Vintage baby clothes are SO precious. I'm lucky to still have every single piece of clothing I wore as a baby because my parents didn't get rid of anything, and even though it feels weird saying that my baby clothes are old enough to be considered "vintage," I'm hoping at least some of them will be wearable for my baby girl. But I have a feeling I will be back to peruse their shop, for both of us!
They also have another etsy shop called miskabelle, which has awesome vintage clothes for the non-pregnant gal. So if you're into vintage wear, definitely check it out.
Top three reasons to buy from them!
1) Well, first and foremost, the clothes! They have a great eye for spotting special items and a knack for showcasing them in their shops. When you buy vintage, you don't look like everyone else walking down the street; it just gives you a different feeling somehow to wear vintage. Their prices are great, and even though the thrill of the hunt is fun, sometimes it's nice for someone else to do the work for you!
2) They have two blogs, one for each shop.
miskabelly: http://miskabellyvintage.blogspot.com - ultra cute maternity fashion ideas, not to mention loads of adorable baby photos in sweet little clothes!
miskabelle: http://www.miskabelle.blogspot.com/ - really unique and retro fashion ideas, with a somewhat pinup type of feel from Amanda.
3) They are just really nice. I know that sounds silly since I've never met them, but you know, you can actually tell a lot about a person from their internet presence. I had some questions about the dresses before I made my purchase, and Jayme was so sweet in her responses to me. When you can tell someone genuinely cares about you (and what they do), it makes you want to support them even more.
And, ahem, shameless product plug - while you're already over on etsy looking for vintage finds, why not snag one of our TCN necklaces or a "juniper + clover" crocheted creation to go with them? ;)
Vintage Wear Part 2 coming soon! :)
